Book Review: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

         
       The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas is the prequel to the Throne of Glass series. In this book there are 5 novellas. These novellas are as follows: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Healer, The Assassin and the Desert, The Assassin and the Underworld and The Assassin and the Empire.

          This is the summary on the back of the prequel:

Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the most powerful Assassin’s Guild, she yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. When Celaena’s scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes and questioning her own allegiance. She will have to risk it all if she hopes to escape Arobynn’s clutches – and if she fails, she’ll lose not just a chance at freedom but her life. A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling – and deadly – world.

          Here is the thing.

I liked this book, but not nearly as much as I liked the ones that follow. I feel like this book is necessary to read in that it gives you the background information on Celaena and that helps you to understand many references made in the future books. You CAN read the Throne of Glass Series without reading The Assassin’s Blade, but I feel like The Assassin’s Blade gives you a more complete picture when you’re reading the future books.

          In this book, you meet Sam Cortland, Celaena’s first true love (from what it sounds like) and the one that marked her in a way that you see throughout the future books. You see Celaena grow into a more independent woman, if a woman is what you call a 17 year old assassin. You see Celaena stand up for what she believes in, and then receive the consequences for such a decision. You see her understand that the world is not what it seems, and unfortunately, you begin to see why she becomes so closed off to other people, and so untrusting. 

         In this book, she comes face to face with betrayals of the most personal and heartbreaking kind. She comes face to face with death, with sorrow; and so you begin to see why she is so dark in her heart and mind. She begins to have a cynical outlook on everything and it’s so fascinating to see Sarah weave this story of ultimate betrayal and hopelessness. I read it in about 4 days (this was while I was still in school!) and I’m glad I did before I started reading the other books.

          My overall review, and rating on this book, is 3 out of 5 stars because I feel like Sam’s relationship with Celaena should have either started on a more cordial note, or should have taken longer to develop. I also feel like the love triangle (if that’s what you would call it) was not necessary. I feel like Arobynn having this sort of possessive love over Celaena was kind of creepy and didn’t really work for me. I love the character and how real she is (with her love of books and nice things, but also her sass and wit). I love it that this central female character is ACTUALLY a strong female character that isn’t always crying but is a kick-butt assassin! I love the action scenes!

Overall, I recommend people to go out and get this book and read it first, so that you understand what is happening in the future books more clearly and so you can appreciate certain romantic and action packed moments for their true meaning and purpose! I will be reviewing the whole series book by book. Right now, I'm on the 3rd book, Heir of Fire, and the reviews will be slowly coming in! Write down below any other books you would want me to review and 

With all my love, and best wishes, God Bless you all!!!

-Suzanochka-

Dry Shampoo Line up!

Wednesday, October 28th, 2015

GOOD MORNING! :)

Now let's all be real for a second... How many times have you woken up in the morning, with about 10 minutes to spare before you have to be out the door and headed to class? If we're going to be real, there have been multiple times when my phone has been playing tricks on me or my eyes just refused to open, and so I would end up waking up at 9:20, when I have to be at work at 9:40... those are never the best mornings... I'll put up a blog post sometime soon on how to avoid said mornings and then another one on how to survive those mornings, but for today I wanted to share with you one of my secret weapons for making yourself look presentable, even though you literally rolled out of bed 10 mins prior to the "presentable stage".

I honestly don't know how many times I'm ever going to say this in a lifetime, but...

***DRY SHAMPOO IS A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND!***

If we're going to be honest, most of us don't have time to blink our eyeballs while we're in college with the amount of reading and writing and studying that we have to do, so we value or sleep time and will most likely pay it homage at some point in our lives. Because of this, the time to wash our hair has been severely depleted. And because of THIS, dry shampoo will save you from looking like you just came out of grandma's frying pan when she was frying up some goodies for lunch... Herre are some of the ones I tried and what I thought about them!




