Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Little things that make me happy

June 13, 2017 3
I decided I wanted to try something new but the problem was that I didn't have the right laptop for this kind of editing and I didn't have the right software nor the right skills/experience. I wanted to do stop motion. I'd never done it before but I thought I would give it a go, and I did. With my laptop constantly hanging and my software too, it was a bit of a struggle, but I really wanted to get it done since I had already started and spent so much time taking so many pictures. I completed it. It took longer than it should've because I used a basic software, but that's okay because even if you have the most basic video editing software, you can still do it. I've never used the right kind of software for anything, I just make with what I got and I've done that for as long as I can remember. I hope you like this video (below) and please feel free to leave any feedback in the comments below as I did this for the first time and don't know if it was good for a first try. The video is called "Little things that make me happy"


I have been feeling really grateful for a lot of things and I thought I'd put up a small compilation of the little, simple things in life that make me happy. Enjoy!


Sunday, June 11, 2017

15 Last Minute Easy Father's Day Gift Guide! - The ONLY listicle you will need for a simple gift!

June 11, 2017 0

Here's a quick list on last minute and easy Father's Day gifts you can give to your Dad!



1. Etched stuff 

it can be a keychain, a pen, anything you know will be useful for your dad!

2. A Keychain 

dads need keychains all the time! He may have 2 sets of house keys, office keys, bank keys, keys to your safe, on and on. Have 2 dads? Get them matching ones!

3. Limited Edition Merch 

Is your dad a business man /owns a company? Give him his own one and only merch! Only one in the whole world! Print his logo on a t-shirt, a cap, maybe a mug? You can even give him a frame with his company name/logo/brand on it. There are endless possibilities!

4. A "You're welcome" card  

If you absolutely can't think of anything then try to get something easy like a mug and pair it with a "you're welcome" card. You know...a dash of sarcasm can't hurt. A little humor always brightens the day. If sarcasm and humor are your things, this card is for you!

5. Amazon gift card 

If all else fails and your dad is anything like mine, he loves to shop online for new gadgets or simple functional inventions even though we really don't need it. Give him an Amazon gift card! Use his money to buy it of course (JK, JK)


6. Car related stuff 

Your dad loves his car? Great! Give him a customized "car accessories kit". Throw in car fragrances, a fragrance diffuser, a new pillow or new mats if the ones already in the car are in bad shape. Maybe even a little dangly thing to hang from the rearview mirror.


7. An expensive pen 

This another one of the "if all else fails" (after all this is a last minute guide). Get him an expensive, sleek, nice looking pen to keep in his pocket when he goes to work or keeps on his desk if he works from home. (If your dad is a blogger or has any such type of job this may or may not work for him - you know him best so make sure what you gift him is relevant!)


8. Cologne 

"I don't need any more perfume" - said no one ever. Or maybe some did. I'm not actually sure....not a perfume person. (Hey! No, I do not stink!). Back to the topic. Cologne (pronounced co-log-nuh. JK) is something he'll use every day or very regularly if he's the cologne type of guy. If not, maybe you can give him a room freshener or anything like that too. It also doesn't have to be cologne it could be a unisex perfume or even a women's one - no one's gonna judge fam, it's his choice! (Plus I hate the smell of "manly" cologne so I wish my dad wouldn't wear strong colognes)

9. Father's day gift set 

Make a combo out of the above and below points. OR you can go online and just buy those typical fathers day gift sets (you know, the ones with "world's best dad" written on them. Mugs and pillows and a table clock or pen, etc etc.)

10. Spa day 

Have a spa day with your dad! take him to a massage, a facial, a manicure-pedicure, whatever he likes!

11. Office essentials kit 

Another combo! Throw in a pen, a notepad, those notepads with the dashboard like things with allll colors of sticky notes on them, a small clock, a pen stand, a small whiteboard or bulletin board. There's so much you can add! Just put it in a basket or, better a file cabinet or some small storage like that so it can be used as well!

12. Laptop accessories 

Do you know what laptop skin your dad has been eyeing for a long time? Get him that! Does he need a new mouse? Get him that! Mouse pad? Get it! I'm not saying get everything, but you can get what you can afford.


13. New phone/laptop/tablet 

Okay, so I know this is extreme and not all of you can afford one with your own money (I can't either) but I put this is just in case some of you can. If you know your dad needs a new phone or his laptop/tablet is about to just fall apart and you can afford one - get him a new one. 

