Yeah, I know. Mondays are terrible creatures, but what can we do? I mean, it's not like we can change nature to skip Mondays. Oh wait. Can we? *slumps back into seat* No. We can't. Cue seven billion sighs.

But that doesn't mean we can't make it better. Now I'm not going to lie to you and say my Mondays are perfect. Trust me when I say this: I don't like my Mondays just like everyone else, but there are certain things I do to feel better about my Monday and the rest of the week for that matter.

So you want to have better Mondays? Listen Read carefully.

1. Stretch

It's painful. It hurts. It takes a lot of patience. But it helps. And that's what matters in the end. Stretch in the morning, the evenings, and the times in between. One of the biggest factors that make Mondays so horrible is stress. So whenever I get stressed, I stretch, and most of my stress just disappears.

2. Be organized

This is a biggie. I feel like Mondays give us so much stress because we feel like we have so little control over the rest of the week. All our tasks are laid out before us and we just don't know what to do. There are so many things to do and we feel overwhelmed. A solution? Make a checklist of things to do. It'll make things easier. Promise.

3. Sleep well

Watching a late night movie, going out with your friends... not such a good idea. To have a good Monday, or at least a not-so-bad Monday, you've got to have some sleep. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep, but don't oversleep either. Get that perfect balance of sleep or you'll just feel horrible the next day.

4. Wake up earlier than usual

I absolutely abhor waking up early. But do you know what I hate even more? Rushing. Don't get tempted by that snooze button. By waking up late, you'll be stressed because of the rush to get ready. I have lots of experience with this. And getting stressed from the morning is not the best idea. It's better to give yourself time to get ready, so you can slowly start the day, lazy style.

5. Make plans

No, not for the week. You'll be busy doing school work. Make plans for the weekend so that you have something to look forward to. If you have something planned for the weekend, you'll be extra motivated. And as a plus, the week will go by super fast!

So those are my tips for taming Mondays. What are your rituals for making Mondays a wee bit better?


-Barista Mia-

Images:  Steven Depolo, mt 23, Elizabeth Ashley Jerman, Alan Cleaver, Desi Read more »

Whenever I'm about to go out I always find myself panicking about my looks. I don't know how you guys who actually have *cool* friends and a crush and a boyfriend and a prom to go to survive the cardiac arrests. This is for the girls who sit amidst the piles of socks on their beds going, "Paint my nails that colour? Did that on my last date!" "Do alternate colours? Do I wanna look like a six year-old?" It's also for the girls who believe they have too little practise or skill in manicuring. It's all in your mind! Anyone can do it. Trust meh.

•If you're freaking out that they're gonna look terrible, do a practise run on your toenails first. They can always be covered up with those socks (thank you Mum!) or a quick lumping of another layer of colour over the disaster.

•An ink pen works like eyeliner on nails (except better, nyahaha) and is cheaper. Don't listen to those magazines giving tips about eyeliner. My-eye! They're only trying to make you buy more makeup! Draw whatever you want, let it dry, and paint over with clear polish so it doesn't smudge.

•Tipp-ex: Another cheap 'n' easy trick. Feeling annoyed your Tipp-ex...or "correction fluid"...dries up and leaves those lil stringy bits? Gently toss them over a bright pink, green or blue nail. Add black if you like.

•Sometimes the simpler and quicker, the more sophisticated it looks... Within reason. Or is that just me? Yeah, might just be me actually. Stroke a few rough lines over a plain colour:

•If you're a Jace fangirl, you can pen on the Mortal Instruments logo. Easier than it looks, really- as long as you're careful, mundane! Keep your hand steady, use a fat, inky pen, get to really know the pattern, and you'll be fine. I think fandom logo nails could be the next big thing, you know; I even tried doing a mockingjay- yeah, had to rub it out pretty much as soon as I'd done it. Sabita does need practise on that one.

So, fingers crossed, the boy will love it. Okay, boys don't ever even notice you HAVE nails, but as long as you're happy with your cuticle art, it's a thumbs up from me!

-Barista Sabita

Read more »

I’ll admit it. I don’t spend as much time with my little sister as I should. Our age difference isn’t that much (just under two years), but I still find it hard to hang out with her. I mean, she has her friends and I have my own. Let’s have separate lives, shall we?

Now, being homeschooled, I have a closer relationship with my sister than the average teen, but that does not mean in any way that my sister and I love to hang out with one another. I always go out with my friends and she always goes out with her own. But one day, I really wanted to watch Man of Steel and all my friends were at school, so I asked my sister if she wanted to watch it with me. She tagged along and I discovered something. Not that Henry Cavill is super hot. I already knew that. Duh. No, what I discovered is that she’s actually fun to hang out with.

After that movie date with my sis, I did a lot more hanging out with my sister than usual. So with my building knowledge of sibling bonding, I wanted to share with you all the best-est ways you can have a special bonding time with your brother or sister.

Movie

Like I already said, I got to know my sister a little more through Man of Steel. Movies are always great. And you can talk about them later, so you guys won’t have an awkward conversation while on the way home.

Shopping

I wouldn’t recommend doing this with your brother, but with your sister, well… I don’t really need to say anything, do I? After all, shopping is a universal girl language.

Food

Speaking of universal languages, if the above word didn’t make your tummy do a back flip, I’m sorry to break it to you… but you’re not human.

