2016 Resolutions + Goodbye 2015

Hello everyone! Happy New Year's Eve! It is the time where I tell you my 2016 Resolutions! Similar to a Goals post, I'm going to recap my 2015 Resolutions and my December Goals too. The post may be a little longer than usual.

my edit :)

December Goals Recap

Make the All-State orchestra. I DID IT! I didn't actually think I would do it, but I did! Whoop!

Post 5 holiday posts. I think I did 5.. If you count my poetry post, that was pretty winter themed? Is it pushing it? Probably. Well, I did do 4 so yay!

Finish 1,2,3,4 Harry Potter books. I only read 1, 2, 3 because I left the Goblet of Fire at home, ugh.

Pick up sewing again/Sew 2 projects. I actually did sew two projects and I'm very happy. I made a giant pillow pen holder (hard to explain) and a baby quilt!

Focus more on myself and my health than anything else. Sadly no. I felt just as stressed out this month. Eh, a new year, a new me right!


2015 Resolutions Recap

Put effort into my soccer and instruments. Sort of? I did pretty well with this, not so much with soccer but more my violin. 

Put time into blog and posting. Again, sort of? I managed to keep up my posting schedule most of the time..

Do more things. Again, sort of.. I need to be less general with these. I did do more things but I still feel not enough!

Stay optimistic. I think I accomplished this one because I

Keep up the good grades. My main goal is to get into Harvard and I can't do that if I don't get good grades in school. 

Stay Healthy. I am really skinny and I don't eat very much so I want to try to exercise and eat more foods. 

2016 RESOLUTIONS

Boost up my violin level to a level 4. I'm currently a level 3 and I would really like to get better. To accomplish this I think I should try to practice every day for at least 30-40 minutes and really focus.

Get on the school soccer team. In 2015, I didn't make the school team. It made me very upset. Like violin, I just need to work harder and focus and maybe practice a bit on my own.

Keep all my averages above a 95. Self explanatory, I want to get good grades.

Keep my stress levels low, or try to. These past few months, I've found myself getting very stressed and it's been hurting my work ethic. So, I;m going to try to do the things that destress me and keep myself relaxed as much as possible.

Improve the quality of my posts and photography. I've noticed a lot that sometimes I rush to get a post up and it's very sloppy. So this year, I'd like to maybe reduce my quantity of posting, so that I can get a good post up every time.

Present a good attitude with everything. Sometimes, I find myself upset or just lazy. This year I want to try to work hard at all the things I do and act like I actually want to do them. I think this will help me be a better person at everything I do.

Okay, like last year, I'm going to recap all of the best posts from each month :D

Jan: What To Do When You Have: Blogger's Block (the month my dad got better)

Feb: HTML Coding for Beginning Bloggers (yay 1 year anniversary of the blog)

Mar: Words/Phrases/Songs We're All Getting Tired Of (March was like a golden month for me)

Apr: Symptoms That You're In a Fandom (is it bad that i laughed at my own post)

May: Some Harry Potter Gifs to Brighten Your Day  (yay I won an award this month)

Jun: A Huge Tag Post (summer vacation yay)

Jul: Why Can't Boys Like Pink? (probably one of the best posts I've ever written)

Aug: Unpopular Opinions Book Tag (went to HP world and had the best time)

Sep: Blurry Pictures and Dirty Converse (another favorite of mine)

Oct: Blogtober Day 5: OOTD (ah Blogtober memories)

Nov: Finding Your Aesthetic (the month of the rollercoaster that is NaNoWrimo)

Dec: They're Not Just..

Like I said, 2015 was probably one of the best years I've ever had. I hit my one year blogiversary, I turned 11, I made new friends, I survived 6th grade with a 99 average, I got into all county TWICE, I improved in almost everything and I was fairly happy throughout. 

2016 should be even better because of all the things I accomplished in 2015. I bid you farewell 2015, you were good to me. You helped me through the rough years that were 2013-2014. Thank you, and I hope your sibling 2016 is just as great,or even better. I hope to accomplish much more in 2016 and take this blog to the next step, whatever that may be :P

Thank you for all your support, and I wish you a happy new year! Your 2016 will be amazing, trust me, because an amazing person deserves an amazing year <3

To the new year. Because a New Year means a New You. And only YOU have the power to make sure that happens :)

Thanks for reading (+ happy 2016!)

Noor

Quick Contest Reminder

Hello everyone! I just wanted to give a quick reminder while I have the time to post that my holiday contest is ending soon! All the information is on this post and how to enter is there to. The contest ends on the 2nd, so you have 4 days to enter :) I'll pick the winners on the 3rd or 4th. Good luck!

