SAINT MATE

Source: http://catholicyouthministry.com/single-look-for-your-saint-mate/

LOVE.

We often tend to forget what 'LOVE' really means nowadays. It is not about the superficial and material things. It is about the little things that bring joy to our lives. The world could be such a better place if we only sometimes have the eyes and minds of a child.

What Love means to a 4-8 year old

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, ’What does love mean?’ The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined 

See what you think:

‘When my grandmother got arthritis , she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.. So my grandfather does it for her all the time , even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.’ – Rebecca, age 8 

‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’ – Billy, age 4 

PARAMORE - NOW: iTunes January 22nd

Paramore is back and I am excited! Their new song 'Now' is out on iTunes on 22. January and their self-titled Album on 09. April! Yeah, you can guess what you can get me for my birthday :D I am waaay stoked!

CHOICES THAT KILL THE COMMUNITY by ANNIE LEONOR

I have had a lot of realisations the past couple of weeks and these made it even clearer about how thankful I am to be in this community to help out and to take care of everyone. It gives me strength to be around these inspiring people. However, this following entry is something that every community could need. Sometimes in life, things don't go well enough on your own. That's why it is even more important to have a group of people behind your back that are strong enough with and for you. But of course, everyone has to do its piece.

A great sister of mine held a talk about this topic and I would gladly share it with you. It's in German, but I guess you've all heard of it already. Thanks Annie for letting me post this. Enjoy!

Choices that kill the community

Picture: http://wickedtrick.tumblr.com/post/34978290970 

THE LAST: "WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY"

"A simple question, "How many have you loved?"

Is your answer, one and only? Or is it several, all of whom have shaped your life?" - Wong Fu Productions

Another great short film by the talented Wong Fu Productions. They amaze me everytime. Starting with their filmmaking, editing and leaving it off with their amazing storytelling. The plot of this shortfilm is simple yet very deep and that's what makes it so special. I am inspired, they inspire me to make simple things great and I can't stop raving about this one.

Just the other day I got weirded out by my mother who seemed to ask me a lot of question early in the morning where my brain wasn't really awake yet. So I kept nodding to all of her questions until she asked how my lovelife was. I nodded and added that it went well. She then said, "You know, your dad was my seventh!" And then she just left the house because she was late for work. Anyways, she left me there quite confused althought I knew in what context she meant it.
Just like in the video above, my mother taught me that if things go wrong with a certain guy, that life goes on. But more importantly, that the people who walk in and out of your life, shape your story on Earth. That is why I quite confidently go into the world being appreciative (or at least trying hard to be) with every person I get to know, because who knows how they can shape your life?
And don't be intimidated by how many partners your current other half has had because there are thousands of better reasons why she/he is with you right now. Just be grateful to the past people she/he was with because they made her/him the way they are right now - they learnt from their mistakes, they learnt how to treat to you better, they learnt how to teach you how to make things better than they did.
I am very happy and thrilled with where I am right now regarding my lovelife, yet I can't imagine and see what still lies ahead of me. But for now, I'll just stick to being happy, glad and excited because the man up there writes my story.

More from Wong Fu Productions :

http://www.wongfuproductions.com

*On my site: Strangers again
http://ezzycupcake.blogspot.co.at/2011/04/strangers-again.html

*Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/WongFuProductions

*Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/wongfupro

WHAT YOU DESERVE by Chelsea Fagan

Just the other day I kind of felt pretty off life, if you get what I am saying. I just had a great vacation and just the thought of reality creeping up behind you in seconds was just pretty too much for me to handle. I pretty much think everyone has those bad days where your mind just keeps playing one trick after the other making you feel pretty miserable. But who are we kidding? None of those disappointments, hurts or pains matter because just by thinking and counting your blessings makes life worthwhile. And even if you do not feel like it, you deserve every good thing on this planet (except Dan Scott, because he really was a bad guy in OTH... joke).
So, I invite you to read this great article. It made me feel so much better after reading it. Hope it has the same effect on you too!

Picture:  http://weheartit.com/entry/34496680

What You Deserve

AUG. 6, 2012 By CHELSEA FAGAN

You deserve to look in the mirror every morning and see someone that, though not perfect, isn’t trying to be. You deserve to walk past the billboards and commercials that show staged-and-Photoshopped images of what and who you are supposed to be and laugh at them, secure in the knowledge that you are wonderful because you are real. You could imagine that the models themselves must be so much greater in person when not reduced to a pose and a cheesy tagline — maybe they are at their most beautiful when just stepping out of the shower, hair still wet, and excited to go eat a good breakfast — but you don’t compare yourself to them. You deserve to love your body simply because it is yours, and it is capable of so much.

