My Journal [2020]

Hi friends! I’m back with another very requested blog post, and that’s all about journaling! I’ve put up two journal related posts in the past (#1), (#2), but I just wanted to touch up on some new points (and even some old ones that I get asked about a lot) since getting a new journal this year!

Feel free to also scroll through the journaling category of my blog to see my journaling history 🙂

Now let’s just jump straight into the post!

---

What journal do you use?

My journal is from Papermark.id! I found this company at an art event late 2019, and when I picked up their journals I knew immediately that I had to have it! Plus, they had the option of embossing your name on the journal, which makes it so much more special!

This one’s the A5 Beige Lined Notebook with glossy gold foil initials! I love it SO much. I’m not actually too particular with notebooks, so as long as they’re A5, ruled, and is in great quality, I’m sold!

Papermark.id is a Jakarta based stationery store, but I believe they ship their products worldwide! 🙂

---

What do you write about?

I get this question almost daily, and the answer to that is personal entries! What I mean by entries is an update/reflection about anything personal. For example, I like to write a reflection whenever I have overwhelming days (i.e. feelings of frustration, love, sadness, happiness) to assess my thoughts. Being a blogger, I also write lots of ideas and blog post drafts in my journal 🙂

---

How many journals do you own?

I’m interpreting this question in two different ways 🙂

1. I own lots of different journals and notebooks, but I only actively use two, one of which is a planner. The one journal I use is my main personal one, and I make content + write personal entries in there. I don’t really find the need to have separate journals for different things since it’s actually easier for me to access everything in one place. The planner I use is actually a Moleskine pocket notebook! It’s small and handy, which makes it great for me to slip into my school bag!

2. I own 4 journals altogether (include my current one)! I’ve been journaling ever since 2016 and have kept all three of them with me. I did decide in 2019 to leave one of my journals to a special someone, but I will probably have it back one day 🙂 I cannot imagine throwing out any of my journals, even if they hold some of the most haunting memories. Journals are special that way. It’s tangible growth, which is personally something that’s really special and significant to me.

---

Do you journal everyday? If so, how do you find the time?

I do not journal everyday 🙂 It’s a misconception that people often get because my feed is just filled with journal pages! I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but lots of those pages you see on my Instagram posts are actually recycled. It’s one thing to LOVE how written pages look, but another to completely fill up two pages every day for the sake of a pretty picture. I do create lots of content through my journals, which subconsciously makes me journal more often than not (though not everyday).

Bottomline, I only journal when I feel like it. There is just no point in journaling when you’re literally forcing yourself to do it. It’s a choice of habit, not a forced one. It’ll only benefit you if you let yourself willingly pick up the lifestyle.

When it comes to making time for journaling, prioritise!!!! Something people are unaware of is that journaling does NOT have to take a huge chunk of your time. It takes me about 15 minutes on average to complete a personal entry. The only struggle with journaling is the stronger need to do something else instead of it (i.e. watching netflix, youtube, etc). If it’s really hard for you to schedule some time for journaling, I suggest doing it first thing in the morning or right before you go to bed (depending on your schedule) 🙂 I personally like to journal in the morning because I find that I’m more reflective the moment I wake up and have my coffee/tea.

If you’re finding it difficult to write in general, try to stir up a prompt that revolves around your live. Think about your goals. What do you wish to achieve? What are you most looking forward to in the future? Do you have any plans moving forward? Maybe even write down some of the things that inspire you. Anything that comes to mind, just write it! It feels amazing to be able to pour out your thoughts. Writing in a diary just hits differently!

---

What are on those post-it notes in your journal?

I use post-it notes whenever I’m drafting out a new blog post! This could be a book review, a how-to/guide, or some other book-related/lifestyle themed post. When it comes to book reviews, I usually have post-it notes ready from the books that I’ve annotated, so I just take them out of the book and stick them into my journal. They are the perfect references to writing a book review because whatever I wrote on those post-it notes are honest thoughts that are as fresh as they can be, which act as amazing guides when I’m writing my book reviews.

When i’m drafting out a blog post that is NOT a book review though, I like to write out the important points (basically the main ideas that I CANNOT forget to include) on those post-it notes 🙂

---

What pens do you use?

I use ballpoint pens! The funny thing about my pens is that most of them were found/given for free from events and huge corporations like hotels. Any pen I can get, wherever they come from, I keep them! I don’t use a specific brand, but I can tell you that I only use ballpoint pens when I write in my journal and planner. I’m not sure why I prefer it over gel pens. Perhaps it’s because they don’t smear? Nonetheless, I suggest keeping an eye out for free pens and keeping them if you can! Most people just toss them away, but some of them have the thickest most darkest black ink that looks so GOOD on journal pages! xD

---

Do you write your blog posts by hand before publishing them online?

Indeed I do 🙂 I know it may seem like a huge pain in the neck (and not to mention a waste of time), but I just love to write out my fresh ideas on paper prior to typing them out. Not only does it distract me less from the internet and keeps me way more focused when planning for a blog post, I love the way my pages look when they’re filled with words and scribbles. There’s just something so prominent about written pages. I hope I’m not the only one? xD

---

When and why did you start journaling?

I started back in 2016, which was around the time that I moved to study in Australia! 🙂 I remember how chaotic my thoughts were then, and journaling became an outlet for me to remove myself from reality. Reading actually enhanced my love for journaling, because I feel so much more inspired and light whenever I read, which allowed me to pour out positive thoughts into my journal, and not just negative ones 🙂 Ever since then, journaling has become a huge part of my life.

---

How do you feel about putting your entries out to the public?

I’m quite alright with it! Whatever I share online, I’m open to people reading them. I have much more personal entries that I do not share online, so there’s that! 🙂 Besides, I think it’s good to show just the tiniest bit of my more vulnerable side online, because people can relate to my struggles and flaws and realise that they’re not alone 🙂

---

General advice on starting the habit of journaling

As mentioned earlier, make time for it and prioritise! I cannot stress this enough. If you can spare 20 minutes for an episode on Netflix or a vlog, you can use that time to journal instead. Journaling keeps your thoughts in check, so it’s important to set some time for it if you would like to see some results 🙂

DO NOT force yourself to sit down and journal. Making time for it is one thing, but dragging yourself to complete an entry is not going to do any good for you. Keep an open mind when you first start journaling. You may not get to it the first time, and that’s okay! Let your mind reach out for it!

Try to start with a notebook that you already have on hand. Once you feel comfortable with the rhythm of journaling, go and get yourself a journal/diary that you can get attached to! Make sure it’s not too chunky and big. You’d want to get one that’s convenient, so you can bring it with you everywhere you go!

If you’re finding it really hard to start, try to immerse yourself in an environment that makes you feel reflective (i.e. where you’re most in your element). This can be at a library, a cafe, your bed, the park, anywhere really!

Remember to take your time and experiment with the habit of journaling. The practice comes differently for everyone, so be patient. The habit will come to you naturally!

---

That should conclude this post. I hope you all found it somewhat helpful! I’m not sure if I’ll be making another journal related post in the future as I do not want to sound repetitive, but if you have any questions, please let me know and I will try to answer them as best as I can!

Stay safe and take care! ❤

xx Cath

Advertisement

Journals & Journaling [2019]

Hi everyone! I am back with a much anticipated, long-awaited journaling post! This post will be an update on my previous posts A Guide to Journaling for Beginners and All About JOURNALING, seeing as my journaling habits have changed quite a bit since both blog posts were published 🙂

In today’s post, I will be addressing five questions that I get asked often on social media! I’m sure I will miss out on something, but I will try my best to cover everything I can 🙂

---

What journal do I use?

