Tag: Motivation & Inspiration


  • Knowing the Creativity-Boosting Importance of Boredom This Summer

    Are you the kind of person who’s super excited for summer because you’ve planned on doing absolutely nothing at all? Because, pssh, summertime = recharging time, amirite???

    Hey! High five! That’s me too! 😀

    Well let me guess: halfway into the break and you’re already letting out undignified wails and gradually melting into a pathetic puddle who has declared yourself Extremely Bored™.

    Hey high five me too.

    Knowing the Creativity-Boosting Importance of Boredom This Summer | I share what I learn about boredom. Apparently, it boosts creativity. *cue theatrical gasps*

    I mean let’s face it, summer boredom is the work of a jealous evil workaholic sorcerer. Some lucky ones avoid it altogether by signing up to summer camps or applying for summer jobs. While the rest of us poor unfortunate souls are left to deal with it in the most ungracious ways possible. You know, like rolling around the bed moaning like a llama.

    But you gotta admit, we all avoid it. We avoid summer boredom like the contemporary plague that it is. We keep ourselves busy and we run to the other direction whenever we see it coming our way.

    Actually, when you think about it, we avoid boredom, period. Whatever the kind.

    But have you ever tried being like the ever-philosophical Hammond* and stopped for a minute and thought: why do we hate boredom?

    “Oh pssh, that’s easy, Kate. It’s awful, it makes you feel anxious, you feel like a bum, and you feel awful for being an unproductive puddle of uselessness. Did I mention IT’S AWFUL??”

    *Mistborn Series, anyone?

    But what if I tell you that boredom is actually important?

    And no, I’m not just being a Sunnyside Sunshine Sarah here. I’m not trying to see the good thing in even something as glum as boredom, okay? It’s true! Boredom apparently boosts your creativity. You want proof?

    Okay, let me enumerate them in pretty purple diamond bullet-points:

    University of Louisville researcher Andreas Elpidorou pointed out that boredom is a “regulatory state that keeps one in line with one’s projects.” Basically, boredom is your brain’s way of warning you that you are not doing anything productive and you have to come up with something more stimulating to do.

    In two separate studies, researchers have found the connection between feeling bored and getting creative. Each study had a group of participants do uber-boring tasks such as reading phone books and watching an incredibly boring video clip. And these bored groups outperformed groups who were relaxed or elated on creativity tests.

    Oh, and in case you’d think this is some modern finding we’ve only realized recently, you’re dead wrong. Philosophers from way back to a century ago had already mused about the importance of boredom in our everyday lives.

    British psychoanalyst Adam Phillips pointed out the adults’ way of making children grow out of boredom by providing them young ‘uns with interesting things. And this is hindering that child’s opportunity to find, on his own, what interests him.

    What these pretty purple bullet-points tell us is that boredom exists for a reason. It is that push that motivates us to engage in more creative and fun activities.

    Seeing as we’re gradually turning into a creativity-seeking world, it’s no question really that we are also looking for more interesting and highly creative things to do.

    Of course, you need to know the difference of a good type of boredom from a bad one

    Because much like how there’s a good type of stress and a bad type of stress, according to British philosopher Bertrand Russell, there are two kinds of boredom: a fructifying one (the motivating kind of boredom) and a stultifying one (the boredom that turns you into an undignified wailing llama).

    Being able to differentiate between the two can be useful in dealing with boredom in your everyday life.

    So here’s what you can do with the good kind of boredom.

    Instead of running for the hills or containing it in a glass jar, treat it like… well, treat it like Sadness*. Allow yourself to go along with it. Let your brain experience boredom. Doodle random weird-looking creatures, make an improvised origami, spin a pen. Make something out of being bored.

    *I swear, the moral of Inside Out is super applicable to life

    And how exactly do we make use of being bored, Kate?

    Great question.

    You know that famous productivity technique, “Eat The Frog”? Where you do your worst and most tedious task first thing? Same concept.

    When you think you need creativity to finish a certain project, try to start your day accomplishing the boring tasks first. In a way, it’s like your brain saving up your creative energy so you could use them at the right time 🙂

    Your turn: Do you get bored often? Have you taken the Boredom Proneness Scale Test? What do you do when you’re bored? Share your thoughts!

