My Bucket List (2016 Edition)

Hi guys. Today I have a more general type of post for you. 2015 has been a year of challenges and self-discovery for me and while it wasn't always easy, today I know myself a little better and I'm starting to have a better view of where I want to be later in my life. This is why I've decided to put together a bucket list. I feel I've grown just enough as a person to know which dreams are worth pursuing and what are those which will never be anything more than a fancy. And so, here's my bucket list ^^

I want to visit the French countryside with my sister

Source

It's going to be a sister only trip to France with Pooja, my little sister. The plan is to visit the countryside rather than actual cities and spend our trip at a B&B. There's a French TV program we both love which features beautiful B&B places in small French towns and that's what got us enamored with the idea. These towns are famous for their castle ruins and local produce like cheese and jam and that's the side of France we want to discover. 

I want to have a library in my house

Source

Once I have my own place, I want to have a room dedicated solely to my books. It's kind of a rational dream too since by the time I get my place, I would have probably accumulated enough books to fit a room anyway. Mine would probably not look like the library in the picture but a girl can dream right?

I want to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Source

If you've been around for a while now, you probably know how much of a Potterhead I am. You might also remember that time I decided to turn my house into Hogwarts for my sister's 18th birthday. So ideally, I'd not only visit the park, but I'd also have my sister with me. Sporting our Gryffindor and Slytherin scarves no less. She's the Slytherin by the way...

I want to read the complete X-Men comic series

Source 1 & Source 2

So this one might be a little tricky, especially since X-Men has practically countless spin-offs and that some of its first issues are hard to find. I did already start reading the first issues from the 60s though and I'm already in love enough with the world and the characters to be motivated to make it all the way through the series. There are over 300 issues in the main series so this goal will probably linger on my bucket list for a few more years. But that's okay 'cause I do enjoy reading these comics. 

I want to visit Disneyland (again)

Taken at Disneyland Hong Kong, December 2014

I was able to visit Disneyland Hong Kong with my family in December 2014 and it was so magical that I can only hope to do it again one day. I'm as big a fan of Disney as I'm a Potterhead so Disneyland simply has to be on my bucket list. In the best of worlds, I'd also get to actually stay in one of the hotels in the park. There's no age to have breakfast with Mickey. Just sayin'...

I want to visit Japan

Source

I love Japan from all the books I've read by Haruki Murakami and all those anime I've watched. I'm not sure if you can call me an otaku though since I tend to be fan of anime most people often haven't even heard of. I'm completely enamored with Japan though and would love to see it's tech-crazy cities and walk under the branches of sakura blossoms.

I want to work in the publishing industry

Source

Originally, my dream was to study languages or creative writing and pursue a job in the publishing industry. Then, I realized that we don't actually have creative writing courses here in Mauritius and that our publishing industry is basically nonexistent. No, publishers of primary school textbooks don't count. My dreams kinda squashed, I instead went for a bachelor degree in Marketing. Now, 4 years later, I'm glad things happened the way they did. After I started this blog, I realized that maybe I could still participate in the publishing industry as a blogger and a reviewer. And now, having graduated from uni, I've realized that my life doesn't have to be restricted to something as trivial as geography. So yes, I still dream of working in the publishing industry. I may have to move abroad and it's certainly going to be hard, but I'll do my best to make it happen. 

So that was my bucket list. I wonder what the 2017 edition will look like. Hopefully I'd have made a dent in my X-Men TBR by then. All the travelling will have to wait though 'cause I still have my Master degree to start this year. Not to mention that I don't actually have a job yet XD.

And now, tell me...

Source

How I organize my blog

Hi guys! Today I want to share with you some tips to help you get more organized and make your blogging more efficient. Back when I had just started this blog, I didn't plan ahead much and would write post sometimes only a few hours before they were due to be posted. Now, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of spontaneity but with life getting more hectic later during the year, I quickly found that this freestyle approach to my blogging was becoming a little strained. So, after a few months of blogging, I began to change the way I plan and organize my posts. 

Whether you're a new blogger or you've been blogging for some time now and want to make things more efficient, I hope you'll find these tips useful ^^

Keep a blog journal

It doesn't have to be anything fancy so long you have something where you can jot down blog post ideas and quick post drafts. I use this beautiful cloth bound journal covered in dragon patterns that I bought in Hong Kong during my 2014 Christmas vacation there. The purpose of a journal is to give you a place where you can store all your ideas and bits and pieces of writing that cross your mind. Once you have all of your thoughts and ideas in one place, later, it'll be easy for you to reference to them when writing a blog post. Like I said, your journal doesn't have to be overly fancy. However, things that visually appeal to us are more likely to motivate us. So if you're going to be using a journal, you might as well pick one that'll motivate you to use it ^^

Make lists of ideas

You can list down all the blog post ideas that come to your mind in your journal so that when you need to write a post, you only need to pluck an idea from your list. You can add to your lists ideas inspired by other blogs and YouTube videos, Pinterest boards and things you come across in your everyday life. You can have different lists for different categories of posts. You enjoy doing tags? Why not make a list of all the cool tags you enjoy? Thus, whenever you feel like writing a tag post, you'll can have your pick from all those in your list. You can have different lists of ideas to cover as many topics and post categories as you choose. You can use color tags or sticky notes to index your various lists in your journal to make the referencing easier for you.