My journal is from Buddybooks, which is a local online notebook specialist store based in Indonesia. The design on my hardcover journal is “TEXTURE 03” in A5 (14 x 21 cm) with lined pages + a mini planner section.

It has a built in bookmark, a built-in rubber binding that allows you to close and open the journal, and paper pouch at the other end of the inside cover, which is perfect for storing paper trinkets! The journal also consists of 2 square grid pages, a 24-page calendar (with each month taking two whole pages), 2 whole pages of a “weekly schedule” section (that includes the days of the week), 2 whole pages of a “bucket list” section,  and 162 lined pages. Total pages in the journal: 192

Link to full information on the journal (including pictures and price)

---

What do I write in my journal?

This is a question I get asked almost everyday! A lot of my posts consist of my opened journal, which contain different things in different pictures! Here is a list of things I include in my journal:

A N E C D O T E S

This could be in any form of daily prompts such as random encounters (this sounds like a silly one, but you never know what/who you might come across doing day to day things!), rants, a spiel on something overwhelming that has happened lately (which could be a number of things from getting a really high mark on your exam, a plot twist that has been haunting you, reading an amazing book, meeting a new friend, getting a new puppy, the list goes on!).  Anything life-related that you can think of fits in this category!

Q U O T E S

I love to write out my favorite quotes from books, saved Instagram posts with beautiful captions, and general inspiration from speakers and videos I watch and listen to.

B L O G   P O S T   D R A F TS

A huge chunk of the pages in my journal is filled with blog post drafts that are written before they go up on my blog. These can include book reviews (+ the planning process that goes into writing them), “How-To” guides, and almost every other post that you see on my blog!

A drafted book review of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry! The post-it notes were there because I had more to write about the book but ran out of space (and I thought two post-its were enough for whatever I had left to say – hence why I didn’t choose to use an extra page!

 

Draft on “How To Create Content Efficiently and Effectively”

 

If you look closely, the post-it has pointers that guide me when I draft my blog posts. This one in particular is a draft on my “April Reel”!

I D E A S   F O R   C O N T E N T

This is one I’ve been doing quite recently (more on why later) and it basically resembles a word vomit. Literally anything that comes up in my head at any moment, I *try* to write in my journal. In a nutshell, anything that serves as (or could become) potential content for my blog and/or Instagram can be found within these pages! It’s a little hard to explain it any further, so I’ll just put up some examples here!

Scribbles on my latest interest – The practice of zero-waste and sustainable living! I just felt inspired at that moment and decided write down everything that my creative juice can muster. These scribbles are very useful for future references on content creation!

L Y R I C S

This used to be a ~huge~ one, but I’ve only done this a couple of times ever since starting my 2019 journal. Basically when I have a song that’s stuck in my head (and genuinely has beautiful lyrics), I jot it down in my journal!

Most of the time, a drawing depicts a lyrics page! This page is inspired by the song Love by Lana Del Rey. Aside from the terrible drawing of Leonardo DiCaprio (that did zero justice to his suave Romeo + Juliet demeanor), this page focuses on the haunting beauty of Love’s lyrics, which continues to inspire me today ❤

---

Why do I keep a journal and write about all these things?

It’s so easy to get lost in technology these days. I run the google maps app on my phone for directions and somehow end up on Youtube scrolling through my subscriptions. I go on Instagram for H O U R S, scrolling through my feed and getting lost in the mindlessness. It literally takes just one Insta story to catch my guard off. Ironically, it’s too inefficient and problematic to rely on my phone in most occasions – so this is where I turn to the old school method of putting everything down on pen and paper! Of course, in saying this, you don’t turn to your journal for every single thing. I don’t think it’s very efficient to always have to rely on your journal either. Think of it as an alternative to organise your life and habits better!

People journal for different reasons. Personally, I find that it helps keep things organised, is therapeutic, and is definitely good for my health. I write lengthy anecdotes (which probably shouldn’t even be called anecdotes anymore..) to clear my mind, and having this space to write with no filter is, as it turns out, so helpful and beneficial for my mental health. My mind is always in utter chaos, so making time to sort those nasty thoughts out is so, so important for me. Writing down my negative thoughts on paper (where they are physical and real) makes me face my problems head-on and clears this haze that so often fogs my mind. It’s like taking a run, except your hands are the one doing the work!

Beyond the personal association of my anecdotes are the likes of my creativity! In other words, there’s more to just angst in my journal xD I love to jot down some quotes and lyrics that inspire me to create. These quotes can be from an Instagram caption (Thought Catalog is a good one. I have a TON of their pictures save because I LOVE going back to their captions), or books that I’ve read! If you can’t tell already, words are a thing of magic that fuels my inspiration ❤ This is also why I like to draft my blog posts and jot down any ideas I have on my journal prior to publishing them (rather than have a rough draft saved electronically), because I find that writing by hand initiates more creative drive!  The only downside to this is that it takes so much more time. But I’m happy with that! My blog post actually has more thought when I write them down, and I definitely prefer quality over quantity by a mile!

With regards to the post-it notes you guys always see in my journal, they are there as guides and are helpful for planning out my posts and writing down key pointers of what my blog post would/should consist of! Sometimes when I do not have the time to write the whole draft out, I like to start by highlighting the important bits of the draft on these post-its (so I can have something to reference back to when I actually have the time to sit down and create content). It’s easy to lose track of my thoughts when I handwrite my drafts, which is why post-it notes are almost always on in my journal. They help organise my thoughts so well!

---

Any tips on getting into the habit of journaling?

Fit it into your routine any way you can – before bed, in the morning before heading out, during your commute… if you really want to start the habit of journaling, obviously you will need to sacrifice some of your time doing other things. For example, my nights are only reserved for anything I do for myself (nothing school/work related, just some me-time with a book, a movie, youtube, etc).

You cannot possibly do everything you want in one night. You need balance! Prioritise what you want to get done and when you want it done. It is also important to remember that you should only journal when you want to. You might want to make journaling a routine, but you can’t force yourself onto doing something if you don’t actually want to do it. If you’re lethargic after a long day of work/school, it’d be wise to stay in bed and do something less “physical” instead of whipping out your journal and furiously writing (unless this is something you do to feel less sluggish, then by all means journal! 🙂 ). Personally I need to have the physical energy to sit by a desk, get comfortable, and then start journaling. Unfortunately, that physical energy can sometimes be very demanding. I mean, there are days where this seems impossible to do! All of you wanting to pick up this routine will have those days. You will have l o t s of them. But it’s better this way so journaling won’t seem like a chore to you.

Bottomline, try to find something you enjoy writing about. This will give you that extra, much needed kick to journal more often! Squeezing some time in for journaling can be a little hard at first (especially when you don’t know what you want to write about in your journal), but experimenting helps! Inspiration is a good way to fuel that drive too. Pinterest have the most beautiful journal posts (so do Instagram and Tumblr!). I highly recommend scrolling through these apps and saving some that makes you feel creative and inspired ❤ It will really help!

---

Why should I journal?

It’s bittersweet, fun, and most importantly, you become your own inspiration! It’s a little narcissistic to say, but when you look back to those filled pages with your messy scrawls, you will remember the moment you wrote it. It takes you back, and the nostalgic factor will inspire you to write more.

I do not mean this lightly: Make your journal yours. Only then will you find the reason why you journal. Whatever ideas you have in mind for your journal, go for it. There are  no rules to journaling, and the only thing that applies is that the journal should reflect you. Besides, you are only really journaling when you’re having fun with it.

Journaling also allows you to absorb the present moment and appreciate life more. Bringing your journal wherever you go, wanting to grab it out of your messenger bag while on the train, itching to write while sitting in a cafe drinking coffee than has been bathing in the light at golden hour… that’s when you truly understand that journaling makes you feel and think more. This may super glorified, but once you get into this habit, you will find the need to go out in the rain, walk/ride the bus to your favorite cafe, order a coffee/hot chocolate and spend time writing. The fact that I go out of my comfort zone to do all this alone says a lot! I find magic in journaling (especially in the right environment), which is so important because it puts you in the best mood to write your thoughts out and clear your mind.