    ♦♦ Have a creative day, awesome peeps! ♦♦


  • My Two Cents on Failure (+ How to Deal With It)

    Note: This post was something I first wrote and published nearly a year ago. Having read it now, I realized how much it still resonates to me to this day. I’ve edited a bit of the post and added some things but the point still remains the same. Enjoy! 🙂


    In this success-driven world that we live in, failure is something we’d rather not experience. (Like at all, please??)

    It’s something embedded into our minds as early as when we were kids. We don’t like seeing the red marks on our paper because our parents don’t, right? We spray away failure like we spray away mosquitoes.

    But something surprised me when I Googled ‘failure’ for this post. I was immediately bombarded by links with the same theme:

    It’s amazing how the idea had spread over every industry like a wildfire. But it had the most tremendous impact in the competitive fields of business and arts. You’ve seen and read the success stories. And they all have that same format.

    “I’ve had 10 failed projects in my career… BEFORE BUILDING MY MILLION-DOLLAR ONE!”

    “My 499th audition gave me my big break!”

    “After 18 years of searching, I’ve finally proven the existence of unicorns!*”

    This tells us that persistence will pay off. And that’s great! It motivates people not to be disheartened when you fail. Besides, failure is needed for us to thrive. It’s a core ingredient in trial-and-error. And it lets us know what not to do to be successful.

    However, this “failure is the secret to success” bit can also further feed that success-driven mentality, deliberately deceiving yourself that failing will actually bring you nearer to success.

    And that’s not at all good yo.

    My Two Cents on Failure (+ How to Deal with It) | I share what I think about how "failure leads to success".

    Romanticizing failure does not necessarily make you any closer to success.

    I mean, I totally agree that it’s a great way to not get discouraged and not go total Eeyore mode, giving up on life. But there’s a fine line between encouragement and false hope.

    The thing is: not everybody will succeed. And failing? Sucks.

    When I graduated in high school, I subconsciously brought with me this reassurance and certainty that college will be the same. I was like, “College? Pssh, cake.”

    Dear past self: They’re. Not. The. Same.

    If high school was Super Mario Level 7**, college is Flappy Bird. No levels. Just pure agony.

    And that cold water of reality didn’t splash onto my arrogant face until my second year in college. I didn’t reach the cut-off for a major subject and I was bummed. No, scratch that, I was more than bummed. I was devastated.

    It was like a super-confident bump car driver who likes to constantly flip his hair tried driving a ten-wheeler truck for the first time. And he ends up clutching tight at the wheels and crying for his mommy.

    So I’m not gonna argue with you. Failure hurts like Gordon Ramsey telling you that sunny-side egg you cooked isn’t even worthy to be served to dogs.

    It hits your self-confidence and shatters your spirit. And to someone currently experiencing failure, being told “everything will be okay” may not be the best mood-lifter. And neither is the rhetoric of failure leading to success.

    See, success may come later. But failure needs to be dealt now.

    So sure, you may reach success afterwards. May. Meaning there’s a possibility that you won’t. And I’m not trying to be Jenny Rain Cloud here. It’s a fact.

    For most of our lives, success is something that we will accomplish in the future. But failure can happen any minute and it’s experienced at present, so you deal with it now. If you don’t, failure doesn’t lead to anything good at all.

    So then, Kate, how do we deal with failure?

    Great that you ask. Here are three things you could do:

    <3 Don’t think that the entire universe is ganging up against you. Believe me, I’ve been there. I’ve had my fair share of years being an angsty kid and thinking everybody hates me. They don’t–or… not all of them do. Every person you’ve met has faced failure to a certain degree.*** And the universe is just being the huge thing that it is. In fact, leave the stars alone; they’re minding their own beautiful twinkly business yo.

    <3 Think, instead, of what lessons you could take away from failing. Remember that 4-step cure I shared for missed opportunities? Missed opportunities are kinda like failures too. And it always helps to see that even the most awful things have a positive takeaway you can carry your whole life. Lastly…

    <3 Give yourself the time to feel all the awful. If there was one thing I’ve learned in Pixar’s Inside Out, it’s that there is nothing wrong with feeling the negative things. It’s okay to feel bad.

    There will be happy, colorful moments (like when you’ve proven unicorns are real) and there will be sucky ones (like when you realize you were just dreaming).

    So really, it’s okay to feel bummed out or even devastated that you failed at something you’ve worked so hard for 🙂 Use up an entire box of tissues, if you must! But when you’re done, get up and start moving.

    Because at the end of the day, success won’t come to you. You run towards it.

    After having my pity party for like a day or two, I had to get back on my study desk and hit the books again because I had that comprehensive exam to face.

