All You Need is Confidence and You can do it!

All that crap you get about 'You just gotta believe in yourself' and 'Trust yourself' actually means something. As an ignorant individual, I chose to let myself hear those words of wisdom but in the end, it still went through one ear and out the other.

I love reading self help articles and those how I can improve my life guides. I love hearing stories of people getting in control of their lives and how they managed to do it in a few easy simple steps that any ordinary person can follow. Unfortunately, many of us are one of those 'side watchers'.  We are part of the group of people who sit on the side and watch as everyone's lives improve and complain about how dull and depressing our lives are. The thing with reading self help guides is that you actually have to believe that what you are aiming for and trying to achieve is within your boundaries. Most people think that they believe in themselves but after this spontaneous burst of 'I believe in myself power', you realise that you've lost total interest and or realise that you were stupid enough to have even thought of trying.

I am not superwoman nor am I catwoman or any 'woman' or 'girl' who has supernatural powers beyond human reasoning. This also means that I'm pretty much an ordinary individual whom complains about how boring her life is and has a pride bigger than Mr. Uppity's nose. But in actual fact I am not just any ordinary person, but am one of the luckiest people alive. How do I know? Because I am surrounded by many people who love me and have total faith in me. Why is it that they can believe in me but I can't? It's not just one person who knows that I have the potential to achieve what I want, but many do. In case you've been wondering, I'm referring to my family, the people who will never be able to turn their backs on me and will always be there to catch me when I fall.

I have been playing the piano for a very long time. I did exams for a little while but stopped because of the pressure and am now playing piano for leisure. I like to play piano by ear meaning I listen to music and then play it on the piano with no sheets. By doing this it has definitely improved my aural skills. Sadly, it has probably worsened my normal conversational listening skills. Aside from playing piano by ear, I also constantly download music sheets from the internet and print them out to play, most of which end up being tossed aside because I think I don't have enough skill to play them. Today I proved myself wrong. I always said to myself that 'I can't play scales or any fast pieces because my hands are not suited to play piano and I can't even stretch over an octave'. This excuse I always give myself can no longer be used again as of today. Why? Because today, I believed in myself. I let my heart and brain take full control of my body and I was able to play 3 pages fluently of a piece that I would say is amazingly impossible.

How is it that I was able to? And why was it today?

Today, I was in the library with my friend Winnie. Winnie is an amazing artist whose skills could surpass even Leonardo Davinci's skills. I really admire her talent and also have an interest in drawing. So I asked Winnie, 'What are some tips that you could give me so that I can draw better?' She replied with a 'Make sure that you draw the lines, not sketch them'. So I asked her 'And why should I do that?'. With an exasperated sigh she replied with a 'Because that's what my drawing teacher said. Don't draw sketchy lines. You have to draw clear long lines'. That was when I realised what her teacher meant. Draw clear long lines which shows that you are confident and that you trust your hand to draw it accordingly, sketchy lines show doubt. You must have confidence to be able to achieve a better result.

I found it a bit depressing that it was only now that the solution to all my problems only came to me today.

I have been lacking confidence, not knowledge and today, I'll put this newly found solution to good use.

So you see, all you need to do is draw a clear path to your goal and follow it.

A World Through Another's Eyes - Why I Love Photography

As I grip the lens of my camera tightly with perfect technique and correct posture, I lean over ever so slowly, so as to make sure that the subject of my photograph is captured in a way that is realistic and emphasizes the purpose of it. My hands are quick to lightly press down onto the focus button and I am ready to take my next step closer to ‘catching beauty’.

Photography. From Facebook profile pictures to World class exhibition photographs, they are all forms of photography.  Why is it that we take photographs? To capture those memories that one is afraid of forgetting? Or to gain popularity and fame? Whatever purpose the photographer has in mind, all are viewed differently through every individual. The aim of a photograph, is to give the viewer the perspective that the photographer has of their particular subject and to communicate their messages across to the viewer.

I, for one as a person who has a deep interest in photography, take it very seriously. I treat it as a sport, like how an AFL player treats Football. It was only about two months ago when my inner self awakened. As I was flipping through my DeviantArt webpage , I came across a photograph, which I had bookmarked. Suddenly, as if a light bulb had switched on in an empty dilapidated house, it triggered my now growing thirst for capturing beauty. Amazed at how the photographer was able to take such a clear evocative photograph puzzled me. What techniques did he use? What equipment was needed to produce such a breath taking photograph? Questions popped up from different corners of my brain till I couldn’t take it anymore and realised that thinking about taking a photograph wouldn’t quench my thirst for taking one.

Only days later, was I able to confide to my parents about this new ‘hobby’ of mine. They laughed it off as they knew all too well about my previous hobbies including; cross-stitching, drawing, ceramic making, knitting, singing, gardening and sewing. All of which, I had failed to keep as a long term hobby. But, this time, I was serious about keeping this as a long term hobby. I even applied to work at my Aunt’s ‘Tattersalls’ stall just to try and earn a little more money to be able to purchase a decent SLR camera. After my parents witnessed me working so hard for something, they were taken aback by this sudden burst of passion I had and in the end, bought me a top of the line Nikon D5000 SLR camera with a 16GB memory card.

