The Comeback.... Again 😛

Hello there Beauties!

I know... I know... I have been slacking off on these blog posts even though I swore up and down I was gonna be consistent. To be fair, there are a lot of my passions/hobbies that I have completely slacked off on for the past six or so months as I have been in a constant loop of overwhelm and fatigue. However, that is no excuse, as I owe it to myself to show up regardless. Consistency has always been one of my shortcomings, so I guess that's on the list to explore in therapy when I finally have therapy money. I have the passion,  drive, and determination, but I just don't have the consistency. We are working on it my loves. 

Anyway, here is a list of things I have been up to in the past month or so that I have been missing (I've clearly been in my Nara Smith and cooking era): 

• I made bread! (It was really good, kinda like a sourdough and harddough bread crossover)
• I made garlic butter (it coulda been better, but it scratched the perfect itch)
• I also made carrot cake with pecans 
• I made carrot juice from scratch (it was near perfect, just missing the Dragon Stout)
• For the carrot juice, I needed condensed milk, and so I made that from scratch too (it was surprisingly simple to make)
• I made Jamaican Easter Bun (it is so good —I am still eating it— but I am missing the good ol' Jamaican tastee cheese)

Onto the non-food-related updates: 

• I read a book that made me bawl my eyes out. It was so gut-wrenching. It's called The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros. It has been a long time since I read a book that made me sob uncontrollably (the last one was probably A Thousand Boy Kisses & A Thousand Broken Pieces by Tillie Cole). Amazing, no notes. 
• I read a book that reminded me of the burden of family secrets and just how heavy they are to bear. It also highlighted the strength of the oppressed and wronged, and the expectation of others,  women especially, to forgive and move on for the sake of 'keeping the peace.' This book was very eye-opening to me, and I resonated a lot with the main female character: she was strong, independent, and firm in her resolve. She made me want to get up, let go, and reinvent myself, no matter how hard it was. Excellent read. No notes. I am sure if I re-read this in a few years, I will leave with a whole new message. It was Your Tomorrow Was Today by Oyindamola Dosunmu. 
• I visited Belgium! I went to a Fries Museum, a Chocolate Museum, and a Beer Museum. Belgian Beer was the best beer I have ever had! I was pleasantly surprised. Also, Begian chocolate? Chef's kiss!
• I had the most awful toothache (I really need to go get all four of my wisdom teeth pulled out when I return home), so I went to the dentist. Pats on my own back because I communicated effectively with the dentist in French, spoke to him about Jamaica, and understood perfectly the prognosis and his recommendations for treatment. Kudos to me. 
• I am learning the art of research and education again, specifically about things that I happen upon in passing and pique my interest. I read a whole discourse recently on the 'birds and the bees' saying. I learnt that it was not a sexual connotation, and should never have been used to explain sexual intercourse and reproduction. Rather, the full saying is, "the birds and the bees, the flowers and the trees," and its main purpose was to explain the existence and the principle of symbiotic relationships. It really explained how birds and bees show us that living things don’t exist alone, as bees help flowers grow, birds spread seeds, and everything is connected. Beautiful, right?
• I have had 12 perfect New York Times Connections since February (I really am proud of this because I keep losing my streak), and I have tried to solve all the Pips puzzles in under a minute (pretty good on most days). 
• Podcasts I've been listening to: 
• For entertainment and education:
• NetsChat with Netania and Denille (yes, I know this duo is no longer a thing, but shhh)
• NO NDA by RushCam
• BwoyATingz by Kareem by Kareem
• Mic Drop by Joy and Da'ana Williamson 
• She's So Lucky by Dear Media
• Aware and Aggravated by Leo Skepi
• Seen and Heard by Tami Chin Mitchell
• Redirection with Terri-Karelle by Dr. Terri-Karelle Johnson
• For education:
•  The Daily by New York Times
• Rational Security by the Lawfare Institute 
• Intermediate French Podcast by innerFrench
• Tais-toi by WellnessByJade
• J'ai peur donc j'y vais by Stef Bluelips
• Le Podcast Fluidité by Fabien Sausset
• Le talk franceinfo by Franceinfo
• Don't Frett by Justin Frett (on a break or discontinued)

I am trying my best to get into nonfiction and classics, but I haven't been able to find ones that interest me enough to read. Maybe I need to start getting into audiobooks so I can get that content in. This is the year for self-development and self-improvement, so saddle up my lovelies, we are trying to become the best versions of ourselves this year. 

No promises, but I am going to start showing up again for the blog each week. I have already planned out the content, so I just need to set time aside weekly to verbalise my thoughts and put them on paper. After all, this started as a safe space, and so I bet if I keep showing up, I'll start to feel safe again. I look forward to us vibing together again. I missed this little community. Also, please shoot me your favourite books and podcasts. 

 

 QOTD: What have you guys been up to? 

Love from all ends, 

Bella