---

 

I hope I did not miss anything out. If there is anything I did not quite cover very well, please let me know! Otherwise, I hope this guide is somewhat helpful to all of you wanting to start a journaling journey!

Cath xx

 

All About JOURNALING!

Hey there guys! I’ve been meaning to do a blog post about journaling for a while now, and I finally have the time to sit down and write up a draft on my journal. So here it is! I have a really old blog post about journaling as well if you’d like to read through it (it’s pretty outdated, but hopefully it’s still helpful to some of you! Click here). Without further ado, let’s begin!

NOTE: This blog post will be in the form of a Q&A. These are the questions I often receive from you guys, so I’ll be addressing them first and foremost! If you have anymore questions, let me know down in the comments, and I will get back to you ASAP!

What type of journal do you use?

The brand of my journal is “Kokoro”. It’s a Japanese brand notebook, and I got it at Kinokuniya while I was in Jakarta. I’m not a fan of blank notebooks, simply because my handwriting turns sloppy without lines to guide me xD so I always keep a look out for ruled journals/notebooks. They also help me structure my blog post drafts better!

 

---

 

What do you write in your journals?

I used to only write daily entries in the past, but now I use my journal to organise and draft blog posts too! I mostly write my book reviews in my journal before I put them up on my blog 🙂 My journal is a sporadic little thing really! I write whatever I like in it. My journal is the one place I go to whenever I feel overwhelmed (aka I could be overly excited, anxious, happy, grateful, or even sad). Writing in my journal helps clear my head and calms me down!

 

---

 

Do you use specific journals for specific things?

Hmm I guess so. I use journals based on convenience. I have a similar notebook that’s about the size of my hand, and I do use it when I’m travelling for a bit or heading out for a short while. But this rarely happens, so I still bring my daily journal everywhere with me more often. The little journal is mostly filled with spur of the moment thoughts, quotes, and pretentious (not to mention angsty) poetry xD Otherwise, I only have ONE main journal, which I use for pretty much everything!

* below are pictures of my little journal :3 *

---

 

How often do you write in your journal?

It depends. I only reach for my journal when I have lots of things running through my mind. I only write when I feel like it 🙂 There are be moments where I would write on a daily basis (because I’m feeling it), but there could be days where I have no need for journaling, because these are times where I like to surround myself with people, instead of isolating myself with my own thoughts.

 

---

 

I really want to start journaling but don’t know how. Any tips?

Only start journaling when you feel like you’re ready to. Believe it or not, journaling doesn’t have to be a ‘commitment’. You don’t have to spend hours looking for the perfect journal or take your time writing an aesthetically pleasing looking entry. But you need to have the passion for writing and creating.

I recommend starting small. Bring scraps of paper around or an old notebook with you wherever you go. Write on those first, and if you feel like you’re ready to keep a hundred page blank journal, then invest in one!

I feel like lots of people have this short burst of motivation to journal and then just give up after a few days. The key to journaling is to keep it personal, and be proud of it no matter what you do with it. Don’t journal just ‘for show’. If you wish to share your journal entries within a platform, then you shouldn’t be afraid to show the media your messy entries and scribbled pages. People quickly lose interest in journaling because of the time and effort it takes to make their pages look pretty. It becomes a chore to be consistent with writing beautifully and decorating, which brings me back to what I said earlier – to only reach for your journal when you want to. Not when you have to. Journaling should be something you look forward to, something that inspires you and makes you feel better. It shouldn’t be something that demotivates you mentally and physically on a daily basis.

 

---

 

Journal prompts?

Ahh I don’t think I have any good ones xD But I do love to write down the lyrics of songs that I would currently be obsessed with, and add some doodles here and there to make it look fun. I also like to write about past entries and good memories that I never got to talk about – and stick a few trinkets on the page 🙂

---

 

How to make time for journaling?

I like to journal before I go to bed, and in the morning before I do my assignments or head to work. I use my reading time to journal, so it’s a sacrifice between reading and journaling for me, which I’m not complaining – because I love to do both! You just have to bring yourself to sit by your desk, take out your favorite pen, and start writing. I know lots of us are guilty for saying we don’t have time, when we actually do. We just choose to laze around catching up on Youtube videos and Netflix instead 😛 But for those who are always out and about, constantly drowning in uni work and have little spare time for themselves, then I suggest you bring your journal/scrap paper everywhere with you. Often I find myself drowning in my own thoughts in class, so I just take out a piece of scrap paper and start word vomiting. I’ve done this several times in class. You just never know when you need to word vomit, you know?

Going back to squeezing some journaling time in your busiest times, what i also like to do is write my thoughts down on my ‘notes’ app on my phone, and then transferring them to my journal when I have the time. Maybe this does not have the same effect as writing in my own journal at the time when I needed to, but it’s just a matter of preference. I personally like to see my own thoughts in my journal 🙂

---

 

Do you have any other tips in general with regards to journaling?

This might sound cliché, but have fun with journaling! Don’t make a big deal about your handwriting or bleeding pages or messy entries. I think the best journals are the ones that are full of essence – lots of thought and emotion. And you know how our thoughts and emotions are. They’re sporadic and all over the place, which is what your journal should look like. It should be a representation of your own mind palace 🙂 

I hope this post is somewhat helpful to anyone out there who’s been meaning to start a journal. Good luck, and do let me know how you guys go about your own journaling journey ❤

 

 

 

 

Diary Entry #1

Hey guys! This is a new segment I’d like to call Diary Entry where I basically accumulate some of my past mini entries (or one big one) and incorporate them into one blogpost. These won’t be very long, and they don’t really mean much, but I thought I’d share with you some part of my daily life because a) people have been asking me what I write in my journals and b) i’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time xD

Basically I’ll start with different segments each post. The segments are essentially the reason why I decided to write down an entry that day 🙂

Anyways, I hope these are somewhat entertaining/helpful to you 🙂

SEGMENT #1: MORNING REFLECTIONS

Items pictured:

• Moleskine Pocket Classic Plain Notebook
• The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee
• JORD Watch {Frankie – Koa & Ash}
• Penguin Mug
• Dong-A Fine Tech Pen

Entry title: Hi

Date: 08/09/17

On: {Self-talk, school and motivation}

hey. I know things have been a huge pain in the ass lately but you should not give up. please. not yet. you are so close. and you still have a bit more to get through. do your best. and by the way, in case you aren’t aware yet, you’re doing great.  you’re improving for the most part and that’s all that matters. don’t focus too much on the negatives. i’m pretty damn sure you’ve had more positives than negatives this year, why not focus on those instead? you made a ton of new amazing friends, you’re leaving for uni in about a month, and you’re going to japan (!!!). you have lots of things to be thankful for. we had this talk before. tons of times, actually. don’t dwell on the past be grateful. pray. work hard. don’t do this for yourself and no one else. you’re an overachiever because you know you’re capable. besides, mom expects you to take care of your mental health. so the pressure and fear of failure is really coming from yourself. stop. it’s toxic and harmful. just do your best trust. pray. work hard. it’ll all be fine in the end.

P.S I’m running a giveaway along with JORDwatches where you can win a $100 e-voucher to their website!! There will only be one winner, but all participants will receive a $25 e-voucher! If you’re interested, click here 😀

Picture source: My instagram

Journal Updates #7 [DRAWINGS!]

