Back to Campus: Study Inspiration

Probably one of the biggest struggles we all face with the start of classes is finding motivation to study.  It takes a while to get back in a school mindset and start to really put effort into homework and studying.  However, I’ve found that having fun supplies makes me more likely to get organized and start studying early on!

This planner from ban.dō is my favorite thing this semester.  Obviously a planner is a great way to keep track of all your work and projects, as well as events you have going on (it can be very satisfying to physically write things down then cross them off as you finish them, rather than just keeping track of everything in your phone), plus having a cute notebook around is a great reminder to actually check what homework you have left to do (I don’t know about you, but when I make a list in my phone I don’t always go back and check it later).  Additionally, pulling a fun planner like this out of your bag in class is a great conversation starter for the people around you.  (Everyone will want to know where you got it!)  I have this mint and gold one that reads, “I AM VERY BUSY.”  It’s cute, and it’s accurate.

Inside the planner there are a bunch of fun surprises.  Random days feature little pick-me-up notes, like “you’re more fun than a rollercoaster” and “you are better than unicorns and sparkles combined”.  Important holidays (and extra fun ones, like National Ice Cream Sandwich Day!) are included throughout the calendar.  Plus, each weekend there’s a suggestion for something fun to do.  (Anyone up for pink hair!?) 

Every month has a cool illustration (like this one that serves as a reminder to keep organized and on top of your work, and gives you the eerie sense that the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg can see you procrastinating).  There are other fun things included in the planner, too (like stickers J).  If this little book doesn’t make you want to write out all of your work then get it done, I don’t know what will.  Ban.dō also has other school supplies, like spiral notebooks and pens with cute phrases on them, plus tumblers, headphones, backup chargers, phone cases, tote bags, etc…

Wherever you get your supplies, keep in mind that even just getting a notebook in your favorite color can help you stay motivated!

~ Alyssa

Trashy Fridays: Virgin Territory and Married at First Sight

Welcome back to Trashy Fridays!!! For this edition, we are returning to MTV’s “Virgin Territory” and FYI’s “Married at First Sight.” Let us return to the lovely trashiness!

For this week’s episode of “Virgin Territory”, we continue the stories of David, Shelby and Anike. We are also introduced to the new girl, Marjorie.

Marjorie is an 18 year old virgin from Florida. She is part Brazilian and is going to be graduating from high school soon. While talking with her friend, she says that she is kinda into this guy named Hiago. She actually almost lost her virginity to him. Marjorie is interested in losing her virginity to someone special and is interested in how an orgasm and sex feel like. She decides to see if Hiago is interested in hooking up with her.  We first see him (and he’s not that special) at a hookah bar with Marjorie and her friends. Marjorie thinks that Hiago feels like he can win her over just because she liked him before. They have a one sided argument, which basically established that they would remain as friends only. Marjorie wouldn’t let Hiago talk at all and this had to be the most annoying thing about the episode. This girl irks me more than Anna ever did. Marjorie didn’t make any sense by telling Hiago that she wasn’t interested… She said that she wanted to see if they could hook up and she almost had sex with the guy. A person who just yells at someone in an argument and does not let them get their point across just irritates me. This is never a good way to argue! I’m not a fan of her... And I don’t look forward to seeing her next week.

Then we have David who is just plain awesome.  He invited Cairo over for another date and he cooked her dinner. After talking for a while, we find out that Cairo is interested in continuing her relationship with David. So yay, he wasn’t friend zoned! He makes chocolate covered strawberries and has some with her.  In his opinion, strawberries are very romantic and set a good mood.  While eating them, he tells Cairo that she is as sweet as a strawberry. (Which is cute.) David gets his first kiss from Cairo and he was ecstatic.  Then he got to talk about his date with Cairo to his frat brothers while skiing.  His brothers make a joke that he won’t be good in the bedroom because he hates to go fast… (Real mature guys…) Then David and the frat brothers give their versions of the bases system with girls. David thinks first is a kiss, second is a kiss with tongue, third is sex with a condom, and home is sex without a condom... (Hilarious!)  Cairo and David go on a laser tag date and they again share a chocolate dessert. But this time they smear it all over each other’s faces. David is my favorite person so far on the show and I can’t wait to see where this relationship takes him.

