#retroanime

Now it’s October, it’s officially the season of Autumn!
Time for fall leaves, pumpkin spice latte, cinnamon-flavored bakes, hot coffee/espresso, sweater weather, ankle boots, and the list goes on. There’s something special and endearing about autumn that just makes my heart tender whenever the month came. The chilly breeze passing through my hair as I stroll down the sidewalk with my hot chocolate. Or I’m just too excited to have the chance to wear legging again. I imagine autumn as a period when you experience your first love crush (it’s because I had my first crush around that time lol). There’s something mysterious yet sweet about that late summer and starting fall time. And if you’re lucky, where you lived might even have rains. At those nights, I like to take a deep breath and prepare myself for a chilling night in my calming bedroom. 

Keep scrolling to see what I like to do on a typical autumn day, and how I prepare myself for this season. :)

Explore new music playlist.
What’s more exciting than using this time to add more new songs, artists, albums, etc. to your music library? Lately, I been enjoy listening to a genre called “Lofipop” or “Lofi hip-hop” on YouTube and Spotify. Lofipop is basically esthetic recorded music with contemporary instruments sound. In other words, this is the new minimalistic music.

Build a new closet.
I don’t mean by grabbing a hammer and nails and smash down a wall. But a purge to your clothes might be necessary. Don’t lie to me, but there must at least 1 piece of clothing where you bought and think you going to wear it someday, but never did or will. So, you know what? It’s time to put that in a donation or give it away. When it comes to cleaning out your closet, I actually have a concrete method on how to actually clean your closet so I will share more with you in a post in the future!

Learn a new recipe.
If somehow you procrastinated through your summer months that delicious pasta recipe you saw on Tastemade or Pinterest, then you know this is the time to get down into your kitchen, throw on an apron, and start cooking. Perhaps this is just a new simple healthy smoothie or salad recipe, but trust me, pinning up a new dish will always boost up your game in the kitchen. Speaking of healthy, I have recently been loving making this organic raw bar from Aime Song. It’s easy, fast, convenient, and delicious so why not give it a try! Her sweet potatoes,popcorn broccoli, and choco. balls are also a must!  

Get a new bed sheet.
I know this one is very specific but believe me, shifting deco. theme between a colorful summer to a brick-red autumn is the most obvious transformation. Which is why with those who love this season will even change all their household items to fall-related design. From curtain drapes to pillows, you name it all. However, some might don’t have the accessibility or commitment to do an entire house makeover, especially if you’re a college student living in a dorm or apartment. So, simply changing your bed sheet will do just the same effect. Your bed is the main accent piece in the room, so by switching a new design set will instantly change the mood.

Clean out your vanity.
I promise this is the last cleaning thing I suggest. Beside your bed, your vanity is the second spot you spent most your time at. Even though you sit there almost every day to get ready, but you never know how much dust it accumulated. So, use this time and take down all your skincare, makeup, perfumes, and hair products, and swipe all those bacteria. Remember to take out the hair from your comb because the more you leave it in, the more chance you’re letting in dandruff. Also, check your expired dates from all your products and throw away if it’s already too much to keep. I know it’s unbearable, but do you really want to use that foundation that already changed its color?

Start a bullet journal/planner.
School might already start but it never too late to start an agenda for all your upcoming tasks and events. Upon the things in this list, this is my most important yet. If you never know or try bullet journaling (even though you should) because it looks intimidating or you think you don’t have that artistic skill. But really BJ-ing is based on how you like to put your memories down in words, pictures, and drawings. Hence, washi tapes, markers, brush pen are there to help you highlight things better. And if that still overwhelming, then you can start out with a weekly/monthly planner. With this, you only write down the tasks and due dates. Until you comfortable with marking things down, a planner should be enough in helping you checking off your life. 

▪︎ A basic for all beginners: Leuchtturm 1917 Medium

▪︎ Mini-size to put in your bag/purse: Moleskine pocket

▪︎ Dotted notebook: Scribbles That Matter Dotted Journal Notebook Diary A5, Black Moon A5 Notebook

(some influencers that really inspired me are @yukikosakamura,@amandarachlee, @annele, @christinemylinh) 

Plan out a detox plan.
Fall season means Thanksgiving is also coming (not to mention Christmas after this), so you know you will be eating all sort of things at your family and friends’ dinners. For me personally, I tend to gain the most weight around this period. Hence, starting out and actually commit to a detox eating habit will really do me well until the turkey season. But don’t go overboard and starve yourself and make sure you understand what detox means to you and what diet plan is the best for your body. My advice for a general plan is to drink more water, eat more fruits, and get enough sleep.

Binge a new show on Netflix/Hulu.
This might seem out the expectation, but I know you really need that me-time. Since it will be chilly outside or even cold in some places, there’s nothing better than snug in your bed, wrap around that cozy blanket, and press play on a show. Currently, I’m loving Bates Motel on Netflix, what about you? 

PS: You can see that loveeee crime and thrillers but also classic lol. I will soon do a review for all the shows that loved. 

Saving up.
Probably I just reality-hit you, but you know that you needed someone to tell you this, so you’re welcome haha. As mentioned, Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming so there’s no surprise that you will need to plan out gifts for the loved ones. Which means, planning out your budget and cutting down your spending will be a great time to do so. Well, it easier said than done, but we have to start somewhere you agree?

Makes new relationships. 
I like to put this last thing as meeting new people and creating new social networks as a reminder that fall might seem like an ending to your perfect summer but it’s also a beginning in creating a new relationship. And with school just started, what’s better than using this as an opportunity? For those who more of an introvert, make a call to a distant friend and/or cousin can also be an option. But most importantly, bonding with your parents and relatives are what’s really sentimental. If you’re studying away from home, try to call home more often or extend that conversation with your parents, etc. If you still living with them, get out of your room and join in dinner. Then help them do some house chores. It might look awkward at first, but just by one week, everything will be as natural as it can be.

So, there is it! My ten things to accomplish during this season. I probably missed out many more things but to me, these bullet points are what really stand out. For those in school, I hope you started out a fresh semester and not try to procrastinate yet lol. And if you in something different, I wish you the best in your goals! Good luck!