Prepping for University

When you're getting ready for new semesters, the last thing you want to feel like is unprepared. Hence, it helps to have a sort of an action plan to make sure the nerves diminish even if it is only by a little bit.

One of the first things that you should do is ensure that you are properly registered for all of your classes for this semester and that you have a fee payment plan or that all of your fees are paid up to date.

Once that has been sorted we move onto the next bit, time to get your life in order. If you're like me and have a full time job, degree, side job and still planning on having a life, as well as going to gym and learning to play instruments, then an action plan is non-negotiable.

So as you can see, I just picked up a dairy from a COSMO magazine, and that is what I'm running with, but I do use other mediums aside from that other diary. Including Google Calendar because notifications will save your life.

Next thing give yourself a kind of an indication of when you want to study, when you will be working and how much time you will be allocating on everything. And do your best to stick to it.

Lastly, it's time to go shopping but not for just anything, you need supplies. You're going to need stationery for studying and writing exams, extra clothes if you're planning on living on your own because washing isn't going to get done half as often as your mom would like to believe. Lastly, and most importantly, you will need some snacks, even if you're staying at home because learning makes you hungry.

Till next time

Pros and Cons of affordable fashion

Affordable fashion, now I know what you’re thinking.... but isn’t that the most amazing thing ever, now everyone can afford to look like a million dollars while in reality they have far less zeroes in their bank account. And that is an amazing thing, I personally cannot afford to go out and buy from brands such as Dior, Chanel or any of those other designer fashion brands and I don’t think that many other people I know can either. Hence, why department stores were created and smaller brands as well. For example, in South Africa it is a lot more affordable to go shopping at stores such as Foschini, Truworths, Identity or The Fix, than it is to buy straight from a designer. However let me stop jabbering on and get into the pros and cons of affordable fashion.

Pros:

Far more realistic prices for the majority of people, meaning far more people can afford to buy the things they really need in their wardrobe

Designer lookalikes abound, therefore you really can live out your dream of looking like your favourite celebrity or even Barbie doll if you’d like

Endless options thanks to a continuous influx of new items into the stores and you can afford to buy more than one item every few months, which is amazing if you’re shopper such as myself

Can purchase these items online and there are so many retailers to choose from online as well.

Cons:

More people can afford it; therefore if you’re concerned about being unique this can be an issue

The problem with certain affordable brands clothes is that they can break down easily.

Fast Fashion does wreak havoc with the environment in so many ways

Very often these clothes are made in conditions where the labour is not paid or treated correctly

As you can clearly see there are two sides to this particular form of fashion. However, I believe the first con isn’t really an issue, just because other people may have purchased the same item as you don’t mean they will style it the same way or even look the same as you in it. Which gives you an edge.

In addition, the whole thing about certain clothing items breaking down easily isn’t nearly as true as people think, I have clothes in my closet that are a minimum of seven years old and they’re still going. Therefore, how long your clothing lasts comes down more to how they were looked after than where they came from.

However, we can’t get away from the environmental or ethical issues, however there are plenty of stores that offer affordable fashion from factories where there is no exploitation and people work for a decent wage. Be sure to research for these brands in your country.

Most importantly I want to stress that a brand is just a brand and it’s not about where you bought the handbag, shoes, pants or earrings from it is how you feel when you are wearing them. It’s that wash of confidence that rushes through you the second you touch it. And that isn’t always guaranteed with a higher end brand; sometimes it can be found in a hand me down from your mom’s closet, a gift from a friend or even in an item that you saved up so long to buy.

Hence, if you haven’t guessed it already I think affordable fashion or looking stylish on a budget is the most amazing thing ever. How do you feel about affordable fashion?

Things we learn

So with a New Year supposedly comes a New You, unless you're part of the crowd that is all about not reinventing themselves but rather carrying on with their progress from the previous year. However, I think the oddest thing about growing up well personally is rather learning more about just about everything in real life situations, than you ever learnt in school. For instance, when you think you've figured out your whole personality or your whole life plan only to discover that what you actually want is so far from the initial idea in your head that you basically have flipped your life upside down. Or in my case, we are back to the initial dream from when I was around ten, with just a bit of twist - because in no frame of mind did I ever see myself studying the things I'm studying now.

Why did I show you a photo of me with my dad and stepmom, well for one it was to show that we literally spent the evening at home on New Years Eve and I must admit it was nice to relax, and for two a big part of last year was learning acceptance. Which means showing you, real untouched photos of my real life. There was many things I learnt last year, from what it means to have real friends, to what kind of role models to have, to the most important lesson and one I am still trying to learn is that we really should not compare ourselves with others. Comparison is a quick trip down a steep slope to general dissatisfaction, negativity, and a whole bunch of negative emotions that we really don't want in our lives.

Why am I telling you all of this because this year, I am really pushing to have a lot more blog posts up and want to really progress not just with this blog, but with my self and I think that is a fantastic platform to document it.

So, Happy 2018 everyone and I hope you are as excited for all of the new possibilities, opportunities and lessons that are coming our way. See you soon.