I know I haven't been very consistent with the desktop calendars from July-September. Travel and changes in my career path have been keeping me occupied and this blog has not had much love because of that.

However, things have started to settle, and I am back to keeping up the consistency of my promises. I present you the October 2015 calendar, photography courtesy of Brock Davis. I know many of you may expect a 'Halloween themed' wallpaper for October, but I have decided that instead of taking on such a thematic approach, I want to give you something that represents what October means to me.

A pineapple? Not really. It is the concept of being tough on the outside, and sweet but firm on the inside. You see, I noticed that some people have been taking me for granted, and taking advantage of certain situations to put me down. Without going into much detail, let's just say that I have since moved on from taking things too personal and have now decided that a tough and distant approach is much better. On the inside, I can be very sweet and nice to those whom I trust, and I have learnt that it is something which I should not give out so easily to people I barely know.

I also am looking forward to a great October, a shift is in the air and I can smell it. Something tells me that it is a very positive thing indeed and I am projecting as much good vibes as I possibly can. Until then, please enjoy this desktop calendar, free for download, as always.

May has been good to me – it gave me the getaway my mind and soul needed, and I am so sorry to see it end. However, June brings lots of hard work and changes to my life. I'll reveal more soon, but first, let's get down to our June desktop calendar.

This month's calendar is courtesy of Rick Murphy, whose unique and simplified style of art creates my perfect June imagery – The Night Hustler (a name I came up with, it's not the name of the original artwork). I foresee a lot of late nights this month, and I hope that they will be ones which are long but stress-free. I'm a month away from embarking on my London trip, so a lot of hard work in June is necessary.

I'm starting a few projects on my own, and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. However, I know I must get them off the ground soon, and let's pray that June would be a good month for productivity.

Some good tips for staying productive everyday:

• Make a list of daily tasks. Checklists helps you keep you and your progress in check.
• Put your phone away when it's time to work. Allow yourself to Facebook/Twitter/Instagram ONLY after you have finished at least half your tasks.
• Give yourself 30 minutes to reply emails. Leave the rest for after you finished at least 1 or 2 tasks.
• Keep an idea book to jot down random ideas that come to you.
• Drink lots of water, staying hydrated is crucial for focus.
• Have a desktop calendar to help speed up your productivity, of course!
• After you've done a good day's worth of work, stretch, you deserve it.

What are your best tips to stay productive throughout the day? Do share!

For me, May is all about tranquility. Mostly because of the fact that I would be spending 9 blissful days in beautiful Bali, and also in Perth, Australia. This will mark my first travel of the year, and I could really use that well-needed beach getaway.

This month's calendar is credited to the quirky Jeremy Atherton Lin, whose works are uniquely quirky. Hailing from London, the persona above is actually a represent of two separate personalities – Jamie Atherton and Jeremy Lin. They run an online business creating cards, calendars and paper goods, and are a couple.

I selected this particular artwork of theirs to feature for my monthly calendar downloads, because of the tranquility and beautiful use of colors and layers. This artwork alone consists of all my favorite things – the ocean, mountains, mysterious mists, a lighthouse and colorful yachts & boats! It is the perfect tranquil holiday scene, the only thing missing is the beach and all its colorful umbrellas.

May your May be peaceful and wonderful – as sure as mine is going to be. :)

April is officially Alcoholic Awareness Month, and 2015 marks the 29th year since its inception in 1987 by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD).

Now, I do not have an alcohol problem (in fact, I wrote a long-ass post about the downsides of alcohol a while back) but I know people who struggle internally with their drinking. It is usually a habit triggered by some personal distress, which leads to addiction and problems later on.

One such example is Charlie Sheen, which is what this month's calendar would revolve around. The graphics are created by three very accomplish typographers and designers; Richard, Dan and Erik – and it is a marvelous representation of those who share the same struggles as Sheen. It is quite a spectrum away from our colorful March Madness calendar, but still has a nice pop of orange, which I like.

This month, as you download this calendar, I urge you to think about friends and family members who have an alcohol problem. Talk to them, reach out to them. Usually they have a very dark past hidden and most of the time, require just a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear. If you can be that someone to help them through a tough time this month, do it for their sake and for good karma. Read more on the signs and symptoms, how to recognize them and reach out to those in need.

Packing for travel always, ALWAYS result in me forgetting the smallest things which feels like it is the most important thing when realization hits. It's annoying, and frustrating at times – especially when it's not something you can buy at your destination, because it just isn't the same.

Have you ever experienced this before? There's got to be at least once.

I have decided to share my personal checklist to help me pack the most important necessities (small things, big importance) into my luggage. If you have more things on your list, I have added some blank spaces to add in your own, and those of mine which doesn't relate to you, simply cross them off.

The list is separated into two parts; hand-luggage and check-in luggage, so that your travel packing is more systematic and you can organize everything without hassle.

Download these printable check-lists in high resolution, below!

