Things To Change

Diary, memoir, Reflections 2 Minutes

I’m thinking of making some changes to my post after seeing beautiful presentation of doodles, shining pink colors, and otherworldly fonts from people I follow. I have absolutely zero art skills. Whether it is photography, drawing, colors, shapes or layout, I have no idea how to make things pretty or why one is prettier than another. Without any talent to speak of, I am however very keen to make my posts a little more appealing than they are right now. I hope I am not being too ambitious.

Photos

I’ve been downloading photos from Pixabay.com for a year now, but recently I am wondering if I should take some photos. The spring is coming and flowers are going to be blooming. At least it sounds easy for me to go out and shoot some photos with my iPhone.

Alternatively, I also have bookmarks, notebooks, pens from Barnes and Noble for years, which can be used as decorations. A big basket of shawls and chiffon squares have been stored in my closet forever, waiting to be utilized.

I have tried to take several pictures, but unfortunately my pictures don’t have the shimmering quality of those online pictures that I admire. Secondly, there are always shadows in my photos. This is something new to me. Everything has a shadow, even in cloudy days. And shadows do not look good in a photo. I wonder how people get rid of their shadows. Another thought comes in as if to say if shadows are naturally occurring, shouldn’t we keep the shadows to make the photos more realistic? It’s strange that we don’t feel we are bothered by shadows in real life when we look at something, but in a photo, shadows are annoyingly conspicuous.

Time Management

I have always tried to avoid managing my time despite the fact that I’ve never had sufficient time to do anything. However recently, I come to the realization that unless I manage my time better, I won’t be able to write what I want to write and my writing projects will remain figments of my imagination forever.

  • When To Write: My biggest problem with time management is the fact that at the scheduled time to write, I often feel very reluctant to write. There’s a devil in my mind who doesn’t listen to me at all. Because of this, I’ve had tough time to make plans and push things forward. Recently, I somehow come to a new realization that I should just write what I really want to write and stop following a well ordered sequence of what should be written at certain time.
  • When To Comment: This is another thing that has plagued me. I am trying to review and give comment once every week, but this kind of arrangement has made the task too big to be enjoyable for a given day. Now I am thinking of doing reviewing and commenting throughout the day and throughout the week. Whenever I’ve got five minutes, I do it. So today I have been making more than 30 comments so far. What an achievement. And I did it whenever I had some time, or whenever I was in between different tasks.

Which Plan To Choose

  • I am still thinking of changing my wordpress plan and do an upgrade. My current plan is too basic. On top of that, I’m also thinking of doing forms and quizzes, adding a language learning site. Decisions and decisions. Life is full of choices. I heard that economists say that a normal human being usually makes 35,000 decisions every day. No wonder we are stressed out. I mean how can a person make so many decisions without feeling nervous or under pressure?

Published by haoyando

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35 thoughts on “Things To Change”

  1. Pingback: Things To Change – By Lily Nguyen

  2. I think most bloggers can relate to your struggles. I like scheduling my life but when it comes to writing I seem to only be able to write when the mood strikes me. Also you can get rid of the shadows in images by first wiping your phone camera or whatever camera you use and then using a ring light when taking pictures. If you use your phone you can get the small one you can carry around with you. That’s what I do and it has helped improve my quality a lot.

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    1. There’s an old saying that the writing and the writers come from a star deep in the sky that’s called literary star or something like that. It is probably trying to describe the writing activity. It is not something one can just plan and manage. It is something come out of nowhere. If one tries to control and schedule and manage it, one ends up hinder the process. It is very interesting.

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  3. I like your photo for this post. The quote is simple but elegant, the colors are calming, and the little things in the background make it seam real, unlike a highly polished stock photo (not that there’s anything wrong with that either). But I think going for a perfect aesthetic is overrated. In an overly filtered digital world its nice to get a glimpse of real life. I would look forward to seeing you photos of spring in NJ.

    For outdoor photos I have found the time of day makes a really big difference. Early morning and later afternoon being the most ideal lighting. Not that I’m an expert at all haha.

