Biomedical Engineering

Hey!

I decided to begin my school and study posts writing about my major and my first semester of college.  There is not much information available on my major unless you go looking for it so I felt it appropriate to discuss being a female in the STEM field.

So I am an undergraduate student studying Biomedical Engineering.  Biomedical Engineering (BME) is the implementation of engineering principles into the medical field.  The field of BME is extremely broad and can range anywhere from building prosthesis to wearable sensors to cellular engineering.  Many of the medical technology such as MRI as well as the heart rate monitor on a smart watch are all considered part of BME.

Currently, I have only completed one semester of college and therefore have only completed one class under BME.  Fall semester I took six classes: chemistry, chemistry lab, calculus, two honors courses, and intro to BME.  The majority of my studies consisted of chemistry, calculus, and MATLAB.  One of the major things about engineering that many people tend to forget is that it is not only a science based field but a technology based field.  Coding and computer simulations and laboratory work make up a great deal of your time and efforts.

My first semester of college was all about transitioning for me.  I wanted to focus on building good study habits and having a stable foundation in terms of my academics.  One of the most important things I did was waking up early and going to the library every single day.  Even if it is just staying at the library to read a book or watch a YouTube video, make it a habit to go somewhere that you can focus.  This way when the end of the semester comes and you're stressed, you won't have to waste your willpower on going somewhere to study (I will be doing a post on habits later on).

Otherwise, I did not become incredibly involved in any organizations until this semester simply because it was difficult to try and keep up a new schedule whilst accommodating to commuting and balancing everything.  I kept it simple and just focused on school for the first semester while I got accustomed to everything.  If you're going into your first semester, I strongly suggest that you do the same because it will be worth it in the end.

I apologize for the long post but I felt it important to discuss all of this because university is an important step in anyone's life and not many people know about what I am currently studying.  I hope you all have an awesome day and if you have any specific requests/suggestions/concerns just leave them in the comments below.

A.

MAMBI 2016 Planner

Hello Lovelies!

For Christmas this year my older sister decided to get me a Me and My Big Ideas Happy Planner.  I am so grateful and appreciative of this gift, definitely one of my favorite gifts ever.  To start decorating, I simply printed out some of my own designs and I created everything using others ideas, but my own creations.  Most of it was done, super simple, on PowerPoint.

I wanted to share with you all since I know it is a popular topic at the moment.  I love creative things such as this planner, its another way to let creativity flow while in conjunction with functionality.

Here are some pictures of the weeks I have done and what the inside of the planner looks like.  I will be using it a lot more once school begins, although it is a stay at home planner.

Planner Cover

January Divider

Last Week of December

January Monthly View

First Week of January

My favorite so far of the three weeks I have decorated is the one featured in the last picture.  The spread looks very cheery and put together, but at the same time it has functionality in the way it is formatted.  I gave myself enough room for a to do list for all my school needs, a section for any appointments or extra things I have to do, and planning for my bog posts.  Hopefully this will help me remain consistent with my posts, although I don't plan on posting every other day I want to work on my blog at least a little bit every other day.

If you guys have a planner let me know how you decorite it in the comments below!  I don't plan on using etsy stickers because I don't feel a need to spend any more money on this, but those are always a good idea.

xoxo, Ana

BTS: What's in my school bag?

Hello Lovelies!

So a very popular topic on social media is what is your purse or bag.  I thought I would share mine as well before the school year starts.  This year my goal was to look cute for school, but still practical.  So I got a super adorable bookbag and put in my usual supplies.

My school bag is from American Eagle, it a gorgeous dark gray color, super neutral so it goes with everything,  All of my other school supplies are from either Walmart or Target.  A lot of them aren't knew because it's really easy to reuse supplies in high school, so keep that in mind.

American Eagle Gray Backpack 

Agenda

Scientific Calculator

Paper Folder 

Binder with Dividers

Pencil Pouch

Gum and Extra Charger

After I took these pictures I just added some lotion, my dialect journal, and chapstick to my bag.  I will also be taking a lunch bag to school {yes I carry around a lunch bag, don't judge}.  Let me know if I'm missing anything in my school bag, honestly this is what I've always brought and don't find a need for much else.

