5 Things I’ve Learnt From Blogging

September 10, 2020by Pooja G146 Comments

This post is in collaboration with Elle from ellesunpopularopinions. If that blog name doesn’t draw you in and make you want to follow her blog then I don’t know what will! We connected through blogging and started talking and decided to collaborate and write two posts together- check out our first one by clicking here. I’m so happy to finally post this because we actually wrote this a while back but unfortunately Elle was having trouble with her WiFi and could not blog. But now that the problem is fixed please go over to her awesome blog and support her- you can do so by clicking here.
I think blogging is such a great outlet for so many people and blogging sort of gives you a platform which is a blank slate and you get to make your blog into whatever you want. It also provides you with one of the best communities I have seen on the Internet. Unlike other platforms, WordPress/blogging allows you to truly express yourself and engage with people that you can have genuine conversations with in a positive manner.
Elle and I also felt like blogging has taught us so much. Although I have been blogging for longer than she has we both realised that we had picked up on a lot of similar things about blogging. That’s why we decided to write about the lessons we have learnt from blogging: The first five are mine and the last five are hers.

You Can Find Friends Everywhere

With blogging you are not limited to people in just your city/state.country. One of the best parts about blogging is that you get to connect with people all over the world and it doesn’t limit you to connecting with people from just one area. What that helped me learn was that no matter where you go you will always find someone you can connect and engage with. You just need to be open and step out of your comfort zone a little bit.

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

Blogging is a lot more difficult than people think it is. People always assume that things that people do on the Internet are for some reason easier than things that are done in real life but that is really not true. Firstly, just getting the hang of blogging and how it works takes a lot of effort for anyone who isn’t really tech savvy and finding something to write about every day/week/month can be very difficult as well. Growing your audience is another difficulty that you face especially at the beginning. And just like with everything on the Internet you of course are going to run into some hater as well. But what blogging taught me that really works as a lesson about blogging and about life too is that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Working hard to learn about blogging and to come up with things to write about helps you grow, better your writing, sharpen your skills and more. And receiving hate makes you realise just how unimportant other people’s opinions are. It teaches you to keep doing you without caring about pleasing others.

Numbers Don’t Matter

Another thing that blogging and spending years growing my blog has taught me is that numbers really don’t matter as much as people often seem to think they do. If you want to become an influencer/make money blogging then yes numbers do matter to an extent. However, for me personally I’ve realised that as honoured as I am to have the followers I do have what I cherish most are the comments and interactions I have with other bloggers.

You Know Nothing

This is a lesson I learnt from going through all of your amazing blogs over the last few years. Much like Jon Snow, I really know nothing. After going through other blogs I have learnt so many things about so many topics. I have learnt about everything from music to history to astronomy to sociology to lessons about life. When I say about everything I mean everything. It was an awesome wake up call for the little teenage know-it-all I used to be and I love that I was able to learn so much more than I ever imagined possible.

Life Is A Two Way Street

If there is one thing I really picked up on with blogging it’s that life is a two way street. You get back what you put out there. No one is going to care about your existence and be there for you if you don’t care about them. Most things are a two way street. If you want something from someone you need to be out there getting something for them too.

It Isn’t Always Rainbows and Butterflies

Remember the time when you’re so excited to hit that keyboard with all your thoughts? Yeah, I miss that too. And don’t get me wrong, I am ALWAYS excited–as a very clingy and happy anxious person– to connect with my blogger friends, with Pooja, and read other blogs that I like and hit those keys too. But sometimes, it just doesn’t work. Whether you’re feeling down, having a writer’s block, sometimes it takes quite an effort to continue blogging. And I really admire those people who managed to stay in this platform for so many years. This isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, and you know what? That’s okay.
Blogging isn’t just writing something that comes out of your mind naturally anyway. Sometimes, you need to get inspired. You need to stay motivated. And for other people, that’s hard to maintain. People get tired, get busy, but if a few years from now, you (you who’s reading this) and I are still here teaching each other with the things we write about, I’d say we both did well and we deserve it.