#5 Suave Dry Shampoo - Keratin Infused
I feel like this one was the worst because I already have oily hair, so to put this kind of product that
has oil/moisturizer infused in it is something that just wouldn't work. If someone has dry and brittle hair, this might be the thing for them since it will moisturize the hair in between washes when you can't use conditioner! But for me and my oily hair, it just does not work, unfortunately :(

                                                                    #4 Suave Dry Shampoo 

"Salon Proven to refresh hair as well as RENE FURTERER: absorbs oil and refreshes fine and straight hair between washes" 

You get 5 oz. of product and if I'm not mistaken then this product retails at around $3 in your local drugstore or Wal-mart or Target. Although it is more affordable than most of the other ones I've tried, I feel like it leaves a stiff white film in the hair no matter how many times you try to brush it out or
fluff it out. The problem I have with this one (and with all the others, except one) is that it leaves my hair horribly stiff. I feel like I've sprayed an insane amount of hairspray into my hair and not the flexible kind, but rather the extreme-hold kind. Also, after you're done fluffing out your hair so make sure all the product is well distributed, you have to make sure to wash your hands otherwise you'll have white hand marks all over your clothes and anything else you touch!



#3 Dove Refresh + Care Volume Dry Shampoo
This one is one of those that did the job halfway. It smelled really nice (I love fresh scents that vaguely smell like baby powder). It got rid of my oily hair but it does leave a white residue almost. I
will use it though when I'm out of dry shampoo so I really don't mind (especially since I have blonde hair).




#2 TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo
This one smells awesome! But it really makes my hair feel stiff... That's probably the only problem I
have with it. Otherwise, it does a really good job of keeping my hair look put together and well groomed!




#1 Batiste Dry Shampoo
The ultimate dry shampoo!! Keeps my hair feeling like hair and my oils at bay! I love that this dry shampoo doesn't leave the hair feeling stiff and powdery. And the oils are always well taken care of when I use this one! I spray it in, at the roots and all around the scalp, and then do my makeup, so that it has about 10-15 minutes time to set in, and then I rub my scalp to make sure everything is well incorporated and that's that! Just make sure to rinse your hands before doing anything else because otherwise you'll have white hand prints all over your clothes!! :) (But that's the case with any kind of dry shampoo) What's nice with this brand is that it has specific dry shampoos for certain hair colors (brunettes - there's a brown tinted dry shampoo for you too!).

Hope you all have a wonderful day/morning/evening/night!!! :)

GOD BLESS!!

-Suzanochka-

Freedom of Religion? I think not...

Tuesday, October 20th, 2015

Yesterday I was summoned for Jury Duty as is my duty as a Citizen of the United States of America.

HOWEVER

If I abide by my personal beliefs, I do not believe that I personally have any right to pass a judgment on someone or to condemn someone to a certain fate. Who am I to say that someone is guilty and should go to jail, when Jesus absolved me of all my sins, saving me from an eternity in Hell...

So when I went up to the gentleman that was in charge of the whole case, I told him,

"I called earlier, but they said I would have to speak with you in person. So as is written in Luke 6:37, 'Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven' therefore it is against my belief to judge someone or condemn them, and so I cannot serve as a juror."

He looked at me almost as if I were a child that needed to have a simple explanation of something, and told me that even though that is technically my belief, I will have to serve as a juror no matter what and that belief does not exempt me from being a juror on a case. He then went on to say, "Well you actually are on a criminal case" and I was thinking "How does that make a difference, or make it better in any way? I'm still not allowed to make a judgment, and it's not even that I'm not allowed, it's that I have no right to do so, because I have been absolved of all my sins, so the Christian way to go would be to absolve the person I'm  'judging'".

He told me what would happen would be that I would be picked and then at the actual trial I would have to tell someone that I believe that I cannot judge someone. But then, even though I would tell someone that, I would still be expected to make a decision and a judgment....

I replied, "But that's the problem! I cannot make a judgment! That's the whole issue I have..." and he said (as he was slightly chuckling/smiling/laughing, and made this situation seem like it was kind of absurd.... which I thought was kind of disrespectful) that even though that's my belief, I would still have to make a judgment so I said "Well then I guess I would just say that the person is not guilty because I do not believe that I have any right to condemn someone to years in jail when I was saved from an eternity in Hell."

