College 101

Post Midterms

During college you get to learn and experience the amount of midterms you are and will be taking depending on your major. You are studying like no other and trying to find a schedule that works for you but one thing you only get to experience after your very first midterm is that there are more than just 1 midterm per semester. Some classes have 2 per semester, others have 3 and some might have more. There is a lot going on and sometimes you have to remind yourself why you are doing this. 

After the first week of midterms, you'll feel drain. If you did not do well on the first set of midterms, do not bring yourself down. It is easier said than done but remember, you are going for a degree that will be used in the future. If you are feeling down after taking your midterm, that is normal. Sometimes it may feel like you didn't study enough or might've missed a topic and that is normal. 

The best way that I found myself motivated after midterms weren't just mini rewards but also a change in scenery. Taking a break in between studying was something that helped me. It kept me distracted for a bit and helped my brain retain information that was being reviewed. It also helped my mental health. That is a topic that not a lot of college students talk about in public or on the media and I am here to touch upon this topic for every college student. Yes midterms, exams, projects, research papers, or any other heavy assignment can be draining and sometimes we are not aware of it. Next college blog entry will be touching on this topic more and the best ways to take care of yourself as a student!! For now, do not give up!! You will pass those exams and you will do amazing this fall semester!!

WIML

Knotts Scary Farm

This year was my first time going to Knotts Scary Farm with loved ones and let me just say that it was something I didn't fully expect. We did get to spend time in the theme park before the Halloween festivities but we did have to leave the park at 5pm. I found it a little odd that everyone in the park had to leave before the start of the festivities and can I just say that I was so shocked with how many people were making line to enter the park. Entering back to the park wasn't as bad as leaving but that is where the real fun began. 

Riding roller coasters at night is always better. The adrenaline is felt more and it makes the roller coaster experience a lot better. The wait times were not bad since almost everyone was waiting in line at the haunted houses. That is where most of the people were at and the best part about these haunted houses is that it is free. The haunted houses were also pretty lengthy which was such a good feeling because it makes the experience worth it. There was one haunted house that I wanted to go to and it is a new one that has been added called 'Inked'. Since this was one of the newest haunted houses it was a packed and it was close to an hour wait. 

Through all the walking that we had done, we did get to stop by at an outdoor theater and enjoy the shows that they had. It gave a good break in between the walking that almost everyone enjoyed. The dance performances and acrobats were the ones that we really got to see and it was amazing to watch. Even if it was the last couple of minutes that we got to enjoy. 

WIML

October Nails

If it is one thing about nails in October it is the variations of autumn and Halloween nails. I am saving all the ones that I see and like on a Pinterest board to recreate them on press on. One nail design that I really want to recreate are the Nightmare Before Christmas. There have been many different designs based rom the movie and I get the urge to do all of them but I will be cutting it down to one design and implementing cat eye polishes. 

The next set I want to work on is on a Coraline inspired set. After watching the movie and getting a lot of Coraline nail videos on TikTok, I want to recreate some of them. Well perhaps just one but I'm indecisive on which one I want to do. I have been leaning more towards Mr. Bobinsky's circus as there are a lot more decorations that can be added onto the nail.

Last set I want to do is an autumn set. There are a lot of these kind of inspos and it is hard to choose just one. Although I do have quite a few ideas, it is just a matter of which one do I really want to work on.

WIML

Winter Arc🖤

As October officially begins today, so does winter arc!! I’m looking forward to it and excited to make my goals part of my daily routine. Based on the goals that I set for myself, I am doing pretty good but the one that I have been struggling with is sleeping early and waking up early. As I have been reading again, I tell myself one more chapter and that turns into me reading 10 chapters. Starting today I am going to try to set a better time for me to read and won’t be keeping me up all night. This is something that is affecting the time that I wake up and I will be modifying my morning alarm to allow my body adjusted to a new transition. There will be no new goals added to my winter arc as I have seen that I have set out a lot for me. If you are starting your winter arc now too, let’s do this together and not lose motivation!!

Welcome to October

Start of October🤍

It is officially October and I am so excited for what is to come!! Many more book shopping days, the fall drinks, Halloween!!! Hopefully the weather starts calming down in Los Angeles. I am tired of 80-90 degree weather. I am trying to wear hoodies and crewnecks when I am out with friends and family. I will patiently be waiting for the weather to start calming down because I am not happy with summer weather. On the bright side of things, Winter Arc officially starts today and so far I am doing pretty good with my goals. 