Other People May Not Support You

Who here has very supportive family and friends because of their blog? That’s great! You’re lucky that you have those people who understand your passion, but an unpopular opinion about blogging is that people tend to think that blogging isn’t anything serious. Sometimes your friends and families won’t support you because they think that what you’re doing is just a hobby, something to kill your time.
I have some family members who do that too. But heck, do they stop us from writing? If they think that what we’re doing is just tattletale, then they’re missing their chance to learn something from us. You have to remember this, whatever you write about, I’m sure there’s always something that people learn from it. So keep writing!

Our Words Are Powerful

I’ve read so many blogs on WordPress since I started blogging and everyday I still get astounded by how people write and what they write about. It’s true, blogging helps you express your thoughts, like you’ve never told anyone else before. Here, we see how people really think and share their thoughts to their readers. I’m not much of a talkative person, just when I’m around friends, but even my friends haven’t really known how my thoughts go around. This is what we all contribute to WordPress. We each have power over our words and we share them to others.

No One Really Reads Content But Blogging Taught Me To Do So

I remember talking to my sister asking why she doesn’t even click on my blog to read some of my posts and she says, “I’m not much of a reader”. And I totally get it. Some people love to read, and others don’t. I understand that nowadays, people really don’t read much content. They browse through Facebook for pretty pictures, for memes, but when they see some long posts, they scroll right away. And yes, it’s because sometimes, well, it’s just too long! But blogging made me realize that an effort to take time reading gives you something worth knowing.
Blogging didn’t just teach me to improve my writing. It also taught me to read and acknowledge what other people have to say. You have seen maybe dozens of posts about mental health and how to manage it but when you see a post about it again, you click it anyway! Because you know that there might be something you still haven’t known about mental health. And you look forward to learning from it.

If You Love What You’re Doing It Makes You Happy

This is probably the most valuable learning that I got from blogging. It’s true that if you really love what you’re doing, you wouldn’t be stressed about it, you wouldn’t wake up and think, “Aww, man I’m going to blog again!”. Nope. Honestly, I love what I’m doing. I even took around 50 classes just so I can share a lot about what I write about. Would you believe that I was all excited for it too? I can’t even go to school without saying, “Aww, man. It’s Monday again!” Half kidding, I love school too, but do you get what I’m saying?
If you love what you’re doing, no one can stop you from doing it. This is what passion feels like. Even if you get tired, you take a break. You’ll just end up missing it. And when you come back, it feels good. Blogging made me feel good. This is just one of the few things I can safely say I’m really passionate about. And I hope you feel the same way too.
Thank you so much for reading this post- we loved writing it so we really hope you enjoy reading it! I want to thank Elle for really helping to make this collaboration a reality and for being such an awesome person to work with.
Let us know in the comments what you’ve learnt from blogging and how it’s helped you in your life.
Elle’s links:
Facebook: facebook.com//Unpopularblogs0429
Twitter: twitter.com/Unpopularblogs
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ph/unpopularopinions_/

Check out my other collaborations by clicking here.
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Collaborations

5 Makeup Bag Must Haves

August 25, 2020by Pooja G53 Comments

Makeup Bag Must Haves Collaboration

This post was written in collaboration with Ananya! These are her 5 must haves and feel free to go over to her blog to read my five! Check out her blog by clicking here.

Our makeup bag must have versatile products such that a single product can be used for a variety of purposes. Today I am going to mention 5 which serve various multipurpose beauty tasks.

1. Coconut Butter

Coconut products are well known for their versatility. It has excellent moisturizing properties than the usual creams and lotions. It also gives long lasting effects. I suggest you can get this at any organic store or you could create it on your own by freezing coconut oil overnight in your fridge.

2. Lip And Cheek Tint

Benefit had come up with this idea long back and it has really been a blessing. It is one of the best dual purpose product. If you are not able to get this product, you could always use a lipstick too!

3. Mascara

You may have read this million times in a lot of blogs but these little wands are a must! They give a dramatic effect to your eyes and it could also be used as Khol for your waterline.

4. Face Mists

In case, you look tired, face mists will always help you give a fresh look and some even come with properties to keep your makeup set for a long time!

5. Makeup Wipes

These come really in handy in case you have disturbed your eye make up or lips and are a really good fix. Always carry makeup wipes as you may never know what could go wrong.

