Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the horse, and as the spirit of the horse (according to Chinese zodiac) is to make unremitting effort to improve oneself, I wanted to dedicate this post to making note of new years resolutions that will encourage and motivate me to continue making improvements, and to keep me going onwards and upwards in this ever evolving world!

Be kind to your body

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- Keep motivated to obtain and maintain fitness: by going to the gym regularly (at least twice a week), keeping active and avoid sitting for too long (go for nice long walks out in the fresh (cold!) air). Get back into horse riding regularly, I miss it incredibly!

- Be persistent to achieve a beautifully toned body: by stretching regularly (everyday!), and doing muscle toning exercises daily.

-Remember to energize yourself through healthy food and drink: by cutting down on junk food (but remember that a little every now and again as a treat won't hurt!), drinking plenty of water and detoxifying drinks such as herbal teas, and by eating foods full of nutrients (such as fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts, oats and dairy, etc).

-Be patient, and look after your skin: patience is key here, my skin has been terrible lately (probably mostly due to stress, lack of sleep and not enough water), and I've come to realize that I just need to be patient with it, and care for it a little more. I've started using organic skin care (which I plan to write a review on in the near future), and so far so good... but I've got to keep caring well for it... patience is a virtue.

-Get plenty of sleep: by going to sleep at a decent time each night (before midnight on school nights), and ensuring a minimum of eight hours of sleep each night. 

Be kind to your mind

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-Don't overwork yourself: by taking some time out to relax every day, such as unwinding in bubble baths, snuggling up in bed with a book or a TV episode or two (or three..), blogging or writing.  

- Stay positive: by surrounding yourself with positivity. Read spiritual and enlightening literature, keep positive quotes and encouraging notes close by, and keep surrounding yourself with people who you can delve into deep philosophical conversations with (I'm very lucky to have friends whom I can do so with, such as Lucy and Emma...so, make the most of it!).

-Make an effort to meditate every day: by taking at least ten minutes out each night to just sit (or lay) and listen to your thoughts without judgement. 

- Don't internally dwell on your problems, resolve them: by being more open and honest with those around you (i've been doing really well with this lately!), keep writing (or blogging) about how you feel, you'd be amazed at how much you can learn about yourself, and the importance of particular emotions. 

-Be more decisive: by not dwelling on the (much too familiar) question 'what if..?' By accepting that people make mistakes, and that every decision you make can't be 'perfect'... and that's OK! Be a bit more carefree (but don't mistake this for careless... theres a big difference!)... just Let It Be!

Be Kind to others

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- Prove to those that you love just how much you care about them: by continuing to support them as much as possible, to give them cuddles when they're down and to make them laugh when they need a little uplight... also, make more of an effort to stay in touch with those that are far away.

-Continue volunteer work: by giving my all to the hergest project (a volunteer project I began last week, which involves volunteering at a mental health inpatient unit at the local hospital every monday night), to show more commitment to my role as RDA (riding for the disabled association) officer, and to get involved in other small volunteer projects whenever possible.

There are so many other resolutions I could write about here, I'm such an ambitious person, and there are so many things I want to learn about and experience. But lately I've been incredibly stressed and my priority at the moment is getting myself back on track... and being physically fit and well, focusing on my mental health and giving back to others is what will really help me this year, and these are the areas that I therefore want to improve upon.

I'm optimistic that with a lot of motivation and drive, the year of the horse will be a year of personal growth and development for me. Is there anything that you would like to improve upon? If so, I know you can do it too! Just remember that there are no shortcuts to any place worth going, so be patient, and be kind to yourself.

-Alyssa xo

Our Day in Marbella

I've been looking forward to writing this post all day. 

I've been hibernating in my bedroom for what feels like an eternity (okay.. it's been two days, but still!) ... studying (two more exams to go!) my little brain away, missing Logan and in dire need of a reassuring cuddle. 

I can now finally lay all snuggled up in my cosy bed, with a flask of hot decaffeinated green tea at hand, and blog away to my hearts content. One reason why I love blogging so much is that it takes me to some place else, it takes me back to the moments that I write about, any beautiful memory of my chose. 

Right now, I want to delve into the memory of my day trip to Marbella with Logan and my family. 

I have been to Marbella a few times as a child, and with fond memories of the city, I have been wanting to go back ever since my parents moved permanently into our house in Spain last December. My good friend Olivia lives in Marbella so I actually stayed with her one night during the summer after a lovely afternoon spent lapping up the sun on the beach (I blogged about it here). But we never ventured into Puerto Banús, which is the place where I longed to go back, nor the old Marbella town which I had never visited before. 

I was so excited to go back to Puerto Banús, and to experience another side of Marbella which I had never seen before, and I was the even more so excited that I could take Logan!

Puerto Banús is a marina located to the southwest of Marbella on the Costa del Sol. One of my favourite things about Banús is being able to marvel at the beautiful boats that are docked there. I love reading the names of the boats and imagining all of the magnificent locations they would have travelled to and from.

I was so happy when I found a boat that was named after one of my favourite sayings: La Dolce Vita.. the sweet life. 

Although it was a rather cloudy day, the scenery certainly wasn't disrupted....

                                

Not only does Puerto Banús have a luxurious marina to park your boat, it's also a notorious hot spot for entertainment, expensive boutiques (you name it... bvlgari, versace, dolce & gabbana, gucci, louis vuitton... you get the gist) and fine dining. 

After gawping at all the beautiful window designs, and before heading to Marbella old town, we stopped off for some tapas (oh how I already miss you tapas..)

