Saudade + Little Updates

Hello, friend!

I've been listening to one song on repeat for the past couple of days since I discovered it.

Saudade, by Us the Duo. 

Saudade is a Portuguese term that is hard to translate to English. However, I've done some research and this is what I've collected:

a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia

the love that remains

a deep emotional state of melancholic longing for a person or thing that is absent

Not only is this word amazing, but the song is also. If you like this kind of sappy stuff then give it a listen :). 

Here's a quick update on my life-- 

I have been trying to apply for scholarships for studying abroad this summer, which has kept me away from blogging. I'm planning on studying abroad in Tianjin, and it's so expensive! I have talked to multiple people who thoroughly enjoyed their study abroad experiences in other countries, though, so I am confident that it will be worth it.

Five days ago, I turned 19. Say whaaaat?! Even though I just turned 19, I'm like woahh that means that there is only one more year until I am 20(which sounds way older than 19?). I went out to eat with some of my friends at a dim sum restaurant, and felt so encouraged that entire day. So far, being 19 has been good, and I'm excited for the rest of this year.

That's really all I have for now! Hope you have a happy Tuesday. 

Joy :) 

January Faves

Hello, friend!

January is now far behind us, and I thought it might be fun to share with you guys some of the things that I loved last month, like food, entertainment, etc! These blog posts are fun because then you get a lot of ideas about what to do differently or add to your routine in the next month.

Watch/Listen:

1. RKCB
RKCB is a small group that does indie/EDM type music, and I have been loving the songs, "Open Arms," "Daydreaming," and "Restless". They just do a great job at making music that is relaxing and nostalgic sounding, but at the same time extremely modern and catchy.

2. La La Land
Okay, this is a given because of my last blog post, but I have been loving the soundtrack. Enough said.

3. John Lusk- Increase Our Faith
This video series on Dtoday.tv is great! John Lusk made a series of 8 videos that contain great scriptures from the bible and fantastic stories about how God has strengthened his faith and thousands of others. He also gives you practicals that you can really think about for a while and discover more about yourself and your own faith as you watch the videos. 10/10 recommend!

Apps:

1. Glitche
This is one of the coolest photo effect apps that I've ever seen! It doesn't really have filters, it just has a different range of effects that can make your pictures look like there's been a glitch in them.
Here are some photos that I've taken and edited on Glitche:

2. SleepCycle
I honestly have loved this app for like 5 years(I've had it since it was free), and I do believe that it has helped me to get more sleep, especially in this past month! This app is basically a smart alarm clock that has a sound and vibration sensor to monitor your sleep. It can tell you when you were in the most deep sleep and the closest to awake, and wakes you up in a time gap between 10-90 minutes before the time that you set your alarm to. I normally have my alarm on 10 minutes gap during school days and 30 minutes(recommended) gap during the weekends. This is because if you are in a deep sleep, and you enter your "time gap," (the amount of optional time you set before your alarm), it will wait a little later until you are out of your deep sleep cycle and then set the alarm off. It records it all into a graph and then tell you how long you were in bed for, your sleep quality, average time sleeping for the month or week, etc. This app helps me to see my trends in my sleep, and the alarm sounds are also extremely calming to wake up to, versus a typical clock alarm.

Food:

1. Fresh berries
This might sound SOO boring and you might be thinking,"Joy what the heck everyone has fruit," but there's something special about having them in the winter that makes them so much more enjoyable(probably because it reminds me of summer). I normally take a bag of blueberries and bring them to my first hour class and eat them, and then after school snack on some blackberries!

2. Basil Pesto, Black Olive and Feta
YAY pesto!! It can literally go on anything. I have recently been making my own paninis at home with pesto, lettuce, cheese, ham, etc and then putting it into the toaster oven at home. It's DELISH! Also, I'll put just pesto and then some parmesan cheese and wallah-- super easy tasty lunch!

Fashion:

1. WithWaikei
I discovered her at the beginning of the month, and she is now my style inspiration. She has her own blog and makes every outfit look so effortless and put-together!! If you want to check her out, this is her blog. 

2. Olivia Jade
Aunt Becky from Full House's daughter inreallife. She's gorgeous(just like Aunt Becky/Lori Loughlin) and her minimalistic attitude about makeup and fashion is right up my alley!! She has a Youtube channel that is growing so quickly, she just has a really down to earth, non bragging personality which I think can be rare in the Youtube fashion community.

3. Morphe
This month I purchased a morphe eyeshadow palette, it's called Fall into Frost. IT'S AMAZING. It has 35 different colors, with one row being matte colors, and the rest cute glittery colors. It's only $22 which is QUITE cheap for 35 extremely pigmented eyeshadows. I feel like since I'm just experimenting with makeup, it's a great palette for a beginning like me! :) However, some beauty gurus like Jaclyn Hill and Zoella rave about this palette as well, and they're certainly not beginners. You can buy it at morphebrushes.com and if you go to Jaclyn Hill's Youtube channel I think she has a discount for the palettes as well.

As I end this blog post, I am going to end it with an idea that I want to focus on in February. I know that I've (more than once), felt incredibly uncomfortable around a person who has hardcore judged another person and assumed their whole life story after meeting them just one time. They say things that are downright rude and unneccessary, but most of all WRONG about the other person and based on zero facts. Recently I had one of these experiences, and I just wanted to focus on the fact that it's not right to judge other people and assume that you know everything about them after just one or even several interactions with them. "Judging a book by it's cover," can also be applied to a person. Obviously, it is very difficult to judge other people; we judge EVERYTHING every time that we're on social media, and this judge mental mindset leaks into our interactions with another. It's important to talk about some more serious topics like these, and I challenge you this month to be less judgmental of others and remember to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Happy February! xx
Joy :)

My Top 20 Songs

Hello, friend!