Hope you enjoyed those five and do go over to read my five on her blog by clicking here. Also let me know what you makeup bag must haves are in the comments below!

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Email me on(guest posts welcome!): insomniacwithanaccent@gmail.com

Collaborations

Stop Saying Yes When You Want to Say No

August 13, 2020by Pooja G115 Comments

Hello Everyone, my names Olivia and I am from OliviaLucieBlake blog! I’m excited to be doing this collaboration with LifesfineWhine. We decided to speak on the topic of ‘How to Stop Saying Yes When You Want to Say No‘ because it’s something a lot of people struggle with. I have at times too in the past.
It’s hard sometimes to be assertive and tell people no sometimes isn’t it? I think we could all do with a lesson in assertiveness and not doing things we don’t want to. Together we’ll be sharing 10 tips, 5 tips here on Pooja’s blog and 5 tips over on my blog. So, let’s get started!

BE DIRECT

Let’s learn how to be more direct in our answers. If you don’t want to do something then it’s important that you gain confidence in yourself to say no. Replying “I’ll think about it” or “Maybe” isn’t the right approach. Whenever I have to tell someone no, I tend to not give a reason until they ask for one. And even then, you don’t have to. Remember you don’t owe anybody an explanation; a simple no is enough.

DEFINE YOUR BOUNDARIES

Defining boundaries can be difficult and can hurt some people at times, but remember that you need to make sure you have the energy for your loved ones and those that you need you. Don’t waste your energy on people who don’t deserve it or don’t care to understand.
Be kind to yourself, don’t feel guilty for doing this.

IDENTIFY YOUR PRIORITIES

What is most important to you? We need to learn what’s the most important to us as individuals. This will help in your decision making on whether to say yes or no to something. We tend to know our priorities in work or school but why don’t we do the same for our lives? I think having more of a prioritisation in life will help when making decisions.

YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE

This is the most important one of all. If you are being pulled in various different directions, remember that you can’t do everything. It’s okay to say no to prioritise something else in your life. It’s okay to say no to prioritise your own mental wellbeing. Don’t feel bad or ashamed to do it. It’s your life, your choice. Which follows on perfectly to point number 5!

IT’S YOUR CHOICE

Ultimately, it’s your choice. You are the owner of your life; you call the shots. Remember how powerful your voice is.
I hoped you like my 5 tips on this subject and I hope it can help anybody who feels like they can’t say no. Don’t forget to head over to my blog to read the 5 tips Pooja has given on this important topic too! Thanks for reading!
Olivia x
Check out Olivia’s amazing blog by clicking here. Check out my five tips by clicking here.

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Collaborations

Maintain Your Blogging Routine

August 6, 2020by Pooja G111 Comments

Hey everyone! I’m very much excited to share with you this first collaboration post from me and Elle of ellesunpopularopinions! I feel so lucky to have been able to connect with her through blogging a little while back. We began following each others blog and realised that we have quite a lot in common and that collaborating would be super fun. She has such a great blog full of some really interesting posts- I particularly enjoy her posts about mindfulness which is something that I believe is very beneficial for everyone. If you haven’t followed her already I would highly recommend doing so by clicking here.
We know that things are way different these days, and we have to catch up with everything we left off since the start of this pandemic, and that is our schoolwork. School is now starting for some countries. And so, Elle and I have made a post on how to maintain your blogging routine during online classes.
It is quite hard to do, considering the balance of everything while maintaining your physical, mental, and emotional health intact. So, we hope that you take in these helpful tips to help you manage your schedule throughout!

1.Make your blogging routine flexible

Now that you have another thing that will be taking up your time every day, I suggest making a flexible blogging routine. Something that would complement your time for your classes. For example, if you only have classes MWFs or TTh, you can adjust your blogging routine to which time or days you are free. You can do it every night and allot maybe 2 to 3 hours for writing your blog. In that way, you will be able to do it every night or alternate nights. Your priorities come first hand and you don’t want to avoid distractions when you study for your online classes. But you may also want to keep on blogging so that your blog would still be maintained.

