Rational Determination and Blogging

Hi there smarty pants and smart alecks!


Greetings I am back from the place where bloggers go to for a vacation and die, lazy land and with life drama land. So let's get to it shall we!? This semester I am taking up a sociology class and for the first 3rd of the semester we will be talking about the concept of the 'self'. It's highly interesting and complex at the same time because it not only tugs on your theoretical thinking but your emotional state as well. Recently we've been learning about post modern and some constructionist ideas of the 'self' from Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Anthony Giddens, Erving Goffman, to name a few. Last meeting in class were sent off with a reminder that you can't hope for genuine liberation when it comes to the issue of your identity because it is very much imbued in the society you live in but there will always be redemption and satisfaction in the act of resisting.

Today I started reading up for the next class and our topic is 'Embodiment of the Self' and while reading Cummings' 'The Trouble With Being Human Today' I fixated on a quote from Dea Birkett that's very moving and deeply reflective but instead it made me think about BLOGGING, the quote goes something like this:

'Falling in and out of love is unpredictable. Promising to love someone forever is a promise no honest person would make'

This is on the idea of subjective and rational determination, basically the whole concept of the paragraph wherein I found this quote is that our feelings do change but then again they are affected by the decisions we make. Take for example you commit to a lifestyle change wherein you do away with processed food and maintain a regular workout schedule, but one day you start craving a Mcdonald's Quarter Pounder and you pick one up for yourself. The rationale behind eating it is that you will just add in a couple more minutes on the treadmill to burn of the extra calories because you needed the satisfaction that only that juicy processed snack could give you. Then you find yourself doing it again the next time a similar craving comes up forgetting that your commitment isn't just to burning off unwanted calories through working out but to a healthy lifestyle free of processed food.

Before we get into a deeper debate on healthy eating/living and relationships let's go back to blogging. I keep making these commitments on my blog whenever I decide to go back into 'REALLY BLOGGING' but end up not fulfilling my empty promises and then feeling guilty after not posting for a really long time. I used to think I stop blogging because I don't believe in the ideas and thoughts I have plus that fact that I'm over worked in so many aspects of my life that I "don't have the time" to blog. What I realised is that I lack a rational purpose for blogging so I really gave it a thought and decided to trace the reason behind not blogging and it came down to this, it irks me not knowing if anyone is reading my posts. Yes this is a very crass thing to say but I'm just being honest, I mean people who maintain publicly accessible blogs DO WANT TO GET READ, but I guess that should not be the sole purpose. This is probably not true for all bloggers who fall out of blogging. Some people just really want to get things off of their chest or mind and to them that's strong enough a rational reason to continue blogging, and I respect that in fact I wish could care more about the health of my venting skills than my readership.

So I came up with a list of strong rational reasons, well rational for me, to keep myself blogging:

1. You get to write non-academic things that don't exist and live for the approval of your professor.
2. You get to add more posts and page views to your very sad 'blog statistics'.
     [a.k.a. you get to stick it in the face of Blogger]
3. You get to use it as proof or to brag to your friends that you are 'able', despite all your activities, to maintain a blog.

Thanks for reading! Till my next post!

Wondering if someone's reading this,

-smart aleck

LINKED!!!

HI!

So i've noticed my blogging has been going well so I think I deserve a pat on the shoulder for that. *pat's own shoulder*

Anyhow in my search of interesting things to inspire myself, this blog, and my creative juices I came across these amazing sites and articles and links.

NOTE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE CONTENT!!!

Click at your own risk! :)

ENJOY!

1.
The Moment Factory

2.

The Science if Productivity this is just a quick video on productivity. For all my OC and workaholic readers this one's for you. :)

3.

Gesture Chair this is something interesting. It's about how our technology has affected our posture and the different positions we assume now that we are so tethered to our gadgets.

4.

Great Packaging Designs speaks for itself! They are quite amusing to look at too.

5.

31 CLEVER D.I.Y.'s

6.

Oddity Central || Spray-On Fabric 

7.
I'm officially hooked on ArchetypeMe it's an amazing combination of the concept of StumbleUpon and Pinterest. (WARNING: Addictive Content)

8. What the World Eats this is quite an interesting read and it's visually stimulating as well. \

"Be hell bent on trying to inspire yourself and others. It will make a huge difference on everybody's lives."

-smart aleck

Your grades and success...

Hey there!

So I recently came across this video that had a very profound impact on my perception of self-worth. Growing up in a family that has always been academically excellent and intellectually motivated turns you into a grade conscious person. It wasn't a mandate but of course it was expected that I produce excellent academic outputs. In short I monitored my grades like a hawk.

