Well, I've finally figured out where I'm headed for now. It wasn't much of a choice but one mustn't be picky.

So as I worry about the 4 years of uni life ahead of me, I've been trying to up my productivity level and get more organized. For one thing, after talking to Nic Tong, I've decided to use my gmail account as my default email from now on. I've set the email forwarding system so hopefully I won't lose any mail. With that transition, I've also decided to use gmail for MSN too. So people, remember to accept my add!

Besides the obvious 'Gmail is better than hotmail' arguments, I did it mostly for the syncing factor. To sync Google Calendars with my Microsoft Outlook Calendar. So now that I've decided to use Calendars to get my life sorted, I've also been surfing around for other cool programs. And there are quite a few programs only available to Mac which makes it really tempting to get one.

I've downloaded a few to try them out and it'll take some time to get used to them. Here are the Windows-compatible softwares that I've tried.
It's very review-y but basically I'm trying to get more people to use it! If more people start using these programs, it makes life ALOT easier.

Evernote
It's basically a program that stores random snippets of info (notes, documents, pdf files, images, bookmarked links). You can tag all the information such that you can find them really easily. And of course, if you're like me, you can separate your information into folders (ie. notebooks). The only drawback is that you can't have subfolders. But if the tag system works for you, you're fine!

For now, i've been using it for Fashion Inspiration. I often surf the net, spot some celebrity sporting the most to-die-for handbag or a pretty dress and save the photo in some random folder in my hard drive. Then it takes me forever to find that particular photo to refer to. And more often than not, I forgot ever having saved that photo. NO MORE!!! :D I just created a Fashion notebook where I store all the random inspiration photos, tagged with celebrity name, fashion trend, item, etc. You can even include a pdf file as a note! So I've included the Pantone Fashion Colour Report 2009!

I've also wanted to redecorate my room for quite some time. So I'd been surfing online for nice ideas. Now I've created a 'Decoration Notebook' where I chunk in cute gadgets that I want in my room, colour swatches to consider, etc!

Another really cool thing is the Synchronize. You can sync it to your online account such that you can look through your Evernote Notebooks anywhere you are. Apparently people have been using it to plan family trips with family members. So family members can upload notes and requests of the sightseeing spots they're interested in. Instead of having to mail it to all the family members, just drag and drop it into a note. So when your family members log on, they'll be able to see your notes! Now do you see? So imagine you have a huge project that you have to work on. It'll be SO easy if everybody just has an Evernote account, sync one notebook together and WOAH-LA.

It also syncs with your Microsoft Outlook Calendar which I synced to my Google Calendar. So if I have meeting minutes, I can add them to Evernote too!

Most people have been using it for schoolwork. I'm not sure if I'll venture into that yet, I'll have to make sure I'm totally comfortable with the program. But basically people create different notebooks for different classes. Then they scan in the notes they have, chunk in their personal notes, online references, quotes etc. If you have a tablet, you can just chunk in the lecture notes that you scribbled on your tablet. That way, you'll never have to browse through a thick stack of notes looking for that particular quote! Why?? Because Evernote has a really high quality text recognition program, meaning that it recognizes text from images. So just run a search for the quote and you'll find it!



Here are some other ways that people have used Evernote which are pretty cool!
Takeaway & Delivery menus! Yep, scan or even just photograph your menus & never lose them again. Just think, you can search for whatever you’re in the mood for! :]
Receipts. Wherever you are (again particularly useful if you have iphone) take a photo of any/every receipt and have it all stored & searchable on your evernote.
Collate ALL your emails: If you’ve got 5 different accounts, Evernote is a fantastic way to be able to search all of them from one place. Just find out your evernote email address & auto-forward them on!
Quotes Store: Copy & paste quotes, one liners, jokes whatever! There for whenever the surprise speech is sprung upon you.
Paper notes: Find you’d much rather stick to handwritten notes? Then just keep them to hand at the end of the day - take a photograph of them on your iphone or scan them in & you’ve got a back of each of them…again, easily searchable, for whever you need them.
Recipes: Find an recipe you like in a book, online or wherever - capture it using the many options available to you. The next time someone asks you the recipe for the wonderful dish you just made, or maybe you’re stuck for options while at a friends place - guess who has the perfect recipe to hand? :]
Train & Bus Schedules: Take a photo or add a pdf of the schedule to your evernote and it’s there whenever the time calls.
Login/Password: Do you sign up for a lot of online accounts/services/softwares? Keep track of your Login IDs, passwords, account numbers, etc. all in a notebook! Just make sure you don't sync this notebook online!
To-Do Lists: Keep track of the never-ending list of work you have to do!
Credits: http://www.inquisitr.com/2179/evernote-why-it-will-make-it-20-awesome-ways-to-use-it/
http://blog.crankingwidgets.com/2008/07/16/how-to-use-evernote/

And for those with IPhone... yes Evernote is IPhone compatible too!

OneNote
This program is supposedly very similar to EverNote. I never realized that I actually owned it so I gave it a try. One advantage that it has, is the ability to create Categories within Notebooks and Pages within Categories and subPages within Pages. And for the folder-lover in me, it totally rocks. For the tag lovers, they have tags too! Of course, if you have random notes, they have a separate place for unfiled notes. The text recognition is even better than Evernote supposedly because you can copy paste the text into other areas whereas for Evernote, its restricted. Inking is also possible on OneNote and not on Evernote. Lastly, text editting capabilities are way better on OneNote, almost similar to Word Doc capabilities. It's good for studying too. If you're like me and your notes are in pointform with outlines, you can choose to collapse or expand the outline depending on whether you want to study the most important concepts or the details. Cool right?

Here's a look at the interface. This is the old version. The 2007 version looks WAY cooler and nicer but i thought this online screenshot was cool because it showed how you could use inking to annotate diagrams and notes. A tablet and OneNote is really all you need for mugging! For Evernote, you can't integrate both inking and text together. Your note has to be either ink or text.


So why am I sticking to Evernote? I'm not sure really. I just get the feeling that OneNote's awesomeness should be used for really hardcore stuff like lecture notes, assignments, etc where categorizing is probably more important. For inspirational use, Evernote is better for trashing random bits of info that you can search through tagging. So until uni starts, I'll be sticking to Evernote. Also, for its potential to be reached, you need your friends to use OneNote as well. And since it's not freeware, it might be difficult for your friends to get it too so you can't sync notebooks together.

If you're not keen on the other features and just want a program to help you sort out your uni life, here's a school-specific program!

Campus Productivity Kit
I have to admit, the interface isn't as nice as Evernote and not as user-friendly. Perhaps I'm just not used to it. But it does have very nice features. Take a look below! The organizing of lecture notes is probably more structured than Evernote.


Apparently Mac has a better software for it, Schoolhouse 2. If you're a Mac user, go to the following site to see a list of Mac softwares for students!
http://www.gearfire.net/free-mac-student-software-arsenal/

Why do I sound like a saleswoman? That's because I really want you guys to use it! With more people using it, the more we can sync our notebooks to each other and share random tidbits together!