Hello again, friends! I’m back with another Journal Update!! I’m finally getting around to my new journal and I can’t wait to show you what I’ve done with it 🙂 If you’re following my Instagram, then you’ve probably seen most of what’s included in my journal, but I always like to go into detail with what I do and why I do it so hence this blog post! 🙂 Alrighty, enough rambling for now – let’s get on to my journal!

First entry!! This was the day before I left for Indonesia (hooome ❤ ) and I guess I was in a really good mood that day xD I thanked God for being with me through the rocky road that is 2016 in Australia (new school, new life, new environment – it’s really scary!) and for my family who’s been supporting me through and through ❤

November spread ❤ I drew a picture of myself (in airport fashion xD ) and added paper trinkets (an airplane ticket, two movie tickets and a target receipt that came with the purchase of this journal 😀 )

Here’s an entry for when I watched Fantastic Beast and The BFG for the first time (and completely LOVE it!) Watching The BFG on the ride back to Indonesia made me feel so nostalgic, and Fantastic Beast was just pure brilliance!! ❤ These two films made it to my November faves too 😉

Sooo my mom and my sister went to Europe along with our cousin and they brought back some of the coolest souvenir ever!! ❤ They even went on to collect little trinkets on the way :’) Most of them aren’t pictured here but I stuck anything I could on my journal and wrote my gratitude for them ❤

I watched Fantastic Beasts twice (once with my mom, and another time with my nerd buds 😉 ) and I actually loved it more the second time round! Albeit being a HP fan, my mom didn’t quite enjoy Fantastic Beasts, but my friends and I went crazy over the film, what with the HP references, the beasts and of course the cinammon roll that is Newt Scamander ❤ ❤

I love writing entries after watching an anime ❤ They always leave me feeling super emotional, and what better way than to write them (or draw them) on paper? 😀 I finished Lovely Complex within the month and couldn’t help but bring the characters back to life in my drawings. I love the series. I had sooo much to say about it to0. It’s basically a contemporary romance about a tall girl and a short boy. 🙂 Love the concept! Totally knocks out the flawless male and female falling in love stereotype!

I have no idea how on EARTH people draw hands. They’re the hardest things to draw >.< Anyways, this entry is dedicated to Allied, the movie starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. ❤ I really liked the film and I wrote down a short review of it 😀

I rarely ever write reviews in my journal, but when it comes to a book I just have way too much to say, I write them out. In this case, I wrote four pages of review for Made You Up (my favorite book of 2o17!) I do this cause a) i’m afraid I’ll forget what I have to say and b) it’s much easier to plan before publishing it. I might try to do this more often, actually!

Birthday entry!! ❤ I turned 17 on December and my friends surprised me and got me loads of cool gifts and ahhh it was an amazing day ❤ I glued a small paper bag to my journal and I slipped in a letter from one of my friends, so I can read it anytime I want 🙂

I went to Bali for a week!! 😎 I didn’t have much time to properly journal but whenever I do I only write down highlights of each day. It was such a fun trip! I had my first Acai bowl (LOVED IT ❤ ), went out to sea, shopped and relaxed. T’was a fun trip! 😀

I came home to the news of a family member’s passing, but luckily there was no change in plane schedule. We headed back to Jakarta and went to give our blessings. It was a quite week for all of us.

Fast forward to happier days 🙂 Christmas!! My family don’t actually celebrate Christmas but this year they went full out! My mom always makes sure to give us gifts though 😀 She got me the cutest Christmas onesie and I had a family gathering where we all exchanged gifts and had lunch together. Some couldn’t make it but it was a memorable day and I hope to spend Christmas with the full gang next year ❤

New year came by in a flash and I was feeling super motivated that night XD I wrote about my anxiety, struggles and goals and it literally empowered me after writing out my thoughts. The one reason why I love to journal, to be honest. It soothes your mind and get it on gear at the same time!

First entry of the new year! I ranted about Sherlock and talked about a baby I met in a temple on New Years eve. I won’t go into detail with the baby but let’s just say it was an unforgettable day 🙂

I remember I was ranting so hard in this entry XD It’s been years since I’ve wanted to learn how to write a bike and I only got around to doing so recently. I was frustrated, bruised all over and tired. Not to mention tears were actually falling when I decided to stop and start again the next day (so much for being a mature 17 year old XD ). I debated over my mental, emotional and physical stability and immediately I felt better for myself. Trying hard isn’t worth it if you plan on giving up – one thing I learned from teaching myself how to ride a bike 🙂

This one was quite a spontaneous entry. My mom took me and my sister to a really fancy dinner that night and I swear I had a food coma after trying out the dessert table. It was amazing! I’m not a foodie by any means but when it comes to dessert, I can raid the whole table XD

Another one of my long book reviews! This one goes to Heartless, my first read of 2017. I was heart stricken after reading the book so I took out my pen and journal and started writing right away.

Journal Updates #6 [KPOP, ANIME, BOOKS ♡ ]

Hello beautiful people ❤ I’m back with another Journal update! I love doing these because I get to share my adventures and memories with you guys and it’s just really fun doing them! I’ve nineteen entries to show y’all, most of them are (as you can tell by the title) Kpop, anime or bookish related so you’ve been warned! I’m indeed obsessed with all three so my journal is always full of them 😛

Also, if you guys like my journal updates do let me know! I really want to do a flip through on my Instagram so if you’re interested in that or other Journaling related blog posts, make sure to leave a comment telling me what kinds of posts you want to see from me!

Now let’s jump straight into the journal entries!

As you guys know I love doing music lyrics entries like these. Blood Sweat and Tears by BTS is possibly my favorite BTS song of all time so of course I had to write them down in my journal (both in Korean romanization and English XD ).

A friend in school recommended the Anime ‘Orange’ to me and I fell absolutely in love with it!! ❤ I couldn’t help but write a journal entry of my thoughts and feelings. I really recommend you giving this Anime a watch! I’m hoping to read the Manga as well because people say it’s MUCH better than the Anime, but we’ll see 😉

I personally love this entry ❤ I wrote about an Anime I watched called Your Lie in April and how beautiful it was ;-; I found the Anime by accident and instantly fell in love with the art, music and the story 😮 The piece of cake I drew is dedicated to Kaori ❤

I wrote this when I was under a lot of stress so please excuse how angsty it looks I’d like to keep my journal lively and cheery but from time to time I like to write out my feelings just to calm myself down a little.

My first ever Halloween entry and I LOVE how it turned out!! Ten points to anyone who knows the title to the lyrics written above 😉

A journal entry dedicated to the wondrous book that is Nevernight 😈 I LOVED Nevernight (you can check out my long review here) and I had a mini hangover after I finished the book so an entry just had to happen!

Post-exams week! Flowers always bring me peace so I drew one to allow myself to relax and prepare for my exams the coming week. As you can tell, I write to de-stress myself, and sometimes when exams are right around the corner the pressure can be a bit too overwhelming

End of month entry 🐻 It was nearing Summer where I live but I couldn’t help with make it Autumnal themed. I drew the main characters of each anime I watched in the month of October so what I did was I taped one side of a paper down  to be able to draw on both sides! My favorite anime by far is Kimi No Na Wa (I know it’s pretty overrated at the moment but iT’S AMAZING OKAY?!)

I think all bookworms can agree that bookmail is the best kind of mail ❤ I always write a journal entry whenever I receive bookmail, and these were the books I got on different days of the same week. I’m always so grateful to the authors/publishers for sending me their books, so I make sure to keep the papers they sent me so I can use them for my journal

I did a thing XD I follow lots of artists on Instagram and they inspire me so much to start drawing, and I did! I drew BTS’ Jin and even if it looks horrible to you guys, I was super proud of it 😆 I’m definitely no pro, but I find it really relaxing to draw and I wish to improve, so I’ve been drawing more often now 🙂

I was super obsessed with Tonari No-Kaibutsu-kun at one point (still kinda am actually ) so I made a rendition of Shizuku looking all dramatic paired up with blackout poetry!

