8am-thoughts

[8am-thoughts]

[8am-thoughts]

Everything you need to know about the #SMStationeryArtFest 2018

Here's the schedule of workshops you can attend to for this weekend (April 14-15):

And here's how you can get into a workshop:

YOU READ THAT RIGHT. For only PHP300 worth of materials, you're already qualified to participate in that brand's workshop.

Admit it, if you take these classes outside, or somewhere that's not in this Art Fest, it costs hell of a lot more. So are you just going to miss this out??

[8am-thoughts]

SM Stationery Art Fest 2018

Years ago, I was nothing but excited to hear about and be a part of the first Art Fest held by SM Stationery. Three years and many fests later, I still have the same excitement and bliss. It was only then that I realized that it's something I look forward to every year BECAUSE HELLO WHY NOT.

It's become an event where I would automatically see friends from the same community whom I haven't seen since the last fest. It's that awesome! It brings people who have a common love for the arts and crafts — together.

L-R: @anneroch13 @carligraphy @googlygooeys @gelibalcruz @pvtugano

MISSING: @ella_lama @mabuhaydiy @junedigann @abbeysy

SM Stationery's Art Fest is a week-long event bringing brands together such as Pilot, Faber Castell, IFEX, Elmer's Glue, Tokyo Finds, among others; and hosting a series of workshops for an entire weekend. Workshops can go from the basics of brush lettering, to calligraphy, to doodling, to journaling, to slime-making!

This year's Art Fest launched yesterday, and even though I've never missed a fest in the past, yesterday was the first time I got to experience participting in workshops firsthand (because last year I did a demo, so that really doesn't count as a workshop-goer? :P)!

I. HAD. FUN. I created my own slime. My glow-in-the-dark slime ♥️ Did you also know you can make a "crunchy slime"?

I was seriously at a loss for words about how delighted I was to be there. #TakeMeBack?

Anyway, I wouldn't divulge everything about it since you'd have to be there to understand. Only then that maybe we can feel the same euphoria I've been talking about! And then you tell me about it, yes?

By the way, my artsy heart went home doing cartwheels with my loot, take a look:

Want to know more about the #SMStationeryArtFest? Check my next post!

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[8am-thoughts]

No matter the circumstance, be the bigger person.

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To forgetting what doesn't matter —

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Current read: Whiskey Words & A Shovel Vol. I by R.H. Sin 🖤 McMeel never fails, I tell you. They never, ever fail.

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Maybe. Could be.

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I think my father is a sexist.

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What Keeps Me Going

These are the comments, feedbacks, and testimonials I (as @8amthoughts) have received in the past 2 years in my website, www.8amthoughts.com, which is long gone :( Reading sweet notes like this remind me why I want to keep doing what I love; to keep writing, to keep inspiring.

“When I get on my IG you are one of the first accounts I look at. The beautiful pieces you do of others work and your wonderful 8amoriginals inspire me every time I see them! Your beautiful words inspired me to try out hand lettering and faux calligraphy. (I did buy a nib pen but I'm not quite ready for that yet.) The amazing thing about the hand lettering is that it makes me feel really creative. I haven't written in a long time and although I desperately want to, I just have nothing good to say. But I feel like I'm getting there. So thanks for inspiring me to find my creative self, she's been dead for a very long time.“

- @darktwistyangel

“I love love love your work. The writings that you share are beautiful and so eloquent. The calligraphy is stunningly gorgeous. This is one of my favorite accounts to show up in my news feed when I check Instagram. You are so talented and wonderful. <3“

- @thatoldrelic

“I adore your work and your rocking calligraphy ! You aren't just 8 a.m. thoughts for me. You are my all day everyday. A post from you on my feed is absolute an infinite <3“

- @dark_musings_

“I absolutely adore your work. It is so incredibly beautiful and it's even more incredible when I see my work turn into these masterpieces you're so good at creating. And your piece is still my lock screen!!“

- Ashley Ryan

“Heaven sent? Brides bff? 24/7 textmate? Name it, All rolled into one! Words can never express how truly grateful I am. Isa ka sa mga wedding suppliers namin na sobrang nagpapasalamat talaga ako. Thank you so much, alam ko hindi sa wedding planning namin nagtatapos ito. Basta. Maraming, maraming salamat, 8amthoughts! :-)“

- Your First Bride

“You are so good in calligraphy, you are one of my inspirations in doing my best in writing so that one day, I'll be as good as you.“

- Anonymous

“Hi, I've been inspired by your works since then -- from faux calligraphy to modern calligraphy. Keep on inspiring others. God bless! :)”

- Alyssa Pabito

“You are one of my biggest inspirations for starting to learn calligraphy, for motivating me everytime I see your posts on instagram and for inspiring me to write again. :) Thank you.“

- Jasmine Tuquero

“You inspired me to be a calligrapher even thoh i have ugly hand writing i try my best”

- Stephanie Iligan

“Not only do you amaze me with your wonderful calligraphy and poetry skills, you also inspire me as a person to be humble and great even though you have reached peaks in life. your kind nature definitely has a lot more to reach! I love you and stay amazing <3“

- Your always, JESSICA!!