Happy Back to School!

xoxo, Ana

Collage Obsession

Hey Lovelies!

So a lot of you know that I am a generally very creative person. Recently, I have been out of motivation and that really has put a downer on my mood and overall stability.  One of my favorite ways to really get my motivation up there and remind me of my priorities on a constant basis has been collages.

Collages are basically just a mishmash of pictures or quotes or things that make you happy and motivate you towards a goal.  Mine are mostly school, fitness, and fashion oriented but the can made for anything.

Some tips on making cool collages:
1. Pick out a color scheme for each collage.
2. Have a central theme.
3. Be creative.

This is a super fun project to get yourself into the correct mindset for whatever goal you have.  I would suggest to put your collage somewhere you will constantly see it so that it can be a constant reminder for you.  Here are some examples of my collages!

Computer Background

Binder Cover

Binder Cover

Planner Cover

Planner Cover

Phone Wallpaper

I made the majority of my collages using pictures that printed from the internet and pasting them together on either a piece of paper or onto the material it needed to be on.  As for the phone wallpaper I just used a picture editing app that you can download from the application store and customize to create your own wallpaper.  The computer background was make using picmonkey.

I think this is a great way to let out your creativity shine and personalize a vast amount of items.  Let me know if you try out collaging anything!

xoxo, Ana

Back to School: Time Management

Hello Lovelies!

I'm so sorry that I have not been posting recently, I have been going back to school and it has been a very difficult transition from summer to full on work mode!  Honestly, I have learned a lot over the past few days and they have been very enlightening.  Quick update: I have had to reteach myself to manage my time, I joined some after school activities (yay!), and my shoulder is in a lot of pain due to an injury.

Anyways, I have learned so much about time management over the past couple of weeks.  Don't get me wrong, I should probably follow more of these tips myself.  This year is going to be one of the most academically and emotionally challenging years for myself and for a lot of people out there, and time management is so important!

One of the most important aspects, in my opinion, of time management is to have something to do that makes you busy.  A lot of people are going to tell you to get involved and do things in school, and until last year I would disagree.  I was that student that didn't do anything and was not involved in class events, clubs, organizations, etc. and I regret it so much.  Not only are these great and amazing ways to have fun but they also force you to take time out of your day to do something.  These activities force you to really work efficiently so that you can participate in the events, have good grades, and still sleep between eight to 10 hours every night.

With that said, here are some of my time management tips:

~ 1 ~

Make a list and stick to it!

Write down all of your assignments in a planner or notebook so that you don't forget what to do.  Always work around your schedule to make time for studying as well, not just doing assignments.  When you have completed the task you can them cross it off your list, which causes a satisfactory feeling and is proven to keep you motivated.

~ 2 ~

Say No!!!

No phones, no laptop, no YouTube, no distractions. Period.  I know that it is easy to say, "I can watch Netflix while I outline. It's multitasking."  Well, guess what, the human brain isn't capable of focusing and absorbing information of multiple things at once.  So just say no!

~ 3 ~

You can never get back the time you lost.

One thing we fail to realize is that time is precious and this second is the only second we have.  If you decide to spend your time poorly it will reflect in your work and in your appearance.  Be responsible for the choices you make and prioritize.  If you can finish something today, do it! If you can study for a test that is a week away, do it!  You won't regret positive choices.

~ 4 ~

Don't overwhelm yourself.

I know I said to join clubs and be an active member of your community, but that does not mean you should bombard yourself with things to do.  Remember to reward yourself respectively for the work you do.  If something is too much of a commitment for you, drop it.

~ 5 ~

Just get your stuff done!

We all do it, we sit at our desk, staring at our to do list thinking this is too much.  In fact I get anxiety attacks just thinking about the immense workload I have sometimes.  So take a deep breath, and take things one step at a time.  The hardest part is starting, so just start!

I hope this helps you out!  Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I love all of my wonderful readers!

xoxo, Ana

Staying Fabulous: Cleaning - The Real Deal

Hey Lovelies.

You are probably wondering what this title means...
Basically I think it is important that young women learn to really clean and really organize their space.  Some people may disagree with this and everyone has their own opinion, but I just want to share a little bit about cleaning versus organizing.

First off, cleaning is not just sweeping over the top of your cabinets and spraying disinfectant in a room.  Especially when talking about a bathroom, deep cleaning is not only essential it is important for your health.  So basically, you are supposed to at least every two weeks deep clean your bathroom and at least every month you should clean your room.

I will be doing a cleaning schedule post in the future, because it is important to organize your time correctly, especially when deep cleaning.

When cleaning a bathroom, I find that sections are the best way to go.  Because my bathroom is quite small I have four sections: bathtub, toilet, sink, and floor.  Here are some steps to cleaning your bathroom:
1. Remove everything from your bathroom.
2. Dust and remove any hair from the floor, sink, bathtub, etc.
3. Apply a disinfecting toilet cleaner to the area where water comes from your toilet, don't scrub.
4. Scrub and disinfect the sink, use a tile cleaner if necessary.
5. Scrub and disinfect the bathtub.  Make sure that you clean the tiles and really scrub the bottom of your tub, it harbors lots of bacteria, excess soap/shampoo/conditioner, and tiny hairs from shaving.
6. Scrub and disinfect the toilet.  Use a little brush for the inside of the toilet.  Use a towel/old sponge to scrub and disinfect the outside of the toilet.
7. Clean and disinfect your floors.
8. Clean your mirrors and dust any decorations.

When cleaning my room I don't have specific sections and I do clean certain things on a daily/weekly basis.  Whenever I deep, deep clean my room, which happens about twice maybe three times a year, I focus on areas similarly to when I clean my bathroom: closet, chest, desk, and under the bed.  I honestly just get out as much as I can from my closet, under my bed, I vacuum my entire floor including my closet, then I dust and disinfect all of my surfaces.  Afterwards I get rid of anything I don't need/want and I organize all the drawers and make sure everything is back where it should be.  If I find that an organization system isn't working for me, this is when I change it and try something new.  Finally I organize clothing and anything extra that I find in my room.

I think it is really important to learn how to deep clean, although some people disagree.  If you have any tips on cleaning let me know in the comments.  I don't have a full house to take care of, but as a teenager I think it is important to start learning to clean and manage your personal space.  It also helps me to keep things more organized so that those days aren't very difficult.

Remember that daily and weekly cleaning is important as well and will help you keep a tidy home.

xoxo, Ana

Staying Fabulous: Setting Goals

Hi Lovelies!

I really hope you are having a super fabulous day!  Today I want to tell you about the first step in anything you want to do: Setting Goals.  Before tackling any daunting project you always want to set goals and prepare yourself for what is to come.  Especially with organizing and cleaning.

So, how do you set and complete these goals?

~ 1 ~

Constantly Remind Yourself

Post your goals in notes all over your house.  Maybe even use an agenda to plan out your goals.  Don't forget that things take time and telling yourself one day won't be enough motivation.  You need to be able to know what your plans are and how to execute them.  If an agenda doesn't work for you, use to-do lists.  But don't spend all your time planning and not doing the work.

~ 2 ~

One Step At A Time

Don't try and fill your calendar to the max and do everything at once.  You are going to be overwhelmed and in the end you won't get the job done.  A lot of people make this mistake and become aggravated and cannot continue to finish their project.

~ 3 ~

Stress Less, Do More

You will never get anything done if you are stressed about twenty other things.  This is one of the reasons I cannot wait until summer {tomorrow is my last day of school!!!}.  Figure out a schedule that works for you and stick to it.  If you start stressing before you even begin, your end result will only be half done.

I hope this helps you all!  My next post in this series will be on a project I am working on over the summer: Re-Doing My Closet and Style.  Super sorry for the short post I just wanted to get something up for you guys.

Have an amazing day.

xoxo, Ana

Staying Fabulous: Organization Series

Hey Lovelies!

As this school year comes to end (or already ended for some of you) I have been stressing to get myself organized and motivated to push through these last two weeks of school and my final exams.  Whilst I took on this challenge, I noticed how important being organized is in everyday life.  Since organization is something that is important to me, I thought I would share some of my tips and tricks with you.

The thing is, my obsession with organization could form a blog of its own.  Not to mention if I actually had money to buy organization tools, you guys would never hear the end of it.  I decided to make this like a "series" I guess or just part of my typical blog posts.  It is named Staying Fabulous and will be under the Organization tab in my home page.

This post is just going to be kind of like What is organization to me? type of post.  I want to explain how my love for organizing came about and maybe share some of my favorite things to do in terms of organizing time, things, myself, and juggling a hectic life.


This story shall begin when I was in elementary school.  I loved the idea of being an adult and growing up, that is all I ever wanted in life {no matter how many people told me growing up is full of stress and responsibility}.  Honestly, I loved the idea of running around, always being busy, writing in a huge agenda, and getting a cup of hot coco in the cafe, I loved the movie-style way of grown up life.  I can remember watching The Wedding Planner thinking, she has the best life ever!  As a young girl I played secretary all the time with my sisters and I asked for toy makeup and I would take my father's old office supplies when he didn't need them anymore.  I truly wanted the life of someone who had a busy schedule.

Middle school is when I started really writing in my agenda, color coding, looking up videos about organization, and really trying to "grow up".  Eighth grade I realized ~ maybe growing up takes a lot of steps before I can be the person I aspire to become.  This is one of the reasons I always tell people I have a plan when I really don't (sorry Dad), but I will explain later.  So I decided this life was the life of a lawyer.  I said, I'm gonna be a lawyer because those are the people that run around and file papers and organize things, and they have pretty planners and etc. etc.

As I am getting older, things are actually not what I hoped they would be like.  Honestly, high school is a snooze, I so focused on school I have had no room to grow as a person and develop myself.  There is no super busy schedule where I am running around, there is no close group of friends, there are no obstacles in my way.  It seems too.... EASY. Now, I have decided to start a blog, join the Cross Country Team, join a club, start sewing again, and also focus on school.


Basically, I emphasize so much of my time and energy on organizing because it is something that I love to do and something that has helped me grow as a person.  Some people don't find organization to be important, but I do.

I don't know what I want to be in the future, a lawyer, an engineer, a doctor, a scientist, a housewife.  I cannot expect my life to be perfect, but I can try and manage my time and myself so that I am happy and I accomplish all that things I wish to get done.

I hope that you all will continue to read for some awesome organizational posts and will share with me what (if anything) you like about organization and stuff like that.

xoxo, Ana

P.S. - I just want to clarify that this blog is NOT a fashion/beauty blog.  This is a blog I a made for myself to track my progress and share things that interest me with the rest of the internet.

P.P.S. - Summer is only two weeks away!!! I have a surprise coming for all you that follow me.  I am so excited and have been working hard to plan things for the future of this blog and hopefully can announce some exciting projects soon.

AP Exams, EOC, and School: How to Handle with Stress!

Hello Lovelies!

Recently, my life has been turned upside down, shaken up, then dropped from an incredible height.  Besically, I am very stressed and have not had time to even think for myself.  Honestly, how tired I feel cannot be described with words.

So, a lot of college bloggers have been writing about finals and papers and organization for college students. But I was thinking, what about the high school students that have AP exams and EOC and Finals to do?  Not to mention that we also have daily lives, possible work, and maybe even sports/exercise.  It's a lot to handle and, this being my first year of high school, it has not been going as smoothly as I hoped.

