Review: Glow Christmas

We have officially made it to the ‘middle’ of the weekend. It’s Saturday evening and I know some of you are looking for activities to do in the month of December. Today, I review Glow Christmas – an event in the Fraser Valley that was constantly promoted through social media and many media outlets known in Canada.

If any of you remember Enchant from last year, this seemed similar enough. One thing was that this event was apparently held indoors. Off I went, buying some early bird tickets since I love trying out new experiences in a not-so-dynamic city. First thing to note is that this is not a free event like other Christmas displays. The ticket prices are on their website, which can be found easily at glowchristmas.ca. Before I start my review, if you do not want spoilers, please do not read further! This is for my personal blog to document my travel activities and experiences.

Taken at Glow Christmas

The day we went, the weather decided to make things a bit more fun. It was full-out windy but luckily, no rain. The food and drink vendors are located in a circle outside the actual venue. It gave off an amusement park vibe with the smell of sugary donuts and feel good food. When I entered, it was simply beautiful. I absolutely love twinkling lights, Christmas feels, and taking photos so I was pretty thrilled.

The lights display is, in my opinion, the main part of this festive event. Throughout the evening, I was surrounded my vast displays of white, yellow, colourful lights that made the whole environment feel warm and enchanting. Spotlight feature goes to the “musical” light tunnel, which can be both good or just decent depending on when you go or how many people are in the tunnel area with you. It changes colours and bursts out Christmas music which really put me in a jolly mood. When I went, it was very easy to take photos because everyone was in different light garden sections. The entire indoor venue is more bigger than I had expected so if you’re going with younger children, keep that in mind. It must have taken many hours of hard work by the staff to put together the  light displays and the adorable animal light figures so props to them!

FOOD & DRINKS: Food and drinks were pretty good when I went and I had a voucher which I used on really yummy apple cider and other food. It’s better to check each cart out to see what they sell but some I saw was Greek food, pizza, mini donuts, kettle corn, poutine. Do check out the outside area to get some food in your belly. Another good idea is to eat inside where they have a lot of extra seating and a special tip is to go near the market for tables that are ‘hidden’ and allows you to have a full view of the performance stage.

MARKET: The market was very dim and it was definitely fun to walk around and browse the selection of goods the vendors had. There weren’t too many, but someone I went with bought a few items from some of the vendors. You can find a list of vendors they have on their website.

Overall, I think it was a nice addition and really helps people get in the Christmas mood. It’s definitely fun for young kids who can go around doing a “treasure hunt” for a prize at the end and with princesses walking around makes it magical. However, for the adults there is a nice bar and as a great holiday event, Glow Christmas succeeds at being a break from stress and work. It was a nice way to start the holiday season without freezing outside from wind and rain, although by the time we left, the rain was horrendously pouring! I enjoyed my experience here and left with amazing photos, but keep in mind the prices are not that low. And as always, check the weather and bring an umbrella in case the skies decide to pour again Vancouver!

With love,

Disclaimer: Tickets were purchased by me. This is a personal review. Please do not use photos taken by me without permission.

 

 

 

 

5 BEST Study Apps for humans who procrastinate

As a full-time student, I understand. I know how things happen and suddenly you realize there’s a 15-page paper due the next day that you haven’t even started. Why? Because this is the way you prefer to work. I have also been a self-identifying procrastinator in past years so I have found ways to minimize wasted time. I’m not a master yet, but an improving grasshopper at time management. Here are some applications I find useful:

1. Google Calendar – Guarantees it works on all your devices (laptop, mobile device) and syncs your data. I find it really helps when tracking tasks that must be done and I schedule all my activities. With the spaces left in my calendar, I use it as a break time or a time for catching up.
2. Pomodoro – This is a technique that was developed by Francesco Cirillo back in the 80’s. It forces you to study in 25-minute intervals with a rewarding break period after. I find it really useful when trying to get a chunk of studying done in an efficient manner to meet my productivity goals.
3. Memrise – One of my most favourite apps for the past few months, it helps users build skills easily. I use this app to practice language and conversation skills and if you’re taking any language courses, this is a must! (The graphics are extremely beautiful as well).
4. Microsoft One Note – This is famous in the world of university students. I’m sure you’ve all heard of this one! One Note is, in my opinion, an amazing creation. One time when I realized I forgot to bring my laptop with important notes written in it, I was able to log in on my phone and access it because of the amazing sync-power of One Note.
5. Cold Turkey – Lastly, a blocker is always necessary when trying to focus on studying for an exam. Procrastinators are procrastinators because they can get easily distracted by other things happening – social media, the latest current events, food photos. This blocks distractions so that procrastinators can get work done in one sitting.