Next we have Shelby, who is still doing great with her new boobs. She has gained so much self-confidence and I’m really happy for her. Shelby hangs out with some frat boys, and meets a guy named Austin. Austin happens to be a friend of Savannah, who is a good friend of Shelby’s. Savannah’s hook up makes a comment about her boobs being fake, and this actually surprises Austin. Austin and Shelby have a good time together and Savannah offers to go on a double date with her hook up and Austin. For their date the couples go racing. Shelby and Austin have fun beating Savannah and her hook up. During the date, Shelby and Savannah do their unicorn thing and this makes Austin curious. Then before everyone goes home, Savannah suggests another double date at her ranch the next day. At the end of the night Austin tells Shelby that he had a great time with her and they share a kiss and a hug. The next day Shelby and Savannah see Savannah’s parents at the ranch. It was hilarious because her dad came out and said “Whooo, hot damn, look at them!” (In reference to the new boobies haha!) The girls and Savannah’s mom talk about sex and she insists that they keep their virginity for a long time. At the ranch, Austin, Shelby, Savannah’s hookup, and Savannah have a great time hanging out. Austin finds out that being a unicorn means that they are virgins and he is really cool with it. He finds out a way to get alone time with Shelby and tells her that he has really enjoyed his time with her. At the end of the episode, Shelby tells us that she is willing to wait to lose her virginity and wants to work on her body issues first before she jumps into bed with someone. I am so happy that Shelby made this decision because she needs to learn to accept herself and keep her newfound self-esteem up. This ends Shelby’s time on the show and I wish her the best of luck.

Lastly we have Anike, and today is a special day for her and Julian! It’s their one-year anniversary and it’s the day that she will lose her virginity. Julian plans a special dinner for her and then they go to Anike’s place to get ready. Julian puts rose petals on her bed in the shape of a heart and says that he loves her, and she feels really happy and ready to do it… But Anike’s mom was awake and right downstairs.  Anike feels bad but she has to send Julian away. The next day she tells her friends about her special night and is feeling really anxious about losing her virginity. Julian decides to book a hotel room that night so that they can be alone. Julian picks her up and Anike tells him some ground rules during the drive over to the hotel. The place that he got was so beautiful!  Anike and Julian have sex and she says that it felt amazing. (In fact she wanted to plan on doing it again in a few days!) She was happy that things between them didn’t change and he told her that he would never get bored of her. Finally Julian gave her a pretty promise ring and assured her that they would have a future with each other. Julian and Anike are a great couple and I am glad that their relationship has worked so well. I will miss both Anike and Shelby because they were great. Again, there wasn’t a preview for next week’s episode but they did show that 4 more people will be joining the show. I’m hopeful that we will be gaining good people for this show. 

Married at First Sight: Conflict and Resolution

For the start of the episode, Jamie shows Doug where she used to live and it causes her to be very emotional because her childhood was rough. Jamie knows that she will need to tell Doug about her past to make their marriage work, but she’s afraid to let him in. But, she is starting to be able to trust him a bit more because he went there and was very supportive with her. Jamie feels as though she will be able to open up to him eventually.

