Monday, April 7, 2014

Do You Know Coralina Grey?




Disclaimer: Please note that I’m not trying to offend anyone or to be judgemental here. All writing here is my own personal opinion, from my perspective that might be different from other people’s opinion and thoughts. Many other people might have benefited and learned technical skills from these two YouTubers I write about. I just happen to benefit and learn other, non technical “skills”. Also, I have been subscribing to these two lovely ladies for years, so there’s no way I don’t like them nor not enjoying their videos! ^__^

If you have read and followed my blog for a while, you would have known that I love watching YouTube videos. To me, magazines are the place to seek and get inspired by the (photoshopped) perfection of celebrities, models, socialites and the “beautiful people”; while the internet such as blogs, YouTube and Instagram are where I seek inspiration from ordinary lives of ordinary people.

For that matter, pictures of the glorious Megan Fox showing off her two months post partum lithe body on Voque magazine don’t anger nor discourage me, like they do a lot of people. News on Marisa Meyer mentioned her baby was easy inspired me to be a better mother and not losing my hair out instead of horrified me. On the other hand, if my favorite bloggers or YouTubers have started to get over-commercialized and too professional looking, I stopped subscribing. I love my magazine and news “heroes” to be “perfect”; while my internet “heroes” to be real. Real homemakers. Real career women. Real mothers. Real people. Real career women. Real business women. Too thin, too fat, too tall, to short, too tired, frustrated, happy one day, sad the next, with problems, pimples, mood swing, imperfections. REAL women. It’s just my personal preference on how I seek inspiration and motivation.
Now, a lot of those bloggers and YouTubers I follow for many different reasons. And not always what you think. For example, I follow many YouTubers simply because I like their voice. I tend to do my morning routine while “listening” to YouTube videos, so if I can’t stand listening to the voice, I won’t subscribe.

Today I’d like to share a story about two particular YouTubers whom I am subscribed to and enjoying. One is a beauty “guru”, the other is an organizing “guru”. Actually, they are just two ordinary women who love beauty and organization. I personally think YouTubers use the word "guru" too lightly. 


The first one – let’s call her Miss Pinkie - is a sweet cheerful girl with sunny disposition and an adorable husband who has a beauty channel. She is cute with makeup on, but definitely not a gorgeous woman. She loves makeup and shopping and thrifting and cooking and trying out new beauty products. She has tons and tons of lipgloss in every shade of pink imaginable, which all look almost the same, but she insisted as “very” different. She admitted to have problems with huge pimples and skin problems, but she looks like she has radiant, flawless complexion on camera. She mostly does haul videos and only a handful of makeup tutorial, because as she admits, she only wears natural colors and pink lipstick. A beauty “guru” who has bad skin almost all the time and wears only natural look and pink lipstick? Errr… that’s not a beauty guru to me. That’s a girl who loves collecting pink lipglosses and natural color pallettes!

But I love watching and listening to her videos, and have been subscribing to her channel for years. Why? Because she is like a little sunshine that spreads radiance and positive energy through my laptop monitor! Because she really enjoys what she’s doing and it shines through! Because of her sweet little voice, girlish giggle, her compassion, her cuteness, her sweetness, cheerful demeanor and bubbly personality! She is like a little sunshinemaker that makes me smile and happy and ready for the day. Sometimes her sweetness is a little bit of sickening when I have had a bad day, but most of the time, she just makes me smile! She doesn’t share knowledge with this particular subscriber. I have been following her for several years, and I still have not learned anything technical wise in terms of beauty and makeup, but I definitely receive a lot of positive energy from her.

Another YouTuber whom I watch religiously – let’s call her Miss Busy – is a young wife  who loves branded purse and an organizing junkie. Do you happen to know someone who is continually running around in circles, making lists, check things off, schedule everything including bathtime and bedtime, planning things, and looks like she's actually going nowhere? But you can tell that she feels like she has accomplished a lot because she can check things off her long daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly lists? Do you have a friend who makes a list for every single thing she does including “eating breakfast”, “bathtime” and “bedtime"? Have you ever watched a friend like that, constantly busy, constantly fussing, moving, while exclaiming “Oh, I have so many things to do!” when in fact, you swear that if she stopped 80% of what she’s doing, it won’t really matter, and you want to tell her "Breathe, woman! Breathe! It's OK not to write down "lunchtime" once in a while! It's not the end of the world!" Yep. I can relate because I feel that way about this particular YouTuber. I swear, this young lady seems to spend more time in planning and taking care of her gallizion agenda, calendar, workbook, project management book, etc. than actually doing the projects! Or if she really does a lot of projects - since she has many notebooks and office supplies on project management - she doesn't post them on YouTube!

Sometimes while watching her, I was being snooty and thought “Hah! You’re saying you’re busy now? Wait till you have babies, Missie!” I know, snobbish, rite. Over the years, I have learned several tips from her. Yet sometimes it’s dizzying to see how many different pouches she “must” bring for traveling, how many magazines she “must” read and can’t catch up with because she said she has too many subscriptions yet she cannot imagine living without having them, how many necessities she “must” pack in her suitcase because she'd rather carrying everything than not having them, etc. I was like “Howdy, this woman is not an organized person, nor is she a productive, efficient, or an effective person. She is just restless and must keep busy all the time in order to feel alive and useful!" - that judgemental thought crossed my mind from time to time seeing how flustered and always overwhelmed she was. Nevertheless, I like her, at least her YouTube persona and watching her videos is just fun and entertaining, though as I mentioned, a bit exhausting sometimes.

She came across as a happy wife and homemaker, who loves her life, her husband, and her huge collection of organizing tools and stationeries. Despite all her restlessness and her “Oh, I don’t have time for anything! Cannot get anything done! I’m sooooo busy!” tone – in almost every single video - , she looks like a sweet, loving, cheerful little lady and I just love to watch people who are happy about their life and themselves. I found her refreshing, though sometimes, again, dizzying. She inspired me to get organized, though as I said, I learned almost nothing from her organizational tips. However, her burst of energy and lovely smile keep me motivated to search through the internet for real organization tips and think of my own ways to get organized.
Well, so, if I “judge” these two ladies so harshly, what about me? Doesn’t it mean I also run around in circles just like them?
Yes.


I won’t deny it. These two ladies, at least on the videos, seemed so loved by their husbands. The men seemed to dote on their wives and their little antics and girlie obsessions with makeup and organization. The men look amused. That’s exactly how I feel about these two. And sometimes, even the most expert person doesn’t affect me – or anyone – that way, because… well, because they don’t make you feel warm inside, if you know what I mean. And THAT, my Friends, is a positive thing. And if that means I’m also running around in circles, saying they’re no good one minute, and then how amazing they are in another minute, so be it.
These two women, though seems like they don’t produce or make any “real” accomplishments or showcasing “real” techniques and useful tips on their videos, they have done so much more. They stay true to themselves and live the role that God has assigned to them. Some people, are born with no specific technical skills, but they have the ability to draw people in, comfort them, inspire them, make them feel loved and happy and warm inside. Tired souls go to them. Dark souls seek them for rays of sunshine. Negative souls can benefit from their positive energy. They bring joy and lights everywhere they go. Thanks to technology, they can even share this precious gift across the ocean, all the way from the US, to my room here in Jakarta, shines through my laptop screen. Isn’t that awesome!

There are many "real gurus" on YouTube and blogosphere out there. These two particular women inspired me - continuously - to really go out and seek these real gurus, learn from them, and improve my own organizational skills and smiling while doing it. Without them, I would only stare at all the videos on how to effectively organize pantry and never actually doing it, except, well, maybe once in a blue moon. Haha!
And that, my Friends, is one helluva of accomplishment. (I know, I’m contradicting myself.)
And today, I’d like to say thank you. Thank you, internet and whoever who created and perfected it. Thank you, for YouTube and blogosphere community. And that’s including Instagram community! Thank you, dear Friends whom I have met on the internet. Thank you for your sweet comments and for taking the time to read my ramblings. Thank you for your wonderful posts and videos. Thank you for sharing your lives and gifts with us all.
You never know it, but you all have influenced me, and a lot of that, in a good way.
Thank you.
“Only, everyone should live as the Lord has assigned,
just as God called each one. I give this order in all the churches.”

(1 Corinthians 7:17)







I'm linking up to these wonderful Ladies:
Monday

Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Labels: , , , , ,

10 comments:

Lisa Lewis Koster said...

I was one of those "to-do" list women. Thankfully I came to understand that my value is not in what I do but that I'm created in God's image. Now I give Him my day, and as long as I'm not wasting large amounts of time I know I'm accomplishing what He wants me to accomplish!

April 7, 2014 at 6:07 PM
Patti said...

Thanks for sharing with Visible Monday!

April 8, 2014 at 12:34 AM
Ashley B. said...

I love your jewelry! So cute and pink! Your skirt is super cute as well!

April 8, 2014 at 4:49 AM
Gina Daily said...

Thanks for linking up your outfit to Manic Monday! You look great in pink. Although I don't really watch youtube gurus, I do love blogs and don't like it when they get too commercial, all their clothes were free, all their photos are professional. That's what magazines are for, right!?

April 8, 2014 at 8:06 PM
Melaina25 said...

Pink and grey go so well together!

✰Transatlantic Blonde✰

April 9, 2014 at 6:52 PM
Kim-Marie from Kimba Likes said...

Thanks for joining Wardrobe Wednesday.

I have to admit, I'm not a YouTube fan. I just don't have time to sit down and listen and not keen on all the ums!

April 10, 2014 at 10:25 AM
jviola79 said...

Love the earrings. Very cute!

April 12, 2014 at 5:13 PM
Redcliffe Style said...

I go through periods of watching Utube but at the moment I'm not. I do love makeup tutorials. My 8yo loves Utube and has some awesome sites she subscribes too. I love the touches of pink in your outfit, it looks so pretty. Thank you for linking up!! Rachel xx

April 13, 2014 at 3:30 AM
Charlene@APinchofJoy said...

You are a very insightful person! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughtful perspective!

April 14, 2014 at 12:40 AM
palmandpineblog said...

Cute handbag.
Visiting from Favorite Fashion Friday!

xo, tasha
twenty-something blog

April 14, 2014 at 4:14 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...