14. Shirts or hat 

If your dad has amazing taste in clothes - you are very lucky. If he doesn't, do him a favor and get him some nice shirts for office or for casual wear. If your dad is a hat fanatic like mine - get him one or two!

15. Bake or buy a cake 

Nothing says you care more than a DIY, but if you cannot bake for the life of you, buy him a cake with a personalized message. It won't break your bank and it'll still be a sweet gift - literally!


Thursday, June 8, 2017

Friday, June 2, 2017

Minimalist Monochrome Lookbook 2017 - Forever 21, StalkBuyLove + more // Miscellaneous

June 02, 2017 0
This is my style. I like casual, minimalist and neutral tones. In this particular video, I show you what is majorly part of my wardrobe - black and white and grays. I tried to link some of the places where you can get what I am wearing but I couldn't find places for the majority of what I show you in this lookbook. I hope you liked this video and please subscribe to my blog and youtube channel if you wish to!




Welcome to my blog!

June 02, 2017 0

Welcome to my blog, Black & White & Wise!

I hope you find my posts useful and entertaining! This is basically a Lifestyle Blog and here's an overview of the series I have on here:

Photography Album

I have various albums with various themes on this blog, ranging from nature to human life on this planet. However, I usually photograph nature/animals/whatever you like to call it. I have more compilations and themes to come!

Planning

This series contains posts related to bullet journal-ling, planning, etc. Tips and tricks, flip through's, set ups, free printables and much more are yet to come! I got you!

College Talk

A series I have one or two posts on as I'm writing this and will be updating as my college life begins! As of now, I have applied, been selected into, and enrolled in University! I have and will be posting lots of tips and tricks and useful advice, etc.

Health/Beauty

Beauty tips, life hacks, and more is what you'll find in posts under this series!

Life

Some long writing work based on my life and events that have occurred. It's kind of like cathartic writing and also to entertain you guys. Perhaps some of you can even relate to what I write.

DIY

DIY - Do It Yourself. That's basically all it is. Posts under this series range from clothes to food and more! As I'm writing this most of the DIY posts are still drafts but they will be posted soon!

Social

Blogging tips, Instagram hacks, and more!

Miscellaneous

This category is quite self-understood. Things I don't want to put into a whole new category because that requires commitment and I probably don't want to dwell too much on the specific topics


Hope you guys enjoy everything on my blog! Be sure to comment and share posts if you like them! Thanks for visiting!

Friday, May 26, 2017

The ULTIMATE Study Routine to ACE Your Final Exams in High School (How I Study) + Tips // Miscellaneous

May 26, 2017 0

Hey, guys, I put up a new video on my YouTube channel today. You can see it above, I'd love if you check it out!


Disclaimer: The following routine is more constructed for A-level students than for other boards, however, if you are provided with a syllabus from your teacher/from the board and have past papers then you can totally do this routine. You are the best judge of what your teacher tests you on and what the difficulty of your class is, so if needed, you can always change up the below routine. For example, you can rely more on the textbook or materials given by your teacher if you know that most of the questions on the test will come from there. Continue reading! :)

Here is an overview of how I study for finals:

1. Light studying (done a long time before finals are close):


  • Reading the textbook
  • Skimming through study material

2. Heavy studying (I start doing this about a month or two before my exam)



  • Going through the subject/paper syllabus
  • Reading study guide/study materials provided by the teacher
  • Making notes using at least 2 study materials (e.g. a textbook and a study guide) and the syllabus
  • Revising my notes and any other pages in the textbook/guide that I have made a note to refer to
  • Solving past papers (leaving one - you'll see why as you read)
  • Writing down or copy-pasting important questions and their answers from the past papers I solved 
  • Revision two days before the exam, solving the past paper I left out as a test one day before the exam, and then one final revision a day before the exam and/or the day of the exam
Though usually my papers are difficult, if I have a practical paper, I will not study as intensely but I will still do most of what is said in the points mentioned above.

Tips!

  • Keep a water bottle/snack/both near your desk so you don't have to get up every time you are thirsty or hungry. This will just disrupt your flow and concentration
  • If you have trouble focusing for too long, try out the Pomodoro Technique, click here to go to the post on my other blog about the technique if you don't know what the Pomodoro Technique is. Personally, the Pomodoro technique didn't work for me, click here to see what I thought were the pros and cons of the technique.
  • Make your notes neat and clear so that when you are revising, you actually feel like studying.
  • Make your own notes if you have time! Writing your own notes will help you understand better and remember better compared to just reading online notes or someone else's notes.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

New Bullet Journal Setup (2017) // Planning

May 24, 2017 0
I recently re-vamped my bullet journal to make it way more minimalistic and monotonous in a way (if that makes any sense) than the previous messy/all-over-the-place "theme".

