The Seoulmate Cafe: Back To School

Hello everybody!

It's that dreaded time of year again: time to go back to school. I'm getting ready to procrastinate homework, cram for tests, and pull all-nighters. Junior year is going to kill me; it'll be a miracle if I can make it through the year without a mental breakdown.

Here are a few things I need to survive this year:

1. Coffee

I cannot stay awake at night without one or two cups of coffee. Once it hits eleven or twelve at night, I'm yawning away. If my mom is still awake, she makes coffee for me using the coffee maker. However, if it's late at night (or early in the morning) and I don't want to wake up the entire house, I make instant coffee.

2. Dry shampoo

This is super important for those days when I have no time to wash my hair. The extra ten-fifteen minutes in bed feels so good until I actually get up and touch my hair. Ew. Dry shampoo helps soak up some of the oil in my hair and makes my hair look clean. I use Not Your Mother's Dry Shampoo (x)

3. Concealer

I always end up looking like a panda after sleeping late or pulling an all-nighter so I have to use some concealer to make me look human again. I also use concealer to cover up any blemishes that pop up. I use my ring finger to blend in the concealer under my eyes and a brush over blemishes. I use Revlon's ColorStay Concealer (x).

4. Highlighters

I NEED to highlight...everything. I cannot study by looking at a black and white sheet of paper: there needs to be color! Okay, maybe I highlight a little bit too much (like every single word), but colors help me study. I'll definitely need a pack or two.

5. The usual stuff: notebooks, binders, folders, pens, and pencils

You can't go to school without some (if not, all) of these things. I like to keep my notes neat and organized so I'll be able to find them easily when I'm panicking before a test. I always date my notes and handouts to know when I learned what. I usually write my notes in pen (except math and world languages) and anything I hand in is in pencil (unless the teacher wants it in pen).

Outfit Ideas:

Don't you just hate it when you oversleep and you have less than ten minutes to get to school? This happens to me all the time. Here are some easy outfits to put together:

1.

(Target; similar: x/x/x)

(Forever 21; similar: x/x/x)

(New York & Company; similar: x/x/x)

(Vans x)

(Forever 21; similar: x/x/x)

(Converse x)

(H&M; similar: x/x/x)

(Forever 21; similar x/x/x)

(Delia's x)

(Forever 21; similar: x/x/x)

(Converse x)

Which one is your favorite?

Easy Breakfast Ideas:

It is super important to eat breakfast, even a super quick one on the bus. Eating breakfast will help you preform better at school. I can't think when I'm hungry: all I think about is food. If I'm running late, I'll grab a quick breakfast and eat it on the way to school. Here are some breakfast ideas:

1. Smoothie

Most of the preparation for this happens the night before. At night, cut up some fruit and stick them in the refrigerator. Then, in the morning, pop them into a blender, add some greens leaves (like kale or spinach), some nuts (like almonds or cashews), and some water (I usually add almond milk too); blend them all together and voila, you're ready to go.

2. Frozen waffles and pancakes
By this, I mean the ones you buy at the supermarket. Just reheat them and you're all set. I buy mine from Shoprite: Pancakes x; Waffles x

3. Grilled Cheese Sandwich
You'll need two pieces of bread, one (or more, usually put two) kinds of cheese, and a bit of butter. First, put the cheese between the two pieces of bread. Then, heat up a frying pan and put a bit of butter on the pan. Put the sandwich onto the pan and wait for the cheese to melt. Don't forget to flip the sandwich so one side doesn't burn.

Random Tips:

1. Pack your things the night before.

If you're always in a rush in the morning, put all your books and binders in your backpack before you go to sleep to save time in the morning. You'll be less likely to forget something at home too.

2. Put things you don't want to forget on top of your shoes.

If you can't fit something in your backpack, like a poster or a textbook, put it on top of your shoes. You're not going to run out of the house without your shoes right? If whatever you need is on top (or near) of your shoes, you'll remember to bring it.

3. Get rid of wrinkles

Hang your clothes in the bathroom while you shower so the steam will help get rid of the wrinkles. If you have small wrinkles in your clothes, you can also use a hair straightener to get them out. Make sure your straightener isn't too hot or you'll burn your clothes.

Good luck this year and remember that grades don't define who you are. Just try your hardest and be the best you can be. It's not the end of the world if you fail a test, so try not to stress out too much. Let's see how many of us are still sane by the end of the year (probably not me).

Thanks so much for reading. I'll see you soon!

~Claudia