    I passed said exam and I’m contented now. I even have this newfound determination to put in more effort into my studies 🙂 And I realized, I probably won’t have such a huge character development if it weren’t for failure.

    And here’s the catch.

    Yes, failure may lead to success. But for that to happen, you don’t just give yourself encouragements and confidence-boosters. You have to put in some hard work and effort, too 🙂

    That’s how the bump car driver learns how to drive ten-wheelers. That’s how you cook a sunny-side egg that will have Gordon Ramsey on foodgasm.

    That’s how you will grow.

    Your turn! What is your biggest failure in life so far? How did you cope and rise out of it? Share what you learned!

    Have an inspired day, awesome peeps! <3


    Other awesome articles to read about this topic:

    Challenging Success-via-Failure | Psychology Today

    How Fear of Failure Destroys Success | Lifehack.org

    *Who do you think was the pathetic potato who said that? (raises hand)
    **Is this the underground lava level with that dragon???
    ***Unless, you know, that person is a newborn infant. Then protect that precious lump of baby fats from failure until he’s all grown up to handle them!

  • What I Tell Myself When I’m Hesitant on Moving Forward

    What I Tell Myself When I’m Hesitant on Moving Forward

    It could be as trivial as taking a shower at four in the morning when the water’s ice cold. Or maybe a step forward to personal development like making the first move at befriending someone (if you’re shy like I am that’s a huge leap).

    OR, it could be something monumentally life-changing like changing career paths or being honest with myself.

    What I Do When I Hesitate on Moving Forward | We all have been in that "pause" moment just as you're about to step forward. I share what I do when it happens.

    There are–and will be–moments in your life when you’re standing at a pause. Maybe you’re standing at the edge of a cliff, or facing a forked path. The gist is: once you take a step, there’s no going back. You won’t be the same person as you were before. Because even the slightest change in you makes a different you.

    Believe me, I know. I’ve been there. I’ve been in an edge or a fork several times now; I expect I will be several times more in the future. And I tell myself something when I’m at that “pause” phase. So what’s that?

    “You can do this, Kate.”

    Just that one line. Really.

    I only noticed this recently, like several weeks ago. But I know I’ve been saying it too myself a lot. (Especially at four in the morning :D) For some reason, giving myself a mini cheer is, oftentimes, all the motivation I need. There’s something utterly wonderful at being your own best cheerleader.

    I am the one pushing me forward.

    Do you have a mantra that helps you move forward?

    Happy Saturday, awesome peeps!

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  • You Don’t Need to Understand

    You Don’t Need to Understand

    Story time.

    As a kid, I was the scrawny, quiet one lurking in the corner. And I was often misunderstood. I guess even now, I still am hehe but I accept that now. Back then, it bothered me so much.

    No one, not even my family, could ever get me and that was what made me upset most of the time. That they didn’t understand. At one point, the whining turned into a self-pitying excuse. “They don’t understand me. Why?” became “They don’t understand me. Why bother?”

    I isolated myself from a lot of people. Not physically. But for a long time, in my mind, I was alone in the world. Only I understand me, that’s what I always thought. It all comes back to the whole “I don’t rely on others a lot” that I told you a few posts back.

    Related: What I Learned from Pushing Too Far

    Now I ache for the younger me. I feel sorry she had to see the world in such miserable lenses. But I also don’t want to be like her anymore.

    Recently, I see so many people who are similar to younger Kate. Misunderstood and suffering alone and living in fear that nobody will understand them.

    And I also see a lot of people who are too preoccupied with what they believe in, what they think are right and how things should be, that they don’t have space in their hearts or minds to see things in any other angle. Seeing these people clash against each other in a confusing mess, that familiar thought from my childhood resurfaces, if only they understood each other…

    I had to stop myself. Because I realized now that the idea of people perfectly understanding each other? Sadly, that’s not possible.

    You Don't Need To Understand | I share another story and why I no longer think understanding others is what we need to be compassionate to others.

    See, there’s something I learned not too long ago.

    Our experiences are our own. And so are our thoughts.

    Okay, make that everything in our mind.

    Everything in our mind is our own.

    No matter how many people claimed to have similar experiences or ideas or thoughts that you have, these will never be exactly the same as yours. Kinda like how we have our own unique set of fingerprints, you know?

    And that’s just how it is.

