stationery

I have tagged 3 blog posts with stationery:

Anchors Amidst Chaos: The Unassuming Strength of Essential College Stationery

A messy but organized student desk filled with an array of colorful stationery.
Kaia Thonul, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, 08:22

Wallpaper patterns keep changing just like life. As I sit here riding the train in the gentle chill of a 16°C morning, the frosted breath gently touches the train window, leaving a cloud of sad softness behind. It's the aftermath of a cold wake-up call as I flicked through the pages of VG, reading the turbulent news about President Trump's near encounter, absorbing the chaos that lurks in every corner of this world. Yet among this chaos, I find solace in routine, in the nuances of everyday life. Thus, let us find comfort in the mundane, and today, delve into something as ordinary as essential stationary for college students.

In the ocean of knowledge that is a university, we are but humble sailors, and our weapon of choice to navigate these choppy waters? Stationary. Yes, it may sound trivial, it may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But in days when college life seems overwhelming, it's the ballpoint pen that sets my fears to paper. It's the highlighter that illuminates the path in the jungle of text-heavy books. The heartbreak I wear on my sleeve needs distractions, and I find solace in the embrace of binders and index cards.

First on the parchment of essentials is the classic note-taking counterpart - the pen. Whether it scribbles illegible shorthand in the middle of an intense lecture or my deepest secrets in the darkened solitude of night, it chases away the quietness with its reassuring scratch against paper. It transforms abstract thoughts into concrete words, words that outlive fleeting emotions or complex theories.

Next is the ever-vibrant highlighter, an essential warrior against information overload. It gives a ray of hope on those painfully long, black and white pages, tainting significant points or insights with fluorescent importance. In these dark times, the highlighter, with its neon cheer, forces me to focus on the colorful side of the learning spectrum.

And then we have notebooks. Unlike our digital screens, they stare with a blank expectancy, waiting for stories to be written and thoughts to be born. Whether they carry the burden of academic notes or serve as canvas to my abstract doodles, they give physical form to my train of thoughts that dance around without order.

Then there are the post-it notes, tiny squares of colors whispering into the wind, fluttering at the corner of books, reminding, remembering. Be it deadlines or important points, they serve as the constant remainder, of both academic and emotional priorities.

Lastly, we can't ignore the condiment that seasons the dish of knowledge - the practicality of binders and index cards. They organize, they categorize, they declutter. Much like my currently tangled sentiments, these tools bring order to the chaos, weaving a pattern of understanding in the fabric of information.

Now, I might sound too overpassionate for something as banal as stationery. But ask yourself, isn't that's what we need at times? To find importance in little things? In the mundane? As the world untangles itself from the shroud off the VG incident, I build my fortress of comfort here amid pens, paper, and post-it notes, facing college life with an arsenal that is as mundane as it is essential. Perhaps, and just perhaps, these stationary equipments are more than tools; maybe they are echoes of resilience and persistence, the anchors in this sea of learning — a gentle reminder that we too can make something beautiful, even in heartbreak.

Tags: stationery college essentials Study Tools

Continue reading
 ❧ 

Stationery Essentials: The Must-Haves for Every College Student's Toolkit

A desktop topped with colourful pens, highlighters, stylish notebooks, and a sturdy binder.
Kaia Thonul, Thursday, April 11, 2024, 09:03

Good Morning from a rolling train car, bathed in the soft hues of dawn, somewhere between home and Oslo. Outside, a cool 6°C morning unfolds, its serenity unbroken. I'm blessed to find my mind clear and my spirit satisfied, just the perfect mood to pen down today's blog post. As I leaf through the morning's news, a particular article grabs my attention - a wind turbine incident, in a place close to my heart, Nord-Odal. While it didn't cause any injuries, it sure sparked an undercurrent of thoughts about the structures we build around us, their resilience, and their fault lines.

However, these thoughts will be explored another time, for today I turn my attention toward the must-haves of a college student's life---the essential stationery items. As my fellow students are aware, the allure of fresh stationery is irresistible. Perhaps it's the promise of a clean slate, a new beginning, or perhaps it's just the simple pleasure of owning well-made tools that help you create, learn, and brainstorm.

At the heart of every student's stationery kit lies the notebook. Whether you prefer the no-frills budget variant, an artistically ambitious one, or a classy leather-bound diary, find one that suits your style, and makes you fall in love with note-taking. Keeping your thoughts organized or brainstorming essay ideas becomes so much more enticing when put to paper.

