Some New Goals

"A little progress each day adds up to big results"//

At the beginning of my school year I published this post about some of my goals for the year. I've tried really hard to stick to them throughout the year, and I think I am doing a pretty good job. However, my life has changed a bit since I set those goals and I though today was the perfect opportunity to share my new goals. I'm going to try and keep these in my bullet journal goal tracker (if you don't know what a bullet journal is, click here), which I will share in my upcoming "September- Plan with Me" post.

1.A little bit of everything each day. 
Alright, not literally everything. But a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Mix it up, and try not to get stuck spending all my time on one thing. My Bullet Journal will be super useful to help with this.

2.Ask for help
I'm not really the best at asking for help, I know it is wrong but I feel like sometimes it is just easier to work out a solution myself- and that only works sometimes. I really want to get better at recognising when I need help and asking for it.

3.Be proud of myself
I want to be proud of the achievements I make. While I will (probably) not get the best grade in the class, I want to be proud of what I have accomplished. If I am happy with what I did there is nothing wrong with being proud, regardless of how well I did compared to everyone else.

4.Keep on track of study
Someone at my school decided that quizzes every few weeks were a better idea than just one test- and I can see where they are coming from. BUT that does mean that there is a lot of constant study- something I kind of struggle to keep up with, but I want to focus on working on that this semester.

Those are my 4 goals to add onto the 2 I already had. I might do a post later in the year with an update on how I am going.

Do you have any goals?
xxxPoppy

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Winter

"Kindness is like snow, it beautifies everything it touches."

Alright, perhaps my post about Spring being on the way was a bit too early, or maybe a lot too early. While it did get very warm for a couple of days, the past few have been right back to winter.

I was thinking today, as I sat and watch the combination of rain, hail, sleet and snow dash down my window, that most people think that winter is the worst of all the seasons. It's always, "I can't wait for summer." "Thank goodness winter is almost over.". I think that there is something to be said about winter, something magical that none of the other seasons have. For most people in the North hemisphere, winter means Christmas, and what's not to love about Christmas. For us in the southern hemisphere, there is something else about winter that makes it magical.
Today I am sharing some of my favourite things about winter.

Fireplaces

Hot chocolates

Tea

The warmth of the sun

Fluffy pyjamas

Baking

Soups

Slippers

Early sunsets

Snow

Scarves

Snuggling in bed

Having a day at the snow

Coats

Boots

Spending a whole day inside and blaming it on the cold

Rosy cheeks

The way it seems to transform everything, the magic that snow brings to the world, and the joy when it snows. 

What do you love about winter?

xxxPoppy

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My favourite Quote

As I said in the last post, I love quotes. Today I want to share my all time favourite quote, it's quite a long one- but take the time to read it through.

"Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference. 

Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It's for your convenience, not the callers.

Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is. 

Don't burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river. 

Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. 

Don't major in minor things. 

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have the exactly the same number of hours that were given to Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. 

Don't spread yourself too thin. Learn to say no politely and quickly. 

Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. 

Don't waste time grieving over past mistakes. Learn from them and move on. 

Every person needs to have their moment in the sun, when they raise their arms in victory, knowing that on this day, at this hour, they were at their very best. 

Get your priorities straight. No one ever said on his death bed,"Gee, if I'd only spent more time at the office".

Give people a second chance, but not a third. 

Judge your success by the degree that you're enjoying peace, health and love. 

Learn to listen. 

Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly. 

Leave everything a little better than you found it. 

Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation. 

Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life and death matters, nothing is an important as it first seems. 

Never cut what can be untied. 

Never overestimate your power to change others. 

Never underestimate your power to change yourself. 

Remember that overnight success usually takes about fifteen years. 

Remember that winners do what losers don't want to do. 

Seek opportunity, not security. A boat in a harbour is safe, but in time its bottom will rot out. 

Spend less time worrying about who's right, and more time deciding what's right. 

Stop blaming others. 

Take responsibility for every area of your life. 

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get. 

The importance of winning is not what we get from it, but what we become because of it. 

When facing a difficult task, act as though it's impossible to fail. "

-Jackson Brown Jr.

What did you think? What's your favourite quote?
xxxPoppy

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Good things.

"Good things.
Clean fresh sheets. Discovering new bands that haven't been discovered by the rest of the world yet. The smell of the beach. Salt Water. Breakfast for dinner. Cafes that have all-day breakfast. Great ideas that come to you in the middle of the night. New movies, new books, new friends. Old books, old movies, old friends. Daises and sunflowers and wildflowers. Nice smelling candles that take you to another time and place. Great ideas that come to you in the shower. Art that gets you. Books that get you. Songs that get you. People who get you. Hand made gifts. Change (even if you don't see it as a good thing yet). Foreign films. Passports because they guarantee a conversation about how terrible you look in the photo. Plan journeys. Sunsets. Sunrises. Now.

I found that on pinterest yesterday, and I loved it. I don't know why but something about it just makes me happy. Today I want to share my own good things post.

