Quality Over Quantity

I've always believed in the concept or philosophy of quality over quantity. Whenever work is given to me, I don't ever want to settle for mediocrity. I always say to myself: Never settle for mediocrity. I don't want to just do the work. I always want to be able to give 100% in the work that I do, but there are days though where I do settle for mediocrity and I feel horrible when I do. It's just something that I can't do. It's most definitely a struggle for me especially here on this blog.

Working on this blog has definitely proven how much of a struggle living out "quality over quantity" is. I've been blogging for over a year now and it's one of the best things that I've done in my life. I have this little space on the internet where I can happily write about certain topics, share my thoughts, put my creativity to work. I always say that this blog is a privilege and not an obligation, but there are days where I completely forget that and so I go for quantity over quality.

When I'm not able to post on this blog for more than a week, I get frustrated with myself. I feel horrible because I think to myself that I should've posted that past week. In desperation, I would look around my room and search the interwebs for inspiration hoping to find something to write about. I would really stress out about this and it would frustrate me on so many levels.

If I found something to write about that isn't really something I'm 100% about, I would try to convince myself that what I found was okay and that I should just write about it so that I have something to post. It came to a point where I wanted to post something each week because I thought I should post something each week. I became more concerned with how many posts were up on this blog rather than how was the quality of each post that I put up that I put up. It's been a struggle and I've been trying to overcome this struggle for awhile now.

I would write all the ideas that I'd have and work on a structure for all of them (quantity). If I was really happy with an idea, I'd go with it and the ones I wasn't really happy with, I'd set aside for me to improve on for another day (quality). If I ever feel while writing that I just chose to write that post at the expense of quality, I would stop writing for awhile to just step back and reevaluate. 

I think it's important to reevaluate ourselves once in awhile. It's an opportunity for us to gain a brand new perspective or, in my case, regain perspective on certain things which is good especially for writing. You can write so much and yet have no direction (which I feel like is this post but I'm hoping it isn't). Remembering that my blog is a privilege and not an obligation and why I started this blog in the first place is the most effective method for me to get back to writing with the right (pun intended) mindset.

It's easy to settle for mediocrity and prioritize quantity over quality nowadays especially in school and at work. The temptation to just do the work for the sake of just doing it is really strong. If you ever find yourself settling for mediocrity and prioritizing quantity over quality, take a step back and reevaluate yourself. Objectively think about why you're doing whatever you were doing. Check if you've been giving a 100% or not. Take a break from whatever you're working on because it might be tiring you out too, but don't forget to work on it again. Voluntarily taking a step back now can prevent you from unknowingly taking several steps back in the future.

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I don't think I've posted something like this in awhile and I'm really happy with it. Even as I was writing this post, I reminded myself from time to time that this is all a privilege and not an obligation. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. There'll be more to come soon, but that's all for now!

Until Next Time!

~ Luis ~

Previous Post: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2016/04/my-comic-book-collection.html

My Comic Book Collection

As a kid, I read and collected comics as a hobby. I will admit that I'm not a huge comic book fan as other people but I do enjoy them a lot. I've collected quite a number of comic books over the past few years and that's what this entire blog post is all about. Most of my comics are DC so if you aren't a huge fan of DC, I hope you still enjoy reading. Without further ado, here is my comic book collection. 

The New 52 Justice League

These are the latest additions to my collection. I just them a few weeks ago and I have been loving them. I've always wanted to read the reboots of DC especially Justice League so it's nice to finally have (some of) them.

Kingdom Come

This is probably one of my favourite comic books. I've had it since I was 7 or 8 and I have always enjoyed reading this one. It's done by Alex Ross who just might be my favourite illustrator.

Look at that art.

Now look at this art.

But then look at this beauty.

JLA vs. Avengers

Growing up as a DC kid, I wasn't super exposed to Marvel, so this comic book was one of the few things that introduced me to the Marvel Universe. The storyline is pretty interesting and I think it's worth a read.

Blackest Night

I don't know if you know this but Green Lantern is my favourite superhero and so it only made sense that I had Blackest Night in my collection.

Cosmic Odyssey and Justice League of America

In my entire collection, I think these two have the oldest content. Regardless, I enjoyed reading them as a kid as they were much different takes on the heroes I knew from the tv show Justice League.

Cosmic Odyssey

Justice League of America

The World's Greatest Super-Heroes: JLA

This comic book was one of the first few that opened my eyes to new versions of the heroes that I knew. Kyle Ryner was the GL of the Justice League and Hal Jordan was the Spectre. Also, Hawkgirl isn't in the Justice League but Aquaman is. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it a lot.

Justice Volumes 1 & 2

These are such amazing comics. It had a really good story and such amazing art. Look at that art. It's by Alex Ross, which explains why it's amazing. There's a third one that I don't have which makes me a little sad. Hoping to complete the trilogy someday because it's a really good set of comics.

Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 3

Much like Justice League of America, this is a compilation of old comics about the Justice League. This one I think is one of the first few that tackles multiple earths or the multiverse.

Infinite Crisis and Infinite Crisis Companion
I really enjoyed reading these comic books. I remember reading it a long time ago and just forget the time. I was so sucked into the story because I just found it so interesting. It's definitely one that I won't get tired of reading.

I found the story of Infinite Crisis so interesting that I forgot the time when I first read it a long time ago. It's definitely one that I won't get tired of reading.

Look at all those Lanterns.

Kababayan Komiks presents: Bayani
Issue # 1: Lakambini

My 4th year concept paper was about a making a comic book that meant to encourage nationalistic pride amongst the Filipino people especially the youth. That is the actual comic that my group made for the concept paper.