“I went and read it. Nice to see you, lovely. You explained yourself beautifully. I hope you full force showing yourself to everyone, you realize there is no worse pain, than untold story, as the late Maya Angelou would always say. And it is imperative to tell the stories with your face. Much love.“

- Robert Watson (@r_watson_)

“You know some people can seem so 2-dimensional and well, without substance because they go through their entire lives not wanting to discover their true selves or potential? I think you have just proved your identity through your work. I believe you are still developing (No doubt, because we all should be, every moment of our lives) but now that you are more confident about what you are doing as 8amthoughts and who you are as Tricia merging into each other, I think you have gotten past that barrier of insecurity. I am so happy for you! Thank you for sharing your journey with me :) Lots of love,”

- Anne Mahendran

“This is amazing huhu. I remember just last year, I was reading your poems and stories and being inspired by your calligraphy on instagram, and I always wondered who was that person behind the beauty of art. And I'm glad that now, everybody knows it. So happy for you! You dont have to be afraid anymore. :D“

- Jasmine Tuquero

“omg!this is so amazing..!I completely love your poetry!and you as a human!some fears are just ghosts..and so pointless!when we make ourselves naked we show them who we really are!tschakka :) go on sugar, and by the way, you are unbelievable beautiful, I just fell in love :)”

- Lenny Klan

“I has been a pleasure with 8amthoughts, we contacted her to do our Ayala Land Humans of Makati giveaways in such short notice but she was able to provide us with the best quality for our giveaways. Will definitely contact her again for more projects.“

- Green Bulb Public Relations

“I have had the pleasure of working with 8am thoughts (Trisha) for about a year now. She's an incredible talent, wonderful friend, and has a spirit of light I am drawn to. She did the art for my promotions for my first book and I am very confident that we will work together many times in the future. Her calligraphy and art is impeccable and her poetry is even more brilliant. Here's the part that matters.... even more prevalent than all of that is the dedication, loyalty,/'do regrets in the core of her soul. I truly love you with my whole heart my dear friend.“

- amy.johnson.poetry

“Your 8am thoughts penned down almost everything I failed to put into words and I can't thank you enough for that. I don't know you personally but you made me feel like somewhere out there, there's someone who shares the same feelings as mine.“

- Steph Palma

“Wow. Just wow. I'm a newbie here, and can I just say your blog is amazing!“

- J

“Awwww. So cuuttee. I wish I also have the guts to quit on my corporate life to concentrate on things I love the most. P.S I love your blog!“

- Marilou S Patsy

“When I think about Tricia, "excellent customer service" comes to mind. One of the attributes I considered when I chose wedding suppliers, was promptness. It just goes to show one's commitment to the task placed upon them. From day one, Tricia has been very accommodating and prompt in providing drafts/receipts. When she didn't reply right away, Tricia was quick to apologize and even provided the reason behind her delayed response. I remember Tricia giving me a heads up when she had to be away for a few days, as she anticipated signal loss.

Furthermore, Tricia valued her client-relationship with me and that made a huge difference. She loved to collaborate and brainstorm ideas. As for the services I availed, I asked Tricia to produce items for my civil wedding and reception. She put together our own personal monogram, place cards, menus, thank you cards and even the design for our wedding favours! I wish I could post her creations and show everyone how she assembled the final package! It was so divine!

Tricia knew I was very fussy with the little things, so she made sure that the final package was impeccable! Tricia, thank you so much for all of your help. We only communicated through viber and e-mail, but nonetheless you made everything so easy for me. I just want to say that you're a very beautiful and talented young lady. You have so much potential! The best is yet to come my dear. Cheers!“

- Romela Villaspir

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The People You Should Let Go but Never Regret

That Boss who Belittled You As your superior, you were expecting constructive criticism from that one person you looked up to. She was supposed to help you grow – as a professional, in a corporate setting. She was supposed to guide you through the ways of the world, through reality.

And then it didn’t take long for you to realize she was an insecure little woman who only wanted to pull you down when she felt threatened by your intelligence. She hindered your growth. She set borders around your skill expansion possibilities. She made you question your capabilities. Let go of the boss who only ever did was to make you feel like you’ve never fulfilled any jobs right.

But don’t regret meeting her. At the end of the day, your rants were wake-up calls.

“I don’t deserve this.”“I can’t take this anymore.” You learned the extent of your patience. You knew you were doing better than she acknowledged. Because of her, you were able to distinguish what you deserve and what you don’t.

