Excuse Me While I Work Things Out

Three or four weeks?
Has it been?

I have been running from city to city, country to country, packing, unpacking, struggling, challenging.
I've been smiling, crying, laughing, and tearing
After being showered with a fair amount of love, hatred, hugs, and angry slurs,
Finally, I am home once again.

After drafts and drafts of stuff that are sitting in my Microsoft Word,
I've decided that none of it is worthy of the cut.
I'm sorry.

So I'm typing this, I'm propped against the mountain
A mixture of clothes, memorabilia, books, and CDs
I found myself a quote that is helping me get through this really mentally & emotionally confusing transitional period.

"Strength is happiness. Strength is itself victory.
In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness.
When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose.
But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact that you're continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being"

Excuse the absence, I will do my best to keep up the weekly posts.
For those of you who are also in some transitional period, know that there are a ton of people who are also in the same predicament. So keep going, and do what you can. But more importantly, enjoy the moments, no matter how sour, sweet, both, or anything in between.

Menstrual Cups & I

This topic concerns not only those who bleed through their vaginas every month (women), but also those whose lives involve those individuals who do (men). Basically, this is an important talk that involves everyone, even if you think it's unrelated to you.

So read on:

Pads.

They seem to be everywhere.

They’re stuck in toilets, on the little corner of the bathroom cubicle, on the beach waiting unsuspecting beach-goers.. People can’t seem to get rid of them fast enough.

Yet they still continue to bombard us at the mall, on the tele, and on a giant pyramid at the supermarket.

Nowadays, there are so many varieties to choose from:

Perfume pads, herbal pads, organic cotton pads, astronaut suit material pads..

Companies are becoming more and more creative in how they can market their products.

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Heck, before leaving Korea, I watched as people pack bag after bag of the herbal pads (if I’m not mistaken) that seem to have caught the attention of many in Asia.

Tampons.
Invented by a man, comes in paper, or plastic holders, under another protective layer of plastic,
to be stuffed up your baby making machine, with claims of being useful for those who enjoy yoga, swimming, and "freedom". When really, those who use tampons have to be wary of the fact that they have to change their tampon every 4 hours.

But what they, or any company that has a marketing ploy to maximize profits does not tell is the harm that these commercialized products bring. Articles upon articles have flooded social media and the interwebs about the dangers of sanitary napkins; toxic shock syndrome, infections, harmful toxins that seep into the sea & soil to name a few. Google it.




Being aware of my body's reactions to tampons and overcome by my frustrations from the environmental impacts these sanitary products had, the universe had impeccable timing...

Thus about two years ago, I began my journey on Kickstarter after having observed lots of people around me buy some pretty cool stuff. One thing that caught my attention was the Lily Cup Compact. The company was creating a Kickstarter campaign at the time to release their foldable menstrual cup, as a means of helping women who are constantly on the go to reduce bulk in their bags. Taken by the entire thing, I decided to do more research into the products that was on the market. I started off with looking up videos about menstrual cups, how to use them, and people's thought on it. I mostly watched YouTube videos to get insight to understanding this alternative to pads and tampons.

Up until the time I began using my menstrual cup, I had been using sanitary pads that I felt left the least residue. I generally frayed away from using tampons as I found that my body had been rejecting them each time I did use them (my body felt tremendously uncomfortable - not because I didn't stick them in correctly from the idea of knowing that there were so much chemicals involved in the manufacturing of tampons). Thus it was a no brainer for me to make the switch to menstrual cups. It was not a small sum of investment but I will say that it was most definitely worth every single penny (cuz I purchased it in USD. HA!)

menstrual cups

drawn on a plane with no reference 

& NOT to scale

My first investment was the Lily Cup Compact, and the original Lily Cup. I won't lie, the first few times using it was rather tricky but now, almost two years in, I have to say that I've definitely gotten the hang of it. While my selection of menstrual cups has been limited to one (really, you only need one for at least the next 10 years), I will say that I know a handful of people around me who can vouch for the Diva Cup.