I'll definitely do my New Years resolutions post tomorrow, I swear xD <3

Thanks for reading,
Noor

p.s- thanks for 70 bloglovin followers!

fake fan!1! - a rant

Hello everyone! Long time no post, phew! I'm glad to be back on the blog. I've been in Bangladesh and been so so busy that I haven't really had time to write a post!

So I have a rant, hooray. (that was sarcasm by the way) I was going to do a New Years post, but I have confidence that I WILL write a post on New Years.

This is something I've wanted to talk about for so long but everyone would yell at me and call me names but now I must. I just have to.

Oh no, I'm only wearing it because their logo is cool. 

I've only seen 1 movie but I still love it! The books suck though. 

Oh my, they're my favorite band! My favorite song? *insert band's most popular song here* Do I know any other songs by them? *insert other popular song* No, I don't know any others.. No I don't know any of the members...

if you've heard any of these phrases before, you'll understand what I mean...

-

What is a fan? A fan is someone who enjoys a thing. And, I'm not judging you for liking a couple songs from a band and calling yourself a fan, you are. I'm judging you for doing the same thing but calling that band your favorite. It's not. Same with books, tv shows. If you barely know anything about that thing, it's not your favorite.

And don't start with the "I did it to be cool." crap. I'll like you just as much if you don't listen to that band, or haven't read that book. I'm not going to like unfriend you or anything. Acting like a certain thing is your favorite is like acting like you like a certain food or person to make your friends happy.

If you can't name all of the members of the Slug Club you cannot call yourself a Potterhead. (jk, I can't name all of the members of the Slug Club off the top of my head) But if you don't know what the Slug Club is, then you need to rethink your fan status. (jk..or not)

Why am I writing this post? To make a stand against all the people who try to be cool but aren't. All those people who wear the band shirts who don't like the band. All the people who use the word favorite for something they barely even know.

If you cannot name at least 3 albums from them, FOB isn't your favorite band ever!1! (!1! added for sarcasm) It's kind of my policy. May sound stupid, but honestly, c'mon.

I'm probably sounded like a real jerk, but honestly, I'm not the only one who feels this way I'm sure. It's just sort of annoying, no it's REALLY annoying. I'm not calling you stupid, I'm just giving you some advice. Read the book, listen to their music, look it up and thoroughly love it. Then you'll know that before it wasn't your favorite, but now it is.

That thing is great, and you're a fan of it. But it isn't your FAVORITE until you really, truly love it. And you'll know when you do. You'll get that gut feeling, that feeling of love. And that's what being in a fandom is.

So please, rethink your fandoms and ask yourself if its really your favorite. And if you find that it's not and you've been kind of faking it, ditch it, or work to make it your favorite. Ditching is okay, that thing may not be your thing.

I'm not trying to sound rude or anything, simply taking a stand, and i think speaking for a lot of people who are too scared to say it.

I hope you somewhat enjoyed and maybe got something out of it <3

Thanks for reading,
Noor

snow on the windowpane

you and her sitting in that ancient ol' cabin.

just you and her, and it seems hard to take it all in.

she's your best friend, but your love for her will disgust her.
so what do you do?

you can't tell, you hold back. and it kills you, but you do it.

so you wait out the night, because it can't be that bad, right?

you tell yourself that love is pain, and pain is love.
you ask yourself why, why you, why do you have to endure this painful love?
but who are you to question the laws of pain and love?
you are but a mere young soul, with an aching heart. 

the snow gathers on the windowpane, cold rushing through the air. 

she lights a fire, smiling, you smell the wood musk in her golden brown hair. 

you offer to get hot chocolate, she says yes. you carefully tip toe into the kitchen, holding back tears.

how much longer can you do this to yourself? not telling her the truth. it doesn't feel real, it shouldn't, but the truth, is only the truth. 

you tell yourself to be strong, as your heart aches in pain. 

holding the hot chocolates you walk back into the room, holding your breath. 

she laughs and takes the red mug, a playful gleam in her eyes. 

you laugh too and lay down on the cough, holding back that wandering urge. 

she asks you if you've ever loved, a question in the distance. 

you don't know how to respond, you sit there. 

she asks if you're okay, you say yes, but you want to say otherwise. 

you're not okay, you're never going to be okay unless you tell her. 

but you can't, you tell yourself, you'll throw it all away. you can't risk that, can you?

the night travels on, the air getting colder. 

you feel as if you're beginning to love her by every hour, every growing minute.

her smile, her giggles, her voice, even the warmth that radiates off of her. 

it's not fair, you tell yourself, it's just not fair. 

by midnight, you're staring into her eyes. her eyes full of life, full of joy. 

and you ask yourself, if you tell her the truth, will all that joy, that life, will it all be gone?

how much do I mean to her? she'll never accept me, never. she thinks of me as family, even more than that. but a lover? no. 

the snow on the windowpane piles up, somewhat like your love for her. it taunts you again, staring at you in the face. what triggered this taunting? you could be going crazy. but you don't know. 

it's the battle between mind and mouth, and you can't tell who will win. 

in the end it's who's strongest, who has more control. 

and you don't know if what you did next made you happy, sad, relieved, or mad.

or possibly all four. 

your mind is growing weak, staring at that snow, that white, lifeless snow. and it breaks you. 

