Life Hacks: School/Health Edition

I am extremely happy to announce that this will be my first collaboration on my blog! This post is in collaboration with Kaila, one of my absolute favourite bloggers. I hope to be doing many more collaborations in the future (and definitely more with Kaila). Click here to read Kaila's post for some more life hacks!

1. Oranges

The smell alone of oranges can reduce stress! This is perfect for the stressful time of semester leading up to exams or just any other time of year that you feel stress getting to you. It has been found that eating OR smelling an orange can reduce stress by up to 70%.

Memphis; Birthplace of Rock 'n Roll

Many of you will know Tennessee as being the place where Miley Cyrus is from but another, more influential singer/actor was from the same state. I am talking about Elvis Presley, the king of rock n' roll. I was surprised to learn that Elvis was actually born in a small town in Mississippi and I was lucky enough to visit the exact location. Seeing the roots of such an influential man was life changing for me. The house was small and built out of white painted wood. It was nothing special but it housed a very special person.

The Fosters

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'It's not where you come from, it's where you belong'

By far one of the most inspirational television shows I have ever watched is 'The Fosters' on FreeformTV. The show is described as 'a one-hour drama about a multi-ethnic family mix of foster and biological kids being raised by two moms'. This show deals with a large range of issues relevant to todays society that is not necessarily discussed in other shows. This is the reason why I (and so many others) love the show.

The forbidden love of foster siblings, Callie and Brandon, has to be one of my favourite love stories of all time. I am still holding out hope that these two will end up together (they are endgame, I'm sure). These two are a perfect pairing, the only barrier being the fact that they are 'family' and therefore forbidden to be together. I feel like now is a perfect time to remind you that they aren't biologically related so hang on to the hope that they will get a happy ending. This relationship can only be compared to that of Romeo and Juliet only without the fatal tragic ending (hopefully).

Once When I Was Little

"I could dream more then. I could believe more then that the world could only get better"

When you are little you can believe whatever you want. No one has clouded your thoughts with the 'reality' or 'normality' of life. I think that this is when we are completely ourselves. I think it's sad that we believe that our dreams could come true only when we are young. If only we could grow up with belief in those dreams then maybe the world would be a different, magical place.

"We could build a rocket, fly to the moon. Leave Tuesday morning, be back for noon. And there wasn't nothing, nothing that we couldn't do" 

James Morrison portrays this so beautifully in his song 'Once When I Was Little'. If you haven't heard this song have a listen, hopefully it will bring you back to your childhood dreams like it did for me. And if you are young and still believe in your dreams, then hold onto that for as long as you can because truth is, we all grow up too fast.

- Nicole Marie Ranz

Insomnia.

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Sleep is one of the most wonderful things we do as human beings. When we are asleep we are in a state of calm, where no one and nothing can hurt us. We are just there, comfortably lying still for hours letting our body rejuvenate. But now I begin to wonder, why is sleep such a struggle if it is so good for you? Just like why do we struggle to exercise regularly if it's so good for us?

Lack of sleep can be enough to singlehandedly make a person go crazy. And I am saying this, lying in bed at 2.13 am trying desperately to go to sleep. Me writing this shows how much I am failing while simultaneously going insane.

To some degree I think everyone will experience some form of insomnia in their lifetime and the question is, what causes our insomnia?

Personally, I go through spouts of insomnia. I have a few good weeks of going to bed with no problem whatsoever. That then moves onto not being able to sleep without reading a book for half an hour before hand. This then evolves to being unable to sleep even with hours of reading. This is the stage I am in right now.

But why does this happen?
There is an endless list of possibilities.
For me, it's probably my anxiety.
For others, it could be something as simple as drinking too much caffeine too close to bed.

Yet here I am, 2.17 am, lying in my bed with my laptop and a grumbling stomach trying pass time until the sweet escape of sleep takes over me.

You know what they say, 'Sleep is like a time machine to breakfast'.

- Nicole Marie Ranz

The Great Ocean Road; Victoria

I'm sure most Australians have heard of the Great Ocean Road but if you haven't, it's basically a long road that follows the coast of Victoria (for the most part). Recently, I went on a family adventure along this road and was amazed at the whole experience - both in a positive and negative way.

Let's start with the positives.
The atmosphere around the whole road was an amazing experience and something that I will remember forever. Most of the towns that you will stop off at are quiet and small, creating a much different feel than the city life I am used to.

The view was beautiful. There is no doubt about that. Australia is known for it's beaches and these definitely did not disappoint. It is a once in a lifetime experience to see these views and I 100% recommend. I will, however, point out that if you have driven down Highway 1 in California then this won't be all that different.

The Fashion of Hanna Marin

"You can tell a lot about a person by their shoes" - Hanna Marin

I'm sure we all know the television fashion icon, Hanna Marin, from Pretty Little Liars who has been blessing our televisions with her girly but edgy style for six years. I would love to take personal inspiration from her style however her usual heels don't suit my lifestyle of studying and university. However, I can still admire her classic sense of style even though I usually never dress as girly as she does.

Here are a few of my personal favourite outfits she has rocked over the years.
Sorry in advanced for the quality of the photos - I wish I could have found better ones.

There is no doubt that Hanna can rock the formal wear.

