But I do what I do, and I procrastinate.

We all have this little evil guy inside our head that constantly belittles, telling us that we can't do it, that we would never become as successful or happy as the people that we admire. It's scary because all it does is pull me further and further away from the goals I've long reached out for... 

Little by little I'm overcoming these inner demons with the help of Dan and the people who care about me. I tend to get a little separated from the social world during the holidays. I don't know why but I miss those I love especially so in this period of time. I'm also afraid to get close to people, because knowing they'll hurt you at the end of the day makes me feel that it would've hurt less if the relationship wasn't formed in the first place. Maybe that's why over the years I've become more cynical and less able to trust others. 

Smiling has become a form of protection, a barricade from the harsh and cruel world. Being susceptible to outside influence and starting to see the little demons in the people around me has made it so hard to believe.

But if you can fight to save yourself, would you? 

A family member, a really good friend, your significant other... Find that someone who you know you can share your heart out knowing wholeheartedly that they'll be on your side no matter how awry things may get. 

When I was going through a period of ups and downs (basically, shit) in my life, Dan was always there when I needed him and I knew I could trust him even with the littlest of problems or when hell got loose. How extremely thankful I am to have him, I can't explain in words...

Pouring your heart out will definitely make your heart feel so much lighter and free. The most important thing is knowing that you're not alone on this journey. 

I used to lose myself in my favourite book, and could finish one whole book in a setting and continue on to another completely forgetting about taking my meals! Surprisingly I didn't even realise it until the hunger pangs started kicking in after I finished the book heh... Books provided me a form of refuge and it brought me to this whole new setting where I could immerse myself without caring about reality.

It was my go-to distraction when I had too much going on at once. Not too long ago, Dan and I bought a Kindle to enhance our reading experience (more of mine actually haha!) and I must say, it really made reading a lot more portable and accessible. Although I bet many of you can agree with me that nothing still beats reading from an ol' hard cover book which has its unique aged scent!

Besides immersing yourself in your favourite hobby, being with many people at one time can also be a form of distraction. Join CCAs, camp groups, participate in events and activities to get yourself away from what's contributing your stress.

It's a win-win situation 'cos you might be able to take home some valuable friendships and new experiences as well so why not!

This is hard for me to elaborate on because I haven't really found my passion, but I do have some activities I enjoy. Hitting the gym, boxing...basically getting myself pumped up, hot and sweaty (ew haha) makes me feel really good at the end of the day with the boost of endorphin in my system.

I know so many people who are great at what they're doing, be it producing, coding, designing, drawing etc etc the list goes on. You have no idea how awesome it is to have something you are great at, and yet love doing at the same time!

BE PROUD OF YOURSELF FOR BEING YOU

And hey... even if people think they can bring you down with their words, at least you know you got something on them don't cha ;)

Inspirational quotes instantly perk up my otherwise, depressing day.

I find most of my quotes on Tumblr, which is a really convenient place for when you are in needed of all sorts of inspiration such as fashion, photography, sceneries etc.

Doing a quick search on google will bring up many great quotes that help not only mentally but also spiritually. You'll start feeling better and gain more acceptance towards yourself.

They're not only really heartfelt, but gorgeous to look at as well. The great thing about quotes is that they serve as a reminder that you're capable of so many things that you can't see or tell. But I can assure you, your best qualities are there, just yet to be uncovered.

... Guarantees a laugh. And we all know smiling is an instant mood booster.

When I'm not feeling that good on a day, what I love to do is go on Youtube and search for pranks. One of my favourite channel is Ownage Pranks where he uses multiple personas and pranks people by calling them over the phone.

 It's deathly hilarious, and I especially like Buk Lau, his Chinese personality! He has an over exaggerated Chinese accent that makes it soooooo funny. No matter how upset I am during the day, the videos are still able to make me laugh so bad.

9GAG is also my go-to for a laugh or when I'm depressed and need some nonsense to cheer myself up. It's pretty great cos whenever I'm on the go, at school, at home, before bed, it's somehow become a habit to scroll through 9GAG for a while everyday, haha.

Lastly, 6) Exude Confidence

There's this phrase I learned recently from a TED talk, which is 

"Fake it till you make it". 

You may be feeling like the worse human being on earth at any point of time, but on the outside if you portray confidence and happiness, you WILL become the person you want to be.

The idea behind this is to act a certain way in order to become the person possessing those qualities. 

It should be practiced constantly till it begins to feel like second nature to you.

The concept can also be applied to your daily life, or your school, or work.

If you want to do better in your speech, practice speaking eloquently most of the time and you will realise that your speech has improved without even you realising it.

Be confident of yourself and kill those inner demons (aka insecurities).

Confidence is sexy

These 6 points are definitely what helped me ease through tougher times.

I'm still trying to become a stronger person.

I'm sure many of you will agree with me when I say that it is not easy to take the first step. I used to think so too, but now I'm slowly easing out of my comfort zone and becoming more open to trying new things. Only when you venture out will you be able to see change in your life!

The road is never easy, but that is no reason we should succumb to the hardship.
After all, successful people often fail before they become the person they are today now. Take the risk, earn the experience. Who knows? It may actually be the one thing that will change your life.

Be someone you can look back and be proud of.

Love yourself and you will start to love the world around you.

Remember this at the end of the day:

From the outside it looks like your typical hardware store but you'll be pleasantly surprised by the interior once you step pass their large metal gates. There are seats inside and outside the store but I highly recommend the inside to enjoy the air-conditioning as a reward for walking such a long way to reach the cafe ;)

There weren't alot of options to choose from but that actually made it alot better for Dan & I as we are always indecisive when it comes to deciding what to eat. 

Their menu is so creative and suits their store image really well!

Got ourselves a Cappuccino (Espresso + Milk) and Hot chocolate. The coffee here is said to be really nice but unfortunately I can't really appreciate the taste because I don't really coffee :/. That said, I still wanted to try it (in fact, I order a cappuccino at every cafe I go to hahaha wtf). The hot chocolate suits my sweet tooth more ^^

What we ordered:

Cappuccino

Hot Chocolate

Spring Onion Pancake

Grandma's Ginger Marinated Chicken (Their specials)

Passionfruit Tart

The Spring Onion Pancake was enjoyable with the first few bites but became too much after awhile. I do the cherry tomatoes though as they were very sweet and added more flavour to the dish. 

On the other hand, I preferred the Marinated Chicken and the asparagus gave a nice touch to the otherwise meaty dish. It is also a special dish for September so if you're interested, go before the month is over!

Absolutely adore my new Puzzle shoes from I.t because its covered entirely in lace and is also a flatform. Recently I've been buying too many white shoes despite my mother's constant warnings to stop heh. It's more tedious to take care of as they get dirty so easily! But they're so pretty I couldn't resist... Did I mention that I prefer white to black? 

I love the clean and chic look it gives to any outfit!