What Motivates You?

Image courtesy of samuiblue / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In our day and age, where Generation Y and the Millennials are struggling to launch their dream career and are instead stuck  in 9-5 jobs or education, it's no surprise that today's youth is getting more radical then ever. Young offenders are on the rise just as are the number of graduates. The competition out there is tough and, it seems, the lives of twenty-somethings can got in either of two directions - uphill or downhill.

Uphill, in the sense of getting a job of some kind after countless unpaid internships have drilled a whole in your parents' wallets. Or even better - getting a job somewhat related to your degree or future career. That is until you realise that actually you don't like it. Or worse - you don't like being chained to your desk from 9 till 5 (FYI: as most office slaves will tell you, nobody ever finishes at 5. You will be lucky to get out the office door at 6).

Many of my friends who have recently started their first "proper" jobs are actually wondering whether it is the right role/company/mode of working for them. Should they look for something that involves more out of office work? Something with flexible working hours? A bigger or smaller company? So many questions, so many decisions to make. It's not easy to survive in the concrete jungle and yet do a job you love.

So my question to you is how do you keep yourself motivated in this struggle? What helps you get out of the bed in the morning? To go to work, to go to the gym, to be committed to a hobby? What stops you from going in to a downward spiral?

I know some have quit the daily grind for more flexible working in search of happiness and dream careers. Yet I also know others who have stuck through the initial difficult first steps to reap great benefits.

Those of you who know me, know that I'm a pessimist (FYI #2: my psychology professor once said that optimists are delusional and it's the pessimists who actually see the realities of life), yet I wake up every morning full of hope. I hope that the weather will be good, that I will do better at the gym, that I will be one step closer to living the life I want to live.

I am a firm believer (to a fault, I admit) that one has to work hard to achieve their goals. So I wake up everyday, ready to face the world as if I was going to war. But I also get out of bed because I can't wait to have my porridge, to catch up with friends, to bask in the sunshine (on one of those very few days that we've got sun here in the UK!) and other such trivialities of mortal life.

What about you? What keeps you ticking? Any tricks for getting out of bed during your lowest lows (like a big hot chocolate on the way to work)?

Many self-help books will tell you to succeed you have to find the "why" that drives you. So let's go through this "search" exercise together - share with me in the comments section below :)

P is for Priority

Nobody knows exactly who they want to become or what they want to do in the next phase of their life. But everyone knows what needs to be done now - today, tomorrow, this week, this month... We all have something that needs to be done now or in the near future. Some of us have more than others, but there is always something to be done.

Sometimes we may feel inundated with tasks, at other times we need to choose which tasks to complete simply because we don't have the resources to do more than one thing. We've all been there, we've all been told something or another related to time management. But things don't always work out the way we want them to. And then we get busy catching up on things that need to be done.

All of this begs the question: do we just spend our lives getting things done? Isn't there more to life than just finishing that project? There certainly is! But to discover that something we need more than time management. We need to be realistic and make some choices.

Are you involved in too many things? Are your commitments keeping you away from something you truly love and enjoy doing? Is your diary or schedule constantly full, despite excellent time management? Well then may be it's time to re-evaluate your priorities. 

Now I'm sure we all know how to prioritise. You just dedicate more time and energy to some things more than others. Simple right? But how do you choose what to prioritise? Is it just a matter of what needs to be done urgently? Possibly, but we also need to think about our long term goals and dreams.

Are your commitments going to help you reach your goals and dreams? Do they make you happy or do they just seem like an effort? It's alright to let go. We are not superhuman and can't do everything. That's why we need to decide what is truly deserving of our time and energy. All I'm trying to say is:

It's your choice

Life is not difficult. The human body and mind are built for survival. These two little wonders can withstand injury, trauma, shock and pain. They tell us what to do in order to remain alive and even have their own 'survival mode'. If you don't believe me go and Google it or ask your medical student friend or whatever. 

If, by now, you are wondering whether this is a joke or I have been watching too much of Grey's Anatomy, the latter one is closer to the truth. Courtesy of my very dear friend and house mate, I have dived into Seattle Grace Hospital's world of medicine head first (by that I mean watching countless episodes in a day). 

As I was saying... We, mere mortals, are survivors. Not because life is hard, no. We get on with life pretty well, if you ask me, no matter what it throws at us. The real difficulty lies in deciding what we want to do and who we want to become. We don't like being told what to do or who we can be. Oh no, we don't like all those institutions and people trying to take away our freedom. 

We want to keep that freedom to ourselves, even if we don't know what we want to do with it. Here's the difficult part - because we are, supposedly, free human beings we can't blame anyone or anything for our indecisiveness, mistakes and failures. We just have to learn to hold our heads up high and accept the mistakes we make. 

And most importantly not to make the same mistake twice (now that's just plain stupid). 

x

Healthy Living

Have you started loving your body yet? Following my post about appreciating our lovely figures, which you can read about here, I think it is only appropriate to give you some facts and tips which will make your body love you too!

