I’M TRANSFERRING!

Hi guys,

This is a short update on my blogging situation. As you may have known, I have a second blog, specialised in articles on the lifestyle of international students abroad. However, if you’ve been following this blog here for a while, you may know that I am barely able to write on a regular basis ever since I started my first full-time job.

It’s been a hard decision to make but I’ve chosen to merge An Evil Nymph’s Blog and my student blog so that I can focus on only one blog. And the blog I’ve chosen to keep updating is my second blog, dkwaye.com. I’ve chosen my latest blog for obvious reasons: I’m paying for the domain and web hosting services.

Thus, as from now on, my future blog posts will be published on the other blog. If you do want to keep up with my writing, do not hesitate to subscribe to it using this link.

You can also follow its Facebook page to stay updated about new blog posts!

It’s not easy to part with this blog. After all, it’s been 6 years! Nevertheless, I am not shutting it down, so who knows, I may come back for a blog post or two. 🙂 An Evil Nymph’s Blog is yet to die.

I’m simply shifting my focus.

I hope you’ll join me on my next blogging adventure!

An Evil Nymph.

What’s Next In 2018?

I think it’s time I stop apologising for not writing on this blog for a long period of time; it has almost become like a regular blogging pattern by itself.

Ever since I left Mauritius in 2014 to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Malaysia I’ve been finding less and less time for blogging on this blog. But I’ve been writing more. Writing assignments and essays, then it slowly evolved to writing online articles and more assignments for companies who paid me.

I remember that getting paid for my writing was a huge achievement for me. I had this feeling of ‘I made it’. I had always wanted to prove to the world that I was meant to be a writer (although I did mean fiction writer…). But then, it wasn’t so special anymore. Writing is now just a job.

What Does Happiness Mean At 22?

Most of the time, people mistake ‘happiness’ as the life goal. A destination we have yet to reach. But you have heard of that ‘Instagrammable’ inspirational quote which says that happiness is, instead, the journey.

Unfortunately, quotes don’t solve any problem. And sometimes, they are so simplified that we tend to misunderstand them. Yes, I agree that happiness is the journey, but it doesn’t mean that our new goal is to now be happy all the time. That’s where people get the concept of happiness wrong: it is not constant. Your journey doesn’t have to be always bright and beautiful. There will be storms.

It’s time to delete that misconception from your neurotic pathways. Happiness is not constant. If, after reading the quote, you’ve set yourself to achieve 100% happiness in your day-to-day, you are bound to failure and disappointment. Happiness isn’t the destination, but it is not entirely the journey either.

So what is happiness? And how dare a 22-year-old like me lecture you on such ‘wisdom’?

Not Giving Up: Why Is It So Hard?

Throughout my life, I’ve found it easier to give up on my professional dreams rather than relationships. Ever since I was a young teenager, I’d be discouraged to pursue anything ‘artsy’ as a career path. But at school, with my friends, I’d learnt to never give up on your feelings.

I was allowed to love, but I wasn’t allowed to dream. 

The term ‘unrequited love’ was the definition of my love life for as long as I remember falling in love. Yet, it only made sense to me to keep on trying. I’d get rejected by a guy, but as soon as another guy would come along, I’d forget all about the previous one and pursue the next.

Post-Graduation Blues: What’s Next?

This is the post that I’ve been struggling to write. It’s this post that I couldn’t bring myself to publish. I didn’t blog for a month because of it.

I could just have brushed it off and removed it from my schedule. But I do insist on putting it out there. Then, we can go back to posts like the one I wrote last week on Asian movies.

Among all the blogs I’ve written, this is the only one that is still going strong 6 years later. Among all of them, this is the only one which I deem to be my ‘personal’ one. A blog that’s for everything and anything. No niche, no marketing. Just you and me.

And that’s why I wanna share this part of my life with you.

Have I Given Up On Travelling?

Honestly, this post was so hard to write. My thoughts are all over the place and I apologise.

***

I’ve had this blog post idea for a long time now. It’s been on my list of ‘topics to write on’ for months.

The original title was “I gave up on travelling.” But I decided to change it. Why?

Who I was months ago had a different perspective and mindset when she wrote that title. Who I am now has gone through a lot of post-graduation thoughts about the future… and some kind of epiphany about who, where, how I want to be.

Back then, even though I didn’t seem like it, I was against travelling as a student, unless you could afford it, i.e. your parents are freaking tolerant about you spending their money (mine aren’t).

A WordPress.com Blog VS Self-Hosting Website: My Experience

A few posts back, I was writing about how I was going to create my official writer’s website as I’m starting my after-undergrad life as a freelance writer, sort of.

Since then (although it was only a few weeks/days ago), things have changed.

Well, I did launch a website.

But it’s not exactly a freelance writing website. After getting insightful feedback from the surveys I had posted, I realised that people were currently more interested in a Students’ Survival Guide than a freelance writing blog. And looking at my experience, I had way more valuable stories to share in the ‘student’ category. After all, I had only just started freelancing, while I had been a University student for 3 years!

After days of thinking and brainstorming, I finally made the leap and bought my very first domain: dkwaye.com

Why I Don’t Like Parties

I’m a student living abroad on my own, and I don’t like to party.

I have no curfew, no parental restrictions, and I’m allowed to drink. I still don’t enjoy partying.

