Stephanie Rhesa

A digital compilation of my written work and budding travel photography. 

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Title:  14 Signs You’re Used To Being Broke AF

Published: November 17, 2015 - University Primetime

As a college student, your bank account balance typically hovers somewhere between ‘I can almost feed myself for three days’ and ‘broke af’. Scraping by with no money is an art form. It comes quite naturally to students, simply because we’ve never known anything else but the money struggle. Here are 14 habits that prove you’ve got the no-money game on lock:

14. You can make a 10-pack of ramen and a bag of microwaveable vegetables last for a week as meals. After experiencing that, fancy restaurants are never going to be your thing.

Read the full article on University Primetime.

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Title: 7 Things Holding You Back From The Life You Want

Published: October 14, 2015 - Unwritten

Do you remember Miley’s “7 Things”? She wrote the song on the sly about her ex-bae Nick Jonas, but everybody knew exactly who she was talking about. We all have a personal version of that song. More than likely it’s about your ex, but sometimes, it’s about ourselves. There are things that we love about our lives and there are things that we hate. For an inexplicable reason, the things we hate tend to overshadow the things we love and that mindset keeps us tied down to a place we don’t want to be. We all have obstacles that we have to face, but here are 7 things you’ve probably let hold you back in the past and it needs to stop:

At some point, we’ve all declared that “we want more out of life” or that “we want to be better than this”. We all know what it’s like to be stuck in a rut. You aren’t quite sure how to go forward and going backwards is not an option. The sad part is that a lot of us will stay in life limbo. We may try once or twice, but as soon as the struggle gets a little uncomfortable – we pull back and say, “I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

Read the full article on Unwritten.

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Title: 10 Thoughts You’ve Had While Lusting After Your Hot TA

Published: October 13, 2015 - University Primetime

Hot TA’s are the cornerstone of college fantasies, but in general, they’re hard to come by. You are one of the lucky ones if you discover that your professor’s teaching assistant is a nine on the hottie scale. Dirty thoughts are no stranger to college students, but having them about your instructor can be motivating or incredibly distracting. If you’ve ever had a smoking hot TA, you’ve probably had one of the following thoughts:

10. I would gladly do extra credit work if it means I get to do it with him.

9. This low-cut dress isn’t slutty. The push-up bra I’m wearing is just necessary for this outfit.

Read the full article on University Primetime.

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Title: The Cocktail Diet: How To Keep Drinking Without Gaining A Booze Belly

Published: October 2, 2015 - Unwritten

When you’re out partying, you aren’t really thinking about the sugar content of your favoritecocktail. The party life is good fun, but things get a bit interesting when our club dresses start fitting a little tighter, and it’s a little alarming when those high-waisted sequined shorts (the ones that made our butt look as perky as a 12-year old gymnast’s) don’t fit anymore.

If you weren’t aware, cocktails have a lot of sugar. Even worse, those pitchers of beer that you’re chugging at football tailgates are full of sugar and carbs. But don’t fret. You’re not going to have to give up drinking altogether to get back into that LBD…but you’ll have to give up a few of those favorite cocktails.

Here are some healthier (and low-sugar) alternatives that let you have all the fun without all the weight gain:

Get spirit-ual. Best way to avoid excess sugar is to drink plain spirits. All the class favorites are welcome at this party – whisky, rum, vodka, and gin. As long as your poison of choice is over 80-proof, then all of the sugars and carbohydrates are eliminated in the distilling process. You get all the fun without the waist-expanding side effects.

Read the full article on Unwritten.

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Title: 7 Profile Picture Rules To Make Your Facebook Flawless

Published: September 29, 2015 - Unwritten

Facebook has been around for about twelve years, and yet people still don’t understand the rules of the ideal profile picture. I’m proud to say that I’ve yet to take a bathroom mirror selfie, but I can slowly feel my resolve weakening. The selfie game of my friends is getting stronger with age, so it’s time for me to make a comeback.

I’m not going to sugarcoat this: choosing a profile picture is hard f*cking work. This is serious business, and if you’re not prepared to fully evaluate yourself in a photograph, then you might as well upload a crappy jpeg of a Pokemon character that you “relate” to on a personal level.