    The reason why younger Kate’s grand ambition of Everyone Perfectly Understanding Each Other won’t ever come true is because we inherently can’t. We understand things in our own ways. And so we see and comprehend seemingly similar things differently.

    So if completely understanding everyone is not possible, what will happen to us? Is a compassion to many people not possible, then?

    Are we forever cursed to chaos and messes brought by misunderstanding and, ultimately, hatred? (That sounded like a line from a blurb of a YA fantasy lol)

    The answer came to me in a form of a photo shared on Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/camphalfblood/status/826197313278328832

    Of course. Respect!

    (Side note: I swear, I was tearing up when I read that letter. I had to stop myself because I was in the middle of a class at the time.)

    I particularly love that line: “…they did not need to understand, but they did need to show respect.” Because in that one line, this anonymous teacher from Massachusetts, who wrote this letter to the amazing Uncle Rick, gave me the answer. And it’s so simple.

    You don’t need to understand everyone. You don’t even need people to understand you. You just need to respect others, whoever they are and whatever circumstances they’re in.

    Because that, my awesome and beautiful friends, is the best way to show compassion to people you don’t understand.

    How will you show respect and compassion to a person today? 🙂

    Have a passion-filled day, awesome peeps! <3

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  • 6 Life Lessons I Learned in 2016

    6 Life Lessons I Learned in 2016

    So.

    We’re in the last Wednesday of the year.

    Is anyone getting teary-eyed saying goodbye to 2016?

    I can just hear you: “Teary-eyed, Kate? Tears of relief, maybe. Good riddance, I say!”

    I know, I know. 2016 was definitely not one of the best years for many and that’s saying it nicely.

    But what do I always say here? Good and bad always go together. They’re two different horns, yeah sure. But they’re two different horns on the same llama. So they have differences and things in common and they always go together.

    life-lessons

    That said, I honestly believe that while 2016 was a straight-up birch as a whole (that was not a typo; I’m just cautious of younger awesome peeps reading this) even the Rainiest Johnny and Jenny Rain Clouds can’t deny that good things happened this year, right? Riiiight?

    And to prove it, I share to you the 6 best life lessons I learned this year.

    1 | There is no pace to keep other than your own

    This was the hardest one I’ve learned this year, I think. I personally grew up with the idea that I have to figure things out as early in my life as possible. I guess a lot of people are. We’re all pressured to decide what our future job should be and start working to achieve it by the age of fifteen. We are all pressured by this internal time ticking in our subconscious telling us to keep. Pace. Keep. Pace. With everyone else.

    And you know what I learned this year? This is all ridiculous. There is no pace to keep. You are not lagging behind.

    I could go on but I don’t want to keep this post 8973 words long so let’s leave it at that for now. I may write an entire post about this next year but for now, you can head on to my previous posts below to see a glimpse of what I think of this.

    Sarah Dessen’s “Infinity” and the Daunting Task of Making a Decision

    Why It’s Okay to Not Have Everything Figured Out

    2 | There is always room for improvement

    I think there’s that tricky, blurry line between contentment and persistence. When do you stop doing one and start doing the other?

    Honestly? I have no idea.

    But what I do know is this: even at times when you feel like there is no way that you could ever surpass where you currently are now, well surprise surprise because someday you will. There’s a whole lot of space left in you for improvement.

    You are a work in progress.

    This amazing article from Brain Pickings (I mean, who are we kidding? Brain Pickings is an inspirational gold mine; all the articles are ah-mazing!) tells of two mindsets and how they could essentially change our outlooks on life and even shape it. This article strengthened my belief for this particular lesson, too, so give it a read. It’s really enriching.

    3 | Your quirks are part of who you are; embrace it

    And while you’re at it, embrace all parts of you.

    Further cementing my belief on this one, I recently read this amazing collection of stories by A.C. Burch called A Book of Revelations (*Amazon affiliate link over there) and my gobbling turkey the stories are just plain amazing! One of the stories had this quote that I think excellently sums up my point:

    love-yourself-quote
    Edit: I forgot to attach this, whoops!

    And to drive it all the way home, I wrote a post at Flawed Silence for Project Taboo where I talked about how I think every part of you doesn’t have to “make sense.” And since you’re there already, scroll through Kiya’s amazing blog. It’s filled to the brim with inspiration, delectable baking goodies, and spectabulous photographs!

    4 | Don’t judge a person by how they appear

    I’m calling it: a lot of people literally judge books by their covers *raises hands* but don’t do this to people.