She was out for an eternity. 

He puts her hand on the wound, 

for a few moments 

he pleads

"Stop, stop!"

leans down 

and grabs her face.

They  drag him away

to kill him.

She watches for another moment

 before turning back

It doesn’t make any sense but hey I had fun doing this XD

I like to do a week in the life update from time to time (if my week happens to be interesting, that is XD ) and the week before I flew back home I received a box full of books (which rarely happens), found an art journal I could use to draw anything I want in it and received good grades. T’was a good week ❤

I didn’t have time to do write out lyrics to a song so I made a list of the songs I recently discovered and fell in love with 🙂

I wrote about a Japanese phrase I’ve been using to power through the last remaining weeks of school and plans for my holiday (hint: the illustration 🐱 )

A mini music entry I guess? They’re the lyrics to 4minute’s ‘Hate’ and I love how raw the lyrics are! I attempted to draw Gayoon but obviously I failed miserably :’)

Just trying to improve my drawing skills XD I was on my last few pages of my journal and had no idea what to write so I made a Harry Potter dedication page to my Ravenclaw queen Luna Lovegood 😎

Last! This was a week before my trip back home and I was sort of reflecting my whole year, what with moving to a new country and school. It’s been hard but definitely a great experience. With that being said, I’m so ready for 2016 to end and have a fresh new start in 2017!

Well, that’s it! I really hope you guys like my entries! As always, thank you for your constant support. You guys mean the world to me! Savour your last few days of the year (..0r not, if you’re like me and you just cannot wait for it to end XD ) Anyways, it’s been such an adventure. Can’t wait to see what 2017 holds for all of us! x

 

Bookish Journal Updates #5 ♡

Hey everyone! I’m reallyyyy sorry for my absence. Exams just ended and I only have one week of school left before my Summer holiday! *cue confetti* Anyways it’s time for another round of journal updates! This will consist of journal entries from the first half of journal no.2 and I’ll be making a separate post once the second half is done! Watch out for that 😉 Anyways let’s jump straight into my entries! (be prepared.. i have 20+ to show you 😮 )

 

 

First entry! I wrote about how excited I was to begin my new journey with a new journal! I also started watching a few episodes of Ouran that night and had some sushi. T’was a great day ❤

 

An end-of-the-month spread! I was so excited for September because of the books and more importantly the warm weather! :p

 

So I was studying one day and I was looking up classical music to help me concentrate when I ‘stumbled’ upon Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake theme. None of his works are new to me but I actually never give any of them a complete listen, and when I did that day I FELL IN LOVE ❤ Lake In The Moonlight is still in my playlist to this day and it’s just as beautiful every time I listen to it ❤

 

One of those ‘de-stress yourself’ spreads I do VERY often. I was entering my last two weeks of school before term break started and I was having none of it. 😆  I also discovered Twinings tea and was completely obsessed with it!

 

On this specific week I received a package everyday of the week and I just had to write an entry about it! I talked about how grateful and thankful I was to all the publishers who sent me such delightful books I also included paper trinkets to go with the entry ❤

 

I finished watching Ouran that day and I just couldn’t contain my FEEELS ❤ It was my very first Contemporary Anime and I loved everything about it! I had a theme going on for this entry included a green Ghibli postcard and a letter ❤

 

Another bookmail entry ❤ If you can’t tell, bookmails make me really happy :p I journal each time I receive a package in the mail and I try my best to keep any stamps/tracking numbers to put in my journal. Oh and I’m pretty sure I received my very first TheBookDepository mail! It was an exciting day 😀

 

This was when I felt pretty upset over a test I worked really hard on. I found a Daruma Doll sticker I bought not too long ago and I decided to put it in this entry. I remember I looked up the meaning of a Daruma Doll and it’s suppose to bring you luck and good fortune (?) can’t say for sure, that’s what I found online though! I was being philosophical while writing this entry as you can tell with all the wise quotes and symbolism

 

This was a music entry I did for Aerosmith’s ‘Dream On’! I was obsessed with the song for a while so I wrote down the lyrics on my journal 😀 And those dried leaves/petals are a pest! They look nice but they fall everywhere! 🙄

 

I wrote an entry for when my mom sent me postcards all the way from Europe ❤ She went on a trip for two-months and travelled non-stop! She sent letters and my sister (who’s a deltiologist) received some of the most gorgeous postcards ever! ❤

 

I decided to gather up postcards I’ve received and compile them in one journal entry and I love how it turned out! I made a little envelope and it fits all the letters I received from my family and friends 🙂

 

This was for when I was feeling ‘stressed out’ because of school and so I drew a rocket (based off of twenty-one pilot’s lyrics hehe ) and the bird  was dedicated to Pottermore releasing a Patronus quiz in which I got a blackbird 😀

 

I received more lovely postcards in the mail from my family and I couldn’t really think of anything else to put in the other page so I started doodling some random pictures of letters and envelopes

 

This entry was for when I discovered a lovely little cafe not too far from where I live. I wrote and drew while sipping on what I thought was the most delicious hot chocolate ever! Also a friend of mine showed me around her art class the following day and I thought it was seriously the most magical thing ever , so I couldn’t help but journal about that too<3

 

Any Ghibli fans? 😉 I watched ‘The Tale of Princess Kaguya’ in the weekend and everything was so brutally heart wrenching 😥 It was beautiful though! Everything was so well done and the story just hits you like a bullet train. So so good ❤

 

My September favorites! I discovered LOADS of Anime films and I also found a book to put in my ‘favorites of 2016’!

 

You know the drill. When I’m obsessed with something, I journal about it. I discovered yet another Anime and I love everything about it! It’s called ‘Tonari No Kaibutsu-kun’ and it’s a rom-com with the most unique characters! There are so many memorable quotes but this one happens to be my favorite ❤

 

Pretty self-explanatory! I watched Miss Peregrine’s in cinemas, had lunch in a lovely cafe, and got caught in the rain on the way back home. Yep. fun.  It was quite a spontaneous day out with my sister though! We laughed it out when we were soaked under the rain and had some tea later that night 😀

 

This was for when BTS’ Boy Meets Evil trailer dropped and I freaked out so bad I just had to write about it. Or in this case, draw 😀 I’m not too fond of how it turned out but I can’t deny how badass the wings look

 

I just finished watching Kotoura-san and thought it was the cutest thing ever! This entry says otherwise but it’s a feel good contemporary that I feel like everyone will enjoy ❤

 

I started writing stories again online and I particularly liked one part of the story I wrote and so I couldn’t help but handwrite them down on paper… that I burned.. yeah. The things I do for my journal

 

There are spoilers in this entry so read at your own risk! I finished reading It Ends With Us by CoHo at 5 am in the morning and the feelings stayed with me throughout the morning so I had to write them out. It was an enjoyable read! I’m not a big fan of CoHo but some of her books are actually REALLY realistic and raw. I highly recommend them!

 

Another Tonari No Kaibutsu Kun entry! This has become my favorite anime of all time. I’ve lost count on the number of times I’ve re-watched the first episode (because that’s when everything happened. Everything escalates really quickly and then the story slows down as you watch each episode. SO GOOD). On the right I talked about discovering a new Anime series called ‘Nijiiro Days’ and I ended up reaaally liking it! A light and fluffy Anime. highly recommend it!

 

I was very fascinated with Japanese after watching so many Anime shows. I wish to learn more in the coming Summer holidays and I started noting down simple words to practice on a daily basis. On the right is my short review of Kimi No Nawa, my favorite Anime Film of 2016 ❤

 

Final entry! I talked about a new film I was watching in which music played a huge part in and also BTS’ new album that was just released!

