Summer Reading List Final Update.

Wow, it's the end of the summer already. I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by, however the beginning of the summer feels like forever. Now that the end of the summer is finally upon us, I bring to you an update of what my summer reading looked like.
This summer I had read 17 books. Out of those, 7 had been from my reading list from the summer.
Summer Reading List:
Nice Is Just a Place in France by the Betches
The One and Only by Emily Giffin
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
The Complete works of William Shakespeare
I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
#GirlBoss
The Complete Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Fill In Boyfriend
Infamous by Lauren Conrad
Shopaholic to the Stars

 
I had also read 10 other books, which include:
Brooklyn Story by Suzanne Corso
99 Days by Katie Cuguno
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Hello Hollywood by Suzanne Corso
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
Love Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
The List by Siobhan Vivian
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han 

In the last few days of summer, I'm reading "Mob Daughter" by Karen Gravano. I'm so proud of myself for reading all of these books, especially books that I've been dying to read for some time. Stay tuned for a semester reading list in the next week or so!

College Student Essentials-What They Didn't Say You Needed

When I entered college, I thought the things I needed were just school supplies. However, what I soon learned upon my first day of freshman year was that I was no longer in high school anymore. However, over the past three years of college, I picked up a few things that made my experience easier. And now, I'm going to share them with you all.

• A smartphone wallet.  In my crowded bag, I always manage to never find my phone inside my large tote bag. It can be annoying especially if it's ringing and I'm trying to answer it in time. However, with a smartphone wallet, I can worry less because I know exactly where it is. It also has enough room for other needs, such as my ID, debit card and cash.
• An adult coloring book. Let's be honest-college is stressful. Sometimes, we need to take a break even though it seems like it's the worst thing for us to do. A bunch of my friends recently bought this, and I thought that is was such a cute idea so I got one off of Amazon for less than five dollars. It seems like the perfect stress reliever, so I'm excited to share more about it when I get it. Just don't forget to get colored pencils or crayons if you don't already have them! 
• A tablet.  This may be the most expensive thing on my list, however in my opinion, it's the most essential. I use my tablet for work and for play. I like it that I have a keyboard so I can write notes for class. I also am in love with the Netflix and the Hulu apps so I can watch TV shows with ease. If you can afford it, I definitely recommend the iPad. 
• A library card. Books, music and movies are expensive. Libraries have a lot of popular books and if you're a resident than you can get them for free. If you're an avid reader, frequent music downloader, or a movie watcher, than this is the perfect fix for you. 
• A portable phone charger. I totally recommend this especially if you're also forgetting to charge your phone like I do. You just leave it plugged it for a while and then it usually has enough to charge your phone up to 50%! (Sometimes more, depending on what you get!)

What are your essentials for this school year? Let me know in the comments below! 

The Year of Rest

Last semester was the semester where I completely lost it all. I mean when I say that was I had so much going on that I was suffocating in all I had to do. And my to-do list was so long that I thought that I never would complete all that I have to do. I'm talking about the wieght of having two jobs, a full course load of classes, a blog and of course expectations that well exceeded what I should have been expecting for myself.
Fast forward to the end of the summer when I'm dreading school. I'm dreading constantly having to focus on work, and getting the best grades I can. I'm dreading the feeling of being overwhelmed, saying goodbye to my friends and of course just not having anytime for fun. However, during the process of me drowning in all of this, I did realize something. I realized that this year will be a thousand times different than last semester.
This semester, I am taking the minimum amount of classes to be considered full time. Those classes are classes that are a mixture of major requirements and electives. Some of the classes I'm taking I'm actually really looking foreword to, such as Young Adult literature where we read books for young adults. Another class I'm looking foreword to is Anthropology of the Media, where I learn about the past and future of media. I heard from friends that it was a good and easy class, so I am looking foreword to having it.
Another difference is that I don't have a completely full day. I used to have five classes a day; four of them were back to back. Needless to say, it was hell on earth. Now, on my busiest day I have two classes back to back, a few hours worth of break, and then two more back to back. That makes me feel better, because I don't have to worry about running around everywhere and making sure I have enough time to get from one place to another. I also will have time to go and eat lunch, which is a luxery when you're running around all day. I'm usually that person whose snacking on food during class, simply because I have no time to eat. Now, I actually will have time to enjoy a meal.
Finally, the biggest difference is a change in my jobs. Instead of working at my campus newspaper, I'm working at my hometown newspaper, where it's not as stressful and I make more. While working on my campus newspaper, I would have at least 2-3 600 word or more articles on a good week. I was responsible for editing, and making sure that my section was full. As much as I loved that job and all of the opportunities and people that I've met, it take it's toll on me. Now I'm free of all of that responsiblity, and I couldn't be happier.
At the end of the day, this will be my semester of rest. I'm so excited to have time to breathe and most importantly enjoy my last few years of college.

