The Socratic Paradox

A lot has changed since I last blogged! One of my first posts was about eating clean and getting lean.  I would never have thought it would've taken around 2 years to get to this point, that is the 'get lean, eat so clean I don't eat a thing' part. It's funny the way things work themselves out. When I was younger I used to dream about a lot of things; and being skinny was one of them. I was already clever, articulate and creative, so all I ever wanted was to be rich, pretty and adored. It sounds stupid but these were just the stuff of my lucid daydreams. I wanted to be able to go away to any paradise, be accepted by people I would never usually brush shoulders with and instead I felt so confined.  I was involved in a lot of situations that I couldn't control growing up and I thought that as I got older  the things I used to worry about would vanish, but they only seemed to have worked themselves out in exchange for other worries. For example, now I look about half the size I did when I first started this blog. I lost weight and I lost my way.

I became obsessed with Carl Sagan, Quantum Physics &
Became Well Versed in The Expansive Universe

Sometimes we look for possible solutions in all the things we encounter. We look for reasons within

the incomprehensible. We try to fix things that aren't broken and end up breaking them. I used to (and still do) spend hours of sleeplessness nights searching for answers to questions I didn't really understand. I didn't even know why I was asking them in the first place, I just felt compelled to. It became an obsession, I couldn't rest until I knew what it meant for Mercury to be in Retrograde. I couldn't sleep until I understood what Descartes meant, and what that meant for me. Where did I fit in all this? Was I made up of atoms? How could I raise my vibration? What was the law of attraction? I reached a stage where I had all the answers and never before had I felt so stuck, confused and dumbfounded. I started asking questions that didn't have definitive answers like, was any of it real? and Should I be afraid? I had a formula for success and I kept failing. I had the recipe for happiness and got burnt out by stress and anxiety. It seemed every time I found the answer, the question would change, there was something new to consider, another person, another circumstance, something that I needed to consolidate into the equation. Sooner or later, I ran out of words. I felt cheated, that I had cheated myself and let others cheat me too.

Mercury goes into Retrograde 3 times a year &
will have you in your deepest feelings!

Then in a moment of pure divine intervention, I lost touch with what was real and what was imagined by just letting go and unlearning all the answers I had come to know. Let go of everything you think you know, because someone out there will teach you how to be wrong. And if you're wrong and strong it will be the hardest lesson you will ever learn. And don't ask 'why?' because the hardest part is unlearning the question.

I never realised the extent to which I had locked myself within The Socratic Paradox "I know that I know nothing". I felt absolutely cheated when I realised that everything I knew meant nothing if I didn't know who I was, or what I was going to do with myself, day in day out. This immortality of knowledge felt burdensome, I knew everything yet I knew nothing because I didn't know what to do with it. Then I heard Kendrick's song 'Momma' again and it all made sense..

Kendrick Lamar's 'Momma' Lyrics 

Music has always had the ability to free me from the confinement of my mind, to offer me perspective. It enables you to step outside your mind and mode of thinking to understand the mechanisms of thought and how you can pimp it to your own ability and reanalyse everything.

Kendrick Lamar's 'Mortal Man' Lyrics &
What It Means To Pimp A Butterfly

Kendrick taught me that you can become entrenched by your own mind, but only you can free yourself. Rings a bell, "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery" right? Its a message that is repeated time and time again. You have to get lost to find yourself. So when its time, let go of your answers (Ignorance) and your questions (Fear) and just be (Love).

This post was inspired by everyone who has recently mentioned my blog to me, thank you for encouraging me to speak my thoughts into existence again..

Have you got any songs that have enlightened you? Or any funny stories about what happened to you in Mercury Retrograde? Share in the comments or drop me a message! x

LoveSounds: Willough

It's not surprising to find that some things do not change in life. The things that happened in your past still happened and the things that will occur in your future will too occur. But the joy of music is that it helps to change your understanding of situations and circumstances. Better yet, if you can't understand these things with your way of thinking, music can help to open up a new dimension in which your perspective changes and acceptance becomes a constructive process. Willow Smith has slowly over the years become an advocate for this kind of transformative thinking. 

It's fair to say the young star has caused a lot of controversy, due to her age and actions, she's shaved off her hair, had it in very expressionistic styles and dresses in the same manner which reflects her musical abilities. Most people know her from being the youngest of the smiths, her role in the Madagascar movies and of course who can forget how hard she 'whipped her hair back and forth'. She's always had a positive message to share and I'm glad she realised she had a voice to speak out. Recently, I watched a documentary which explored the possession of power through the use of the Internet; who has it and what will they do with it? Willow is one of the strong, young minds that have grasped the power that they have and the messages they can send out. Whether or not you believe in numerology, or chakara's or the fact that she has 3 eyes and 6 arms is irrelevant to the fact that her voice and music and thoughts can have a proficient affect on you and your train of thoughts. 