You deserve to look past whatever is displayed on the outside, whatever code lingers on your skin to be read by society and neatly organized into some compartment about who you “are” — fat, thin, ugly, tall, awkward — and be even more in love with what exists within you. Of course you may have moments in which you regret past mistakes, or dislike a character flaw that you know you need to work on, or feel the rope of maturity tugging at your ankle saying “Come on, catch up,” but it doesn’t define you. You deserve to appreciate all of the wonderful qualities you bring to the table, instead of relentlessly harping on yourself for the categories in which you fall just a tiny bit short.

You deserve to look for love, if that’s what you want, and be ready to accept it when it comes your way. You might find yourself overwhelmed and even briefly in disbelief when you realize that someone actually loves you for who you are and wants nothing more than to be with you, but you should be able to embrace that unconditional caring with your own. You should wrap your arms around them and cover them with your whole body — flesh, bone, the ugly little cracks and scars that they can’t stop kissing — and know that you are a good person, who is worthy of such joy. You deserve not to question every person who gives you a compliment or tells you that you’re wonderful, not to wonder if they have some ulterior motive, or if you are somehow the victim of an elaborate prank. You should realize that you are worth loving because you are ready to love back.

You deserve to go through your day and take in the good parts, breathe in the good air and appreciate the little things that too often go unnoticed. You should know that a strong flower growing in a city sidewalk, a child laughing and blowing bubbles, or strangers that smile at one another and mean it are all things worth loving, and which make your day a net positive. You deserve to live your life for the joys and not the frustrating slights that are out of your control — to be able to say that, because you held the door open for an older man with too many bags on his arms, your afternoon was good. Though the profound effect these tiny moments of happiness can have on all of us are often lost in the shuffle of life and its myriad injustices, you deserve to look at them and see them for the victories of compassion and simplicity that they are.

You deserve to try, and give it your all, but be okay if you fail. You deserve not to spend so much of your life berating yourself for not having been “good enough,” especially when you’re not even sure what “good enough” might entail. Your job might be strenuous, your classes impossible, but you deserve to be able to do your best work and, at the end of the day, put your pen down and sleep well. You deserve to have a personal best that is good enough for you, to not constantly feel as though you’re outrunning yourself with expectations, to the point of sapping the joy out of a hard day’s work.

You deserve to be truly happy for others. You deserve a life that is filled with its own successes and triumphs, that is carved out in the image you desire, and that is not effected by the perceived victories of others. Sometimes others may get things that we wanted for ourselves, but you deserve to be confident enough with your own life and journey that someone else’s achievement is not directly detrimental to your own desires. You deserve to see success not as some finite pie from which we must all take exactly one slice, but rather a constantly evolving and growing garden in which we can all flower and reach the sunlight.

Perhaps most of all, though, you deserve to be okay. You deserve to know that a day in which you can just barely get out of bed because you are sad, or sick, or simply not ready to see the outside is not the end of the world. You deserve to know that moments of weakness do not make you fundamentally weak, only fundamentally human, and that sometimes we’re not going to be effusively happy, and that is okay. You deserve to be happy just existing and not constantly holding yourself up to a standard of fake smiles and forced cheerfulness. You deserve to not beat yourself up when you do not reach perfect acceptance of your body, your personality, the love you receive, or anything else that may come your way. Though you should know that you are worthy of these things, learning to be happy just in a kind of stasis with yourself is a long process, and you should know that we are all working on it. You deserve to live through all of your emotions, all of your states of motivation, and know that as long as you are treating everyone with kindness (including yourself), you have nothing to be ashamed of.

Source: http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/what-you-deserve/ (09.08.2012)

Questions For My Future Love by THOUGHT CATALOG

It is true, I have been in a mushy mood lately but I guess this article helps a lot before committing to someone and trying to make it work regardless. I hope it is relateable as well as enjoyable ;)

Questions For My Future Love

JUN. 8, 2012

By MILA JARONIEC

Is your heart open? Do you know I’m a new person, you’re a new person and there’s no point of comparison between who we are and who you were? Does knowing that make you feel better or worse? Do you feel stable or unsteady? You’ve never done this before. We’ve never done this before. Are you ready?

Are you going to support me when sh-t gets crazy? Are you going to be there for my rejections, my existential freakouts, my moments of self-doubt that rise and fall with every ignored manuscript and unanswered email? Do you know when to give advice and when to shut up? Do you have a good grasp on the proper way to do both? Do you know I exaggerate, get tunnel vision, self-medicate when things aren’t going well? Do you know what not to take personally? Do you know when to call me out on my bullsh-t?