Music Monday: JoJo's Tringle

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For those of you who don't know, JoJo is one of my favorite singers to hit the music scene. She's incredibly talented and her music is unique. As I mentioned in a previous Music Monday, JoJo hasn't had a new single since 2011 when Disaster came out. However, this changed last Friday as her new tringle dropped. And the songstress didn't disappoint and it's clear that she's the queen of music.
Her triangle contained three new songs: When Love Hurts, Save My Soul, and Say Love. Each of the songs are so amazing, and you can tell JoJo really grew as an artist since "The High Road"'s release in 2006.
Each of the songs since I got them on Friday have been on repeat. "When Love Hurts" is an upbeat pop tune that can quickly get stuck in your head. The other two songs are a bit slower. However each of the songs show off JoJo's amazing vocal talent. "Say Love" really shows off JoJo's incredible range, which I thought made the song beautiful. The girl can sing and she's going to slay with her comeback. I can't wait until her third album, which I'm sure is going to be a hit.
So, if you haven't listened to the tringle yet, let me ask you what are you waiting for? Her music is amazing and she's incredibly talented! I give this release five stars, and I encourage you all to listen to it. 

Book Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

 
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Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors, so when I learned that she was coming out with a new novel, I knew that it was a must read for the summer and it deserved a place on my summer reading list.
So, finally after months of putting it off I went to the library to get the book. (The library is my place of choice to get books because I don't actually have to pay for them.) And once I started to read it I couldn't stop.
The book was about Sydney. Her brother Peyton has been going through a challenging time with his court dates, and currently in jail for a hit and run. Sydney's life without a doubt has been affected by it. She's responsible for carrying the weight of her brother's responsibilities and how they have effected her parents. Her mother is in denial and believe Peyton is the victim. Her father stays in silence. Sydney lives a life of what she's supposed to be doing rather than what she wants to be doing.
That is until she meets Layla and her brother Mac. Soon, Sydney spends much of her free time with them. For the first time, she's living not in her brother's shadow but in her own light.
Overall, I thought that this book was really well written. It was one of those books that once you started, you simply couldn't put down no matter what. I liked the main character Sydney a lot. I felt that I could relate to her because she's a lot like me. I however didn't like Sydney's mother because I thought that she was ignorant of her daughter. I understand that she's worried about her son, but she also has another child who has problems of her own. She also expected her daughter to be perfect, however she made excuses for her son who was always in trouble.
Overall, this was an amazing book to read and I definitely recommend it.

Why I Love Taking Photos So Much

 
 Griffin, Gabriel and I.
Whenever I'm with my friends, one of my most common phrases is "stop! Let's take a picture!" This is especially true with my friends that are scattered around the country and even the world. Needless to say, the only times I see my friends are usually in the summer or during school breaks. In some cases, I might not even see my friends then such as the ones that live across the globe.
 
 Alessia and Gabriel one night at the park.
So, when we're together, I take pictures. That way, whenever I miss my friends, I can look back at it and remember them. Looking through old photos gives me a sense of nostalgia, because then I think about the people who I love.I think about the times when they were there, and then miss them because they are gone. Photographs are the way for me that captures every moment, so then I can a: blog about it and b: have it in my little phone forever. I then look through them when I'm sad or when I miss people.
 
 Gabriel and I
So my friends in real life who are reading this, remember this. Next time I ask you to pose for a photo, please allow me the chance to capture the moment. I apologize for it's annoyance, but this just means you're an important person to me that I'll miss you when you're gone. And of course, sometimes I take pictures for the sake of artsy Instagrams.

Griffin, Gabriel and I.