Jason doesn’t want to introduce Cortney to his mom yet, because she is so ill and he wants her to get a bit better first. Not meeting his mom has bothered Cortney. Jason has a problem opening up when things get bad, so he tends to go into a dark state in his own head.  He doesn’t want Cortney to feel bad for him. Cortney is learning that she can talk to him and just has to be more patient with his feelings. Doug lied to Jamie about having a cigarette, because apparently he quit. This really bothers her because she just started to trust him and she feels like she can’t anymore. Jamie won’t accept Doug’s apology and she feels like he isn’t ready for marriage. She also feels like he puts his needs over someone else’s and she doesn’t want to be stuck in a relationship with lies and be left with a kid. I feel like Jamie is so annoying! I understand the issue but be the better person and forgive… That’s how marriage works! I know he lied, but mistakes will happen and you just have to move on. She also just can’t believe that he will continue to lie, because that is not fair. Jason fears that as his schedule gets busier when he goes to the fire academy, Cortney may not be willing to be on his side. Cortney is wondering if Jason will quit on her if the marriage is rocky, but Jason says he is in for life. Monet and Vaughn have been building a stronger relationship and they seem to care about each other a lot. They both talk with Vaughn’s mom about their marriage and she gives them unbiased advice. (They both love her advice and I think that she is awesome!) Vaughn wants a woman to take care of him, like cook dinner and such, but Monet doesn’t agree. They have a disagreement! Monet doesn’t believe in the housewife role and Vaughn wants her to do more nice things for him like he does for her.

Everyone sees the psychologist. He helps Jamie and Doug get over the fact that he lied and he made Doug promise to not do it again.  Jamie just relates the lie to abuse and I do not think that will be the case. She must overcome her past in order for her relationship to work. Jason and Cortney discuss when he goes to the academy. The psychologist instructs them to make a list of how to start difficult conversations to help improve their marriage. They both are afraid that their relationship will change after the experiment is over. Jason talks about his childhood and he wants Cortney to know about it. He believes that if she doesn’t know that part of him, she won’t know him at all. Cortney is willing to hear it but will not pressure him into telling her about it. Monet and Vaughn tell the psychologist how they feel about their argument. Monet feels like she is being undermined by Vaughn. Vaughn feels like he has to keep doing nice things and won’t receive anything back. The psychologist makes Monet give Vaughn a compliment and she says he has potential. This really doesn’t help because he feels like he has to be something more.  The psychologist told them to write apology letters to each other. Monet isn’t too thrilled about this because she doesn’t think that she is wrong.

After watching this show, I feel like they gave a more in-depth view of how to work out marriage conflicts.  But this show can be slow and I feel like some of the issues are sooo small that they shouldn’t really matter.  I really am not a total fan of the show, but I do want to watch next week because it’s the big decision day! It will be interesting to see.

(BTW, we’ve been live tweeting Virgin Territory on Wednesday nights!  Follow us on Twitter to join the fun!!!)

~ Katrina

Back to Campus: Tips to Overcome Shyness

Going back to school is a really exciting time to catch up with friends and learn new things, and a great way to meet new friends. But if you are shy, you may feel really isolated and overwhelmed when you go back to school. This can be especially true if you're attending a new school and don’t have your usual social circle that you feel comfortable with.  I have experienced this firsthand and I have some advice for those who have this problem.

                -Often, shyness can occur from a lack of self-confidence, and I totally understand how it is, but how do you overcome it? Well one way to do that is to just fake it- Take a few deep breaths and walk into class like you own the place. Then take it one day at a time and just introduce yourself to the person that is sitting next to you in class. Try to start a conversation with them, by starting with small talk or a compliment and slowly get to know them better. If it doesn't seem like you and the person are getting along well, move on and try it with different people. The more you do this, the less “faking” confidence you will have to do; you can also slowly develop a small group of friends like this. This will help you with future social situations as well.

                -Join a club or a sports team! This is a perfect way to find others who enjoy doing the same activities as you do. That can help you have something to talk about easily with a person and possibly have a friend with whom you can continue to do those activities.

                -Obviously, while you are looking for friends you need to make sure that you find those who will lift you up, not go against you. Having good friends can help you become more comfortable with yourself and increase your confidence.

                -If you are outgoing, try to reach out to someone who is shy and talk to them. Sometimes it takes one person to bring someone out of their shell. When I was in tenth grade I met my best friend and she helped me to open up and talk to a lot more people. This helped to increase my confidence and self-esteem.

You just have to remember that it’s perfectly fine being you and having a good circle of friends can help you get through the tough times. Especially if you're in a new setting, there will be many others like you who are trying to find some new friends, and you should try to do this process as early as possible. I’m not saying that doing these tips will make you popular but it will help you find some good friends and can help you enjoy being in school even more.  Having that supportive circle can make you happier and increase your self-confidence.

