journals – Chasing Dreams

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s 2015 Giving Journal

December 30, 2014May 13, 2019 RhizaLeave a comment

I have a thing for paper and journals and calendars and to-do lists—they keep me going, they inspire me to be productive, not to mention, they actually make me productive. This 2014, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf‘s Giving Journal was my planner of choice, and it was a choice that got me right up to the very last page. This little black book kept me sane all year! And because it can fit whatever bag I carried, it went with me wherever I went.

Now, looking at the pages of my 2014 Giving Journal is like looking at a quick summary of 2014. It was a great productivity tool for the whole year, and now it makes for a good memorabilia of the year that was. Tiny tick boxes with checks and x’es mark the things that were accomplished and tasks that were set aside for later. Movie tickets taped on its pages, which are remembrances of those much-needed date nights. Washi tapes that marked holidays, design projects, special occasions. Bible verses scribbled on the pages’ margins, marking God’s go-signals, affirmations, and revelations. And sometimes, empty pages that marked days that were spent doing nothing.

This 2015, the CBTL Giving Journal was made even better. The size is bigger, giving more space for note-taking and more room for making plans. There are 4 colors to choose from (purple, green, orange and brown), and as you can see, I picked the brown one! ;)

One other thing that Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has done extremely well last year was the community they built around this planner. The #brewyourbestyear and #brew2014 hashtags are widely used across various social spaces, and have become a source of inspiration for users and non-users alike. Their Facebook and Instagram pages are filled with quotes and prompts and beautiful imagery that will inspire you to create more and be more and dream more.

The best part is knowing that beyond the pages of this little book, CBTL is able to support less fortunate families by sending select children to school, which is the very essence of The Giving Journal.

In the words of our CBTL’s CEO: “The concept is very simple—it’s about reminding people that they can make a huge difference in their own and other people’s lives by growing to become the best version of themselves—to realize that their lives are brimming with opportunities to share and then prompt them to give back. As we all look forward to 2015, it is my sincere prayer that the Giving Journal can help all of us brew our best year, and that we will always be moved to love, give and serve.” Read more about it here.

I got mine quite early this year, sometime towards the first week of December, much thanks to the awesome people at Coffee Bean. If you haven’t decided yet what planner to use this 2015, I highly recommend CBTL’s The Giving Journal! It’s straightforward, it’s handy, it comes with lots of inspiration, and the design and typography are pretty awesome.

You have until January 11, 2015 to collect stickers and enjoy Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s yummy holiday drinks! The Red Velvet Ice Blended drink is my favorite. :) Continue reading “The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s 2015 Giving Journal” →

The Daykeeper 2015 for Dreamers

November 2, 2014May 31, 2020 Rhiza6 Comments

I sometimes wonder how other Moms “chase their dreams” (or if they still do.) As a 30-year old working Mommy of twin girls, it’s been more like, “chasing deadlines” and “chasing toddlers” around here the past year.

When we’re younger, there was a lot of room for trial & error, and career shifts, and spontaneous road trips, and impulsively bought plane tickets. But as we grow older and little lives are suddenly dependent on (and affected by) the choices we make, we find ourselves taking more calculated steps. It’s not that we’re being uptight, we’re just trying hard to be responsible. We become more mindful about how we use our time and money, and whether or not something is a worthy investment. Passions and priorities naturally shift. Either we set aside our dreams for later, or we learn to chase new dreams—ones that are more for our family than for ourselves.

So maybe the chase slows down a little when we become mothers, but one thing for sure, we never stop dreaming. Continue reading “The Daykeeper 2015 for Dreamers” →

On a hunt for a new journal; Thoughts on Psalm 86:15

August 3, 2012May 14, 2018 RhizaLeave a comment

Where’s a Peter Pauper Press Journal when you need one? I haven’t seen any in the usual places lately, much to my frustration. And just now I find myself browsing PPP’s online catalog and daydreaming about getting my hands on the journals, specifically these two designs:

Yellow is such a happy color, yeah?

My last journal ran out of pages, and I’ve been using this non-PPP notebook for a while now. And it’s affecting my writing rituals! The paper is too thin, the lines are too thick.. Or I could just be lazy and simply finding excuses. I haven’t written long journal entries lately, and have been merely jotting down verses and quick notes here and there. I miss being absorbed in paper and ink and letting my hand speak for my heart.

When will I ever have the time? (And the journal? Hah!)

I have so much going on in my list, not to mention the house is still a mess, and I’m killing myself for not being able to keep up with everything. It’s a horrid habit of mine, putting my standards up too high—on others, and mostly on myself. Then I end up feeling disappointed about not meeting my own expectations.

And then words like this hit me hard in the head, and I’m amazed once again how God knows what I need to hear/read when I need them:

But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. ~Psalm 86:15

Our Lord understands our limits. He realizes our struggles. He knows how much pressure we can take. He knows what measures of grace and mercy and strength we’ll require. He knows how we’re put together.