After, what somehow became a meal full of fried food... we headed into Marbella old town! And my golly gosh, it was gorgeous. I'm an ultimate sucker for quaint, traditional places. They just have such charm and character that it's virtually impossible for my heart not to fall in love.

                      

                        

                       

Okay, so this restaurant right here... it doesn't look like anything special in this photo, however it had this  impressive atmosphere that intriguingly seemed to ooze out onto the street and cause us to be so mesmerized that we felt the urgency to take a little sneaky peak inside.

We didn't manage to get any decent photos to really show this little treasure off to the world, because well frankly we thought it was a little awkward and rude for us to take photos without ordering any food! This is the best shot we got, it really doesn't do it any justice! It's so beautiful inside! The rooms draped with multicolored balloons, the inside areas lit with the perfect intensity of light, and the glass extension area flooded with natural light. I really want to return here one day and have the pleasure of enjoying a meal in such a stunning environment and comfortable atmosphere.

After our little unexpected detour, we continued through the graceful little streets of Marbella...

                        

                        

And we ventured into another church. This church was b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. As i've mentioned before, I love places of worship, whether they be churches, temples, mosques, etc. Two of my favourite places in the entire world is the buddhist temple in China town in Singapore, and the Tian Tan Buddha in Hong Kong! I could sit in a place of worship all day long, and just enjoy it's tranquility, and beauty. 

After our stroll through Marbella old town and before bundling back into the car to head home, we came up with the marvelous idea to sit and enjoy some churros in a cute little cafe. Obviously, we made the right decision and ended the day perfectly... you can never, I repeat never (!) go wrong with churros!

Our day trip to Marbella was so wonderful, and it makes me so incredibly happy knowing that I can immerse myself in the memory of that day any time I need a little pick me up!

-Alyssa xo

Casares With My Love

The only constant thing that Logan and I ever seem to have these days are the all too familiar sights of planes, trains and automobiles, that transport us to and from our (seemingly) never settled homes. 

Although I complain quite a bit ( a bit too much) about never feeling settled, between (what feels like) my three homes (Singapore, Spain and Wales), really (deep down inside) I relish the fact that I have many homes rather than just one. Although it's never a nice feeling saying goodbye to your loved ones at the airport departure gates (with the sharing of tight hugs, and consequently... tear filled eyes), closing a door only leaves excitement for reopening it. 

I've had such a lovely time these past few weeks... in Spain with both my family and Logan, and back in Bangor (this past week) spending quality time with Logan. Logan left for the airport a few hours ago, and saying goodbye was just as hard as it always is. Even though I already feel lost and lonely without him here by my side, and although I already miss his cuddles and his laugh, more importantly I'm just grateful for yet another amazing holiday we had the chance to spend together.

A thousand more memories were made these past few weeks between Logan and I, and whilst Logan is up 30,000 feet in the sky above me, on his way across the pacific ocean, I can't think of anything more suited for me to do then to spend these first few hours of raw emotion and reminiscent state looking back on the time that we spent together, and what better way to do that then by blogging about it!

 Top on my 'to blog list'... our day trip to the beautiful Spanish village: Casares!

Casares is by far one of the most beautifully scenic places Logan and I have been to together. The view overlooking the traditional Spanish white village is gorgeous, these photos really don't do it justice!

It was quite impossible for Logan and I not to have a whale of a time in Casares with our cameras, there was just so much worth capturing.

Casares doesn't only look pretty from the outside, no sir-ee, it's incredibly charming within the village walls as well.

I can only imagine how even more beautiful this little village is at night time, when all the lamps and decorations are glistening and lighting up the quaint narrow streets that are surrounded by traditionally white, rustic Spanish walls.

We were attracted by the abstract art work of charming artist David España who had his fine work hung in a gallery in the heart of Casares. All of his work was done onto glass, which gave the art such a lovely nice touch. The paintings were all really cool, and the style was certainly very unique. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie bought a painting from this exact spot a few months back! Dad bought a painting home, and it now hangs nicely on our living room wall! 

You know what one of my favourite things to take photos of in Casares was?... Doors!... Yes that's right! Their colours and antique looks made them oh so photogenic!

We ventured up lots of stairs and hills until we finally made it to the castle ruins that overlooked it's lush surroundings.

I mean just look at that view!

Another beautiful little Spanish church. 

Once we felt we had explored Casares as best as we could, and before we jumped back in the car and headed home, we took the opportunity to have some delicious Spanish food for lunch whilst enjoying a rather spectacular view of the densely green mountains.

We had such a lovely day in Casares, and it makes me so happy thinking back to it. It's literally taken me the entire day to write this post because i've been on and off crying like a little baby since the moment I woke up this morning knowing that once Logan and I had said our goodbyes, I wouldn't be seeing him again until the summer. But now that I've finally reached the end of this post, and have been able to openly express my extremely emotional reminiscent state, by sharing with you a day that was so full of fun and happiness for both Logan and I, I feel a lot less alone. It's always the hardest part... saying goodbye, and then the hours which follow where I can't speak to Logan because he's flying away from me... it always makes me feel so lonely. I know I probably sound like a drama queen right now, but it's difficult.. being with the person you love every second of every day (literally) for almost a month, and then being forced apart knowing you won't see the other again for months to come, and you don't even know how many months it will be until you're together again.. it could be four, it could be seven. Long distance relationships are hard, but mine is so totally worth it <3

-Alyssa xo