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    1. Haha, you make me laugh. You remind me of a Seinfeld episode, “not that there’s anything wrong with that.” And thank you for your comment. It’s great to hear from you. Great point. I will try early morning and late afternoon. Sounds a great idea. So true. Perfectionism is so overrated. Thank you for your encouragement and I will continue to present my “real” photos with minimum processing. LOL.

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  4. Great post and I too am looking forward to your photos. I think self-made photos are just more personal and allow a glimpse into the writer’s life. My pics are not perfect either … but I like the process of choosing some for my posts or thinking about what to take pictures of for them. As for the time issue … as lovely as it is to receive comments and I immensely enjoy your views and thoughts, your comments and your replies to my comments … please, don’t put too much pressure on yourself … we all understand what it’s like to have too little time and too much to do … just enjoy it. All of it. You shouldn’t be stressed out! Maybe your next post will be about your first blog photo taking experiences with lots of pics to show us? Spring definitely is a great theme in these regards 🌺

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    1. Love your photos about your table settings, book shelves and balcony. And of course your lovely cat. You are soooo right. Personal photos are so much better than Pixabay since it shows part of one’s life and thoughts and photoing process. Even though personal photos are often not as shiny as the those brilliant pink from online, they are worth it. I am no artist. I don’t have one artist DNA in me. Anything I create, color or shape, is equally bad. Often they are laughably bad. I still remember my middle school days when I struggle with drawing since I wanted so much to draw, but my art teacher just laughed at me honestly. He is such a sweet guy but he could help it that I was so bad that I am amusing. Well, glad that I can be of entertainment to him. Thank you for your comment and have a great week. 🌺

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      1. Thanks!!! Yeah, due to home office, corona etc my photo themes are a bit limited 🤣. Oops, I think I mixed up your comment and your new post and commented on the art issue there 🙈. Have a great weekend!

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        1. Yes, wish a great weekend to you. You have wonderful pictures and a vivid description of your life. I am always interested in real life stories more than I am interested in fictional stories…

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  5. I found it essential to do morning pages. This method worked well while I was still working. The important thing to remember is to simply start. That seems to be the hardest part for me. I’ve discovered the words flow once I begin..

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    1. Yes, I remember those days when I tried to force words into my writing and it all turned out very contrived, or even gimmicky. The natural flow should not be disturbed at all…

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  6. It can be difficult to find a balance that works for you in terms on how to use one’s time. You must begin somewhere and you have begun.

    As for photos, I know what you mean about wanting that shine!!

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    1. Yes, balancing is a difficult thing to achieve. Right? You understand me, right? That shine just doesn’t exist in my photo at all. My photos look very dim in comparison. LOL. Something is going on but I don’t know what’s going on.

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  7. I have used Pixabay for a long time as well. You could post a few of your pictures and talk about what you like and don’t like about them.
    Time management has always been a big problem for me. Something always happens when I have something else planned.

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    1. Me too. I don’t have time management skills. All I can do is trying to rush from one activity to another, which is not really a management but rather a scramble. I have to say I know some people who enjoy planning and see their life proceeds exactly like what they have planned. However my life is never that way, or probably I have never had the good planning skills. Or fate just treat each person differently.

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  9. Hello my friend. When WordPress becomes a chore then it is time to really consider what we are doing. Once you reach a certain number of followers you have to decide to either be on your phone six hours a day commenting and reading or pick a group of people that you enjoy reading and they are enjoying your work. I am up early because I have a medical procedure on my upper neck and cervical area so I have the time to catch up with folks I enjoy. We can only do so much. I can’t draw or even doddle. I am not an artist and that is ok with me. There are some amazing artist I follow. Taking photographs with your phone might be fun. There is basic editing software that is part of the package that allows you to adjust shadows, colors and many other things. I always enjoy reading what you write. Everyone loves pictures of flowers and birds. Sending you lots of love ❤️ and just keep on writing. Big hugs, Joni

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    1. So true. I mean I don’t know how other people do it. I know I am not able to do it. Commenting and writing and responding can become a full time job or two full time jobs once one gets more followers. I mean it is impossible to achieve.
      Hope you are safe and well. And wish you get better with your helpful medical procedure. With your effusive spirit and your positive energy, I know you will overcome anything.
      I don’t have one artistic cell in my body and all my efforts in producing something pretty result in disappointing mess of color. I am so bad at it that I have to give up. Yes, you are right. That is ok with me. A lot of love and hugs for you, my sweet friend.

