day 9: "11:11, make a wish!" is it really that simple?

hi again!! today i'm actually in the bahamas on a cruise, so today's and tomorrows are pre-written by maia from the past. i'm bet future me (present day me) is having an absolute blast on the cruise and one of these days i'll write about my experiences and opinions on cruising.

when you see the time 11:11, do you make a wish?

i know that i do. i was talking to my friend, martina, the other day about manifestations and here's what we both agreed on. in addition to wishing, a manifestation will actually come true only if person also works at it to make that wish come true.

for example, in freshman year, i took AICE european history. yes, that class was a pain in the booty to take because i didn't really enjoy it, but i still worked hard to learn the information and the essay formats. for the months leading up to the exam, i wished on every eyelash and 11:11 that i will pass the test. (spoiler: i did!! AICE exams are the only times where i'm happy about getting a "D".) but i also went to extra review sessions, reviewed and practiced with my friends and alone to properly prepare myself for the exam.

if i hadn't done any of the preparations or paid attention in class and solely just showed up on exam day, of course i wouldn't pass! the point of this example is that in order for your wishes/manifestations to come true, you have to work with yourself to help that dream become a reality. 

the wishing fairies don't just say "poof! your wish comes true! your wish comes true!". no, they reward those who work hard and prove to themselves that they can do it.

another really good example would be emily kelavos from the "Popstar Academy: Katseye" docu-series on Netflix. i highly reccomend the show if you like reality TV. you also get to peak inside the 2 year training/survival show camp that the girls went through and i think you'll have a new appreciation for k-pop idols. in one of the last episodes, emily revealed that she had been journaling and had written at least 100 lines of "i'm in the hybe x geffen girl group." (emily's journal is pictured to the right)

if you aren't familiar with katseye, emily didn't make it in, but it wasn't because she wasn't talented enough. emily made it to the finals of the survival show and wasn't chosen because her vibe was too "cutesy" for katseye. though this isn't the end for her. in the august of this year, emily was announced as the first member of "Prelude: The Final Piece", a new hybe x geffen girl group along with 2 other girls from popstar academy. i'm not quite sure why they decided to create a new girl group right as katseye is becoming popular, but i'm sure they have a method behind this madness. watch prelude's intro film below!

before we jump back into the topic, i just want to point out how ethereal lexie looks but her outfit is ruined by the simple black booty shorts she's wearing... lexie, emily, and samara are so so talented and i cannot wait for the reveal of the remaining members of their group!

the point i'm trying to make here is that, even if you don't get exactly what you wish for, these wishing fairies will place you exactly where you belong as long as you work for it. as EJAE said in her golden globes acceptance speech, "rejection is re-direction". 

don't be discouraged if you don't make it onto that team, or you don't reach that goal. be resilient and keep persevering. one day you'll get to where you belong and earn the things that you worked hard for and deserve. 

i hope you enjoyed today's post and really take time to think about what you wish for on 11:11 and how you'll be able to achieve that. i believe that you can make that wish come true! (with the help of the wishing fairies of course!)

i'll catch ya tomorrow!

don't wish for it, work for it.

day 8: so what?

hey there! welcome/welcome back to maia & more! after a week of writing these posts each day, i'm still having so much fun. this brings me to the topic of today's post:

• try to care less about what others think of you

remember in day 1 where i explained that i started this blog because i wanted to start caring less about what people think of me? well, i'm writing today to explain why you should too. in my humble opinion, i think that it's obvious that not everyone will agree on something and people are always going to have their own opinions on you and other things. so what?

everyone will always have their own opinions on everything, whether that is in agreement with you or not. so, stop worrying about what others think about you. go on to do the things that you love and by doing the things that you love, without worrying about how it's going to be accepted by others, i think it'll make you enjoy it more. 

there are some people in your life that will put others down to make themselves feel better but there are others who will bring you up and want to see you succeed. the first type of people will discourage you, but the reason you should persevere and keep moving forward is because you'll grow into a person you never thought you would be. i know there are some people that might make fun of me behind my back about having a blog because it's cringe, or what have you. but now i'm growing to love blogging and i see that some of my other friends also love tuning in each day. 

for me, doing things that make others happy, makes me happy, and all of the positive reactions i'm getting from my friends fuels me to keep going. though there may be people you're worried about impressing, don't put on a show as fake version of you, be who you are and don't worry about the other person's opinion. i guarantee you that people will appreciate the fact that you are being genuine to them and will think more highly of you. 

i know today's post was a bit shorter than usual, but i hope you enjoyed the message just the same. have a fantastic rest of your day and i'll catch you on the next one!

don't wish for it, work for it.