Everywhere I go, I use my weapon of mass destruction to shoot photographs that would melt even Jack Frost’s heart. Each click of my camera is an additional hill top I walk over towards gaining more experience.

My sole purpose as to why I take photographs? To capture beauty.

Skytree - not much of a tree in the sky

HELLOO. Okay guys, I know I haven't been  updating and I do realise that when I post my holiday memories, they'll be all jumbled up and not in chronological order. Don't shoot me though, I did happen to accidentally leave my Japanese speech award inside a cake bag which was sorta left behind... and the cleaner, chucked out bag of souvenirs, probably thinking it was rubbish. To be honest, I was completely shattered but you can't dwell on the past.

December 2nd 2012'

Today I set out to go see the Tokyo Skytree with my host sister Mayu and her younger sister, Kana. It's our first free day together seeing as there's school on Saturday too, although it's just half a day. Anyhow, we had lunch at home, took the bus to the station and trained from there to Tokyo Skytree. I gotta admit, when I approached the building, I was pretty gob-smacked. There were over 5 escalators we needed to take to get to the 'ground' floor. Hah. Since it's a new tourist attraction, I wasn't too surprised by the millions of people there.

Alright... I admit, I didn't actually go up the Tokyo Skytree, I just went shopping in the shopping area surrounding the building and that shopping area is called 'Tokyo Solamachi'. 

Prices are generally pricey but they have the latest products out there in the market. There are about two levels of restaurants and the other many levels are filled with VERY EXPENSIVE clothing stores. -sobsob- I really wanted to buy a lot of clothes but ....my wallet would be very sad and I would be very sad when my mum finds out that I've been impulse shopping.

After about an hour of window shopping, we stopped by a taiyaki store. I've never been a really big fan of taiyaki but they had the choice of soy milk cream only instead of soy milk cream with azuki bean (red bean).

IT TASTED SOOOO GOOD. Argh, I should come back to get some more of this stuff. So basically, the three of us just walked around the shopping area, taking photos and staring at all the cutesy couples by the romantic lit trees. I took a photo with my phone. Oh yeah, by the way, all the photos from my trip are taken with my phone because I couldn't be bothered bringing my slr....well..I had no space and my backpack was already filled with all my workbooks and diary and wallet and and and and yeah, stuff. 

We then went to the planetarium! Hooray~ I was really pumped and excited but then.. er.. well, let's just say I was in for a surprise. I completely forgot that since I was in Japan, everything would be in Japanese. Well they decided that since we're learning about stars, it was somehow linked to Japanese history. When I talk about Japanese history, I'm referring to the Heian and Edo periods. That's all I could understand. The rest was talking about Kanji and poems. Anyhow, here is the ticket.

I also took a snazzy photo of the Tokyo Skytree from where I was waiting to enter the planetarium. 

Oh right, forgot. I'm going to post a review on the Japanese exfoliating product 'Cure'. I bought it at plaza when I went to Solamachi. Yay~ It works like a charm. 

Last night in the city of the fast and furious

TOKYO.
Bam and I'll be flying away to Taiwan to enjoy some atmospheric night markets. My 3 week long stay in Japan has been absolutely amazing. I stepped out of the hotel this morning to grab a green tea latte from the little cafe across the road. Catherine was feeling for some mocha, so she got one but iced. My parents just had a shot of their regular morning coffee and my sisters shared a nice mug of hot chocolate.

It doesn't feel like we're leaving so soon....
Despite the fact that I've been here for so long to the point that I actually felt 'sick' of the pace of life, I know that I'll definitely miss this place. It's an expensive place to stay but the high-tech, fashion forward traditional country is place that will be sorely missed. I've made so many memories here. On my language exchange, I found out that there was a fan club for me. Haha, there were only 17 members, but still it's a fan club for ME. I met many beautiful people whom I hope I will have the chance to interact with in the future.

My host sister's home room teacher happens to be the strictest teacher in the WHOLE school and is always seen scolding students. Well guess what? When I introduced myself to the class, he smiled. Seriously, that's like an eclipse. He never smiles. The whole class freaked. He then proceeded to tell the class that he was very impressed and that he hoped that by the time he went on a language exchange to New Zealand with a group of students, that he would be capable of speaking at my level of fluency, except in English of course. Well since I heard many bad things about him, I decided that he probably was just a very misunderstood man. I mean come on, he's married to a beautiful actress and has kids and absolutely adores them. He's got to have some heart in him. So every time I saw him, I did this really ecstatic hand wave and practically jumped up and down in glee and continued waving with both hands like a maniac until he would wave (exasperatedly) in return. I sort of understand where this hesitation comes from...I mean, every time I see him, he's in the middle of teaching a class or scolding someone so yeah..