Before I watched this video I already had a better understanding of grades, personality, and skill sets; their relevance to your career and personal succes. I 've learned through countless encounters with very successful individuals that MOTIVATION is most of the time the operative word not academic supremacy. YES awards, recognition, opportunities and all that jazz come with the prestige of being a nerd. BUT a highly specialized and excellent skill set makes an individual more in-demand and valuable than the thousands of nerds and book-smart drones that walk the face of the earth.

What can set you apart from the already diverse selection of humans on this earth? MOTIVATION and SKILL. Yes it doesn't have to be more than one skill as long as you know you are the best when it comes to that one you choose.  One can't live without the other because inorder for them to generate SUCCESS they have to progress simultaneously and this can only happen if they feed off of each other.

Definition from the Urban Dictionary

The "SICK Formula"

1. Find your SKILL(s). 

It's probably best to stick with one skill at the beginning then further along your journey venture into other interests. This skill must be something you are passionate about. If you feel strongly about something you often don't need to exert much effort into keeping the interest alive.

2. INVEST in that skill.

You don't necessarily have to spend your money on expensive classes or workshops or equipment. Finding unique and unconventional ways to improve your skill is nothing but beneficial to your cause because you get to explore and experience things most people who go the traditional route don't. Invest your time in practicing your craft and reading about it, this can only lead to improvement.

3. Find a CAUSE.

In order to keep your motivation find a deeper reason to continue pursuing your goal. A lot of people focus too much on the end result and forget WHY they are doing what they are doing. This way of thinking applies to anything you do. There should always be a purpose. It doesn't have to be profound or world changing as long as it speaks directly to YOU.

4. KILL it every single time!

Yes KILL is the most pathetic word I could think of inorder to complete my Success Formula acronym, but hey it sticks right? In any case, KILL in this sense is doing your best to perform at optimum level every single time. Whether you are practicing or actually performing your skill do it as if your life depends on it. KILL IT EVERY SINGLE TIME. 

(This is a term I got from my dancer friends quite awhile back and I've loved it ever since. There's no better way to motivate yourself than with the thought of slaying an imaginary entity to show you are on top of things.)

Hope this helps someone! :)

-smart aleck

May.23.2013

Hi!

I've been too lazy and too visual lately. Wanna share my current inspirations with me? :)


Enjoy!

Much inspiration!!!

-smart aleck

EEP!!!!

Hello!

Some images and words to inspire.
I've been in dark places and happy places these past couple of months but amidst the chaos and the elation I kept my head above water because I knew "this too shall pass".

Enjoy!

"Dialog" - Rudolf Bonvie (1977)

-smart aleck

D.I.Y. Planner / Organizer / Agenda

Hi!

So i've been inspired to come up with this blog post due to my rekindled love for planners! :)

Ever since high school i've been a huge fan of planners/agendas. They kept my class schedule, extra-curicular schedule, my social and family life, all my school work and even the leisurely pleasures I kept!

I think it's quite right to say that my planner was my life line. This is by the way in no means an exaggeration. I remember when ever I accidentally left my planner or misplaced it I would just be lost for the most part of the day or just crying in frustration. (My good friends could testify to this.)

Being a student council president, an honour student, a performer, and being part of about 8 organizations all at the same time took a toll on my time and sanity, so it was essential to keep everything in place and in order. I found that the best way to do that is by writing things down and being able to see just how much work I needed to get done, when they needed to be accomplished and all that jazz.

Now that I'm in college I tried living off the calendar and reminders of my phone but personally it just doesn't seem to be as effective. I'm not motivated to do work and I tend to get lost in all the different things I need to click in order to put in a certain reminder. In my opinion it's just way easier and faster to pick up a pen and writing something down on a designated page then just go back to it whenever.

So here are the photos of my previous agendas. (Fair warning i'm quite addicted to them so I have them in all kinds of colours, shapes and sizes. Hahaha!)

As you can see I have the current Starbucks planner and even the previous one. But the thing with these ready made planners is they aren't customized to my exact needs. Therefore I resorted to my old ways, which is to create my own planner to suit my every need and whim!

Some people may say that it's way too much work but I think the end result and benefits of having a custom made planner is worth every labor you put into making one.

So here is my new planner! Complete with monthly and daily views. I'm treating it as my idea book as well so I especially included a blogger agenda in it.

(*All the pages are not my original design below the photos are the links from which I got the .pdf or .jpg file.)

This is what my actual planner looks like. I just bought it in a local bookstore's office supplies section.

This is the inside of my planner. Those page markers came in those cards that fit right into the planner rings.

The first page is this GOAL PAGE just so that it will be a constant reminder that these are things I need to accomplish this year.