Let's Talk About Love

Love to me has different meanings. We love each other, as we build friendships that mean everything. We fall in love with someone who we hope to be our soulmate. We need to pick out a career path that makes someone happy to go to work every morning and feel actually fulfilled. And of course, we need to learn to love ourselves for we are in a relationship with ourselves longer than we will be with anyone.
In my opinion, we often think that love means being in a relationship. And that's the furthest thing from the truth. Let me break down all of the ways of love that there are out there, because there are more than one.
Loving Yourself: As I said earlier, the most important relationship one can have is the one with themselves. And it's also the most difficult one that we can have. It's the relationship that is also the most complicated. I think to love yourself doesn't mean that you have to love yourself everyday or will you be happy with yourself. Like every other relationship that you will have, the one that you have with yourself is the most complicated. With that being said, I believe that we're never complete. Instead we are constantly evolving and changing into someone different. I believe the true definition of love is when you're taking care of your needs, and realizing that you're a human who makes mistakes. Loving yourself means treating yourself to things that make you happy, such as getting frozen yogurt by yourself or lounging on the couch with Netflix or a good book. Why? Because you know you're worth it. I think we're too critical to ourselves, and that needs to stop. We all make mistakes, and we all do stupid things. The key is to simply learn to love yourself and your flaws. Learn to own being alone. That way, you'll never be lonely despite whether or not you have a boyfriend.
Loving What You Do: I think everyone needs to have a career where they love what they do so much that it's no longer a job nor is the work in the classes in that field considered to be work. It's what you're going to be doing. I'm lucky, and I found that love with Journalism. I am a Journalism nerd and I am excited for my future. I love writing, and I have a long way to go before I am out in the world. However, I have had some amazing opportunities. I can't say one negative thing about Journalism. I love the interviews. I love talking to people. I love writing a story, even though the topic bores me. I love being torn to shreds by my professors, because I know that's going to make me a better person. I think when you find a career that makes you this excited, than you know you're destined for great things no matter what the pay is.
Loving Who You Surround Yourself With: Friends, friends, friends. They are the people who are like family. They are the people who you willingly choose to be in your life. They are the backbone to every good story. They are the unpaid therapists and support systems that you get during good times and in bad. That's why it's important to surround yourself with good people, people that make you happy. Why? Because you deserve it. Plain and simple.
Love in Relationships: Relationships are tricky. People always want to get in them, because they are the sure ingredient for happiness. Or that's what they think anyways. However, you don't really need someone to make you happy. You need to learn how to make yourself happy.
The biggest thing about relationships, at least in my point of view, is timing and feelings. Your heart is a bigger compass than your brain, because it knows where you're going better than you ever can. It knows what's right for you, even if it's not logical. Only you know what's right for you, and that's something that a lot of people don't get. I don't know why, but I'm never worried about relationships. What's meant to be will happen. Sometimes, I believe that we try to be a bigger being than fate. Now as I enter my 20s, I simply let fate take the wheel. Why? Because I want to be with someone who makes me feel amazing. I want someone whose touch never lose the intense heat or burn of the fire. I want someone who knows me better than the back of their hand. And finally, I want someone who I am happy to be with, and I feel right being with. I may be only 21, but I know what I want.
So at the end of the day, these are the opinions about the various directions of love in my life. I believe that there's more to love in life than a significant other. And if you're doubting it, remember that you're loved. If you have friends, great books and a great place to call home that's love. No boyfriend is required. 

Society and the Single Girl: Relationship or Career?

