Day 4: Write about someone who inspires you

This is a particularly difficult topic for me to write. I can’t think of one individual who I’d put as the most inspiring person, whom I idolize and look up to. Instead, I can think of fragments of great show of characters characters from multiple persons I know, whether they’re dead or alive, fictional or real. I try to pull a thread and descipher what they have something in common, here’s a list of inspiring characters for me:

1. They’re kind.
2. They’re thoughtful.
3. They’re loyal.
4. They believe in themselves.
5. They believe in others.

I will go back to this topic once I find one excellent example of the personification of these characters.

Day 3: What are your top 3 pet peeves?

I try to think of top three things that seemed so trivial, small and insignificantly petty which I often find myself be annoyed about. Here are the three things I’d consider as my pet peeves:

• Having my suggestion ignored, especially when people asked for it.
• Reclined airplane seat during mealtime.
• People sneezing without covering their mouth.

Day 2: Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot.

“Dasar kamu anak setan.”

“Selena mah baru semangat kalau ngomongin dirinya sendiri.”

“Gue pingin deh, rambutnya ikal gitu kayak Selena.”

“Sel, lo sekarang jadi genit, deh.”

“Excellent.”

“Bagong, bagong, bagong.”

“Kakak kan udah agak westernized, kan?”

“Aku langsung lega, ternyata Mbak Selena orangnya warm banget.”

“I never think of you as being fat, I just see you as this confident, bright, and super kind senior!”

“Lo cocoknya ambil komunikasi.”

“Gue bisa ngebayangin lo jadi apa aja! Gue bingung jawabnya.”

30 Days Writing Challenge

1. List 10 things that make you really happy.
2. Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot.
3. What are your top 3 pet peeves?
4. Write about someone who inspires you.
5. List five places you want to visit.
6. Five ways to win your heart.
7. List 10 songs that you’re loving right now.
8. Share something you struggle with.
9. Post some words of wisdom that speak to you.
10. Write about something for which you feel strongly.
11. Something you always think, “What if …” about.
12. Write about five blessings in your life.
13. What are you excited about?
14. Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching.
15. Bullet-point your whole day.
16. Something that you miss.
17. Post about your zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you.
18. Post 30 facts about yourself.
19. Discuss your first love.
20. Post about three celebrity crushes.
21. What three lessons do you want your children to learn from you?
22. Put your music on shuffle and post the first ten songs.
23. A letter to someone, anyone.
24. Write about a lesson you’ve learned the hard way.
25. Think of any word. Search it on google images. Write something inspired by the 11th image.
26. Write about an area in your life that you’d like to improve.
27. Conversely, write about something that’s kicking ass right now.
28. Post five things that make you laugh-out-loud.
29. What are your goals for the next 30 days?
30. Your highs and lows for the month.

Credits to Life Entirely.

Valuing Beauty

A couple days ago I met a friend, a guy my age who I have been friends with since almost four years ago. We were hanging out with a bunch of other people in a feast celebrating our friend’s birthday. We talked, we laughed, and before everything started we coincidentally bumped with one another in a corner of a mall.

The dinner ended pretty early (although not really in my book). The gang decided to continue on with the night playing pool while he excused himself to go back home early. Before he departed he said, “you look different”.

“Hm?” I replied.

“You… with your makeup. You look prettier,” he said.

“Wait, what. Are you messing with me?” I was honestly frazzled. I’m not used to this.

“Yeah… I want to say this earlier, but I don’t feel the timing was right. But yeah, you look different… prettier. I was strucked when we bounced to each other earlier. You with that dress, the heels, and the make up. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

That day I was wearing my favorite black knee-length dress that I think is appropriate for a casual get together, a 3-inch heels my mom told me to try out and test out since it’ll be the pair of shoes I’ll be wearing to my brother’s wedding next month. I was wearing a 2-year old BB cream that I store in my thin, pale makeup bag, added with a little bit concealer I just bought earlier this mont. I finish up with a layer of pink lipstick — although I’d usually prefer red, but I lost my lip pencil. I also didn’t have an eyeliner and my mascara-application skill is a mess that I decided not to apply any ink around my eyes. I forgot to wear my favorite dangling earrings that day — which I think is a huge missing piece in my look.

He still told me I look beautiful.

If this was our usual day with the bare-faced me, I will take it out as a friendly tease and would have started a banter, telling him to “shut up” and he would reply with a high-pitched laugh, knowing his flirtatious joke worked on me. But that night, I decided to take the compliment.

“Thank you,” I said. “It means a lot. I did put some work today.”

“I like it.”

“Yeah, especially since it’s rare to see me like this.” I bashfully tried to explain myself.

He nodded. Some of our friends are there and nodded.

I smiled.

For the second time in my life, I felt beautiful. For the second time in my life, I felt beautiful because of people’s justification. For the second time, the affirmation of self-beauty came from a guy. For I think those were sincere.

Or will I only feel validated if my beauty is reaffirmed by a guy?

Or that I can only be beautiful if I follow the society’s standard?

Or that I actually cared more about what people think than I think I do?

Or am I ever beautiful being myself?

And did I ever successfully convinced myself that I, myself, is enough?

Am I strong enough to embrace my own beauty?