2. Wake up early

Waking up early can do you a lot of good things, especially now that you have another responsibility. It sucks when you have to do a lot of things the next day, and it will get ruined when you wake up late. You will think that you have wasted a few hours to be productive and get some school work done. So practice waking up in the morning, and visualize the things you will do that day. This will help you set your mood, your goals, and your mindset for that day. If you’re having a hard time waking up early, start practicing now, so that your body clock can easily adjust.

3. Commit to an easy schedule

Other than making your blogging routine flexible, your schedule should also be easily applied and practiced. You will get stressed out and bombarded with a lot of tasks if you set up a hectic schedule. Make one that you can easily commit to, even if that means taking a few hours of rest from blogging, it’s still important. Don’t set higher standards than you can’t maintain- it’s okay to do things one at a time.

4. Avoid distractions when you’re doing school work

Exit that WordPress tab on your browser when you’re doing schoolwork. It will make you more focused on what you’re doing. And the more you are focused, the faster you’ll get your schoolwork done, and get back to blogging again. Avoid other distractions too, when you are blogging. Writing your blog requires as much focus and brain juices as doing your school requirements. Have a balance between both.

5. Set up a checklist

Don’t do all your tasks at once. If you can’t do them every day, it’s totally fine too. You can set up a checklist of the things you ought to do every week. Spread the tasks that you can do that week, and then try to complete them before the weekends. Don’t worry, you have a whole week to do so. Also, if it helps, you can think of the next topics you can write about during your rest hours and not during your blogging hours. And then, put them on your checklist too. This will save you time from thinking about what topic you can write when you are in front of your laptop or phone ready for blogging.

6. Plan ahead

With school, blogging, work, and life, you may end up getting very busy, and sometimes life happens, and you end up being forced into certain situations that are out of your control. You may also end up getting overwhelmed when you have assignments due, tests, or exams. That’s why it’s always a good idea to plan ahead. It’s a good idea to write and schedule your posts in advance when you have time so that later on you don’t end up having too much on your plate, and not doing either school work or blogging work properly.

7. Don’t lose hope

I know it can be very overwhelming to study and blog, and the fact that a lot of us don’t have in school classes and have to take online classes does not help because it is a lot of change all at once. It’s easy to lose hope or to lose energy/motivation to continue blogging. However, that can lead to a major downfall for your blog, because as you probably know, staying active is a big part of growing your blog. Blogging and writing in general is one of those things that you need to keep practicing and doing on a regular basis.

8. Sharing is caring

If you feel absolutely overwhelmed with school or even just life in general and feel like there is no way you can write a post, well then, you don’t have to. You can always share/reblog a post by someone else that you really enjoyed. That way, your blog is active, plus you are supporting another blogger, which is always awesome.

9. Try something new

As someone who has been blogging since 2015, I know that at first blogging is super exciting and you are just full of ideas but after a while, you can start running out of ideas. This is especially the case when you have school, and a lot of your energy is going into schoolwork. If you feel like you are running out of ideas, try something new. Try writing about a personal experience, maybe even what you’re learning in your online classes or how you feel about online classes versus in school classes. Looking through other blogs and seeing what they are doing and drawing inspiration from their posts is also a great way to get some new ideas. Always credit the person you took inspiration from, of course.

10. Be prepared

Online classes and maintaining a blogging routine is not easy, so be prepared. Be prepared to be overwhelmed sometimes, be prepared to feel exhausted sometimes, be prepared to want to quit sometimes, and also be prepared to feel extremely proud of yourself when you keep going despite all these things. Also be prepared to have things go wrong because, at some point, they will. It could be as small as scheduling at the wrong time by mistake or something as major as losing your comments/likes on some of your posts- both of which I have been through. Just know that in the long run, it will be okay, and it will all be so worth it. Lastly, if you feel like you are getting too overwhelmed, please do seek help from family, friends, or even a professional. It is ALWAYS okay to ask for help when you need it.
We hope all of these points help you maintain your blogging routine during online classes! Remember to be gentle with yourself and avoid getting stressed too much. 🙂
Let us know in the comments how you plan to maintain your blogging routine during online classes!
Be sure to also check out Elle’s social media pages:
Facebook: https://facebook.com//Unpopularblogs0429
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Unpopularblogs
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ph/unpopularopinions_/