Behind the first page is the legend for all colour coordination and symbols for the different markers or post-its i'd be using within the pages.

This is my 2013 Calendar on a page.

Behind the 2013 calendar is this calendar including 2014 and 2015. Then after are just the miscellaneous pages that most planners come with i.e. conversion tables, world map, time zones, etc.

After all the preliminary goodies is my blogging planner section. This page starts off my blogging planner because it is a page about your blog goals, inspiration, and the what not.

The blog analytics is a strong visual reminder of how your blog is going. It would also serve as a motivational page because it tells you what kind of topics and posts interest your readers and what brings in more views.

This is a very helpful page because it will give you a quick glance of the days you are due to post something, where have you advertised them and if you were successful at keeping up with the schedule.

This is the weekly blog page. I love this layout because it has 3 sections for post ideas and for someone who does things other than blogging I believe that 3 posts a week is just the right number.  I find it very helpful to see your blog topic, content and tentative posting date for the week in one place.

So this page starts off the personal and school section of my planner. This page is a monthly list of important dates, there's a total of 4 months per page, 2 on each side. I incorporated this so I can section off my year into three parts and  monitor my progress per trimester.

I start every month with this Master To-Do List to remind me of the tasks or goals I need to accomplish for that specific month. I think it's just nice to have them in list form and have them crossed off one by one. It gives me this nice sense of accomplishment.

This is my month in 2 pages. I still keep this grid before every month's daily pages because it makes it easy to see just how busy I am during a certain week or for the month. Plus I find that it's still the easiest way to plot important events.

Lastly, this makes up for the most bulk in my planner. This is how my daily pages look, they are very detailed and to some it might even be too crowded but it works just fine for me, specially since I do have such small penmanship.
I particularly love this layout because it already has a designated space for important reminders, people to contact, an hourly grid and space for some notes.

I'm sure some of you might find this quite excessive or tedious to compile but trust me when I say that customizing it to your specific needs is worth every second and effort spent on a project like this. I really scoured the internet (specifically Pinterest) for the different pages that would make up my planner, and I'm more than happy and over joyed with the outcome.

Here are the files I used for this planner, just incase you like this format and would like to copy it.
Zip FILE Download (SendSpace)

Here are some sites I stumbled upon which have great planners, printables, and the like.
Home Life Weekly
Organized Home
WORLDLABEL
Your Way
Fab n' Free
Contented at Home

Pinterest Boards:
Printables, Binders, Planners,Oh My by Andrea McGough
I Love These Printables, Ideas to Help Organize My Life by Maajida Coleman

Scribd Collection by Jenni Bost


Here are a couple of YouTube videos that could help you organise your Planners.
Ways of a Filofax
Calendar Organization: Update
How to Organize a Planner - 2013
Flags and Mark It Dot System

I hope this post inspires you to get your life organized! Go pick yourself up one planner or better yet, make one to suit your needs!

More to come!

-smart aleck

MUSIC

Hello.

I know it's been forever. As usual I fail at life. I feel, like with most things, that I only write and express whenever there is something momentous happening in my life or when I'm almost or actually in rock bottom and there seems to be no other way to address it than to create a world of myth and words and colour or melody.

I don't know if you've noticed by now but I love almost all types of ART form. I'd like to say and believe that I myself dabble in a few such as singing, painting, sketching, writing, and performing. I love the form of self expression and freedom art provides us with. I think it's a gift to humanity from the spirits in order to put us in our place. It grounds us and makes us realise that beyond our problems and everyday musings there are things far greater and magical.

Music has been one great part of my life ever since I was a child. My mother loves to sing and my father is a musician. Music played a concrete role in my life. Music stood as a figure, somethingI looked up to, something I adored, something that nurtured me and kept me safe. It is also a curse because of how critical I am with myself. I respect this particular art form very much that I tend to never be satisfied. I look back and forth through the musical greats of human history and I can never seem to find my niche and my "voice" amidst all the greatness. I doubt my ability to transport people with my music. I want my music to put people in a momentary trance. A place where for a few precious minutes they forget where they are and what they are most terrified about and just let go the way I let go. But when I listen and watch the people I admire I shrink into nothingness.

I think it's because I NEED to grow more. I NEED to feel and experience more in order to be able to GIVE MORE. I don't know if this makes sense to any of you reading this, but if there's something you are so passionate about you'd know how I feel. Yes some might say it's a fear of being judged or criticised, but beyond that is the fear of failing MYSELF more than anyone else. We all know ourselves are our worst critics and that's one sad truth.

Hopefully someday I will grace the glory of the world's finest stages. Hopefully I will be able to deliver performances and create music that will touch souls.

Hoping you have a magnificent and inspired day!

-smart aleck