International Women's Day - Grandmother


Hey guys,
I know I don't usually post on wednesday's but today, is International Women's Day. 
I'd like to dedicate this post to a very special woman in my life who shaped who I am today and who gives me a reason to keep fighting.

My grandmother.

"Grandmother, 
The alchemist, 
You spun gold out of this hard life,
Conjured beauty from things left behind,
Found healing where it did not live,
Discovered the antidote in your own kitchen,
Broke the curse with your own two hands"

You were there for me when I spent most of the first 8 years of my life in the hospital, and always tried to keep the coldness out of my life. And you told me that my life was going to be nothing like yours because it would be so much better, which was the main reason why you had to let me go and live all the way across the world for better education and healthcare. You told me that if I ever feel unloved, to remember there's two more people across the world that loves me so much more than the width of this universe.
 Even now, I'd rather be with you and grandaddy. 
Everything I do is for the both of you.
And, I still remember the last time I visited you. You saved the christmas gifts you'd receive for so long and you wanted me to open them because, you remembered how I enjoyed doing that when I was little.

Thank you for teaching me how to love,
For teaching me what the true definition of true love is,
For giving me unconditional love,
For raising me like your own,
For being my hero,
For never making me feel like you loved me any less,
For bringing so much happiness in my life,
For understanding my heart,
For always knowing what to do when I'm upset,
For your endless support,
For spoiling me with love and kindness,
For teaching me that money isn't everything.

.nicoleaejayflora.
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What It's Like To Work In Costa


For those who don't know, I work at Costa. I'm a barista.

The reason I chose Costa is because, of their foundation. They help the farmers that grow the beans as well as helping schools and societies, such as in Peru. To me, that's amazing. I love companies who grow but never forget to give. A company that not only is internal succession a priority but, ethical and environmental factors aren't dismissed.
Not everyone knows that about Costa because everyone is so busy focusing on Starbucks or other coffee chains.

During my first 2 days, it was so overwhelming and honestly, I didn't think I would know how to make the different types of coffee so quick. For example, if you want a primo (small) latte to take out, it's 2 shots however if you were sitting in it's only one shot, and medium sizes have two shots and massimo (large) sizes have three shots. Also, there's different ways of preparing the milk for different types of coffee; for a cappuccino, it needs to be foamy so when you're heating it up you run it up and down to make it foamy and bubbly up to 140°C, however you don't do it in a fast pace; whereas, if you're preparing the milk for a flat white, the milk jug needs to be at a certain angle so when it's heating up it's swirling then you bubble it up for a little while and back to swirling again until it reaches 140°C. If the customer asks for it to be extra hot, it's up to 160°C but never go over because it'll burn the milk.

I know, to you, it sounds complicated but because the job is repeatable you remember it quickly so if you're training to be a barista or want to be one, don't worry because it gets easier each time.

You most definitely will approach mean customers, but never let it get to you because there are also amazing customers and no-one should ever let bad customers run your life.
My first bad customer were an old couple, I remember it clearly because it was my first ever shift. I had to prepare an americano, even though I didn't know how to but I had to learn somehow, and I made it right, however I didn't know that the milk for the americano had to be placed in a very tiny milk jug and not straight into the mug, which was what I did. They were furious and yelling, "don't you know how to do your job right?!" As much as you want to yell back, you have to apologise and make it again. Customer service does take patience and that is one of the main things I learnt from it.

Another bad customer was an old lady. She was one of those customers that never want the trainee to make the coffee for her because it's not 'good enough'. You just HAVE to shake it off instead of pouring the coffee on them.

I've had such amazing customers too. One of them were a dad and a daughter and ironically, they were the next customer I served after the two mean old couple. I'm not sure if they heard it or not but, they were telling me that they just wanted to remind me that I'm doing a good job and to not worry. Honestly, I appreciated it so much.

Another was an old man, he was the first person I served a flat white coffee. I didn't know how to do any designs or anything so it basically looked like a blob and we laughed it off. After he drank it, he came back to the counter and told me that that was his best flat white he has ever had. It's such a small thing for other people, but I don't like taking small things for granted so it was very motivational.

That's all I have for now.
Thank you for reading my blog, be safe.

.nicoleaejayflora.
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Dear 2016

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Dear 2016,

We're half way through February and it has taken me nearly 2 months to complete this letter.

2015 said you'd be scary but I felt optimistic anyway. 
You drained me emotionally at times and other times I never felt so free. 

I feel like you've taken a piece of me then you brought me back up and shattered me again. You made me stand in the mirror not quite sure who was looking back.

You taught me how to be brave, how to not let the past dictate my present and future, you taught me how to be stronger. 

Tick tock. 
I was never good at living in the moment.
Tick tock.
I was never good at accepting everything won't be perfect.
Tick tock.
Until you came. That is.
Yet, still, nothing made less sense.

