Irony is a hell of a thing

Hey there sexy people,

It's been more than 3 years since I got my first and only hep B shot when I entered University and since then it's been a day in and day out put off of actually taking the little time to go. I mean you've seen the goal repeatedly. Well guess what? I finally made it to the Health Centre to get the vaccine and the Public Health nurse was on leave. Oh my Jah FML!!! Ha Ha Ha!!! That's just how the story goes. I made the decision to take the first step and it turned out to be a bust. Because as of next week I will no longer be at UHWI so there goes my chance for a little bit. Pray for my health please because I surely will need it at this rate. Anyways that's just how life is sometimes. Hopefully I will get the shot this year. Actually, I will get the shot this year. I must!!!!

Now for a little blog news........ A few new features will be added to my blog page. Note these may not be the most timely events because I'm in school and I'm just teaching my self all these blog aesthetics, although I have joined the Emerald Bloggers Network and that will actually help me out a lot. I'm planning to do a few guest posts on a few of my favourite blogs and hopefully they accept my features *fingers crossed* 

I also realized that I've been blogging for over 3 years and I've never held a giveaway yet. *gasp* This is not good. How could I not have given back to my amazing followers for so long? This is not good. So I will have one or 2 giveaways coming soon so look out for them and keep on following my blog. Lastly, I want to showcase a few of my projects for the year here. This year I hope to get more personal with my Confessions, more inspirational with my posts, do a little bit of reviews and try my hand at Vlogs (video blogs). Plus not to mention my Road Teip JA adventures will get more objective and hopefully I can get to do more travel, health and finance features here. These are my biggest passions. That's all for tonight folks well for this post anyways. I may just think of something to share and come back here. 

Thanks for stopping by. Leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And please remember to vote for AS TOLD BY NELLA for BEST PERSONAL BLOG, BEST LIFESTLYE BLOG, AND BEST WRITING ON A BLOG!!!!!  Voting is ONCE EVERYDAY until January 14 so Vote Vote Vote! Please everyone vote everyday!

Here's the link:
Jamaica Blog Awards

Much Love,

Nella

Relationship Manifesto Pt 2

Greetings lovers and friends,

Let's continue on our path of relationship manifestos. This is help re-shape your life for better and more successful relationships. One of the books that I read and want to recommend to you is called 50 Ways to Create Great Relationships by Steven. The author speaks about ways we can build our relationships and have meaningful interactions by stop focusing on taking and what we can get but rather what we can give to others.  This is the idea that I want to bring to the forefront of your mind as I speak about these manifestos. It isn't just about jumping from one relationship to another but rather learning about yourself and how you can improve the lives of those around you and make a meaningful impact each day. So let's continue writing these goals and resolutions and see how many of them we can achiever. Remember I'm not telling you to take on all at once but I rather adhere to the idea of choosing 1 or 2 and utilize them as the resounding theme for the year 2o13. Rome wasn't built in a day so you can't expect to do it all at once.

Back to our manifesto and resolutions.

6. Figure out what you want

Before you can enter into any relationship it's good to have an idea of what it is you want from a relationship, NOT THE PERSON. Think about how you want your relationship to be. Create an exciting vision of the future, with images of a happy and successful relationship. Now think about what you can do and how you can accomplish this dream. It's important that we not only find the person we want in our lives but to also be the person they need. A relationship works both ways and when we stop focusing on only what we can get but also what we can give. 

Remember date around, be rational, ask questions and truly listen to the answers. Only then can you truly find out what the person is about and if they are a right fit for you.

7. Get rid of emotional baggage

This is one of the best times to clean out your emotional closet and donate all the leftovers to the dump. Kick that heartache to the curve. Tell those toxic persons in your life Adios motherf***ers or a simple see ya later will do. Hit ignore to those exes who seem to want to play you like a video game and even though they won't commit seem to always appear when you're moving on with your life or not thinking about them any more. I'm convinced they can sense these things. Note: I'm not saying to get rid of all your exes if you guys have a decent relationship then who am I to tell you different because I talk to some of my exes with no problem (I actually talk to all except #3 and boy is he a story..........) but if this person is a toxic presence in your life then you need to cut them loose. I'm just saying you can't make it afloat if the anchor is still holding you down under. Say deuces and move on.

