The New York Series: Statue of Liberty

Hello, welcome to the fourth part of my New York Series. Today’s entry will be all about the Statue of Liberty, which I have visited over a month ago. Oh, how time flies.

New York is known for many things, one of which is the Statue of Liberty. It’s widely recognised as a symbol of freedom and democracy. On the 26th of April, we got the chance to pay a visit to the monument. 

Here are a few photographs that I took during my visit, perhaps this will give you a glimpse of my trip to the Statue of Liberty. 


Liberty Island had a great view of the New York Skyline, I couldn’t pass up the            opportunity to take a photo of it. Trust me, it’s breathtaking.  

(P.S. It’s Liberty Island i’m referring to, not Ellis Island. My bad!)

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          This one’s taken from the island, which explains why it is quite far.

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And here’s a closer look of the skyline, which i took while I was in the Statue Cruises, which we rode to be able to get a good look of the monument, and to get from Manhattan to Liberty Island. Honestly, this is one of my favourite photos that I took during my whole trip to the United States. 


     A few photographs of me with the beautiful New York skyline behind me. 

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                    Underneath the beautiful cherry blossoms on the island. 


You’re probably thinking, “Bea, show photos of the Statue of Liberty already.” That’s probably what you came here for. Here you go. 

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                 The two photos above were taken from the Statue Cruises. 

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Here are the photos I took when I was on the Liberty Island. Seeing it up close after just seeing it in photographs felt surreal. This experience is definitely one for the books.


That’s it for this entry! I hope you liked it as much as I loved putting it together. Till next time! 

The New York Series: The 9/11 Memorial Museum

9/11. Whenever I hear it, words come crashing into my mind. Tragedy, attack, death and grief are some of the words that come to my mind.

I’m sure you’ve heard of it. On social media, the news or from people you know. It was such a tragic attack. Thousands of people lost their lives, families have lost their loved ones and it has greatly affected the United States and its people.

During my visit to New York, we were able to visit the 9/11 Memorial. This visit to the museum allowed me to look more into this attack, it has opened my eyes and has left an impact on me. As I was walking around the memorial, there would be times that I would go “Wow, this actually happened.” and would occasionally get goosebumps.

I took a few photos (some parts of the museum did not allow photography) and I’d be glad to share it with you all. Here’s a glimpse of the 9/11 Memorial. 



As you arrive to where the memorial is, you will see where the twin towers used to be, before the attack occurred. 

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                              Where one of the twin towers stood before. 


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                          A photograph taken 15 minutes before the attack. 


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                                   A photograph taken during the attack. 


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        Three of the columns which used to provide support for the structure. 


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                                                 The Last Column. 


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Some posters before with a few pieces of information about the missing person                written on them. 


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                      “Vesey Street Stair Remnant: The Survivors’ Stairs.”

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          A damaged fire truck caused by the collapse of the North Tower. 


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“Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning” by                      Spencer Finch. (Here’s a closer look.)


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There was an area wherein you could write messages through a device and it would show up through a projector (if i’m not mistaken). Here’s a photograph. 


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                                      The World Trade Center today. 


That’s it for this entry. I hope you guys liked it! And if you plan on visiting New York soon, i would highly recommend paying a visit to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. 

Till next time!

The New York Series: The Niagara Falls, A True Masterpiece.

Hello, and welcome to the second part of my New York Series! Today I’ll be sharing with you one of the highlights and a personal favorite of mine from our trip — the Niagara Falls.

I’ve seen photos of the Niagara Falls and i have always thought that it was so beautiful. I never thought that I would be able to witness one of the most gorgeous creations there is.

To get there, we had to go on a 6 hour drive and to be quite honest with you, I’m not a huge fan of car rides. However, this 6 hour travel was definitely worth it.

We rode the Maid of the Mist which was a boat ride taking you near the falls itself. Boat rides would always manage to somehow scare me and make me anxious, but for this boat ride, I didn’t really feel much of those emotions (well, maybe a little bit).

Now let me tell you this — i was freezing the whole boat ride. The weather, plus being in the Niagara Falls with water splashing and getting you wet, how can you not get cold?

Once I saw the falls, I was mesmerized and I was genuinely amazed. It made freezing and getting wet all so worth it. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, i felt like it was too beautiful to be real. The waters were so pristine and it was so beautiful and calming to look at. It also made me realize how God is really capable of creating amazing things.

To let you guys know what I’m talking about, here are some photos who’ll do the more of the talking for me:

(Note: these pictures are from my dad or from my aunt because I was too scared to bring my phone out.)

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      The closest i’ve ever gotten to a rainbow. I was really amazed, honestly. 

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                  And nope, there’s no pot of gold or a leprechaun whatsoever. 

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                                                 A true masterpiece. 

                                    (there is no filter on this, by the way.)

That’s it for this post! This is just the second part of my NYC series, so stay tuned! I have a lot more to share with you guys. Till next time!

The New York Series: New York From Above

A month ago, I have ticked off one of the things on my bucket list, and that is to go to the United States of America. During my stay, i got to visit some of the places that i have always dreamt of going to and those that are part of my bucket list. One of those place is the Empire State Building.

When you hear “New York”, a lot of things come into your mind and the Empire State would probably be one of them as it is widely known. It has been in several films and it is one of the places that New York is known for, which is why tourists make it a point to pay a visit.

Honestly, being there felt surreal. It was hard for me to take in that i was in the Empire State Building. After seeing it in films and in photographs, I finally got to see it in real life.

However, the highlight of my visit to the Empire State Building (although my visit was one of the highlights of my trip) was the wonderful view from the Observation Deck. It overlooked New York and seeing that left me in awe.