I've had people tell me what they wanna do, people pushing me to what they want me to do and pushing me and pushing me slowly making me forget who I am. And so much more stupid drama. And, they didn't even care as long as they got what they wanted. As long as it was perfect in their eyes. 
And who was I to refuse them? 
I was just the "secretive", misinterpreted and misjudged by the people 'close' to me girl. 

You see there's a big difference between me being secretive and me who just simply do not trust them after everything they put me through. That's where they got me confused. You want to know the truth? I didn't trust them enough to tell them, I didn't trust them not to ruin what made me happy like what they've been doing all these years. And because of that, they couldn't accept my reasons nor did they care. 
Now they question where I got my bravery from. They don't want to face the fact that the reality is they shaped who I am today so they come up with excuses, to themselves and to me, to seek validation that what they did was okay.

All these years, I asked myself how can the people that's supposed to teach you how to love make you so afraid of it?
Over the years, I'd let the guilt they drowned me in consume me because, like they said, I wasn't good enough. 
They pushed me to become what they wanted, not what I needed to be. 
They told me anything that goes beyond the whispers of their voices was wrong. That what makes me happy was wrong.
So dear 2016, 
Thank you for making me see the truth. Thank you for teaching me to stop living for them and to start living for me. Their definition of who I am does not define me. Just because I don't meet the perfection in their eyes does not mean I wasn't made in God's image. 

Whilst finding myself, I lost a lot of people along the way and it never felt more right.
The taste of freedom and happiness of the knowledge that I could be who I want to be touched the tip of my tongue. It's bursting with flavour.

Dear 2016, keep the piece you stole from me. There's more pieces of me to find over the years.

.nicoleaejayflora.
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VALENTINES DAY TAG

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Hey guys,
Here is my Valentine's Day tag!

What is your favourite Valentines Day treat?
I'm not going to lie, I don't have one. I love tacos though.

 Sweethearts or chocolate covered strawberries?
Chocolate covered strawberries for the win.

 What is your favourite Valentines Month memory?
All the times I spent with my bf.

 What movie would you rather watch on Valentine’s Day: Pretty Woman or You’ve Got Mail?
Pretty woman, classic chick flick.

 Which restaurant would you prefer to go to for a Valentine’s Day date?
I don't have a specific favourite restaurant so I would just choose one that we both wanted to eat in rather than one of us not enjoying the meal. 

 What would you do on your perfect Valentine’s date?
It would be him buying me tacos, churros, quesadillas, caramel cheesecake from Nandos and red velvet cheesecake just because I love food. Then we do whatever and go wherever we want. 

 Red or pink lips on Valentines Day?
It depends on my outfit and by pink, is it hot pink or nude pink etc? Sticking to plain red and plain pink, I'd choose red.

 What is your ideal Valentine’s Day date outfit?
Rose gold velvet, long, fitting dress. I love rose gold! Or, a lacey white dress. I love lace! I can never decide when it comes to what goes on my feet, I'm too picky. 

 Homemade or store-bought gifts?
Either, although I usually prefer spending time with each other rather than focusing on gifts. I personally feel like Valentines day isn't about gifts but more of each other.

 Would you wear your hair up or hair down for a date night?
Hair down like the 60's wavy hairstyle. 

 Thank you for reading!
Be safe.
.nicoleaejayflora.
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Pink Love


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Hey guys,
This blog is about my favourite inside and outside boots.

As you can see above, that is my favourite outside boots. The body is actually a rose gold suede fabric. Its thick fabric makes your feet feel warm so you can imagine how amazing it felt during winter in UK. Don't worry, what you see is faux fur, not real fur. Not only is it outside but also inside therefore whenever I stepped into it it was so soft; yes, I could feel the smoothness through my socks. I must admit, I've been loving the white ridged platform heels. In fact, they're my favourite type.

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My favourite house boots, also, has a gold rose pink suede cotton fabric (the photos are below). Again, yes, it's faux fur and you can definitely see the similarities between the two. The faux fur is not only on the outside but inside too so it definitely keeps my toes warm and fuzzy. Every step is like stepping on clouds.
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.nicoleaejayflora.
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Why I started blogging

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Honestly, y'all I have been on a rollercoaster ride to finding myself and what I really want to do in the future.  I still am.

I have been doing everything possible as to finding out what my passion is and I realised that I pushed them away because of what other people thought about them. My passion is blogging, creating youtube videos, art, photography and event management. You see that's seen as something that only falls in the creative category and not logic. Nearly everyone I know looks down on it and I guess that's why I pushed what makes me happy for people that won't be me in the future. They are not me. They won't be the one living my life nor are they in my shoes nor will they be the one waking up everyday as me and be me. Only I can be me and I'm responsible for my own happiness.

It has taken me years to realise that.

I started living for myself the day I started blogging. I have stopped caring about what people think when I tell them what I want to become because, I don't want to wake up like them moaning that I have work, complaining to my companions of how tiring work is and wishing they had a different job. Why? Because I want to do what I love. If I love it, and I enjoy it then forget anyone who looks down. For people who moan a lot about their jobs, they have the guts to make me feel stupid for choosing something that doesn't make me feel that way. The funny thing is they're the same people who told me to choose happiness and to chase my dreams.

