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Aggregated Advice: August

~ Hannah Kate ~ Leave a comment

If you Google “quotes about life” about 191 million results will come up. And while it’s hard to boil down This Thing We Call Life into a nice bitesize quote, these are a few of my favorites that I have encountered over the past month. Everyone has a different approach to life: “Don’t look back”, “Have a five year plan”, “YOLO” etc. I think the most important thing to remember is there is no right way to live your life because at the end of the day it’s yours.

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Source: http://claireelizabethbavis.tumblr.com
I suddenly realize it’s no coincidence the two middle letters of life are if.

– Michael Faudet

A year from now what will you wish you had done today?

– Liam Linisong

Source: quotablecards magnet

The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.

– Oprah Winfrey

Source: Daily inspiration desk calendar

img_4626For weekday motivation I have been loving Shine, which texts (or Facebook messages)  you inspirational messages in the morning. It’s the perfect way to start the day and it’s not just a static piece of advice, oh no, it includes links to more relevant information and “why” and “how” you can accomplish their suggestions.

 

 

3 Ways to Reminisce about Your Study Abroad Experience

~ Hannah Kate ~ Leave a comment

So it’s been about a month and a half since I have been back and I’m still not over my gap year (did I really live in Paris?). Every time I see something about Paris on my Twitter feed or look at old photos my heart sighs. I thought I would share some ways I keep my experience frais (fresh).  Continue reading →

Aggregated Advice: April

~ Hannah Kate ~ Leave a comment

This month I have been thinking about doing the work, looking towards the future and being sure of yourself.

“Mes plus beaux souvenirs sont ceux du futur.” – Salvador Dalí

Seen at the Espace Dalí in Paris. (My fondest memories are those of the future.) 

“You better back up that beauty with hard work.” – Rosanna Scotto

This quote caught my attention while reading about the patterns of successful people.

“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” – Rosa Parks 

Seen on Glamour’s Tumblr.

“We thrive not when we’ve done it all, but when we still have more to do.” – Sarah Lewis

Seen on the TEDxNYU Instagram.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” – Thomas Edison

Vampires, Tattoos, and Hackers… Oh My!

~ Hannah Kate ~ 2 Comments

So here’s a fact about me, like a lot of  millenials   people, I don’t really watch TV in a traditional sense, I can’t remember the last time I sat down in front of a TV and watched a show all the way through with *shudder* commercials. (This could also partially be because I have been living in another country for the past 5ish months, but I digress).

Most of my television watching is via Netflix or watching the highlights the day after on YouTube. However, I miss the rush of filling up a week’s worth of new shows on my DVR and slowly weeding out the terrible Fall debuts like my own personal Hunger Games. 

And it seems the networks are trying their hardest to make sure I was aware of their new shows. Billboards, ads before I’m trying to catch up with my favorite YouTubers, ads before I’m trying to watch a movie in the cinema, etc., etc.

I have hit a bit of a slump, so used the majority of my Christmas iTunes gift cards to experiment with a few new shows. I tend to give shows a little leeway and won’t make final judgements based on their pilot (everyone deserves a second chance). However, there are shows that have immediately captured my attention and I actually rewatch the pilot (I don’t even know how many times I’ve watched the pilot for Suits). Here are my initial thoughts about the shows I purchased (in no particular order): Continue reading →

Urban Survival Kit (aka What’s in My Bag?)

~ Hannah Kate ~ Leave a comment

I always like to be prepared for any situation that arises, but this can be problematic as it’s hard to fit everything “for any situation” into a bag that doesn’t weigh 20 pounds. Living in a city for the past few months has caused me to whittle down to the absolute essentials, but still be ready for the unexpected. Below I’m going to share what I carry in my bag every day for my everyday life (i.e. school, days out, day trips, etc.).

Continue reading →

Aggregated Advice: February

~ Hannah Kate ~ 1 Comment

A bit delayed I know, but better late than never, right? February had this fantastic energy and it really felt like society was making strides towards improving issues with equality. Hopefully, this positive tone continues for the rest of the year! Plus, some advice about love because Valentine’s Day happened. To me, February shouldn’t just be a month about celebrating your love for others, but your love for yourself, so there’s some words to encourage you to be who you are.

