THE ARCHER

"Easy they come, easy they go 

I jump from the train, I ride off alone 

I never grew up, it's getting so old 

Help me hold on to you 

I've been the archer, 

I've been the prey 

Who could ever leave me, darling 

But who could stay?"

- Taylor Swift (The Archer)

Sometimes I watch movies or TV dramas and they make me desire a man who's more protective. And I think at first it's very attractive, because my infatuation allows me to submit to them. However as time goes by, protectiveness can come off as control. And I'm a Sagittarius. I'm a free spirit. I refuse to be controlled. That is a huge turn off for me.

INVISIBLE STRING

Time, mystical time 

Cuttin' me open, then healin' me fine 

Were there clues I didn't see? 

And isn't it just so pretty to think 

All along there was some 

Invisible string 

Tying you to me?

- Taylor Swift (Invisible String)

*Oops I did it again. Last post was in July. And here we are in November (BIRTHDAY MONTH)... Back for two more posts before the end of the year to tie things up. 

What we should never agree to: external validation and succumbing to its pressure... Here I am, a month from turning 26 (...oh dear lord 30 is imminent). The age where my parents married each other and had their first child (my older brother). A time where my friends and acquaintances are getting engaged, left right and centre. But I don't feel any rush and I don't feel the need or want either. For them, they are ready. For me, I am not.

FAILURE

"You need to become someone new to execute against that vision. 

If you had your dream today you would f*ck it up."

- Tom Bilyeu

It's a very negative word, a heavy word on the shoulders pulling your entire body down to the ground. 'Failure'. As many of you know, I started my business 'Christiaan & York' back in 2017. Over these past 3 years I have invested approximately $11,000. It was my first business... and it wasn't a success. 

BECOMING

“If you don't get out there and define yourself, 

you'll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.” 

- Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama's new Netflix documentary 'Becoming' is truly inspirational for 1.5 hours of your time. It lightly touches on many areas which are insightful (like feminism and race) but the highlight of the piece which was relevant to not just women or people of colour was the importance of how you viewed yourself. Not being invisible doesn't start by others acknowledging you. Not being invisible starts by you not feeling invisible from within.    

STORYTELLER

"It's important that we share our experiences with other people. 

Your story will heal you, and your story will heal somebody else. 

When you tell your story you free yourself, 

and you give other people permission

 to acknowledge their story as well."

 - Iyanla Vanzant

Currently I am reading 'Talking to Strangers' by Malcolm Gladwell and a few lines stood out for me. First: "Today we are now thrown into contact all the time with people whose assumptions, perspectives, and backgrounds are different from our own." Second: "If we were more thoughtful as a society - if we were willing to engage in some soul-searching about how we approach and make sense of strangers - she would not have ended up dead in a Texas jail cell." And third: "If I can convince you of one thing in this book, let it be this: Strangers are not easy."

RETROGRADE

/ˈrɛtrəɡreɪd/

adjective

"directed or moving backwards."

I am currently on the verge of losing it. And so I turn to writing. My sanctuary. Reading my most recent post it's crazy how in March 2020 I said "It's month 3 out of 12 and so far things are looking pretty great". Only one month after that post and how little thought did I give at the time to the possibility that life, for myself and everyone else, would tip upside down. 

LUNAR

"People use to think the skies the limit, 
then somebody went to the moon."

I don't have any new photos so I am going to be lazy (or smart) and use some photos from my trip to China last year in October... Reason is, these are one of those times when my desire to write exceeds my desire or ability to produce new photos.

With the Lunar New Year having just passed a few weeks ago I think these photos are very fitting for where my mind is currently at.