At that point he said, "Well you can't do that because that's against our law and jury rules" (I can't remember the exact wording he used, but he was also chuckling throughout this). At this point you could tell he was getting kind of frazzled because I was about to say, "Then how is my Freedom of Religion being respected?" but he asked if I worked and I said that I worked part-time and was a full-time student and he immediately let me go from the court because I was a full-time student and wouldn't be able to be there for the week that was needed of the jurors.

Although I got excused from serving in the court, I didn't get excused for the primary reason that I couldn't do it... Today was the first day that I have ever felt like my right as an American citizen was not recognized and that I was not being listened to. I felt like my right and freedom of religion was not assured but rather threatened.

We are told every day that our freedoms and rights are protected as American Citizens, but can someone explain to me how mine is protected if my belief is that I cannot pass a judgment on someone, condemning them to jail or some other form of punishment, and yet I'm told that I have to put that belief aside, follow the rules, and abide by the country's judiciary system?

I understand that there are people that have probably used this excuse to get out of serving their Jury Duty just because they don't want to, however, this is not the case. I don't usually get fired up about things, but when it comes to my family, my friends or my beliefs, I will not let this be quiet. How am I in any way being respected if I'm told "I understand that you believe this way, but it doesn't matter because you have to follow the guidelines we have set up. And although this is your belief, and we respect that, you're going to have to put that belief aside and go against it so that we follow our guidelines."

I was talking about this to my best friend, and she brought up a really good point. She said that our judiciary system always claims that it's secular and that it's separated from religion, however, if that is so, then why do we swear on the Bible when we are in court or take an oath?

So let me get this straight...

My freedom of practising my religion is protected through the Constitution and through my Bill of Rights, however, it doesn't matter what my religion and beliefs are when it comes to the judiciary system because I'm a citizen of the USA and am expected to fulfill my duties; even though these duties go against my beliefs, which should also be protected by the Bill of Rights, because I'm a citizen.... So then what is the point of being a citizen? We are told we are guaranteed our rights, and yet, we're not... We are told that our judiciary system is equal and fair and is secular... and yet we swear on the Bible when we are in the court... Why not swear on the Constitution? Why not swear on the Bill of Rights?

I don't want to start a political uproar or some kind of craze... I'm just putting my opinion out there and letting people know that this happens... yes this kind of persecution (because that is what I will call it) happens in our very own United States of America and I am seriously bothered by it....

I hope you all have a wonderful day and I hope that everyone finds themselves well and in a good place.... May God bless you all in whatever you do and wherever you find yourselves!!!

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**** UPDATE ****

So I spoke with my pastors after church this week and asked their opinion on this subject and this is what they said:

I would not be going against God's commandments if I served on the Jury because I am not the one that's making the ultimate decision. I'm giving my recommendation to the Judge, who also listens to the Lawyers and the other people before he makes his final decision. So the weight of the judgment weighs upon the judge, not myself and not the jurors. Also, if we are making a decision together as a jury, we as Christians can make a choice about what someone did, however, we must follow our beliefs.

For example, although the state might say that the death penalty is ok in that state, we as Christians should just have the person go to jail for life or something else, so that they could still have time to be saved before dying.

Thanks for listening! And as always, I would love hearing things you have to say! Just comment below!

-Suzanochka-

Yogurt Haul/Review! :)

YOGURT HAUL/REVIEW!!

The other day I went to Target and decided to peruse their food section because I wanted to see what healthy alternatives they had for eating (more for snacking). I'm trying to eat healthier, and although it's not the easiest thing and not the cheapest :/, I know it's extremely important... So here are some of the yogurts I got! :)

When I go on the Chobani website, it says that only natural ingredients are used (not GMO's - genetically modified organisms), there are no artificial flavors or sweeteners, no preservatives, made with milk from cows no treated with hormones like rBST, includes live and active cultures, three types of probiotics, kosher certified, vegetarian friendly, and less than 5% lactose. The two flavors I picked out are Key Lime Low-Fat Yogurt with Graham Crackers and White Chocolate and also Caramel Low-Fat Yogurt with Salted Pretzels, Chocolate, and Praline Pecans. 