That Professor who Flunked You Unreasonably You knew you were passing your scores, if not acing them. You knew you never missed a quiz. You knew you gave your best ensuring you met your deadlines. And yet, she failed you. Of course, you were surprised because you knew you deserved a higher mark.

Let go of her. Let go of that extra semester you had to take just because she was unjust. Let go of the delay in graduation it caused you.

But don’t regret being in her class. This was the situation that led you to question how? The next minute, you were retracing all your papers, trying to figure out where you went wrong. You learned how to justify everything. You learned that there must be a reason why she gave you that grade and had a quick self-check before confirming she was just unfair.

Before pointing fingers, you realized it was yourself that you needed to look into first.  This helped you mature. This was the time when you stood up for yourself, when you asked someone for an explanation. This was one of the moments that taught you how to speak up.

That Officemate who Never Believed in You She was supposed to be your partner, the one who was going to hold your hand when you’ve had a rough shift. After all, she knows the weight you carry at work. Spending 8 hours a day, 5 days a week with her should’ve been worthwhile for having found a comrade in the workplace.

She was the first person you told about your new hobby or the new interest you were vested in, that wasn’t work-related.

Unfortunately, she doubted you. She belittled your chosen craft. She told you that it was a waste of time and that you should focus on your job. You were told that you weren’t going to go anywhere; that you weren’t going to make it. You heard the words you, lacked, and talent together in a sentence.

She was toxic. Let go of her. Let go of the first time you reported to work feeling down because pessimists surrounded you. Let go of that moment you lost your drive to report for work because you felt like not having anyone there who understood.

But never regret sitting beside her in the same wing. This was when you learned how negativity would never encourage your productivity. This was when you knew that there was a thin line between friends and just-officemates. This was when you learned that you can’t expect everyone to understand you, From then on, you realized not everyone you meet needs to know your entirety of a being – like sharing your passion – because not everyone deserves that passionate piece of you.

That Best Friend who Betrayed You Aside from family, she was the person you depended on; most especially when the boss and officemate disappointed you. She was your go-to person, or so you thought. She was your chosen family, the sibling you never had. She was your lifetime partner in another universe.

You didn’t see that dreadful day coming. She turned on you at the time you thought she understood you best. She spilled your secrets to the people who were the very reason why you had things to hide. Of all people, you expected her to back you up the hardest. But that didn’t happen. It literally felt worse than a break-up from a long-term intimate relationship.

Let go of her. Let go of the fact that she hurt you. Let go of the guilt for trusting her in the first place. Let her go…

But never regret letting her into your life. Never regret that you gave her your time and sureness.

Because of her, you learned that not everyone who were nice were also worthy of your trust. You had to learn the hard way the real essence and value of quality over quantity. You’ve come to know that even the things you thought were permanent could be gone anytime – especially when you didn’t see it coming… Especially when you least expected it. Never regret having a friend-turned-foe because she was a part of you – your growth, your self-improvement.

Your First Heartbreak The feeling was unfamiliar. For once, you thought that was what you usually see in the movies happening to you, right in front of your eyes; from a simple crush to infatuation, to attachments. You were young, for God’s sake. You were curious and excited. The morning messages down to the late night phone calls – all these expected from the person you thought was going to be your happily ever after.

After “the chase” phase, it was only a matter of time before you realized you were already fighting alone. You realized she only loved some parts of you – the good things. You knew this when during the arguments, she fled faster than lightning, leaving you as hopeless as you ever were; and then came back when you were whole again.

You learned she wasn’t the one when you lost your patience that one morning and instead of calming you down, she fed fuel to the fire. She only stayed with you during the happy times, and the depressing ones were left for you to deal with alone.

You knew it wasn’t right. No matter how hard things have gotten, they were supposed to have been surpassed together. You should never feel the need to chase for love. You should never feel like taking a pass-or-fail test in love, because when two people wanted to be together, they ought to stay with each other, work on things together, too. There were no rooms for compromises, only bargains.

You were left broken, alone, down. You associated the buckets of tears you shed to the intensity of what you thought was genuine love. It hurt so bad you practically lived in your bed. You lost all energy to do anything at all. Your nights were spent soaked – in either the rain or alcohol. You questioned yourself.

“Am I difficult to love?”“Am I not worthy of anyone’s affection?”

Whoever came to your mind while reading this must have damaged you real bad. The fact that you thought of a particular person at this point, means you still remember the pain they’ve caused you.

Whoever that is, let him or her go. Let her go because partners weren’t supposed to make you feel worthless. Let go of that time you sent her messages, rung her a couple of times, only to be ignored in the end. Let go of that moment she made you feel like garbage by opting to bail out instead of fighting for you - with you.

Let go of the times when your cries and pain were left unheard. Let her go, darling.. But never regret her. Believe it or not, as crazy as this may sound, never regret exerting efforts that eventually turned into rubbish.