October is going to be filled with many more books (meeting my reading goals), more job applications (hopefully I get to hear from one soon because this waiting game is not it), enjoying night outs, and hopefully I get to go to more theme parks this month!! I am itching to get on a rollercoaster and feel the adrenaline. October is going to be a month of more opportunities not just for me but for you as well!!

 

Book Review📚

Book Review: 1

Title: Midnight on the Celestial

Author: Julia Alexandra

Rate: 3.8/5

Date Started: 09/02/2026                                                Date Finished: 09/30/2026

Genre: Horror-Fantasy                                                     Number of Pages: 336

Summary:

I have been looking forward to reading this book based on the cover. Starting with the introduction to the main character herself was straight to the point. Perfect explanation to her morphic powers and how it is to live in a world where not everyone has a morphic power. The entire plot had smooth transitions as you start a new chapter. I will say that reading about a cruise ship that contains morphia to give that experience to those who were not born with it was something quite interesting. There is a lot being discovered about the cruise ship and its flaws regarding the mistreatment on the workers. As I read this book, there were a lot more creepy situations going on in this ship that the main character was being kept out from. The main character Roe finds out that the ship is not what she thought it was and while she confronted her Father, there was a lot lies she grew up with and truths that were hard to take in. 

Recommendation:

I do recommend reading this book!! This book is an easy chill read and one that can give you a break from other book genres you are reading. 

SCS 💐🤍

Solo Dates🤍

Showing yourself a little bit of self love is important. Nothing drastic, just a solo date can never go wrong. I occasionally take myself on solo dates and I have been implementing them on myself a little more now. Sometimes I go shopping, a mini drive, or taking myself for a little treat. There are a few things that I enjoy doing when going out solo.

Mini Coffee Runs

It cannot be a solo date without a coffee or matcha. Depending on what your favorite drink is. For me, the drink that I get depends on my mood. Sometimes I want to get a coffee, there are times where I get a matcha, or I switch it up to either a tea or refresher. Going to a coffee shop close by or trying a new one is the perfect way to get this started. They can be local coffee shop, a pop up, or small business. 

Skin Care Shopping

One of my favorite solo dates is skin care shopping. Whenever I run out of products to use, I go shopping to get a new set. The number one thing that I can never run out of is face masks. These are my favorite thing to add in my skin care routine and shopping for these is what I enjoy the most. Eye masks are another thing that I enjoy shopping for and one that runs out fairly quickly. Of course there is my moisturizer, cleanser, toner, and sunscreen that I go buy. Even getting a new body wash, exfoliator, lotion, or body cream. Going solo to purchase these is even better when I get to take my time to enjoy looking around the store and smelling the new fragrances. The stores that I go to when buying my skin care or any hygiene product is Ulta, Target, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, or Bath & Body Works. You can never go wrong with any of these stores!!

Flowers

There was a time where I wasn't a big fond of receiving flowers. Then again I was a kid and was a little to focus on school and volleyball. Starting my sorority experience and buying flowers for the newest members that we helped throughout there process changed my mindset a little. Going out with my friends to local areas around campus and coming across flower shops was another step. We would all purchase little bouquets for ourselves and there was one that was always our favorite. There was a shop where we were able to chose the flowers we wanted for our own bouquet and that made it special for me. Now, when I get the chance, I take advantage on my solo dates to buy myself some flowers as a sign of self love and enjoying the day. It also makes your home look lively.

College 101

Midterm Season

Right about now, you are reaching that time of the semester where midterms start happening. Well at least for some of you. You might be stressing and worrying about your midterms starting or they are coming up. Some of you are probably studying like crazy for not just 1 but for 2+ courses (depending on how many you are taking). Let this blog post help you relax and ease your mind for a bit. I will be giving you my tips and tricks for getting comfortable with midterms.

Resting

No matter how long you are willing to stay awake, you need rest. Your brain needs to rest and process everything that you're studying to retain that information. Your body also needs that rest. If you are a commuter, best believe your body gets drain. It is on a constant move that you may forget but your body does feel it. Resting also involves your health. When you stress, your body stresses and when your body stresses, it starts affecting your health. Resting 8 hours can do wonders for you.

