Travel Diary: Cebu

12:00 AM Nameless b. 0 Comments

Cebu is a a province of the Philippines, it is also the first place I got to call home. I missed a lot of things that only Cebu could offer; great weather all year round, my closest of friends, family, and the beach!!! There's really not much to say other than the photos can speak for themselves.

1) Shangri-La Mactan Resort Cebu

2.) 10,000 Roses

3) The Pyramid (Credits to Neil Evangelista; Instagram - @evangelistaneil)

4) Random Photos with friends

These photos are just some highlights from a few of my favourite and memorable outings during my trip. But now, it's back to reality...

Til my next venture,
B. xx

0 comments:

The moment I have been waiting for finally came

12:10 AM Nameless b. 0 Comments

The day finally came...

Harry Styles has released his debut solo album and I have been in my feels ever since.

If you didn't know this about me, I kind of have a slight admiration for the singer. I mean, yeah, he's cute and all but he is just nice to admire? Like every time he does something, it's always so effortless. I don't even know if that makes sense. ANYWAYS. Back to the point: Harry Styles by Harry Styles.

The album as a whole is everything I expected from him and more. I kind of knew what sound to expect based on the kind of music he says he listens to but I was so impressed! It fits his "aesthetic", if you will. I love every single song and I hope people who are skeptical of Harry give it a chance. I loved all the songs lyrically and musically.

1. Meet Me in the Hallway

- I really loved this song, mainly because you can just tell and feel that it is a personal song. It has an indie vibe to it especially with the guitar. I was surprised that he opened the album with a song like this.

2. Sign of the Times

- I mean, BOWIE VIBES. I really love the part when he sings, "why are we always stuck and running from the bullets". The guitar. THE GUITAR. I know you know what I mean when I say that.

3. Carolina

- I just found out who and what the song is about and that the person who the song is about knows it's about them. Carolina is such a bop, it's a song that lightens up the mood and it's just such a fun song in general. And the use of instruments in the riff reminds me of 'Stuck in the middle with You'. A BOP.

4. Two Ghosts

- This song instantly puts you in a sad mood. I get the same vibes as I do when I hear 'Something' by The Beatles. It's a song that makes you feel the hurt he must've felt in this song. I really liked the lyrics for the songs, as sad as they are. It's a beautiful song.

5. Sweet Creature

- Sweet Creature is such a simple song and the concept is sweet and is literate. It makes me feel so 'home-y'.

6. Only Angel

- Let me tell you how much I was close to screaming when a beat dropped. I was so shocked. My wig was snatched. I thought it was going to be a sweet and emotional song because it started with the ending piano notes from Sign of the Times but I did not know what was coming for me. The vocals are amazing. This is the song I was waiting to hear from Harry and I vibe to this song so much.

7. Kiwi

- Now, Kiwi was the song I was so unsure of how it would sound just judging by the title. I wasn't expecting it to sound like this but I love it. Also, the vocals are so good. Although I am still trying to analyse what the lyrics mean, so far I've only unraveled metaphors that Harry could have used.

8. Ever Since New York

- Ever since Harry sang this song on SNL I have been wanting the studio version of it. The studio version is so much more calm and slow compared to when he sings it live. I just really love how simple it is.

9. Woman

- I LOVE WOMAN. It's one of those 'feel myself' songs and I can't believe Harry wrote this song. I especially love the 'La, la, la, la, la, la, la' part. He sounds so good in this song.

10. From the Dining Table

- Immediately reminded me of Oasis, straight away. While listening to the song for the first time I listened to the lyrics closely and it's such a sad song? I think it's about someone leaving him? I don't know, that's just my interpretation. My heart hurts listening to this song.

Aaaaand, we are done! I already said this but I really hope Harry gets noticed and appreciated for the hard work he has put into this album. It was such an experience getting to listen to the songs and focus on the intentions of each track. The album exceeded my expectations and I am so happy he put this out. God bless, Harry Styles for putting his artistry out into the world.

This was a really random post but I really love this album and thought the world needs to know how great the album is and Harry as well, as an artist.

Til next time,

Bianca x

0 comments:

Journal Entry #1

8:00 PM Nameless b. 0 Comments

Journals are a very personal to a lot of people. Keeping a journal helps organize your thoughts and keeps your head in check. Personally, writing in a journal helps me when I feel stressed and all over the place. My friends often ask me what I write in my journal and I always tell them, "Whatever I'm feeling or whatever I'm thinking". With writing I feel like I am pouring my soul to someone and that someone just sits and listens to me which I really like. I also think keeping a journal is a good way to talk about things you are afraid to talk about with a real human being.

The best time to write in your journal is when you feel inspired and emotional because you get the most genuine words of what you want to say at that moment, and you get to put it on paper. Those are times wherein you aren't trying too hard to force yourself to write something. I usually write on my journal while I'm meditating or right after I do so. I really do recommend you guys to try it at some point. You can literally write or draw anything on your journal. Jot down lists, how your day was, dreams, goals or what song is stuck in your head. Carry it with you everywhere, you'd be surprised to see how much has changed when you read back entries from when you started journaling.