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      1. I think some people work so hard that they eventually become resentful. I work four hours a day and I pay money in order to have better resources. So it actually cost me to write. I love writing and can’t imagine my life without it. I totally get what your saying. I think a good idea is taking a break for or occasional vacation from social media.

        I too can’t even draw a decent stick person. So I stopped trying but you may find that you enjoy it. I would never want to encourage people to stop new ways of expressing their thought, loves and who they are.

        Thank you as you are so kind to remember it. I had it this morning and I was actually yelling out in pain. I got through it and I can use ice on it and Aleve. I have done both. I will have the second side done in 14 days and after a few days of pain I should have up to eight months without any. So thank you. I feel so blessed to be able to go to the Dr. as many can not.

        Hugs, love and stick figures coming!!! Have a brilliant rest of your week. ❤️

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        1. I soooo agree with you. You are so right. I mean I don’t think I can handle big volume of anything on social media and I don’t know how people with a lot of followers do without hiring an assistant. LOL. Wish you become healthier within 14 days. So true. I was thinking of writing about a small business owner who doesn’t have health insurance, but I can’t make it interesting to read. I mean making real story interesting is a very hard thing to do. Wish you a great weekend and many happy healthy days to come. ❤️

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        2. I don’t know how people who work full time do this at all. I like the interaction and getting to know and care about people. When you are always in a hurry it is hard to do that. This should be pleasurable. I will do my best to keep it that way. Sending many blessings to you. You are a wonderful writer. Big hugs my friend. Love, Joni

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        3. That is my question too. How can people have the time. It is impossible to do. So true. When I am in a hurry, life loses its fun. So we have to balance it and make it still fun for us and have nice interactions with people.

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  10. Spring is the really good time for capturing beautiful scenery. Most of the photos over the internet are highly edited, but the true essence of the beauty of the nature lies in it reality. I appreciate you step out and clicked the real beauty of the spring.
    For the time management, I would say, I too never have a schedule for writing. I write when I feels good or when some new perspectives crosses my mind, and not because I’m bound to write.

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    1. Yes, and the flowers are not coming out yet but they are going to appear soon. So true. Most of those shining photos are having editing efforts more or less. I mean without editing, they wouldn’t look so shining and so perfect. That’s just the reality. The real images usually have shadows, imperfect spots etc.
      So true. If my brain doesn’t want to write, I have no way to force it to write. It’s an impossible thing. This is my biggest problem of scheduling since writing is not other activities that can be scheduled and finished without the need of taking care of the mood and willingness.

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  11. Great ideas! I look forward to your photos. You have some great plans. I think commenting everyday when you have time is a better idea than leaving it to once a week. It’s too overwhelming that way. I too find it hard to write when I have to, but sometimes setting a timer for five minutes can trick me into getting started and it’s easier to keep going. Good luck, and I look forward to reading the results.

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    1. So true. I am commenting right now so that I don’t have to do it all in one shot. Love your phrase “trick me”. I think our brain needs tricks to get it into mood whenever we want it to do something. LOL. Yes, I have been trying to shoot some photos with my cell phone, but the result is not so satisfactory. The photos always look a little dim and if I do a contrast adjustment, it comes out unnatural. Well, i tried.

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      1. Oh I have to trick my brain into lots of things! lol. There’s lots of apps to edit photos and apply filters and things to make them look prettier. Canva is good for adding text and putting banners together for posts.

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        1. Hmm, putting banners? That sounds like an interesting thing. That’s something I want to look into. Thank you for sharing. Yes, civilization and education have done a real job to trick our brain. Now modern technology and advertising are pushing the art of tricking brains into a new height. Now I don’t know what is my original thought and what is fed to me. LOL.

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