It seems that there are two types of girls. The first type is the type that puts their career first. They are driven, yet lonely. The second type is the type who puts their relationship first. They are the type of people who have regrets of the things they did because of their relationship.
I am neither of those people. While I am not in a relationship, I am thriving in my career. In fact, one can say that I am in a full-fledged relationship with my career. I currently have two journalism related jobs. One of them is my internship at College Fashionista. The other one is becoming a staff writer at my hometown newspaper. Both of those jobs I love and I am so happy that I have those opportunities to do so. Whether it's interviewing someone for the Hamden Journal or scoping out a Style Guru for my College Fashionista internship, I am in love with it. Every day, I become more and more in love with it. With that being said, I believe that I've found passion that I've only heard when people talk about their partners.
While I am thriving on the career front, I am currently having nothing to report on the romantic front. It's probably because of the fact that I have been so busy with my journalism opportunities. Either way, a relationship for me just hasn't happened. However, when it does, I know that I want to be more than the girl whose relationship is her biggest accomplishment. I want it to be one of them, but it not being my whole life. I have a lot going for me, and it's still going. I still have more living to do and more opportunities will soon be on their way. Relationships, on the other hand, will come and go. But as Lady GaGa once said "when choosing to pick between your boyfriend or your career pick your career because it won't get up and leave you."
 However, I firmly believe that you shouldn't have to pick between the two. We should get to have our cake and eat it too. Careers and love should be center to one's life and have equal amounts of importance. But, sometimes they will be one priority over the other. And for me, right now, it will be my career. For others, it will be their relationship. And whenever I get a chance to be in a relationship, I will be sure not to have it overpower my career. 

Q&A

Hey guys! I saw this on Lauren Conrad's website, so I decided to try my hand answering them! Let me know your answers in the comments below!

1. How many kids do you want to have? I haven't given much thought about it. I do see myself adopting one child at least, but for the moment babies are the furthest thing from my mind. I'm 21, and I have a lot of things I need to do before having a family.
2. What is your go-to cocktail? Seagram Escapes, especially the Black Cherry ones.
3. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Take my dog out, and check Instagram. Then I eat Belvita.
4. How many photos do you have on your phone’s camera roll right now?279
5. What is your favorite thing about being married? What is the hardest part? Not Married yet...
6. What is your biggest pet peeve? Annoying people, as well as rude people.
7. Favorite online shopping site? Amazon! 
8. Have you ever been to a psychic? What did they tell you?  I have never been to one.
9. What was your first pet’s name? Carla the beagle.
10. What was the first CD you ever bought? Britney Spears' "Ooops I Did It Again."

Book Review: #GirlBoss

 
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As the summer winds down, I'm knocking down the last few books on my Summer Reading List. I'm looking foreword to getting to say I've read almost every one of the books I've wanted to read this summer, plus a few additional ones which I'm so glad I got the chance to read. However, today's review will focus on the famous #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso. I've heard about this book from various bloggers and social media and really wanted to read the book.So, thanks to my town library having it, I finally was able to.
#Girlboss was about Amoruso's rise to fame with Nasty Gal, a clothing shop that was started on eBay and branched out to be a million dollar business. The book contains tips on how to be successful opening your own business and in life. It also talked a lot about Amoruso's experiences creating a successful business such as Nasty Gal.
I personally liked this book, because it contained a lot of great tips that related to me about work and about how to be a better employee. If you're a college student, I do recommend reading it. I also recommend it to bloggers, as we build our own brands and get a bigger place on the internet because it contains tips on how to have success.
Overall, if you're debating about picking this book up, say no more. Just do it!  

Friday Faves #3

 
TGIF, everyone! Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Faves! Before we head into the weekend, let me share with you this week's favorites.
Listening: To JoJo's old mixtapes, and Lana Del Rey's new single "High By the Beach" which I finally downloaded and shared with you on this week's Music Monday. If you haven't listened to "High by the Beach" than what are you waiting for? Go, do it! It will make you want to go to the beach.
Reading: 99 Days by Katie Cutugno. I've read about this book on my friend Emma's blog a while ago and it looked so good I had to read it. So far, I am enjoying it.
Celebrating: The fact that I've been promoted from a freelance writer to a staff writer at my local newspaper that I've been writing for.
Watching: I'm finally getting back to watching "The Hills" again. I've taken a break from watching it, and now I'm finally progressing through season four. Through this season, I'm slowly beginning to hate how Spedi is. I especially dislike how Spencer treats his sister Stephanie after all she does is just try to be friends with everyone. I shall see how the rest of the series continues...
What are your Friday Faves? Let me know in the comments below.