"Poppy's Good things. 
Watching the sunrise. Lazy Sunday mornings. Brunches. Coffee shops. Being warm under a doona in winter. A refreshing drink in summer. Getting letters in the mail. Christmas. When you wake up on time. The flowers in spring. The colours in autumn. Rain. The smell just before it rains. Hot chocolate. Tea. The first day of spring. The day before a holiday. The excitement as you drive to the beach. Road trips. Vanilla. The excitement on the first day of summer holidays. Planes. Airports. The light just before the sun goes down. Polaroid Photos. Pastel Colours. The song of a bird. Succulents. Being in a new place. A rush of motivation. The perfect song. Finally getting something you have been working at. Dessert. Sunsets."

I love this idea of a good things list. It makes you feel so grateful for the little things, doesn't it? I would love to hear some of your good things in the comments below.
xxxPoppy

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School Tips

The other day I shared this post about some thoughts on school. Today I am going to share some resources and tips that I use to understand the things that I learn at school.

1. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a organisation that provides videos, lessons, notes and tests on a variety of different subjects. I find this website usefull, and you can even download the app for some devices.

2. Crash Course
Crash course can be found on youtube, and they have heaps of videos about history, science, religion and some videos on other subjects. I use crash course videos all the time, because they are super short and give you a great basic understanding.

3.Flash Cards
To study for tests, and learn things, I write notes in colours on flash cards, and revise them a few times a day. This constant revision makes it easier to remember and understand things.

4.Stay organised 
It is hard to have the time to properly learn and understand things if you are always in a rush. Try and organise your time and give yourself plenty of space.

5.Study in blocks. 
No one can study for a solid 4 hrs (not anyone that I know of at least). Try breaking your time in 25 or 30 minute chunks, and take a walk or have some tea in between them.

I'm no expert but hopefully these tips can help you like they help me.

Let me know in the comments below if there are any other tips that you have.

xxxPoppy

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"Here comes the sun"

"Here comes the sun"//
 I am sitting at my desk writing this post, and I have my bedroom windows open for the first time in the year. There are magpies singing in the tree out the front, the sky is blue without a cloud in sight, the house smells like the cinnamon scrolls I just baked, the reasonably warm breeze is blowing through the window. It is only mid August, but it feels like spring is well and truly on the way.

Maybe it is the anticipation of summer, maybe it is the warm air, the burst of new life, the change. I don't know what it is about spring, but there is something that fills me with joy. The air smells a certain way during spring, and it is a way that I love. If someone could actually bottle the scent of spring and sell it- I would be the first costumer.

Over the weekend I experiment with my first photo series, inspired by the incoming spring. This one called "Here comes the sun".

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Places I'd Love to Go

"We have nothing to loose, and a world to see"///

I love looking at places to visit. I spend hours looking through pinterest at photos from other people's adventures. Today I have a short list (it took a while to get it down from very, very, very long).

1. New York

2. Greece

3. Italy

4. Paris

5. Canada

6. Melbourne

7. Tasmania

8. Thailand

9. Hawaii

10. South America

11. Norway

12. London

13. Germany

14. Scotland

15. Florida.

Have you ever been to any of these places? Where would you like to go?

xxxPoppy

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My favourite books

I talk a lot about reading, and it is something that is a huge part of my life. Reading has, and hopefully always will be, something that I do most days. I always try to make sure I have a little time for myself in the day and reading is the best way to do this.
Today I am going to share my 5 favourite books of all time (and I've included a few others that I really enjoyed when I read them at the end). I read fiction, most of the time realistic novels- with the occasional dystoptian thrown in.

1. Paper Towns
Paper towns is my all time favourite book (although the Fault in Our Stars was also pretty good). It is the perfect mix of funny, serious, sad, mysterious, intriguing and all around just perfect. I'm not that good at writing reviews, so check out these ones on goodreads.

2.We Were Liars
I read this book almost two years ago, and I have (when asked) said it is my favourite for a long time. I read a lot of really well written books, and the ones I enjoy are the memorable ones. This book was really memorable. It had a huge twist at the end and it left me in a bit of a state of shock- a good kind of shock. Thinking about it, the book probably isn't actually the book I have enjoyed the most- it just stuck out. Here are some reviews of it (be careful to avoid spoilers- you really don't want the end spoiled)

3. Amy and Rodger's Epic Detour
I read this book a while ago and I really enjoyed it- because it was different. It was similar to things I had read before and at the same time different and that made it all the more interesting. Here are some reviews of it.

4.The Yearbook Committee
This book was also one I read a while ago, and I have been told it is very much a modern version of the breakfast club. The book was a light read, and didn't take too long- but was enjoyable and memorable. Here are some reviews.

5.Enter Title Here
No- that is not a mistake. That is the actual name of the book. This book I read reasonably recently, and I enjoyed it. It felt real, and was very different- again memorable. Reviews are here.

Other books I have enjoyed:
Divergent series
The Hunger Games series
The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf (part of a series)

Do you enjoy reading? What are your favourite books?
xxxPoppy 

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TED Talk- Paper Towns and Why Learning is Awesome

"You can see how fake it all is. It's a paper town-  I mean, just look at it."

-John Green

I found this TED talk by my favourite author, John Green, and I found it really interesting.

What did you think? Have your ever read paper towns?
xPoppy

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