What To Do With One Week Off

HELLO THERE, I CHOPPED MY HAIR!

 Haha. I've finally gathered enough courage to push through with having my super long hair cut and donating it to Kythe. After having done so, I received some messages from worried friends, asking if everything was alright.

Apparently, the past few times I did something drastic with my hair were during horrible seasons in my life. Or during times when I was simply fed up with the, uhm, horrible-ness of things that I needed some drastic change to make it all better. Changing my hair seemed to be synonymous to changing my life. Haha. Dramatic. But, yes, it is what I would resort to during those times.

This time, however, I have nothing horrible to report, thank God - apart from the month of overwhelming stress in school, of course. Nonetheless, my new hair has still pushed me to improve a few other things in my life, the same way it did before. So, yes, I had a long overdue FML session.

Yay! (FML means Fix My Life hihihi)

Yesterday was Palm Sunday - the official first day of the Holy Week break. I went to church for the first time in a while. Good timing. The amazingly fierce Miss Celia Rodriguez shared her equally amazing story. I had no idea she had gone through all that she had. I guess it was her story that placed me in such a reflective mood. I started thinking about my life and whether or not God was still present in it. Do I even leave any room for Him? Ever? Hm.

The past month has left me exhausted. Since our plate submission almost two weeks ago, I have been having such beautiful nights sleeping in my bed, under thick blankets, with air-conditioning and recently, with chamomile scented oil burning over a candle. My body seems to be making up for a month of horrible sleeping patterns. Haha, yay.

I've been waking up to slow mornings that begin at 10 am - and that's usually the time I catch up on the other tasks I have to cross off my list - there are many, still. Time's slower when there's no deadline. I realized that after our design presentation when there was suddenly time to breathe... 

But, what am I talking about,

I DO HAVE DEADLINES!!!

March 31 Final Tattoo Design

April 6 Arch 5 Sketchup Project

April 9 First Design Consultation

There's actually just one thing I want to share. This blog has one point, which I've diverted from because of whatever, and that point is... that changing my hair resulted to my wanting to change my life, and not the other way around. The usual effect has now become the cause. And that's why I ended up checking out my original new year's resolutions and, please don't judge me, monthly themes. I got inspired when I started reading The Happiness Project again. And I guess I just wanted to write a bit about them yucky cheesy-but-useful monthly themes. Hihi.

JANUARY | Plan

Obviously, January was when I listed all my goals for the year. I'm turning twenty-one this year. I have to prepare myself to turn my dream age. Hahaha. But, yeah. I do want my third year to be my best year, just as it was in high school.

FEBRUARY | Love

Holding in unnecessary complaints and negative comments; being extra understanding and patient with the other person; and choosing not to make him feel guilty about being late - were some of the things I did this month. Lucky it was valentine's season and his birthday month as well. Haha, it was fun.

MARCH | Deliver

I almost chose finish over deliver but, I think the latter is more apt. Because of the academic calendar shift, March is the new midterms month. As previously stated, we just submitted our design plate - which is the basically the biggest aspect we have to deliver in, as Arki students. Apart from that, I had to deliver in Details Ink projects as well. (I also had to deliver literally, as there are still quite a number of unclaimed Darth Vader shirts. Hayz) But, yeah. Anyway...

It is almost April. 

School is not going to end until May but, I refuse to stress out and underperform the way I in the first half of this sem. Really, I was just so lazy to do anything. I crammed and procrastinated and fell asleep when I wasn't supposed to... but, hey. No regrets. I had a lot of fun. And I plan to do the same thing this month! It's looking great, as I have three trips to look forward to already! <3 I'm happy. Really. I feel excited about life again. And because I have not worked in the last few days, I'm actually excited to work again! But, this month I promised myself to commit to the following theme:

APRIL | Chill

Yes, this month, I plan to chill. There are lots of chill events to look forward to: beach trips and music festivals included BUT, in order to be able to truly chill, I know that I have to work hard to manage time well. No more rushing in the morning cause I wasn't able to do something the night before! No more stressing over unnecessary hassles in life. So, yeah. I want to move at a slower pace and get more things done. I want to be more productive and more efficient so that I can have time to sit and drink with beautiful people in beautiful places. This month, I will make time for life stuff.

(As if I haven't been doing enough of that! Hihihi I can't wait.)

Thank you, my dear haircut, for serving as an FML prompt!

Time to enjoy another evening with my pens and papers, hot tea,

a chamomile scented room and my happy short hair. Hihihi.

(Sorry, it's just so light, I love it so much. Huhu. Ok, bye.)

Second Month, Second Chance

"If our feelings control our actions,
it is because we have abdicated our responsibility
and empowered them to do so."

7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey

Thank God January is over.

Let's just say that I let my emotions get ahead of me one too many times in the past weeks. It wasn't fun. In fact, it made me miss out on a lot of fun.

