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When we’re young, we’re fearless and brave and we constantly dream about what our lives would be like. Because we’re so young that we still don’t know what fear is, we aren’t afraid to dream, to challenge ourselves and to try new things that might otherwise seem scary to others. But as we grow older and we experience the true reality of this thing called “life”, we realise that in order to get through the obstacles, we often need courage. Which, unfortunately, doesn’t always appear when we need it. But instead, it’s a result of constant reflection and work and effort put in involving the balance between fear and bravery. In today’s TED talk by Human Rights and Disability Activist, Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan, we learn how even someone who has experienced what it’s like to suddenly have a disability to overcome even the toughest of feats known to humankind.

In our journey of life, there’s bound to be obstacles. Be it the terrible jungle monster of work or the nightmare villain of relationships, there’s always something to worry about. But even though superheroes tell us to be brave and be courageous, in reality, only having courage without fear would lead us into only doing foolish things. Likewise for fear, where if we don’t have courage, we will never step out into the unknown to challenge ourselves. It’s the balance between these two that would actually help you fight these evil villains you have in your life!

But what if some things are out of our control? For example, no one knew that in the beginning of 2020, it would be a year of a widespread pandemic claiming the norms of our lives and forcing us to all stay home. When we first come across life changing news, we would definitely be frightened initially. There will be the fear of not having experience with the situation and not knowing what the future holds. But that is okay! It’s okay to be afraid for what will come! But what is unacceptable is to allow people to control and affect us when they tell us to limit our own ambitions and dreams and to change our expectations of our lives. Who’s to say how you should live your life other than you? 

When you challenge your limits and try to achieve your dreams, sometimes the fear you have would actually produce an equal amount of courage that can help you face what’s ahead of you! So what you can do is to constantly challenge and rediscover yourself by being brave and pushing yourself to achieve even the greatest of your dreams. Only then will you show yourself how boldly courageous you can be while facing a fear that you’d have never experienced otherwise. Always remember that although the journey may be exhausting, scary and stressful, what’s at the end will always be rewarding and exhilarating, as long as you push yourself to the end line!

Life is just a lesson in finding the balance between fear and courage and understanding what is and what isn’t a good idea. Life is already scary so for our dreams to come true, we need to be brave. We need to face our fears and find the courage to overcome the odds. So live big and you never know where life may take you~

The image above can now be downloaded as a wallpaper! Click the image below to download~

2020 has been the year of self-care with everyone needing to stay at home, it’s no wonder the person we spend the most time with is ourselves. Besides being bored in the house, many of us can actually take this chance to find out more about ourselves and also improve on our mental wellness. Here are some tips you can implement to learn to love yourself:

1.  Have a self-loving mantra you can tell yourself throughout the day to get you going! Be it your favourite quote or just a funny phrase, use it as your default mental firewall so your mind doesn’t wander off to that nasty corner of negative thoughts!

2.  Or if you’re more of a visual person, imagine your comfy corner or just the place you feel the most peaceful in! Be it a beautiful meadow with tons of greenery or just a small cozy room with a huge inviting beanbag to lay in, use this as your mental happy corner to keep your mind safe and happy from negative thoughts 24/7!

Image by Sabrina Brunton via Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/@sabrinasphotojournal)

3.  Practice saying yes to things that are important to you and saying no to things you don’t want to do or don’t have to do. Priorities are important in life and being the main character in your own life, you decide your own actions. It's hard to do everything so it’s important to know when to say no. Only when you learn to say no, then you’ll learn how to truly be the master of your own time!

4.  Be 100% responsible for all aspects of your life. You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you respond to things! Instead of panicking and stressing over any unforeseen situations, repeat your mantra, calm down and face this situation with a clear mind! When the ocean of your thoughts are calm, you’ll be able to see the horizon ahead and sail to safety!

5.  Ask for help when you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious. It’s very important to know when and how to ask for help! Find someone you know you can rely on and will provide you with a listening ear and encouraging constructive advice. Sometimes, all you may need is just another perspective to look at things from!