I think I'm in love with you.

Thanks for reading,

Noor


i did something with second person again, it's not that great but i tried. i was trying to convey a message of some sort, i don't know if anyone caught on, as it wasn't quite clear. 

i'm posting this a day early as i will be travelling tomorrow and therefore not having an ounce of strength in me to post this tomorrow. so enjoy lovelies <3

50 Things To Do Over Winter Break

Hello everyone! For the past few winter breaks, I remember getting so bored and literally having NOTHING to do. So today, I have compiled for you 50 Things To Do Over Winter Break, let's a go!

1) Remodel your room with things you've found around the house, make it your own!
2) Write a poem about the various things you've found under your bed.
3) Make a parody of your least favorite song.
4) Do a Pintertest from a wacky pin you saw on Pinterest.
5) Add your own spin on a beloved recipe.
6) Start a blog! Or if you already have one, post on it ;)
7) Call over a friend and reenact Harry Potter, or do it with your stuffed animals.
8) Learn a new hobby, such as sewing.
9) Research about one, specific, odd topic, and create a Powerpoint on it!
10) Do a fashion shoot with a specific theme.
11) Write a love story about two of your dolls/stuffed animals.
12) Create something new out of something old.
13) Build a tower out of books
14) Have a dance party.
15) Play around with makeup and film (don't post it, if you don't want to) a tutorial!
16) Give yourself a pamper evening.
17) Learn some yoga.
18) Go outside and take some pictures of the world.
19) Test out all your lotions/perfumes and review how they smell.
20) Organize/color code your bookshelf or closet (this is really soothing, trust me)
21) Scare a family member.
22) Find a recipe online and cook breakfast/lunch/dinner
23) Have a tea party with some stuffed animals.
24) Make a/go on Spotify and listen to a new genre of music.
25) Draw a picture using every single crayon available.
26) Binge watch Doctor Who, because why not.
27) Make your best friend a gift.
28) Play with old toys from your childhood.
29) Print out some pictures and create a scrapbook.
30) Read all your old picture books.
31) Write a descriptive poem about what's going on outside your bedroom window.
32) Take photos and make random things in your house look artsy.
33) Overly edit a photo with PicMonkey
34) Email me and we can talk about anything you'd like! ;) (Email is in my Contact Me)
35) Balance on random things around the house.
36) Create an elaborate math problem and try to solve it!
37) Play around with all the features of Word.
38) Make yourself into a blanket burrito.
39) Pretend you are a detective trying to solve a mystery.
40) Cook something using ingredients from your fridge.
41) Create a dramatic movie.
42) Write a poem in second person!
43) Create something using only yellow, blue, and red materials.
44) Draw up your own dream house.
45) Get some clay/Lego people and do a stopmotion.
46) Write your own song/composition.
47) Ask a family member to pose and paint/draw them in abstract.
48) Relive the past by looking at old photos.
49) Do a photo shoot with a friend/family member
50) Try on interesting things in your closet.

PHEW, my brain is officially dead, that took a lot of hard work.

I hope you enjoyed, and that this post will help you beat the boredom over winter break! I really like a lot of these on the list, and I came up with them all on my own, based on past experience.

Let me know which one of these is your favorite :D

Thanks for reading,
Noor

Harry Potter House Quiz

Hello everyone! Today I'm going to be doing something different! I created a HP Sorting quiz to see what house you are all in! These are questions I came up with, and as a hardcore HP fan, I think it's pretty accurate ;) Let me know what you got in the comments!

Note: I am an amateur quiz creator so this will not be the best quiz.


Question 1:

What is one word people would use to describe you?

a) resourceful
b) determined
c) clever
d) daring


Question 2:

You and your friend were on a hunt for a vampire. Suddenly, one jumps out of the woods and grabs your friend by the neck. You have your wand as a weapon,  but so does your friend. What do you do?

a) Knowing your blood is more precious to the vampire, you offer to give yourself up in return for your friend. The vampire won't kill you, but instead drain a good amount of blood.
b) You know the vampire is more powerful than you are so you fire fake shots out of your wand to blind the vampire and then make a run for your friend.
c) Make a bold speech to the vampire to stall while you examine the area around you for ideas.
d) You go ahead and attack the vampire with no absolute plan, might as well, what's the worst it can do to you?


