posts in
Life
Lacking the motivation to do things is such a sticky situation to be in, one that is so frustrating when all you want to do is just be good in whatever it is you want or have to do. As a someone who's been studying for almost 16 years now, I have been demotivated to perform academic tasks (or just tasks in general) to the point that I can almost consider myself in a burnout phase wherein I feel emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted to go on with my everyday life due to excessive and prolonged stress.
I am no expert in this topic, so I suggest reading more about burnout prevention and treatment here. However, I do have some tips and insights to share about how I try to overcome extensive periods of demotivation, so I can avoid reaching burnout point.
1. Acceptance
This is obviously the first step because you can never really address anything good or bad if you don't acknowledge it. Time is fleeting, and the more you deny something that is actually happening, the more energy you spend wasting the opportunity to enjoy or overcome it. For me, I just tell myself that I'm in a lot of stress of lately, so I need to do something about it. It's as simple as that.
2. Relaxation
Okay. You may be wondering whether it is a better idea to relax so early on in the process than to save it for the end. People often say, "Save the best for the last." But, hear me out. When I know that I'm already stressed, I feel the need to instantly act on it by canceling out the stress with a calming medium. I do this by going out, watching my favorite movies, eating my favorite foods, and playing mobile games with Cyrill and my siblings. It is okay to rest once in a while, but once you know that you're already fully rested (or maybe even just enough), you have to proceed immediately to the next step. Otherwise, you're gonna be relaxing forever. Needless to say, you're not gonna be able to do anything else, which is not the point of this at all. 😂
3. Inspiration
Getting inspiration is like getting fuel for a car. You need something to make the engine, your brain, work as it should. I get inspiration everywhere. But when it comes to studying, I like watching my favorite student vlogger, Izzy Mollicone, because I relate to her in the sense that I study A LOT as well. If I'm not mistaken, I take 32-34 units every semester which is quite a handful especially when compared to the 15-22 units that my best friends take in their universities. 😢 Anyway, you'll know that you're already inspired or "fueled up" when you're finally getting the drive to create or do something. When this happens, immediately get on it so as to not waste any more time.
4. More Inspiration
Usually at the time when you're already hard at work and you're ready to check off things from your to-do list, you get into a minor setback, and you think that you're back to square one all over again. This is when you need the strongest inspiration you could gather up. Maybe think about why you're doing everything in the first place. What's your goal? What's gonna make you feeling happy and successful in the near future? Personally, I think about my parents and how they have always been supporting me (and my siblings) to the extent where they usually leave barely anything for themselves. I thrive in that guilt and willingness to give back to them by doing what is expected of me and possibly even more.
5. Faith
If nothing (or everything) goes to plan, don't forget to pray about it. This is the last step I do, usually when I've already done my work or when I'm ready to just trust God on His plans. I talk to Him and ask Him to prepare me for anything else that He has in store for me.
The truth is, we can never get rid of stress. I learned that from Understanding the Self class last semester. 😂 Whether you act positively or negatively on everything handed to you is entirely up to you, so make the most off of it.
“Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” ― A Cinderella Story
If nothing (or everything) goes to plan, don't forget to pray about it. This is the last step I do, usually when I've already done my work or when I'm ready to just trust God on His plans. I talk to Him and ask Him to prepare me for anything else that He has in store for me.
The truth is, we can never get rid of stress. I learned that from Understanding the Self class last semester. 😂 Whether you act positively or negatively on everything handed to you is entirely up to you, so make the most off of it.
“Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” ― A Cinderella Story
Have a lovely day wherever you are, take care always, and love lots!
♡ Lois
How I Overcome Demotivation
30 May 2019
Ever since I was a little girl, who was so obsessed with watching chick flicks ranging from Cinderella Story to Mean Girls and more, I've always dreamt of having the perfect prom night. I was so sure, that like the girls in those movies, I'd have everything planned for that one night, considering how much of a perfectionist I am, and therefore things would go well. Of course, with my thinking about it all too much, I probably jinxed everything, and thus on the day of our grad ball, at 7am my parents and I were already up scrambling around town to find (not even the perfect, but) just a decent long gown for me to wear that night since my mom and I agreed we didn't like the one we actually had made initially. Not to mention that just the day before that, we were also cramming to find a pair of heels to go with my previous dress. Everything I needed for the big night was done hastily and at the last minute (which I do not recommend at all because we did end up wasting some money).