The Key Lime Crumble tasted DELICIOUS when I was eating it and most definitely curbed any kind of sweet tooth craving I was feeling. I think this is a wonderful snack for when you want those chocolate chip cookies and milk, but you're really trying to watch your weight ;) It also kept me feeling full for a while because I ate it around 2 pm and didn't feel hungry until almost 5:30 pm (pretty good for a snack). It did have that tart bite that Greek Yogurt usually does, but I rather enjoyed that and thought it went well with the Key Lime flavor!

To start off with, I'm not a big chocolate fan. I have to be craving it to eat it, and I do get those cravings sometimes but in general I don't really like chocolate ice cream or chocolate cake or chocolate cookies (well, they're not my first pick but I will eat them and they usually do still taste good). So mixin yogurt + chocolate is not something I'm used to, or something I really like doing. So although this did taste good, especially because there were some salty bits in there from the pretzels, I much rather prefer the Key Lime Crumble. But again, that's just because of my own personal preference for tangy and fruity combos with my yogurt or in general as a treat.

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This yogurt is called Siggi's and it's Icelandic Style Skyr (pronounced "Skeer") and is known (the skyr) to be the traditional yogurt of Iceland, I got the one in the Mixed Berry Flavor. When I went on the website they said "it is made by incubating skim milk with live active cultures. The whey, the water naturally found in milk, is then strained away to make for a much thicker, creamier, concentrated yogurt. To make just one cup of skyr, with all that water going out, you need 4 times the amount of milk required to make a regular cup of yogurt. As a result of this process, skyr contains 2-3 times the protein count of standard yogurt." Another nice thing about this company is that their yogurt products don't have a lot of sugar, but rather have simple ingredients. Their products are based on Scandinavian dairy traditions, and don't contain any artificial sweeteners. They only use milk from farmers who do not use growth hormones such as rBGH.

This yogurt is so creamy I really was not expecting it. It has this full body flavor that really makes you feel like you're eating cream, but it's not so thick that it's gross and doesn't taste like yogurt. This is a wonderful alternative for young children and babies (my sister gives this to her daughter who is about 1.5 years old, and she gives her the plain version and she (the baby) loves it) because they need their fat, however I don't know if it would be good for someone who is trying to watch their intake of fats. But at the same time, this is good fat and is worth it,  I think, rather than something like a bag of potato chips. Also, I thought the fruit would be on the bottom of the yogurt but it was already incorporated into the yogurt and all-in-all I really do like this yogurt and think I might be repurchasing it and using it as a boost in a meal to make the meal more full bodied and nutritious!

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I've never had Chia + Yogurt Combo before (I mean other than in smoothies, but that doesn't really count...) and this Greek and Chia Red Berries Yogurt from Stonyfield Organic intrigued me! They mix three delicious kinds of red berries, hydrated chia seeds, and then layer them under creamy organic Greek yogurt. 

So I had this during class today because I was feeling hungry and honestly, I wasn't as jazzed about it as I was about the Chobani Flip (see above). It was good, and I noticed the Red Berries + Chia seemed to mask the tartness of the yogurt, but in my mind that almost made it taste blander. So although this one was yummy, it wasn't one that I loved. I might continue buying it for the Chia Seeds, but honestly I think maybe I'd be better off just putting some Chia Seeds in one of the other yogurts!

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Elli Creamy German Style Quark is something I have never heard of and so it intrigued me when I saw it! Some of its benefits is that it's 100% Natural, has Non-GMO Ingredients, has Probiotics, is Kosher, Vegetarian, has No Added Sugar, rBST Free, Gluten Free, Gelatin Free, Preservative Free, 95% Lactose Free and Corn, Nut and Soy Free! It's a spoonable cheese with a creamy texture similar to Greek Yogurt, but with a richer and less sour taste. It also has a bettter protein-to-carb ratio than Greek yogurt, with high protein and no added sugars or artificial sweetenres! I feel like this Sea Salt Caramel treat is going to be a delicious and healthy alternative for the sweet tooth cravings I always have! 