So what is the damn hype about?
Well the menstrual cup has a variety of benefits:

1. It is inserted into the vagina and holds up to 12 hours of menstruation
2. Unlike tampons and pads, the menstrual cup does not to be replaced every 4 hours
3. Because this product can be reused, it significantly reduces waste that occurs from the usage of commercial sanitary pads & tampons
4. It is washable & free of toxins & harmful chemicals that cause Toxic Shock Syndrome/chemical leakages into the soil, seas, and water supply
5. It is made of high grade silicone, neither plastic nor other materials that can be potentially harmful to the body or the environment

As a satisfied customer of the menstrual cup (it fulfilled the many requirements I had for menstrual products), I would like to start a mini campaign for the women in Malaysia & Korea who are reading this:
I am currently in the country where the aforementioned menstrual cups are sold. I am offering to buy up to a total of 10 menstrual cups of your choice (one per person) that fits the above requirements and will be more than happy to bring them to you at no extra cost.
As an advocate of the use of a safer, cleaner, and more environmental friendly menstrual product, it would be my honor and pleasure to bring these products to those who are also looking for an easier & environmentally conscious alternative to plastic & toxic waste.

Based on my very rough calculations, a woman in Malaysia spends on average RM120-RM150 (the cheapest) a year on sanitary pads plus a ton of headaches and worries of staining their clothes and bedsheets.

What if I told you you only have to spend that amount for a total of 10 years?
A fantastic trade off if you ask me.

So if you're finding ways to have more money in the future for that dream travel, or to save up for that car you've been planning for, I'd be more than happy to help. As my luggage space is limited, I can only offer to bring back 10 of these badasses. So if you're interested, drop me a PM on Instagram @kimberleyknhe and we can work something out ;)

Accepting Compliments & Saying Thank You

Accepting compliments with a simple thank you seems to be a pretty difficult thing to do for many.

In my experience, culture has been a big influence on why I would refuse compliments. Perhaps many can relate when I say that we've been taught to deny compliments as a reflection of humility. 

And while having been surrounded by people who not only encouraged me take the compliment, I've had the great many fortune to understand how and why people say thank you for the compliments they have received. 

For starters, there is no shame in claiming a compliment. 

Even if you may not think that it fits you. 

Unless you've been mistaken for another person, then it's another story.  

But. Here's how I see it..

When someone compliments me on a certain thing I do I take pride in the progress I’ve made to obtain that certain skill that they are complimenting me for.

When someone compliments us, they’ve become aware that something we do is praise worthy. They’ve unconsciously acknowledged the process in which it took for the opposite party to obtain the skill/ability; thus resulting in the compliment.

Take for example my English. I had picked it up naturally by interacting with my parents and the characters of Sesame Street through my computer screen.

It’s not any said conscious effort on my part, but my parents had religiously placed in in front of the TV when those shows were playing. So when I graciously accept the compliment with my “thank you”, I am honoring the work they’ve put in to help me learn English.

One could deject and say that this doesn’t apply to having good looks and stuff, so we have to be humble about it. Well, technically, it is applicable. The beauty industry profits off of the idea that we can all look gorgeous; feeding into the fact that something as minute as a single pimple can throw off a person’s day. We spend no small sum in “putting on our faces”, be it in make up, or beauty regime, to having a balanced diet, exercise, or combination of things. 

Whether or not we are aware or acknowledge our efforts, someone has. 

So my question is: why do we deject the positivity that others shed on us? 

It matters not whether the compliment had been sincere. If it be insincere, even better. Because by accepting the compliment, we're indirectly expressing ourselves, we're acknowledging our own thoughts, effort, and abilities. 

By accepting the compliment, and giving thanks, we're doing a few things:

1. We're honoring all our efforts, no matter how small.
2. We're honoring the people behind our actions, those who have entrusted faith, and effort in us 
3. We're reminding ourselves that we have been, and are able individuals, capable of achieving just about anything we wish to accomplish
4. In return, we're continuing our very own legacy, even if it may not mean anything to some (cuz let's be real, there WILL be haters no matter what we do) 
5. Even if it does not take effect immediately, we are encouraging the complimenter to continue their own fight, and to continue the good work of bringing positivity to others by recognizing their opinions about us

There are many people I know that feel it important to be humble be refusing a compliment. While I do understand that stance, I strongly believe that it is by accepting the compliment that we continue to grow, to learn, and to constantly improve ourselves. 

We accept the compliment as a little reward for accomplishing a level of success. Moving on, there is more that the world has to offer for us to grab; time to go! 

Note:

There is a difference in accepting the compliment & being cocky about it. Constantly harping on the compliment does more harm than good in the long run. This, because cockiness only leaves us in a space of complacency & comfort. 

Again...

We accept the compliment as a little reward for accomplishing a level of success. Moving on, there is more that the world has to offer for us to grab; time to go! 

So take the compliment, say your thanks (with sincerity), and I promise you, the world will slowly start to feel a lot lighter & brighter.