Things I Love Thursday: Double Zippers, Double Trouble

Wristlets are the most essential thing in my day to day life. I pretty much use mine as a wallet, plus a place to put my phone. It's also the most versatile thing, because you can use it by itself when you're feeling like only taking your wallet, or you can stick it in your purse on days you have class and work. Having a wrist-let is key for me, because I use it all of the time, so I am sure to get a high quality one such as Dooney and Bourke or Coach so it can stand my daily tasks and still look amazing.
One of the things that I didn't realize upon getting a new phone was that it was going to be bigger. With my old phone, it worked wonderfully because it was so small. Now, the iPhone 6 is at least another inch larger than my iPhone four and was about the same size of my wallet. Needless to say, it was time to think about getting a new one.
My mom is a huge Bon Ton shopper and addicted to purses. She was looking for a purse for herself when she came across this wristlet for me. It was the Coach Double Zipper Wristlet. It was on sale, but only in a few selected colors. She showed it to me, and after reading the reviews on Coach's website, I knew I had to get it because it can house my phone, as well as my credit card and license.
Once I got it, I was in love. It fit my phone, which was a relief. The yellow color was just the right amount of brightness, which I loved. The only complaint that I had was it didn't really have enough room for my other cards and cash so I had to invest in getting a Vera Bradley Zipper ID holder to hold the rest of my stuff.
Other than that, I recommend this wallet for those with the iPhone 6, as well as anyone whose just looking for a great wrist let. It's perfect as a place to hold your phone and cards and can be good by itself or to stick in your purse.
Do you have a good wristlet? Let me know in the comments below!

Society and the Single Girl: Celebrate Love, Celebrate You

Recently, I saw this article on Elite Daily called "We Should Praise a Women's Professional Life as Much as Her Romantic One." The article was insightful, well written and something that I couldn't agree more on. If you want the Sparknotes version of the article, pretty much it's an intelligent young woman's views on how weddings are more celebrated than a woman's professional accomplishments. 

I've personally noticed this especially on social media. I can even give you a personal example of this, if you all are curious. A few weeks ago, thanks to my job at the Hamden Journal, I got the opportunity to get backstage access to my town's Kansas concert. This opportunity included getting a chance to interview a band member, as well as other members of the Kansas team. Needless to say, I shared the experience on social media. I expected to be rolling in the likes, however, I was disappointed to see I had only received a few. It was then I realized if the post had been about getting into a new relationship, or about celebrating a relationship milestone, I would have received three or four times the amount of praise on social media. 

This is sad in my opinion. I have friends that are in relationships. Some believe they have found "the one" while others still aren't sure. I've noticed that whenever they post things, on Instagram or Facebook they are basically raking in the likes. As much as I like to see a cute couple, shouldn't we also work on focusing on a woman's professional accomplishments? 

At 21, I would say that I'm working harder than ever to get as much journalism experience as I can. I scored a job as a freelancer for the Hamden Journal, a Style Guru for College Fashionista and of course I have a blog with about 29,000 views. However, I still don't have much of a romantic life, nor do I have a significant other to brag about on social media. Furthermore, as my list of accomplishments gets longer and longer, there's one thing that still remains to be a void in my life. The fact that I don't have a partner or boyfriend. 

My question here is why do we feel like we need to have a boyfriend or partner in order to feel like we're something in life. Is it what we are programmed to think? It sucks that women aren't considered successful unless they have a relationship and a man to come home to. It's 2015, not 1955. Women are lady bosses and women have done big things. It shouldn't matter nor should they feel like they are incomplete unless they have a partner. 

I think we should celebrate and 'like' all accomplishments whether it's a new boyfriend, a promotion or writing the front page story in a paper. There's more to life than having a boyfriend. I just wish that the rest of society viewed cute couples the same as success. 