8. Let the past stay there!!!! 

This is it! This is the year you really do it! This is the year you really and truly put the past behind you. I know this can be a little daunting, the whole idea of letting go of things that seem to be a constant presence in your mind. Trust me I know. But listen to what I just said..... It's all in your mind. Your mind can make or break you. When you let go of the past it's a letter of emancipation and declaration that I am fabulous no matter what and no matter who says otherwise. I can forgive all those who have disappointed me in the past and still have an amazing future. Forgive your mistakes, make ammends with yourself, let it go and be free.

9. Get some standards but hold the silly deal breakers

I was watching the Steve Harvey show the other day and there was a lady on there who claimed that after reading his book 'Act like a lady, but think like a man' (a pretty good book and a good read in my opinion) she was convinced that her requirements for a man were justified. Now this lady had a 2 page, 2 columns on each page and back and fron.t list of requirements that a man must have then she wonders why she's single. She had silly requirements like he must own a ranch and make at least $500, 000 per year now if those are deal breakers what she expect is probably only a few men meet that criterian and they've more than like been swooped up already. Now this is what I mean about silly deal breakers. If your list of requirements is over a page long and doesn't even include things like loving, considerate, kind, faithful, trustworthy, etc and I'm talking both males and females here. This is not gender exclusive. You know practical things like that, then what are you doing? Let's get beyond the superficial and look for qualities that will supplement and complement your own. Get this perfect person idea out of your head because hey you, guess what? You are so not perfect either. Let's be logical about all of this 

10. Stop Comparing yourself to others

You are you and I am me an that's jut how it's supposed to be. Stop looking at others, their relationships, their successes and start focusing on your own. You are a wonderful, amazing person and you deserve to be loved. This should be your daily mantra. "I DESERVE TO BE LOVED. I DESERVE HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS' Examine your own life and use it as your romantic landscape, rather than perusing the lives of others. They can only be guides if you ask them about how they got to that point where there are but they can never be you. Don't be a second rate version of someone else when you can be a first rate version of yourself. 

How have YOU grown in the past year? What have you learned? What do you hope to achieve?

Think about it.

Thanks for stopping by. Leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And please remember to vote for AS TOLD BY NELLA for BEST PERSONAL BLOG, BEST LIFESTLYE BLOG, AND BEST WRITING ON A BLOG!!!!! 

Here's the link:
Jamaica Blog Awards


Much Love, 

Nella

Another day, another dollar. Relationship Resolutions pt 1

Good night everyone,

Today was honestly one of those day when I was just upset at a lot of little things but I kept calm (mostly because my boyfriend was messaging me to calm down) and also because I decided to keep busy and keep my mind off of it all. Keeping busy always seems to do the trick yes. 

Well that was yesterday haha but I fell asleep before I finish writing the post. Today was actually a pretty great day. I met some cool babies (I'm on a paediatrics rotation.....I actually dislike the course but I love playing with les bebes). One little boy saw me and started to smile and tried to jump from his mommy's arms to me. I was like 'Yay!!!! He likes me! I have a fan! Lol! It's amazing how a littlecan make you feel. I even met a little baby with dextrocardia which means his heart was on the right side of the body! Cool huh? Well I think so especially because this baby was a healthy little oxen and showed no signs of illness. Yay baby!!!!

Anyways that's not what I came to talk to you about. Actually what I wanted to do was to continue on the theme of goals and resolutions and speak to you all about Relationship Resolutions.

As the years have gone by, I've noticed a few things........ 