Image by Suat Eman ©

• Sugar is your number one enemy! Why? Because it helps the body convert carbs into fat (and because sugars themselves are made up of carbs). And I'm not just talking about the usual sugary stuff. Processed foods, such as white bread and toast cheese slices, are high in sugars too. Of course, the body needs sugar but you can get this in the form of sucrose from fresh and dried fruits and in the form of lactose from milk and other dairy products. So there's no need for cake and lollies (except the occasional treat that is :) ) 

• Exercising is vital to your mental and physical well-being. However, juts because you worked up a sweat in the gym (or on the field) does not mean you can indulge in fatty and sugary foods. For exercise to have any positive effect, you need to manage your calorie intake carefully.

Image by Sayan Samana ©

• Sure the body loses loads of vitamins and minerals during exercise, but gulping down Lucozade or any other sports drink is not doing you any favours. Such drinks are loaded with sugar (remember, your number one enemy?!). Research has proved that sports drinks are only useful to athletes who train more than 90 minutes per day, everyday. If you train less than that you should not drink it. Instead, make your own recovery drink at home by adding a pinch of salt and flour to a glass of water. All three of these contain vital minerals and electrolytes which are lost during exercise. Add to that plenty of fruits and veggies and you can replenish almost all of your vitamins and minerals.
• An interesting and disappointing fact - the thinner you are the less calories you burn. Basically, if you put two people, one heavy and one light, through the same intense work out the heavier person will burn more calories than the lighter one. Not fair, I know. But on the up side, leaner people with more muscle mass burn more calories when they are not doing any physical activity.

Image by  Glenn Jenkinson ©

• Finally, I would like to recommend to everyone NOT to follow any 'one-size-fits-all' diets. Whether you are trying to lose weight or just be healthier it is very important to understand that each person is different. Design your own diet by balancing foods that you simply can't live without with foods full of good nutrients. And you can even have one cheat day in the week when you allow yourself some small treats - this will stop you from binge eating at the end of your diet plan.

I hope that the information above was useful. Remember - being healthy is a lifestyle, not a crash weight loss diet. Always try to make healthier choices:  fewer ingredients listed on the label is always better!

Image by nixxphotography ©

Sports drinks research: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3806/The-best-sports-drinks.html

Calories burnt during exercise: http://www.livestrong.com/article/525626-does-a-heavier-person-use-more-calories-than-a-thin-person-while-exercising/

Life on a Cloud

I have just come to realise that lately I've been focusing mostly on fashion and forgetting about the other two topics of my blog - life and love. To be honest, sometimes it is difficult to come up with something interesting to write about. After all, what's interesting for me might not be interesting for you.

However, today I did come across something quite intriguing. Considering that in the past month I have spent over 28 hours on planes, I was pleasantly surprised when I read about something called a 'social seating initiative'. This refers to the use of social media to select your 'seatmate' before your flight (yay!). Now passengers of certain airlines can link their Facebook and LinkedIn profiles to their booking and check out others that have done so. Meaning you can check out other passengers' profiles and choose to sit next to someone you think will make that long flight bearable.

Who says you can't party on a plane?

What's even better than that? It's the ability to get your very own in-flight 'CloudStream', which allows you to access your own selection of pre-loaded online content. Think watching Lady Gaga's latest video or reading the online version of your favourite magazine (How cool is that?).

There is something even more exciting. Imagine browsing on your laptop, reading your text messages and listening to the latest news on live TV whilst you are flying over some magnificent clouds. How does that sound? Pretty amazing, at least for me. I'm tired of switching off 'all electronic devices with active connections'. Even the best in-flight entertainment can make one restless on a 20 hour journey. And as it seems in the near future I will continue to fly, I truly cannot wait to become a social high-flyer!

So, who's ready to select a seatmate online?

Hopefully the next post should be something about 'love'. What does love mean to you? Think about it.

Until next time post!

xo

Fighting Stress at Uni

Hello dear readers!

I know it's been a while since my last post, but as most of you would know, uni life can be so stressful! Hence I'm going to give you a few stress busters that I've been reading about lately. Hope it helps you, whatever you may be stressing about!

Feeling stressed out?!

1.) Take study breaks. Using up all your energy on 'study marathons' leaves your body and mind less able to cope with the stress that comes from worrying about .... you guessed it - studying! Taking a 10-20 minute walk around the block will do the trick.

2.) Brain power. Our minds often wonder off into the future or get stuck in the past. Worrying about your next exam while studying for the one that's tomorrow creates anxiety. Help your mind stay in the present by meditating for about 20 minutes a day. Focus on your breathing and bring your mind back from the future/past.

3.) Write to-do lists. This is my favourite and I promise you it works. List down all the things you need to do for a set period of time (today, this week, this month, etc). Now prioritize the important tasks and postpone those that can wait. This helps you stay focused and reduces anxiety. Try it.

Going for a walk...

4.) Sleep well. Yep, we all know this one. Sleep is vital for, well, everything! Try to get 8 hours of sleep each night (a little secret: the sleep you get before midnight is so much better for your body). Living on campus? Noisy flatmates? Get some earplugs and an eyeshade - does wonders for me. If not you can always complain to those in charge.