I chose to see half - empty glasses, to assume the worst, and to allow irrational thoughts to paralyze me. I allowed doubt to creep in and taint all the pretty pictures in my head - and sometimes, I actually believed that those tainted pictures were the real ones.

Despite all the good things that came with the new month and new year, I'm not particularly proud of myself and the way I handled things.

I could have done better.
I could have been better.

And last month was good - but, it could have been better too.

My fault.

So, no.
No more.

It's a new month and I will make better choices.
And, no.

I will not see half - empty glasses.
I will not assume the worst.
I will not entertain irrational thoughts.
I will not doubt.

Not this month.

Not ever again.

(no promises)

A Glimpse of Project Life

Last weekend, I was invited to attend a workshop by Life Documented Manila - a little team of scrapbook lovers that sell super cute craft  products and share everything you need to know about completing your own album. I met 2/3 of their team at the #DesignHerStory conference some time last year.

That moment is quite hard to forget because, well, I had been following LDM for a while already so, when I saw them I got starstruck pleasantly surprised. I ran over there with a little too much excitement and introduced myself and apparently, they were also followers of Details Ink. The other participants simply walked past us as we fan-girl-ed over each other. Haha! 

Months later, I attended my first Project Life workshop under them and left, completely satisfied and just thrilled to continue the work I started there. Let me tell you all about it. Hihihi.

Wait, no.

Let me show you!

:)

We were asked to bring our own 4x6 photos but, they basically gave us everything else, including: 120+ printed cards and a 6x8 Project Life Album. They offered something called a "Craft Buffet", an entire table filled with stamps, stickers, washi tape, papers, inks that we were allowed to use during the session! I died. Hahaha. I was so overwhelmed with the choices, that I might have stood there and stared for over a minute...

See, I used to collect all these supplies too. I would hoard pens, and scrap book embellishments, and although I'd hardly use them, - because I was saving them for a special occasion that never came - just having them in my big box made me such a happy kid. Haha! And when I actually did have the time, I'd make things. Lots of things. I'd make super detailed, hand crafted birthday letters for friends, Christmas cards or whatnot but, my main use for those hoarded items was to decorate my yearly hand-made planner. Haha! I miss that. There's barely any time to fill up a store-bought planner nowadays. :(

My old planners look like scrap books. 

Some people may think it's way too cheesy or that it's a total waste of time and money but, I disagree. Completely. When I look back at those planners, I see tiny details of my life at that time and seeing it makes me remember. And that is why I love doing this. 

It's because I never ever want to forget.

That's one of my fears, actually.

I don't want to forget the things my high school friends and I would do during breaks, the people I'd run to when I hated life, what I really felt during prom night, and even that break through I had while in the bathroom. 

I want to remember everything.

That's why I thing stuff like this is so important.

That's why I keep a journal.

That's why I take my planner way too seriously, haha.

And that's why I really, really love Project Life.

Or documenting life in general.

Huhuhu Thank you Becky Higgins! <3

When I started my album, I couldn't decide on a specific theme. I never finished scrapbooks in the past because it was quite difficult to fill all the pages with "My 13th Birthday" or any one event. So, I thought of making a super general theme: something I could continue where I left off without worrying about consistency or flow...

My Project Life album is now my Happy Book.
Hihihi.

Am I the most boring person alive? Huhu.

But, yeah! It legit made me happy though.

I want to fill it up with moments of all kinds and I'd be able to look through it when I hate life and realize that I actually love it. Haha. In the workshop, I learned not to be so afraid to write on my pictures. So, I did. A lot. Haha.

I included the stories that those photos came with. Like in this one above, there was a mudslide in Mt. Batulao when I brother and I were up there so, we literally reveled in the dirt. We took are shoes off and slid down the hills, the way we used to when we were kids. Afterwards, we were dirty. It was gross. We looked gross. Haha! But we were so, so happy. :)

The photos above were taken on another adventure I had with Timo. This time, we went to Singapore. The photo below was taken when we met a few ladies at Little India who did our Henna Tattoos and told us all about the area. 

Simple moments like those are the ones I'd want to remember, actually. Good conversations, days and places that made me feel peace... stuff like that.

Another thing I like about attending workshops is that I feel so distant from my world. Generally, I love being in places when I don't really know anyone and no one really knows me. There's a little freedom in that. Strangely, it's in those cases where I'm more confident to talk to people.

I really love talking to strangers. Haha.

Anyway, my table mates were two new mommies! They seemed like they were very good friends. It was so cute. They were so excited about documenting the growth of their new kids. And I feel like I saw my future self... Hahaha. Because to be honest, I really feel like I'm gonna be the best mommy in the world. (haha sorry but, I'm really not joking because I really feel like that is my true calling haha okay goodbye)

I think I did an okay job as a Project Life beginner. Now the challenge is gonna be finding time to sit down and continue what I started and hopefully, finishing it. :)

Life Documented Manila is holds workshops regularly! You should check their site! Hihihi.

Thank you, LDM, for having me and for reigniting my love for this beautiful form of art!

Love,

#HappyKara

:)