This was the phase of your life the universe let you know that you were ready to take on the world. It was the moment you learned how furious you could get and how you could manage it. This was when you knew how you would react when salt was rubbed to your wounds. This was the time when you felt emotions you never knew you were capable of feeling – emotions you never even knew existed.

This was the beginning of the new you. This basically created you and how you would be moving forward. You knew yourself better since then. You learned more about yourself, your personality and what type of a person will complement you best. You swore you weren’t going to let that happen again. If you hadn’t met her, you wouldn’t have prepared yourself to be better just in case the soulmate arrives. You were able to test your limits. “How far can I go?”“How much can I take?”“How hard can I love?”“How brave should I be to forgive?”

So love, let go of the people who broke you, but never regret being pushed to be more connected to yourself. Let these people go for they have not chosen to stay, they have not chosen you – but never regret meeting them because every time someone left, you chose yourself. You chose to be happy. You chose to do what you love. You chose to go out there and get fit. You chose to believe in yourself. You chose to love yourself even better than you did the last heartache. You learned that it’s important to choose yourself over and over again – at all times, at all costs.

You were born only half a person, but these people who shattered you left shards  of pieces to complete the puzzle.

Congratulations! You are not just a person anymore. You’re officially human. P.S.Now that you’re a human being, moving forward, always remember to stay humane.

There’s a difference.

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Why Vulnerability is Not Bad At All

I have been lied to, cheated on, betrayed. I have been abandoned. I have been replaced. I know all these because I’m vulnerable, and when all those moments came crashing into my life one by one, the only description that would suffice what I felt would be a thousand knives stabbed right through me.  As far as I can remember, a handful of those experiences made me feel worthless. It was as if I never did anything right in my life.

My heart was open so wide even the slightest tap of pain would kill me. But opening myself up to the people I gave chances to, didn’t leave me with regrets even if that meant being wronged in the end; even if my complete trust was thrown like it was nothing valuable.

I allowed myself to be vulnerable, to be exposed, because as cliché as it sounds, it all happens for a reason. I allowed myself to entrust my heart to some people completely, even with the risk leaving it shattered.

Because while I was losing friends - friends I thought would be for life - I was meeting rare, real ones. Because while I was being constantly left in mid-air, I was meeting the ones who will stay no matter how hard things can get; while my best confidante was slowly replacing me, I was meeting my family.

Every time I had to pull myself back up, I was learning and growing stronger. Had I not exposed myself to the dangers of the world, I would not have experienced love at the same time. Had I hid myself in the darkest corner of my room with the intention of protecting myself, I would not have become sensitive to the people who really care.

If you’ve lost something lately and it’s burning real bad inside, I want you to know that it’s okay. It’s okay to hurt, it’s okay to be mad, it’s okay to regret. That makes you human. And I’m not going to tell you that it’s going to be okay, because honestly it doesn’t happen that quickly. What I can tell you is that one day, I can assure you that you’ll look back to this day, to this horrible experience in your life, and see it as a blessing in disguise.

I want you to know that it’s okay to let your walls down. Let yourself be vulnerable and soon enough, you’ll learn how to guard your heart. Choose your battles. Exhaust yourself fighting for the things you know are worth it. Burn yourself out chasing that person you feel will complete your being. It’s not going to be easy, but it will surely prepare you for something better. Or the best, even.

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The best response to the quarter-life crisis shit; the perfect assurance that everything's going to be okay. When it hits you hard, hit back harder. This is just a fucking phase.

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R: How does one just get eaten by work so much na she stops becoming a decent human being? T: ‪That's true. Na for me it's pointless to go up the ladder pero because of the people na tinapakan mo on the way up, wala naman nang tao when you're finally up there.‬ Wala nang team, support system, kahit friends. Wala, in short nasa posisyon ka na nga, pero mag-isa ka na lang. Ganon.

(That's true. That for me, it's pointless that you go up the ladder but because of the people you stepped on your way up, no one will be there for you when you finally make it; no team, no support system, no friends. Bottomline, you've made it to the pedestal but you're left alone anyway.)

[8am-thoughts]

It's okay to get lost sometimes. What matters is your determination to find your way back.

TSG

[8am-thoughts]

I know the partner I’m with is going to be for life when she doesn’t pressure me to go out after a long day, when staying in and cuddling to our hearts’ content is the best option we have — if not the only one. I know I have been blessed with a perfect half when being and trying to be perfect in its context is not in our long list of goals. I know I have the best person with me when she lets me live my life at my own pace. I know I should be content when I can sit with someone I can be totally comfortable with, even when doing nothing, even when in complete silence. I know I should be lucky to have someone who lets me have my alone time — even when we’re together. And damn I indeed am.. The luckiest woman in the entire universe. The happiest. At my best. Always.