Hand sanitizer – No matter where the destination, you will always need sanitizers. This is to keep your hands feeling clean when there is no water source available, and to keep germs from affecting your health. No one wants to get sick on a holiday, right?

Sunglasses – I always forget these because they are always in my car. But trust me, they come in very handy no matter where you're going.

Razors – Because we are girls, and there is no way one should go days without a good shave, especially if you packed tank tops.

One red lipstick, lip balm and eyeliner – I never wear heavy makeup on vacation, just these. Why bother? Because if you are taking loads of photos, you have to at least look bright-eyed and not too pale. Think about great vacation photos that you will be sharing with friends, family and your blog (gasp, the world!)

A pen – Flight forms, notes, addresses, who knows? In every vacation, there's always a need for a pen, at least twice! Do not look down upon this humble writing instrument.

Kobo/Kindle/book/entertainment – Unless your flight is just an hour long or a red-eye, you probably need some sort of entertainment. For me, I personally prefer reading, so my Kobo Mini is the only thing I'd bring on board to pass time.

Power bank – If you lug your gadgets around, you'd probably need this.

International adapter – Depending on your destination, you should pack this if that country requires a different plug point.

That black shirt – No matter how many clothes I usually pack, I tend to always go back to that one black shirt because it goes with anything and everything.


If you're ready to pack, just click to download these travel checklist printables below! These look best printed on A4 sized paper, and in color, of course. Do download both as they serve different purposes in helping you pack more efficiently.


Let me know if these are useful to you, and if you feel like it lacks certain important items, do let me know in the comments below! For more things to download (For FREE!), check out the download section on this blog! Will be adding more things as we move along.

Hey guys, here's another monthly desktop calendar for you to download. If you enjoyed the January & February editions – you will love March because it is mad, crazy and full of color!

The credits for the march desktop calendar background goes to Lienke Raben. This girl has crazy imagination and a love for pop-colors. You can check out some of her gorgeous designs and quirky characters that makes up her unique style.

Let's talk about March. It is indeed one of the craziest months – because most events happen in March for some reason, a lot of work comes in during that time and also a lot of babies come into the world during this time (I wonder why?) It's usually when I take out all my organizers and really get planning for my blog and also for my work. I have talked about making a worklogue in a previous post. But whether March makes you happy or crazy – I believe you would all breeze through with flying colors.

March is also important to me, because it is my anniversary month. Each time March comes by, I'm like – wow, it's another year already, and this would be our 3rd year together. I've known this crazy man 8 years now and he's still here. Amazing. Maybe next year, it should be Magical March instead of Madness.

What are your plans for March and what is your best advice for navigating through March Madness?

If you have downloaded my January 2015 desktop calendar, you would know that the downloads section on my blog is dedicated to bringing you FREE downloadable stuff that you can print at home with ease.

This February, I'm bringing you a less colorful version of the January Watercolor calendar. The theme is sort of a Zen garden of pebbles (black and white), and from within that garden, there's a beautiful bloom. Check out those beautiful flowery fonts, created by the talented Aleph. I have also decided to bring you a different calendar look each month – so that all year round you have something new and exciting to look at. The fonts, style and colors may all change from one spectrum to another – who knows what you're gonna get next month?

As always, I take pride in what I do, and I hope you will enjoy this little monthly gift for your desktop. Do check back often, as I have other download items in between.

So, you know like how all my new year's resolutions always involve getting fitter and leaner?

Well, I achieved it in 2011, kept it up well in 2012 and 2013, but faltered in 2014. So this year, I'm back to square one with this resolution. Sucks, but that's life.

Anyways, to help myself (and now, to help you too), I started making these really cute, customized wallpapers for my iPhone, using my favorite fitness quotes from all over the internet, to keep my motivation in check. Then someone asked me where I got them from, because they wanted to look for the same one too for their phone.



That got me thinking like hey, I should share these online with everyone. After all, nothing's original – the quotes and photos used are certainly not mine – and everything is meant to be shared. So, here you have it, downloadable 'fitspiration' for your phone! At the same time, if you love these quotes as much as I do, I have included a "click to tweet" feature that helps you tweet them without having to copy and paste. (Aren't I awesome?) Enjoy, and keep up your workouts!

Note: I know these are all made in iPhone 4, 5 and 6 formats, but i promise you, they work pretty well with other phones too. On iPhones with iOS 7 and above, the frosted glass effect on these vibrant colors are pretty amazing.

How has your first week of January been?

Being back to work can't be fun, but here's a small little something to brighten up that desktop you work on for those long hours in the office – Watercolor January! It's a custom designed calendar that leaves the left and right spaces of your desktop empty (for your folders), and gives a bright and happy vibe to keep your January cheerful.

I'll also take this opportunity to introduce the new 'Downloads' section on my blog, where I give out occasional free downloads of things I've worked on, for your benefit. I don't know what else will be up for download yet, but if you do have suggestions, you can leave them in the comments section. I can safely say that you can expect more desktop wallpapers and perhaps even some printables. (Pssst! I have some fitness-related stuff for download coming up sometime this month!)