Since 2016 is coming to a close, I thought that I would make a quick list of 20 of my favorite songs from this year and tell you a little bit about them/why I totally loved them! If you want to listen on Spotify while reading, click here. 

My Top 20 Songs of 2016: 

                                                        1. Take the World // Johnnyswim 

Take the World is a cute folk-like song by a duo, Amanda Sudano and Amber Ramirez. They remind me of Us the Duo, who is a famous vine couple that also sings/performs -- if you like them, I bet you'll enjoy this group as well! This song has a very timeless feel, and is a great morning song to wake up slowly to!

2. Seventeen // Alessia Cara

Alessia Cara has definitely risen to become one of my absolute favorite artists of 2016. Her voice is so powerful! I loved this song of the cheesy reasons- I'm seventeen, this song is about being 17, so why not listen to it? If you're 17 or going to turn 17, I definitely 10/10 highly recommend it!

3. Take me Home // Jess Glynne

This song is sung by the same woman who sang, "Rather Be," that catchy, pop tune that was popular for a month in the summer. She also sings this song, which is really great for just belting out loud when you're driving home alone or even during a rainy day.

4. I'll Show You // Justin Bieber

This song is all about being determined, and I love how Justin is saying that he's a human too, not just some idol, and how even though we get to see a part of his life, it's not ALL of it(the good, the bad, etc). I think all too often we think that we know everything about our "favorite celebrity," whether it be someone on our favorite television show or another musician/artist, and I think that this is a good reminder that celebrities, are learning and making mistakes through life, just like we are except one is much more publicized and manipulated through media. Besides the message of the song, it also has a great beat. 

5. I Wanna Go // Yuna 

In the early days of summer I discovered this three year old, upbeat, carefree song. Whenever I listen to this I think of the warmth and summertime. This is such a happy song, it's really impossible to be sad and listen to it!

6. 1000x // Jarryd James 

Jarryd James and Broods are such a fantastic combination. Jarryd and Georgia both have such unique voices,  and the two of them joined together to create this powerful, emotional song. The lyrics are pure poetry. 

7. This Girl // Kungs and Cookin' on 3 Burners 

This song literally screams FUN. I don't know what it is, the EDM vibes, the trumpet, the clapping... I recommend listening to this in the car with your friends loudly on a road trip or even if you're just going to Target! (@ Kaylee :) )

8. Ophelia // The Lumineers 

The Lumineers came out this year with this amazing album, "Cleopatra," and I immediately became obsessed with this song from it. The piano really SINGS in this song. The chorus is also such a catchy tune!

9. Into the Wild // LP 

This song's drums combined with Laura Pergolizzi's voice is AMAZING. It's a song that makes you want to go on an adventure, and you can picture yourself doing epic things with this song in the background.

10. Stay // Kygo 

This summer I listened to different DJ's since EDM was gaining popularity, and I really enjoyed it discovering artists like this one! Each one of Kygo's songs are great hits and everyone who I talked to was like "ohh yeah that song!!".  Definitely a summer hit.

11. Heartlines // Broods 

I immediately bought Broods' new album this year and could not stop listening to this song on repeat! Give it a listen!

12. Falling // Opia 

Opia, meaning a "visual disorder," (very creative huh?!) really know what they're doing. They're not very popular yet, but I can definitely see them becoming incredulously famous one day! This song is about falling for a toxic love. The guitar riff in it is really something!

13. Ocean Eyes // Billie Eilish 

I listened to this song with my one of my very best friends, Danielle, when we were at the park across from my house and when summer was coming to and end. This song is the definition of nostalgic. Billie Eilish's voice is literally magical. I wish that she would come out with an album or something! 

14. Got You on my Mind // NF 

When we first moved to Madison, I discovered NF with my brother, and we listened to a couple of his songs. This song in particular has a story. Nate had an extremely difficult childhood to say the least, and his music is raw and honest. He has become famous as well for being a Christian rapper which I think is really cool! 

15. Something To Believe In (Acoustic) // Young the Giant 

First off, the normal version of this is AMAZING, but the acoustic is so clean and it really accentuates the singing, and the lyrics!

16. Nervous // Gavin James 

My good friend Kenneth recommended this to me one night, and it has become one of my all time favorites. The soft acoustic makes it sound like a lullaby almost. This is definitely a beautiful, chill, rainy day song. 

17. Stone // Alessia Cara 

Another rainy day song thy can quickly become one of your favorites. It is about security and safety during change, so I definitely listened to this song a lot after I moved. 

18. Guillotine // Jon Bellion

 I was inspired to listen to this song because of my friend Jen, who absolutely RAVED about Jon Bellion, and I hopped on the train with her to become obsessed with his style of music. Each one of his songs is so different from the other and the beat is great! Please also listen to Simple and Sweet if you have time! :)

19. Art Exhibit // Young the Giant 

I discovered this song from my friend Mariah, and am SO GRATEFUL she started tweeting song recommendations! I feel like our taste in music is somewhat similar and this song was everything I needed this fall. The use of metaphoric language in this song is fantastic. 

20. Final Song // MØ

I heard this song actually in a snapchat and was so curious about it that I looked up the lyrics to this and then found the whole song and before I knew it, I was hooked. I thought this was a good "final song," to end this playlist on. This song picks up speed and has such a great vibe to it-- definitely listen to it when you're in a good mood!

As you can see, I love music. It makes the time pass quickly, it entertains, it is art, and it can convey emotions that are not easily put into words. 

If you are interested, I also make monthly playlists on Spotify except for December because I listen to mostly Christmas music in that month. 

 Thanks for reading! If you have any song recommendations, feel free to comment them!

Have a great week leading up to Christmas!

Joy :)