Collaborations

Hopsmeister Beer Review (Collaboration)

July 28, 2020by Pooja G33 Comments

Hi there! I run our Instagram beer blog with my partner Ayden and have been doing so for just under 2 months. ‘Hopsmeister’ is our love child and has kept us both occupied during these uncertain times.
We review a range of beers from all over the globe, including quite a few Belgium’s. We like to keep the review fairly brief and always end with some one-liners which hopefully offer our final thoughts.
Below are some examples and recommendations which we’ve taken from our previous reviews. However, thanks to Pooja’s platform we are lucky enough to share these with other craft beer lovers, so if you’d like to read more then please check out our blog – https://wordpress.com/view/hopsmeister.wordpress.com or Instagram: hopsmeister
Cheers
A&A 🍻

For those with fruitier taste buds

Bacchus Framboise
ABV – 5% Country – Belgium B E Brewer – Brouweij Type – Fruit beer/raspberry beer
Characteristic of Bacchus beers, this beer can be easily distinguished by its beautiful hand-
wrapped cover.
What makes this beer a staple within its category is that the raspberry flavour is authentic. Raspberries are added to the beer before it’s next maturation stage, allowing the aromas to blossom into a palatable liquid dessert.
You can immediately smell the contrast of sharpness and sweetness as the raspberry notes dominate the scent. Its balance is noticed upon tasting and is almost wine-like in aftertaste.
We both enjoyed the fizz and how moreish it was – we’ll definitely be buying more!

Missed a trick – controversial?

La Trappe Witte
ABV – 8.4% Country – Belgium B E Brewer – Trappist Koningshoeven Type – Wheat beer
“When they live by the labor of their hands…. then they are really monks” – was written by Benedict, the “architect” of Western monasticism and was how in 1884 monk brewing beer came to be.
La Trappe Witte is the world’s first and only white Trappist ale. This un-filtered wheat beer is brewed using only water, wheat, and hops. Its light in taste and smell, there’s also a prominent bready/wheatiness scent which dominates the nose. Other aromas included peppercorn and notes of clove which gave this wheat beer a spicy fragrance.
The beer lacks bitterness which could be quite pleasant depending on the occasion but we both thought overall it made the taste grainy and incredibly light. You would want this on hot summers day or if you were planning to drink all night and needed a lighter beverage.
Although light, its peppery and spicy character gave this wheat beer slightly more depth- but of all the Trappist beers the wheat didn’t quite suffice. Only half of us enjoyed this one.

Hits the spot

Our weekend away in Canterbury, Kent (Food + Drink Reviews)

To Drink @The Foundry
Itzamna
ABV – 9.6% Country – England Brewer – Canterbury Brewers Type – Imperial Porter
This weekend the hopsmeister’s had date night in Canterbury!
We were lucky enough to visit @foundrybrewpub – a unique craft brewery, distillery & bar in the heart of Canterbury City Centre. In the next few days, we’ll be reviewing a few of the different beers we tasted, of which one of our stand-out favourites – was the Itzamna imperial porter. ‘Itzamnἀ’ was actually one of the most important gods in Mayan mythology and introduced the Mayans to cacao.
On the nose, the lovely chocolatey, coco nibs come through, giving it a delightful sweet and bitter scent. We enjoyed the depth of flavours which were even more appreciated upon tasting.
The coco and vanilla pods were equal partners both of which complemented the other and were a vital partnership in the creation of such a delicious beer.
It was as if dark chocolate had been melted and fermented to pour a fine porter.
Very worthy of its award-winning status! 👌🏽

To Eat @A La Turka Northgate

Later in the evening, we had dinner at a lovely Turkish restaurant based within Canterbury City Centre – A La Turka, Northgate. If you do travel to Canterbury, Kent and enjoy Mediterranean food, particularly Turkish, we would highly recommend this chain.
On arrival, we were super impressed with the outside area and loved the open plan seating area (picture below) which had lots of beautiful rugs and mirrors on the wall making it feel very atmospheric.
For starters, we ordered a round of traditional hummus and pitta, which came with a delicious Turkish salad. For mains, we shared the lamb kofte and chicken shish with a side of halloumi…. everything was incredibly delicious, and the lamb was so soft and not at all chewy. As for the chicken shish, it was THE best chicken shish we’ve ever had and will be back for more I’m sure the next time we fancy another visit.
The staff were very hospitable and attentive – making our visit even more enjoyable.Great service, great food and great Turkish beer!