day 7: healthy rivalry

hi! i'm almost sure you read the title of today's post wrong. disclaimer: this post is NOT about heated rivalry, which i 100% want to watch before season 2 comes out. today's post is about why competition sports are so good for people and can create bonds that will last lifetimes.

in the middle of 7th grade (or eighth... i'm honestly not sure), after doing taekwondo for about 6 or 7 years (i'm being so serious), i told my dad that i wanted to start competing for sparring. at my age, my dad was already a swimmer for the Turkish national team and literally the 3rd in Europe, and that competition was on a bad day. because of his competitive background, he knows what it takes to be a competitive athlete: all the effort, discipline, and perseverance. after i told him, he asked me if i knew what i was asking and if i actually wanted to do it.

my pistachio latte girl forever <3

lo and behold, i said yes. little did i know the amount of work that it would take. after my first degree black belt test in april of 2024, i fractured my ankle. every year i go to istanbul, turkiye for the entire duration of summer, literally from the end of may to early august. during that summer, my parents found a dojang for my brother and i to train at and met this girl named azra. azra is the daughter of the master at this dojang and is one of the best taekwondo athletes that i personally know. when i met azra, we were the same height, same weight, and only one year apart. over the summers of 2024 and 2025, we became stuck together like glue, whom i never expected to become one of my best friends. whenever i would get injured, coincidentally, halfway across the world, azra would too. i think that just proves that somehow we are internally connected. 

although, azra and i have experienced many laughs, frustrations, and supported each other through and through, we also fight each other pretty hard and many other good friends also experience a little bit of healthy rivalry. we do that because that is how you be a good training partner to help the other grow. might i also add that her dojang, yenigun, is one of the best taekwondo environments i've been in because the people that train there ACTUALLY want to be there. they are not only competitive with each other, but also encourage their friends to get better. that's why every year, i'm ecstatic to train there again.

when the summer of 2024 ended, we got back to florida, my dad got the memo and we built a mini-dojang in our loft. there, we trained after school in addition to going to the nightly practice at my home dojang. during that fall and winter, my brother and i competed in quite a few competitions, growing each and every day. 

my dad also took us to another dojang in miami, a 45-50 minute drive each way, to train with another competition school and endure long, 4 hour practices. this school now has 2 girls on the Guatemalan national team and are now in the 2028 LA Olympic cycle. i wish them all the best and cannot wait to watch them on TV!! every sunday, i used to get beat up by the oldest girl there. i would cry and make excuses not to go, but of course, we still went each weekend.

through all of the hard practices, bruises, cries, and of course, dedication that was built up over time, i got stronger. though it seems like someone was praying on my downfall, because throughout all of 2025, i went through a cycle of getting injured, going back to practice for a month, and then getting sick and repeat. this really messed me up because i wasn't able to properly practice all year long. through it all, i'm finally back for good (knock on wood). 

you may be asking yourself, maia, what is the point of all of this? well, through competitive sports, i've learned:

• courtesy, and respect by bowing to both the flags, of South Korea, America and Brazil (because my master is Brazillian), and to all of my peers
• integrity, by not cheating myself by doing less reps when my coach isn't watching
• perseverance, after getting beat up every sunday and still showing up because i know it will help me improve

• self-control, with cutting weight to be in the proper category for my height
• discipline, by showing up to practice each and every day.

these traits have been taught to me through taekwondo and are uncoincidentally part of the 5 tenants of taekwondo. the 5 tenants include:

1. courtesy
2. integrity
3. perserverance
4. self-control
5. indomitable spirit

if i hadn't decided to be a competitive athlete, i wouldn't have learned these things so early in my life. these things i can carry on into the rest of my life and will undoubtedly help me succeed wherever i put my energy.

through taekwondo, i've also made amazing friends that i cannot live without. special shout-out to: azra (left) and nico and angella (middle). one other thing i'm so insanely grateful for is that the sport that i love has helped me become much closer to my younger brother (right). taekwondo has also helped me build my support group with people that want to help and see me succeed.

taekwondo has not only taught me to be strong, which now i believe because of my daily affirmations (if you read day 5, i know you know), but i now have a new-found level of respect towards competition athletes because i know how hard it is to be one. if you ever run out of motivation to do something, remind yourself that your there is always someone out there that is training harder than you. when you're training at 90%, your competition is training at 110%. if you're ever thinking of starting a competitive sport, or going to your first tournament/competition/scrimmage, do it! as you've read, i highly suggest that you do.

finally, thank you to my parents who are so so dedicated to my brothers and i. i appreciate you both so much for supporting everything i do and making sure that you do everything in your power to help us get to where we want to be successfully. although i'm not where i want to be right now, taekwondo wise, i know that if i ask, my parents will help me each step of the way. I LOVE YOU BOTH!!!!