 

Alright that’s it for this journal update! I hope you had fun reading through the meaning behind all my entries as much as I did writing them 🙂 I’ll have more journal entries to share with you guys soon! Also, if you guys follow me on Instagram, you should know that I bought a new journal! And it’s glorious ❤ my current one only has a bit over 5 pages left so once that’s done I’ll jump straight into my new one. Can’t wait to write more entries ❤ Have a lovely day everyone!

 

Bookish Journal Updates #4: Finishing My First Journal!

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since my last journal update. I’ve finished my very first journal just before my term break started and i’m so happy with it! It’s FULL of little goodies and trinkets and I love how I can always look back to it ❤

I’ve gotten myself a new journal and i’m almost finished with that too but anyways I really wanted to show you guys what I’ve been doing in my journal ever since my last journal update so here it is! I’ll be doing a separate journal update for my new journal so stay tuned for that 🙂

If you guys recall, I did a Studio Ghibli dedication page similar to this but minus the quotes! Plus the theme of this was ‘Strong protagonists’. I made this page in honor of being part of LitWithoutLimits, a non-profit organization that brings about literature to girls

I saw people drawing book spines on their journals and I loved the idea of it! So here’s what I did 🙂 it’s sort of a bookish representation of my life basically haha XD

I did a spread for my July favorites! It was my very first monthly favorites spread and I had so much fun doing it! I have a post of my July favorites here 🙂

Here’s what I call a Music entry! I was obsessed with this one Post Modern Jukebox song so I decided to write down the lyrics on my journal (while listening to it of course 😉 ).

This was my very first Diary entry (I talked all about it here!) and I laugh at it everytime I go back and re-read it. I talked about what happened during the release date of The Cursed Child and how lots of HP fans gathered in my local Big W just to get their hands on the beauty. It was such a thrilling day!

Another diary entry! (The following posts will be more diary entries actually ^^’) This one was about an anime film I stumbled upon in which I ended up really liking! It’s called The Boy and The Beast and it’s about this boy who enters a whole new world filled with monsters and how he learns to adapt and train with them! I was also having a really rough day, so I talked about trying to be more positive. 🙂

Here’s an entry I did when I started writing again and visited some thrift stores that are near me! It might not be an interesting topic to you guys but writing this was really therapeutic for me and I had a blast that day! 😀

A mini review I did on The Cursed Child! I ended up really liking it despite the mixed reviews. I gave it a solid 4/5 stars! (Scorpius is such a kid omg

This was very delayed but I couldn’t think of a way to decorate an ACOTAR/ACOOMAF themed page! So I decided to write a quote that means a bit too much to me

Oooh I love this page! XD I wrote this entry whilst in a coffee shop and the surrounding ambiance was amaaaazing and I guess I got a bit too giddy when I wrote this haha! I wish I have the time to just go out and write in a cafe. The placed served tasty hot chocolate too!

It’s Teto!

Alright guys so for Psychology class that day we had this mini activity where you count the name of your vowels, do a little bit of math with it and you end up with a single digit number that determines your personality. I got the number ‘6’ (which happens to be a favorite number of mine!) and this is my personality! It’s quite scarily accurate actually, so I decided to jot that down in my journal! 🙂

I was asked by Haley (Founder of LitWithoutLimits) what reading means to me and I’ve actually never given it much thought! So I started out not knowing what to say to her and then I talked about Roald Dahl’s books and how it got me into reading and from there I just started rambling haha (sorry Haley! XD ) But anyways I wrote my answer down in my journal because I feel like reading and books are now such big parts of my life now ❤

//something a little extra (what’s behind the Penguin Random House card?)

Music entry part 2! Chicago’s Cell Block Tango is amazing! The performance, dancing, the lyrics, everything! I wasn’t sure what I was going for when I did this entry but I love how it turned out! I was thinking of coloring in the rose but I never got around to it

Ahhh I remembered how super excited I was to be able to receive a hardback copy of The Return of The Young Prince! The Little Prince is such an amazing book (and film!) and to have the opportunity to read and review the sequel was such an honor! I have a review of it here 🙂

This one was pretty random. I wrote about a horrible test score I received that day so I drew a bunch of cute chibi characters and motivational quotes to cheer myself up 🙂 the cutouts were from a magazine I got during a Uni open day and the page coincidentally had a blue theme and I ended up really liking how it turned out XD

This entry was an excuse to use the flowers I picked up that morning XD So it doesn’t really mean much.

A Hamilton entry! This one’s for the song ‘Alexander Hamilton’! I’m not a crazy fan or anything but the song was really catchy so I decided to write down the lyrics in my journal. The paper note is actually my sister’s – I thought it matched Hamilton perfectly!

An entry I did when my Bookstagram reached 10K followers! I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t not write something in my journal! Also I finished an Anime film (Colorful) that day and I LOVED it! The quote on the right is from the movie ❤

Another entry that has to do with being positive! I received cards from a company called Little City Love and they’re all so inspiring, and they’re all beautiful ❤

Second monthly favorites entry! This one was for August

Oh my goodness Death Note was my very first Anime series (and it’s what got me into Anime shows!) and I was completely obsessed. After about ten episodes in I knew I had to write about it in my journal. So this was what I did! Ryuk is my favorite and I love L and Light ❤

So I received this note from a friend of mine (all because I got her a cupcake! How sweet is that? [no pun intended :lol:] ) Of course, I had to glue it in my journal. Plus, it’s HP themed! How could I not?

This entry was dedicated to an old man I talked to in an age care centre. The stories he told me taught me so much. I won’t go into detail, but he’s been through a lot and I respect him for it.

Remember when I saw I loved Teto? Well my sister surprised me by having someone draw me an art of Teto! The artist also included a super sweet message and a beautiful origami crane

This entry was inspired by The Little Prince and The Return of The Young Prince! The books had so much impact on meI couldn’t help but do a dedication page for both books.

Aaaand that’s a wrap! I couldn’t think of a way to end the journal so this was what I did! I hope you guys enjoyed reading about my journal entries 🙂 I’m really sorry it’s way too long! I would very much recommend all of you to start journaling as well! Imagine all the stories you collect when you journal! 😀

Anyways, thanks again for visiting! Stay tune for more Journal updates!

A Guide to Journaling for Beginners

Bonjour everyone! It’s been a while. I apologise for the lack of posts but school’s in the way again 🙄

So anyways I went on Instagram and asked you guys if you wanted to see a blogpost about Journaling and lots of you loved the idea of it so here it is! I’m so sorry it took a while but I had loaaads to say and I’m pretty sure I missed out on lots of other pointers to take note of but I’ve proofread this a million times and well I’m just hoping it’ll be somewhat helpful to some of you.

I’d also like to warn you guys before you start reading this behemoth of a blogpost that I am in no way a professional. This is in fact my very first journal and I thought I’d share with you guys what I do and how I do it in hopes of inspiring some of you to start journaling too.

Also, I’m not too sure what the difference is between a Bullet journal and a general journal but I think BuJos are more similar to planners where you record your weekly routines/schedules to organize your life and whatnot? I’m not sure, I could be waaaay off, but I just wanted to remind you guys that this post is purely based off of my own journal (which is anything but a bullet journal where I  include junk and random artworks), so consider yourself warned!

Anyways, here’s to a professional how to guide on Journaling (….not).

Okay so I never gave this much thought but after realizing that I only have several pages of my journal left to fill I started being really conscious of the types of journals/notebooks I plan to buy in the future. My current journal was a freebie I received from Scribd a loooong time ago and back then I wasn’t into journaling, so I just ended up writing random book reviews and Bookstagram plans on it and I regret doing so because I wasted a good amount of paper writing the most random thoughts when I could’ve used it for new spreads or entries.