    Every one, every single person you met, passed by, engaged eye contact with, talked to, even those you haven’t met yet: they all have unique experiences you wouldn’t understand.

    Okay so maybe you kiiiinda get it because you’ve been through a similar experience. But read that again: similar. Totally different from exact. Because, folks, even when you’ve read that person like a book from cover to cover, always remember that there is still something between the lines. And you may have missed it.

    This is a hard one, believe me, I know. But as Judy Hopps always say, try.

    5 | Take a break

    And by that, I don’t just mean coffee break. (Or in my case, chocolate break) I mean, get some rest—physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you’re over-fatigued, sleep. I find that having enough sleep when you’re life isn’t as hectic helps in so many ways. I mean, if Arianna Huffington approves, go ahead and do it!

    And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, nothing wrong with taking a break, amirite? But there’s a huge difference between stopping and quitting, mmkay? Speaking of which…

    6 | Never quit entirely, immediately

    So you got rejected in your job application or maybe a scholarship one. Will you quit applying altogether? Will you not pursue it anymore? Will you not try to reevaluate what you’ve done and see how you could change it?

    Personally, this is the easiest lesson that I learned this year and could apply for next year onwards. But that’s because I’m plain stubborn. Well, a lot more stubborn than I was when I was a kid. I’ve decided to never let one failure/rejection/Johnny Rain Cloud get to me.

    Now I don’t mean to never quit your whole life. Because there will come a time, when one thing isn’t working anymore, there’s no point in pursuing it further. I just mean that maaaybe you haven’t tried everything yet to possibly work it all out.

    Whew! That was one lengthy post! But hey, it’s my last Wednesday post of the month and the year. The last post this Saturday (December 31st, holy macaroni!) will be, like every end of the month, a creative review and probably will include a short Happy New Year message. So we’re really saying goodbye to 2016 in a few days!

    Onto you: what life lessons, or any lessons in particular (I’m not picky, I just love lessons ;)) you’ve learned this year? Share them in the comments below!

    Have an amazing day, awesome peeps! 🙌


  • 4 Storytelling (+Life!) Lessons from Hayao Miyazaki’s Films

    4 Storytelling (+Life!) Lessons from Hayao Miyazaki’s Films

    It has been more or less three years since Hayao Miyazaki’s last feature film, The Wind Rises, was released and until now I miss his presence in the film industry.

    Hayao Miyazaki, in my opinion, is not only one of the best animated filmmaker in Japan but the entire world. You could watch his movies at any period of your life—whether you’re nine or twenty-nine—and they will still resonate with you.

    I mean, I’ve probably watched most of his movies more than a dozen times each for the past six years and there are still new things I would learn as I watch one of them for the enth time.

    I planned on creating a tribute article of sorts but I felt, with my little insight, I would never do him or his films justice. Which is why I’m doing this Kate-style: a list of lessons.

    Since some folks out there are probably participating in NaNoWriMo, I thought I can help out in the inspiration part with these lessons on storytelling. I freaking love stories anyway, whatever medium is used, so this is also me fangirling about storytelling. And I’m going to casually insert some life lessons in there too, if I can help it. Because you all probably know how obsess I am with life lessons, right? (If you hadn’t, now you do ;))
    Whoa, that’s like using one stone to hit two birds and eat a cookie! #Winning.

    1 | Learning to Pause

    Don’t get me wrong, there’s something thrilling about action-packed stories. I love them and my regular praise for Rick Riordan books is evidence enough. But I also love how Miyazaki has this short “breathing room” after every excitement. A space where we see his characters simply reflect their circumstances and we don’t really need any explanation or dialogue. We just connect with them.

    My Neighbor Totoro Iconic Bus Stop Scene | 4 Storytelling (+Life!) Lessons from Hayao Miyazaki's Films
    I mean, who could forget this scene?

    In a sense, you could also apply this to everyday life. I understand the appeal of living in the fast lane but pausing every once in a while, giving yourself a little breathing room in your life, won’t be so bad. Personally, I like plunging on to a project or some task and give myself a little break after. And when you think about it, isn’t that what the Pomodoro technique is all about? *le Eureka gasp*

    2| Not Really Happily Ever After

    Growing up, I have always gravitated towards happy endings. The hero saved the princess, the cursed town restored, yada yada. I’ve only started to appreciate the not-so happy ones in my late teens, have only realized how closer they are to reality.