1. Humans are never content and always think everyone else is living a better life than they are. 

2. Couples often become complacent in their relationships and end up growing apart

3. We don't spend enough time with those we think are most important to us

So I'm here to present you with a few relationship resolutions that I think would help you have better relationships not only romantically but with everyone you care about. This will be split into 2 in the form of one for you single people out there and another for you couples. I mean I love you both so I will definitely do a lil supm supm for everyone. Oh and I also plan to recommend a few books that I think are worth the read. (Just so you guys know I'm pretty interested in the thing of love and relationships, not because I'm a single hag or a happy love bird but mainly because I think everyone should have the opportunity to appreciate love and all that it has to offer. I'm an idealist I know!) That being said, I think I'll begin with my Single Appreciation Day Celebrants.

The Single Person's Relationship Manifesto:

1. Take care of you. This goes for couples too!!!
There is one person who is always constant in your life and that's you. Ensure that you spend as many hours of the day as is possible relaxing and taking care of your mind, body and spirit. Do some brain exercises, some physical exercises, go on a day trip, meditate, take an early night's rest. Do all of the above. The most important thing is that you ensure that you are well taken care of. How do you expect to attract anyone when you don't look and feel your best. And this isn't just about attracting anyone, it's about building your confidences and fuelling you greatness. When you are taking care of you, you'll be amazing at just how much better everything seems to be.

2. Work on all your relationships. This goes for couples too!!!
It's easy to forget about those people who have been a continuous presence in our lives over the years. Be they family, friends, co-workers, church members or whatever. These people tend to be in our lives a little longer than most others. Spend some time cultivating these relationships. Practice having prolonged conversations, write a thank you note to someone for a small gesture, help someone else out of a bind. It's doesn't matter what you do just work on the relationships with everyone person who is significant in your life.  

3. Date outside the box
Do you notice a trend in all the men/women you've dated? Do they seem to be the same person just in a different wrapper? Well maybe you need to go against your grain and try someone new for a change. This doesn't mean to just date any old streggeh that approaches you. I mean you still need to make good relationship decisions. I'm just saying STOP CONFINING YOURSELF TO A DATING BOX. It's a big world out there kiddo so it's time to do a little exploring and who's to say you won't find just what you needed rather than what you wanted. Although it would be great if they were one and the same.

4. Learn from your successes and failures
What was the best relationship that you ever had? What was the worst you ever had? What happened in both? What did you learn about yourself? Now what will you do to improve on that? Those are the questions that we need to ask our single selves whenever we think about building new relationships. What about the successes and failures of our family and friends? What can we learn from them? These too can serve as our relationship blueprints for our respective futures. I personally think of every relationship I've had as a life lesson. I actually compiled a list once where I wrote down the name of each boyfriend I ever had and each guy I've ever dated (it's not that much so it's not a long list haha) and below each a little bit of demographics like age when we were together, how long we were together and the lessons I learnt for each was always the last thing I'd put for each relationship. For 

e.g. Bf #1: Reminded me to have fun sometimes and just relax rather than get overly anxious
Bf #2: Taught me how to trust people and let them in. He helped me learn that sometimes you have to take a chance on people no matter the outcome.
Bf #3: He taught me to accept my flaws and burdens as my own and also that I should always trust my instincts. I should follow my mind and my heart and know when it's time to take care of me above all.
Bf #4: He taught me to know when I deserve better and not accept anything less. He also taught me that life deserves some kind of balance. I need to have the right mix of everything and he helped to motivate me to do stuff as I'm sure I did as well.
Bf #5: My current bf is teaching me that there are really and truly some romantics left in the world haha. And even though we both have busy lives that you should make time for those you really care about. Yay us!!!

