spare diary note pages

Whilst decluttering my room, I found some old diaries I used a few years back. I came across this one:

And I remember it being well-loved and also well used. I also remember loving the illustrations and the paper quality! It was bought during my month-long holiday to Hong Kong in the summer of 2009 and it was only about $10 (HK dollars), which equates to less than a British pound. Yep, you heard right; and I'm not lying to you! This low price of stationery honestly makes me consider moving to Hong Kong sometime in my life.

Before I state the point of this post, let me just show you a week spread from my first year at uni (before I reverted to a Filofax!).

Within this diary, there were a lot of blank pages for note-taking. A lot of these pages weren't used so I decided to rip them out and trim them down to size. After doing that, I hole punched them so that they will fit into my Filofax. Here are a few photos showing some of the pages.

Some pages, pre-lined:

Check out the lovely illustration shown in the next picture:

And more illustrated pages:

At the back of the diary were pages for addresses and details of friends, family, etc. I also ripped these out and trimmed them down to size. I'm not sure I will ever use them (as I don't really write letters anymore due to the ease of e-mail).

And a close-up of the latter half of the address page:

I'm planning on going to Hong Kong again in a few months time (or maybe even next month) but only if I save up enough through selling on eBay! If I do go, I will definitely be stocking up on cute stationery and maybe even cute diaries which have the potential to have their pages ripped out and punched for use in my Filofax.

Sometimes I wish that Filofax did a cuter range of inserts too. This would also be a decent marketing ploy as it could encourage more teenagers to use the Filofax brand; but also allow it to tap significantly into the East Asian market. Just saying!

my filofax week #16

With the Olympics well underway and being a sports junkie, I've found my week revolving around the sports I'm interested in. This explains why my week has been pretty boring! I'm still applying for jobs at the moment as well as house hunting (as our previous house buy fell through) so it's all a bit stressful but the Olympics is doing a good job of calming me down.

This week has been a case of relaxing. I'm in the process of planning a holiday with my boyfriend which you can see on Wednesday. And on Saturday, you can tell who I was rooting for in the 1500m freestyle final in the Aquatics Centre! 

How has your week been? Have you made any changes to how you've organised your time and to-do list?

Using Your Filofax for University

With my first degree done and dusted, I thought it'd be good to do a post on utilising your Filofax for university. This is aimed mainly at students who are school leavers embarking on a Bachelor's degree (because I have had no experience of being a Master's student or a phD student).

1) Choosing the Size

What you have to consider here are these following questions:

- are you planning on taking your planner everywhere with you?

- what kind of degree are you doing? One with a lot of structure or one without? For instance, I did a science degree and so I had more labs and lectures (and therefore, more structure) than someone I knew who was doing an English Literature degree.

- do you only want to put a planner in your Filofax, or do you want to put in other sheets of information essential to you too?

With all this in mind, you should be able to deduce which size is the best one for you. An A5 is ideal for someone with a lot of appointments or busy days; but it is less portable whereas the personal size is smaller and lighter in size and weight. The personal also has larger page sizes than the pocket and mini but it is also slightly heavier. There is a size guide available on the Filofax website but it might be worth going down to your local Filofax stockist to get a feel for each size.

Credit: Filofax Buyers Guide

Next, you might consider the ring size too. Most personals have 23mm rings but you might opt to just have your diary in the Filofax - and so, a Compact size will offer a larger page size but smaller rings, so it will be lighter.

2) Diary Layout

Options include 'week on two pages', 'week on one page', 'day per page', 'two days per page' as well as monthly and year views too. The most commonly used for university are probably 'week on one page' or 'week on two pages'. Again, what layout you need wil ultimately depend on what you are planning to write into your Filofax and also how busy your days will be.

3) Extra Notepaper

This, of course, is optional. It is well worth considering if you want to lug around some essential information with you; such as course information which you may need from time to time, or local area information if you are moving to an unfamiliar place for university.

4) Card Slots

The number of card slots and also orientation of them may be worth thinking about if you want your Filofax to double as a purse. You will want enough slots for your university ID card (if you have one), your credit or debit card and also any other ones which may accompany you on any trips.

5) Zipped or Unzipped

This will depend on whether or not you will be carrying around loose pieces of paper or not. Also, this is also down to personal preference as some people will be tempted by the allure of a zip but others won't be.

6) Style

This is probably more important for the girls but may also be relevant for fashion conscious guys too!

Colour, leather or non-leather and texture are also something to uhm and ah over. Some models will have more colour options than others; and your budget will also come into this too. Not all of us can afford the Deco but most of us will be able to afford the Domino or the Metropol at the very least (but the latter two are non-leather).


With all this in mind, you should be able to figure out what you need vs what you want. Weigh these up against the organisers you have shortlisted and one should stick out as the one you will love the most! Remember, Philofaxy is a good place to seek advice, and the Adspot page is one definitely worth looking at. Plus, eBay is a very good place to look for bargains too!

I hope this brief guide has been of some use and any questions, feel free to ask as I'm sure that either I, or a reader, will be able to answer it.

july can't live withouts

July was a mixed month for me. Home admin, life admin and basically, just relaxing after the realisation that I had completed a degree. It's hard to believe that I made it this far as I didn't really enjoy my degree subject but with no exams failed and an experience that will set me up for life, I am glad I persevered when the going got tough.

Anyway, here were the four things I couldn't have lived without in July.

1) Revenge, American TV Series.

Watching Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke reek havoc with her plans of revenge in a bid to avenge the death of her wrongly convicted father is fascinating. The plot is good, the script is well written and the acting is a lot better than mediocre. Just what I look for in a TV series.

2) My Kindle.

Although I have only had it for just over two weeks, I have used it every day for hours on end. I love reading and this has finally allowed me to read books that I wouldn't have otherwise bothered with. The fact that it weighs less than a paperback definitely helps! I've read 

3) Fentiman's Ginger Beer

July was a month of mixed weather. Overcast skies, days where the sun scorched the earth and also days where it seemed like it was never going to stop raining. However, throughout all this weather, I found that ginger beer lifted my spirits. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been guzzling it like water, but I've had one a week. When it was rainy and overcast, the ginger beer reminded me of good times in London thus bringing a smile to my face. And when it was sunny, it cooled me down. 

4) Garnier Eye Roll On

Last but not least, this Garnier Roll-on for the eyes. I've not been sleeping well this month; partly due to the heat and partly due to university-withdrawal symptoms! As a result of this, the bags under my eyes appear to have asexually reproduced and caused one massive bag. This roll on seems to help, but it may also be due to the caffeine present in it which is the all-important ingredient! Therefore, I think I know what the solution is: increase my daily caffeine dose!

So this is what I could not have lived without. My Filofax also came in handy; what with my selling on eBay, for recording what jobs I have applied for as well as keeping track of any on-going projects (such as not buying anymore clothes, shoes and handbags; as well as the 101 in 1001 list which is still going strong). Also, my umbrella and Aquascutum mac saw a lot of use this month too, but not enough to make it into this list!

What couldn't you have lived without?