self care & chill

22, she/her. Here to talk about my latest findings and observations about study aids and tips. Trying to keep myself accountable. 

[eatpussypraylove]

The life hack is that if you keep consistently doing healthy things even when you feel like shit you’ll eventually feel less like shit on principle alone

[void-milf]

fyi the point of fucking up your data patterns isnt to avoid suspicion. it’s to make EVERYONE suspicious. same logic as the bloc, pals.  protect your comrades, be suspicious. ESPECIALLY if you aren’t doing anything likely to get you arrested.

[void-milf]

the state is less omniscient and significantly more incompetent than you’d think. overextend their resources at every possible opportunity.  make them cry wolf repeatedly. run their data analysis agents fucking ragged.  and strike. attack.

[37womenwieldingknives]

YES i’m a postgrad statistics researcher and i can tell you that the state honestly has NO IDEA what to do with the data it collects, it has an obsession with big data but it’s almost impossible to work with in practice. the traditional statistical approaches that are used can’t be scaled up, the adapted approaches are substantially weakened, and the machine learning approaches have the same problems and often tell them nothing. data scientists are only just coming around to these issues too, most still just push on with it anyway - incompetence is the word. above all this though, like you say, the biggest issue for the state is at the point of data collection. they will NEVER get anything useful if they’re collecting shitty messy data. they will eventually figure out that the real solution is working how to collect accurate and meaningful data, we should make it as difficult as possible for them to do that

[afraidofamericans]

This makes me think that we need WAAAY more apps that generate junk data

[queeranarchism]

Apps that generate junk data? tell me moooore.

[anarchopuppy]

Ooh I know this one!

Ad Nauseum is an adblocker that stores the ads it blocks and continuously generates fake clicks, fucking with analytics and costing the ad companies money

TrackMeNot automatically does randomly generated searches on a variety of search engines to obscure your real searches and fuck with analytics, and you can set it up to work with anything that has a search bar (including facebook, twitter, amazon, youtube, etc)

WhatCampaign replaces analytics parameters in links with the string “FuckOff”. I thought there was a similar extension that used random strings, but I can’t seem to find it

Privacy Possum is a fork of Privacy Badger with a focus on costing tracking companies as much money as possible, and idk if my limited tech knowledge is enough to understand what it does but the description does say it falsifies some data so that’s good enough for me

@afraidofamericans

[mayflower-gal]

Boy it SURE would be a SHAME if this were SPREAD AROUND for everyone TO SEE

[13eyond13]

We don’t deserve L’s sexy-ass English dub voice but I sure am glad we got it

[mexisco]

GUYS? Martin Scorsese’s daughter Francesca told him about Goncharov and he said he made that film years ago I’m fucking crying.

[promodoro]

2018: my favourite productivity apps, blogs and podcasts

I came across a lot of these through other people's recommendations and I figured I should do one too! So here are some of the things that helped me keep going on -

Podcasts

Happier with Gretchen Rubin - Very small, doable and realistic "happiness hacks" and tips, and no boring, grand speeches about being "successful", just little tips on how to be happier. Do take the Four Tendencies quiz if you can or check out her book "Better than Before."

Personal Best - While the tips might not necessarily be doable for all, it really does bring home the reality of real people trying to change persistent habits. At least you will know there are others like you :D

How to Fail - Important stories that not only assure you many have failed, but also that there is always a way to bounce back.

Blogs

Zenhabits - Listen, I know everyone knows about this but Leo really knows how to calm down and connect with yourself.

James Clear - His book came out this year too but I would definitely recommend going through some of his articles about habits for someone trying to make their new year resolutions last.

Gretchen Rubin - I mentioned her podcast before but subscribe to her daily quotes newsletter where she sends out insightful quotes daily, some thing I as a quote collector, really appreciate.

Anna Akana - Okay not like a 'blog' blog but a YouTuber but this was definitely a very inspiring video, as well as this.

YogabyAdriene - Free yoga videos on YouTube that help you relax, work up sweat and loosen up. So glad I found this.

Apps

Forest - Hands down my favourite pomodoro all. You definitely don't want to kill the trees. Really helped me focus.

Night Shift - Made a huge difference, refused the strain on my eyes.

AppBlock - Did my personal Digital Detox with the help of this app. If you don't trust yourself, either lock your profile or turn on the Strict Mode.