Study Methods

Main study tip is to not try and review every material the night before. Rookie mistake and that probably won't be saving you in any class. Space out the material. If there are classes that you feel more confident in and the information is easier to understand then you don't have to prioritize those classes as the main portion of your study session, heavy info classes might require more than just 3 days to review. The best way to help you is making a study schedule. If you have time in the morning to review or study, use this time to study for the heavy classes. Your brain is going to be highly active in retaining information. At noon (or around that time) you can focus on classes that you are not 100% confident in but still understand the topic. You are already awake and fueled up to get you started on these study sessions. In the evening/night you can review what you have studied throughout the day for 30 mins, take a 10-15 minute break and then review/study for the classes you already feel confident in. If you are taking 5 classes, space them out evenly in your study schedule. Assigned certain days for these classes that also align with your personal schedule. You can do:

Active recall: Allowing your brain to retrieve information that was taught. This method can be done by writing on a blank piece of paper, white board, or speaking out loud.

Practice tests: Using any practice tests that are given to you in class or generating one with the lectures that you have been taught. This is a perfect way to prep for a midterm (or any exam) and you are able to create tests on the topics that you struggle with the most.

Spaced repetition: Reviewing material at different time rates to fight natural forgetting. This can be by reviewing lectures from your first class and going ove4r them every 2 days to allow your brain to retain the information and makes studying easier before an exam/midterm/final.

Feynman technique: Teaching someone else what you are learning in simple terms. You can teach your topics to a family member, friend or your pet. As long as you understand the topic, teaching this to someone will be easier.

If you need extra help, watch YouTube videos that correlate to your topics. Attend office hours with topics that can be challenging for you and ask your professor to teach it in simpler terms.

Proper Meals/Snacks

Having a proper meal before an exam is important. It is not just fueling your body but it is also fueling your brain. You cannot work on an empty stomach when doing an exam, speaking from experience, I have dozed off on a few midterms/tests. Learned my lesson and make sure to have a proper breakfast or lunch (depending when you have class). If you have 2 midterms back to back in one day and both are in person, take snacks. It can be a fruit, a yogurt bowl, or a granola bar. If you have an hour or 2 hour gap, a snack will do but you might want to accompany that with a mini lunch.

Mini Rewards

After completing a midterm, don't forget to reward yourself. No matter if you did good or bad. You finished and studied for that midterm, you deserve a reward!! It can be something small like buying snack or a drink. For most of my rewards, I bought myself drinks (lattes, matcha, or a smoothie). Most of the times I would get a smoothie no matter how hot or cold it was, a smoothie after a midterm was always the best reward for me. There are some midterms that tend to be a heavy component to your grade and for those I would reward myself with something a bit bigger. The most "expensive" reward I would get for myself was a book. For my undergrad courses that were very important (all of them were) there were some that retained a lot more information than others. Those courses were biomechanics, disease and plasticity in neuromuscular system, physics, anatomy, and physiology. I did spend a lot of my time studying and memorizing certain actions and terms that wouldn't just appear in the first exam but in multiple and for the rest of the year. Depending on how heavy the course is, you can then choose your rewards with things you like. 

WIML

  Fall Favorites📚

It is now officially autumn!!! My favorite season of the year!! The autumn inspired drinks, lip combos, weather, clothes, ughhh I am so happy autumn has officially started!!! I have been getting Tiktok videos about the autumn season and let me just say that it has been very enjoyable seeing everything. Gets me a lot more excited for the rest of this season. 

The main videos that I get are fall lip combos. They are the ones that get my attention the most as I try to experiment these color combinations when I go out or go to work. Every new lip combination that I have come across have been saved and can't wait to try them out!! Perfect to have when trying to take aesthetic pictures with an autumn inspired drink. 

Any autumn inspired drinks or food are the best to have. That is something that I have looked forward to at the start of the year!! Now that autumn has begun, there is nothing better than a pumpkin theme drink with pumpkin pie cold foam!! Don't get me started with food now. Soups are the ones that I look forward too the most as they give comfort on a perfect crispy day. Teas are the ones that I am excited about the most!! Trying new teas or making my comfort tea, cinnamon tea is the best on any morning!!

From drinks to food, you can never go wrong with fall activities. Pumpkin patches, apple picking, picnics, going to theme parks, and painting/carving pumpkins. With perfect weather these activities can be with friends and family. My personal favorite is going to theme parks as they already have their Halloween decorations out and getting a good scare sets the adrenaline for the night!! Then we have Halloween which is really exciting, my favorite holiday of the year!! Obviously not forgetting about Thanksgiving and the food that comes with this holiday.

