Well hello
there....It has been a while indeed I know, I know....But I guess I have been
busy living life and all that! ;p But I have taken things offline in general,
socially, dating etc and in a way its been refreshing and eye opening. I
have put myself first and been doing what I want, when I want, mapping things
out and keeping my soul happy :)
So I guess I
should summarise what I have been up to so far......
January was spent
pottering around plotting and planning how I was going to make the most of this
year.
February was quite busy work wise. I went away to one of my favourite places,
Amsterdam (and before you all think, not for the obvious reason!).
However I love their hot chocolates and patisserie places which are full of my favourite
thing of all time giant Nutella jars!! I managed to catch up with my culture
vulture cousin and we explored Amsterdam in the cold winter weather which is
still a beautiful city regardless the weather to be honest. I love its
laid back ness, openness and generally everything about it! It is
somewhere I could easily go a live.
Travelling has
always been a soother for me, it is when I am at my happiest and mellowest, it
never stresses me out and never makes me feel uneasy. If anything it
gives me the wanderlust that I seek as I have always been a curious cat in life
in general. Seeking places, things to do, history and knowledge seeking
about where I am going to or have already been to. I know being single
you feel like something is missing, however when I travel it fulfils that part
where there is emptiness, it brings joy, peace and tranquillity.
A M S T E R D A M
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| One
of the many beautiful canals in Amsterdam |
The good thing
about living on a Island like ours, we are half hour, an hour, two hours and so
on away from other locations that are so different from our little
Island! One of my 'Putting myself first' things to do, is to travel more,
be it alone or not. In fact I love travelling alone, I get to take in my surroundings
and bearings and make my own decisions on what adventure I want to take myself
on.
For me its letting
go of the everyday work/home life routine, the worrying about dating 'Will this
guy message me? Call?' Does he like me? What is this? Confusing oneself with no
need Pppfhhhh!....I craved freedom, letting go, everything has already been
written in the stars and what shall be for you is only for you. (Sorry I am
going back to dating here) But every step you take, every mistake, every disappointment,
every wrong guy met, every effort made and lost, every miss match met.....that
is a step forward taking you to where you need to and should be at this present
time. Which is why I let go, stopped making an effort in searching, and
focused more on me and my own happiness and well being, so I started with
Amsterdam which happened to be my second visit. :)
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| Outside
the Rijksmuseum museum |
Amsterdam has cool
mellow vibes when wondering around the streets in the crisp cold winter February
air. I love winter, I always have and shall always do so. I stayed at my cousins
cute mini apartment, everyone makes the most of every nook and cranny space wise. While
walking through the streets at night (no on seems to draw their curtains....or
have any!) you can see the clever ways people have made use of space, making it
more so cosy than cramp in their quaint homes.
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| A
pretty window in Spuistraat |
Spuistraat is a
lovely area with retro styled buildings and amazing, graffiti which has always
been a personal passion of mine. I guess I am like a train spotter, but a
graffiti spotter and slowly recognising international artists who I have
spotted in London and also recognised their work in Amsterdam! It's
amazing what hidden along the side of a building, in a doorway, uplifting messages
or just images that speak volumes that you can find on the streets, a bit like
life in general when you have an open heart and mind :)
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| Bikes and Blues |
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| Be like a Flamingo...PINK! |
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| Bob Marley by one of my favourite artists C215 also
on Instagram as Christianguemy go check his work out! |
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| Look
close enough and you shall find the missing pieces to your puzzle. |
One Saturday my cousin
and I had managed to walk 11 miles within the city, which just goes to show
there are so many things to see and explore. I love how you can wonder
from one bridge to a street to another bridge and so on. The mixture of
the late night smells from the amazing bakeries, to the busy bustling bars,
cafes, the beautiful uneven architecture of the buildings along the canals and
the random red window lights that you walk past. The everyday life that
is somehow is entwined and connected with the city's mellow vibe. However I
feel that there is always a light hearted sense of humour that runs through the
city, that adds to this vibe, laughter has always been a good remedy to banish
blues away :)
 |
Everyone
needs a cake with pink feathers, swirls and of course not forgetting the
luchadores (Mexican wrestlers). Spotted at Taart van m'n Tante in the Oude
Pijp district - Link: http://www.detaart.com/en/home.htm
|
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| Bikes, barges and buildings |
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| Bumper to bumper ;) |
So I had been
thinking, rather than searching high, low, left, right, top, middle and bottom
for someone, I decided to let go. I can honestly say it’s the best thing I have
ever done. Stopping, realising and taking everything I have right now,
being thankful and grateful for this. Just being around my family and
friends...I guess in the very words of Van Gogh himself ''I feel that
there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.''
Putting the focus
on my own well being...my happiness. Rather than looking for one person to
fill a gap in my life, I decided to fill gaps with things I wanted to do and
that made me happy. I have understood, accepted and acknowledged that.
Yes...I might not meet someone and I'm ok with that. Being realistic is
something we all have to face and understand. So I am at a point where I
know travel, photography, catching up with friends and family fill those empty
spaces. When you move your focus from one thing I honestly believe that
everything has already been written and while you put your energies into
something else, the Almighty above has woven things into your life that will
appear when they are meant to.
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| Let's play a game, how many bikes in this Photo I took? Answers on a postcard! |
It is about timing
and taking everything in your stride, Amsterdam had been a taster of what I had
yearned for....What I needed. Being more spontaneous and getting up and
doing things, life is not always about planning things, sometimes it is about
letting things take its course and you shall see the beauty of how everything
works out....I guess this leads me to my next location in which I had first-hand
of this.. Mauritius, my second home, the Island that holds my heart.....
p.s - You can follow me on my instagram for more out and about photos @Chat_noir_londres ;)