5.) Eat well too. When we are stressed we get major cravings for carbohydrates (after all they do relieve stress temporarily). However, eating junk food and loads of sugary and fatty treats can leave you feeling not so good afterwards. Eating healthy when you don't have much time and cash isn't that hard - low fat greek yoghurt, fruits, cheese strings.... you get it.

Sometimes we crave food when we aren't really hungry (stress again!). Instead of distracting yourself with loads of food, go for a walk, read you favourite blog (cue: my blog) or a short magazine article. Any enjoyable activity should help you banish the mindless eating.

Home-made smoothies with fresh fruit! Yummy!

6.) Take 5. Spare five minutes of your time to: make your bed, clear your desk, listen to music, sniff a lemon (which reduces the body's fight-or-flight stress response) or just unplug all electronics. Doing these things will help you create a positive study environment, make you smile and simply take your mind off things (for 5 minutes at least!)

Adapted from WebMD Campus magazine (http://www.webmd.com/magazine/player?issue=416187833&page=20)

Stay healthy my lovelies! Don't stress so much and to my fellow Sydney-siders - enjoy the sunshine!!!!

Up next: my exciting adventures on the set of the short feature film "Sapphires"

xoxo

Student Life

Sydney's skyline

So here I am at Sydney! The journey was torturous to say the least but I made it with no regrets. I’m going to try and keep this short and sweet (something I find extremely hard to do). Let’s begin by taking a look at the 3 P’s (ok, so I might have stolen this from marketing…):

Places: Sydney is a strange and hybrid city. Architecture-wise, old buildings stand right next to modern ones – that’s first thing that struck me. I hope it’s not only me who finds sky-scrappers stuck to previous century 4-storey structures unusual. Two particular buildings that stand out in my part of central Sydney are the UTS Tower and the Ernst and Young offices. The former one has been labelled the ugliest building in Sydney for two consecutive years and the latter one has 18 floors of underground parking (I wonder if it’s just parking or a secret safe?). Australia is also famous for its coastal lines. During my 6km walk from Coogee to Bondi beach I could not stop taking stunning photos. The Gap at Watson’s Bay was also extremely beautiful, unfortunately it is also known as a suicide spot.

The Gap - beautiful but deadly

People: Sydneysiders, and Australians in general, tend to be very warm and welcoming. In fact, I found them extremely friendly. ‘Good day’, ‘Hey mate’ and ‘Hi, how are you going’ are repeated a million times in a single day to friends and strangers alike. Wait, did you read this? ‘How are you going?’ There is something very awkward in this phrase, isn’t there? It seems like a combination between ‘How are you doing’ and ‘Where are you going’. So the Aussies are playing it smart, trying to ask two questions at once. But the funny thing is that they don’t actually expect you to reply! Their laid back and friendly nature translates into the educational and professional spheres. It is ok to call your lecturer or boss by their first name and a little chit chat about your weekend on Monday morning is the norm. One thing I like about the Australians is that they tend to have a very sarcastic sense of humour! Paradise to my ears, finally I do not have to worry about offending anyone with a bit of sarcasm.

UTS Peer Networkers welcome new students with a dance and loads of free food (I must say getting free food for the first couple of weeks at uni can be a blessing).

Prices: Well now, have I convinced you to come to Sydney? You might want to consider the fact that prices in Sydney are quite high. The rising value of the Australian dollar on the currency exchange market may be to blame, but, as with any major metropolitan city, living in central Sydney does not come cheap. Rent fees start from AUD 150 per week for a twin share room (struggling to do the math? Try this www.xe.com/ucc ). Grocery costs are high as well. Fresh produce, such as fruit and veg, are particularly expensive. But you can always find a bargain at the many markets scattered throughout the city. Universities charge by the subject – on average AUD 3000 – and students are expected to complete 6 to 8 subjects a year. Failed a subject? No worries just pay again and do the same subject next year! So while students are indebted with AUD 18 000 (Approx. GBP 11 200) for each year of their studies, UK university students are lamenting that they will soon be charged GBP 9000 per academic year. Not surprisingly Sydney has been ranked 16^th in World's Most Expensive Cities 2011 (http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110608/world-s-most-expensive-cities-2011/slides/16).

Bondi Beach, the purple coloured water indicates a rip (a strong current that drags you out to sea). Lunch on the beach does not come cheap here!

Nonetheless, education standards are very high and I find studying in Sydney quite intense – the number of contact hours with lecturers are at least twice the amount we get in UK. Subjects are very practical, highly specialised and the majority of the teaching staff has extensive work experience in their field of study. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised when my Principles of Advertising lecturer mentioned he had worked for many years at Saatchi and Saatchi (one of the world’s biggest ad and media agencies).

Old vs. New

To conclude with, every country has its pros and cons. I find Sydney a fascinating yet peculiar metropolitan hub where people of countless backgrounds and nationalities thrive on the Australian principles of respect, inclusiveness and freedom.

xo