Looking back, 2017 has been both horrible and wonderful all at once. Horrible in a way that I'd *maybe* let myself go and became too comfortable with and in things that eventually affected me negatively (both physically and mentally). I wasn't the type you can easily bully but somehow, inside THAT bubble, I allowed toxic people to take control of how I view myself and this went on for so long. This led me to doubt *points to myself* everything. It was so hard to just be hopeless in your little corner that I have gotten accustomed to the every day bashing and loathing of these said toxic people I don't even have anything to do with. But the universe still cared somehow and it gave me the perfect window to jump out. So, 2017, I would like to thank you. I am stronger than these people think and I could finally believe in me again.
And as I venture into 2018, I would like to take some time-off. I will use this opportunity to recover from what I have been through and prepare myself for bigger things ahead. This year, I want to focus my energy in healing, forgiving and in doing these little things I love so much. I wanna be a healthy me both physically and mentally. It will be a year I will invest in me and I will make as many happy memories as I can with the people that matter.
And of course, to finally having plenty of time to tackle that never ending TBR titles HAHA!
HERE'S TO THE AMAZING BOOKS WE WILL READ THIS YEAR!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!
Helloooooooo, guys!! I haven't blogged in forever lol and it feels like I don't know how to do it anymore. I have been quite busy last month because my mom was hospitalized, I left my job (YESSSSS!!! GOODBYE FUCKING HELLHOLE!) and I traveled! It was my first out of the country trip and it was so surreal I still have hungover. It wasn't the best trip (oh God, don't get me started) but it was definitely one for the books!
We booked our flights (connecting) October of 2016 so we had a year to prep-up. The visa application wasn't hard at all (thank God) unlike what I heard from other people. Tokyo blew my mind away. It was everything and so much more! Though I wasn't able to go to places I really wanted to visit like Tokyo Library, Gundam Base and Gundam Cafe among others, the experience was still so fucking amazing I feel like I'm still floating!
Diver City, Odaiba
The streets are clean, air is script and scented, everywhere is safe, food is amazing and it was basically like the country I wanna migrate to! HAHA! Seriously, people are soooo disciplined that when I went back here I was always cursing because people are unbelievable annoying here! The shops are all organized and Japanese people are hands down kind! I WANNA TELEPORT BACK THERE NOWWWWW! What amazed me most is the train system and how people line up all the time, plus the fact that you won't have any other choice but to walk! I've never really loved walking that much but Japan made me look forward to doing it every single day.
The garden near Tokyo Tower.
Korakuen Gardens
The leaves are glowing!
My friends and I stayed in Book Tea Bed in Azabu-Juban and the capsule hotel has bookish interior so imagine me squealing when I saw it! Books are in Japanese mostly and the English ones are classics! It was a nice place to rest after a day of walking and sight-seeing! I was also able to visit a few book stores and would try to share in another post!
I have around 300 pics and 15 vids but I won't post them all here. I decided to make a 14-minute video though because I know I won't be able to do Japan justice! But you should go and visit Japan, it's absolutely one of the countries to tick off on your Bucket List!
Being a blogger, a gundam builder, a calligrapher and a bujo-ist while working a full time job you could probably say... challenging. From having to meet all review deadlines up while maintaining social media presence could be a little too intimidating and sometimes frustrating. It's as if your hobby becomes your job, too. I have been trying to find the balance between my job, hobbies and well, entire life but nothing just seemed to work for me without sacrificing some of the things I love. Until I started to Bullet Journal (again) and this time, for good.
At first, Bullet journaling for me eats more time that I wanted it to because I was too focused on making spreads pretty instead of really focusing on its function. So I played around with it, to get a feel of what works and what does not until I found the right rhythm. It helps in so many aspects of my life but majorly in book blogging. I get to see a month's overview with all my deadlines and how I would be able to meet those. I am not too strict though because more often than not, I miss some of these scheduled posts due to sudden reading/blogging slump and procrastination HAHA
Above photo is a sample of the blog posts I should be wrapping up this month. A lot right? But when I get to tick one or two, the productivity juices just shoot right up and I wouldn't be able to stop until I see all of them ticked. Maybe it's just me but seriously, BuJo pushes me to be more productive.
I also love calligraphy and lettering. But since I do NOT have much time to allot to practicing my calligraphy, I decided to incorporate it with BuJo. So I literally practice with my BuJo Headers and Page titles. 'Blog Posts' Header on the above photo is also a sample. This style is like, my Go-To and a lot of people liked it! I've been asked many times how I do it! That being said, I thought of just filming a quick tutorial for you guys who are interested.
Materials: - Townbow N55 - Tombow 772 (or any light colored blendable brush pen/marker like Crayola Supertips) - Blender (mine is a water color brush I got from The Craft Central) - Muji black pen (or any black pen) - Uni-ball Signal White Pen - Pentel Fude Brush Pen (optional; you can use a black pen or gray marker for the shadow)
Also, sorry for the messy letters. I was holding the phone on one hand and writing on the other. Controlling was a struggle HAHA but you get the gist. Also, blend it with as little water as possible and make sure the inks are still somehow wet.
I hope you'd find this post helpful in one way or another! Comment below if you have more questions.
Do you have a bullet journal? If yes, how does it help you overall in your life? If no, how do you stay organized?
Here's pretty much what happened in the blog for a month. Boring if you ask me. But I just don't wanna fall into that black hole again where every single drop of blogging mojo is sucked. So, let's all take our sweet time and not force anything!
Hi, guys! We have reached the last leg of 2016! Happy Holidays! Seriously, I cannot wait to get this year over with because I know it, I just know, 2017 will rock! My 2017 will still be all about books but I am going to add travels and -- most importantly -- clothes lol because my wardrobe needs a major overhaul! What are your plans for next year? I'm pretty sure you have a ton! Thankfully, planning is easy with the help of my Bullet Journal. This is one thing I've been consistent on lately and I hope it'll be up until the next few years. Journaling has been so therapeutic and it makes me feel accomplished.. somehow.
I didn't set up a To-Be-Read stack this month because it just won't work for me no matter how hard I try. Setting up monthly TBRs just makes me feel worked up so I started re-reading some favorites (Shadow and Bone is book 1 for the month). My For-Review shelf is overflowing but I just can't find it in my heart to prioritize them (I always end up DNF-ing) and I also don't have new release picks.
December is going to be easy-flowing blog wise but quiet on Twitter - there's just too much in there! I'll focus on reading this month and I am absolutely excited!