If you want to hit Taylor-Swift-level in terms of likes, then listen up. I’ve got seven easy to follow, critical rules that you need to successfully select your new profile picture:

Your eyebrows need to be on fleek and your makeup game must be strong. Honey, your face better be on level with red carpet Beyonce, and throw some Lily Collins eyebrow-magic for good measure. This is a profile picture. This picture is the first thing everyone sees. It’s also linked to your Tinder account, so for the love of ‘Netflix and Chill,’ choose wisely.

Read the full article on Unwritten.

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Title:  Why Netflix And Chill Is The Latest Excuse For A Booty Call

Published: September 24, 2015 - Unwritten

These days, I find myself hesitant to invite anyone over for a Netflix binge-watch.

At the dawn of TV-streaming, inviting people over for a Netflix marathon implied three things: (1) let’s watch as many episodes of this show as we can before our brain turns to mush, (2) we’re going to eat every unhealthy snack on the face of the planet because mushy brains should always be accompanied by a junk food coma, and (3) pajamas are part of the dress code.

But not anymore.

Now that the ‘Netflix and Chill’ phenomenon has taken root in mainstream dating, I’m afraid to ask my guy friends to come over and watch Netflix with me, lest they misinterpret my intentions. To be honest, I’m kinda pissed off about this development. Now I feel like I need to get gussied up for a Netflix marathon when the whole point of a Netflix marathon is that you can feel lazy, be as ugly as you want, and never be judged for it.

Read the full article at Unwritten.

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Title: Why Feeling Insecure About Lack of Experience Is Bullsh*t

Published: September 22, 2015 - Unwritten

For a long time, my milkshake didn’t bring any boys to my yard.

When I say a long time, I mean that I didn’t become romantically involved until college. When most of my friends fell into relationships, I sort of just wondered what it would be like. It was a little weird when we were all together because I couldn’t relate to the sleepover gossip they had about their boyfriends. I’ll admit, it made me feel lonely sometimes.

Though it sucked back then, I’m happy I started dating when I did because emotionally, it was simply the right time for me. I will be the first to admit that I’m a child at heart, so it took a while for me to come to terms with the idea that someone could “like me like me.” You can probably imagine the struggle I had believing that someone wanted me physically.

After all the hoopla of first dates, first kisses, first times, first breakups, and those awful fade to black relationships (you know, the ones that end because you just lost interest in one another), I should feel prepared to get my flirt on and woo the pants off any prime male specimen.

You’d think that would be the case, right? Well, it’s not.

Read the full article on Unwritten. 

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Title: The Truth Behind Why Humor Is The Most Attractive Quality A Guy Can Have

Published: September 17, 2015 - Unwritten

On any given dating app or site, GSOH (great sense of humor) is ranked as one of the top attributes a potential match can have. Years of dating experience has proven thatwomen prefer the funny dudes, but now there’s actual scientific evidence to back these claims. According to a study by the Stanford University School of Medicine, women have a hardwired attraction to funny guys. There are many explanations about why making a woman laugh is important to the development of a relationship, but it all comes down to these few simple things:

1. A shared sense of humor is important to a relationship. If she’s constantly offended by your jokes and doesn’t even crack a smile when you tell her a funny story, then your relationship is a ticking time bomb. Laughing together is so important. What kind of relationship would it be if there was no sense of camaraderie? Having a shared sense of humor is like speaking the same language. It showcases a common point of interest for both of you.

Read the full article on Unwritten.

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Title: 12 Amy Schumer Quotes That Should Be Motivational Posters

Published: September 16, 2015 - BuzzFeed

“I can catch a dick whenever I want to.”

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Title:  I Left A Home To Return Home

Published: September 15, 2015 - The Girl Adrift

Leaving Australia was probably the most detached, but painful thing I’ve ever done. It didn’t really hit me until about two weeks after I arrived home. I didn’t actually, completely and totally realize that Australia was gone until I found myself knee-deep in job applications and crying because an errant thought of, “I think I’ll order Thai tonight” crossed my mind.

My house in Melbourne was literally next door to an amazing Thai restaurant. My house in Arizona is close to a park and an Albertson’s. Not exactly the same thing. I just–I knew I’d never be going back there, but I didn’t really feel it until I realized that I no longer had constant access to delicious green curry with chicken and jasmine rice.

