What To Do If You Accidentally Press The Send Button

We have an overcast sky here and the rain just stopped. It’s so cozy and I don’t want to do anything today. But I got this crazy idea for a blog post and it cannot wait a day more.

Has your thumb ever had its own consciousness and suddenly you pressed send in the middle of typing your replies?

I did. Many times. My thumbs are unreliable. One time, I was writing a blog post using my WordPress app but I accidentally pressed “Publish” instead of that gear icon. Not only that, it got published twice. What the heck is wrong with my thumbs? I had to delete both abominations of a published post and continue writing, grumbling at my thumbs while doing so.

The same goes when I’m commenting on a post and when I hit reply/send midway, I’m like

I want to show an example made by my good blogger friend and inspiring human being Kiya of Flawed Silence.

comment

She didn’t just handle the embarrassing pressed-send-accidentally scenario really well but I could also relate to her a lot. Then a couple of days ago, I found a rather cheeky solution.

Basically, all you have to do is to disconnect your Internet connection while the WordPress app is loading the unfinished comment/post. That’s what I did the last time it happened (which was last Wednesday), it would say error and go back to being a draft. If this happens on your computer, just close the window as fast as you can. Better to start again, I always say.

There you go! This is a completely random and not-so-helpful post but yeah. 😅

And if you can’t help it and it’s already out there, relax bro. Do what awesome Kiya did and coolly embrace your fingers’ clumsiness. There are far graver mistakes to make. So don’t worry, at the end of the day, you’re still alive. 😉

Happy typing, awesome peeps! 💃

August 21, 2016 6 Comments

18 Lessons I Learned in 18 Years

So. It’s my birthday today. Would you look at that, I’m now 18. Hurrah.

It’s not that I’m glum about it, don’t misinterpret. It’s just that…I guess as you grow older, birthdays just becomes this small detail in your life that people around you feel obliged to be happy about. Or I dunno, maybe that’s just me…

Holy heck, it’s my freaking birthday. Why am I so melancholic? Arrrggh. Keep it light-hearted, Kate. Srsly. This whole Comprehensive Exam preparation is really getting on my nerves. -_-

What I am happy about are these:

Bruh

Google greeted me! With awesome delectable cakes…that I can’t even eat. But oh well, Google greeted me! Isn’t that awesome? 😀
One of my bestest friends ever (Hi Quexy!) reminded me how cool it was that the whole world is celebrating something on my birthday.
But here’s the thing: somewhere out there, someone’s celebrating your birthday, whenever it is. And the world is finding new ways to celebrate something every single day. By the way, happy Easter Sunday/ National Cherry Blossoms Day, everyone!
Said best friend (Hi Quexy!) sent me the most awesome multiple SMS birthday message ever~ <3
Two of my awesome closest college friends send me Facebook messages that made me speechless. In completely different ways…Because there’s this…
DO YOU SEE HOW CUTE THIS IS?

And there’s this…

I dunno how to feel with this… (And yeah, yeah. I said screw anonymity but it applies to me. Not my friends.)
I’ve finally finished my part in the company study. The concepts of which I have only an inkling of knowledge of. Crossing fingers for the oral defense. X(><)X
I have the same birthday as Keira Knightley and freaking James Potter!!! To think that J.K. thought of creating a character with a birthday same as mine is just so…💕

Anyway, I remember watching Jenna Marbles’s 29 Lessons I Learned in 29 Years and was inspired by it thinking, “Hey, I wanna do that on my 18th birthday!”

Because there’s nothing better than reflecting back on the path you’ve taken and comparing where you’ve been to where you are now. Right? And also, I don’t feel old. And I wanna feel old today (see #16 below for why) so looking back on how I was for the last 18 years was a pretty good idea. So yeah. Here are 18 lessons I learned in 18 years.