-Katrina

Trashy Fridays: Virgin Territory and Dating Naked

Welcome back to Trashy Fridays!  Today we will be tearing apart MTV’s “Virgin Territory” and VH1’s “Dating Naked”.  For this week’s “Virgin Territory” we will follow the stories of Anike, Shelby, the new guy, David, and Anna.  Let’s get to the enjoyable trashiness!

First we will start with Anike, who was not in this episode very much at all. To be honest this disappointed me because I really like her. Anike is still having some concerns about losing her virginity to her boyfriend, Julian, on their anniversary. She says that she loves him and can’t imagine herself being with anyone else, but she still doesn’t know if she wants to do it. Anike believes that her virginity is a special thing and should only be given to a special individual.  While with her friends on the beach she shares her concerns of keeping her virginity. She is afraid that he will leave her or will cheat on her so he can have sex. Her friends (who are awesome!) assure that he has stuck around this long without sex, so he would never do that to her. Anike and Julian go on a bowling date and poor Anike isn’t very good at it. Her fears are confirmed, when Julian’s brother asks her about the situation with her and Julian. This upsets her because Julian hasn’t been 100% honest with her about his feelings. Julian and Anike talk some more and he tells her that he wants to wait until she is ready and doesn’t mind waiting. Anike seems to have an amazing boyfriend. Julian is a really good guy. He admits that it was crazy, but he lost his virginity at 13. I like Julian; he has stepped up since the last episode. At the end of the episode, Anike tells Julian that she wants to go with the original plan and lose her virginity to him on their anniversary.

Next we have Shelby, who got her boobs done. She was awake during the whole process (I would never, ever do that) and she continued to ask the surgeon if she should have more work done. OMG!!! Shelby you are so pretty and do not need more plastic surgery. She needs to find a way to get to the root of her problems and deal with her body issues in a healthy way. So after the surgery, Shelby allowed everyone to feel her new boobies and didn’t regret getting them. I’m happy she didn’t go for huge knockers, her boobs actually look really nice. Shelby ends up going out with her new boobies and gets some guy’s number. After that he eats her face, and that ends that… so gross!! So I hope Shelby starts to love her body and doesn’t get the wrong kind of male attention from her boobies.  It would crush her if she still attracts the jerks that she was dating before and it will destroy her newfound self-esteem.

Then we have the new guy, David, who is a super virgin. David is 19 years old and is from Utah. He is a big guy with a big heart, but he always ends up getting friend zoned by girls. David has never been on a date with a girl and hasn’t even kissed one. He was bullied in school so he hasn’t had a lot of guys to talk about sex with until he went to college (he was sheltered as a child and very socially awkward in high school). David likes this girl, Cairo, and he plans on asking her out, but he doesn’t seem to know how. He gets advice from both his frat brothers and his girl friends. David even does a test run of calling Cairo to ask her out with his really good friend Emily. He ends up calling Cairo and she accepts his offer of going out for sushi. Since David can’t drive, Emily picks him and Cairo up for their date. David was really nervous, but Cairo seemed very nice about it. At the end of the date he wanted to kiss her, but he ended up leaving with a hug only. David is a really kind guy, but he needs to break out of his shell a little more. He has done a pretty good job already and I believe that the more he hangs out at college, the better he will become. I hope that he and Cairo can build a stronger relationship and he won’t be friend zoned yet again.

Lastly, we have Anna, who really was the star in this episode. Anna was celebrating her 20^th birthday with all of her friends. First they had a party for her on the beach and then they went to the club. Anna was excited because Alex announced that he had a surprise for her birthday.  Anna feels in love with Alex and ready to give him her virginity. Before she met up with Alex, her friends took her to get her first Brazilian wax. Her friends suggested that she gets a heart or a leaf down there, omg…  For her surprise, Alex cooks her an amazing fish dish with quinoa and vegetables. Then as they go upstairs, Anna announces that she wants to have sex with him, and Alex turns her down, saying that he really loves her, but he doesn’t want to offend her family and he wants to wait until she is off of the show. Then he closes the door to their bedroom and the cameraman walks away looking disappointed that he couldn’t get the essential shot. Then Anna announces three weeks later that she had lost her virginity to Alex. She explained that it was amazing, and admitted that it hurt a little at first. Anna gave an honest opinion of being a virgin on the show, and after awhile I started to like her more and more.