Stupid, right?

Read the full blog post on The Girl Adrift.

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Title: Overcome With Emotion: 7 Thoughts I Had While Visiting The 9/11 Memorial

Published: September 11, 2015 - Elite Daily

In 2001, being different became synonymous with being suspicious.

Millennials were raised in an America splintered by anguish. For a long time, I never grasped the reality of the terrorist attacks. At 10 years old, I couldn’t completely comprehend death.

I watched the same footage as everyone else. I saw the burning buildings on “Breaking News” bulletins.

I listened as teachers talked about rescue efforts and how terrorism would impact the way our country functioned. I was privy to snippets of President Bush’s declaration of war against those responsible.

I still didn’t really understand.

Read the full article on Elite Daily. 

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Title: If Cocktails Were Hookups

Published: September 11, 2015 - BuzzFeed

This dude is the poli-sci and pre-med double major that doesn’t want to commit to a relationship, but insists on being a great flirt, fun to talk to, and has a promising future. 

He won’t screw you over until you’re emotionally invested and then he’ll let you down gently because he needs to focus on his career. 

*eyeroll*

You’ll probably see him two days later with a new chick on his arm.

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Title:  17 Things That Harry Potter Fans Still Aren’t Over

Published: September 9, 2015 - BuzzFeed

3. The Ginny Dilemma

Book!Ginny was an unrepentant, mischievous badass. Movie!Ginny was a mousy, love-stupid half wit. Everything about her amazing character was erased.

Where was her fire? Where was the hard-won confidence that she gained from being possessed by You-Know-Who? Why was she depicted as some lowly woman that was ashamed of the fact that she dated other boys before Harry? I fully believe that Ginevra Weasley is a hardcore feminist and she wasn’t about to put up with any of Harry’s unnecessary man-pain.

Don’t even get me started on the scene where she tied Harry’s shoelaces.

Read the full article on BuzzFeed.

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Title: Life Lessons From Ryan Reynold’s ‘Deadpool’ Trailer

Published: September 9, 2015 - Fangirlish

In the past year, Teen Wolf made the term ‘deadpool’ a taboo. Fortunately for Teen Wolf fans, the Marvel comic character Deadpool is much less of a list and more of a bad-ass, dehumanized Wade Wilson dressed in stretchy fabric. In 2016, the Marvel classic will be brought to the silver screen with leading man Ryan Reynolds’ portraying Deadpool.

Ryan Reynolds does the superhero thing again, but this time, it’s better. 

Reynold’s previous foray into the world of super powers was his disastrous run as DC’s Green Lantern (2011). Ultimately, the movie tanked for many reasons: terrible scripting, lack of chemistry, and suffered from the Achilles heel of all action adventure movies–too much CGI and animation.

Deadpool (2016) is a Marvel classic featuring a man willing to do whatever it takes to survive. With an indestructible sense of humor and a serious case of badassery, Deadpool takes life to the next level. Here are ten things that Deadpool’s DGAF attitude can teach us about life.

Read the full article on Fangirlish.

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Title: 12 Signs You’re In Love With A Fictional Character

Published: September 9, 2015 - Let’s Get Book Faced

“(2) As you near the end of the book, the more you panic. You don’t want it to be over. HOW CAN THERE ONLY BE 80 PAGES LEFT?”

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Title: 9 Things That Make Book Lovers Rage

Published: September 1, 2015 - Let’s Get Book Faced

(7) Endless cliches. There is little worse than picking up a book and being faced with an angst-ridden, unknowingly beautiful girl that suffers from a plethora of first-world problems and self-absorbed misery. Cliches stopped being cute a long time ago.

Read the full article on Let’s Get Book Faced.

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Title: Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Published: August 19, 2015 - The Book Junkie

“Perkins writes characters that feel like real people. They make mistakes. They swear. They skip class, forget homework assignments, struggle with defining themselves as individuals in a foreign environment–and most of all, their personalities separate each character and allow the reader to connect with each person...”

There’s no uplifting of the virgin above the masses. There’s no ridiculous commentary about the fact that Anna hadn’t had sex before. There was no implicit “I need to be in love to get jiggy with someone” subtext.

Read the full book review on The Book Junkie.

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