Castbox - All my favourite podcasts are here for free! A gift.

Calm - I really got into meditation this year and both Calm and InsightTimer were incredibly helpful.

And these are all I can think of rn! Do add if you can think of any :)

[promodoro]

things I did in 2018 that made me happy

changed my mindset towards studying

started reading books again (for fun!) after years

put so much effort into figuring out ways to better myself

did some expensive commissions!

gave myself time to recover when I faltered

started exercising regularly

wrote a poem which got published by one of my favourite websites

didn't give up trying

[promodoro]

get a bullet journal

seriously. it's the one thing that helped me get out of my latest rut and also helped me in actually figuring out how much time I was wasting. having set goals and tasks written down in a diary helped me push and not waste time on my phone. having a habit tracker not only reminds me to do stuff but also makes me reluctant to break the chain. it helps, it really does

[promodoro]

I spent a long time trying to impress someone who was never satisfied. Took me some time to realize that it was their problem, not mine :)

[promodoro]

here is something that I learned to be proud of recently - when I am in a slump or a rut or a really bad phase, I struggle. I read articles about what I can do to do and feel better, I try to wake up early, I try to get proper sleep, I eat what I really want to and it might not work instantaneously, but goddammit I struggle and I try to do my best to get out of my slump. So if you have tried sitting down to study even though nothing got through your head, and you tried to exercise even if you gave up in the middle, be proud that at least you still have the strength left to fight back

[wheresmybubble]

Remember to check in with yourself! Journal comic for Inktober day 16.

My book, Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, is out now: http://debbietung.com/books

[promodoro]

reminder that it isn't necessary that things you work on for too long will always come out good. sometimes it's a losing battle and it's okay to quit. and sometimes things you do in a short time come out great because you have nurtured the habit of doing it for a long time :)

[promodoro]

I have come to realize slowly - there is no clean slate. there is no steady graph for progress. you try to change, study more and then one day you wake up late again. but that's the good thing I guess, that nothing really is constant - not your good habits or the bad ones. so the next day you wake up early and go back to doing it all over again.

[promodoro]

Goals for October are to

Stick to my 10-12 Pomodoros a day

Think less and do more

Practise patience and focus on the present

Don't take things others say to heart

[minijournals]

you can do everything right and still feel sad at night

[promodoro]

progress 👏 isn't 👏 linear 👏

[study-like-you-mean-it]

Questions to Ask When You Arrive at University

Where is the nearest place to do laundry?

What is the cheapest way to get laundry done?

Where is the nearest place to get a big grocery shop done?

Where is the nearest place to buy snacks/essentials?

What is the quickest way to/from lectures?

What is the quickest way to/from the library?

Where is the nearest doctor?

How do I register with a local doctor?

What are my compulsory obligations?

What societies can I join and where can I find out more?

Where are the nearest (and cheapest) clubs and bars?

Where is the nearest kitchen to my room?

What appliances am I allowed in my room?

What are the rules for decorating my room?

What exercise can I fit into my study routine?

How can I contact the mental health representatives in the university?

How much stuff can I store in my room/elsewhere in the university over the holidays?

What free events are going on?

Do I have enough time to sleep, do my work, and do extra stuff?

Where is the nearest shopping centre?

What kind of student discounts am I eligible for and where?

What kind of software/printing do I have access for through my institution?

What are the opening and closing times of the libraries that I need?

Who can I rely on in my course to take notes for me if I’m not there?

Where can I buy cheap stationery?

Where are the best local food places?

What kind of excursions/talks/experiences can I negotiate my way into?

Who is teaching me?

How do I contact the people teaching me?

What are the requirements to get certain grades in a class?

How do I contact the students’ union?

Where is the nearest social space (like a common room)?

What does my reading list look like?

If I am studying abroad (or not to be honest), what kind of identification/general documentation do I need to bring with me?

Do I have somewhere I can safely lock away valuables?

Do I have somewhere where I won’t lose my keys?

Where are the nearest showers?

How do I contact my university’s careers service?

What kind of things are available for free during freshers’ week?

What do I need to arrange regarding transport?

What is one thing I should try for the very first time?

[riffatmatinpoetry]

“I might be having some difficulty understanding this subject, but i’m going to be patient, get some clarity on what I’m confused by and I’m going to learn this. After I understand it, I’ll be able to help folks that had the same struggles as me.”

— Affirmation of the day.