Instead of capitalising off of her talents by making music which means nothing to her, she shares soundbites on Soundcloud on what she's been working on with big artists like SZA in their track 'Cuban Pete' and her amazing freestyle 'Female Energy' which I completely adorned the moment I heard it. I wore the track like a turban and let the thoughts, the vibes and the feelings emitted seep into my mind and became complete zen. She's right, some things are really out of our control and we can only deal with these things once we accept it and allow ourselves to float above the negativity. Willow talks about a lot of things which some people may find uncomfortable or strange, in an interview with MTV.com she said she's been really into number as a few had been 'chasing' her and her friends. If you're familiar with Lisa 'Left-Eye' Lopez and her thoughts on numerology you'll understand a little about what these numbers mean to people like her. It would be a huge mistake of yours to disregard her music on the basis that, this kind of thinking about Prana energy, frequencies and vibrations isn't your sort of thing because the message still stands as the same. 

Willow tells in an interview, “I’ve been coming into this new phase in my life, just becoming one with all that is, going deeper into myself and getting to the goal of my music, which is to share that feeling and pass on knowledge so that consciousness can be raised on this planet.” 

In 2015, what could we stand to gain from a 14 year old creative you ask? Well I say you could learn and vibe with Willow so much, the production on some of these tracks will blow your mind. The lyrics will leave you speechless, comprehending whether you've just learned what your emotions sound like through sounds and melodies and what they look like painted in the artwork of the tracks by a 14 year old who started writing her own novels aged 6! Willow has so much to offer and an array of tracks for you to indulge in. 

Head over to her Soundcloud 'Willough', to experience what change feels like though music and free yourself in such beautiful LoveSounds. 

Nineteen

After a birthday people often ask if you feel any different than you did a few hours before, being a younger age and honestly some things never change-I type this handicap-idly with a fistful of gummy bears. I've learnt a lot about myself since my 19th birthday, whether that's because I'm in a different environment, no longer a full time student but now a full time worker I don't know but I have noticed some changes. Turning 19 was unexpected and without cliché which I have appreciated. I didn't have many expectations and some people think this is good, so there's no disappointment but I've taken everything in stride and embraced emotions as they've come. I've learnt that I can't control everything around me, whether you like it or not life goes on and you have to move with it or get left behind. Some things never change though, being around older guys have taught me that no matter what age, boys who are not yet men are still very dumb, idiotic and insensitive. I taught myself how to distinguish between terms for example calling 16 year old males 'boys' and 24 year old males who are still 'boys' 'guys' instead. Aswell as learning a bit more about the rival species, I've uncovered information about the league of aspirational women and the trail of imbecile little girls who let the side down to garnish attention from the opposite sex. It may seem as though I've discovered information about everyone except myself but this is the joy of being 19; well getting it right first time that is. 19 is an age rarely mentioned or warned against. Being 19 is all about subtlety, if you're an extrovert this is your year to sit back and observe, find out exactly how to read people and spot the bullshit a mile off. Trust me after a while it becomes so easy to do. Learn from older people, study their achievements and their mistakes and heed that warning. 19 is a purgatory state between youth and adult. I still believe it should be made illegal to address an 18 year old as an adult, here in London at least. At 18 you have no where near the mental capacity needed to be and adult and do it properly. 18 is the year of ill informed, uneducated decisions and 19 comes along to clean up that mess. So many people end up starting University aged 19 and not 18 because of those ill advised decisions but they usually end up with a lot more to show of their year of growth, maturity and progression. At 19 you're young enough to fool older generations into underestimating our talents, wit, intelligence and skill. Working hard at 19 shows people you want to be taken seriously, especially if you have the facial features of a 16 year old teenager. No ones going to call you a teenager and no one will respect you like an adult until you show them your edge, and this comes naturally once you've mastered being 19. 19 is a good year, just don't mess it up.  

Camden Town

Last week I went to Camden Lock with my cousin to have dessert at Chin Chin Laboratories.

They serve Ice Cream made with liquid nitrogen-generated steam in three flavours, I had the Pondi cherry-vanilla topped with hazelnuts.

It was so yummy! If it's your first time they talk you through it and explain that using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream results in a smoother texture and stronger taste, which contrasts so well from the crunchy hazelnut toppings. The parlour is very small and cosy, neatly tucked away in the midst of Camden Lock but you cant miss it because that sweet smell of ice cream just draws you in! The price is reasonable and they only take cash but don't worry, the staff are so friendly and kind they'll show you where the infamous cash machine is.


I'd definitely go again, for a quirky catch up date with a friend and then do a spot of Camden Market shopping.