A close second in the hierarchy comes pens. The humble pen, often underrated, can be the silent force driving your successful academic journey. Invest in some good quality ones that won't smudge, leak, or run dry when you least expect them to. Having a few different colors on hand can aid in color-coding your notes, making it easier to recall information.

Thirdly, highlighters. As a student, nothing screams essential louder than a set of highlighters. From color-coding study materials to systematically highlighting key points, these luminescent pens play a crucial role in any study session.

Lastly, don’t overlook the importance of a sturdy folder or binder. We all face a rush of handouts, essays and assignments through university life. A solid organizational system to keep these under control can save a lot of headaches in the long run. Believe me, leafing through piles of disorganized papers while preparing for an exam is a scenario you want to avoid.

Pausing momentarily, I lift my gaze from my laptop screen and glance out of the train window - the world is a blur of frost-covered fields, interspersed with rock and water. It’s calming, this predictable rhythm of movement and progress. Curiously, the satisfaction of equipping oneself with the right tools, such as stationary, shares the same sentiment. It reinforces the notion that, in this constantly shifting academic landscape, some things remain reassuringly constant.

As my train ride jostles me back into reality, I close my notes on this note: While stationery seems rather trivial when we think about the grand spectrum of university life, it is these small details that most often make the journey smoother. Capping my warm mug of tea, I sign off for now, looking forward to another day of academia, another day of stories, another day of living.

Tags: college essentials stationery study tips college life Stationery Essentials Study Habits

Continue reading
 ❧ 

From Stationery to Stories: Unmasking the Might of a Journalist's Tools

Piles of colorful pens, notebooks, newspaper clippings and a laptop with election headlines.
Kaia Thonul, Monday, November 6, 2023, 08:05

Another chilly morning on my commute to the heart of Oslo, but that's typical for this time of year. Snowflakes drift exhaustingly against the cold train windows, too close to teardrops for comfort, while everyone inside is just trying to keep warm. Grief tiptoes around the corners of my heart as I pull out my laptop to write today's blog post; a topic that once brought joy, now only brings memories.

Stationery, the heartbeat of any college student. Not only an essential part of our educational journey, but also a subtle representation of who we are.

The breath of a brand-new notebook, those blank pages begging to be filled with rambling thoughts, dreams, or perhaps lecture notes. It is a fresh start, a new semester captured in between two covers, its pages yet untouched by the inevitable mistakes and unreadable handwriting. It's a silent promise, an unspoken pact between us and our aspirations.

Pens are just as vital. They are our weapons, our tools. They help us manifest our thoughts, ideas, dreams onto the world, even if that world is just a simple piece of paper or the margins of our textbooks. We are lost without them, be it pens that bleed ink like wounded soldiers or those with tips finer than a needle's edge.

Highlighters are the unsung heroes of the stationery family. Adding colour to our monotonous lecture notes, they create subtle emphasis that draws the wandering mind back to the essence, back to what's important. Oh, how we neglect their importance until we are adrift in a sea of text.

Pocketsize post-its, sitting in our backpacks like ignorable whispers, only find themselves sticking out from textbooks, marking significant sections. They are like breadcrumbs for the academic Hansel and Gretel, guiding us though the maze-like forest of knowledge.

Reading about the recent US Presidential election in the Aftenposten this morning, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. It is heartbreaking to see the allegations and controversies making headlines. The whole world is in turmoil. The debates about mail-in voting, the unfounded claims of fraud, and declaring victory before final results - it all feels so unfair, so unjust. It's a dark reminder of the fragility of democracy, even in the so-called 'Land of the Free.'

If there's a lesson we, as future reporters and journalists, can extract from this situation, it's the importance of facts and transparency. Just as our pens, notebooks, highlighters, and sticky notes help us in our pursuit of knowledge, truth, and clarity, we must remember our roles and responsibilities.

In our hands, the stationery turns into instruments of change. They transform from mere objects to catalysts, driving us towards our objectives. We wade through oceans of information, pick apart the facts, and piece together a narrative. This isn't just about stationery in our backpacks; it's about principles in our hearts.

The train pulls into Oslo, the morning's sorrow temporarily set aside, tucked away into the backpack with the rest of my stationery. Classes await. It's time to face another day, armed with pens, notebooks, and a determination to uncover the truth - for isn't that what we aspiring journalists are studying to do?

Tags: student life stationery college life journalism

Continue reading
 ❧