Sooo... Since I left this for the last one for me to try, I hyped myself up for it and thought it would blow my mind... all in all it didn't blow my mind :P It tastes just like yogurt, a nice creamy yogurt. Again, I'm not a fan of chocolatey or savory kind of yogurts, I really only like the fruity and tart kinds. So if you like chocolatey and yogurt kinds of flavors you might like this! But personally, it wasn't for me! :P (but I really don't think it's worth the $2 per yogurt thing)

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Please enjoy this beautiful picture of the pond/lake that is by our University (This is not my picture, but I just thought it was beautiful and sadly don't remember who took it!!) I'm so excited that it's finally fall!! Although our weather is being kind of weird and it's going back and forth between hot and cold weather and I want it to just be nice and chilly!! :) Hope you guys have an absolutely wonderful day and may God Bless you in all things you do, everywhere you go, and whoever you might be :) Love you all!! 

-Suzanochka-

Collective Drugstore Haul!

October 7th, 2015

Collective Drugstore Haul/Mini Review!

Sorry for being completely MIA guys, but the program took a turn for the ugly and I was barely getting enough sleep as it was! So here are some odds and ends that I have gotten over the past month, and now that it's been enough of a time span from buying them, I can tell you how I like them!

This CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion is said to be made for normal to dry skin and has MVE delivery technology. It "provides patented controlled release of ingredients to help repair and restore your skin's natural protective barrier". It's non-comedogenic, non-irritating and has ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. I bought this moisturizer because my dermatologist recommended it since I'm using a really intense benzoyl peroxide cream on my face right now for acne. She said it would be gentle enough not to irritate my skin, but strong enough to moisturize the skin so that it wouldn't get dried out from the benzoyl peroxide. I use this at night (it IS a PM moisturizer) every night before applying my benzoyl peroxide cream. It comes out as this gel-like consistency and feels kind of watery but seeps into the skin pretty fast. At first, I didn't like it at all because I was used to very heavy creams that I would put on before bed. But I've grown to really like it. The price isn't exactly awesome, but I've started to realize that with things like your skin, you shouldn't skimp out, and will continue buying it :)

The Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Refreshers are things that I have bought in all flavors (the Strawberry Lemonade one and the Cool Lime one). I would get them in Target and for like 6 of them it would be around $4 I think. Although I loved the Strawberry Lemonade ones and the Cool Lime ones (which honestly taste like a virgin mojito!), I am not a fan of these Valencia orange ones, which is odd considering the Valencia orange flavor is my favorite one to get at Starbucks! When I used any of these, I noticed that they didn't blend well with water at all when I just mixed them with normal water. They just sorta (the powder that is) clumped together at the bottom of the glass and wouldn't be delicious at all. They would only taste good if I put it all (water, powder, and ice) in a blender (we use our Ninja) and blended it all together. Then it would taste amazing. I haven't tried it with the Valencia Orange one but when I did with the others, it tasted amazing!

The Simple company has been doing something right because my skin has been LOVING their products lately! I'm already on my third bottle of the Cleansing Micellar Water from them! It is made with skin-loving ingredients, including Vitamin B3 and C, and triple purified water, to help remove contaminants known to irritate skin. Even when my skin is red and mad at me, this cleansing water never irritates it and I love it for at the end of the day when you just want to take off your makeup. It also does a pretty darn good job with my mascara and eye makeup too!

I was also looking for a very gentle moisturizer for the day and decided to give their Protecting Light Moisturizer with SPF 15 a go. It's a lot thicker than I thought it was gonna be and I barely have to use any of it and it will cover my whole face! The only thing that I don't like is that the cap came off mine and won't screw back on so I can't really throw it anywhere and have to keep it by computer all the time :) I really do like it, but the only thing is that I have to wait 10 minutes before I can apply any kind of foundation to my face because it needs time to seep into my skin! 