Find a mutual interest

Seriously. With our mutual love for One Direction, my sister and I can talk hours about the subject and watch YouTube videos all throughout the night together. And we have a good laugh too.

Okay. So that’s it. My top four sibling bonding ideas. And just because I stop my list here doesn’t mean there aren’t other alternatives. There are other things to do.

So what are you doing still reading this? Get off your lazy bum, grab your sibling, and head outside for some bonding time. Good luck! x

-Barista Mia-

Read more »

So almost half the world knows by now that Nariana is official. I mean, the two cutie pies took to TWITTER to confirm the "OMG they're totally going out" rumors that have been flowing around for the past few weeks.

So yeah. That's pretty much confirmed. They even RT'd each other if you need more evidence.

If you have been following Ariana for a while, you would know that she had been dating this other dude called Jai Brooks for quite a long time. A whole year, which as we all know is about an eternity in Hollywood. I'm kind of shocked to hear she's moved on so quickly and it kinda reminds me of Liam Hemsworth a certain someone who also broke up with a long term partner and found a new lover so quickly.

Like I wrote when I was expressing my opinion over the whole Liam, Miley, and Eiza thingamabob other breakup that happened recently, I'm really not that happy that this girl moved on so soon. Like, couldn't she have waited a few months or at least a year? She seemed absolutely heartbroken over her breakup with Jai.

On the other hand...



I guess they make a pretty cute couple. They're both talented and adorbs.

I will totally miss this though:


Anyway, what do you think about this new celebrity couple? I'm torn. They suit each other, but couldn't Ariana have stayed single for a little longer? Where's your independence, girl?


-Barista Mia- Read more »

Now, I am a Kiwi with a lot of national pride. The problem is, not many people seem to, you know, notice New Zealand very much. Well, to be honest with you, I did lose interest in my home country after I moved to South Korea, but my spark with NZ is back and I actually re-memorized the New Zealand anthem (No, I am not kidding)!

Anyway, back to nobody noticing New Zealand. I’m going to introduce you to someone who might just change that. She’s funny, she’s relatable, she’s adorbs... Her name is Jamie Curry. Have you heard of her? Maybe, maybe not. But she’s definitely someone to watch.

I want you to go on Facebook (I’m giving you the gift of procrastination here, don’t say “no”.) and type in “Jamie’s World”.

Got that?

You see that page with a few million likes? Yeah, that’s Jamie’s page. The New Zealander. My fellow Kiwi. I die from relatability (is that even a word?) every time I watch her videos.

So these are some of my favorite Jamie’s World videos...

I told you. This is relatability right here. This is exactly how I react to my own homework.

Hi, Mom.

As you can tell, she’s obsessed with Channing Tatum.

This is the first Jamie’s World video I watched! I liked her page right afterwards.

Oh, and it's my mom again.

Jamie and I were separated at birth. We are secretly twins.

There are so many other dozens of videos to watch at Jamie’s World, so go check it out! Spend the rest of your day procrastinating and laughing. What’s a better way to waste your day, eh?

-Barista Mia-

Read more »

Oh wow. Will you look at the date? The year is almost over! Although I’m really sad because all my procrastination is catching up to me and now I have a billion things to do before the year ends, I’m glad at the same time. Why am I not full-time sad? Because the albums I’ve been waiting for are nearing their release dates! *screams* Now here is a list of some of the upcoming albums that will be released later this year because we all need to put these dates onto our calendars and start counting down.

Justin Timberlake – 30 September

THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE PART 2

I had never really listened to JT until Mirrors came out. Some cover artist, I forgot who, was singing it and I absolutely fell in love with the song. Since then, I’ve been listening to his music more than I should.

Miley Cyrus – 8 October

BANGERZ

Oh, hey look! Even the album title is alluding to her twerking skills. Can’t say I’m looking forward to the album, but “Wrecking Ball” is actually a pretty good song.

Paul McCartney – 15 October

NEW

Whoop! Sir Paul McCartney is coming back! About time! It’ll be featuring new songs too (see what I did there?). *adds NEW to to-buy list*

Katy Perry – 22 October

PRISM

Not the biggest fan of her music, but what the heck. There are many Katycats in the world and her album release date is not to be ignored.

Kelly Clarkson – 29 October

WRAPPED IN RED

Argh! It seems like forever since she released a new album! I still have a hard time getting rid of “Because of You” out of my head, but that’s probably because I was karaoking (is that a word?) a few days ago. Can’t wait to see what new material she has.

Lady Gaga – 11 November

ARTPOP

After spending about an eternity under the radar, she’s finally making a comeback. I don’t know much about her new album, but the cover art is awesome. And this is Lady Gaga we’re talking about, I can pretty much guarantee #1 songs.

One Direction – 25 November

MIDNIGHT MEMORIES

So apparently 1D has a new sound now. Has anyone else listened to their leaked song “Just Can’t Let Her Go”? Sexy animal, it says. SEXY ANIMAL? What the heck happened to “chinny chin chin”?

There are about a hundred more albums that are coming out this year, so just keep checking out your local CD store or iTunes. Which album are you looking forward to most?

-Barista Mia-

Images:  Peter Dutton, JJ Duncan, Realtor Action Center, José Goulão, Bryan Horowitz, TJ Sengel, Eva Rinaldi

Read more »