To check out the post I wrote for their blog click here.

You can check out all of lifesfinewhine’s collaboration posts by clicking here.
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Collaborations

Experiences I Want Post Lockdown

July 14, 2020by Pooja G139 Comments

Life During Lockdown

A few months ago everything seemed to change for almost everyone. Our regular lifestyle, schedules and lives in general were changed as we went into lockdown. Although the changes have been made for safety reasons there are still things that we really miss that we wish we could still experience. Naveesha, a fellow blogger and I were talking about this and decided to collaborate on a post about what we miss most and what we are excited to experience after this lockdown/pandemic is over. The first four are hers and the last four are mine. We hope you enjoy reading the post as much as we did writing it!

Pub Dates

Underrated but I miss cheap and cheerful pub dates where you meet up with friends and get a pint (overpriced if you’re in London, of course) and talk and anything and everything. Bonus point if there’s a pub garden because who doesn’t love a bit of Sun and Sangria. Pub culture is just easy, laid back and chilled which is needed after a long stint of lockdown

Beauty Treatments

There’s a strong chance my eyebrow lady will not recognise me the next time I see her. Or she’ll be speechless when she realises that lockdown pressure culminated in me trying to do my own eyebrows which resulted in a slight disaster. Suffice to say, give me the works (after it is safe, of course). A Mani, Pedi and a facial. Stat.

Food, Glorious, Food

My eyes are definitely going to be bigger than my stomach when all the restaurants open up again. Lockdown has reminded me that I need to be expanding my culinary bucket list and there is are variety of feasts that any foodie can appreciate.

Staycations

International travel is going to be difficult in the foreseeable future as borders will likely stay closed until it is safe to travel. I definitely want to explore more of the UK and see gems like Cornwall and even partake in a road trip to Scotland.

Hugs

I am not someone who is super into hugging or really showing a lot of affection in general but as they say- you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. I can’t wait to hug my friends and family and just be around them without worrying about wearing a mask, washing my hands or anything like that.

Travelling

I am really looking forward to travelling a lot more as soon as all this is over and it is safe to travel to other countries again. I even have an entire list of all the places I want to see ready!

Just Chilling

I cannot wait to be able to go out to just relax. Whether it’s to a restaurant, movie, coffee shop or just walking around downtown. I know that I can do that right now but I can’t wait till I can do that without having to put on a mask and avoid other people and keep a distance. Just being able to relax is something I am definitely looking forward to.

Taking the bus

I know a lot of people have a problem with taking the bus or don’t particularly enjoy the experience of taking the bus. I always did though- I thought it was peaceful and I particularly enjoyed longer bus rides because they gave me time to think and reflect. I haven’t taken the bus since the pandemic and honestly I kind of miss it.
This was such a fun collaboration and if you enjoyed this post do take a minute to go over to Naveesha’s blog, Twitter, and Instagram. She is a really great blogger and a lovely person to collaborate with. I know you won’t regret going over and checking out her posts.
Thoughts
What is something you are excited to do once this whole situation is over? Are there some things you really miss doing right now? What is one thing you realised you’ve been taking for granted all this time? Let me know in the comments below I would love to hear your thoughts.

Collaborations

The Perfect Duet

July 10, 2020by Pooja G78 Comments

Jude and I are back with another collaboration! If you aren’t aware we have collaborated twice before and have really enjoyed working together so we decided to collaborate once more. We came up with this duet in relatively next to no time. That’s how natural it ebbed and flowed!
I hope you all enjoy reading our collaboration as much as we enjoyed coming up with them;
I wrote in (normal italics).
Jude did the (bold italics)
Watch out for those six word stories at the end!