Use a planner or an agenda

Once you have all your ideas in one place, it's easy to allocate specific posts to specific dates. Aside from my journal, I use a planner where I write the specific post titles I want to publish on specific dates. I usually publish around 7 posts every month. So whenever I'm planning a particular month's post schedule, I simply pick out 7 post ideas that I'd like to do from my journal and decide on which day I want to do each of them. Thus, when I open my planner to a particular month, I know at a glance what are the posts I need to write for that month.

Write your posts in advance

Having your posts already planned for the month makes it simple to write them in advance. You already know what you need to write about so there's no need to spend hours browsing Pinterest boards for blog post ideas. I usually have around 4 posts written in advanced and ready to be published. I spend a couple of days during the week working on the upcoming month's posts and then I take a break from writing during the remaining days of the week. I use that free time to catch up and comment on the posts of other blogs I enjoy reading. Whether you're still studying and you have assignments creeping on you unexpectedly or life suddenly just gets crazy, having at least one or two pre-written posts can help you account for those days where you simply don't have time to sit down and write a full post.

So those were a few tips on how you can organize your blog to make it more efficient. I hope you found these useful. If you have other tips for me, feel free to share them with me in the comments! Happy blogging guys ^^

Source

Cover art by Of Stacks and Cups via Pagemodo

How To Read More

Ever since I started my blog, I've had people ask me how I manage to read so much each month. I usually read an average of 10 books every month. To be honest though, I had never thought about it much until people started to ask me questions about it. Well, whether you're trying to read more or you just want to know more about my reading habits, here is a bunch of reading tips I've compiled for you. 

The first thing you need to remember though is that reading is supposed to be fun. So even if you read only one book in a month, so long you're enjoying it, you shouldn't worry about figures and page counts :)

1. The book in its different incarnations 

If you really mean to read more, I suggest you consider reading books in their different forms. This will give you flexibility in terms of when and where you can read. For instance, back when I was still a student, I was too scared of my print books getting creases and tears from staying in my bag to actually take them to class. I was however still able to get some reading done through ebooks and that was a major lifesaver back when I was still a freshman and had yet to make some friends. As to audiobooks, they have encouraged me to get through more children and mid-grade books, which are genres I find a bit hard to read in actual print editions. 

2. Kindle app for mobile platforms 

So how does that make you read more? Well, staring at your phone, whether you're in the bus, in class or just about anywhere else, is less likely to have people try to peek at your screen or interrupt you by asking what you're reading. 'Cause, well, they probably think you're just texting someone. Ain't that convenient? Also, depending on where you're going and what you're wearing, you might not always be able to have a book with you. Think tiny party bags, ladies. With your books on your phone though, you can literally have your books in your pocket. Not only are you never getting bored in obligatory family dinners again, but you also get to read more. I personally love this app, especially since my Kindle died on me last year and I haven't been able to get it replaced yet. 

3. Listening to audiobooks while doing tasks around the house

I'm super lazy when it comes to tidying my room. Recently though, I've taken to putting an audiobook on while I'm going about my chores and not only does it take my mind off the fact that I'm actually doing chores, but it also helps me get some more reading done. Audiobooks have also helped me get through books I would have normally never read. Plus, if you get one narrated by someone who's very good at the job, listening to a book can become a really entertaining hobby. 

4. Listening to audiobooks while driving 

Audiobooks are also an awesome way to get some reading done when you can't actually pick up a book. Plus, listening to some Roald Dahl on your way to work in the morning is an awesome way to kick-start the day on a cheerful note. I personally recommend Matilda narrated by Kate Winslet!

5. Extra reading time in the morning 

If you really need to read more, like maybe for school for instance, I suggest you get up at least half an hour earlier than you usually do. This is just to give yourself some extra time in the morning which you can devote to reading. I personally rather enjoy having something to read when I'm sipping my tea in the morning. If you take the bus to school or work, you can also use that time to read a bit from your book. I personally used to find it a bit hard to read on my way to uni because the lull of the bus usually put me to sleep ten minutes into the trip! 

6. Reading before bedtime 

Another awesome way to get through a few additional pages of your book is to devote fifteen to thirty minutes to reading before you go to bed. Be careful of page-turners though, 'cause with those you might just end up reading till morning without even realizing it. Happens to all book lovers at least once. Yep. 

So these were my ideas for reading more. If you have more tips and ideas you want to share, feel free to drop me a line in the comments!