Do you think you can handle my family? It’s not easy, but they’re not going anywhere so are you willing to learn? Can you handle uncomfortable questions and disapproving looks from time to time? Can you deal with the occasional backhanded compliment? Are you able to smile and nod while my mother shows you the proper way to weed a garden, even if you have an apartment? Do you know how to be respectful even when you don’t agree? Do you know my family is important to me? Are you going to make me choose?

Do you know what you’re doing, like what you’re actually doing? Are you independent, or are you going to make me mother you, carry you, because it’s more comfortable that way? Do you expect us to just “work out” in some magical way without thinking it through? Do you think all our latent problems will be solved by you getting down on one knee? Do you know the idea of marriage makes me feel claustrophobic? Do you know that when I say “yes,” I want to be absolutely sure? Do you realize there’s no guarantee that will happen?

 Do you have a job? A life? Do you have something you’re passionate about, something that keeps you up at night, something that isn’t me? Or do you just want me — want us and nothing else? Do you expect me to be the center of your universe or do you know the balance? I can’t be the center of your universe, that’s way too much pressure and I will disappoint you. Do you understand that there will be times I will disappoint you?

You need alone time too, right? Are you going to let me have my alone time without getting weird? Do you have any friends actually? Are there people you genuinely enjoy spending time with, people who make you see the world a little differently? Do you have a working sense of humor? Do you know that sometimes things don’t make any sense at all? Is that okay?

Do you have a philosophy? Do you believe in things? Do you understand believing isn’t knowing? Do you define yourself by what you embrace or by what you reject? Do you take the time to learn before passing judgment? Do you realize how completely absurd everything is? Does that upset you? Do you care?

Are you willing to try with me? Are you willing to throw your heart in full speed? Are you willing to cut the cord when you know it’s not working, or are you going to push to the very end and make me be the one to say what’s on both our minds? Are you going to be honest with yourself about what you want? Are you going to be honest with me about what you need and when you’re not getting it? Are you willing to be honest?

=] <3 don't forget to smile.
Ezzy

UPDATES

Picture: weheartit.com

Here I am, still lying in bed, not really ready to get up even though my belly said it needed some food. It's been a rollercoaster of a month, juggling my time and energy with studies, preps for upcoming YFL events and personal issues. Since I didn't really find something to fast for, I just decided to keep my prayertimes regularly as well as reading The Purpose Driven Life. That book has helped me understand a lot of things which I honestly just took for granted over the years. The deeper meanings of certain topics just feel more logical to me and make it feel as if it is the right thing to do. We may all not be perfect but I think just trying to do the right thing is something where we can say "way to go". I myself have done some pretty weird things lately and sometimes your mind just plays with you but at the end of the day, you heart still tells you which path is meant for you. You might have to be patient and steady to know what you heart wants to tell you but one day a light will come up and you figure out that thats God's plan for you. Before everything else, dont forget to pray and trust that God will show you his way for you.

So yeah, I am really excited about this upcoming weekend. May it be a very educative and affirming weekend. Up till then...

=] <3 don't forget to smile.

Ezzy

I AM THAT GIRL: My Own Author By Alexis Jones

I've just stumbled upon this great article about staying true to who you are regardless what society expects from you. In this world it is hard to be who you are because we often fear rejection and judgments not only from other people but mostly from our loved ones. This article is trying to convince us, that we need to continue fighting for what we believe in and mostly staying who we really are. Enjoy! It definitely is worth a read!

Picture: tumblr.com

 It’s not just our body image that we struggle with in life. Whether we are too curvy, too thin, too tall, too short, too tan or too pale; it’s easy to recognize the narrow definition of beauty that makes us all feel chronically insecure. I had a conversation in the car with my best friend recently, and it dawned on me that these unoriginal molds, silent expectations and paradigm influencers go much deeper than us merely comparing ourselves to unrealistic, unattainable, airbrushed perfection.

In one little word, an entire world of limitation exists — should. All the things we think we “should” do serve as a form of internal incarceration. Although I’m not necessarily proud of this fact, I am a “people-pleasing perfectionist.” I want to be liked by everyone, even you as you read this blog. On top of this impossible and challenging mission, I want to do everything perfectly and anything that falls short of that insane expectation is fair game for the Simon Cowell critic in my brain who tries to convince me that I’m not good enough. Somewhere along my life’s journey, I was convinced that perfection and pleasing were noble and desirable pursuits. I have actually set myself up for misery, failure and unimaginable disappointment.