Below are scans of a couple pages I wrote from my journal a few weeks ago. These pages were random thoughts I had and a page of what I imagine my future to be like if things went "my way". I hope it gives you ideas for your journal.

"What Inspires Me"

"If I had it my way, I would wake up in a beach house, lying in soft cotton sheets. I have no desire for marble doors or expensive fridges. I want my house to feel cozy and inspiring. I want my house to be filled with meaningful and cozy furniture. Things like a dresser from a flea market. Soft sunlight peering through my window. I'd be cooking myself breakfast while an open window lets the salt air whirl through and in my house. I imagine 'Beats of Burden' by The Stones playing as I cook and dance around. A pug, fawn pug specifically, would be great company. Other times I imagine waking up early to go down to the beach and meditate with the ocean waves. These are things I imagine myself doing before taking on the world."

"You don't get to choose your race, gender, sexuality, culture, family, economic class, beauty, medical condition, body type, your religion. It is given to you by your parents. But you know what you do and can get to change? Your outlook on life, how kind you are to those who were/are born different than you. You get to choose how you tolerate things, you control your words. You choose to help or hurt, to ignore or to engage. You cannot change your skin but you can change how beautiful your soul is."

Hope this helps and inspires you.

All my love,

Bianca

0 comments:

Let's Chat: Self Love

3:45 PM Nameless b. 0 Comments

I'm gonna be honest, I have been wanting to do these types of blog posts where I talk about issues that I feel strongly about and things that I feel inspired about as well as sharing my opinions and knowledge on these things. I was inspired even more because I was on facetime with my very close friend, Suzzane (ily girl xx). And we were talking about self growth and basically it was a good time.

I've been putting it off because I didn't want to sound 'preachy' or whatever but the topic of this post will probably make me a hypocrite haha. So I'm just gonna go in, cold turkey. Oh and a disclaimer: You do not have to agree to whatever I'm saying, these are just my opinions and knowledge I have learned throughout my own personal journey.

Self love is a journey that everyone takes at their own pace and different routes. You shouldn't hold yourself back from receiving all the love that you deserve. If you are doing things or making decisions for yourself , it's because you love yourself. I think there's so much stigma nowadays that love for one's self is misunderstood as being selfish which I think should be made clear of the differences between the two. Self love has a domino effect; the more you embrace and accept yourself, the more you learn to love yourself.

Personally, it took me a while to fully accept that I am different in my own ways both mentally and physically. I know it is easier said than done but slowly you'll get there. Trust me. Some "steps" I guess you could say, that I did to get to where I am now with my journey of self love is the kind of people I surround myself with. This is one of the many social determinants that affects the way we may feel about and see ourselves. It's easy to be blind sighted in social relationships and interactions. The toxicity people spread especially in today's generation can harmful to our personal well being. I guess the main point of what I'm saying is remember your worth, only ever surround yourself with people who return the favor of spreading the kindness and positivity you put forth. Have you heard of the saying, "You are who you hang with"? Yeah, pretty sure a lot of us learned the truth of that saying the hard way. So be careful that the people around you are not harming your relationship with yourself.

One of the most important "steps" I had to surpass which was the hardest for me was getting over the hurdle of "I'm not good enough". You ARE good enough. We shouldn't be so hard on ourselves for every little bad thing we do or see about ourselves. I have a journal that I write everything on and what really helped me get over this hurdle is writing things I liked about myself, these are great reminders to keep your chin up. Flaunting and showing off your favourite characteristics and being confident doesn't make you conceited, remember that.

Lastly, do things that you love!!! Things that inspire you and fill your soul. These 'things' could be painting, writing, running, whatever. Do it. I personally have always loved writing, reading inspires me to write and so does listening to music with lyrics that makes you feel things. When it came to school assessments I found it easy to write essays in comparison to my friends and classmates. Realizing this, I took a step back and thought to myself, "Hey I'm quite good at this, I love that about myself." I cannot stress enough how important it is to love things about yourself and things you love doing. Dedicate time to doing these things and dedicate time to yourself, it's funny how much you learn about yourself when you get so much 'me time'.

A little bit of health education info: our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being all come full circle. How you choose for these aspects of well being to be impacted affects how the others are impacted too. Keep a positive mindset and an open heart, you have the power to manifest these qualities you love about yourself and become who you want to become.

All my love,

Bianca.

0 comments:

Travel Diary: B and E take Sumner!

6:18 PM Nameless b. 0 Comments

........ Sad excuse of a blogger, I know. To be honest, I haven't been inspired to post/blog lately and I'm in a rut of not knowing what content to post. I've been busy with catch up college and preparing paperwork for University starting this February and I haven't been going out of the house as much. BUT! Just yesterday I went to Sumner Beach with one of my best friends, Emma. Sumner Beach is kind of like our budget version of Hawaii lol.

We had a nice and relaxing day at the beach just catching up because Emma and I haven't hung out since December because we've both been super busy. So yeah, this beach date was really fun just sitting by the beach (obvi). We had fish and chips and sorbet too. IT WAS PERFECT.

WARNING! The following photos may urge you to go to the beach.

Hope you enjoy this travel diary! Haven't done one in a while, more to come in a few months!! Cause I have exciting news I'll tell soon! x

- B x