LoveSounds- The 1975 LIVE IN CONCERT!

So last week I went to work, caught up with some Greys Anatomy, joined a new gym oh and I saw The 1975 live in concert. Anyway the highlight of my week had to be that customer who-OMG OMG OH. MY. GAHD! I SAW THE 1975, MATTY, GEORGE, ROSS AND ADAM (okay enough with the caps lock, deep breaths) I saw them all live on stage, in the flesh and basked in their presence.
 I was actually supposed to go alone and I was terrified, what if I looked crazy by myself I thought, NO CHANCE MATE! Have you heard of a certain past time called, Indie Moshing? I've been to concerts before but this was my first actual rock/indie concert and I was in for real a treat! Indie Moshing oh how I love you, we moshed and moshed the night away and I ended up closer to Matty than when I started the night.

The crowd was so united it was like we were one big, rather aggressive, sex starved family chanting 'Sex! Sex! Sex!' I was fully immersed like Matty was after diving into the crowd two minutes into 'The City', the first song! I concentrated on connecting with the music and the boys on a spiritual level, I devoted my mind, body and soul whilst praying for another mosh session so this 6ft2 guy would disconnect his painfully bony elbow from the indent of my crooning neck. I shared the joy of the pain with one of my bffl's as I persuaded her to buy a last minute e-ticket for the sold out show at the O2 Academy Brixton. If she hadn't already proved her worth and value to me as a best bud in the, well 18yrs that we've known each other, that night she surely did, I thanked God and O2 priority moments for her existence as her O2 contract is what got us from the very back of the queue to the priority queue right at the front...stay with me now, I know it's a lot to take in. I was incredibly emotional so I moshed for mankind as I released all that energy, love and passion. Matty shook his hair as hard as George clashed those cymbals, I felt Adam tug on my heart strings as he caressed his guitar and Ross modulated the pitch of my very existence when he played that bass.

Everything suddenly became very surreal, this ethereal lighting created a hazy understanding of what my life had become, why hadn't I felt this euphoria before? Or everyday for that matter? Who was this girl screaming, crying and shaking uncontrollably whilst clutching onto me? And where was that loud screech coming from? Is that me? Is that Matty on the balcony?! Yes, they gave us everything, Matty sacrificed his body about 3 times to the restless audience, they gave us their pure talent and love they even gave us a bottle of water for Gods sake man! It was only right someone threw a lollipop on stage, a small token of our love. Matty gave us his most sensitive side, he sung 'Is Their Somebody Who Can Watch You?' a song for his little brother, this song means so much to all of us, he told us to put our phones away, because this ones for us, so in true concert style we put our (their-I'm obviously not cool enough) lighters up to show some lurve!

09/01/14

To sum the night up in one word would be impossible, it was a full on out of body experience, the night is one big blur of euphoria and a blue beam which is the visual representation of the load screams that penetrated my ears. We ended the night herding out into the lobby to buy tour tee's chanting 'Sex! Sex! Sex' I do love a good Indie Rock concert. What's that you say? Bournemouth Feb 14th? See you there love! xx 

Life Advice-Eat Clean > Get Lean

Hey Everybody! Now that all the festivities have died down and we've finally said 'No more' to the heaving snack cupboard, I think it's now time to embark on a 'Eat Clean, Get Lean' lifestyle. Notice I didn't use the word 'diet', this is because I am deadly serious guys, I'm so Pro Green it hurts!-Literally. I dropped my old gym membership, with its cheap benefits for my new local gym, more expensive and more hard work. But this new lifestyle means more effort, I have to cook my own meals (I still live with my ma!) and be sensible when it comes to portion control and timing. I'm getting the hang of it and it's so fun, making new meals, trying out different meal plans and working out which releases those endorphins! I'm a happy chap these days, I tell ya! 

However, about a week ago today when I decided to go all the way, I made a rather ill-advised decision. Scrolling on one of my new favourite apps 'Pinterest' I came across the Victoria Secret Model diet and got sucked into the dark side, where unfortunately, there are no cookies, or sweets, carbs and oh of course no meat. Zilch. I thought what could I do to improve my fitness and general health, I definitely cannot train twice a day like Adrianna Lima and carbs and meat make up most of my meals; overwhelmed I took the plunge and rose to the challenge, no meat for two weeks.I eat meat literally everyday. Now there's nothing wrong with not eating meat, there are many healthy pescatarians and vegetarians, the difference is, they have a healthy alternative which I didn't consider. Day 7 on my meat free diet I felt lighter and pretty keen to carry on, I lined (and I use this term loosely) my stomach with Special K honey nut clusters, with crushed walnuts and hazelnut soya milk (another substitute) and headed off to my local gym.