Disney lies. Birds–no, animals–will not approach you just because you’re singing. Or in my sister’s case, trying to feed the chickens with leaves. Imagine a girl trying to prove to her little sister that “chickens eat moringa leaves” and chasing the chickens around the yard. Man, that was a highlight of my early childhood days.
Cartoons and animations are not only for children. NEVER.
Sometimes, curiosity makes the cat a smarter cat. If you’re curious about something and you wanna learn it, go! Best case scenario, you’ll be invited to The Ellen Show. Or win a Nobel. Worst case scenario…you’ll learn something new. Be it something mind-blowing or totally unnecessary. You learned a new thing. That should count for something…right?
Vegetables will never taste good when you’re a kid. But you’ll learn to appreciate them when you grow up. Trust me.
Getting below 85% (or A) is not the end of the world. It took college to make me realize this.
It’s okay that you like something kids your age don’t. This lesson is still something I’m learning today. If you like something, others’ opinions shouldn’t really matter.
Maybe you won’t have many friends, maybe you’ll have few great friends.
Listen to your mother’s advice. When she said not to touch that tiny red bump on your cheeks, don’t touch it. Or else, you’ll suffer more than 5 years of acne scars. Kate.
Your quirks also make you who you are. Embrace them.
Related to #9, you don’t need labels to be you.
Even if your photos aren’t Instagram-worthy, it’s okay. So long as they’re packed with great memories.
So what if you like something ridiculous or silly? Michelle Phan is obsessed with Sailor Moon but that does not make her any less awesome. Love what you love. #TeamUnicorns
You can’t make everybody like you. You won’t like everybody. But choose wisely the people you are willing to waste and spend time with. <– Look at that. I sound like some old philosopher.
Change will never be something you’ll expect. And that’s okay.
We’ve all got our own pace. So, really, there’s nothing to “catch up” to others. Especially when studying, Kate.
Appreciate sleep. You’ll get less and less as you get older. Until you’re retired and all you have to do is sit on a rocking chair on your front porch yelling at kids. I can’t wait to be old.
You will get there, wherever you wish or dream to go. I promise, you will. Do your best and have faith on yourself.
And if at rare times that you don’t, maybe you’re meant to be somewhere better.

March 27, 2016 4 Comments

What To Do After Experiencing Week-Long Exhaustion and Stress

So here’s the thing…

I. AM. DRAINED. AS HECK.

Like seriously. Drained. I’m at the point of dragging my tired body like…

This entire week felt like a montage of projects, paper works, exams, quizzes, and make-up classes (the fancy term for “extended school stress”; has nothing to do with cosmetics, sadly.)

But instead of time whirring by as a normally paced music plays in the background, it’s the opposite. The music plays awfully slow and I am freaking tired. And I won’t say I’ve never been tired like this before because I have. You don’t graduate high school without exhaustion. (Now that is the evilest form of cheating, graduating without stress). But this whole semester, I’ve never been as tired as I am now. Figures much since it’s nearly finals already. *sigh*

Anyway, I’ve been away for quite a while now…right? I mean, I’m currently functioning in dog days so it felt like it’s literally been years since I last posted something. And I thought what better inspiration for a blog post than freakin’ stress, right? I have a number of stress-tagged posts here anyway. So here you go.

EAT. We’ve all got different comfort foods that will help us de-stress. I, personally, have lots ranging from soft foods like ice cream, marshmallows, and hot milk to hardcore ones like meat. Whatever you’re craving for, eat. Just know when to stop. Okay? And if you’re craving for metal, go to your doctor. That stress is making you need some serious medication.
LISTEN. Some sounds are so serene, it makes you feel relax…and reflect on your life. Like, recently, I got into Seafret’s “Ocean” and it was making me feel like I’m currently experiencing the dramatic part of a movie. Which is not far off from what’s happening in real life. It doesn’t have to have lyrics, even.
BRAIN.FM has AI-generated music that will help you relax, nap/sleep, or meditate better. I’ve tried the 30-minute nap music and I was out immediately. Woke up around 3 hours later.
TAKE A LONG BREAK. Now, now. I’m not saying you have to stop whatever is causing your week-long stress altogether. I mean, if it’s giving you week-long stress, it must be important, right? What I’m trying to say is give your body and brain a breathing room. Let them rest for a while. A day, overnight. Have a full 8 hours of sleep. Check your social media for a while, make a blog post (*ahem*)…
Not even the strongest, most efficient machine can go on without a rest. Create a new momentum rather than exhaust yourself while maintaining an already long one.

There are far other things that you may want to do: yoga, simple meditation, painting…but these three above are the general ones that I could come up based on my experiences. What you really have to do is, generally, rest. You are not a superhuman, no one is. You won’t get nor achieve anything with an exhausted mind and body. So rest.