To see how my Bullet Journal looked in my first attempt click here!


I kept the first page the same because the sticky note has some ideas for future monthly spreads and the key was already the second attempt - I'll just make my next journal better oh well.




I messed up my 2017 overview page so much I just had to change it up. I made it simple, only added the months that were left of the year, and combined it with my future log because I didn't feel like wasting pages on an element I didn't use much (I'm pretty much jobless till University begins)




I added a new element for when my University begins - Class schedules for each semester. I also kept two blank pages (not shown below) in case I need them for anything college related and want it handy.




Next is my June spread. I decided to make a big calendar since I have an exam around mid-June and want to assign specific studying checkpoints to each day and also want to maintain my blogging and YouTubing schedule. There's also a page dump for the month because sometimes this girl just needs a space for some messy planning to get things in order.
I also have monthly goals and Social Media stats since I want to keep track of the growth of my blogs, Instagram, etc.




This last page is just a place to note down a few recipes for the occasions when I like to cook.




That's all I have for now and I'm hoping to make my journal look way more pleasing now than before. However, I do plan on getting a better quality bullet journal once college begins because honestly, this journal was just lying in my house and it kinda sucks. A lot of normal ink bleeds through sometimes and the pages aren't bound together properly. For now, though, it'll work...


I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Make sure to see my first youtube video above and don't forget to subscribe and all that :)
Happy Planning!

Monday, May 15, 2017

DIY graphic tee // DIY

May 15, 2017 4
This is a quick and mini blog post for those of you who love quick DIYs!

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The first step is to buy T-shirt transfer paper. I got mine on Amazon and you can just look at the types and choose which one you think is great - I don't think there are major differences between different brands though. 
The next step is to make a document with quotes, images, etc. (really anything you would like to have on you t-shirt/shirt) Print the document on the transfer paper and cut out your texts and/or images. Don't forget to flip the images/text if the instructions for your transfer paper say to do so.


Next, it's time to prep your t-shirt. All you need to do it is find it, and then iron it. Afterwards, figure out where you want to position your cut out(s). If you have text, you can use a ruler to make sure the word(s) are lined up. 





Next, follow the directions on the package in which you received to see how you need to iron it. If there aren't clear instructions then take the safe route like I took below and keep a very thin piece of fabric in between your t-shirt and iron just in case.


And that's all you have to do! Just print and iron on!
Disclaimer: depending on the quality of your paper and inkjet printer (usually I've seen that the instructions tell you to use inkjet only) the quality of your overall t-shirt with the graphics may vary. In my experience the quality isn't always as good as store bought t-shirts but it is satisfactory and cheaper than a lot of store bought t-shirts. Also, it is a great DIY if you want a very specific quote or graphic - it makes a great gift too!


Hope you liked this quick and easy DIY!



Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Concrete Jungle // A photography album

April 19, 2017 0
This photography album is something I never thought I would do. I usually like shooting nature, animals. etc. I hate when I can see a telephone pole in a perfect view or anything human-made for that matter. In a nutshell, I love when I can shoot anything without any unnatural elements. However, in this album, I wanted to try something different and push myself out of my comfort zone. The following is a compilation of pictures that do in fact contain man-made structures.

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Concrete Jungle

I wanted to give this album a story line or some kind of order if that makes sense. As you scroll down, you will see the progression of this hypothetical 'Concrete Jungle'. First, the territory is established (the first picture) and then gradually the destruction advances to bridges and buildings. 
It's sad to think that this album is just a dramatized depiction of the actual world when in fact this is almost as true as the reality. Construction and human activities have already taken so much from wildlife and still are. Habitats are being destroyed every day and species are being lost forever at a faster rate than ever. The pictures below have been edited or have had some kind of effect used on them so as to make them fit in the theme, however, if destruction of nature continues to happen faster and faster every day, then it won't be long till we won't be required to apply effects for pictures to look like the ones below.
This self-designed project was a good change for me and I really hope you see the story the way I see it and that my pictures are able to narrate the story to you.






 




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FYI

Picture 1: Flag of Pratapgad Fort in Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, India
Picture 2: Near Lingmala Waterfall in Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, India
Picture 3: Construction happening at a local school in my area
Picture 4 and Picture 5: Buildings near my area