Hey Days!

I think blogging has taught me two very important things. Self discovery is something that I will always be grateful for. Even if I was practically on hiatus the whole 2013, I can't deny that in general, this blog helped me discover my own voice. It helped me find myself. I discovered things that I like, ideas that I agree with, concepts that don't make sense to me - all which were devoured and squished together into the coherent definition of me. Stella. And I think it's like that for everybody, I mean, we're all practically made up of experiences, dreams and everything in between and stuff.
Another thing that blogging taught me was the concept of progress. In a nutshell, these years of logging into the familiar website of blogger have defined progression…ultimately. This blog is always (always) going to be a work in progress. Its content, its focus - the blog in general is just growing as I am. I can't imagine it in a state of finality where I find myself satisfied. I am always going to have to innovate, or to find myself moving forward for this blog. And myself! Because this blog, I believe, is only beginning just as my story is. All these years that I've spent logging on here and trying to figure out what to type, is only the start.

new blog design + new things to blog about

Hey all! How has your week been? I can't believe it's the first of July, and I've only got a MONTH of summer left! I better accomplish my summer list before August first ;) 

Honestly, I've already done some of the stuff on it, I just seem to never have the time to blog about them...I know, the idea of summer and "not enough time" totally contradict and DO NOT blend well together. Haha, oh dear. Anyways, It's been about two weeks since you've seen my blog changing, and I am happy to say that I have accomplished the new blog design and I'd love to now what you guys think of it! 

Alrightie, I've received tons of messages going all: "Update your blog more often...I wanna see more posts...new posts please..." and the like and no, they weren't driving me crazy - they motivated me to think of solutions to lessen those messages! (Oh the irony.)

 I thought that maybe I should add features on my blog since I haven't been able to think of too much to blog about besides my current Summer List and photos that I take on a daily basis. Yesiree, ladies and gents (if there are, any) - I decided to add two new features on my blog :)

I was inspired by Melissa Blake at "So about what I said" on how she would write letters to her future husband. I decided that I'd love to do the same thing except I'd write to myself instead :)

Kinda clever for a title, right? I mean, who doesn't love Fridays?? Haha, anyways a lot of bloggers have been posting about their top five or ten favorites from the web or from stores. I was inspired the other day while I was reading the IT list page from Teen Vouge. I decided to do my very own top ten / top five lists of wants that I would make a collage of, talk about {admire and drool, actually} and be inspired by every Friday. 

Yes, I will be posting tomorrow! Heads up, really cool sponsored giveaway coming this month for those with U.S shipping addresses! So excited :)

 And so that this post holds potential, I do not only open it with a photo taken by me, but I will close it with one as well..

Have a lovely Sunday!

2012!

Lights! Fireworks! Food! Music! Family! Oh, the words that make up New Year's Eve are endless. A lot of things make me happy on the last day of the year. The idea that I got to survive the year, the idea that I'm with my family, the idea that God has blessed me so much...it's a twist and turn of ideas all at once! 

Now you know how a lot of people are going around saying that they hated 2011? Weeell.....I guess everyone has their reasons. This year was tiring.  This year had terrible downs but wonderful ups...Stress weighed me down until I was (literally) gritting my teeth, but God's blessings and his everlasting love kept my feet on the ground! 

Moving into a new school wasn't too easy for me. I have had the same school for 7 consecutive years, and it's difficult to say bye to my childhood friends. I was nervous! I realized that I wasn't going to be in the same grade as the grade I sat in with. I was going to be in a higher batch, which meant that I was going to be the youngest...and the shortest. When I first entered my homeroom classroom, I remember thinking: "Oh Lord, they're all so tall and big. What on earth am I going to do?" It wasn't easy to get along with kids older than me, because there is a huge gap between tweens and teens when it comes to maturity. I chose to respond to the situation in a quiet way. I knew that somehow and someday, I would get used to my new school. The memories of my old school haunted me for about a month, but sooner, I understood that I wouldn't go anywhere if I dwelled on the past. I decided to be more participative in school. I was able to make a lot of new friends, I made it into the tennis team, I got good grades, and I was elected to be in the student council. Is it luck or love? God is amazing!

Besides a topsy-turny year of events, this year was {also} a very self-discovering 365 days of my life. It was this year that I realized that I was sort of into photography (especially film photography) and God blessed me with EIGHT film cameras! I realized that vintage things were fascinating, and it was the year I got my Underwood Typewriter! This year I also discovered what a fashion flop I was. This Christmas, my dad decided to but me a pair of Doctor Martems. (*Squeal!* Another blessing and gift from God.) Now I feel like a model, ha ha.

I might sound like a fashion diva or whatever, but these look SO adorable with tights! I went to H&M and dad treated me to a shopping spree (Another gift from God!!) and I bought a pair of pink, blue, brown and black tights.

Last year was also the start of the (according to my dad) attitude test. *Gasp* Hehe, my dad makes it sound really scary. But sometimes it can REALLY get terrifying! I'm maturing, that's what everyone's telling me. They tell me "Be the same old Stella...the one that laughs a lot, the one that doesn't mind doing anything crazy, the one that doesn't care about what other people think..."I guess the comments can get really flattering! But honestly, I think that I've left behind the vain, pop-art loving "princess".  And NO WAY. I absolutely did NOT leave the "loud and proud" Stella behind...well, maybe not yet :)

You know what else happened this year? I opened my blog!!!! (I officially started blogging on August 2011)  I kind of figured out that blogging is the new thing. For me, it's the best way to express myself! I'm sure a lot of you agree with that.  I also got to meet a lot of awesome people like Elisha {hi pen-pal!}. 

Now I think it's pretty obvious that I don't get to blog everyday, so here's the thing :-) I was inspired by Elisha's day challenge to have a "Ask-Stella" sort of thing. Every week, I'll answer 3 interesting, different questions 100% honestly. You guys can ask me any questions you like, but if I don't get any questions in a week, I'll find a way to still be able to answer questions. 

The questions have to be interesting in such a way that I would be able to post photos about it.

But never mind, let's cross the bridge when we get there. Let's talk about it soon, this January.

Love forever and ever,

Stella

9 more days until I become an official teenager!

Reader, you've come a long way! Thanks for being interested in my life!