So Anna is now off the show and I was expecting a preview for next week, but MTV didn’t provide this. There is no preview anywhere of next week’s show, but there is a new episode scheduled.

Onto “Dating Naked”:

I have always been interested in “Dating Naked”, because apparently it’s the most entertaining dating series.  I attempted to watch it a few times, but just couldn’t get into it. But for this week I powered through because this has got to be one of the trashiest shows I’ve seen. So if you haven’t heard, the premise of the show is that two people go on three dates with random strangers; the catch is that they are nude for the entire date. The show follows the dates of 2 main contestants, a guy and a girl, that first start out by going on a date with each other. Then they go on two other dates with different people. At the end of the show, both people choose the person they liked best out of all of the dates.

So we start out with Candace and Mike, and the first dates seem very awkward for the show. Mike was checking out her body, which is not an uncommon thing for both sides to do. (I saw part of another episode where a girl was continuously checking out the guy’s junk.) These two go on a rope jumping date and Mike continues to say how good she looks. Candace and Mike connect as they talk and seem to have a fun time on their date. Mike thinks that dating naked is a good experience because you connect with emotions more. (Um, I guess, but I’m still not convinced.)  Both Candace and Mike admit that they have a hard time letting people into their lives and that’s why they are single. They jump in the pool and Candace asks if he’s had sex in a pool before. Mike replies yes and Candace says that she has a hard time not wanting to touch him (well, Mike is a good looking guy, but still…) Then they eat each others’ faces with a kiss. (blaaaahhhhhhhhhhh) Mike drops her off at her hotel room and they do not have sex.

The next day each of them goes on a date with a different person. Mike looks like he gets a crazy bitch…. Poor Mike. This crazy bitch’s name is Diana and she wears a bit too much dark eye make-up. (Like, it’s bad.) Diana shares that she has only dated creeps who were boring or just wanted sex. (Of course the worst kind of guy, which leads me to believe that this girl has been hurt by men many times.) Candace got J.D., who is a stripper… Oh god. She and J.D go on a biking adventure, I just have a feeling this will be uncomfortable for the guy. Diana and Mike play croquet for their date. She is not very good at this game at all…  Diana also shares that she has been kicked out of a lot of places because she has been too drunk (ugh). As J.D. and Candace are on their date, she seems to like him because he is more outdoorsy than Mike.  J.D. also seems like he has a sense of humor, which is nice to see. As Mike and Diana talk, it is revealed that her last relationship ended after the guy cheated on her and had a baby with another girl. (Score one for me, I was right.) Diana says that this has caused her to have trust issues with men. Mike really thinks that this date is a disaster, because she is crazy… But Diana has a different idea. She wants to settle down and she thinks because they have the same interests that Mike is The One. (I can’t see this ending well.) So Candace and J.D. talk again and it seems like Candace isn’t interested in continuing a relationship with him. Then they all hang out at the pool and Candace and Mike feel like both of their dates were not good. Neither of them were interested in the other two, so they go off and hang out with each other. Guess who isn’t happy about it? Diana. Diana starts to get really upset and wishes Mike would’ve told her sooner that he wasn’t feeling her. She also starts bashing Candace to J.D. by saying that she is ugly and such… (Wow, how mature.)  Diana starts bawling her eyes out and J.D. wipes her eyes and mascara goes all over her face (now she looks really bad lol).