He takes me out to my favourite restaurant
I say no to dessert but he orders some anyway
And then we go for a romantic movie
And hold each other close
The perfect ending to a perfect day
She comes whenever I need her
She favours wine but brings whiskey for two
And when we go to watch my favourite team
She spouts banter on my behalf
The perfect beginning to a perfect evening
He wants to spend the night at home
Just having pizza and watching some movies
He brings me flowers when I’m down
And laughs with me when I’m happy
He’s just there for me because he’s all I need
She wants to spend our free days in the park
Breathing the air and stealing kisses in public
She carries a snack when I’m not in the mood
Unhealthy and sweet, a special treat
She makes me believe that she’s everything I need
Is she too good for me
I know he can do better
Sometimes I wonder why she stays
Forever grateful he settled for me

In this collaboration we attempted to show how even though two people may be different they work perfectly together because they appreciate each other for who they are.
If you enjoyed reading this collaboration I would highly recommend going over to Jude’s blog and checking out his writing. He is a brilliant writer and I know you won’t be disappointed! You can check out his poetry blog by clicking here.
You can check out our previous collaborations by clicking here.
You can check out all of lifesfinewhine’s collaboration posts by clicking here.
If you enjoyed this post don’t forget to like, follow, share and comment!
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Similarities Between Two Universities

June 18, 2020by Pooja G44 Comments

University, Student Life and Similarities

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of connecting with a fellow university student blogger called Camille. She studies in a university in France and we began talking on a post I published about the courses I had taken last semester and she had actually taken some similar ones. We started to chat further and realised that it would be really fun and interesting to compare the similarities and differences between the two universities since they are in different countries. We expected our experiences to be quite different but we ended up having quite a few similarities as well. I decided to post the similarities on my blog which you can read below and to read the differences in our experiences be sure to go over to Camille’s blog by clicking here. She is an amazing blogger and I can guarantee that you will very much enjoy her post!

1) Teachers are very knowledgeable in their field.

We found that in both universities the professors are experts in their field. They are very knowledgeable and it is clear that they know exactly what they are talking about and have done a lot of research. We found that in many ways this enhances the experience of studying under them because it’s always a plus to learn something from someone who knows what they are talking about and are an expert in that subject.

2) Teachers have their own views and opinions.

As mentioned above the professors are definitely experts in their respective fields and it is clear that they have spent a lot of time doing their research and studying in detail different aspects of the subject. As great as this can be it also has some negatives. At the end of the day the professors are people too and have their own theories and opinions about things. We found that since they are experts in their field they have quite strong views and opinions and this may make them a bit stubborn towards someone who may have a different opinion. We saw that in both cases this stopped students from fully forming their own opinion about the subject or rather fully expressing their views when they disagreed with the views of the professor and they may receive a bad grade for their honesty.

3) Many courses to choose from at both our universities but not at all universities.

We found that both our universities offered a large variety of courses in a large variety of subjects. I have talked about this before in my other posts about my courses but basically my university offers us two half credit elective courses a year so that you can take some subjects outside of your major and kind of expand your knowledge in other fields. Camille also mentioned how she was able to take different courses and broaden her knowledge in this way. I think it’s a really good idea to take other subjects especially those that may be unrelated to your major because it will help you pick up a variety of skills that you may not get from just doing courses for your major alone.

4)Interesting/unique courses

As mentioned in the last paragraph both out universities offer a number of courses and when we talked about them in more detail we realised that they both also offer a lot of unique and interesting courses. Again I have talked about this in more detail in posts I have done about my courses but my university offers a number of unique courses such as courses on country music, hip hop, the Sixties and more. Camille and I realised we both took similar courses about American History which was quite interesting.

5) Both offer scholarships but it is easier to get and apply for them in France.

Camille mentioned how scholarships are quite common and very easy to apply for and get in France at her university. In Canada, the scholarships are harder to get and there is quite a long process that goes into applying for them. Although this is technically a difference I decided to add it as a similarity because they do both offer scholarships and although it is a little harder to get the scholarship here it is not impossible to do if you work hard and do your best.

Differences?

I just wanted to remind everyone again to go over to Camille’s blog and check out the other half of this collaboration. She wrote her post about the differences between our universities and university experiences. You can check out her post by clicking here.