Frocks truly was a life saver. I was so lucky to have found a dress that could be altered to my size within the day, just in time for our call time at 5PM. Even though I did not get my dream gown, I was perfectly fine with what I had. In the picture, the gown looks more maroon than magenta, but I love color grading my shots this way hehe.
Gown: Frocks Couture
HMUA: Red Sarmiento
M Y D A T E
Everyone knew I was going to the grad ball with Cyrill, and he no longer had to ask me to be his date. But Cyrill told me, "Sa tingin mo ba hahayaan ko talagang wala (kang promposal)?" or "Did you think I'd really let you have no promposal?" And so on May 22, exactly 4 days before Caleum–the name of our gradball, Cyrill surprised me with this:
I have to tell, he really pulled this one off. I had no idea the whole time. My family and I came home from a day of running some errands (Cyrill asked to come with us), and I went straight to my room to get changed while Cyrill waits for me in the living area. And lo and behold, this beautiful surprise was waiting for me on my bed. Cyrill told me his mom even helped him put it all together, and that's so sweet.
And these are, by far, the absolute best flowers anyone has given me.
Now, back to the grad ball...
We originally planned for Cyrill to pick me up from our house so we could ride together to prom (just like in the movies), but I knew there was no way that that was going to happen because the whole family would want to take pictures with us at the venue. And here we are...
The program didn't start until 7-ish, I think. The food was satisfactory, the music was enjoyable, but the people were perfect. I did not get to take a picture with everyone at our table though, so I have nothing to show. But I'm really glad Cyrill and I spent the night with them. After all, what better way there is than to end the school year with those whom we enjoyed most of it with.
My favorite part would have to be dancing with Cyrill and our friends and taking pictures with them.
I could get really sappy and sentimental right now just because high school's finally ended, and I'm gonna miss a lot of things and of course people. I mean I'm no longer gonna see my best friends every day at school. It's gonna be even harder to make sure our planned trips won't become "drawings" in the end. But I have to save all my emotions for when I finally bring myself to write a graduation blog post, so keep posted.
Have a lovely day wherever you are, take care always, and love lots!
♡ Lois
My Gradball Experience + Cyrill's Promposal
03 July 2018
Another chapter to ATM With Lois has long been overdue, but it's finally here. I've been so busy these past couple of weeks (months, actually), I feel like I barely spend time at home anymore. Today, luckily, it's an "off" day for all of us, so I decided to start planning more tasks to accomplish in the following days, the most important of which would be my enrollment for college. I've laid out all the essential stuff I have to prepare.
Above you can see my trusty Fjällräven Kånken No. 2 in the color Autumn Leaf where I keep basically everything else in the picture whenever I have to go run some errands. Story time: I've had this backpack saved on my phone from a Pinterest post since 2016, maybe, but I could not find it online anywhere (my guess is that it was discontinued for another color), so when I saw it on Carousell early this year, I was eager to get my hands on it and thus immediately contacted the seller. However, Cyrill, with that sneaky little mind of his, discouraged me from making the purchase because apparently he "believes" that the entire thing was sketchy and all that. Because he's often right about such things, I took his advice, only to find out that he actually got it for me on Valentine's day. I could be mad then, but I was just surprised and touched. It's now my favourite backpack, and I use it all the time.
Moving on... I also just started bullet journaling (finally!) after wanting to do so for the longest time. It's quite an upgrade from just DIY-ing my planner every year, and I really love it. And since starting to keep a bullet journal, I feel the need to constantly bring it with me wherever just because it has everything I need to keep track of, including deadlines, to-do lists, and so on.
If there's one thing I've picked up from everything I've been doing recently, it's that college is the most exciting yet most tedious thing to be preparing for. I am so blessed to have such a supportive family who accompanies me literally every time I have to go to Manila to submit and process all my school requirements.
Although I'm very much nervous about becoming a college student soon, I can't help but feel really excited to be sharing a dorm room away from home with my Ate and take a few more steps towards independence. No matter how much I prepare for college though, I know that I will never be truly ready for it. So here's to just a generally fun and memorable college experience ahead of us! I hope that whatever comes, we can all learn and grow from it.
Have a lovely day wherever you are, take care always, and love lots!
♡ Lois
ATM With Lois (Chapter 3)
20 June 2018
Growing up, watching Bethany Mota's lifestyle videos on YouTube, I have always envied how foreign YouTubers like her have better access to cuter room decor stuff. As you know, the closest thing I have to getting half decent crafting materials and actual decorations is either the hardware store or the department store. And although both places are, more often than not, conveniently located from me, I cannot really guarantee good quality products from them.