With these tips, Wheniwasfour hopes that you can take charge of your life like the main character you are! Treat yourself like how you would treat others, with love and with respect.

Today, at 9pm will be the long awaited release of the iPhone 12 Pro Max and with the release of IOS 14 for the iphone, phone home screens have never been more customisable. That also goes the same for Android phones, where customisation isn’t a new concept and many android phone owners have already demonstrated this with a home screen that reflects both their style and personality. To celebrate the new age of customisable home screens and to help you make the wait for the release of the new phone shorter, Wheniwasfour has made a bunch of icons and wallpapers which you can use to personalise your home screen and lock screen! Refer to here (for iPhones) or here (for Android phones) for a tutorial on how to change the icons for applications and add widgets to your phone home screen! Have fun customising and creating a home screen to be the perfect one for you and you only~

Download the icons from our Dropbox file! Here is an example of how we used the icons~ 

Many of us have had the mindset that doing good things will reward you with good. Majority of us treat life like a boomerang, where when we do good, our good comes back to help us. The mindset that thinking and speaking positively and that nothing is impossible as long as we believe has been ingrained in our minds since we were young. But what if we’re faced with something we can’t manage our way out of? In a TED talk by professor and writer, Kate Bowler, we explore this age-old mindset. 

But no matter how much we try not to believe in this mindset, it is extremely difficult to avoid falling into the trap of believing that virtue and success go hand in hand. Sometimes when bad things happen to us that we can’t fathom, we can’t help but question reality. “Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? Wasn’t I a good person?” These are some of the questions we ask ourselves. The mindset of thinking that hardships and difficulties are just detours in our long journey of life has been serving many of us well. This mindset that spurred us to achieve, to dream big and to abandon fear can’t always help us in our sticky situations, especially those that are out of our control. Sometimes, the good that we do is unable to help us and it’s hard to accept that we’re all just a breath away from something that can change our lives completely. 

It’s this fear of the unknown that many of us are afraid of that also urges us to believe that the things we go through all happen for a reason. It’s a coping mechanism that many of us develop to justify and evaluate whether our hard work will pay off. We all want to live in a world where not one bit of our suffering will be for nothing, a world where nothing is lost. 

But we should not fear this unknown just because we don’t know what lies beyond the step out into the darkness. Sometimes, what may lie beyond may just be the one thing that will help you continue your journey! When Kate had a brush with death while going through her terminal illness, she described her experience as not one of anger, but one of love and warmth. It was this unexpected indescribable warmth that she felt during her close encounter with death that surprised her and helped her to get through her fear and anxiety. 

You see, the world is filled with events that are wonderful and terrible, gorgeous and tragic. But these aspects of life don’t cancel each other! These are the things about life that makes it just so wonderful. Life is beautiful and life is so hard. But as we learn to live life without counting the cost and without reasons and assurances that nothing will be lost, we let go of the fear that causes us to hesitate and hold us back. Life will break your heart and may take everything you have and hope for, but in the darkness, there will still be beauty and there will always be love. And because of that, every now and then, it’ll feel like it’s more than enough.

The image above is now downloadable as a wallpaper! Click on the image below to download! 

Singapore is home to a vibrant cultural scene and we have a bunch of local iconic items from many different cultures. From our childhood gachapon machines to our very “auntie” chinese tear-able calendars, there’s a whole bunch of items we can all recognise from our childhood! At Wheniwasfour, you can find many locally inspired apparel and items that can add just that perfect accent to any outfit! Here’s a simple style guide to how you can pair our items to any clothes you have at home! 

For our first outfit, featuring our Chinese Composition mask and sling bag, pair them up with a plain tee and neutral toned bottoms for a monochromatic look to compliment the colours of the mask and bag!

For our second outfit, featuring our kopi bag dangling earrings and tote bag, pair them with a simple and minimal t-shirt and jeans combination to allow these whimsical elements to stand out and add some pizzazz to your outfit! 

For our last outfit, featuring our Good Morning Towel Cap and mask, pair them up with a navy blue and white colour scheme for a cute and quirky combination. 