ANYHOW, by the end of my stay, I thought that we became pretty good buddies so I asked if I could take a picture with him. At first he was all like 'むり' (can't, not possible) and then I kept pressing him and he eventually gave in. Oh yeah did I mention the fact that every time I waved to him he couldn't stop himself from smiling? See? He really is a misunderstood guy. Hehehehehehehe, well the photo I took with him is quite special. You see, I convinced him to do double peace signs with me. It was SO funny, all the students walked past and were all gasping and laughing. He did try to lower his hands because he was pretty embarrassed but in the end kept them up for a few pics.

I have so much to update, argh. Alright that's all for tonight.

Japanese Exchange - The First Host Sister

Exchange is interesting. Haha, my host families are absolutely wonderful. They're so loving, kind and understanding, it's too bad that my host sisters are slightly weird....

My first host sister's introduction was somewhat disappointing. There were so many sentences yet the only thing she actually wrote about was the fact that she lived close to the school.
It sorta went down like this: (Note: this is all in Japanese)
1. My name is __________________.
2. I live close to the school.
3. It takes 10 minutes to school by foot.
4. Out of my class, I live the closest to school.
5. You don't need to wake up early because I live close to the school.
6. Because I am not a morning person, it is good that I live close to the school.

Hah. Gee, thanks bro. Nice to know you live close to the school. Any hobbies? Anything?
It's alright though, I did end up finding out her hobbies, though I'm not too sure if it was better for me to find out her hobbies or not. You see, she is a HUGE fan of the Japanese baseball team, Giants. When I say huge, I mean sickeningly HUGE. I was forced to watch the baseball channel for 4 hours at a time because she wouldn't let go of the remote control and it turned out the ONLY channel she had was the baseball channel. I tried to busy myself by looking through her books for Japanese phrases to learn, but it was too hard to concentrate. That T.V. is damn loud. I asked her to lower the volume but even the lowest volume was loud -_-

Well at least I know the names of all the players in the Giants baseball team....

Oh gosh. Purikura. You guys can be the judge of how alien I look in my purikura picture....
I'll post my pictures when I get back to Australia. Right now, my second host sister's laptop isn't liking me too much :<

Burt's Bees Lip Balms

So my friend was being really annoying and decided to put my name down for practically every single item for my school's silent auction. In the end I won five of them but to be honest, I only wanted two. SO, I now have this tin of Burt's Bees lip balms. I heard from my aunt that she loves them and they're so good etc. So I thought, why not? 

I'm guessing I got it for a pretty cheap price because when I checked up on the internet for the prices of each individual lip balm, they were all around about $7.00AUD. Hehe, I got the whole tin of four different lip balms for $14.10AUD. 

So the flavours I have are: Acai berry (rejuvenating), Beeswax (with vitamin E and Peppermint), Mango butter (nourishing) and Pomegranate oil (replenishing). 

ACAI BERRY
Oh. My. Gosh. I tried the Acai berry just then and GUGH, I can't stop licking my lips. They taste so yummy~ I don't know if that defeats the purpose of the lip balm but damn, it goes on really smooth and tastes great. I've always had this fear of using lip balms because most of the ones I've used before. . . tasted utterly disgusting. 

I'll update on the other ones later on and I'll thoroughly review each.
I'm pretty happy with what I've purchased today ≖‿≖

NOTE: I apologise for the bad quality photographs, I haven't been able to find my camera charger so I just used my phone ಥ‿ಥ

Maturity in Teenage Males

Today I went to an all boys high school to participate in the 'Human Relations Day'. It was sort of nice to see so many of my primary school friends there but none of them happened to be placed into my group. The group I was placed in was quite interesting. .  I can't complain because I was one of the group leaders but then again. .. . It would've been nice if I was placed into a group with a more mature set of boys(not quite sure if that even exists). Their immaturity levels proved very alarming and it was hard to hide the disdain spreading across my face. 

The day kicked off with a physical start where we all participated in 'recreational' activities that involved dancing, sack racing, hula hoops etc. It was interesting to say the least. Afterwards we had some snacks to eat (carrot cake and cordial - nightmare combination...I absolutely loathe cordial and I don't enjoy eating cake). Ah well, the day couldn't have gotten much worse. ... or so I thought.

When it came to emotional activities that required thinking (girls asking boys questions and vice versa), the girls came up with what I would call an appropriate set of questions e.g. what do boys expect in a relationship, however to my disappointment, the boys bombarded us with extremely personal questions that I'm sure every girl would've had problems with answering -coughcough- (questions relating to female reproductive organs and how often one 'pleasures' it). 

Hah, I'm tired. Today I learnt a lot about the clockworks of the opposite sex and to be honest, it's quite the turn off. Then again, age plays a huge factor in this and makes me wonder if the bunch of immature boys I was grouped with will ever mature into men who don't value sex over everything in a relationship.