I want to be a blogger, YouTuber and an event manager. I want to continue my hobbies because that's also where some of my passion lies and they're art and photography.

I didn't choose money over my dreams.

This is just the start of my journey.

This is why I started blogging.

.nicoleaejayflora.
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2017 Bucket list

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By the end of 2017, I wanna be able to experience more activities. I want this year to be so much better than 2016. I want to end it knowing that there may have been some bumps in the road but I definitely had fun too along the way.

By the end of 2017, I will review my list and let you know which one I have done, which you'll probably know beforehand because it'd be on my social media or Youtube (click here).

These are the ones I've come up with now. I will add more and more over this year as I think of more ideas.

Here is my list:
  • Swim with sharks
I know that you might think I'm crazy but, it's such a rush experience and you know you only have one life so why not go crazy? Going on more adventures just adds to more fun stories.
  • Attend the London Fashion Show
I have always wanted to attend the London Fashion Show and New York Fashion Show but I know that my purse does not agree with me so I'll stick with one for now and since I live in the UK, I'll start with London. 
  • To be more confident 
I have always been cautious of my body and if I gain weight in specific areas that I don't want then I go on beast mode and exercise like crazy. It's not a bad thing but it's also not a good thing. I just want to be more confident and not care what anyone thinks.
  • Go on a helicopter ride 
I'm scared of heights but I'm not scared when I'm on a plane because you have a lot of room and planes are huge. I want to know what it's like to be on a helicopter because you get to see an amazing view and everyone who goes on it just seems like they're having a blast so why not try it.
  • Scuba diving
To be honest, I find this one scary and you may be thinking 'oh so you don't find swimming with sharks scary but you find scuba diving scary? Are you crazy?' But think about it, there's more sea creatures and I know I'm over thinking it but I really want to overcome this fear because it's not even that big of a deal as I imagine it.
  • Achieve good A level grades
This is pretty self explanatory. I want a good future.
  • Flyboarding
I find this one scary too because what if you go heads down into the water but you have two rockets attached to your feet and, you go zooming down the sea? But at the same time, I don't think that'll happen otherwise it wouldn't be available for anyone to do especially someone like me so I'm going to be brave and do it.
  • Fly on a jet that turns upside down
OHMYGOSH, I can't find any place in the UK that lets you do it y'all. But, I'm not giving up! I'm going to keep looking because I really want to do it and I want to experience it because it's such a rush and I need to be more adventurous before I'm old and my body can't take it.

.nicoleaejayflora.
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Highlights in 2016


Hey guys,
I know I didn't blog last week because I took a week off blogging but now I'm back.

I can't believe it's 2017!
2016 went by so quick and honestly, it wasn't that good.
I hope you all had a better year and if you did, you're blessed and I hope everyone else would be as lucky as you for 2017.

Some of my highlights in 2016:

Mine and Mk's First Year Anniversary!
If you haven't already, check my youtube channel out because I uploaded our first year anniversary video. Click here. 
It was and still is very special to me and, I'm super excited for more years to come. It reminds me that some things do last.

Helping Homeless People!
For christmas, I bought them blankets, hats and gloves to keep them warm. This idea started when I saw a homeless person shivering on my way home and it was so heartbreaking. You should never take what you have for granted; our 'little' reminders everyday.

Centre Parcs!
I made a travel video and it's published on my youtube channel and it would mean so much if you'd go check it out. Click here.
It was so fun being reunited with childhood family friends. I can't wait to do it again next year.

18th Birthday!
I wasn't really looking forward to it because, my grandparents and aunties weren't going to be there since they're across the world so I didn't see the point in celebrating. During the party, I was surprised because they had made me a video message and I loved it, it touched my heart.

Started Blogging and making Youtube videos!
It's a hobby that I love. It makes me happy and I'm going to continue no matter what people think.

.nicoleaejayflora.
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CHRISTMAS TAG

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Christmas is officially this upcoming Sunday!
I thought it was time to do the christmas tag so here we go..

1. What is your favourite christmas movie?
Grinch/Elf.

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
Both. I open the gifts I have received from close friends and family friends during the traditional christmas eve party then during christmas morning, I open the gifts I have received from my family.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
Probably the Christmas I've spent in Philippines because I was around my family whereas in UK it's not the whole family.

 4. Favourite Christmas gift?
The one I never received- a plane ticket to Philippines.

5. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?
I'm not going to lie, my grandparents spoilt me to bits when they raised me. Everything I wanted, I got so I feel very blessed.

6. What's the best part about Christmas for you?
Everyone I know is so jolly that specific day so the vibes is just so calm and cheerful.

7. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?
Believe it or not, I prefer giving gifts because it's so exciting to see their reactions when they open the gift I've given them.

HAVE AN AMAZING CHRISTMAS GUYS!
STAY POSITIVE.

.nicoleaejayflora.
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