Current Favorites // 009

If I must be honest, last week's current favorites were kinda mehhh. I didn't really have many favorites that week, but to make it up to you guys I have some favorites that I am really into this week and I think you will all like.

Favorite Song

This song! How have I never mentioned this song before. I'm not sure if this is my all time favorite song, but according to my iTunes most played song, it is. I have listened to this song 1,454 times and that is not including the times I have listened to it on my phone. I can't put my finger on it, but there is something about this song that I absolutely love. I also usually like to play piano music when I study as there are no lyrics for me to sing along to, but I can study to this song any day. Call me crazy, but I am sort of glad that this song isn't too well known. I mean I wish MIIA would get more recognition for this amazing song, but I like that it's my own secret song that isn't too mainstream (Elephante did a remix of this song which has over a million views, so if you like a little bit more techno than you can check it out).

Favorite Clothing Item

Okay well I'll admit, it doesn't look that great on the model, in fact it looks kinda "blah," but it's actually quite cute in person. I also prefer shopping online as compared to in-store, so this is like a knife to the heart; now this one shopping excursion has reinstated that by shopping in-store, you can actually try it on and feel the material before making a commitment. (However, more stores nowadays are offering free shipping and free returns which means that online shopping may grow even more) But anyways, this sweater is actually nicely made. Recently, H&M has been upping their game. Something changed; their clothes are much better quality than they were 5 years ago and they are even dabbling in sustainability with their Conscious line. What is sort of unique about this sweater is that it's a mock-neck and the sleeves have that unfinished look. I've never worn a mock-neck, so when I tried it on in store, it felt really odd; but it has grown on me. And what I didn't notice when I bought it was the unfinished sleeves. It has that feel like, once they got the right sleeve length, they just took scissors and cut it. But it doesn't do that annoying pulling thing like if you were actually to take scissors to your sweaters. Let me put it simply, it is finished, but it doesn't look finished (Sort of like the edges of Mansur Gavriel bags). The best part, it was on sale for $10, perfectly in my size!


Favorite App

Now I've been isolating myself and really trying to get myself to be more productive and this app has helped me so much. Tide is awesome because its a take on the pomodoro technique. It basically is set up for you to work in 25 minute intervals and gives you breaks in between. There are many pomodoro apps out there, but this one is really special. First, the interface is very simplistic, fluid, and easy to use (everything that I look for in an app). There is a lot of customization involved in terms of its functionality. You can change the "focus duration," "break time," and "long break time." Enable long breaks if you want (I recommend it) and set the long break frequency. My favorite part? The different modes: Rain, Forest, Muse, Cafe, and Default. Each mode has it's own white noise. Most of them are self-intuitive, but Muse is like soft music and Default is _____. Even better, you can play your own music if you like and even layer the white noise and your own music (which is what I usually do: Dynasty by MIIA + white noise). One more thing I want to mention about this app; there are analytics too. You can see how many focus periods you got through that day, compare them with previous days, and view your best focus. AND, the app is completely free to download. I highly recommend it!


Favorite Snack

Confessional: I've never had a Kind Bar. For one thing, so many of their bars have nuts in them, I would never give them a second glance before. Secondly, my family is very frugal so when they finally went on sale at my local grocery store, we picked them up. I tried the Oat & Honey with Toasted Coconut flavor and they are actually super good (yes, I know coconut is a nut, but I am not allergic to them surprisingly). Recently, I haven't been buying that many granola bars because they are not very healthy despite their claims, but I like Kind's promise for ingredients you can read. Even on sale, they are not the cheapest snack in the aisle, but at least it beats munching on candy the entire day.