Also, I don’t know if i’m the only one who notices but any permanent ink I use (except for ballpoint pens) smudges on the pages way too easily, and I was told that it happens to all journals but moleskines tend to smudge less. I personally don’t mind the smudging because it makes my journal look messier in a sense that it adds character…somehow…? But yeah there’s a tip before you decide on a specific journal!

Moving on, I would prefer lined notebooks to blank ones because my writing is very inconsistent and messy so the lines are a HUGE help. Plus it helps when you draw on them as well, but I know some people who’d prefer drawing/writing on blank pages because the lines can get in the way of their artwork so that’s your choice really. Personally, it’s lined paper for me!

The sizing of a journal doesn’t really matter but I don’t particularly like the tall thin ones that are meant for travel journaling. I like one that’s big enough for me to draw and write on but not too big that it feels like a freaking textbook. I always bring my journal around and it’s the perfect size (14 x 21.5 [yep I measured it just then] ) and it has enough pages to last for a good couple of months.

I don’t use very many stationery BUT I’d recommend stocking on black inked gel pens. You’re going to want to write and draw a lot and these run out really quickly! I use Snowman drawing pens to whenever I want to outline and I discovered that I own Koi coloring brush pens so I use those whenever I color in a drawing (they don’t smudge easily too!). If you’re not a professional artist like me then you’d want to keep a few pencils and erasers too. I’d also recommend keeping a few binder clips just to hold your pages down so you can write on it easier. Plus it helps when you’re taking pictures of it! The pages aren’t going to fly around 😛

Glue and tape are MUST HAVES. Your journal is not a diary, so why not add some personality to it? Decorative washi tapes make your pages look so much cuter fuller. I don’t own very many washi tapes but the ones I have I try to limit myself from using them because I’m afraid they’ll run out lol. You’d want to glue on lots of things like flower petals, scraps of paper, book pages, and even magazine cliparts. Trust me, these two are vital when it comes to journaling.

 

p.s. I know i misspelled ‘unexpected’ let’s just not talk about it okay :’) 

It’s your journal. So include everything and anything that defines you as a person. It could be the things you like or dislike, what you wish to keep forever and what you feel like including.Just a tip: You should always make sure to grab anything that holds a certain memory to put in your journal. It could be a plane ticket, a candy wrapper, a bookmark, gift cards, name cards, stickers, postcards, brochures, a n y t h i n g. Get creative with them!

But don’t just draw/write about what you think people will enjoy. this journal is yours to do whatever you want to do with it. You have to enjoy what you’re doing in order to start getting into it. Have a recent obsession for a band? Write about it! I scribble music lyrics in my journal all the time because they’re always stuck in my head. I also like to add drawings  along with the lyrics because my pages always look too dull when all i have are words. Add a splash of color if you wish. Have a variety of different colored markers you can experiment with. Personally i don’t use that very many colors on my journal because a) i own only a handful of markers with similar shades of colors i.e black, grey, blue, red so it’s very limiting, and b) black color just has this minimalist look to it. 

Buuut, some days where i feel a bit more creative and/or i have some extra free time on my hands i color and doodle a LOT and it’s honestly the best thing ever to finish an illustration complete with colors and shading. But unfortunately i don’t have time to do any of that anymore and all i ever get to do nowadays is sketch and write (which is still really relaxing and satisfying, but not as fulfilling.) 

Oh and flowers. Flowers are SO important (to me, that is) because not only am I a flower fanatic, I think they’re the best examples of ‘little details’ you add in your journal to sort of ‘fill in any blanks’. If you have an empty spot on your page, draw a little seedling/cacti! it looks really cute and adds a bit of a girly touch. you can always use real flowers to decorate your pages too, but (i don’t know if i’m the only one) all the wildflowers i gather always have these little insects hiding under the petals??

I always see the prettiest pages with flower borders all around and i’m just wondering ‘how did they get away without having to deal with all the worms and bees??’ I’m just exaggerating guys, calm down 😆 the insects are completely harmless, and you might not even see them. they’re tiiiiny. I just want to warn you beforehand before you go hunting for wildflowers for the sake of a pretty journal page, because these are in fACT living plants, and you don’t know what lies deep inside them… 

Okay okay, i’ll stop scaring y’all haha! You can always us fake flowers or dried up petals. i’m pretty sure they’re available for purchase in your nearest craft store (Target/Big W if you’re living in Aussie), and they’re great for journaling too.

I love it when the colors in a page match. It satisfies the OCD in me and it looks really good too! It’s not normally my intention to have a specific color coordination on my journal pages, but when it happens it’s just really pleasing to look at XD

I mentioned something about smudging papers with ink earlier and this is the perfect representation of what I meant by not being afraid to be messy. Messes are crazy, charismatic and beautiful. They’re art, basically. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a completely organized journal my whole life. Journals aren’t projects or schoolworks. You shouldn’t put in all your effort onto a journal page just to make it look amazing. Which comes to my next topic…

Do not ever compare your journal to someone else’s. I’ve been there, I see the most gorgeous journal entries and artworks all around tumblr and i automatically feel really insecure about my own journal, but i’ve grown out of that and i’ve learned to love what i produce and how i produce it.

A journal is not meant for display, it’s meant for your to look back to and share. To me, a journal is a tangible memory. I always share my journal entries on Bookstagram because i know a bunch of people in the Bookstagram community are journalers themselves, so I feel comfortable sharing my own work along with theirs. Whenever i find a post on journaling, I always take note of it because it inspires me to write and draw and it encourages me to keep doing what i love to do. So i strive to do the same. Journaling isn’t a competition. It’s a hobby. Some people may hate it, but some live for it. I used to despise writing and drawing, but look at me now! I might not be the best at doing either one of them, but i still do it anyway because i enjoy doing so.

I have to admit, journaling does take a lot of time, especially if you have other work and assignments to do, time sorta just flies whenever you do something you enjoy in your free time. It takes a long time for me to find the right stationery, props and items i want to use in my journal, so always. be. prepared. it’s honestly really frustrating if i don’t get an entry done. I like to write about my day and anything that’s interesting, and when i don’t get to do that it feels like there’s this itch in your back that you just can’t reach. I just can’t go a day without journaling, y’know? Its become apart of me somehow. Like a daily routine i have to go through. So, like any other hobby, journaling is very time consuming. It takes dedication, but you know what? It’s worth it.

•  Bring your journal and journaling essentials everywhere. You never know when you’re going to have some free time to add in a couple of journal entries!
• If you don’t feel like journaling, DON’T DO IT. There’s this thing called the Journal slump, and it works the same way as a book slump. Forcing yourself to work on your journal isn’t going to do any good. Go watch some TV or hangout with friends, when you feel like writing again your journal will be waiting for you.
• I know this is really cliche to say, but just have fun! Pop on your earphones and listen to some music or make yourself a nice warm cup of tea/coffee/hot chocolate as you write. Journaling can be really therapeutic. I had a comment on one of my pictures the other day (@books_never_cheat on Instagram!) and she said how writing about your day instead of mourning and ranting all about it helps relax your mind – and I couldn’t agree more!

Aaand that’s all, folks! I’m really for the looong post. I hope I didn’t miss out on anything! But most importantly I hope this could be your first stepping stone to starting out on your own journaling adventures! If you have a journal or are planning to start one, let me know! I’d love to have a look ❤

Also, if you want me to include any other crucial advice on journaling, do let me know!

 

Bookish Journal Updates #3: Diary Entries ♡

Hey there everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve uploaded a new blogpost but things have been really hectic lately and I haven’t been in the mood to read much But I’m here today to talk about a new journal theme I’m implementing in my reading journal.