    Kiki and Jiji | 4 Storytelling (+Life!) Lessons from Hayao Miyazaki's Films

    And in most of Miyazaki’s films, you would not get a completely happily ever after. I mean, everyone’s happy, sure. But some things aren’t tied up tightly into a pretty ribbon. While Jiji did return to Kiki’s side in Kiki’s Delivery Service, he still can’t talk.

    Things don’t always go exactly the way we want them to. And that’s okay. 🙂

    3 | Incredible Character Depth

    Okay, by far, this is one aspect in a Hayao Miyazaki film that I like the most. (Which is why I’m going to have a short fangirling moment below mehehe) And if you know me, that’s not a surprise at all, considering I always talk about character depths in my book reviews.

    The thing is, Hayao Miyazaki’s characters all have incredible depths. And I mean incredible!

    Princess Mononoke’s Lady Eboshi is not the cruel, heartless leader of Irontown because we see her compassion towards her workers, women from brothels and lepers—people who have been looked down by the rest of society. The titular character of Howl’s Moving Castle may be one of the film’s good guys but he also bears a vain and immature attitude.

    Lady Eboshi | 4 Storytelling (+Life!) Lessons from Hayao Miyazaki's Films
    (Image via Nefarious Reviews)

    In Miyazaki’s world, there is no purely good guy or a purely bad guy. And it pays to realize that this is true for our world too.

    Everyone has a little good and a little evil in them and in the end, you can’t sum up a person by one act. And anyway, that just seems unfair, ain’t it?

    4 | Emotions and Logic

    Fun fact: did you know that Miyazaki creates scenes through the emotion they bring? He and the rest of his animators actually come up with the storyboard afterward.

    I’ll give you a minute if you’re mind’s blown.

    You okay now? Okay.

    And hey, don’t worry. When I learned about that the first time, I was like, “*whispers* NO FREAKING WAY.”

    Hayao Miyazaki Storyboard | 4 Storytelling (+Life!) Lessons from Hayao Miyazaki's Films
    The Storyboard for Ponyo (via Creative Stuff)

    Maybe it’s because of this that Hayao Miyazaki’s films always bring up a surge of emotions whenever someone (me) watches them. Maybe this is why we (I) could connect to the story and the characters so much.

    I think this comment from RogerEbert.com could sum up my thoughts on this one:

    “He’s (Miyazaki) always made us realize that human/dramatic motivation is too complex for either-or reasoning.”

    While I really want to ponder upon Miyazaki’s thoughts on the complexity of humanity, the point is Hayao Miyazaki does a huge part of his work emotionally, something that I think is important in art in general. And it worked well on him.

    In our case, we have to find what works for us. I, for one, am the kind of person who has to balance both emotion and logic in my life. I can’t function in total intuition nor in total organization (a long story I’ll tell some other time) so I need balance.


    So that’s it! These are the storytelling lessons I got from Hayao Miyazaki’s films along with some life lessons as well. While we’re at it, here are two amazing videos about Hayao Miyazaki that I’ve watched (for like a hundred times now):

    Hayao Miyazaki Tribute Video in 3D by Dono (Vimeo) – A 3-minute tribute video of all of Hayao Miyazaki’s works. This brought me surrounded by my own lake of tears. Like the feels…

    Hayao Miyazaki – The Essence of Humanity by Channel Criswell (YouTube) – A 16-minute video essay about how Hayao Miyazaki understands the complexity of human emotions. This is so amazing, I downloaded it in my YouTube app for offline watching. <3

    Have you watched any Hayao Miyazaki films? Which one(s) is (or are) your favorite? What are your thoughts on his films as a whole? Share them on the comments or you can tweet it! (Yay for options!)

    Now excuse me, I have to go and binge-rewatch some of the movies I just mentioned above…

    (I didn’t know you could crave for movies)

    (Crap, now that I thought of crave, I’m craving for ice cream too)

    Happy watching, awesome peeps!


  • ​5 Motivating Mantras for when You Think You Can’t Do It

    ​5 Motivating Mantras for when You Think You Can’t Do It

    Imagine this: your mind was wandering when suddenly, you thought of something. You’re so excited. You think it’s a good idea…nay, your optimistic inner voice said, it’s a spectabulous idea! It’s gonna be SO great.

    But then someone hit the breaks. Your other inner voice, the grumpy one, shook its head and said that no. You can’t do it. Not now. Probably not ever.

    You shrink and shrivel, believing that inner voice because it is true, isn’t it? It isn’t possible for you.