So before I found this eyeliner, I was using the Kat Von D Tattoo Eyeliner because I was told that it would stay on all day long and was a great eyeliner (which by the way, cost $20!) Well, that review is a whole other post, but this one (and for only $10 and also remember the $3.50 off $10 purchase that Ulta always gives that you can use) this L'oreal Voluminous Superstar Eyeliner is so much better for the money you're paying. It has a very stiff nib which I'm not used to, however because of that, it's easier to make a more precise line! I love it!

The L'Oreal Butterfly Intenza Mascara is one of the new mascaras that L'Oreal has brought out and it's fantastic! It makes my eyelashes so long and floofed out. I think it's partly because of that weird brush that they have. I was scared to use it at first, but after the first couple tries, it has quickly become one of my favorite mascaras! 

I cannot tell you enough how much I love these Body Moisturizing lotions/butters from The Scottish Fine Soaps Company! The first one, the Au Lait Body Milk - Lait de corps, is so light and gentle that I actually used it on vacation when I had burned pretty bad from the sun in Myrtle Beach! It didn't irritate my skin, and smelled like I had just come out of the shower and bathed in really fresh-smelling shower gel. I love the scent because it smells very simple and clean to me (it almost smells like Baby Oil). Its little brother, the Honey B Body Butter, is amazing also! The body butter is MUCH thicker in consistency than the Body Milk, which is very liquidy and ideal for sunburned shoulders! :) The Honey B Body Butter smells sweet, but like a gentle sweet in that it doesn't overpower your nose and is a very nice scent to compliment any kind of perfumes that you might want to wear over it. That's what is so nice about these lotions, is that they won't overpower any kind of scent you might want to wear otherwise, and will do very well with them!

I've been on the hunt for more natural options for toothpaste and at the moment I'm using the Hello Super Mint Toothpaste and Mouthwash and trying their Hello Mojito Mint Toothpaste as well. I really like the Mojito Mint toothpaste but I'm not a fan of the Supermint Mouthwash. It's really strong and feels like it's gonna burn. However, I have quite a bit to go until those run out and I can use these. So when I do get around to using these, I'll let you know how I feel about them and if they do a good job at keeping my teeth fresh, clean, and white! Here's where you can buy them: Tom's Simply White Clean Mint Toothpaste and Tom's Whole Care Peppermint Toothpaste.

In my opinion, Aussie has always been doing it right when it comes to their products. First off, the products' fragrance is AMAZING and makes you want to wash your hair multiple times a day! What's nice is that the scent will linger, that way, even when your hair is dry, it will still have a nice fragrance! The Aussome volume shampoo has been wonderful and really gets grease out of my hair and makes it fluffy and wonderful full. The Total Miracle Collection 7 in 1 Conditioner smells so wonderfully tropical that I want to eat it when I'm using it in the shower! You don't need a lot of it and it really does make your hair miraculously soft in just a couple minutes!

I hope I was able to help you in any way with my little reviews/haul post and I hope you have an absolutely wonderful day my lovelies! God bless you in all that you do, wherever you may be and whoever you may be! :) Love you all! :)

-Suzanochka-

Nursing Program Tips

Tuesday, September 1st, 2015 

SALUTATIONS FELLOW BLOGGERS!

This week is the beginning of the Nursing Program for Graduates of 2017 in my University. To say that I am kind of in shell shock is to say the least... but honestly, I've been going through shell shock for the past month prior to the start of the program. My mom had been drilling into me how strenuous and hard this program is, she kept on constantly reminding me that this is not a easy pass and is something that I'm going to sweat, cry and exasperate over. I wanted to let you guys know what I'm doing to steady myself and try to stay on top of things so that maybe I can help you guys, or you can help me even!