That's why when Jennifer from Photowall invited me to try any of their canvas prints and wall murals, I was truly more than excited to do so. Photowall is a Swedish brand that specializes on curating wall murals and canvas prints which are not only of utmost design and quality, but are also environmentally friendly, fire-retardant (do not spread fire), and non-fading in sunlight.
After battling with my indecisiveness and taking the longest time to pick the design I want to have printed, I finally settled on a minimalist sketch of London by designer Avery Tillmon (above). I just wanted something timeless and versatile that could go in any room in our house. And upon receiving the product, I already knew that I made the right decision. Right off the bat, I could really tell that the quality of the canvas material is great, which is also true for the DIY wooden frame with twist-on screws–how convenient! I cannot wait to assemble it all, and I'm planning on putting my canvas print up in my dorm when I start college this August. Thankfully, I have one of Photowall's tutorial videos to guide me. After one of the smoothest transactions I have ever had in my life, this is what I have to say about Photowall:
After battling with my indecisiveness and taking the longest time to pick the design I want to have printed, I finally settled on a minimalist sketch of London by designer Avery Tillmon (above). I just wanted something timeless and versatile that could go in any room in our house. And upon receiving the product, I already knew that I made the right decision. Right off the bat, I could really tell that the quality of the canvas material is great, which is also true for the DIY wooden frame with twist-on screws–how convenient! I cannot wait to assemble it all, and I'm planning on putting my canvas print up in my dorm when I start college this August. Thankfully, I have one of Photowall's tutorial videos to guide me. After one of the smoothest transactions I have ever had in my life, this is what I have to say about Photowall:
W H A T T O E X P E C T
- You don't need to worry about your location because Photowall ships worldwide. And if you're from Europe, you're even luckier because shipping is FREE for you.
- Shipping is really FAST, too! Photowall definitely impressed me with how stress-free our transaction went as my canvas print arrived WITHIN a week which is amazing because international shipments can take up to 2-3 weeks, or so I've been told.
- While Photowall offers quite the selection of nothing but aesthetically pleasing designs (some even curated with professional designers), if you can't find something you like, you may opt for customized printing instead. Just send them the photo you want, and they can check if the quality is good enough for printing.
- To make things even better for you, Photowall provides DIY wooden frames (optional) for their canvas prints and adhesive kits for their wall murals.
- All their wall murals and canvas prints are environmentally friendly. It's always a plus to know that supporting certain brands like Photowall equals helping the environment.
P H O T O W A L L D I S C O U N T C O D E
Now, if you ever find yourself wanting to take home one of Photowall's canvas prints or wall murals (or maybe have them print one of your own stuff for you), you can get 20% off your purchase by using my discount code LoisVinasCampaign2018 until March 10, 2018 only, so hurry! Check out their designs here or visit www.photowall.com now.
If you ever find this helpful, be sure to let me know. Have a lovely day wherever you are, take care always, and love lots!
Disclaimer: All photos except the flatlay (which is mine) are property of Photowall Sweden.
♡ Lois
Follow my blog with Bloglovin?
Trying Out Photowall + What I Think About It
27 January 2018
I always like to be thankful no matter what. It may not be as profound as all the other facts about me, but I like counting my blessings and showing my appreciation towards them. Now that 2017 has ended, despite how crazy things got, I want to share some of my most favourite human beings and the reasons why they are. Needless to say, in 2017, I truly realized the value of my loved ones.
Disclaimer: This post might get really sappy. You have been warned.
1. Mommy, for being my bestest friend in the whole world.
2. Daddy, for all the corny dad jokes–he's my idol.
3. Ate, for being my "one call away" best friend and for all the make-up advices.
4. Poy, for buying me Sims 3 on my birthday, for being the sweetest brother, and for being my rock.
5. Ate Nine, for buying me two packs of Dragon Seeds when I mentioned that I love them, for being my sundo, and for being the best cousin ever!
6. Ate Luz, for being the most thoughtful tita who's really more like a second mother to me, Ate, and Poy.
7. Nanay Potchie, for our little talks about my love life and for being so malambing to me.
8. Inay Lulu, for praying for me for my college entrance exams.
(from left to right)
9. Fatima, for one of the oldest, most solid, friendships I have.
10. Irish, for keeping track of the littlest things I say and for always having the same thing in mind.
11. Aena, for being the one I always share my favourites (tv shows, movies, etc.) with and for showing me how strong someone can get.