And for some extra fun, pair this outfit with our good citizen bag in mustard yellow for a contrast in colour!

Inspired by the brown paper bags used in olden days, Wheniwasfour has launched our new Good Citizen and Chinese Compo Book Sling bags! The Good Citizen sling bag features a variety of fonts found on old school Singaporean carrier bags.

image by myitchyfingers via. https://myitchyfingers.wordpress.com/

While on the other hand, the Chinese Composition sling bag features the iconic logo from the book we’ve all used in primary school!

Both bags have a gusset and magnetic closure to ensure that you can carry and access all your barang barang easily. There are also detachable faux leather straps included for the stylish fashionista in you for you to carry them around as a sling bag or simply just a clutch! The bags are made of durable and water resistant Kraft paper to ensure that they last as long as the good memories you’ll make with them!

 The sling bags will be available both online and in-store from 28 October so grab one now! While stocks last~

Kids are most known for their mischievousness and innocence. Being able to play jokes and pranks on others and laughing about them, it’s all something we’ve gone through in our childhood. But one thing that gets often overlooked is also their reliance on adults. Although they might essentially be tiny humans, they still have a lot to learn and because of that, they tend to rely on grown ups a lot more. We’ve all experienced that moment when a kid comes rushing up to us saying, “Teacher! Teacher!” (at least for those of us above the age of 12) And to be honest, it’s one of the greatest feelings, having a child relying on you and asking you for help. Being able to earn a kid’s trust and friendship is a real feat and the feeling that comes with it is immeasurable. In today’s TED talk by Yeyoon Kim, a kindergarten teacher, we learn that no matter how independent or how competent we may be, we can actually learn much from these tiny little bundles of energy.

When children fall down, there’s always this moment of lag, where a child will get up and stand still, as if processing what just happened. And it’s only when they lock eyes with someone that they feel can help them and that they trust, then do they start to cry. But sometimes, this act of asking for help might not be one-sided. Sometimes, when a child asks for help, it’s not just that on surface level, but also that the child is presenting the opportunity for an adult to help him/her, which means admitting to their vulnerability and to their pain.

Often times in the grown up world, we’re so constantly caught up in our work that we unconsciously bury our frustration and pain over something with more work. It’s just this constant feeling of needing to be competent and relied on that keeps many of us going and taking up more and more projects but when it gets out of hand is when our health takes a toll and we burn out. It’s important to know your limits and when you need to ask for help. Like a child, you need to know to admit to your pain or frustrations and know who to trust to help you. It’s never good to constantly suppress these emotions so it’s important to know when you need to get help, rather than to continue pushing yourself to the extremes! 

So please, never hesitate to ask for help and never feel that asking for help means having to admit that you are weak or incompetent! It just means that what you’re having trouble with is troubling you and the person you ask for help is someone you trust can work with you to find the solution and will be able to support you!

The image above can now be downloaded as a phone wallpaper! Click on the image below to download! 

With the many different kinds of eateries and cafes in Singapore now, it’s been increasingly easier to eat clean and healthy in Singapore. But sometimes, eating healthy doesn’t sound as appealing since it means giving up your Jollibee or your late night Mcspicy. It all comes down to your eating habits at home! Small daily changes you make to your eating habits will eventually become habits, making it easier for you to continue eating healthily and clean. Here are some tips and tricks you can put in place to help yourself start eating healthily:

1.  Always have healthy food in sight so that if you feel like snacking, you’d be more likely to grab that delicious red apple in front of you rather than that packet of potato chips in your kitchen cupboard

2.  Always follow the 80% rule. Stop eating when you feel 80% full! Your body takes time to register when you eat so what you think may be 80% full, you might already be 100% full so it’s better to stop then!

3.  Brush your teeth after your last meal to prevent your late snacking cravings! Believe it or not, brushing your teeth is actually a trigger to your body that you’re either beginning the day or getting ready for bed. How cool is that! This means that if you’ve already brushed your teeth, it’s less likely your body would crave something to eat since it would be thinking it’s going to bed. Now here’s a cool body hack!