Healing Diary: 4 Wisdom Teeth Removal Surgery…at once

Bonjour everyone!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but trust me when I say that I have quite a few unpublished written entries hidden in my drafts folder.

Updates? I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled out at the same time. Some might say that’s crazy and some might nod in sympathy based on their own recollections of the surgery. I will now do a day-by-day diary of my recovery process in this blog and hopefully you get something out of it.

D-DAY: I wake up early at 8 AM to prepare for my 10 AM appointment. I’m not that nervous, just feeling a bit tired. I used to fear the dentist because I hate things poking into my mouth and I hate needles. It might be because I’ve returned from a different surgical experience earlier, but I wasn’t dreading this wisdom teeth removal that much. I took a few days to research what the procedure was going to be like, what food I could manage to shove into my lips, what the differences in anaesthetic were going to be, etc. I found a few recovery diaries online which helped me understand the process better.

So I take the two antibiotics I was prescribed 1 hour before 10 am, get in the car, and off I go. I also had a bit of breakfast since I was told I was getting local anaesthetic only (not general). For someone who hates needles, I’m surprised I was okay without any oral sedative to calm me. I just went in vulnerable.

I got prepped in the chair, had the TV turned to the news channel, and soon had jabs of local anesthetic into the four corners of my mouth. They pricked a little, and the ones in the lower gums hurt the most. My dentist and assistant were both soothing and stopped to ask me how I was feeling, which was helpful. I got settled waiting for my mouth to get numb. Then it began. “Scalpel,” my dentist said to the assistant.

When I heard that word, I felt a bit anxious. My body was pretty much stiff and straight most of the procedure. It felt weird at first because although I was sure I was numb, I still “felt” the teeth being touched and I heard the sounds. A whole while later after a variety of instrument names were called, I heard her say “Sutures” and I knew the top left tooth was out. The assistant mentioned that it came out quickly and based on research I had done prior, I knew the top teeth were the more “easier” ones compared to the lower. The stitches seemed to take a while to do, but they said it was nicely done.

She moved on to my right top tooth and similarly, it came out pretty fast. I had to keep remembering to open my mouth wide and seriously by the end of the procedure, my lips were numb, cracked, and bleeding a bit from the stretch. The bottom right was a bit uncomfortable and took longer than the top obviously. There was some drilling I think, a lot of scalpel, and I felt my dentist try to break/grab the tooth with an instrument. I stayed stiff as a rock and thought about my summer, school and food. I admit it was difficult to do with 4 hands probing around in your mouth.

Finally, the left bottom wisdom tooth. I already had that feeling of dread in my stomach – it was like I knew this was going to be the problem tooth. Dentist began, but I definitely felt the instrument moving and I felt a bit of pain. I was worried the anesthetic had begun to wear off so I motioned what I was feeling. She tried again, but still I felt very uncomfortable and wondered if this was a nerve or something.

Since I kept feeling something, she gave me a little break for my mouth to rest. When she came back, we went back into the procedure and I still (annoyingly) felt pain so I turned my head a bit so that it could be more seen. I felt her use more instruments on and off – a drill sound, scalpel sound, more drills, mirror, cutting into gums? But I kept feeling a sharp pain on my gum area so I ended up getting more anesthetic. I don’t know how or when it came out, but the next thing she said after what felt like forever was “Sutures.”

And bam. I had gotten all 4 wisdom teeth removed in one sitting. I am pretty proud of myself since I thought I was a somewhat weak girl with many phobias, but I handled it well without going under!

D-2:

Today I woke up feeling surprisingly well. Yesterday evening I felt the numbness disappear and I had to take painkillers but before it kicked in, I felt like I got punched in the face. I managed to eat some soup and smoothie.

But today, I took my 2 antibiotics and (gasp) I didn’t feel pain at all so I didn’t take any painkillers. It’s now evening and I haven’t really felt any pain so I am very surprised. The swelling is pretty bad, but no numbness at all. Dentist called to check how I was. I can talk (sort of) and I managed to eat quite a bit! Here’s to a quick recovery 🙂

French: It’s not just an Obsession

I am truly obsessed with something. It’s not a product, it’s not a journal (surprisingly), it’s not a picture of a cute dog. It’s a language.

I have been and I am and I will be obsessed with French. Back in my kindergarten days, I have vivid memories of learning colours and numbers in French. When I transitioned into middle school and French was a mandatory part of our education system, my interest in the language grew as my teacher conducted our class as we sang French songs and as she included games such as the famous Bingo in French. However, once I reached high school, my poor planning combined with the craziness of other language options spiralled me away from French. Therefore, throughout my high school years I did not take one French class.

Fast forward into my University career and I came to realize that not taking French in high school may have been a good move because I chose to take introductory French in University and boy, was it a smart choice. I went back to the basics of French but I sped through the chapters because I remembered most of the introductory basics – colours, numbers, weeks, months. Unsurprisingly, French became one of my favourite courses in university and it showed through my grades.

So there you have it, I’m a little obsessed but it’s more of a passion and love for everything French. My laptop wallpaper may always be the Eiffel Tower, my walls may boast posters of the Eiffel Tower and the French scenery, and I may say that Ratatouille is my all-time favourite movie – but it’s because like I said, it’s not just an obsession. It’s more. ❣

I can’t wait for the day I will finally get to visit the lovely France and practice my French. Je veux aller au France.

I would love to hear where or what you guys may be a little obsessed with in your lives! Or if you plan on travelling somewhere this summer, I’d love to hear about it. ☀

 

With Love,

 

 

Bullet Journal and Writing: A Short Background

It seems that the Bullet Journal/Productivity/Organization/Journal trend is in full swing nowadays and this makes me more excited to share my own thoughts on everything.
I have loved writing and reading since I was teeny tiny small. Many people may make judgements that writers and avid readers have brains full of a million ideas, stories, fairytales – this is all true, of course. However, I can also boldly state that many of us book-lovers have a thing for being organized.

I have kept so many journals throughout my childhood (I still do today), where I wrote down my ideas, stories, daily diary entries, everything I wanted to remember before I would forget these things. And so my drawers were full of countless journals which I now humorously look back on to observe how my writing style changed over the years. It’s so amazing to see how one’s writing changes. I know some of you will have similar memories of writing in bubbly-cute font, switching to cursive writing style somewhere during elementary school, and developing a personal writing font before middle school in hopes that it would look more “mature” and “teacher-like.” That was me.

Sometimes I have absolutely no ideas flowing in my head, but sometimes I am astonished by how many ideas come flying at me. It is at these times that I like to have a journal by my side to keep track of everything so I don’t forget it (I forget things often).

As I grew up, I found that although I liked having more than 10 journals strewn across my desk, it wasted more of my time and resources. This is why I like the idea of the bullet journal and having one personal journal that locks all my memories, thoughts, and ideas together. For those of you who have not heard of this amazing journal idea yet, I will briefly describe it to you.

Bullet Journal: a customizable and multi-tasking productivity and organization system that can act as a diary, idea-page, daily to-do list, monthly to-do list, plain notebook, sketchbook, anything you want it to be.
To learn more details, check out the benefits of journaling which can hopefully guide you in taking the first steps.

My love for writing and reading and my ability to forget things easily has been combined into one solution: having a journal. This is how I began many years ago and I know I will continue to keep my trustworthy friend with me wherever I go.

With Love,

7 Benefits to keeping a Journal

It amazes me how in today’s fast-paced world, there are so many beautiful writers, bloggers, and journalists. Journaling, to me, is an art form that requires dedication, patience, and the ability to be open. We all got introduced to journals in various ways whether it be by an elementary school teacher, or a character from a book. The important part is that we became writers in one way or another.From what I have personally heard over the years, I discovered that journal-writing has numerous benefits. I can assure you that I do not regret filling up every single one of my journals, whether it be for school or personal use. Now, I will describe the 7 main benefits I believe keeping a journal has. A journal:

1. Acts as an inanimate friend. 

Life is full of days when you may just feel tired, frustrated, or lonely. Whenever I have encountered these miserable days, I found myself going to a quiet area, taking out one of my personal journals, and just beginning to write. Honestly, it does not matter what you are writing about – what matters is that you think of your journal as a friend and release your inner tensions among the pages.

