Suz & the Study Essentials

Monday was my final meeting with my thesis advisor, and I can happily say that I am RELIEVED by what he had to say about my work. That being said, this is my final week in the library before I turn in this bad boy for printing and enjoy my last few days in Lund.

But I was thinking this morning about the absolute essentials that I've used while writing and studying and how to keep myself motivated, even when the last thing I want to do is re-read section 4.2 and analyse this data for the 37th time.

But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do (to get her degree).

1) Dress to de-stress

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Damned if I don't feel good whenever I'm dressed up in the library. Studying always feels better when I'm comfy but looking cool (or at least I think I do). Luckily, the Swedes have the same idea here and like Lo once said, every day is a fashion show. I'm not the type to wear stilettos in the stacks, but I do love to sparkle a bit when that blue light from my computer screens hit me and while I watch my fingers type away words I'm not sure I even understand after 6 hours of staring at my laptop.

2) Eyedrops and sunnies

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I like to have both of these for a little contrast. I have to use eye drops because my doctor told me I spend way too much time without blinking while looking at my screen - I asked quite hopefully if that meant I wasn't allowed to do work on my computer and would have to do everything by hand or get a service-dog that can type - how cool would that be. Unfortunately, she said the eye drops would do. But it also makes it look like I'm crying so I can trick other students into thinking I'm way more stressed than I am. Solidarity, you feel me?

Sunglasses, on the other hand, make it look like my work isn't kicking my butt and causing me sleepless nights, and they also help me to trick myself into thinking that my 20 minute breaks are actually me relaxing with my friends who are in Mykonos right now. Then they hide my real tears of frustration which I can blame on my eye drops.

Punk'd.

3) Something sweet

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This is my trick. But pretty much everyone does it, so I guess it's a secret no longer. I like to have something nearby to keep my energy (and spirits) high. For me and my friends, it's that delightful mixture of Diet Coke and chocolate. Sometimes it's lemon water. Often it's everything that I like, and then some. But trust me, it works. My frustration is cooled when mama gets her sugar.

4) Friends

As I said, my friends have been in Greece recently. HOWEVER, their Snapchats of their good times have made me feel so good when they share their lives with me. The messages of encouragement from my girls back in Richmond and the cat pictures my boyfriend sends me are definitely enough to keep me going, even when the last thing I want to be doing is sitting in front of my screen.

Luckily, I've gotten into a pretty good routine for finishing my work. And even when I get into those moments of frustration (which, nearing the end of writing 53 pages, happens a lot), I know what to do to help me through.

Unfortunately, it took me almost 18 years of school to figure it out, but hey; I DID IT!

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For those of you that are finishing up your semester: Good luck! For those that are done: Congrats!

I know I'm going to enjoy my last few days here in the sun!

xox,
Suz

5 Lazy Girl Ways To Cheer Up Instantly

Sometimes, all you want to do is stay in bed. Girl, I get it. I understand this more than most people I've encountered. I have a terrible time sleeping, and it's been an ongoing struggle since I was 17. Somedays, I wake up exhausted in the absolute worst mood. Especially when the weather here has bigger mood swings than a 14 year old.

 Luckily, I've figured out some foolproof ways to make myself feel better so that no one ever sees me when I'm down and out.

I know that these won't work for everyone. But they make me happy, and usually when I send pictures of whatever I'm doing to my friends and they see how happy it makes me, I get a huge thumbs up. Ready? Let's do this.

1. Cute animal videos.

A video posted by Winston the Frenchie (@winston_thefrenchiee) on Apr 24, 2015 at 2:42pm PDT

I know. This is on everyone's list of ways to make themselves feel better. But I have two videos labaled "For Bad Days, Watch This" and they are absolutely guaranteed to make me smile. One i of my own kitten with the cutest meow I've ever heard. And then that little guy above? Could you just cry of cuteness?