4.  Drink more water! Sometimes, whatever kind of craving or itchiness you may feel in your mouth may just be a signal to you that your body is feeling thirsty! So go get a cup of nice refreshing ice water and down it! You’ll soon feel that the craving has disappeared and you’ll be left feeling refreshed!

5.  Opt for healthier choices when ordering food delivery! Although something carb-heavy or intensely sweet and salty might sound really appetizing, it’s always important to exercise self control! But, it’s still okay to order a burger once in a while to keep yourself going! Maybe try ordering just 1 fast food item out of 10 delivery orders? You’ll soon see the effects as you get into this habit! Many restaurants on food delivery platforms like Grabfood or Foodpanda actually have menus to cater to healthier options such as opting for less salt, more greens or a healthier alternative! It’s also a myth that healthier food tastes worse than your typical fast food so do give it a try! 

And that’s it! Although these changes may seem small or ridiculous, they actually help in changing your dietary habits. But take it slowly and don’t rush it! Rome wasn’t built in a day after all, small gradual steps will still complete the distance!

Fight the temptation with our 好宝宝, 不挑食 pin and bag! Have these small little tokens of motivation keep you going in your healthier choice lifestyle! Fightingg~

There has either been or will be many instances where you’re required to perform under pressure. But even though people tell you to “keep calm”, how often can we actually do that, especially if we run the risk of making a mistake that may hurt other people? In a TED talk by National Football League (NFL) player, Russell Wilson, we find out what’s the secret to being able to do well, even under overwhelming pressure.

We all face obstacles at some point in time. That’s just life. But sometimes, these obstacles come with the overpowering pressure of having to do well and measure up to standard. If we know we can accomplish this task well, that’s good. But sometimes, luck isn’t just on our side. What happens? People try to ask you to cheer up or be positive about it. But, Positivity doesn’t always work. We can be positive by nature but when we see that all the odds have turned against you, it’s easy to give up and let it overtake you. This is why Russell also said, Negativity works 100% of the time. It’s so easy to give up but so hard to continue on, that’s why many people waver in the face of negativity. But that gets you nowhere.

When you want to shift from gear 1 to 5, you need to know how to shift to neutral first or you’ll crash. That’s the same with life! It’s important to know how to turn to neutral. You can either let your obstacles overwhelm you and wash you out into the storm, leaving you vulnerable or you can stay focused in the moment. But, it’s also important to know that staying focused doesn’t mean not letting any yourself feel any emotions! It’s okay to feel sad or frustrated in times of difficulty, but what’s important is to not get emotional and to not let these feelings get to you! 

A way we can all try to stay focused is to ask ourselves, what’s the next step? By looking ahead, we can have a goal in mind and it’ll give us that motivation and drive we need to just keep going! We all have a chance in life but we all still have fears. It’s okay to feel fear but it’s not okay to let it hinder you from achieving what you want to achieve. Always believe in yourself that you’re going to achieve great things in life and tell yourself, you can do this!

The illustration above can now be downloaded as a phone wallpaper! Click on the image below to download.

Have you ever had that one time when you listened to a song and your mood instantly improved? Well, turns out, music and mood are actually closely related! Listening to a happy or sad song can actually make you feel happy or sad. If we think deeper, do you wonder why you always feel so energetic to shop at clothing stores or feel chill and relaxed at stores like Muji? Most of it is actually related to the music being played! 

Clothing stores actually tend to play more energetic pop songs to get shoppers to feel more energetic to shop around the whole store and also for them to  complete their shopping faster! Stores like Muji play more relaxing, happy and chill songs which lets shoppers feel like they can take their time and enjoy the shopping experience and also the music in the store! 

Did you know our Wheniwasfour Waterloo shop also has a playlist of songs which we like to play for patrons to listen and enjoy as they shop? Listen to our Spotify playlist of songs here! We hope listening to our playlist will make you feel the cozy, homey and relaxing vibes from anywhere you are!