Jasminian

Are you new to TOEFL IBT? To give you just a very short introduction, you'll be challenged to read, listen, speak and write. What’s the difference with other TOEFL tests or IELTS? The most significant difference of TOEFL IBT with other tests would be that it is done online, your speaking will be recorded in an amount of time and the test requires you to take notes. Well here’s the thing. Your note taking skills will be very important and will pretty much be your savior. Your notes will not be graded, but it is by creating an effective one, that will help you not only answering the questions but moreover it will help you understand your way of thinking. I am writing these tips based on personal experience and they seem to be quite effective (at least for me). I hope these tips will help you as much as it has helped me. The note taking tips that I’ll write about is for listening, speaking and writing. While taking notes, you will likely be doing it while reading and listening,...

I am forever grateful that I have been given the opportunity to jump in this industry. I guess life will always and always take you towards the things that you focus on and desire. In that I completely believe in. Although there are always ups and downs within the process, but if you really want it, and if you're good enough at it, you'll get it. I've loved art since I can't even remember. I've always known that I wanted to be in the creative industry. I wanted to be a violinist, a stylist, a set decorator, a shrink. It just came naturally. As a child I enjoyed crafting,  painting and traveling. By traveling, it gave me a lot of insights of cultures and people. Which leads me to enjoy different cultures. I find cultures beautiful! Anyway, I think it is important (if you're a parent) to know and explore what is it that your child desire and excel at. And if you look closely, you can actually see it. In high school, my friends wanted to be engineers, account...

To be very frank, I am not that much of a writer and I do love books but I'm not that big of a reader. I used to have this dream job when I was a kid that one day I'll be a novelist and create stories etc. Perhaps I will? Who knows? But as I grew up, it seems that writing has decreased its popularity in my interest LOL. Not to forget the language barrier that I had which might actually play a little bit part of it. But now I kind of like to revisit this old interest of mine. I'm not a poet, I don't create the most mouth-dropping beautiful arrangement of words and clauses, but as I type each and every letter of this post, I feel deliberated. Like an outlet of my thoughts and let it run or fly free. Despite whether anyone reads it, writing is surprisingly therapeutic! According to a research, writing has a significant effect on one's psychological state. I found this one interesting article about 'expressive writing'. So basically it's like a self ther...

Dear reader, Tonight I’m not going to write about anything particular. But I’m just going to sit here and type all these words to you as a friend. Let’s talk and perhaps have some coffee or tea or juice or water or whatever you please, as you keep on reading this post letter by letter. You know it’s really nice having someone to talk to. Not to get any advice or to be criticized but just to be listened to. It’s that simple. So, how’s life? Has it been a little rough? Some of you perhaps might be going through a hard time and maybe dark. Feeling that you’re lost, lonely, feeling stuck, trapped and you think you can’t get out? Let me tell you. You will get through this! Just hang on there and it will soon be over. The word is ‘COURAGE’. Have the courage to keep going on, small steps are okay but you have to keep moving with your life. Even if you’re at your lowest point, once you get through this, you will come out and grow even stronger. Just like those days you thought that yo...

Hey guys, today I'd like to share a little bit of my experience about language barrier. So, as I've mentioned before, I've lived in Belgium for about 7 years, from newborn to toddler and childhood. My parents are Indonesian and they were studying to get their masters degree and that is when I came to the world. At home, my parents would talk to me in Indonesian language, and at the age of 4 months I had to be taken care by a daycare because obviously my mother had to go back to school and that was the only way possible. At daycare they spoke Dutch, so as a toddler I grew up speaking both Dutch and Indonesian language. After 'graduating' from daycare at the age of 3 I went to a preschool (Dutch-speaking). I spoke Dutch basically pretty much every time and mix it with Indonesian language at home. Then 3 months later our family flew back to Indonesia and I went to an Indonesian preschool. The funny thing was that I was still speaking Dutch and I have adapted this ...

Forgiveness is the synchronization of the heart and mind to accept to release resentments and heartaches that once had nested in you. Unleashing it by letting it go with the breeze of the wind and a big smiling heart. Now you have a winner :) Forgiving is healthy and it feels deliberating. So set it free. I came across various websites and found quotes on forgiveness which are very heart warming and open minding. So I thought to share some of my faves with you guys. I hope you like it :)  "Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting." - William Arthur Ward "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." - Louis B. Smedes "Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." - Mark Twain  "Forgiveness is the sweetest  revenge ." - Isaac Friedmann "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." - Mahat...

Launched in 1981,  White Musk remains one of the iconic product of The Body Shop. I am glad they didn't take this one down and I hope they never will. It's funny how I thought it was just flowers and musk, but it turns out that it contains a lot of notes in it. But all together it just smells divine. Hmm... Let's see. I will not really discuss about the notes. So how do we describe White Musk? Yes, it's musky and powdery but it manages to stay right in balance between smelling flowery and animalistic. It's very subtle, it's like your skin scent only better! It's not loud but still gives you the right amount of perfume trail (with a wise amount). Pretty okay for any occasion really. It's very feminine yet sensual in a polite manner, a good lady, but who knows what underneath? ;) It sets up a mellow kind of mood, like lingering on your couch on a Sunday morning with a good book sips of warm chocolate milk and it's breezy outside, a really warm hu...

Yep! I changed the theme and the background! Because well, I started this blog in 2010 or something and I thought the theme looked so old and dull. So yeah I changed it! It's brighter and happier now! Talking about... me, I'm doing my final project right now and I'm so excited! As a proud music maniac I proudly declare that I'm designing a concert hall for my city. Wish me super duper luck! and to you too! I know time flieeees, right? I can't believe college years' almost over! Good years definitely! See you later alligator! xoxo Yasmin

If you're one of those who enjoy the smell confectionery, sweets, warm vanilla, cookies, then this perfume might be something that you want to get a whiff of. Aquolina Pink Sugar is like entering your childhood candy land fair fantasy .You're walking on clouds of spun sugar, everything is interesting and edible, you're riding on candy-made-of attractions. It's tweeny, never serious and way bubbly. The perfume bottle comes in a cylindrical carton tube in the color pink and white. These two colors swirl at the cap. Inside, you get a cylindrical shaped bottle, and it has pink ribbons design all over the the bottle, not to forget the swirl on the cap. Just smelling from the bottle, you can instantly detect that this falls into the gourmand family. On the first spray what I detected was that it smelt prickly and sharp. I don't even know how 'prickly' smells lol, but I think it has to do with the licorice note. You'll smell artificial strawberries, the on...

Happy New Year everyone! Today, let's talk about the iconic DKNY Be Delicious for women. With the top notes of grapefruit, cucumber and magnolia, middle notes of tuberose, rose, liliy-of-the valley, violet, green apple and base notes consisting of amber, woody notes and sandalwood, this green apple shaped bottle is inspired by New York City, so it's why the main note is apple, as in 'the big apple'. DKNY Be Delicious is confident and vibrating. It's like saying 'Apple!' out loud in the middle of NYC. It it really does smell 'apple'. First sprayed on you'll get this loud flowery, citrus and ripe green apple. Later on it tones down to green apple-cucumber and flowers. And after it's apple-cucumber-woody notes. I would say too much sprays of this would be a little overwhelming, so you definitely don't want to bathe in this perfume. With the right amount, it's nice, it fruity, it's happy, sweet apple-y and confident. There is ...