Be a tortoise

(picture from Pinterest)

    This is a an odd name for a title, don't you think? This title is based of a story that I read as a child. It is the story of the tortoise  and rabbit. The rabbit and turtle race against each other. The rabbit believes that he will win because he is faster than the tortoise. Somehow the tortoise wins the race. I saw this quote online "it doesn't matter how long it takes you to finish as long as you finish.". I love this quote so much.
     In my own life, I have felt like I was the slow person in everything I do. In doing physical activities, I felt slow and was not the fastest person. I learned that it is ok to be slow and enjoy doing the activity. It's ok if I don't win which is a hard lesson for me to accept. ( I am very competitive). There are some things that take me longer to do than most people.  I was much older when I go my permit. I honestly felt like a loser because I wasn't driving like my friends.
    Even though I may take longer to do things than most people, I learned to finish things even if I am the last person across the finish line. I am learning patience while waiting to do things that other people get to do before me.

I apologize for  not posting much. I have not had much creative juices flowing for posts. When I put a post on the blog, I want to do my best. Not post just to post. Thank you for staying with me while I have been absent in reading. There will be more posts coming soon. Have a great week!. On a side note, who thinks a tortoise is supper cute? If anyone wants to buy me a tortoise or something with a tortoise on it, I would be happy person and hug you forver.

~Liu Miao~

Blessed to Bless

( picture from Pinterest)

About a week ago, I was at my bible college group. I love going to this group when I come. It is a great time of fellowship and being in the Bible together. We were in 2nd Corinthians 9:6-13 and on verse 13 someone summarized that verse in these words "Blessed to Bless".

2nd Corinthians 9:13 says "Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all"

This verse really stuck in my mind this week and this verse was convicting me.  God has blessed us through Christ and we are suppose to share that good news. There are many ways to share the gospel. You don't have to preach a sermone to someone. You can share about the gospel in 5 minutes while checking out. My dad likes to wear shirts with a spiritual message and people ask him what the shirts mean. This gives him a chance to share the gospel in a short amount of time.  These are subtle ways to share the gospel. I think that this verse can apply to other blessings that God has given us in life. In this world, it can be hard to be grateful. There is so much advertisement for the newest model of something and that we should buy the new model. We have so many blessings in our lives. Family, the gift of life,  food, the opportunity of education, and having a place to live are some of the blessings that many of us and sometimes take for granted. I have caught myself complaining so much even though I have so many blessings in m life. I need to stop and think about them. If you don't have one or more of these blessings, you can still bless someone. You can comfort someone who is going through a similar struggle and being able to relate to someone can impact someone in big ways. This is such a good reminder for me. Though my struggles are hard, I can help someone with the same or similar struggles.There are so many ways to bless people besides giving money. Giving your time to help them, send an encouraging text or card, or just listening to them are ways to bless people.

Have a wonderful week.

~Liu Miao~

Half way there

For many of us in college(at least in the US), October signifies the midpoint of the semester. This means midterms are coming up. Midterms is the week that professors give exams at the midpoint of the semester. This can be a very stressful time if you have all your exams in one week. Not all professors give exams during midterms. I was very happy that I had my exams early this semester. I actually like midterm week because it means that the semester is half way there.  Today, I will share some tips that can help you prepare for this week

1. Study ahead of time. it will be less stressful if you study in chunks and not all at one.  One will learn more when taking time to learn the material.

2. Don't do all nighters. This is not good. You need sleep to function. Being to exhauseted can cause a person to do poorly on an exam.

3. Eat food. healthy foods help your brain to function. It is so tempting to eat a whole bunch of junk foods or just not eat at all. Fruits are a good snack or salad.

4. Take a little  time for fun. There needs to be a balance. It is not good to study for 8 hours straight. Your brain needs a break. Take 10-15 minute breaks then go back to study.

5. Stay hydrated. This is very important. Water helps your body to function properly.

6. Try to eliminate distraction as much as possible. If you get distracted by your phone, keep your phone on silent for a little bit in order to study. If you need a quiet space, go study somewhere quiet. If friends distract you, don't study with them. It is good to find out what distracts you from studying and try to eliminate it. 

Have a good week of midterms. The semester is almost halfway there.  I would love to hear about any tips that have helped you during midterms week. Celebrate afterwards for surviving a stressful week(s) of exams. Have a good weekend full of studying and FUN.

~Liu Miao~

21 lessons

Hello readers! I hope everyone is having a good holiday and enjoying the long weekend. My weekend consisted of sleeping, homework, and some fun. Happy Labour Day and it is also my birthday.  I am turning 21 and I can't believe that I'm turning 21. It doesn't seem that long ago I was turning 13.  Today I wanted to share 21 lessons that I have learned. These are not in order of importance.

1. Learning how to cook is important. I love using new recipes. One should not eat out all the time or buy takeaway.
2. College isn't that scary. It seems intimidating but there are many people/resources to help you.
3. Chocolate and bread is an amazing snack.
4. Not all Swiss mountains have snow year round.
5. knowing a second language( or more)  is important. you will never known when you will have to use that language(s).
6. It is ok to change your goals in life. I changed my major in college.
7. Don't let people discourage you
8. My identity is in Christ. It is Him who defines who I am. Ethnicity, gender, personality and etc are apart of me but they don't define me. I am nothing without  Christ.
9. Comparison is not good and makes you ungrateful.
10. Don't worry. God is in control. His answer may be different than you expected.
11. Tea is amazing
12. Blogging community  is very welcoming and helpful.
13. Hand lettering helps keep me calm.
14. Changes are hard
15. International traveling can be stressful but it is so much Fun.
16. To do lists are super helpful.
17. Memories from the pasts can hurt.
18. time management is hard.
19. think before talking
20. technology is a great way to keep in touch with friends.
21. Community within your family, friends is important

I hope you enjoyed reading 21 lessons that I have learned. Have a good holiday and great semesters. I would love to hear some lessons that you have learned.