“We have permission to be anything.” – Gwyneth Paltrow 

Seen in her interview with Glamour. 

“If you hang out with chickens, you’re going to cluck and if you hang out with eagles, you’re going to fly.” – Steve Maraboli
“People say I love you all the time – when they say, ‘take an umbrella, it’s raining,’ or ‘hurry back,’ or even ‘watch out, you’ll break your neck.’ There are hundreds of ways of wording it – you just have to listen for it, my dear.” – John Patrick

Seen on Soul Pancake’s tumblr.

Don’t you dare
Shrink yourself
For someone else’s comfort
Do not become small
For people who refuse to grow.

Seen on my tumblr dashboard, it reminded me of something Amandla Stenberg said in her interview with Solange for her Teen Vogue cover. 

“The truth is this: No one stays the same forever. Girls grow up, and sometimes we do it with a bang.”

Seen on Crushing the Teen Dream on rookiemag.com.

Aggregated Advice: January

~ Hannah Kate ~ Leave a comment

I read and hear a lot of things and think, I should probably write those things down. This will help me in the future. Then I thought, I should collect all of this information and put it on my blog to help other people. So here is the first “Aggregated Advice” post, which will be posted at the end of the month. Be sure to check out the links, as they might be the source of the content or something else that ties in nicely with the piece of advice.

“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn 

Taken from this Lifehack article on finding your passion.

“The standards by which you live must be your own standards, your own values, your own convictions in regard is right and wrong, what is true and false, what is important and what is trivial. When you adopt the standards and values of someone else or a community or a pressure group, you surrender your own integrity. You become, to the extent of your surrender, less of a human being.” – Eleanor Roosevelt 

Taken from the February 2015 Rookie Editor Letter.

“To make living itself an art, that is the goal.” – Henry Miller 
“If you don’t imagine, nothing will ever happen at all.” -John Green 

Seen on Upworthy’s Facebook.

“Goals are dreams with deadlines.”

My mom sent me and my sister an e-mail to encourage us to go after our dreams and make them come true by turning them into goals. (Thanks, Mom!) I encourage you to do the same and make 2016 your most successful year.

Pages of the Past, Present & Future

~ Hannah Kate ~ 1 Comment

At this time of the year (or however many hours are left of it) there are numerous lists published, looking at what happened in the past and some predictions for the future. I wanted to do my own version of this, but with books. Books have always been a constant in my life and have always offered me a place of solitude when I need to get away from the buzziness of the Internet. So here are a few of the titles I read this past year, and some that I’m looking forward to reading in 2016.  Continue reading →

Fall/Winter Favorites

~ Hannah Kate ~ Leave a comment
  • Knee high boots: I wear mine basically everyday, they are just the perfect addition to any outfit. They can dress-up or dress-down a look, if I’m feeling lazy and just end up wearing a basic long sleeves with jeans, my black knee high boots make me feel just a little bit more chic. Mine were $40 from Target and I love ’em.

 

  • Pullover: Adds another layer of warmth to any outfit. I’m not just talking about temperature-wise, on a really dreary day, pulling on my Wildfox ‘Oui’ pullover adds a smile to my face.

 

  • Scarf: You should never underestimate the power of a scarf. Similar to the power of a pullover, it adds warmth, while also adding a pop of color to an outfit. I am a big fan of large scarves because you can tie them in a bunch of different ways or use them as blanket in a pinch. Zara has some great, affordable options.

 

  • Gloves: I only started to need them recently, but I’m really glad I have a pair (or two!). I’m a big fan of the gloves that can switch from being fingerless or a full mitten. An Instagram-worthy snap can come and go so quickly, so your fingers should always be ready. The pair I’m currently wearing I bought when I was in Oxford at Fatface.

 

  • Jacket: Obviously, a necessity during this time of the year. However, not all jackets are made equally. The ideal jacket keeps you warm without making you look like a marshmallow. Enter this amazing jacket from Uniqlo: not only does it come in a number of colors, it can also be rolled down to fit in a pouch and is water resistant.
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    One of my favorite outfits using three out of the five items mentioned above. || Scarf: Promod/Pullover: Wildfox/Skirt: H&M/Tights: Forever 21/Boots: Target/Bag: Volcom