5. Trust your gut and pay attention to red flags
And finally!!! The last resolution I think every single person should make is to pay attention to red flags. If you see a blinking stop sign in the way, hear a million and one friends say 'tun back nuh guh suh!' (Turn around and don't go that way), if your own gut is kicking and screaming 'NO!!!!!' Then you probably shouldn't be going that way. It doesn't even have to be so obvious, it can just bee a subtle inkling that you have. Trust your own instincts and pay attention to the observations of others (you don't always have to listen but just be aware) because you generally know what's best for you.


Ah gee this seems a little long and I've got a couple tutorials to do so.............until next time my loves. I'll finish the single people manifesto and do the couples manifesto another time. Then I'll reveal my own little manifesto with you all

Thanks for reading.  

And please remember to vote for AS TOLD BY NELLA for BEST PERSONAL BLOG, BEST LIFESTLYE BLOG, AND BEST WRITING ON A BLOG!!!!! 

Here's the link:
Jamaica Blog Awards


Much Love, 

Nella

Vote For Me!!!!

Hey everyone!!!!

Guess who got nominated for 3 Categories in the Jamaica Blog Awards? Yep that's right.......Me!!!!!

So What would I like you to do? Vote As Told By Nella for Best Personal Blog, Best Lifestyle Blog and Best Writing on a Blog. Just click the link and follow the instructions to vote.  http://jamaicablogawards.org/jm/vote/ Voting is Once A Day EVERYDAY Please and thank you. I would really and truly appreciate the support!

Much Love,

Nella

Weekly Inspiration

Hello lovers and friends,

My weekly inspiration this week is following the New Year and a Fresh Start. It's about inspiring you to make a serious change in your life and the way you are. Whether you make resolutions or not, everyday is a chance to be a better you and that is what it's all about. Making progress, achieving goals and living the life that you envisioned. I once read a quote that said

"Adults always ask children what they want to be when they grow up because they are looking for ideas"

Listen to your inner child and that voice that constantly reminds you of your passions. What do you do when you aren't doing required work? Where do you find yourself venturing to? Is it beauty magazines and blogs? Secretly looking at dream getaways? Planning your own business? Whatever it is feed the fuel that continues to burn inside you. Read books, blogs, magazines on your interests. Seek out mentors and help from those who have achieved what you wish to. Take classes, go to seminars and learn as much about it as you can. Make it a viable source of income whether main or additional or supplementary income. When life gives you lemons....add vodka haha no not really but accept the good with the bad and take it as a stepping stone to your greatest success. Remember the arrow that is propelled forward is usually drawn back, so too your set backs can propel you forward once you note the lesson and make improvements.

It's a new year my loves. A new day and a new time. Stop limiting yourselves to the mental box you live in and create your own path. This is the only way we can live a life so sweet.

La Dolce Vita 2013

Much Love, 

Nella

Resolutions or Goals, You decide.

Ah yes! It's that time of the year again to make those much noted promises to ourselves about how we will improve our lives for the better. Hopefully if you make resolutions that you keep at least 2 of them. I think the biggest way to overcome failure is to recognize that they will happen because no one is perfect, dust yourself off, bounce back and practice practice practice. You are bound to falter in different areas of your life but the main point is to not stay down but approach from a different angle and see what works best for you. Sometimes you may be making too many ambitious goals at once and need to focus on only one or even make a compromise for these goals, resolutions or dreams to be successful. But one thing's for sure.......you won't get ahead just sitting on your behind. Trust me it only leads to a sore bum and a truck load of regrets and missed opportunities.

All of that being said.......What are my 2013 resolutions/ goals? Well let's check them out.