12. Marga, for reaching out and for appreciating me as a friend.
13. Erika, for being my Beki, for always having food and for being someone I'm very much grateful to have become even more close friends with this year.
14. Pani, for always listening to my kwentos, for never judging, and for staying the same/best through the years.
15. Neon, for being more like a brother than merely a cousin to Ate, Poy, and me.
16. Kuya Joeven, for being my sundo when I have to go home late from school.
17. Last but absolutely not the least, Cyrill, for watching my fave Disney shows and movies with me, for introducing me to Ex Battalion music, and for being my best friend.
OKAY so when I reached 17, I realized there is no way I am concluding this post with too few people. I have more to be thankful for. There's...
18. Athan, for being the joy and light of our lives–he's the baby who's made so many appearances in my Instagram and Snapchat stories.
19. Nicole, for reaching out and making me feel like a good ate/cousin from giving her some very serious advice about school.
20. Gelo, for being my Bi Ep Ep and for believing in me.
21. CK, for being the one I send F•R•I•E•N•D•S tweets to and for remembering me on special holidays.
22. Migui, for being my clutch ride and for that really touching 18th birthday greeting he gave me.
23 & 24. Tintin and Bilog, for being my first childhood best friends and for doing great in school–I am proud of you both.
25. Me, for "doing amazing, sweetie." Hehe.
Thanks for making 2017 perfect. Have a lovely day wherever you are, take care always, and love lots!
♡ Lois
17 People I'm Thankful For In 2017
01 January 2018
When I came across this video ad on Facebook about a mobile app that allows its users to have a feel of what it's like to take photos with a Kodak film camera using their smart phones (sobrang mouthful hahaha), I was immediately eager to get my hands on the said app.
Thank you Ced and Aena for helping me get Gudak. 😉
When you open the app you will be greeted by this:

There are 24 photos you can take in one film, and you have to use all of them to get the photos to start developing. A new film of 24 photos becomes available after 72 hours or 3 days, and your previous photos will have finished developing after another 12 hours–they will be directly saved to your phone's camera roll. But who has that much time to wait? PRO TIP: My friends and I just change the date and time settings on our phones to get our photos immediately after we take them. This is what the "Processing Laboratory" looks like after your used up films have finished developing:


















W H A T I L O V E
I tried the app for the first time this past week, used up 3-4 film rolls, and here's what I got:
P E O P L E





S E L F I E S

P O R T R A I T S

N A T U R E
O T H E R S
W H A T I L O V E
- Gudak is for busy/lazy people who do not have time/patience to edit their photos the "ideal" way. Personally, I find editing on VSCO, Lightroom, and other editing apps quite overwhelming sometimes, what with all the options I have to pick from just to arrive at a "decent" output. Gudak allows me to enjoy taking pictures without having to worry about the need to edit them afterwards.
- The viewfinder is so small, and there's almost no preview available. Even so, it all adds to the "mystery" of finding out how the photos will turn out.
W H A T I D O N O T L O V E
- I guess no one should really expect the app to be perfect, but I did. The photographs above, among many others that I did not opt to share on here, are proof. Sometimes the pictures develop to be a little too bright or too dark. The good thing is they can easily be tweaked with using other editing apps or even with the camera roll settings by simply adjusting their brightness or exposure.
- The only thing I really do not like about the app is how long the photos are supposed to be developed. Good thing the old date-and-time trick works!
The developers of Gudak pride themselves with the tagline, "Preview kills the moment," and they could not have said it any better than that. This post is not paid; I was really just pleased with the Gudak app because despite the failed attempts, the app still delivered well. If you want to download it, you can get it on the App Store for $0.99 and on Google Play for FREE. I hope this post helps with whatever you decide.
Disclaimer: All photos were taken and processed ONLY with the Gudak camera app to give you guys an authentic feel of it.
PS: I wanna thank my friends for being so "game" to take photos with me. They did not know that I was going to make a blogpost. Frankly, I did not know, too, until I saw the final pictures.
Thanks for visiting the blog. Have a lovely day wherever you are, take care always, and love lots!
PS: I wanna thank my friends for being so "game" to take photos with me. They did not know that I was going to make a blogpost. Frankly, I did not know, too, until I saw the final pictures.
Thanks for visiting the blog. Have a lovely day wherever you are, take care always, and love lots!
♡ Lois
Trying Out The Gudak App + What I Think About It
14 October 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons