Category: travel

Why did I decide to minimize posting to Instagram in the beginning of Q2 of 2019?

I started my 3rd Instagram account with the single aim to document our project in 2019: it was my main joy after quitting my career and having to endure the verbally abusive man at home. For that account, I didn’t follow anyone so I won’t be distracted by the postings of others, after my previous accounts since 2013.

Instagram seemed to be the best avenue for a super busy mother who has no time to write blog posts.

However, Instagram forced me to provide my phone number thrice in the early July 2019. That’s enough! Worse, posts with my unique hashtags to document our project, are no longer searchable.

Yes, I have benefited in the past from beautiful travel Instagram pictures while I research for our trips. I like how Instagram put posts in 3/columns that allow easy viewing. I have also suffered from envy seeing others flaunt their rich/colorful lives.

But with my recent experience and disappointment, I asked what’s the point of sharing my creative contents with Instagram?

  • Instagram has become so controlling and getting annoying with more ads.
  • I set up an automatic posting for any of my Instagram posts to a wordpress account and a google drive, but it stopped doing so in early July.
  • I also wonder if the private accounts are really private, as Facebook data were stolen before.
  • There are other photo editing apps, for example Cymera that enables me to include Chinese Mandarin text.
  • There may be a time when Instagram will end up like Picasa who was discontinued or Facebook who was abandoned. I need to back-up my posts since 2013*!
  • Even  former Facebook executive, Chamath Palihapitiya,  will not let his own kids to use social media!

That’s why I decided to minimize posting to Instagram in the beginning of Q2 of 2019. I started by uninstalling the Instagram app from my phone. With the time freed from Instagram, I can read more books for myself and my children,  learn languages, exercising and playing with my children.

I just use my Instagram account on a laptop browser to appreciate photos taken and generously shared by others, and screenshot inspiring ones for future personal ref in case Instagram deletes them in the future!

Instead of posting to Instagram, I just include some searchable words in the file names of my photos, so I can revisit and review in the future. See ref2019/visual_diary_pte*

This disappointing Instagram experience also motivated me to reconsider my mode of storing data. I would prefer to primarily store offline (especially sensitive info e.g. bank details) and use the online storage as back-ups only. In the past, I used picasa a lot but later my albums were no longer visible.

*ref2019/backup_tasks*

 

I feel more breathless than ever!

After the travel-related-sleep deprivation from the early 20190514 until the 5 pm when I really lightly slept at Crowne Plaza comfortable sofa but with frequent loud luggage wheel sound that I didn’t bother, I feel more breathless than ever.

Below are some tips according to Chinese Medicine:

“Try to avoid stress, as worry will weaken the Lung and Spleen and lead to breathlessness.

Try not to overwork, as this will weaken Kidney-Yin (and cause an insufficiency of body fluid) and will lead to chronic breathlessness.”

When Little Princess or Little Prince* is naughty, I feel stress.

Yes, I have visions for them to be successful but now I only hope that they will grow up healthily. I try not to be as ambitious, though I have been inspired to be ambitious since childhood thanks to my late Papa.

*On a positive note, when I reached home at 8.10 am on 20190514, I found a bouquet of carnation flowers that Little Prince got for me. Thank you my Darling! He is the man whom I love most in this world, especially when many people deserted me after I have no more $ coming in monthly.

 

Love in the front

On 20190417, I slept at ~ 3 am whereas Little Princess slept at ~ 1 am (I woke her up from her nap at ~ 6.30 pm on 20190416). I wanted to sleep already past midnight, but through a song about mother’s love, I discovered a movie that drove my curiosity to finish it thanks to YouTube.

Some lessons for us from 爱在前方:

  1. Never give up! The old man and the boy traveled by trains, buses, and on feet following weak clues to find the boy’s mother.
  2. While traveling, take a good care of our child(ren) as kidnappers are among us, including the son of the old man who is in the jail. The old man was panic when the boy went missing during an overnight stay.

The old man reminded me on my late Papa, and the naughty non-biological grandson made me feel the pain when Little Prince and Little Princess whined and were not listening to me. I could learn more from the old man, though once he broke into tears.

The 20190417 Little Princess who woke me up at ~10.50 am had been cranky. She bumped to a wall while walking and hit her head, so I told her to nap as we need to pick her brother at 4 pm.