    Sad, no?

    Now, maybe there are some of you whose optimistic inner voice rule your thoughts. But I’m pretty sure there are also people out there like me whose grumpy inner voice hold the reins.

    It’s sad when someone else discourages you but it’s even worse when you discourage yourself.

    And I should know.

    This is the reason why it took me this long to try out watercolors. I had an artistic trauma (ooh fancy phrase) back in first grade when I first used watercolor and my inner perfectionist (already there at age 7) wasn’t happy with the output.

    I was happier with pencils and pens because I have control on the outcome. All those years, I’ve never tried branching out the mediums I use for the sheer reason that I think I’m not capable of anything else.

    And while I’m now slowly learning watercolor, I still have that grumpy inner voice holding the reins of my self-determination. There are plenty of factors to this: low self-esteem, low self-confidence, afraid of getting out of my comfort zone… I have my own issues. But today, I’m not talking about those.

    Don't hold yourself back to your potential brilliance. Here are 5 motivating mantras for when you feel you can't do it.

    In this post, I want to share some mantras I recite to myself whenever I’m holding myself back from something awesome. In a way, they help me. So I hope they do the same to you. 🙂

    1.)

    It's Gonna Be Great - 5 Motivating Mantras

    Believe in your idea’s awesomeness. Like seriously, believe it. Believe it the way Steve Jobs believed in his then-unconventional computer. The way Jasmine said yes to Aladdin when he asked, “Do you trust me?” (swoon)

    2.)

    It's worth the try - 5 Motivating Mantras

    This kinda relates to #1. If you seriously believe in that idea, you’ll know that trying it out will be worth it. And it is. Think of it this way: if it doesn’t work out, at least you’d know that it doesn’t. And you’d learn something.

    But if it does, boy, it’ll be a great day for you!

    3.)

    I might go to Ellen for this - 5 Motivating Mantras

    Yeah, laugh at me, if you will. But Ellen personally gives me motivation whenever I think of some crazy ideas. I mean, wouldn’t it be cool to be interviewed by her?

    You could change it if you want. Think of anything farfetched: getting a Nobel (I also think of this one), being approached by a big label or company. Anything. It may be farfetched but it boosts your determination somehow. At least it does for me.

    4.)

    Just do it - 5 Motivating Mantras

    I swear, Shia LaBeouf has become a moderm motivation maven because of this. But it’s really effective when I’m holding myself back in doing something.

    Just buy a set of watercolor tubes and brushes, Kate. Just put brush on paper and paint.

    5.)

    You wouldn't know until you try - 5 Motivating Mantras

    Personally, this is the one mantra that my grumpy inner voice can’t argue with. You wouldn’t know if that idea was awesome or not if you don’t try, right?

    So let me get back to Shia here for a minute…

    JUST DO IT!

    Happy Shia LaBeouf-ing, awesome peeps!💪


  • Reach Inside Your Heart

    Reach Inside Your Heart

    Hey everyone! This week was so jam-packed, no? And I’m not finished yet! 😁 My good friend and amazing human being, Kiya of Flawed Silence and I have come up with a collab post. My first ever, yay!

    So the idea was that Kiya, the ever amazing wordsmith, was going to write a poem and I’ll do an illustration inspired from it. Because, you know, her poems can get anyone inspired. Hope you enjoy!


    ​It’s just another day

    As I see myself
    Drifting away
    Fingers skimming the stars
    And grazing the gentle clouds.

    I see myself going places
    But I see the shadow of doubt
    Trailing me
    Playing
    TAG you’re it
    TAG you’re it!

    With every fight
    And every knife to the back
    And every wheezing for breath
    We slump down
    Deeper
    And
    Deeper
    Into a world full of hurricanes
    Uprooting confidence, belief and esteem.

    Tell me
    Oh tell me why we are wasting time
    On crocodile tears, peeling scabs and 
    Waiting for someone to realise you’re not a paper doll?

    Cling to the hope
    And let it blossom into a wild flower
    So unique from the billions of people existing
    Let the thorns prick the ones that cast you aside
    But like the wildest roots
    I know that you can 
    Grow, and survive
    The evil madness in this world.

    Rise above the golden rays of sunshine
    And glide alongside the moon’s waning figure
    Whilst intertwining with the shimmers of the galaxy
    We all have potential
    You have capability
    So don’t let others dictate 
    How, why and what you will do.