Your Thoughts

Let me know what you thought about the similarities between the two universities. Did you expect there to be these similarities? Did you have similar experiences at university or were your experiences different than ours? What did you think of Camille’s post that is linked above about the differences- could you relate to the differences? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Collaborations, Mental Health, psychology

How To Keep A Positive Mindset

May 30, 2020by Pooja G53 Comments

This is a collaboration post between Onome and I. I did a post for her blog a while back and she kindly wrote this amazing post for mine. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did and don’t forget to go over and check out her amazing blog in which she writes about mental health, books, lifestyle and much more. The link to it can be found below.

By Onome Erikewe
Maintaining a positive mindset can be difficult to achieve even when all efforts are made. It can seem like an endless battle to hold on to positive thoughts. You might have even experienced feelings of nausea because you feel it is impossible to stay in a place of complete peace
If you are in that situation, then be ready to get your mind right with these tips.

Allow space and time to work the magic – Give yourself the opportunity to stay calm. Don’t try to force the feeling of positivity. It will work naturally. Once your mind is in a place of stability, you will find it easy to focus on the right things.
Listen to your gut- You always have a voice inside of you that tells you exactly how you are feeling. It can either be negative or positive. However, look for those areas that are positive and dwell on them.
Develop a habit of positive self-talk – While it is easy to get stuck with negative thoughts, you should train your mind to think positively. How do you do that? It is a simple trick of becoming self-aware. Your mind works with your brain, so if you can make your brain believe positive things, that will also reflect on how your mind retains information. So quick exercise, try to think of something about yourself that makes you incredibly happy. Then, imagine that you are having that same experience now. How do you feel? Great I guess. Now, train your mind to say that thing out. That is how you master the art of positive self-talk. It comes with consistent practice. So keep practicing until you get better at it.
Fix your mind on the present- It can be a hassle to stay focused on the present. However, fixing your mind on the ‘now’ rather than the ‘next’ could really save you the stress of thinking about the future especially in difficult times. Being anxious does not solve anything, it only amplifies the problem. You can check my page on ways to deal with anxiety where Pooja graciously gave tips on how to overcome anxiety in difficult times.
Have a circle of positive people- This is a vital part of developing a positive mindset. Your network and the people you surround yourself with have a lot to do with your mindset. Make a deliberate effort to be in the circle of people who will encourage you and uplift you.

Did you enjoy this post? Please head on to my blog at https://onomespeaks.wordpress.com/ to enjoy more tips on personal development. I want to say a big thank you to Pooja for this opportunity to write for her blog. Thank you all and I hope you start taking action on these steps.
Cheering for you.
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Collaborations, Six Word Stories

The Cave Of Mysteries (Collaboration)

May 2, 2020by Pooja G32 Comments

This post is in collaboration with Jude! He has a really incredible blog with lots more amazing writing which I would really recommend you take a minute to check out by clicking here. We have actually collaborated before which we both really enjoyed and we felt it turned out so great we couldn’t resist collaborating once more on this piece. To check our first collaboration click here.
The parts in bold Italics are mine and the ones in regular italics are his. Hope you enjoy our post!
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They quickly ran into the cave
Time wanes, the only way is the wrong way
Off that yellow brick road they must go
For it runs too wide for too long
And the solstice waits for no one
The cave of mysteries
Shortcut or the end
What will they find
A cure lost
Or evil
Veiled
They don’t know where they are headed
All they know is that they must keep running
There is no other way out
Will they succeed
Or succumb like the others before them
Sights
Wonders
All rush by
As the light fades
Darkness closes in
The elixir gleams ahead
But first the road winds deeper
Nothing’s real, all’s a mental test
Each one must brave fears to see the end
The world needs them, it needs its elixir
Without the elixir we are nothing
Down the narrow path, up the winding stair, and finally the prize is in their hands
It looks more beautiful than imagined
Then the earth shudders and stalactites cascade from above. A sacrifice they owe, a life they must pay
And so their true challenge begins

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You can check out Jude’s blog by clicking here and you can check out first collab post by clicking here.
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