So lately I’ve been writing a lot in my journal. I write about the songs I’m currently obsessed with, how school went for me that day, a book I’m currently reading. Whatever it was that I did that day, I record it. And it’s been reaaaally therapeutic for me

I posted a few pictures on my instagram where I included some of my recent entries:

This was my very first diary entry and it was during the release day of The Cursed Child :’) It was such an amazing day. I can always go back to it and read about the excitement all over again ❤

I sorta had a rough day when I did this entry so I guess you could say the drawings depict my emotions :’) Buuut I also talked about an anime film I had just finished watching and how aWESOME it was. You know what they say, with every rain comes a rainbow 🙂

Here’s my latest entry! I talked about writing a story and visiting some of my favorite thrift stores. I always doodle to highlight the topic of my entry, it’s always more expressive that way.

I’m sorry for the inevitably short blogpost. I shared this idea on Instagram and thought I’d  write a more detailed post on it. I hope this inspires you write your own entries! Documenting moments of your life is the best way to store a memory. You can look back to it whenever you want and it’s honestly the best thing ever ❤

Have a great day everyone!

Bookish Journal Updates #2: ANGSTY MUCH?

Heeey everyone! It’s time for yet another journal update! I’ve been watching lots of films lately so that means more doodles 😀 Keep in mind that I am by no means a professional artist (you’ll see what I mean), I’m doing this merely for the fun of it all and to share them with you all. I also intend to fill these pages with memories of my favorite films and books so that one day I can look back to it. 🙂

Yes yes I’m aware that I spelled ‘unexpected’ wrongly /sobs but the owl turned out cute though? 😆 I taped a piece of scrap paper to make the page look like there’s a little pocket sticking out of it where I can fill all my letters in! This way I can just slip out each card and re-read them anytime I want. Also I’m pretty much obsessed with this washi tape! It came with another roll but I’ve not used it yet.

So there’s this film I found by accident called ‘Hotarubi no Mori e’ and man did that film left a dent in me. It was barely 50 minutes long guys, but it was breathtaking. I tried really hard to draw the characters but alas…

I am quite happy with how it turned out though!

A page of lyrics! I was OBSESSED with the Disney Soundtrack for Princess and The Frog, Dig a Little Deeper being one of my absolute favorite. Every time the music come on I think of the scene in the movie where they actually sang it. The lyrics are absolutely beautiful as well. I’m telling you, it’s pure magic!

Another movie I’m totally obsessed with! I watched Wolf Children a few months back and I only just had the time to get around to making a dedication page for it. This time I colored in the drawings by shading them. I also thought the text under the wolf with pencil outlines made it look ‘scratchy’, so I left it that way. It’s safe to say that the film has become possibly my favorite movie ever! Tears, laughter, smiles.. you name it, this film is sure to bring it out of you.

So I joined a Poetry/Creative Writing Club in my school and I love it! I use to love creative writing when I was younger but because of school and the amount of workload I get I stopped making up stories and writing them out, so I decided to be a part of this little community where I can motivate myself to get back into writing. Knowing this, the teacher actually recommended the Creative writing students to try Poetry. And if you were wondering, no I’ve never actually read a proper poem before, neither have I ever written one. BUT I tried anyway and this is what I got. I’m not sure what to feel about it but my main idea is to reflect the poem with the attitudes of society today. It started out on a piece of used paper and it is now presented in my journal as my first ever written poem. The drawing of the girl isn’t part of the poem but I thought it had a nice touch to it.

I have @Cherry to thank for this page

I hope this somewhat inspires you to maybe start your own journal where you can fill in all your amazing doodles? 😀 Do you keep your own journal? If so what do you write in it?

Bookish Journal Updates: Movies, drawings, and more!

Hello everyone! I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I have a Bookish journal! I draw, record, and stick in anything bookish related. My journal isn’t quite like the bullet journals you see up on Tumblr and Pinterest, it’s actually rather personal. I don’t use it to organize or plan out my day or anything, I just write and draw whatever I want whenever I want! It’s a random piece of junk, really.. but if you’re really keen on knowing what I do in it, then read on ~

(This isn’t my first page. I’m only showing the contents of my journal starting from when I started getting REALLY into journaling)

 

Here’s what I did when I finished read The Lunar Chronicles. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for DAYS so I decided to dedicate a page or two (still not sure what to add in the second page… quotes maybe?) to the whole series. I loved the characters so I drew Chibi versions of them!

 

Here’s one I did quite a while ago! (Following page will be presented in the following picture) The Night Circus turned out to be one of my favorite novels of 2015 and I was in the mood to do a little drawing that night during New Year’s Eve! If you can’t tell, the reddish banner says ‘THE CIRCUS COMES WITHOUT WARNING’ and I was pretty upset with how it turned out because it looks like a slobbering mess /sobs (plus what is with that clock tho?)

 

If you can’t tell the characters of the novel left quite a mark on me! I love Marco and Celia so I decided to draw my best interpretation of both of them. I drew them as doll-like figures to give off a mysterious/fantastical vibe to reflect the magical aspects of the novel!

 

Here’s my January wrap up! As you can see the red stars smudged the page before it *sigh* but I like how it looked! Highlight of January for me was Cress by Marissa Meyer, so I drew Cress and Thorne.

 

March anticipated releases! Not much to say about this page except how peculiar my 2016 looks??

 

I adore this page because I can always look back to it and it reminds me of some of the most well-made films ever. Studio Ghibli movies are my favorite and this page doesn’t do my love for Miyazaki’s productions justice. I’m not sure how I ended up somehow shading the colors into the drawings but I ended up really liking it! It really makes the pictures ‘pop’.

 

If you recognize which films these images are from individually you are officially my best friend 😉

 

More wrap ups! Not much difference except I toned down on the red stars. Also I put up little notes like ‘You can do better’ to motivate myself to read more in the upcoming months!

 

May was such a hectic month for me, but I read some good books! I’ll probably add in June, July and August’s wrap up on this page.

 

If you haven’t figure it out already, you can tell that I draw/write in whatever I obsess over. And that’s what I like about my journal, actually. It’s got lots of personality and it’s loads of fun to go back and look through what I did. I watched Ponyo during my term break and I loved it! I have a short discussion/review of it here. I wrote a few of my favorite quotes and drew the characters in and I had so much fun doing it!

 

This page took quite a lot of effort but it was worth it! You can see eraser markings because honestly stick figures aren’t as easy to draw if you’re an amateur like me! I wrote in the whole poem from the novel And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (follow through on the next picture for the rest of it) and drew illustrations to present each stanza. I enjoyed the book and thought it’d be fun to do something AC related in my journal! I also drew an outline of the house the story took place in. I have a review of the novel here.

 

I was exhausted by the end of the poem. The last line was rushed but I like how everything turned out.

 

I tried a little bit of Calligraphy over the weekend! It was a lot of fun experimenting on new fonts. I should do this more often!

 

I watched The Garden of Words by Makato Shinkai and I made a dedication page of the film the following day. I have mixed feelings about it, but I loved the animation and the use of Japanese Literature in the film.

 

I glued two pages together and made it a little pocket where I can fill my bookmarks! I got this idea from Whittynovels on Youtube where she taped two pages together and made it a pocket where she filled Christmas cards!

 

I glued a ziplock bag I received from an online store for ordering some of their stuff and filled it with ‘unexpected mails’. I got quite a few in the past month and thought it’d be memorable to put it in my Journal where i can just slip it out of the bag and read through my letters ❤

 

Here’s one I got just yesterday! I literally squealed when I opened the letter.

That’s the end of my little Journal update! I’ll probably do these every month or so, depending on how much I intend on filling my journal with more random stuff. I hope you guys enjoyed my little flip through!