Dealing With Anxiety and Depression

From time to time, I fall into this dark place. Everything suddenly begins to crumble me, whether it's an obligation for school, life or work. All of a sudden, I'm crying and depressed about the fact that I am so anxious about the obligations. I then fall into the trap of not feeling "good enough" by cracking under the constant pressure I put myself under. Whether it may be getting the best grades to ensure I get another semester on Dean's List, adding more things on my resume or making sure I'm doing the best that I can at work, I sometimes begin to feel the weight of it crumble me. I then think "so many people before me have done this, why am I struggling?"
I've dealt with this constant mix of anxiety and depression for about a year now. I'm anxious because I feel like I'm constantly getting spread too thin. I feel depressed because when I'm anxious it's never a good feeling and then I have the nagging voice in my head that says "you'll never be good enough for anything." It's a voice that's cruel and a voice that constantly reminds me I need to be the best of the best.
For those of you who don't know, I'm graduating later than I had planned. The decision was a result of putting my mental health ahead of the need to squish so much in so little time. I had three options: take six classes each semester, take five classes and two summer classes or take three semesters of four classes. I chose the latter because then I can say that I can try my best without having to get completely overwhelmed with my schedule.
I never have regretted that decision, because I know it was the right one for me. Despite the fact it means not graduating with my closest friends from college.  However with school sadly around the corner, I can't help but begin to get anxious. My friends, my really good ones, will be going back to their perspective places around the world and will no longer be a ten minute car ride away. Of course, I have friends that go to my college but losing the friends I am closer to is none the less devasting. I can now longer get frozen yogurt with Gabriel or hang out with Griffin on lazy summer days. In it's place I'll be working the weekends at my school's library (which I'm used to, but I've never worked both weekend days), taking four classes (one of which I've heard was particularly challenging), working at my hometown newspaper as a freelancer and as a Style Guru for College Fashionista. And of course, there's this blog. Additionally, I might be doing an internship for credit, which I'm unsure I'm going to be able to. It's not even school yet, but I'm not sure how I feel about this. Overwhelmed? Anxious? I honestly don't know. I just know I'm not ready to face the fact that once school starts, my break will end and I have to constantly put school before everything else. I will have to face the future, and I will be stressed with deadlines and obligations of things I must do.
It's no secret that school has made me anxious. The thoughts that stream my mind are: Was that paper the best I could have made it? What if I fail that test? I need to get on Dean's List, I need to do better than that and put more effort, and I should be able to handle the stresses of school and work. However, I don't want my life to become a constant string of pushing myself too hard or too thin. It leads to me feeling so anxious about what needs to be done, and then leads to me doing badly. And then I'm depressed that I'm doing badly, and that I'm so overwhelmed with all of this. It's a vicious cycle of trying to be the best, and then failing. The failure leads to depression about it. I don't know if I actually have anxiety or clinical depression, I do know that I feel those emotions quite a bit.
The thing is I need to take care of Natalie. I'm 21 years old, and I still don't know how to do that or make it a priority. And that's something I need to learn. I need to learn that taking a break to write down what I'm feeling is okay because it will make me feel better. I need to do things that requires me to take a step back from my daily responsibilities, whether it's a quick trip to Starbucks, a walk around the block or writing in my journal. As much as it's important to have a good GPA and jobs on my resume, it's also important to not be depressed or anxious all of the time. Sometimes, everyone needs a break to reflect and to take care of themselves. It's a practice that needs to be more important than being the best in show.
I'm currently trying to pull myself on one of my signature Natalie bad moods, or the "mean-reds" as Holly Golightly calls them. Although I'm no longer sobbing on the phone to my friends, I'm still emotional and I'm still depressed. I'm trying to take care of myself, by taking the advice of a dear friend and stepping back. I read a magazine, went to one of my favorite stores and treated myself to a bracelet that helps promote calm. (whether or not it actually does, we'll have to wait and see.) Although it may appear selfish to do so, I deem it as necessary. My mental health needs to be as important to nurse as my physical. I need to give myself a break, be kinder to myself and put my happiness above everything else. (IE friends who constantly bring me down, and all of the things that are important in life) If I am too stressed out, the blog doesn't have to be
At the end of the day, I believe that's what matters more than anything else. My goals for my senior year are to stop worrying about everything under the sun, make taking care of Natalie the first priority and doing the best I can. In my opinion, despite all of my accomplishments, I think that's the best thing I can ever do. 

Music Monday: Lana and JoJo

Last week, I heard not one but two of my favorite singers will be coming out with new music. Cue the excitement and hold the phone. This calls for a Music Monday post without a doubt.
The first is Lana Del Rey. The singer will be releasing her newest single "High On the Beach" today, and I'm so excited. Her new album will be coming out soon (allegedly September,) and after hearing "Honeymoon" on her Youtube, I've been so excited for the single to available on iTunes today. Lana is one of my favorite singers, so I'm sure the album will not disappoint.