In the world of “should,” there is no room to be real, honest or vulnerable. In a world of “should,” we live by everyone else’s invisible rules. We are governed by expectations most of us created when we were kids from the kind of person we marry to the car we drive. What I’ve come to realize is that when we allow ourselves to be on autopilot, we hand over our pen to someone else and ask them to author our lives, taking a backseat to their rules and slip comfortably into their mold for our lives.
I certainly am not impervious to the pressures and expectations that influence my life, but at least I’m aware that they exist. My insatiable desire to be liked and to pursue perfection at all costs has and continues to produce an inauthentic projection of who I want people to think I am. The true definition of empowerment is the mere recognition of choice and that is where I now choose to live. Not in a world of “supposed to,” but in a world of questioning what I think, feel, want and need. Only in that space, am I granted permission to think for myself, to assign my own meaning, to date a guy who’s “not my type,” to be open to possibilities and pencil my own mind-blowing adventure story. 

I’ve been a rebel my whole life, never fitting in and always asking why. The poet E.E. Cummings perfectly articulated life’s greatest challenge when he wrote, “To be nobody but yourself in a world that’s doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.” My challenge for you, for me, for all us is to fight to make your own decisions in life, to create your own rules and write your own personal constitution, only ever looking for your own approval.
We are infinitely unique and when we stand confidently on our own two feet, we enter into a reservoir of unfathomable power, unconditional love, creativity, honesty and passion. Whatever you are seeking already exists within you; the answer, wisdom, eloquence and truth you desire are all inherently yours. So take a deep breath with pen in hand, and write your story.

Source: http://www.iamthatgirl.com/2012/02/27/my-own-author-by-alexis-jones/ by Alexis Jones

=] <3 don't forget to smile.
Ezzy

Thoughts Challenged#1: If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?

So recently, don't ask me how, I have bumped into this great blogsite. It's mostly about life and everything around it and most of the posts are pretty inspirational and motivating.
Hence, I sort of decided to answer a few questions and sort of just write my opinion on stuff. So, yes, this will be a new regular thing that I will hopefully pull through. And to let you know, those aren't just any random questions. I have based my questions on this blog and I hope you can get some thinking done as well. So, the challenge is set for 10 questions, starting from today. Enjoy :)

Picture: http://weheartit.com/entry/19525663   

Alright, it kind of took me some time to find out how I talk to myself. Everyone speaks to him/herself sometimes, the elderly people do it more often than the younger people but still - you sometimes speak to yourself. Nevertheless, I pretty much talk a lot to myself in my head and imagining my mind being a friend of mine... wow! I don't think that friendship would last long. And yes, that is a clever question to answer right there. Anyways, I will conclude later. First off the reason.

The friendship would probably start off pretty well since we share the same views and opinions. However, as soon as the friendship goes more into the deep emotional level where serious talks start to begin, I wouldn't know how I could cope with that friends' compelxity, confusion and complication.

That friend would just constantly overanalyse things and would throw reproaches against her/himself and I wouldn't know if I could handle all the negativity since it would mark off on myself as well. Truth is, I don't like to be around negative people. I used to be around several negative people in my life and I have shut them out but they left a mark on me. Their attitude left a mark on me and I still find it hard to overcome that way of thinking. However, I am glad that the people who I let in are pretty optimistic and great people who have their goals and most importantly, believe in themselves. 

So yeah, now the conclusion and the reason why I think this question is pretty sneaky:

It makes you think about the thoughts you have in your head. Now thinking about what I am mostly thinking about isn't something that should be continued. If you ask yourself and analyse the things your mind thinks, good for you if they are good and great, but if they are like mine, overcritical and insecure, then of course changes have to be made.

This leads and reminds me of the Proverbs 4:23 "Be careful what you think because your thoughts run your life."

=] <3 don't forget to smile.
Ezzy

Inspiration, where you at?

I'm kind of bored of the hipster/chique look nowadays. I mean, I guess I will always have these influences in my style if ever I go through a major make-over but it is hard finding something new. I slowly get tired of the same old same old stylers' style - doesnt matter if you understand what i mean by that :P all I'd like are comfy clothes, oversized clothes, preferably with leggings and comfy shoes. Yes, I'm a fan of comfortable, laid-back, easy clothes. But then again, I also wanna look nice and edgy. Haven't been shopping in ages as well so I have no idea what the stores offer nowadays. I had my hair cut the other day and I am pretty satisfied with the outcome. I don't really have to do all that much with my hair, except straighten it a little bit but not more than that. My new hair-idol would be Jen Suk. I adore her hair. It's really edgy and different in some way and it kinda suits to her personality (I guess).
Anyways, it is hard finding some inspiration. If I were to choose the influences I'd take all brit-it girls together and mix all their styles up :P yes, that most probably be me in some way :P

=] <3 don't forget to smile.
Ezzy