~ 1 ~

Part of the problem is the people I surround myself with, they are not very motivated and constantly send out "negative energy", if you will.  So Tip #1 Surround yourself with people who have similar goals.  If you don't want to be that person cramming an hour before the exam, don't surround yourself with people who do.  I find that their laziness and lack of interest has been rubbing off on me, rather than my motivation has been rubbing off on them.

~ 2 ~

Make a list and actually complete it!  I have a big problem with this.  I enjoy the planning, but I don't enjoy the doing.  Such as right now.  I could be working on the three projects I have to do, or studying for the AP test next week, or even cleaning the mess that surrounds me.  The hardest part is beginning.  Once you start your body gets accustomed to work and will do what it needs.

 ~ 3 ~

Start early, don't wait until the last second.  Things won't just go away if you waste more time.  Spend the time necessary to really complete your work, or study and to get the end result you want.  Work hard and DON'T procrastinate.


I know these aren't specific tips about organization and schoolwork, but honestly, they work.  Even with your fitness goals and diet goals, I find this is what works.  Hopefully later I will make a post about that, but for now, get to working and don't let anything get in your way.

xoxo,  Ana

Desk Tour

Hello Lovelies!

I know you are probably wondering why this would ever be an interesting post, but I always wonder what people keep on/in their desks.  Personally, I am an organizational freak and I am still trying to find ways in which I can organize my desk and use it to its fullest potential.

Like I said, I am still trying to work out my organizational setup, but for now this is how I will be how my desk is organized.

The first picture is before I organized anything.  Bear with me, it was a long week and I still had clothing to put away, textbooks laying around, and a HUGE mess.

BEFORE

After I finally got myself under control this is my desk and I even decided to go inside the drawers, since I organized those as well.  Here ya go!

AFTER

1. I usually keep textbooks, calendar stickers and notebooks here. // 2. This is my main work space. // 3. Here is my flower pot with DIY Flower pens, and highlighters are hidden as well.  This shelf also has my everyday jewelry and my glasses. // 4. I have my jewelry box, hand creme, lip balm, and glass cleaner. // 5. This is the quilling frame from my grandpa {its a lilac dress} and my motivation board. // 6. My favorite award, memory jar, some perfumes, and embellishments in the middle. // 7. Makeup & Hair stuffz!!! // 8. I have a whiteboard with some motivational quotes, and a caricature of me as well as some pictures. // 9. This Eiffel Tower lamp is from dollar general and also functions as an organizer for my chords.  

1. Notepads and some index cards with notes as well as a calculator and wet ones. // 2. Here I have my rainbow pouch I made, yellow pads, a letter, and my 'I Fell a Shopping Spree Coming On' polka dot folder. // 3. This is my drawer organizer with simple things like paper clips, sharpeners, glue, tabs, sticky notes, pens, pencils, etc.  In the back I have a towel. // 4. This section holds a mirror, headphones, washi tape, white out, cloth, tweezers, hand sanitizer, and a hole punch

1. Lots and lots of index cards. // 2. Basic things like: notebook, highlighters, cell phone pouch, lint sheets, and my scissors. // 3. Extra paper clips, page holders, and my rosary is behind the index cards. // 4. Underneath my glasses case is s copy of the constitution and some bookmarks. // 5. Back there I keep extra small books that people give me {I also get them on birthdays and as thank yous} as well as some large tabs and an index card holder.

1. This part is still not fully done, but I have textbooks, folders, clipboards, random papers, and some awards here. // 2.  In this skinny section I usually store my keyboard and mouse for my laptop, but it was in another room at the moment. // 3. The uppermost shelf on my desk is mainly used for my computer when I am not using it.  {Sometimes I put papers there when I have lots of clutter}

Hopefully you ladies were able to get some organizational tips or maybe you just like to see what is in someone's desk.  I know I have lots of stuff on my desk, but I share a room and it is my only space to myself that I can have total freedom with.  

If you have any tips/ tricks or just have comments make sure to leave them down below.  Also, I would appreciate if you would give me any suggestions on improving my blog (be gentle, I am just starting out :o)

Have a fabulous day!

xoxo, Ana