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The second is singer JoJo, whose famous for hits like "Leave (Get out)" and "Too Little Too Late." After nine years, she's finally ready to release some new music. In 2011 and 2012, she released the songs "Disaster" and "Sexy to Me" which are also some of my favorites, but now her third album is expected to be released soon as she unveiled her new logo. As a JoJo fan since I was 11, I was so excited to see this, and am so excited for the third album. I love how talented the singer is, and I really can't wait.

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Friday Faves #2

 
Happy Friday everyone! Welcome to another edition of Friday Faves. Here's some of my favorites on this lovely Friday!
Obsessed with: Tiffany and Co. jewelry. Last month, my mother bought me a Tiffany and Co. necklace when we were at Mohegan Sun. After winning at the slots, I decided to treat myself to the matching bracelet. Needless to say, I've worn both of them pretty much every day since. I love both pieces, and of course the Tiffany blue color. I probably will be back to get more, especially the keys.
Wearing: Sally Hansen's Quick Dry Nail Polish. I love this nail polish because it dries completely in less than ten minutes. One of the things I don't like about nail polish is that it takes forever to dry and I mess it up. With this nail polish, I have no risk of it and have perfect nails for about a week.
Watching: rom coms. Hello "Pretty Woman" and "Sabrina," just to name a few of my favorites.
Reading: "Saint Anything" by Sarah Dessen. This is a book from the summer reading list,  and I'm so glad to finally have a chance to read it. I'm looking foreword to posting a review sometime soon here on the blog.
What are your Friday Faves? Let me know below! 

Summertime Sadness?

August is my least favorite time of the year. School is just about to start, and soon it means saying goodbye to friends and hello to the stresses of classes. While many of my peers are looking foreword to being in the lecture halls or living on campus again, I am not. In fact, I am pretty much dreading it. As much as I am looking foreword to seeing old friends again, I feel like you're going to have to drag me to go to my classes.
Part of it is because I'm enjoying having free time and time for friends. This summer, other than working, I've managed to have fun things to do a few nights a week. However, once the semester starts, I rarely have time for anything.
As a commuter, I pretty much am only on campus for work, any student involvement and classes. Once the class ends, I go home. I do homework, and I work at the campus library on the weekends. I pretty much have no social life during the semester. And while I realize that's what I need to do to get the grades I crave, I do get a little overwhelmed and constantly want to put Natalie first. That's something I truly need to work on, especially after the mental breakdown that was last semester. 
One of my goals for the upcoming semester is to simply learn to make more time out for myself. I need to do things that make me happy, and schedule time to do something fun. It may not be every other night, but my goal is to do so once a week. Whether it may be a trip to the library, spending my Sundays at Luther House or a night out with friends, I want to make sure that I have the time to devote to making sure I'm happy.
The other part is saying goodbye to good friends. Gabriel, Griffin and Alessia are all going back to school and their perspective homes. And I'm going to miss them like crazy because they are some of the people I am closest to. Saying goodbye to my closest friends is one of the hardest things I ever have to do, but I look foreword to seeing them again. (plus Griffin has a fall break in which I get to see him, which makes me happy.)
As the summer sadly comes to an end, I'm trying to stay positive. However, that doesn't mean that I don't have a mild case of summertime sadness.

Five Years of Blogging?

A few days ago, I realized that I've been a blogger for over five years. (Two years on another blog called Notations, and three years here) While I can't believe the statistic, I can believe how fast time has changed.
I started blogging when I was a rising junior in high school. As I'm looking back at my old blog, I noticed that there wasn't much attention that was paid to it. In fact in 2010, I only had written 7 entries. I didn't fully become a blogger until 2011, when I was a junior about to be senior in high school. Back then, I used my blog as a way to vent about my feelings to thousands of people on the internet, and hoped that there were people out there that actually read it. However, I later learned that wasn't exactly the best reason because a: someone who you didn't want to read the blog will read it, and once it's on the Internet, there's no way you can take it back. Sorry, but even pressing delete wouldn't even help.
Looking back at my old entries, I can't help but notice how different everything was back then. I used to blog about the people in my day to day life, and give them psdueoms so no one including themselves would know who they were. I would analyze the events that occurred and then recounted them. It was sort of like the way Carrie Bradshaw wrote "Sex and the City" only with blog entries and a ton less fabulous.
As I look back at these little entries, a part of me cringes. However, the other part of me can't believe the growth I have experience since those days. I'm well past writing every little event that happens to me on the Internet, and have turned my blog into it's own website. I'm sure when I look back at this entry five years from now, I'll experience the same amount of cringing.
I also give blogging the full credit. I've discovered that I love writing in this little box, and filling it up with words and thoughts that I have. And I've developed a readership, expanded to social media, and with each passing day have more readers than the day before. I guess you can say that blogging is something that I will always do, because I can't picture my life not being behind a computer typing away at my computer with music blasting in my ear.
This blog, like myself, will always continue to evolve and change. I'll introduce new series, I'll write about different things. My entries will improve, as I clearly noticed the improvement of my writing from back when I was in high school.
So as I travel down memory lane, better than any ol' high school yearbook, I have to wonder what will be next. What is the next phase of my life? Where will I go next? I guess the only answer will be to stay tuned, as it will of course be "on the blog."