I met with a personal trainer and we worked out my short/long term goals and a six week workout plan. Everything was going well and he seemed pretty impressed with me if I say so myself, that is until I fainted in true East-end duff duff moment style towards the end of my workout. Typical. There could only be one explanation-fatigue. I was zapped with minimal energy! We finished up after I came round with crimson cheeks (obviously due to my cringing) and I walked out head down ashamed of myself. I felt guilty because I couldn't finish the workout, in true honesty the old me would have given up and succumb to the wet towel, Gatorade, pack of sensations and a pack of strawberry laces treatment; but the new me took it on the chin and learnt a good lesson. 

So guys and dolls once again I have some advice for you, when cutting foods out make sure you have an alternative which is just as good. For example, I made Thai Coconut Prawns, a meal without meat which instead consisted of really tasty prawns, lots of spicy peppers like scotch bonnet and finger chillies to boost metabolism and some fresh Sugarsnap peas. Obviously I need to find a way to incorporate protein into my diet if I'm not going to eat meat otherwise it's back to the drawing board. When feeling peckish, which is standard for me go I for some homemade Granola which is incredibly easy to make you'll kick yourself for not thinking of it sooner. I made a really simple one earlier, it contains, oats, maple syrup for all my sweet tooth sistahs! dried blueberries, chia seeds, walnuts, pecan nuts and banana. You can have it with yoghurt, milk (flavoured soy milk if you're fancy like moi) and add more fruits if you're feeling blue. 

Bottom line is kids, be safe when it comes to your health, I was scared as I had no control over my body, my brain was literally starved and parched, much like me now, where did I put that Granola? Oooh Acai Berry Juice! See ya xxx 

Ark Online

Friends! I have found us the new online shopping destination which will surpass all your expectations my dears. In a panic to find a dress which had sold out of my size on good old ASOS, I Googled the brand, Motel and found some sites.

Navy Skull Lace Dress
Motel from ARK
Was: £59.99
Now: £30

 Ark Online stood out to me because it had a UK address and a banner showing the variety of brands they sell. With all the discounts flashing on my laptop screen, I thought it was all too good to be true, they had the dress in my size with an extra 50% off! YES! In a haste I was all too eager to place an order, but I took the time to read some reviews and customer feedback-which I advise you all to do when shopping online. The reviews were all good, with most customers receiving a lot of help when something went wrong. I was set to receive my delivery from them 4 days later, but a whole week after this date I still hadn't received my much sought after dress :( They have a tracking number which you can put into Royal Mail so I used this service and was literally baffled due to it being 3am and reading that the order had apparently been delivered to my address days ago???? ROYAL MAIL SAY WHA?!  

I called the customer helpline yesterday morning and let a lovely customer services assistant named Iona know about my predicament and she helped me so much. She took down my name and order number and within a few hours I received an email and text informing me that my dress would be sent out again and I would receive it the next day as part of their next day delivery service, she even refunded me the delivery charge from my original order! Now, I work as a sales advisor, so I know exactly how it feels when something that isn't your fault goes absolutely wrong and she handled it with ease and expertise. I STRONGLY recommend this site to ER'BODY! Tell yo mama, and yo sistah, and even ya daddy because this site has something for everyone, and seriously if something does go wrong, you're in very safe hands. So as you can imagine I was very excited to get home from work and try on my new dress, but unfortunately my mother and brother aren't as efficient as Ark Online and didn't answer the FRICKEN door! So they gave it to my lovely neighbours. If all this isn't enough to persuade you to try 'em out then how about these perky perks...

-20% off Jackets & Coats 

-Womens Sale from £5!

-Next Day Delivery on all orders over £40 (In time for Christmas!!)

Have you had any experience with top of the range customer service recently? Drop a comment and share the love xxx 

Welcome

Hi Everyone & Welcome To My Blog!

My name is Regina and with that comes many connotations, the Latin meaning being 'Queen' and the American-High School symbol of  'Queen B(itch)'-Regina George.

Basically Me On An Arrogant Day

 I however, fit gracefully somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. I am both sheepishly subtle and charmingly boisterous at times and I cant wait to reflect that in my writing. If you're into scouting new talent, both musically and the literal sense ;) then you'll love my 'LoveSounds' posts about new artists on the scene and reviews on the books I've read and had a rather intellectual natter about at Book Club whilst munching on some good old Tyrells Sweet Chilli & Red Pepper crisps. As a Gap Year Student in London, the world has genuinely become my oyster, it's a shame about that 16+ Oyster card expiring though R.I.P free travel :( I still feel as though I owe it to the Dream Biggers out there who would kill (not literally) to live in the cosmopolitan hub that is London and take full advantage so I hope you'll stick around and see how great I can make my Gap Year! xx