I don't know what it is about the combination of the snakes skin jacket and blue shirt that I love so much!

Animal Testing & Make Up

Testing makeup on animals was something that I never had an opinion on. For some reason I never thought of researching what companies test on animals and to what extent. Recently, my opinions have changed and I now feel disgusted at the amount of large companies who still test on animals.

I was pleasantly surprised at some of the brands that are animal cruelty free (look at the picture for a full list). There are some really great brands who sell quality products like too faced, tarte, urban decay, Anastasia, Bare minerals, Hourglass and NARS. These are all amazing brands (but somewhat expensive). If you are looking for cheaper brands than elf and NYX are two great brands that I recommend.

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I realised that I do not own anything from these mentioned brands (except one make up brush from ELF and the naked palette from Urban Decay). I am so disappointed in myself that the few make up brands that I do own are all brands that test on animals in one way or another. The most important thing out of this post to remember is: make up is not a necessity. It is something that has been created by society and in all honesty, the world wouldn't end without it. For this reason, it makes me sick that people can hurt, torture and kill innocent animals for something so superficial.

- Nicole Marie Ranz

Top 10: Teen Drama TV Shows

The Vampire Diaries

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Although this show does revolve around supernatural elements, it still involves the innocence of teenagers in high school. And, the first few seasons have been done VERY well. The show displays the ups and downs of young love while still thrilling the audience with an encapsulating storyline. Definitely one to add to your list of 'teen' shows.

Gossip Girl

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To me, Gossip Girl screams 'drama' and is one of the legendary must-watch shows of all time. I guarantee you will be drawn into the lives of Manhattans elite and never want to leave. I mean, who doesn't want to live the life of rich and popular Serena Van Der Woodsen?

New Years Resolutions 2016

2016 is here! I am ready to welcome the new year with open arms and a fresh start. I did a video on my new years resolutions so I thought I would put the video into words and explain my resolutions more thoroughly.

1. Exercise more

Now I know this is the most generic new years resolution you can possibly have. Everyone says that they want to start working out and get fit for the new year. For me, it's more about restoring my old exercise schedule from the beginning of 2015 that made me feel healthy and happy. I used to have a weekly schedule for exercise and somewhere along the track I lost it. In the new year my goal is to regain this exercise schedule.

2. Start and keep a journal

Apparently, keeping a journal is very good for you. There is something therapeutic about getting all your emotions and troubles down on the page. Someone very wise gave me the advice to start the ritual of journal writing and I decided to take up that challenge. Of course, starting off writing everyday is ridiculously difficult and there is slim to no chance of me achieving that. Instead, I aim to write in my journal once a month (at first!).

3. Have more self control on social media

When I say this I mean in constantly being online. It is not healthy to 'stalk' people who you are no longer friends with or people who have hurt you in the past just because you are desperate for an update of their life (trust me, I've done this too much). I've come to realise that the most important people will know what is going on with you WITHOUT the assistance of social media. I think more blackout nights in 2016 are in order.

4. Read more books

Now I am very proud of myself for the amount of books I read in 2015. I didn't read many books at all (or as compared to some people) but for me, it was a big achievement. I used to HATE reading with a passion and over the last few years hate has turned into love. So, for 2016, I aim to read more books than I did in 2015.

5. Get into a regular sleeping pattern

I've noticed that when I go to bed around the same time and wake up around the same time, I generally feel healthier and happier. Somewhere around the middle of 2015 my sleeping pattern went from scheduled to whenever! The change definitely made it harder for me to fall asleep and make me feel tired more often. In the new year I would love to regain the sleeping pattern I once had.

6. Say yes more

Towards the end of 2015 I started getting these weird, spontaneous lapse in judgement that lead me to saying yes to a lot more things that I normally wouldn't have. Most of these times I have said yes have lead to great memories or just simply the reassurance that I can do it. I think it's important to start saying yes to more things more often, that way you gain more life experience and hopefully lifelong memories.

7. Start a self defence class

For my whole life I have wished that I started some sort of self defence (like Karate) when I was younger. It would certainly make me feel safer being by myself if I knew that I could protect  myself. After years and years of wanting to start, I hope 2016 will be the year that I actually do it.

8. Get a job that I enjoy

This one is kind of more specific than it sounds. Right now I work in a cafe and although I don't hate it, I also don't see  myself being able to do it for much longer. It would be a dream come true if one day I could follow my passion for youtube into something that becomes a job. I mean doesn't everyone dream of getting paid to do something they love?

9. Be organised

In 2016 I am going to do my very best to stay organised for the whole year. That means writing down university assessments, studying well before exams, finishing assignments early and being prepared for class. For youtube, that means posting weekly videos consistently all year. For my blog, that means posting at least once a month (a small goal I know, but I am trying to make youtube my number one priority for now).

10. Be happy

Cheesy, I know. But doesn't everyone just want to be happy? Well, I do. I am leaving the unhappiness of 2015 behind and taking a new, positive, happy approach into the new year.  2016 will be a wonderful and happy year, I'm sure of it.

Feel free to leave any of your new years resolutions in the comments! I would love to read them.
Happy new year to all my wonderful followers and I hope 2016 is the best year of your life <3

Love, Nicole Marie