Question 3:

What kinds of books do you like to read in your spare time?

a) books with a straight beginning and an end that resolves the problem.
b) a windy book with little hidden plot holes.
c) a deep and meaningful book
d) a long, enjoyable, with an important moral.


Question 4:

Pick a pet that you wish you had.

a) dog
b) lizard
c) cat
d) ferret


Question 5:

Which animal would your Patronus be?

a) squirrel
b) raven (hah..)
c) tortoise
d) wolf


Question 6:

You have homework to do but it's a Friday, so you have the whole weekend to do it. What do you do?

a) do some of it now, and some later.
b) create a schedule for it all to be done by Sunday
c) evenly divide it amongst the 3 days
d) do it all on Sunday


Question 7:

What's your favorite activity to do in winter, magically?

a) Figure out a way to conjure up unlimited snowballs
b) Use those snowballs to throw them at 7th years
c) Create a potion that warms you up during the coldest days.
d) Throw back snowballs at the people who are throwing them at you and add a little mix of ice in there too, just to get revenge.


IF YOU GOT:
Mostly A's - Hufflepuff
Mostly B's- Slytherin
Mostly Cs- Ravenclaw
Mostly D's- Gryffindor

That's all! I hope you all enjoyed and that the answers weren't too obvious :P Let me know what house you got in the comments!

Thanks for reading,
Noor

DIY Holiday Gift Ideas

Hello everyone! This was the exciting post I was talking about yay! Today, I have several DIYs that you can make for very cheap and in under 15-20 minutes! Let's go :D

Fabric Scrap Letter

You Will Need:
-Felt
-Fabric scraps
-Glue/sewing machine/needle + thread

STEP 1:

Okay to make this letter, first you need to cut out the letter out of felt. You can do this out of paper to, but I did felt because fabric scraps will sew easier on there.

it was so dark today, the pictures are bad I'm sorry :(

 

 

STEP 2:

 

Now you want to cut out some random scraps out of fabric. You want to make these shapes as odd and irregular as possible!

 

 

 

 

STEP 3:

 

So gather your thread, sewing machine, glue, etc and start adding your scraps onto the letter! You can do this one of two ways: by either applying and then cutting off parts of the scrap to fit the letter or cutting the scraps to fit first and then applying.

 

 

As you can see, I cut off bits to fit my letter.

 

 

And now you're done! You can do the whole name, sew or add this onto a shirt, and do whatever you want! This makes such a cute and unique gift, I love it!

 

 

Easy Peppermint Sugar Scrub

 

You Will Need:

-1/2 cup of coconut oil

-1 cup of sugar

-Peppermint Essential Oil

-Food coloring (optional)

 







STEP 1:

Basically, all you do is add all the ingredients together into a bowl and mix!

For the essential oil, I would add two or three drops, depending on your oil! And if you used food coloring, 3-4 drops should be good.

And for a display, you could put it in a mason jar. I cleaned out an old jam jar for mine and it worked fine.

Of course, if you don't have peppermint or want to do something else, you could use another essential oil :)

Friendship Photo Collage

You Will Need:
-Photos
-Large paper
-Scrapbooking supplies (tape, glitter, whatever you have)

STEP 1:

Start out by cutting out the photos and making them the size you want, and the shape!

They don't have to be square/rectangle, I invite you to use whatever shapes you want!

STEP 2:

Now you can glue or attach your photos on. I used hot glue since I couldn't find a glue gun but you can do this however way you want to.

STEP 3:

Decorate it! You can outline your pictures in felt, ribbon, washi tape, whatever you can find! Get creative with this and make it unique to you and your relative/friend.

Whited out friend's face for privacy :)

 

 

I used a lot of different things to outline my photos :)

 

 

STEP 4:

 

Finally, to fill up that white space you see, I wrote a cute message and put a bow on it! Writing a message finalizes it and really puts the icing on the cake :)

 

 

 

 

OTHER QUICK DIY IDEAS:

 -[insert number] Reasons Why: You're .... / I .... You

-Candy box filled with their favorite candies

-Polaroid picture collage

-Handbeaded bracelets

-DIY Notebooks

-Washitaped pens

 

 

I'm terribly sorry for the quality of this post, I really wanted to get it up today and I was totally rushing through it and ughh. I went from decent photos on my last post to horrid iPad quality photos like the ones I started out with here.

 

I hope you somewhat enjoyed and got some inspiration! Friday's post should be better, I promise xD

 

Thanks for reading,

Noor