2. Bake

I only got into baking within the last year. And to be honest,  I mostly started baking because my boyfriend is so good at it and I wanted to be almost on his level so that we could be the baking power couple that people always invite to garden parties for their fresh goodies (I'm totally fine with that being the reason for having us).

A photo posted by Suz & the ☼ (@suzilndqst) on Feb 15, 2015 at 6:03am PST

I'm not entirely sure where this recipe came from but it's so easy.
1. Set your oven to 175 C
2. Combine 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar (brown or white), and 1 egg
3. Mix together, roll into balls and put on a tray with baking paper
4. Let bake for 12-15 minutes or until the consistency you like!
5. Enjoy your sweet, sweet cookies while the compliments roll in ;)
This week when we baked them, we also added some Nutella and rolled oats for an even more amazing cookie!

There's so much inspiration out there. I prefer either making scones or peanut butter cookies, but blogs like Chocolate Covered Katie and Joy the Baker will give you endless recipes. And for something healthier? Minimalist Baker is my new fav. Sweet potato wedges will be on my plate tonight.

3. Sun Salutations

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 So I'm not much of a yogi, but after my first yoga class I told my BFF about it and she was so surprised that I didn't do sun salutations every morning when I got out of bed.
She's totally right.
Every time I need to slow down or just breathe and be, I go through the motions three or four times. Stretching up and feeling my body respond to such a simple, but amazing, act is so refreshing and reminds me to be in the now and not take my youth for granted.
It's a little too deep and thoughtful for me straight in the morning though. It usually happens after four cups of coffee and possibly after lunch (TBH this week I've been waking up at 11)...early afternoon stretching is my favourite.

4. Take a walk and chat with someone you love

I'm really lucky. For one, the area I live in has tulips blooming EVERYwhere and there's a little wooded area really close by. Secondly, almost all of the important people in my life have Facetime, so all I need is a bit of data to be able to talk to them whenever I want.
What would I do without technology? Well...nothing, apparently.

There's something so wonderful about calling someone so far away and being immediately close again. I usually call mom when I'm in the grocery store (am I the only one that gets overwhelmed in there?) and we talk about the most random stuff. She can make me laugh like no other, especially when I need some lifting up. It's nice to get your mind off of what's stressing you and there are only a handful of people that can really do that.

5. Treat yo self. 
Maybe online shopping isn't a good idea for this one. Scratch that, online shopping is the best idea.

But what I'm talking about is some treats you can whip up on your own kitchen or whatever you have in your own bathroom. I mean a coconut oil & honey hair mask or an avocado facial. Or even just shaving your legs listening to your favourite songs. Anything that makes you feel like a more beautiful version of yourself is A-OK in my books.

I'm a huge fan of sitting in my robe and painting my toenails while watching my favourite bad TV shows. In fact, I think I'll go do that right now.

TGIF, am I right? Enjoy it!
xox,
Suz

Suz & the Jewels // Wanderlust + Co

Tri-Geo Gold Ring (size 6) & Tri-Arrow Gold Necklace (60% off!!!)

Yesterday I turned in my final draft of my Master's thesis. And, lucky me, my order from Wanderlust + Co came in the mail. I LOVE my new pieces - they fit so perfectly into my own personal jewelry style. Even better, they let me know my shipping details (free intl. shipping with an order over $50) all the way to Sweden, and they even let me know how happy they were that I had joined the #WCOgirlgang :)

But let's be honest, who can reasonably stop at just these delicate little ones? My wish list grows bigger every minute...

1: Frame-Tri Gold Necklace// 2: Orbit Gold Ring // 3: Scallop Gold Ring // 4: Name-Plate Rose Gold Necklace

5: Hook-Leather Gold and Blue Bracelet // 6: Crescent and Diamante Gold Necklace // 7: Arrow Earrings in Gold, Rose Gold and Silver // 8: Numeral Gold Ring

All of their pieces are hand-crafted and either gold, rose gold or silver plated and so unbelievably beautiful. An added bonus? As of right now they have 30% of of their sale prices. Great jewels for low prices? 

