The Ravings of an Insomniac: Personal

Emily's Mediocre Life Advice | Be Happy When You're Sad

12:28 AM

Hey there, how's it going? Today's post is going to be a little bit different. I decided I'm going to start a series called Emily's Mediocre Life Advice, as you can see from the title. I am by no means an expert at life. I spend most of my time pitying myself and watching television, actually. But along the way I have picked up some well-learned lessons.

I'm going to keep this short and simple. I'm not looking for any pity, I just want to share my advice with anyone with the same problems as me. Maybe you'll get something out of this too. I have been mildly depressed for the better part of a year. I cope. You know how it is, sometimes you just have those bad days.

Anyways, I want to help people. I enjoy making people laugh, it's one of the things in life that make me happiest. However, I tend to have a very awkward air. I make people laugh uncomfortably, which cracks me in turn up. But since text can be deceiving (I could be being sarcastic right now but I could also be being dead serious), I have a non humorous post about how to keep yourself happy when you're sad.

1. Keep yourself occupied.

By this, I mean to have a schedule. Don't spend all your time moping around feeling bad for yourself. Make plans, spend time with your friends, call your mother, go on a date with your significant other. Perhaps start a new hobby. Don't fill your life up to the point where you're always rushing about trying to get somewhere, but do have plans. You'll think about being sad less often.

2. Don't forget what's important to you.

Trust me, it's easy to get lost when you're sad. However, I've noticed that if I keep in mind what means a lot to me I'm less likely to get lost in the void. You know what void I'm talking about.

3. Think of the good things in life.

I really really hate it when people tell me this, but it's true. Don't think when you stubbed your toe on the counter corner this morning. That's not evidence that the world's out to get you. Don't think of the time that store employee was rude to you as proof that the world is out to get you. Focus on the positives of your life. They'll keep you going when times are tough.

There you have it. Try to keep your chin up, hot stuff. Hoped I helped in any way.

Personal

10 Facts About Me

11:33 PM

I'm rather serious on this blog. I feel like I never joke or make cute phrases. I've hardly said much about myself, so I thought that I'd make a post about myself (other than my Personal Thursday posts, which are on hiatus).

1. My name is Emily, and I live on the East Coast - specifically Jersey. I stand at 5'4", although I feel a lot shorter since I always slouch.

2. I love food, especially food I make, but I'm so lazy that sometimes I just Google pictures if what I'm craving instead of making it.

3. I suffer from insomnia, hence the title of my blog. It's okay. I take melatonin supplements sometimes to help me sleep, but often they leave me feeling even more exhausted in the morning.

4. I'd like to say I exercise regularly, but that would be lying. I'm much too lazy to, and when I do, it's half assedly jogging on the treadmill with my iPad in front of me playing the latest episode of a TV show I missed when it was on air. Which brings me to my next fact...

5. I love television. I have problem. I love it that much. If you watch a lot of TV then you understand where I'm coming from.

6. Photography is one of my favorite things in this world. I enjoy almost every aspect of it, aside from the buying gear part because stuff is so damn expensive.

7. I'm not clumsy, but I'm far from graceful. I'm always messily shoving my hair behind my ear, trying to get a pebble out of my shoe, or dropping things when I can't afford to bend down for fear of spilling everything in my arms. I suppose I just get a lot of misfortune. I do tend to stumble over my words a lot, plus I speak quickly. Not a very good combination.

8. I love traveling. I think my favorite place that I've gone to so far was Grand Teton National Park. Beautiful. I dream of Paris.

9. I can't stand people touching my neck. I hate it.

10. I am terrible at guessing numbers of things. I could look at a jar of jelly beans and tell you there's more then ten and less then a million. Same goes for anything you really have to guesstimate the numbers by looking.

Okay, thanks for reading! You have a good day.

how to get through school

How to Get Through School | Exam Edition

12:24 AM

Not related to school but I think this is just beautiful

Finals are fast approaching for those of us that are still in school. For all you lucky ones whoi have finished, I am sincerely jealous. I wanted to share with you some knowledge that I've picked up on how to get through exams.

1. Study in sessions/take breaks often

I like doing this because I can have me time while studying; for example I'll study for an hour, and then let myself watch an episode of my favorite show. You might think it's counterproductive, but I find that it actually helps me focus more when I'm done with my break.

2. Eat brain food

Self-explanatory. You won't be hungry and if you're the type that likes to eat while they're studying this is only going to help. I recommend fruit, very good for you with natural sugars.

3. Fiddle with something

Play with smething in your hands. I'm sure you have a stress ball or something like that in your house. For me, I like to spin pens. It's trick might sound a little weird to those that can sit still for hours, but for all you folks that are a tad (or a lot) bit ADHD this will be a lifesaver.

4. Pace yourself

This and the sessions tip go hand in hand, I think. Personally, I'm a lazy asshole so I do tend to cram for everything. I'm aware that that is not a good habit at all. Take my advice, don't be an Emily.

5. Sleep well

Teachers, friends, and family always tell you this - because it's true! You don't want to be falling asleep during the exam, even if it's because you were up so late last night studying for it. Being asleep during the test isn't going to do you any good.

6. Make lists

Checking something off a list is strangely satisfying. I reccmend making lists of things to study in order.

7. Don't neglect yourself

Last, but certainly not least, remember to take care of yourself. Eat a good breakfast before the exam, get lots of sleep.

Personal

2 Apps you should have

8:00 PM

Hey y'all. Quickie post today on two cute apps you should have. I have an iPad, so these are all Apple apps. I'm not too sure about their availability on Android devices.

First app: swackett

This is available on like every smartphone (judging from my quick glance at the home screen). There's also a website. This thing is adorable. It tells you what to wear for the day! It's really cute and easy to use.

Second app: blendoku.

Basically, you try to put colors together in this game. It's a really simple game where you just try to connect the colors. It's strangely satisfying and therapeutic. It's also free!

Sorry for the short post! I'm super busy at the moment. Thanks for reading!

Personal

Aurora Borealis/Australis - aka Northern/Southern Lights

10:55 AM

If you don't know what the lights are, they're basically a natural light show in the sky. They normally only appear to the extreme north and south, such as the Arctic and Antarctica. They occur when charged electrons from solar wind in the thermosphere interact with elements of the earth's atmosphere (okay, no more science until the end of my days). However, on Thursday, there was a solar flare pushed the plasma down to North America and caused the prediction of the lights to possibly be visible in North America Saturday night.

I'm in the tiiiiiiny little GOOD area, luckily. I live in Jersey, which has never had its perks until now.

I'm sure you know what the Northern Lights look like, but here are some pictures for reference. Plus I like looking at pictures of them. They're beautiful.

I went out to try to see/photograph them. I've always dreamed about the lights, having seen movies and television shows where they depicted them as these gorgeous, dancing displays of light and beauty in the sky.

Here is a detailed schedule of what happened.

7:15: (Speaking to my brother) "Hey man, wanna come see the Northern Lights?" Brother freaks out like a small child. He's 17.
7:30: Mother begins to say all these obscene things like "bring a blanket and chairs!"
7:45: Organize camera gear (although not much needs to be organized as I had that afternoon)
7:46: Wait for it to get dark
7:48: Why won't you go down, sun?
7:50: Go on the internet
8:10: Leave warm house. It's not that cold out.
8:15: No, it is that cold.

I stood around for about half an hour, looking at the sky but then I had to go because I was sleeping over at a friend's house and Orphan Black was going to be on soon.

I did not see the lights. I was so crushed.

But man, Orphan Black made up for it. If you haven't seen the show, it's new on HBO and you best go watch it.

It's so good. The main actress is so talented it's ridiculous.