Frankly, His expectations are not nearly as unrealistic as ours.

When we don’t live up to the agenda we have set, we feel like He is going to dump a truckload of judgment on us. But that will not happen.

So why do we fear it could?

~Chuck Swindoll

I heaved a sigh of relief, thanking God for being merciful, and gracious, and forgiving, when others, or even we, can’t forgive ourselves.

I grabbed a pen and a paper to write these words down. And I thought maybe that’s why I suddenly miss having a journal—I remember things better when I write them down.

And these days, these are the kind of stuff I need to remember.

New journal, new adventure

April 7, 2012May 29, 2016 Rhiza4 Comments

I have a new journal, and it’s pink!

I say, it takes some serious brand ~~obsession~~ familiarity to spot a Peter Pauper Press journal in local book stores here in Manila. Especially since there are many other pretty journals of various brands and sizes these days, piled up together in one place. Peter Pauper Press doesn’t have an exclusively labeled section, but for some reason, one quick scan through a pile of notebooks and I already know if PPP’s available or not. So you can just imagine my delight whenever I find one when I need one!

I found this Pink Ascot Journal at National Bookstore in Greenbelt 1, just in time for my last journal to run out of pages. It’s a different shade from the other Peter Pauper Press journals I had (I obviously prefer blues and greens), but hey, change is good.

It’s that time of my life when I want to just.. write down everything! Every thought, every verse, every prayer, every name who’s touched our lives in a special way. I want to remember these days, preserve them in the pages of my journal so that someday, I can look back and remember how God made things happen.

Now if only I can get over the first trimester’s nausea, then maybe I can actually write (and blog) more! Ahhh, the dizziness is just too.. overwhelming! Like, no amount of sleep is enough.

I remember blogging one Saturday in March,

Do you feel it too, when something BIG is about to happen—a new adventure looming in the horizon? Time spent in solitude, they say, prepares us for changes and challenges that are about to come our way. My husband and I don’t know what our new adventure is going to be exactly, and when, and how, but something inside me is feeling giddy and restless these days. In a good, bring-it-on-Lord kind of way.

I didn’t know I was pregnant already when I typed that!

It makes me smile now; oh the humor of it all! Be careful what you ask for, is what they always say.

This God we live for, He’s so full of surprises. :)

Crazy about Peter Pauper Press Journals

January 11, 2012May 29, 2016 Rhiza15 Comments

I’m very brand-loyal. When I found the right brand of pen, you bet that’s the only brand you’d ever see me buy. Same goes with cosmetics. And laptops. And journals.

Picking up my first Peter Pauper Press journal was random. I got the first blue floral-printed journal that caught my attention from a pile of stuff at a FullyBooked counter at the start of 2011. Since then, I never bought any other brand of notebook other than PPP.

I had a total of 7 journals last year, including the one I’m writing on right now. Allow me to share photos of them because they’re just too photogenic! And they’re actually prettier in real life than the ones you see on their product catalog!

It’s difficult finding them here in Manila, so when I was in New York, I hoarded a couple of pieces from Barnes and Noble. Later on I learned that if you looked hard enough, you’d find them at some National Bookstore, Power Books and Fully Booked branches. I love them so much I started buying them not just for myself but to give to some friends as well.

To make it sweeter, I’ve so far made sure I didn’t get the same design twice. (Hover over the photos to see the captions.)

Their paper is usually plain white and finely-ruled, but once in a while you get yourself a little surprise. Some of these notebooks come with dainty little prints like these:

I’ve made myself visible online all these years, blogging, twitting, posting here and there; but nothing still compares to writing things down old school way—paper, ink, and heart. My journals are the keeper of my most honest thoughts and musings, my most daring prayers, and even my dried-up tears on its pages.

I love the thought that long after my blog sites are abandoned, my eyesight too blurry to see the computer screen, and my hand too shaky to type on a computer keyboard, I still have trinkets of my life preserved in a box-full of journals, which, hopefully, I’d get to hand down to my kids.

Paper Patisserie by Peculiar Pair Press

July 31, 2009December 29, 2019 Rhiza8 Comments

..is an awesome alternative to Moleskine.

DAY NINE. See? I’m making some progress. I’m little by little getting out of my cave, letting go of things I’ve gotten used to (yes, I meant Moleskine), and trying out something new. *This is the part where you shower me with congratulations and pats on the back.*

So yeah, I’m taking a break from Moleskine but that’s only because I found a prettier (and yes, cheaper even) alternative. Behold, the Paper Patisserie Mini Journal Set (sounds prettier too, eh?) by Peculiar Pair Press.

By the way, I’m taking a break from being wordy also. So tonight, I shall try visual.

*Got the notebook set from Full Booked at PhP 700+. Just now I found out that it’s available online too at $14.95. Awesomecakes.

Good night, one and all.

30 Days of Awesome, 9/30.