And I’ll be doing the same now…

Good night/morning/afternoon, everyone! 🙂

March 11, 2016 1 Comment

I Just Thought of This Like Literally Five Minutes Ago…

Okay, so here’s what happened. Our television was on because my parents were waiting for the five o’ clock news and before that was this local afternoon soap opera. I was just opening WordPress with no substantial plan on what I’m gonna do in my blog (it’s a force of habit when I use the computer: step one: open WordPress; step two: think of what you should do on WordPress). And then my father commented about how this certain actor doesn’t know how to act.

And then I commented how that’s no surprise to me because 60%* of the lead actors in our country were chosen because of their good looks.

I don’t watch local television series a lot. The great local television series that I’ve seen were series I’ve seen as a kid. And they had amazing plots and world-building. Over time, I feel like the quality of the stories that are the foundation of “hit” Filipino dramas and sitcoms are being reduced to having good-looking people and…that’s it.

What I’m trying to do here is not condemn good-looking people. Heck, I admire some of those gorg beasties. But I feel like here in my country, actors and actresses are simply good-looking people who can charm their way into anything. And while that in itself is a great skill, I don’t think it will be enough to create a critically and artistically great work.

Simply put, here’s my two cents: there are still people who judge (and admire) books by their cover. And that’s evident with the entertainment industry here in the Philippines. You see people here get platinum album when they aren’t even good singers, just really good-looking dudes. It’s preposterous, to be honest, because there are far more talented musicians who deserve that kind of break.

But that’s how the entertainment industry works here, I guess. (I don’t know about the rest of the world but then…there’s the Kardashians.)

And it’s just a sad thing to see. Which is why I don’t watch local TV unless it’s a documentary. So yeah, it’s an opinion that I have for quite a long time now but haven’t really mentioned in my blog and I thought it’s a good random topic.

Good morning/noon/afternoon/night, everyone! 🙂

*completely exaggerated statement. Not real statistics, people.

February 26, 2016 11 Comments

Your Self vs Your Labels (and your “About Me”s)

Funny how this is Katie and that’s my nickname. via Google images (source) Read the article if you want to. It’s pretty fun.

Big-headed as it sounds, I can easily say that I’m a person one can’t describe in one word. That’s most likely why I have these hoards of different topics to discuss on this blog. I tried talking about just one main topic in another blog once. That blog didn’t live long. It’s still there somewhere in the depths of the web. Not active but merely existing. (Whoa, I feel like I just described Kronos.) Single niche blogs doesn’t work for me, although I read TONS of them.

It’s the same thing with my self.

I don’t see me as just one type of person. I am so many things that can’t be coherent in one single word. So imagine the difficulty I face when filling in those “About Me” in my different accounts in different sites. I have to think of something that’s short but could summarize the basics of me. It takes me, at most, a few hours. That About page in this blog? Yeah, it took somewhere around 45 minutes to an hour. But still.

Then after a few “About Me” filled out, I learned something: I could never summarize myself. It’s not possible.

And the same goes for other people. I truly believe that no one is just a nerd or just a jock or just a popular girl at school. You don’t need to be a tomboy just because you’re a girl who is “one of the guys”. Go act something childish that you love to do even if you’re supposed to be an adult. Like collect toys or read comic books.

And let’s face it: the labeling? It’s not just others’ fault. I see all these people who have let themselves be absorbed by their labels and I feel sad and frustrated at the same time. Why can’t one just embrace his entire being instead of that one thing that people thinks of first? That person is just making his own wounds deeper by not becoming more than just a label.

We all know, in courtesy of Shrek, that ogres have layers. But the thing is, we have layers, too. The difference between us and Shrek (other than the complexion and ears) is that there are times when it’s not easy for us to see those layers.

I’m a blogger, an avid reader, movie and music junkie, frequent Pinner, less frequent Tweeter, art enthusiast, probably an accountant-to-be, and, most of all, hopefully the first unicorn rider. And I still have more in myself to discover. My tombstone has to be as tall as the Washington Monument for them to completely summarize who I am. (Imagine hundreds of Washington Monuments in graveyards. Burial would have been nasty expensive. No wonder we have eulogies.) And so does everyone else.

So how about you? Who are you?

(And unless the answer is “Human” or “Person” or “Girl/Boy/Man/Woman” try not answering with one word.)

May 31, 2015 7 Comments