For date number three, Mike got Amber, who is a very pretty girl. Candace goes on a date with Marcus.  She and Marcus fly kites on their date.  Amber ends up massaging Mike. She reveals that she’s only had one boyfriend and then was a lesbian for a while. (Mike doesn’t mind.) Marcus tells Candace that he quit his girlfriend because he wanted to party. (Omg, not a good guy it seems!)  Candace and Marcus have fun dancing on their date. Mike seems to dig Amber but is concerned that she seems to date for a long time without finding love. Candace and Mike are torn between their first and third dates and do not know who they want to choose. When hanging out at the pool at the end of the day, Candace makes a signal to Mike for alone time, but he doesn’t take the hint well. Diana and Amber gossip about Mike because she is still upset. (Seriously, get over it.) Mike is afraid that, due to Diana’s gossiping, Amber will think he’s an asshole and won’t continue to see him. He also had to talk with a drunk Diana for a while, and really got annoyed by her. Marcus takes advantage of the opportunity and goes to see Candace alone. Candace ends up kissing Marcus. Mike tries to get alone with Candace but she’s busy…. So he doesn’t’ get his chance.

Now for the decision! Mike says he had the least connection with Diana (obviously) and he chose to continue to date Candace. Candace said she had the least connection with J.D. and she chose Marcus. And Diana laughed like it’s payback… omg I hate you Diana. Diana doesn’t want to date anymore and Mike leaves disappointed.

So I think the people that were involved in this show liked the experience of dating naked because you get a more emotional connection with the person. I don’t understand how anyone can do this. But for the show’s sake, it is very slow at times, which makes it boring and hard to watch. I will probably never watch this again because it is torture sometimes.

~Katrina

Back to Campus: Fitness Tips

An essential part of healthy living in college is to exercise. This tip may be really obvious, but it is very important. But you may think, with all this homework and studying and extracurricular activities and hanging out with friends, where do I find the time to exercise? Don’t worry; I have very simple tips to help you fit in some fitness in your day.

            -Walking- As long as the weather isn’t too bad (and when I say too bad I do not mean too cold!), walk to class every day. Watch the weather report for the day, dress appropriately, and get out there. You can go with a friend or just have an enjoyable walk by yourself. If you want an extra boost to this workout, carry your textbooks with you. That way you can gain some arm muscle and burn more calories while you walk. Walking to class is a good motivator, because you can get fit and you make sure that you are going and are on time to class every day.

            -Find free work out classes that are offered around campus- There are many organizations and clubs that want to promote students' fitness. Find these classes and attend them regularly, again with a friend or by yourself, to make sure you get some fitness in your day. It’s especially a good idea to find a yoga class, to decrease the amount of stress that you have from your classes.

            -Go to the gym on or around campus- A gym on campus is a good way to work out! You can do some jogging or go to the weight room. Doing this 2 or 3 times a week is a great way to stay in shape and get a nice body. If you do not have a gym on campus, get a gym membership that may cost around 10 dollars per month and use it in the same way.

            -Take a workout class for credit- If you really think you do not have the time to do some exercise, take an athletic class twice a week. They are perfect because you go there to get in shape and you are earning a grade at the same time. Generally, these classes can be taken as many times as you want and are really fun! It may also give you a chance to meet new people. I took an aerobics class for 50 minutes, twice a week and I had a great experience!

Good luck~Katrina

Back to Campus: Fall Trends

Catch up on all the major fall trends and look great when classes start!

·      Red and black plaid shirts- They look great buttoned up or tied at the bottom, paired with jeans, skirts or shorts; or, leave it unbuttoned and throw it over a dress or a tee and jeans.  Here’s a great one from Express.

·      Emerald green bags- These come in every shape and size this season, and the jewel tone is perfect for the season!  Michael Kors has a great one, and even Target has their own version.

·      Rich blue- This trend is a little more general, but it looks especially great on hair!  If you’re not ready to commit to such a bold change, try a temporary dye like this Garnier one.  Bright to dark blues are also great as eyeliner, especially a cat eye, and on your nails, like Essie’s Style Cartel.

·      Light pink jackets- On a softer note for fall, light baby pink jackets and coats are everywhere.  They come in all styles, like this motojacket from Forever 21, but the longer coat styles can even take you into winter!

~ Alyssa