2. Feeds off of your stress.

A Journal is one of the best stress-relievers I have found as I grew up. People challenge their stress in different ways. If physical methods work for you then you might prefer dance or yoga. But for me, I find that my journal pages absorb the stress I am feeling that day. I think it’s the idea of transcribing your inner thoughts hiding deep within onto paper that takes away some burden. This “writing your thoughts” method is also famously known to help with those dealing with insomnia at night.

3. Becomes an idea inspiration notebook.

Have you ever had that rare moment when a brilliant project idea, book idea, gift idea, movie idea, any idea at all comes to you like a flash of lightning? Me too. And the best way to record that brilliant idea is by quickly writing it in my journal in a seperate page titled, “My inspiration page” or “Free-Flow.” Personally, I find that this method is the best for me.

4. Stores your personal memories.

A journal can act as a camera in many ways. One can take physical photographs, print them, and decorate them into the personal journal, but I know many of you will agree that this may be too much work. Most of the time, your journal-writing serves as a memory-catcher. How? Let me give you an example. I was cleaning out the messy boxes in my room when I discovered one of my numerous old journals. I did not quite remember what its purpose was as I have countless journals for different purposes. When I opened it and started reading, I realized it was a journal that I wrote in when I went on a road trip with my family. Daily, I had written accounts of what we had ate, the activities we had done, what we had seen, and what I had learned. The exact times, exact dollar amounts, exact dates were all clearly written and as I read over each of the accounts, I was able to vividly remember one of my favourite times that I had forgotten.

5. Helps clarify your problems. 

One of the numerous benefits of keeping a journal involves the ability to write your problems, or any issues you are facing. I believe it can be useful to write all the wild, swirling thoughts going on in your head in your journal which may help you find a solution.

6. Inner-self productivity partner.

What I love about journals is the freedom to write anything I want with (hopefully) nobody to read it. I consider my journals as my personal books full of my stories and memories that I can look back on a few years from now. Thus, journals can definitely help you on the path for self-improvement, especially when reflecting on your attitude. A tip I propose which I am sure many of the journal-writers already know, is to create a gratitude page and write something you are grateful about every day. You will be amazed to find how many things you have to be grateful for as the list grows longer.

7. Multi-tasker: Planner & Strategizer.

So far, we looked at the main benefits of writing in a journal which I sincerely hope persuaded those of you hesitant on getting a journal. The last benefit I would like to outline is the multitasking ability of a journal. People utilize their journals for hundreds of different reasons and include different pages for a variety of purposes: money-tracker, gratitude page, idea manager, stress-reliever, monthly schedules, daily to-do list, recipes, family night ideas – the list goes on. I love being organized and a few years ago I began to gain more interest in to-do lists and updating my monthly calendar. This method has done wonders for my productivity levels and staying on-track of everything! I love using journals as calendars and basically, to plan events or assignments for the future that I need to get working on. Soon, I hope to write new blog posts on my ideas and tips for creating a journal so look out for that.

As we have discussed today, there are numerous advantages for keeping a journal and I understand that there are millions of journal-lovers in this world. I hope I was able to persuade you even a little bit to find a perfect journal for yourself and just begin.

With Love,

 

Call me ‘Beginning’

Hello everyone!

This is the first official post on theviinnie. Days, months, years from now I hope to look back on this post and be truly grateful about how much I have improved.
Surprise! I am not new to blogging – I have been an avid writer of a personal blog since 2013 and am very content to have my stories and memories locked away in there. However, I have decided that I want to take a step to create a new blog and combine my love for writing, blogging, journaling, studying (if you want to know more about myself, take a look here) with my passion to socialize with and add my value to the community.

I have those days when I feel like I’m falling behind – too much to do, too much to look at, too much to be aware of. This blog was created with the purpose of taking away some of that burden I am sure many of you face in today’s fast-paced world. I believe that sometimes, we just need a place where we can be ourselves and take a few deep breaths. This is that place.

I hope that together we can grow a community of individuals who are still finding their way through life because that is what I am still in the process of doing. I hope to do this by sharing my study tips for students, posting about my lifestyle & travel, and tracking my bullet journal progress.

And so, theviinnie was born on a warm spring day in April.

With love,