have a great one and i'll catch you on the next post! 

don't wish for it, work for it.

day 6: the power of "yes"

hi again! i hope you've been enjoying the daily blogs! today's topic is all about the power of saying "yes".

saying "yes" to something can open up doors for you that you never knew existed before. now, i'm not talking about saying yes to everything like "Yes Day" (2021), which is a movie i'd recommend and you can find on Netflix, but i've watched it about 20 times because of my younger brother. i'm talking about the type of "yes" that encourages you to go out of your comfort zone to say yes to questions that you might not've before. 

saying yes can help you try new things, like trying olives, if you don't like them. i'm Turkish and my grandparents eat about 10 olives with their breakfast every morning, and swear that it is one of the main reasons that they are so healthy at the age of 86. though this is true, there's just something about olives that just disgust me. i cannot eat them. but again, since we're Turkish we always have olives in the house and once in a while, my parents will ask if i want to try one. most of the time i'll say no, but sometimes if i'm feeling a bit adventurous, i'll say yes and try one. i'm doing this because i'm trying to give olives a second, third, and fourth try before i form my ultimate opinion on it.

on the topic of olives, if anyone has watched How I Met Your Mother (2005), i want to share the olive theory!! this is way off the topic of the power of yes, BUT i just wanted to share for anyone who doesn't already know. basically, the olive theory is the theory that your soulmate will like the things that you don't. essentially, opposites attract. just like Lily, in How I Met Your Mother, i am obviously not a fan of olives. Marshall, on the other hand, did like olives, or so Lily thought. On their first date, she picked the olives out of her salad and he told her that he loved olives: hence, the olive theory. as it turns out, Marshall lied, and eventually admitted to not liking olives. even though this is true, Marshall and Lily are still soulmates. also, i thought it was a little funny that Barney also writes blogs, so this portion is dedicated to him. <33

circling back to the actual topic, saying yes can be hard and definately scary, especially when you are trying to say yes to something that you've previously closed off in your mind. by saying yes to new things, you will form new opinions and gain new experiences you've never had before. maybe you'll actually like the things you said yes to, and enjoy them, but you could also hate them and that's okay. 

in 2019, Will Smith posted a YouTube video about what skydiving taught him about fear. Smith explains that he was so scared the night before but after, he was so happy that he had done it. what I want you to take away from this video, even if you don't watch it, was that he said that "God placed the best things in life on the other side of fear."

some people get too comfortable in one spot and just stay there, but in order to grow and explore new things, you must take that leap outside of your comfort zone. don't get me wrong, if there is something that you absolutely don't want to do, please, don't take this as me encouraging you to do that. all i'm saying is that sometimes it's really good to get outside that comfort zone and do something that makes you uncomfortable. you could possibly find that you like this new thing better than the old one.

on that note, thank you for reading today's post. i hope you enjoyed and choose to take something out of it and apply it to your life. have a fantastic rest of your day from whatever part of the world you tune in from! catch ya on the next one!

don't wish for it, work for it.

day 5: speak it. believe it. repeat.

hey there and welcome/welcome back to maia & more!! i hope everyone is having an awesome day and hope this makes your day a little bit brighter. today's topic is daily affirmations. 

affirmations may seem a little silly and cringy, but isn't everything at first? until something is popular or famous, it seems cringy. but here's the truth: positive affirmations can help you with so many things. affirmations can help you overcome anxiety, become more confident, and most importantly, help you become the person you want to be. 

one of my best friends, emma, plays lacrosse, and her coach had told the team to tell themselves 3 positive affirmations each morning one of which was:

• "i am an alpha female"

when emma told me that i definitely laughed out loud. so, i think you can see why kinda of frowned upon daily affirmations. now, daily affirmations are something that i am a 100% a believer of. by now, i think that it's pretty common knowledge that your self-talk defines so much about you. it can make you more introverted and insecure, but it can also empower you and make you more confident. if you talk yourself down, of course you are gonna feel more sad. this is the same concept of "if you convince yourself that you are sick, you'll get sick."

i'm not sure what changed inside of me, but i started to write affirmations on my bathroom mirror, so that every time i would wash my hands or get ready in the morning, i would see these affirmations and say to myself, "yeah its true and i believe it." this has gave me such a confidence boost because instead of just hearing from my mom that i'm strong, i KNOW that i'm strong. i start to notice how i'm strong. 

am i strong just because i can endure a 4 hour practice? or am i strong because i train with some of the top athletes in istanbul? am i strong because i don't cry anymore when i mess up in school? or is it the fact that through all of the rough moments of being a teenage girl and having raging emotions i still push through it all? the answer to those are all yeses. i'm strong because of all the things that make me who i am today and i will continue to be strong and become someone that is proud of herself from head to toe. 

here are some examples of affirmations that you could implement in your life, but if these don't apply to you, find ones that do:

all this to say, try some daily affirmations for two weeks. put them on your mirror, your phone lock screen, or anywhere that you are constantly looking. write how you feel before you start, and see if you notice a difference afterwards. treat yourself kindly, because you only have one of yourself. and don't wait for the person you want to become to just appear out of thin air. you have to work at it to become that person. with that being said, i hope you enjoyed today's blog and i hope this opened your eyes or inspired you in some way. thank you for reading and catch ya on the next one!

don't wish for it, work for it.

day 4: music matters

hi guys! welcome back to maia & more! i hope you've enjoyed the past days and hopefully you'll enjoy this one just as much. today i'll be talking about why music matters, hence the title. 

making music has been around since the beginning of time (not literally, truthfully its around 35,000 years).

music is an expression of art, the same as traditional art, can bring so much joy to someone. creators are so, so cool to me because they are able to express their emotions in a different way than just speaking or writing. don't get me wrong, writers are cool too, but artists are just mind-blowing. 

songwriters are able to capture such specific feelings in what is essentially a glorified poem. this type of artistry is something i wish i was able to pick up. these songwriters are able to write their feelings out and touch the hearts of thousands, possibly millions of people. being able to create something even the smallest bit like a song would be something i want to achieve or learn the process of creating. some of my favorite singer/songwriters are Tate McRae (duh), Sabrina Carpenter, and Gracie Abrams.  (yes, all basic white girl music I KNOW.)

along with this, i also admire classical musicians so much. as someone who plays piano, i know how difficult it is to do the dynamic properly to make the piece your own while also being true to the composer and piece itself. i also know someone who has been playing piano since he was literally 3 years old and he is just so so talented. to say i simply admire him and others is an understatement. watching/listening to people do what they love is such a blessing that people take for granted.

traditional artists, on the other hand, are able to touch people through metaphors. not regular metaphors like "her eyes were diamonds", but metaphors in their art. some pieces are more abstract but are able to convey such emotion that can make people cry. this is just, wow, impressive to me. at the time of writing this, i honestly have trouble explaining how it makes me feel and the importance.

another type of artist that inspires me are dancers, or more specifically ballerinas. ballerinas have to have a level of discipline and hard-working-ness that is just mind-blowing. just like any other type of artist, dancers express their emotions, this time, through body movement and facial expressions.

this brings me to something new i want to share: i was today years old when i found out that SIMON COWELL JUST CREATED A NEW BOY BAND. the band is called December 10 (D10)... i'm getting 1D flashbacks lol. D10 consists of 7 members and there's a docu-series on Netflix called "Simon Cowell: The Next Act". 

these boys are actually so insanely talented and they recently did a cover of "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC and i'm obsessed!! my current favorite member is all of them?? after watching their auditions, they each bring so much to the table and such different personalities and style, which i think are gonna make them do so so well.

on that note, i'm going to wrap it up by sharing a playlist with some of my current favorite songs. i hope you enjoy!

 

to summarize, music matters because it is a way for someone to express their emotions and feelings in a different form than simply speaking or writing. this diversifies our world and shows so many different perspectives that you would've never had before. 

art is just such a beautiful concept to me and i think that's why i'm so creative and crafty. what i would like everyone reading to take-away from this is to appreciate art more. take time to understand the meaning of the songs you listen to, maybe take a trip to an art museum, or create something yourself! it doesn't have to be life-changing, just explore a new way to express your feelings. thank you for reading and i'll catch you on the next one!

don't wish for it, work for it

day 3: it's never too late

hello hello and welcome/welcome back to maia & more!! i hope this day is going amazing for you and keeps getting better. yesterday i was at an event hosted by my friend, antonia, for her club: the hopebox. at this event we created vision boards for 2026 even though january is finally coming to a close. 

why does this matter?

despite the fact that it is literally january 25th today, seemingly a little late for vision boards, we still created them for how we want the next 11 months to go because it is never too late to start something. we spent time with the people we love (or possibly hate) and took 3 hours to create a visual to help guide our year. to be honest, creating the vision/goal is the easy part but actually going out and doing it? that one could take days, months, or even years. 

around 100 years ago, in 1920, women in America gained the right to vote. 

The United States of America had been founded for 144 years before that.

seriously, why am i giving you a history lesson in the middle of today's post which is supposed to be inspiring? because many women from Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, Carrie Chapman Catt, and so many more took their stand to become equal to men and be able to vote in political elections even though America had already been established well before. these iconic women, and so many more people decide each day that they can do anything they want to and it is never too late.

i'm not quite sure if this example makes any sense at all, but it kind of inspires me and hopefully does the same for you. 

if you have something you've been meaning to do or try go do it! YOLO!! nobody is stopping you. if you want to quit your sport and try something new, do it. even if you have the fear that this new thing will fail, don't let that stop you. the great thing about our lives is that we have free will to do whatever we want, whenever we want. sometimes it may not be the best decision or the right one, but the fact that we can make those steps would be mind-boggling for the people i mentioned before. 

without further ado, here is my 2026 vision board from last nights event:

yes, of course i cut out and bedazzled each number of 2026. i'm actually obsessulated with the results and i love each of the quotes. if you haven't already, its not too late to create a vision board for your 2026, or even just jot down some of the goals or things you want to implement in your life and make it come true. you got this!

i hope you feel a little inspired by today's post and if you couldn't tell already, i want to try my best to write up a blog post each day and just see how it goes! i'm going to try to do things, like crafts or blogging, that will actually benefit me instead of just doomscrolling on my phone for hours each day. with that, i'll let you think about this last thing:

don't wish for it, work for it.

day 2: kindness is cool

hello there!! i hope you're back for day 2 because you enjoyed day 1 and if not, welcome! i volunteered to make valentine's day cards for senior citizens today and while i was making these cards i thought of something and i just wanted to share this food for thought.

during the card making, i was thinking that the world should be more kind.

personally, i feel like the reason is pretty obvious but for others it might not be. honestly there's no excuse for not being kind. this world should be filled with people that are accepting and compassionate towards everyone. although this is how i feel, i know that it can never be like this, because there will and always has to be negative people and rude people to counter all of the love if that makes sense. 

thought i don't LOVE everyone per se, i do want to be the one to help those people up and make them feel better when mean people push them down. you never know what is going on in someone else's life, so by giving a simple compliment can make someone feel 100x better. 

in august, i was struggling with shin splints and at its worst, i could barely walk up the stairs. because of this, i got a doctors note and was able to get an elevator pass for school. to get into the elevator for one of the buildings at school, you need security to unlock it for you. sometimes a security guard would come and unlock it for me, and of course, i would ask how they are and they would give their answer and then add, "thank you for asking, nobody usually does." to be honest, this makes my heart break a little bit. the reason i'm writing this is to tell you, readers, to try to be kind every day. 

being kind doesn't take a lot. it could be asking how someones day is going or just holding the door open for someone. by doing your part, you make the world more kind. these small actions show others your character and helps you become a more trustworthy person that people will actually feel comfortable going to talk to or bumping up your grade 1%. i feel like in our generation, people are just glued to their phones and don't realize how much it matters to be kind.

like we learn in elementary school, its cool to be kind.

with that, i hope you have a fantastic rest of your day and be a little kinder today!! i'll catch ya on the next one!🫰🫰🫰

don't wish for it, work for it

day 1: maia & more

hi friends!! welcome to day 1 of maia & more!!! my plan for this blog is for it to basically be my digital diary, so i'll write about things including, but not limited to: my life, travel, crafts, daily adventures and so so much more. i'm also up for any suggestions so let me know what you want to see! 

you must be wondering, maia, why did in the world did you decide to start a blog?

well, i decided to start a blog to document my life and be able to look back on it in the future... does it seem a bit cringe that this is now on public domain for ANYONE in the world to see? yes. but one of my big 2026 goals is to care less about what others think, so i'm finally living my 2000's fantasy of having a blog!! i also think this would just be so so much fun and would be a way to express myself where i can share my creativity and just self in general. 

now that the most obvious question is addressed, i'd like to introduce myself so, get to know me!!

the basics:

name: maia (duh, you know that 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️)

grade: sophomore

sport: taekwondo

instrument: piano

prized possession: my owala!!! (stay hydrated!!)

hobbies: crochet, shopping, hanging out with friends and family, sleeping, traveling, doing my nails, and basically anything crafty

nationality: turkish and chinese-indonesian 🇹🇷🇮🇩

my favorites:

color: pastel yellow

artist: tate mcrae

movie: the book of life

tv show: none at the moment

musicals: hamilton, hadestown, six and heathers (i was a former theater kid who still LOVES musicals)

travel destination (where i've actually been): a cruise ship and istanbul, turkiye

thank you so much for reading my first blog eva and let me know if you enjoyed! i hope to catch you on my next adventure!! 🫰🫰🫰

don't wish for it, work for it