~Liu Miao~

Confetti Please

Hello Readers,

     Confused by this title right? Recently, I hand letter a quote that I got off pinterest. This quote got me thinking about a problem that many of us struggle with including myself: Comparing oneself to another person. Why is comparison bad? It can bring:

•Unhealthy competition
•low self esteem
•talking bad about other people
•ungratefulness

We need to encourage one another. It is ok if someone is better at something than  you. This will cause two reactions from you: Bring all the negative emotions mentioned previously or it will cause you to strive to be better at that something. You can also encourage others to look on the positive.Let's consider the flip side. If you are really talented in one area, try to help those who are struggling in that area. If everyone  encouraging someone by helping them in someway, then there isn't time for comparison. This reminds me of the #communityofcompetition. The blogging community is like #communityovercompetition.I have met some amazing bloggers online. There are bloggers that are better than me but this causes me to work harder on my blog. There are many times that I have received advice from many bloggers and many times that I have given advice to fellow bloggers. Please remember to spread kindness like confetti.

~Liu Miao~

Blogger Recognition Award

Hello readers, I was nominated for the Blogger Recognition award by forthesakeofgoodtaste.  Thank you so much for nominating me. As a blogger it is nice to be recognized by other bloggers. The blogging community is so nice and I have met some great people. I like to see how people can write about the same subject but see something different in that subject. I discovered this blog through Instagram and I enjoy reading this blog. It is a super interesting and helpful blog.

The rules of this award are:

"Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog
Write a post to show your award
Give a brief story of how your blog started
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers
Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to
Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created ( for the sake of good taste)"

How I started blogging:

I started blogging towards the end of my first semester of college. I wanted a creative outlet and I enjoyed writing. Blogging involves helping people and I wanted to help people through the lessons that I have learned. I also wanted to encourage people through my blog and to build community.

Advice to new bloggers:

  -Be Personal. As a blogger, I want to be honest with my readers. My life isn't perfect and I won't always get a blog post out every week. It is tempting to portray a perfect life especially in social media but this is not the case. Who wants to be around a perfect person?  Generally speaking, being personal attracts more people. It is ok to share a little bit of personal life on the blog.

   - Have a social media account and interact.
This is very important and helps get your blog out there. Most people have one form of social media. Social media is a great tool to share  about your blog quickly. Referring back to my first tip, be personal on the social media.  Don't just post about your blog because you will look like whole bunch of ads. Post about your life occasionally. Social media also gives the opportunity to interact with readers and fellow bloggers. Interacting offers benefits of meeting/learning from fellow bloggers and connecting with readers.

Bloggers I nominate:

Fiona Gaile  @  fiona gaile
Emily @ emsessentials
Tori @  The Freckled Prep
Kaylan@  honestwomanhood
Dani @ danidearest
Samantha@  aslifegrows
Tanna@  collartocollar
Allison@  cacocoblog
Maddy@  nogreaterloveblog
Melissa@  elephantontheroad
Megan@   apronstringsandstickyfingers
Hannah@   honestlyhannahblog
Hannah E. Hay@    alifetransformedblog
Amanda@       thehappyarkansan
Riley @       northernprepster.com

Thank you again For the Sake of good taste for nominating me. The bloggers that I nominated write amazing content on their blogs. Show some love and go check out their blogs.

~Liu Miao~

5 important back to school supplies

Hello readers! School is approaching very quickly. I am a little sad that summer is ending but excited for the new opportunities in college. There is so much to prepare before the first day of classes. Recently, I finished buying my school supplies. I love buying school supplies because it makes me excited for classes. Today I will share 5 important school supplies and I will also include the electronic version for the techies out there.
Thoughts to consider : This post is not sponsored and I purchased these items myself. All opinions are my own and honest.

- Notebooks/Note taking apps

It is important to take notes in your classes. I prefer taking notes by hand. Sometimes I like to type out my notes. I love using the One Note App or Evernote app. These are great apps to take notes electronically and you can sync them to other devices. Evernote has paid upgrades but the free option works great.

 -Pens, Pencils and highlighters/ there are electronic versions of pens/ pencils and highlighters

I like sharpie pens and papermate pens. I prefer fine tip pens. I don't have a preference for pencils. Sharpie highlighters are my favorite. If I take notes on my compute, I use a stylus pen or type my notes. Microsoft Word and other note taking apps offer a drawing option and highlighter option.

 - Planner/ google calendar etc

I have used an academic planner, monthly planner and currently the happy planner. I prefer a physical copy. Hand writing something is important for me. I have heard that Google Calendar is good and you can sync your google calendar to your different devices. I know with Apple devices you can sync your calendar

 -Books/ ebooks.

If your professor says that a textbook will be use, then it is important to get one. I rent  or buy used textbooks.  Paperback books are cheaper than  hardcover books. It you have to buy an access code, buy it from the publisher.(it is $15-20 cheaper). I believe that you learn more when one reads the textbooks. Many textbooks offer an ebook. I would recommend this because it is usually cheaper. Sometimes you can't get an ebook because there is only a hard copy printed.

 -Sitcky Notes/ sticky notes app

I like to take notes while I read my textbooks but I don't want to mark up the book. What is the solution? Sticky notes are the answer. I love Post-It-Notes I can stick them easily in my book. They also an help me keep my place in a book. You can write quick reminders on sticky notes. There are sticky notes app if you prefer an electronic version

These are the school supplies that have helped me in college and keep me organized. What are your tope 5 back to school supplies? Have a great week. and good luck on going back to school soon.

~Liu Miao~