WIML

Books, Books, oh & Books📚

If you haven’t caught on from past blog entries and the layout of my blogs, I enjoy reading. If you had met be 8 years ago, I would have told you that I hate reading. Right when COVID happened and we were all quarantined, I had a few books lying around that had caught my attention based on the cover. I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but that is the only way it will interest me. Really not the best advice to give but to me if the book does not look interesting through the cover or it doesn’t catch my eye, I will not get it. I do read the little summary of the book to see what it is about and half the time it convinces me to buy them. Now I want to share to you all about the start of my reading journey, favorite books, genres I enjoy, genres that I want to start reading, current favorite bookstores, my reading journal, and a new tab I will be having soon.

Start of My Reading Journey

The book that got me into my reading habits was Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This was also the very first book that had me break down in tears. I will say that I have a soft spot for this book and have reread it a couple of times for comfort. If I remember correctly this book took me 2 days to finish. After reading that book, I had read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall. With The Fault in Our Stars, I remember getting the book because everyone around me told me that the book is really good and I should watch the movie as well. I’ve read the book and have yet to watch the movie. For A Little Something Different, I still remember going to Barnes & Nobles with my family and my sister was choosing books to read in class and I was just exploring. My mom had actually stumble upon this book and told me to get it as the very first chapter of the book was titled “September” and that was the main reason why I got the book. Quite funny to think about now as I typed this but it was a cute love story with a variety of point of views from all the characters in the book.

Favorite Books

One of my all time favorite books is The Giver by Lois Lowry. I read this book in middle school, I believe I was in 7th grade when I read this for a class. Any book given to me for a class was always hard for me to continue reading. This highest chapter I would go to was chapter 7 and from there I wouldn’t continue reading the books at all. Unlike this book, it had me hooked on by chapter 3 that I would read ahead and not read the amount of chapters I had to read. It is a good dystopian book and watching the movie was even better. My second favorite book is Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, third favorite book is actually a series with the first book being Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. It is a romance series with a bit of fantasy. Currently waiting for the 4th book to come out and it has been pre-ordered as well. A birthday gift from me to me. My fourth favorite is A Goode Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Let me just say that this book had me thinking and with my guesses about the murder case, I was not close on anything but finishing the book. It is a good mystery book and one that I recommend you to read. My last favorite and this is also a series is The Empyrean series. Starting off with Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, this book really had me thinking that I was in the book. The fantasy and the way that the plot is had me really attached. Did I cry when I read the book? Yes, yes I did. Is the book a recommendation to you? Yes, yes it is. Am I going to explain what this book is about? No, no I’m not because I fear that I will not be able to contain my excitement about this book and will just spoil it.

Go to Bookstores

Number 1 bookstore that I will recommend going is Barnes & Nobles. It is the obvious choice to go and look for books and see other genres that they have available for the public. I do like to go to new locations and as they sometimes have books that I cannot find in the other locations. My second go to spot for books is a bookstore called Ripped Bodice. This bookstore has a lot of romance books and one that I know for sure I can find my next romance book. I have gotten other stuff from there like bookmarks and stickers. These are the current 2 places that I enjoy going for books and there are many other locations that I can’t wait to check out and add them into my go to bookstores list.

Favorite + New Genres

At this very current moment my favorite genres are fantasy, romance, mystery, and fiction novels. I happened to find myself reading a lot of fantasy and romance lately. There are times when I do read poetry but for sure fantasy and romance are my go to genre's as for mystery and fiction novels are still pretty high up there as my favorites too. There is one genre that I do want to get into a lot more and that is thriller/horror. I did get the book Fantastic Land by Mike Bockoven to start reading in October to get into the spooky season feels and I hope that I do branch out to more genres to have variety in books. I have read a couple of Natasha Preston's book which happen to be thriller but they are not heavy thriller books. I want to be able to get spooked when I am reading a thriller book. If you have any recommendations, please send them my way.

Reading Journal

After reading my books, I start to add them into my reading journal. It is nice to keep record of the books that I have read to remind me of the books that I have read and to also write about what stood out to me or what was it that made me love the book. I had gotten one as a birthday gift a couple of years ago and I am nowhere near done or halfway into finishing it. But it really is nice to have to keep as book reading record.

New Tab?

As I have a lot of time available (as of right now), I want to add a tab, ”Book Babez”, where I will be writing about the books that I have finished reading. I am currently reading “Midnight on the Celestial” by Julia Alexandria. Once I am done reading the book, I will be giving my thoughts about the book and write a small review. This tab will also serve as book recommendations to anyone that wants new books to read and it will also be a way to not just motivate me but to you as well to meet your readings goals (if any) or motivate you to read a book.