Friday, April 27, 2012

Finals Season Study Tips

Finals season is just around the corner, or perhaps have already started for some people.
Mine will start at the end of next week. Can't believe I will be a senior soon. Aah!


I have 2 exams, 1 take home, and a final paper. I am swamped.
On top of that, since it's finals season and people can't take shifts, I will be working more.
Which means I have to be on my A game when it comes to studying on time.
Let me just tell you this though- I SUCK at not procrastinating. I really do.
And let me just say, failing ain't classy! Hence finals clearly has to do with Classic Loving ;)

So here are things that I do to stop myself from procrastinating and study during finals:

1.) Online disaster prevention
We've all had this problem if we are students in the 21st century.
I use pandora for music so I need my internet when I study, but with the internet, I can procrastinate for a good 3 hours at the time. I know that there are programs like Self Control, but hey, you can still get around it by borrowing other people's laptops to check something. (Self Control does help)
I either have my friends change all of my passwords to something and then have them withhold the password from me until I'm done. Granted, you'd have to trust this person. OR you can swap laptops with a friend while you study so that you won't be as inclined to go on other websites while your self control is blocked.


2.) Know your study schedule
Know when you work best- in the mornings, in the afternoon, after a work out, at night, etc.
I work best from about 2-5PM and then from like 9PM-2AM.


3.) Keep your desk clean (and your room) 
I'm not sure how clean ya'll are, but keep your room clean during finals, because I know that a lot of people tend to go into the cleaning frenzy when they need to procrastinate (I'm guilty of it) 
Don't give yourself an excuse to procrastinate! Also, an organized desk is easier to work at.


4.) Be organized about work
Know what readings you've had, which sections you need to study, etc.
Have a handy list of topics you need to cover, assignments you need to look over, which homeworks you've missed (oops...). It really helps if you're organized from the start. Try not to fall behind on readings, try keeping a planner, etc. LISTEN IN CLASS.


5.) If you're studying with friends who are in different classes go to the silent section of the library 
Enough said. If you want to wallow in pity together, go for it.
However, do it in a place where you can't talk so that you won't be distracted.
I either go to the silent section of my library or the intense grad student library where they yell at you to get out when you say "thanks for letting me borrow the pen" (true story!)
Also sit next to your friend so that if you start to go on ruelala or something online they can poke you and make you stop! ;) (It works!)

And last but not least... Take breaks when stressed!
I am an EMT and you have no idea how many panic attack calls we get during finals and midterms.
Guys, it's okay. You will make it through finals alive. Yes, even if you get a 45 on an exam, you will live. (I've actually gotten a 45 on a final my freshman year before, so I speak from experience)
An exam is not worth your going to the ER because of breathing problems- you don't need to be that stressed about finals.
And if you feel like you need to rest, you can rest. You need to rest. Whether it's a quick 2 mile run or an episode of Arrested Development or a nail polish session, do it if you need to.
You concentration will be much better after it.


Good luck all! Let me know how finals go! 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

UNIQLO Designers Invitation Project

UNIQLO is one of my favourite stores.
I don't go to New York often (that's the closest store to MA), but when I do, I always try to stop by.
The store itself is so gorgeous - it's a glass building on 5th Street of the city!

ANYWAYS, I was looking at their website the other day, and they have a project called the "Designer's Invitation Project" in which non-UNIQLO designers are invited to create pieces for UNIQLO, and each one releases his/her collection in order.
For example, Double Standard Clothing has currently released their line but next month Nine dxc will release theirs.

You can click on the image to get it bigger, but I am really in love with the Banner Barret dress in the far right and the dictionary dress right next to it! 
When I visited New York on a whim, I bought the Banner Barret dress since I found it at the store. 
Although it says that it'll be released in May on the website, I guess they released it early.
I got a size Small, but it was a little loose on me, so 5'1" petites, beware!! 

I also really like this flowy dress from the current designer of the month- DSC. 

These are all going to be sold in both Japan and the States (I think) but there are also designer creations that are going to be sold in only the US. Both groups are definitely worth checking out! 
I'm so so excited for the Banner Barret and the Dictionary Moonlight collections to come out!

Which are your favourites? 

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Navy, Navy, and Navy!

I love navy. It's definitely my favourite colour (along with the navy-pink combo ;))!
And I'm lusting over these navy dresses.
I love navy because I can wear them in all seasons (although not so much in the summer, but still) depending on style. It's also a simple colour and easy to pair with.
Here are a couple of my favourites right now:

This Lilly Pulitzer Lottie Dress

I've been obsessing over this dress for let me see... Over 2-3 months at this point? 
I really want it! If I was graduating from college this year, this would probably be one of my top choices. I love the colour, the white ribbon, and the print! It's not crazy but it's also stylish. 

Another of my favourite dresses would be this Vineyard Vines Bouquet Dress
I love the shape and the white patterns around the waist!
This would also be one of my top choices for a graduation dress as well! Ahh so pretty!
I think I really love the simple dresses in general. (Classic Loving, remember? haha) 



Love the pleated shape and the belt. And of course, the simplicity. 
I just really like the line of the dress. Ah, how I love the navy. 



Not going to lie, I'm not the biggest fan of the neckline and the shoulders, but I really, really like the bottom part of the dress. I think it's absolutely adorable.
I alos like how it flows outwards while it makes those lines along the dress. 
And the neckline and the shoulders can be dealt with- I will suck it up! haha.
Again, looove the simple aspects of this dress. 
I feel like I would need to be a bit taller to pull this one though...