What's not to love?

What are you favourite pieces from Wanderlust + Co?

xoxo, 

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Ocean

I'm lucky to have a brother with such an ecclectic taste in music. You could ask for a genre and I bet he could give you five incredible songs right then and there. So it only makes sense that some of my Mood Music Monday songs will come from him. So, for my brother, music from a friend of his, Andreas Moe. 

He's already done vocals on a few songs you may have heard , and this guy is going to be big soon, I'd bet on it. Plus, this song is incredibly soothing for my overworked brain and exactly what I need when I turn in my FINAL DRAFT of my thesis today...

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

xoxo, 

Suz

Suz in Ireland // Dublin Photo Diary

suitcase: vintage // watch: vintage // crop top: Forever 21 // jeans: Target // booties: Lucky Brand

They say your 20s are all about exploring, and I tried to make that my mantra over this past weekend (more like 5 days not thinking about my thesis, but who's counting?). D, E and I went to Dublin to walk around the famous Irish city and visit the sights and nature of that great green country.

Luckily, the weather was great for us, and we stayed in an AirBnB with two amazing hosts and the funniest couple I've ever met. And so our adventures began, which leads me to:

My Dublin Travel List:

1. Botanic Gardens: They were right outside of our door and walking by the flowers  every day was a perfect way to start our mornings.

2. The doors of Dublin: Their famous colourful doors are just as perfect in person as they are on postcards.

3. Temple Bar area: We had such a fun time here - though we didn't make it inside the actual Temple Bar, we had insanely good burritos at Pablo Picante and a nice pint of cidre and some Irish folk music and dancing at The Quays Bar.

4. St. Stephens Green: This little park reminded me so much of Hyde Park in London or NYC's Central Park. Such a nice, lush space in the centre of the city.

5. St. Patrick's Cathedral: Obviously, being born on March 17th made this one of my favourite stops in the city. I got a clover key chain to mark the occasion.

6. Henry Street: Talk about a high street. This place is filled with all of your favourites and then some, with so many gelato places and pubs around every corner.

7. Grafton Street: Boutiques, high street stores, coffee, cakes...Grafton has everything. We popped into Reiss to pretend we were shopping with the Dutchess of Cambridge and I got the most amazing slip ons at the Cath Kidston store. Floral feet for all of spring!

8.  Trinity College: As massive as the queue was for the Book of Kells and the Long Hall in the Trinity College library, it was totally worth it. That manuscript is incredibly detailed and the library...my jaw dropped.

9. Bakeries: Keogh's Cafe, McMahons, the bakery around the corner: everything in this city is fresh and delicious, and the cronuts are a definite fav for the Irish. And we may have eaten three pieces of the most delicious cake ever at Keogh's...

10. Tours: There are tours everywhere. We hopped onto the Cliffs of Moher tour with Wild Rover Tours that takes you all the way to the west coast of the country with a pit stop at the Barack Obama Plaza and Galway. The cliffs are breathtaking.

Though you should definitely do your research before going on a trip anywhere, I think the most important thing for Dublin is figuring out buses. If you're staying anywhere outside of the city, get a bus pass (a refund if you turn in your Leap Card at the bus depot in the city centre), but make sure you check the prices first to see what sort of card or pass you should get. 

I'm really lucky to have travelled the way we did; we had no set plan except to see the cliffs, and made a bi-hourly fika a necessity, which is probably why I haven't eaten pastries in the last few days. If you do go, make sure to check out KC Peaches, a Dublin establishment with an awesome menu. 

And if you're a student, make sure to bring your ID to get discounts at most museums and stores! I definitely put mine to good use.

If you have any other tips or hidden gems in the city, let me know so I can check them out when I (hopefully) go back! Giants Causeway is next on my list. 

xoxo, 

Suz