Academic:

1.Have a set study timetable that I follow

2. Acquire my Bachelor of Basic Medical Sciences Degree

3. Have an exemplary work ethic

4 Participate and be more active on the wards, in the hospital and in the clinics and all aspects of medical life

Personal: 

1. Take care of my mind, body and spirit.

2. Travel more often and seek out new adventures

3. Relax when feeling stressed

4. Participate in weekly focus challenges

5. Read 1 book a month incl. 3 business/ finance books, 1 marketing book, 2 inspirational book, 1 personal development book and the other 5 will be fictional books to spark the imagination

Financial:

1. Make $10, 000 from a side income

2. Create and stick to a functional budget

3. Successfully complete the 365 financial challenge (I'll explain this at a later date)

4. Improve financial literacy. Learn about investment options, stocks, bonds, portfolios, mutual funds, etc.

5. Save for a Dream Vacation and take it in 2013

Health, Fitness and Spirituality:

1. Lose 10-15 lbs of excess weight

2. Make a successful lifestyle modification

3. Do something to improve my health every week

4. Establish and maintain a functional exercise routine

5. Full take care of my body incl. meal plans, fitness regimen, meditation

6. Read motivational and fitness articles weekly

7. Pray and read the bible more frequently

8. Write a gratitude list and continue to work on my life journal and dream book

Beauty

1. Have a hair regimen that I stick to

2. Get rid of acne and blacspots

3. Take care of hair, nails, and skin

4. Have a beauty and fashion routine

5. Drink water daily

Blog:

1. Create more captivating blog content

2. Increase blog readership and followership

3. Do at least 6 guest posts on other blogs

4. Increase blog promotions and marketing

5. Establish myself as a blogger in the blogging world

6. Win the Jamaica Blog Award for Best Personal Blog :D

During the course of the year these goals may change or be altered but in the end all I accomplish shall be a step in the direction that I want to take my life in and I will be proud of it all. How about you? What are New Year's Resolutions/ Goals for 2013?

Much Love,

Nella

Lonely Heart Confessions- Fresh Start

There is something about a new year that seems to incite a spark within us all. Maybe it's the idea of leaving things in the past or building on the foundations that we have built. Maybe it has to do with that little glimmer of hope that seems to percolate through us that says this year things will be different and this year all my dreams will come true. I'm usually not one to promote resolutions but I don't knock anyone who actually does. 

I've often promoted and said that there is nothing special about January 1. There is no magic fairy dust that suddenly makes you better than you were before nor is there any sudden marker of change that appears in a new year. But I think that was more of my realist side talking. And while I appreciate that side of me because it keeps me grounded, sometimes the realist starts to sound like a pessimist. It's time to move from that realm and re-introduce the dreamer within me. The person who believes that anything is possible and that dreams do come true. The person who recognizes that hard work, determination and serious positivity are the keys to true success. That it isn't about how much money you have but about what you do with the resources that you have available. 

"Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that."~ Norman Vincent Peale

I've much taken for granted all that resides around me and as a result I have not appreciated my life and recognized all the blessings that I have. It's time to introduce gratitude into my life and nurture my mind and spirit into the era of positive vibrations, focus, drive, determination and success that is awaiting my arrival. Let go little one. It's the time for the dancer to twirl, the gypsy to roam, the free-spirit, the student and the successful entrepreneur to unite as one into a powerful and enigmatic supernova that illuminates the world. I am a candle into the night and the dullest and darkest days shall not dim my light but only make my incandescent spirit shine brighter, more brilliantly and more blindingly into the eyes of those who seek to tear me down or those who try to hinder my progress in anyway.  

It's time for a Fresh Start. Let the rear view be a guide and the forefront be a will. It's time for a fresh start. In all aspects of my life. From love to academics to career to finance. From spiritual to beauty to fashion to health and everything else that lies in between. A beautiful journey is ahead of me and I anxiously take the first step out the door and towards my new future. Every day is a new opportunity to make a difference and be the best version of myself as possible.

My advice to you all is to cultivate a life that you will be proud to tell your grandchildren about. Seek out adventures and make mistakes, for they make amazing stories. Get in touch with your spiritual side. Take care of your mind and your body for they are the only ones you have. And above all, be yourself always. This is my guide for 2013. I hope this little nugget inspires you as much as I am inspired and motivated to make this the best version of my life yet. 

It's time we all lived 'La Dolce Vita'

Much Love,

Nella