On Writing

    If there's one thing that currently makes me really curious, it's how writers have this cool super power of weaving stories and bringing their readers to a whole new world of possibilities. When you think about all the books out there, you'll realise that there's so much more to discover- very interesting worlds to discover.

    The next thing that comes to my mind, as if this whole fascination is procedural like recipe books,  is how writers translate their inspirations to create something that's completely their own. I know we've been told numerous times, by numerous people, that inspiration comes everywhere. But I realised that  the process of finding inspiration is a whole lot different from the process of actually using these inspirations to create something.

    At night, when I lull myself to sleep, I can't help but feel really really bad when I feel as if I spent the day without doing anything. I know one shouldn't be hard on oneself especially when it comes to activities that fuel passion and creativity. But sometimes, I can't help but think that without doing anything, despite all these inspirations floating, I'm not contributing anything to my growth as an individual. Life's not a success. 

    It's challenging to learn how to be patient with oneself especially when we are constantly surrounded by things that remind us that we are running behind everybody else. During my teenage years, I used to feel anxious whenever I see news articles of people my age or people younger than me doing great things. It was as if my life's a big bubble where nothing happens. Like a boat floating in the quiet ocean, life's just floating. It's an anxious feeling that I tried so much to manage. Although calming my overly anxious mind wasn't always successful, there were days when I worried less about it.

When I look back, I realise that the days when I worried less about my anxiety were filled with little events that create a bigger picture that defines success: blue skiy shining, clouds forming images, people walking, trees swaying and bird singing. Going back to the roots,  being one with nature, calms the senses and renews the spirits. There was a time when I was looking at a photo of a tree I took when I went to the museum. It's leaves were falling while it awaits for the coming season. It was a simple act but it left a profound impact on me. It was as if the tree was reminding me of what it means to find success and inspiration beyond the definitions set by man. Sometimes, all it takes is a tree to reminds us of accepting that life's flow is beyond our control. After all, weaving a story takes time.