Ah! I wish I had surplus amounts of money! Then I'd buy all of these. 
I'm definitely lusting the most over the first two dresses though. Wish I was a Class of 2012 so I could get my hands on one of em... haha. (because then I'd feel less guilty about buying 'em ;) )
I really do enjoy navy though- all seasons!

Anyone else out there a navy lover like me? 

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Escape from Reality

The past couple of weeks have been extremely hard on  me.
Classes, friends, boyfriend, family, work... Everything piled up. 
So what did I decide to do? 

I hopped on a bus and went to New York City with my mother! 

She'd never gone to NYC on a bus (since my father prefers to drive), so I gave her a call, asked her if she wanted to come along this coming Tuesday (I asked her Friday), and off we went. 
We didn't really decide to go anywhere special, and we just wandered around.
I get Tuesdays off from classes, so all I had to do was just move a couple of things around and I was ready to go! 

However, 6AM T rides are not fun, I assure you that one. 
The first thing we did when we got off the Megabus (round trip 46 dollars for 2 people!) was to go to the street full of whole sale flower shops for my mother. They were beautiful. 

Look what we found! 













Isn't that just adorable?
I've never seen a bike like this, even on Newbury Street before.

Inside of the flower shops

My mother really does like flowers. She was literally drooling when she was in the stores.


We also found a set of handmade hedgehogs in one of the flower stores!
My boyfriend owns a hedgie so it got me really excited. 
The one on the lower bottom really reminds me of him. 

We wandered around a little bit more and wandered into a Thai restaurant for lunch. 
7 dollars for all of that! 1 main dish plus 2 appetizers. How great is that? 
Unfortunately I have forgotten the name of the restaurant but it was near NYU. 
The service was fast and friendly and the food was delicious as well. 


After lunch we wandered up Fifth Avenue. 
I got a chance to pop into Madewell- the Madewell in the mall near wear I live is definitely not as cute as the one I saw in New York. 
The writing on the stairs were adorable and the shoe insides which were hanging on the walls added such a nice touch to the entire decor.
I really like decor and rooms so you can imagine how excited I was to stop by. 

I also had the chance to stop by UNIQLO as well- my New York favourite! 
I was planning to stop by Kate Spade, Lilly, and Jack Rogers but I ran out of time. But at least my mother got a great morning by wandering around the flower shops and buying supplies! I'm sure I'll be going to New York again this summer on a whim so I'm not too worried :) 

We went to Gyukaku, a Japanese BBQ grille for dinner before hopping back on the 8 o'clock bus bound home. 

All in all, the trip to escape reality was quite a success!
I may do this again sometime soon :) 



Monday, April 23, 2012

Rain, rain, don't go away... just yet ;)

It's April!! And you know what that means? RAIN!!
I've never been a big fan of rain, but I started to like rain freshman year of college, when I got my first pair of rain boots.
I know, I know. A lifetime New Englander without rainboots? Crazy, right?
Well, when I went to public school I drove to school and didn't have to really move around outside for classes, and then I went to prep school where my dorm was so close to everything that it didn't matter... Plus I didn't have enough fashion sense to not wear sneakers during crappy weather, HA. 


Anyways, New England weather is quite... unpredictable.
One minute it can be snowing, the next minute it can be sunny, then the minute after that, it's pouring.  Talk about crazy.
But even with the rain, there's a way to enjoy your day: Rainboots.
I'm obsessed. Obsessed is definitely the right word.



My favourites are definitely the Hunter Classic Wellies:
They come in all kinds of colours. I currently own a pair of the black ones but I'd love to buy the red one or the pink or the lilac! A pop of colour on a rainy day? yes please! (Also if you are a size 6 in adult women, you can get it size 4 for children ;) -50 dollars cheaper!)
They're really comfortable and extremely durable.

I also really enjoy Target Rain boots. 
The pair I first got two years ago were from Target- 25 dollars, fancy that! 
It was black and pink and I really, really loved it.
They also have the wellie styles, if you're looking for a little bit cheaper than the Hunter ones. 



I love the colours and I also love the back zipup. 
I feel like a lot of wellies are really similar (duh) but this one is really cute and different without losing the classic wellie feel. Definitely recommend! 




I think this is an adorable idea. I feel like I see monogrammed everything everywhere, but I'd never seen monogrammed rain boots until this one!
I love that curly script looking font. The edgy looking one (the biggest monogram) is cool looking too.



Friday, April 20, 2012

Obligatory?

I have no idea how to start this off. When I find blogs I really like, I tend to go back to their first post to see how they describe themselves- and a lot of the blogs often do not have them, so I decided that I should at least make one!

I'm a third year college student in Massachusetts.
I was born and raised in a quiet little suburb of MA and then went to boarding school (again, in MA).
I now go to college here as well- I'm hoping to get out of MA for a while after graduation though.

I think I like "classic" looks but I'm also not completely "preppy" or "vintage" I am more of a mixture of looks and tastes. I like the "modern" kind of styles as well; I'm not quite sure on how to explain it, haha.

Anyways, Classic Loving will be a blog about what I like- both in fashion and in life. :)
I love meeting new people so please feel free to comment etc :)