The story was done by my good friend Yumi Paras and the illustration done by my amazing friends Trixie Guerrero and Kayla Olleres. Hi, Angelo. You did some shading too.

I think this might be my favourite comic book in my entire collection. Even if I didn't personally contribute to the actual comic book (aside from shading some panels), I'm very proud of this comic book. It's very special to me and I'm just really happy with it.

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I realize now that most, if not all of my comics, aren't the actual issues but more of compilations of the issues. Well, I wasn't a huge comic book fan like I said so I didn't really wait around for each individual issue to come out. It was a once in awhile thing. Hoping to change that soon and catch up on all the New 52 comics that are out. I'm also hoping to get into comics made by Filipinos! It's really good and important to support our own products and artists! 

Anyway, this was more of a show-and-tell kind of post and not my usual kind of post where I talk about what's in my head. I hope you guys still enjoyed reading this blog post though! That's all I have for today!

Until Next Time!

~ Luis ~

Previous Post: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2016/04/january-to-march-2016-favourites.html

January to March 2016 Favourites

I haven't done a favourites post in awhile and I need to make it up to you. I've already missed the first three months of the year, but don't worry because today, I will going through all that I have been loving from January to March.

~ Disclaimer: I am not paid to advertise any of the things that I mention below. I also am not affiliated with any of the companies that I mention below. ~

Photos taken by me

Adidas Gym Shorts

Recently, I have been wearing gym shorts more. I bought them to encourage myself to workout more and really get into my health and fitness. To be quite honest, I haven't been working out with these shorts, but instead using them for everyday use. The shorts that I bought are from Adidas and they are extremely comfortable. They're soft and they have pockets. Some even have zippers for the pockets so that when you work out, whatever you put inside doesn't fall out. I definitely recommend the climalite kind if you're looking for gym shorts for working out or just for bumming around in comfortable clothing.

Photo taken by me

Hair Ties

If you've seen me these past few months, then you will know that I have been growing my hair out. It's gotten long enough that I want it out of my face. To accomplish the task of keeping my hair out of my face, I bought a pack of hair ties from the local supermarket and I just really like having my hair tied now. I am a little disappointed at the brand that I got because it said "extra stretchy" but I've already broken six of them. If you know a really good brand, feel free to let me know in the comments. I am in need of good quality hair ties.

Photo taken by me

Fujifilm Instax Mini8 Polaroid

These past few months I have been using my polaroid more and I'm just really happy with it. You take a photo of a specific moment and then you immediately have a physical copy of that moment. The science behind it amazes me. As someone who enjoys living in the moment, capturing moments to remind me of them is really important. If you've been thinking of getting one, I really recommend Fujifilm's Instax Mini8! It comes in several colors and the films that you can get are really pretty. It is a bit expensive though but I can say that it is worth the money. I love polaroids so much that I've written an entire blog post before dedicated to it. 

You can read that here: Polaroids

Photos from Tumblr

The Revenant

This film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in the lead roles with Alejandro G. Iñarritu as director and co-writer alongside Mark L. Smith. Leonardo DiCaprio is great in this film even if he barely had any speaking lines for most of the film. He really gave 110% and it paid off because he finally has an Oscar in his home. I'm no expert in cinematography but I can say that he way each scene was captured was really effective in highlighting the emotions, setting the scene, and telling the story overall. The story itself is remarkable. The issues it tackles and the pace that it has are plus points for this film. I definitely recommend that you watch this movie. It's amazing and it doesn't disappoint.

Photo from Tumblr

Kung Fu Panda 3

I surprisingly enjoyed Kung Fu Panda 3 a lot. It has the same humor that the first two films had. I didn't expect to laugh that much but they still manage to get me with their jokes (maybe I'm really just 7 years old trapped in a 16 year-old body). While watching the movie, I realized that the movie was tackling serious and relevant topics like identity issues, adoption, and having a different family setup. The way they dealt with these topics really made it easier to digest these topics more. I'm really happy with this movie. I recommend watching this movie if you're looking for a light but meaningful film to watch.

Screenshot from Leroy's video

"All I Ask" by Adele (Cover by Leroy Sanchez)

This song gives me so much feels. It's the kind of song that makes you feel like you and your significant other are going through something even if you don't have a significant other in your life. There is so much emotion in this song and the lyrics really hit hard. It's also written by Adele and Bruno Mars which is an amazing collaboration in my opinion. This particular cover that I like was done by Leroy Sanchez, who is an amazing vocalist. Leroy slays the song with his powerful voice and beautiful falsetto. All I Ask is my favourite song from Adele's 25 album and you should go listen to it!

Youth Revival by Hillsong Young & Free

This album was released around February and it has been my go-to worship album ever since. What I like most about this album is how personal the lyrics are. There are a lot of worship songs that have really personal lyrics but personally, the songs on this album really spoke to me. My personal favourites are Only Wanna Sing and Trust. There's a Spotify playlist below of the entire album if you want to check it out!

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Those are all of the things that I have been loving from January to March. Links to some of them will be below. I promise to not miss any more favourites posts. I finally got around to adding photos onto my favourites post! I'm really excited to work with my camera more on this blog. I hope you enjoyed reading this super long post. That's all for now!

Until Next Time!

~ Luis ~

Links:

Fujifilm Instax: http://instaxfilm.tumblr.com/

Revenant Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0

Kung Fu Panda 3 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10r9ozshGVE
All I Ask Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1qbnUH7fMI

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