1) GET A PLANNER ASAP

A planner that has month calendars and also pages filled with slots for every day will be extremely helpful to you in the long run. As soon as you get your syllabus (syllabi), you need to map out your semesters. This means write down (on the monthly layout) on what days you have exams, quizzes, tests, assignments, papers, presentations etc due, that way you can always stay on top of them and never will have the problem of "I didn't know that was due..." because in high school, when that happens you're flat out of luck. It is YOUR responsibility and no one else's to know the syllabus front to back and know when everything is due because the Professors are not there to coddle you and hold your hand... If you do not want to go buy one, there are websites such as PassionPlanner.com where you can download a free planner (look around because you might like other ones too, but this one is just an example)

2) Establish good relationships with your Professors

This doesn't mean that you have to suck up to them and be the teacher's pet, but this means that you should introduce yourself so that they can put a face to your name when they see it. If something is going on in your life, DO NO hesitate to talk to them about it. Not all Professors are cold and heartless and you have to remember that were students at one point also and so if you're having a problem with something/someone, go to them and ask for their help or advice. Also, ask them about assignments and readings, because some have to be done before class while others have to be done, so make sure which readings and assignments should be done prior to class so that you come to class prepared and ready to learn at your optimum knowledge.

3) Steer clear of the bookstore

Textbooks are always one of the biggest hits in a college student's budget for the semester and if you go to the bookstore to buy the books, you might end up paying almost 3x more than you need to for your books! That money can go towards much needed caffeine and food breaks or even comfy sweats and blankets (priorities...)! There are a lot of fantastic websites out there that provides discounts on books, or used books (which look like new, or are in good condition and are at least HALF the price). These include but are not limited to: 

Abebooks.com

Amazon.com

Half.com

CheapestTextbooks.com

BookFinder.com

BigWords.com 

(^I used this one this semester and highly recommend it)

Sometimes there are even groups on Facebook that you can join that are labeled "Buy and Sell [insert university name here]" and on there people will be selling textbooks from classes that they have taken but will never need the books from again. That is another excellent source, and you can get extremely cheap books that way.

4) Your Email is your best friend

Your email will need to be checked everyday, if not every hour. This is not an obsession, more like just a precaution. Your teachers' most likely mode of communication will be email since it is so convenient and fast so to stay on top of things, make sure that your email notifications are turned on for email. If you want to make things simple and organized, make folders for all the emails you receive. I have a bajillion folders in my email and that's how I keep my inbox clear and neat. I have a folder for every class that I'm taking that semester, that way after I'm done emailing a teacher about something, or after I have read an email from a teacher, I can just store it in her corresponding class. I also have folders for things like Sephora Newsletters, or all my textbook online confirmations of purchase, or recipes that I get to help me figure out what to make that's quick and easy for that day etc...

5) Make sure to keep up your health!

Throughout all my classes, I've been hearing the same message over and over again. "If you yourself are not well and healthy and are not taking care of yourself, how are you going to help others and take care of them?" 

Some tips

1) Make sure to get enough sleep every night, at least 7-8 hours. This will ensure you are well rested and will not be falling asleep during clinical and mornings classes...

2) Make sure to eat a well-balanced diet. I know that as soon as we get into college, we start our penny pinching but really, this is your health we are talking about! Make sure to always load up on fruits and veggies and make sure you get your protein in! Chicken and Fish are cheaper alternatives to other meats and are still very healthy for you, providing you the protein and nutrition you need. 

3) Make sure you give yourself some pamper time once in a while. This could be a nice long hot bath for a night, with some soothing essential oils (Chamomile or Lavender are good choices for that), or a luxurious bubble bath that will make you feel rejuvenated. Do this before bed (not before you have to study!) that way you go to bed totally refreshed and unwound and you'll have a deeper and better sleep.

4) When you're studying, make sure to get up and walk around every 30 mins and get that blood moving throughout your body again. This will also help prevent muscle fatigue or numb limbs (or even thrombosis! which can happen! Your mother was not over-exaggerating like always...). Do some jumping jacks, or go and get a bottle of iced water or a nice cup of hot tea (I love earl grey since it has some caffeine in it and is a nice alternative to coffee).

Overall, you need to understand that the only way you are going to get through this program or semester or whatever it is you are battling is through focus, determination, organization, and sense of self. Know your body, know when it is time to put down the pen and go to bed. Don't stay out late with friends all night when you know you have an exam that's coming up and that you need to study for. However, do allow yourself some time for socializing and hanging out with friends. All work and no play is never a good thing, but know your limits and do all in moderation! Best of Luck to everyone and may you all be blessed! Have a wonderful day! :)

-Suzanochka-