    Instead
    Reach inside of your heart
    And generously feed your dreams
    Hopes and ambitions
    Set fire to the negative vibes
    And shoot across life
    Like a shooting star.

    Because you are one.

    Reach inside your heart


    Such a beautiful and inspiring poem, right? 💕 I’ll tell you guys a secret: I actually had a more ambitious idea of an illustration to pair with that poem but I don’t think I’m good at it. Yet. But who knows in the future? But I still had so much fun making this one.

    We have a different collab post up on her blog too so check that out!😁 I had the most amazing time working with Kiya on these collabs. Be sure to head on to her blog because it’s just filled with inspiring poetry and the visits to National Trust properties! Gorsh I love those.

    I hope you guys enjoyed this and I’ll see you all again this weekend. (Yep I’m not yet done for the week. ;))

    Happy Friyay, awesome peeps!🌌🌠


  • You’ll Be Just Fine

    You’ll Be Just Fine

    Hello, everyone! I know Mondays could be hard a lot and like Garfield, many of us hate it. But I also know that bad days in general don’t choose when they’ll pop up. Personally, I’ve had a bad Friday at least once in my life.

    So I want to share to you all a lullaby I discovered on Spotify. This is an original by a Youtuber named Kenzie Nimmo. It’s so good and so comforting. Besides, who doesn’t love a really simple and soothing lullaby, right?

    Happy Monday, awesome peeps! 💃


  • The Flower with No Name

    The Flower with No Name

    Hello awesome peeps! I haven’t been able to write any post for the weekend because I had the Headache of the Century. Paracetamol or any pain-relieving med didn’t work. So I applied vaporub on my head and across my scalp. Yep, I was so desperate to end the migraine that my hair smelling like Vicks didn’t even matter to me anymore.

    And lo and behold, the morning after, the headache was gone! Thank God for Vaporubs.

    But that’s not the story I want to share with y’all today. Today is Monday which means I have a kinda motivational story to share with you.

    I’ve been staying in my grandparents’ house for two months now. But I’ve only noticed this plant last week.

    Flower story for Monday Motivation

    See back when I was in elementary, this certain thorny flowering plant that I don’t know the name of was almost dead. Like probably four leaves and it’s kinda wimpy. I was surprised my mom brought that from her school. She planned to put it in front of the house but it didn’t bloom so she just left it in our sideyard to eventually die.

    Then I saw something white in the middle of the pot. I thought it was a paper my sister threw or something but no. It was a flower. For some reason, I was so transfixed with this one white flower.

    How could something dying even bloom?

    I kept staring at it. At one point, my mom saw me and told me to be careful with the thorns. But you know, kids do the exact opposite. So I’d try to reach for that flower but I could never lift my hand with no scratch. They stung, even the leaves have sharpy thingies. And after so many attempts and too many little cuts, I gave up. The flower still there, guarded by the thorns.

    And one day, I thought of watering the plant everyday, when I arrive after school. It was the first thing I did when I get home: grab a little bucket full of water and pour it onto the plant. My grandpa would ask me why I was doing it when it was obviously dying. And I always answer the same way. I just want to see if there would be more flowers.

    At one point, I was too caught up in preparing for high school and then getting busy in high school that I forgot about the plant. But it was still there. During typhoons when we get the occasional flood, during dry season, and after so many Christmases. The plant was there.

    You see, I think we have gone or will be going through something that the plant had. A wilted moment. The time when we will be our lowest. And oftentimes, we act bitter and thorny with the people around us. I would know.

    I’ve thought plenty of times that I have been at my lowest. But then something else happens and there’s a new lowest in my life. And during those times, I wallow myself in bitterness and self-pity and dozens of “you wouldn’t understand.”

    But recently, I came to realize that the people who love you? They might have seen one tiny flower somewhere within you. That’s why they didn’t give up on you. And that’s a start.

    So I guess what I’m trying to say here is: embrace the love given to you. Know that even if you think you’re suffering from your problems alone, someone hasn’t given up on you. 

    So find the eleven-year-old Kate that will pour water into your wilted phase. That sounds cheesy but you know what I mean. 😉

    I think I was already in my last year in high school when I noticed the plant again. It looked so different from when I saw it the first time. And I could still remember thinking, “Yay it bloomed!” And now, two years after, it still is.

    Happy Monday, awesome peeps!🌻

    Who’s the person who didn’t give up on you at your lowest?

    How did he/she/they help you?