Book Review: Hello Hollywood

If you've checked out my latest Friday Faves or my personal Facebook (are we Facebook Official, yet? If not get with the times and like me already!) You've seen that I've read a book called "Hello Hollywood" by Suzanne Corso for my College Fashionista Internship. As a Style Guru, this was our #CFreads for the month of July. I read it about a week before our fashion talk, and I enjoyed it a lot.
The book was the third in the trilogy following Samantha Bonti. Bonti, a character based off of the events of Corso's own life, had her ups and downs in life. She has previously dated a mobster who abused her, and married a millionaire.
Now, Bonti is a widow headed out for Hollywood. She's become a successful author, and heads to Hollywood with friend Liza and daughter Isabella. She's in a relationship with Paul whose eager to turn her bestseller into a box office hit, however she's unsure at the start of the novel how she feels about him.
However, she quickly meets John Steeling who she falls completely in love with at first sight. Steeling is extremely wealthy and a partner of the movie company. Bonti quickly dumps Paul to be with Steeling, and they quickly begin to date. However Paul won't go away without a fight, as readers quickly begin to find out.
Overall, the book was an amazing read. I enjoyed it because of the way the author wrote. She made the character of Samantha extremely likable and relatable. I especially liked it because I could relate to the Italian Mob references she has. I liked the dialogue and the way the characters interacted with each other through out the book.  Finally, I also liked how she made Samantha so strong, despite the obstacles that she faced. It really made me enjoy the main character and relate to her. Corso writes this book with such skill, and she does an amazing job through out it.
I even looked into getting Corso's other novels-"A Brooklyn Story" and "Suite Life." I just had taken out a "Brooklyn Story" today from my local library and will read it sometime soon.
So, if you're looking for something different to read, I recommend checking out Corso's trilogy. Happy reading! 

Society and the Single Girl-It's All About Knowing

For as long as I've been a part of the dating scene, I've used Google as a guide to help me navigate its' craziness. Thanks to Google, I would be able to access thousands of articles about the body language of a guy that I would be interested in, and then use as a guide to conclude things about his behavior. I would also buy thousands of issues of magazines-whether they were Seventeen or Cosmo! as an attempt to fully grasp what a guy who had feelings towards me and was attracted to me, would act like and say to me.
Over seven years later, I can say I've learned one thing. And, wasted a lot of money on magazines and hours on Google. I've learned when someone likes you, you're going to know. You're not going to need a guide printed out from a silly magazine that you got at the grocery store nor are you going to need to look it up on Wikipedia. Although I will say thanks to my research I have learned a lot about body language and behavior, which is pretty interesting if you ask me.
I've written so many blog entries over the years about the very topic-how do you know if someone likes you? How do I know if he likes me? On my older blog, I've deliberated it time and time again about whether or not someone had feelings for me. I wish I can go back in time and assure myself that you will know. And how will you know?
It's a simple equation really. You'll know by the way they look at you, and they look at you like you're the only person in the world who means something. You'll know that when they say they like you and go out on a date. You'll know they like you when they hold you and you know they like you when they seem to have the desire to actually listen to all of your crazy stories. I'm not good at math, and this is only the beginning of the criteria of how to know if someone likes you.
Sometimes, it's okay to indulge in a simple Google search. But the real answer is, it's a feeling that you get. At least, in my very limited experiences anyways, as well as hearing others talk about it.