Let me give you the definition of ‘party’ at university (at least in my circle), to clear things up: clubbing. Dressing up and then getting drunk (preferably before going to the clubbing area—a whole row of loud bars and clubs), and then hopping a few clubs before finding one that you and your friends really like, I guess?—and finally go home with a hangover in the early hours of the morning.

But of course, everyone’s definition of ‘partying’ is different. For me, going clubbing used to be: dressing up as if you were going to a fancy dinner, drinking, dancing (this was actually our favourite part) and finally going home.

I’ve Changed—Ever Since I Got Into Street Dance

In a nutshell, I’ve changed from this girl:

…to that girl:

I wouldn’t say that they are completely different from each other, but I would say that the transition from one to another made me rediscover who I really wanted to be, or how I really wanted to portray myself to the world.

The 4 Core Values I Stand For

On Friday 17th February, I completed my internship at Mossery, a stationery brand startup that crafts beautiful customisable planners, sketchbooks and notebooks to the world. However, what I really found special about the company was its huge emphasis on nurturing and communicating values.

Throughout the 2 months and a half (or so) period I was there, I eventually started thinking about my own values. Everyone has a set of values they live by, but I was never really conscious of mine before. Finally, after some deep soul-searching, I figured out 4 core values that I’ve been following pretty much my whole life. And I’m sharing them here, in the hopes that you too will be inspire to look for your own.

1. Ancora imparo.

I am still learning. Okay, so it’s funny but this is the slogan of Monash university, which is basically how I discovered that beautiful, empowering yet humble phrase. At core, we, as human beings, will never cease to learn. If we want to grow, we have to keep on learning.

I Will Miss Campus Life

Last weekend, I met up with my university friends, both on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday our meeting point was at the campus itself. And after spending such enjoyable days with them, I realised that I will miss this after I graduate.

I will miss my student life on campus. I will miss the late nights I spend with my friends, living on the cheap. I will miss the feeling of walking to school. I will miss all of it. 

I have only one semester left. I’m graduating in July this year… and I might not be turning back. Which means that I might not pursue a Honours year/4th year, because I might prefer to work first and then do a Masters later on, probably somewhere else, somewhere new. After this, I am, most likely, moving on.

Nevertheless, with a heavy heart.

Why 2017 is the time to re-evaluate your workplace | Weekly Reads

For 2017, I set myself a Goodreads reading challenge: my goal is to read 30 books this year. After a disastrous reading year in 2016, in which I read only 15 books, I decided it was time to get back to my regular reading of an average of 30-40 books a year (and if you were reading this blog in 2014, you might remember that I surpassed my Goodreads challenge of 52 books!). Reading has always been my favourite hobby and I’m no way letting it go, even when adult life will get busier!

However, as I did mention in a whole post last year, it doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped reading. In fact, I’ve been reading more than ever, digesting news on Pocket and my favourite blogs. Recently, my Twitter has become a freaking ‘news’ feed, literally. I’ve been spamming it with articles and videos I find interesting.

Therefore, I’ve decided to renew a very old ‘trend’ of mine on this blog: previously called Sites of the Month, I used to collect my favourite links/articles of the month and post it up for you guys to read as well. This time, I’m calling it Weekly Reads because, you guessed it, it’s going to be a weekly thing, every Sunday. Because I read too much in a week anyway.

Who I Am Becoming In 2017

At the last few seconds of 2016, I stood strong, waiting for the fireworks. At the first few minutes of 2017, I noticed how my arm was not tired, my hands not trembling, from holding up my phone to film those 10 continuous minutes of beautiful bursting fires in the sky. That actually surprised me; it seemed that my workout sessions, as irregular as they can get because a university student’s irregular schedule, had paid off.

For many, this is probably a very small insignificant detail, but to me, at that moment, it meant everything. I only started taking care of my fitness and physical health in April 2016 for the first time in my life, and I have come far in terms of physical endurance, as well as pain tolerance and delayed gratification. Maybe not as far as I could have, but far enough.

But most importantly, I stood mentally strong. 

There was a point in 2016 where I felt that all the hardwork I had put into building myself for the past 2 years of staying on my own in Malaysia, all the efforts put into self-esteem and confidence, had been in vain as I was crumbling back to being shy and insecure about the slightest of things. As the saying goes, it takes time to create something, but one second to destroy it. And I had to rebuilt myself in the last months of 2016. I had to slowly but surely get back up and move on with life.

My Personal Goals for 2017

2016 has been the best and the worst year for me (and I have a feeling that I say that every year!). It has also been the most hectic year of my life. Challenging, rewarding and often tiring. On the other hand, 2017 is going to be a more ‘chill’ kind of year, at least at the start (and at least that’s what I think).

When the semester starts, I won’t having any particular responsibilities. It would also be my last semester, which is actually more relaxed because I finished all my core units (subjects) this year. I’ll also be graduating and will either be working or applying for a Honours year after that. This part looks hectic, but to me, it is more like a time for me to do some introspection and take a break. Reflect on what I have done so far. Choose my next move wisely.

Therefore, although I’m not a usual ‘resolution list’ person (despite my very very old posts here in this blog haha), I’ve decided to focus on a few personal goals for me to work on and achieve in 2017.