The city didn’t look real to me, it in fact reminded me of those buildings that you would build using lego blocks. It may sound strange, but the structure and its appearance reminded me of it. I found it really beautiful and amazing, what I saw was exactly how I pictured New York in my head and the view just screamed New York to me (although it really is New York).

To let you guys know what I’m talking about, here are some of the photos I took, from 65 floors up the Empire State Building. 


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And that concludes the first part of my New York Series! Till next time. 

(Just a spoiler, I will be doing different series of the different places I went to in the U.S.! Stay tuned!)

You.

by Bea Custodio
3:06AM

It’s you.

You’re the one my heart desires, the one it’s beating for. My heart has never longed for anyone else but you.

You’re the person that constantly runs in my mind, the one keeping me up till midnight. The thought of you is just so lovely, and i can’t stop myself from letting you run in my mind.

You’re the one that my heart and mind longs to write for. You’re the one i always write about late at night and whenever my heart wishes to.

You’re what comes to my mind whenever that song comes on the radio, or whenever i see that artwork in the gallery we loved. A lot of things remind me of you.

You, you are the one i loved the most. Despite having the world against us, despite your flaws and imperfections. You’re the one that has made me fallen in love, even though it was unlikely for me to do so.

It has always been you.

And it’s still you.

How I Edit My Instagram Photos!
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Aaand I’m back. It’s been a while since I’ve posted on my blog due to all of the stress and schoolwork I have to deal with. But hey, it’s all good. I’m back with a highly requested post.

I’ve been getting a lot of comments asking me “what filter do you use?” “what app do you use?” and the like. All of your questions will be answered in this blogpost so keep reading if you want to know more about how I edit my photos.

I only use two apps when it comes to editing my photos and those are vsco and after light.

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Let’s begin, shall we?

I’ll be using this photo (which I’ll be posting soon so this is kind of a behind the scenes)

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First, I’ll be going to vsco and select the photo I want to use. The filter I use is A6 and I just adjust it depending on how I want my photo to be.

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Then, I go to contrast just to add a bit of tone to my photo.

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I then save the photo and go to afterlight. Here’s the outcome of the photo after it has been edited on VSCO.

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Now, for adjustments:

I usually just use afterlight for adjustments and at times, I use a filter. I don’t have a specific amount of brightness or contrast when adjusting it in my photos. I just base it off how contrasted or how bright I want my photo to be.

In afterlight, I go to contrast once again. (mainly because I think my photo still lacks a bit of contrast)

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Then I go to brightness because I don’t want my photo to be as dark and of course, it has to go along with my other photos.

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Lastly, I go to filters and select “Idaho” and I tone it down depending on my liking.

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Here’s the final outcome of my photo.

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And that’s how I edit my photos! Doesn’t seem too hard, right?

I wanted to add a “bonus” to this blogpost so I’ll be giving some tips on how to get better photos!

Note: I’m not an expert and I’m just giving these tips based on my experiences.

TIPS:

1. Use natural lighting as much as possible! (it looks good on your photos, trust me.)
2. Have a right amount of brightness or contrast. Not too bright photos and not too contrasted ones either. (this could of course vary depending on how you guys want your photos to be. )

That’s it for my blogpost! Let me know if this was helpful to you guys! Till’ next time!

Hello! I want to wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope you all make the most out of 2016. Another year has passed and a new year has just begun. 2015 was one heck of a year and I can say that i’m slowly trying to discover who I really am even at...

Hello! I want to wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope you all make the most out of 2016. Another year has passed and a new year has just begun. 2015 was one heck of a year and I can say that i’m slowly trying to discover who I really am even at such a young age. In those 365 days, I was able to learn a lot, have new perspectives and change. Here are some of the important things I have learned in 2015: 

  1. Some people go, some people stay. 

 Last year, friendship problems came along the way. I have learned that some people go because they’re not meant to be part of your life and that’s okay. Better people will come in your way. 

  2. Self-love is really important. 

 There were times in 2015 when I would be really insecure about myself and it would greatly affect me in several ways. But I realized that I am who I am and that I should be proud of it. 

  3. God has a plan — He knows what he’s doing. 

 It’s inevitable to question God and why he’s letting things happen the way they are but that stopped because I was able to know how God allows things to happen for our good, no matter how unclear his plan seems to be. 

  4. Give it your all. 

 In the first term of this school year, i was struggling to get high grades and I now figured that maybe it’s because I wasn’t trying hard enough. Last second term, I was more determined and willing to give everything that I can because some people don’t get an education so why don’t I do my best? I could say that i’m getting better and I won’t stop getting better each day. 

  5. Life is worth living. 

 I’ve had some points in my life (particularly in 2015) wherein I would overthink things and start to question my worth and purpose. But I have learned that I am worth something and that I have a purpose. It may not be that evident to me yet, but I am indeed living for a reason. 

  6. Be Thankful. 

 I have been blessed with so much things, in the past year and I’m just really thankful for everything He has blessed me with. I have learned to stop comparing myself to others once I was able to appreciate and be grateful for who I am and what I have. 

 And that’s it for this blogpost! Till next time!

Letting Go.

It’s been months since you left me. It has been months of me questioning what could have gone wrong. And in each day in all of those 12 months, the thought of you has never failed to cross my mind yet the thought of me has probably never crossed yours. Each day I had to accept the fact that the one I have loved so dearly isn’t there anymore. Each day I had to accept the fact that i’m no longer part of your happiness. Each day I had to accept the fact that I couldn’t bring back what we had before. Each day I had to accept the fact that the heart that used to beat for me is now beating for someone else. Each day I had to accept the fact that you’re gone, and that there’s no way that I could have you back no matter how much I want to. And now that this painfully beautiful year is about to end, I’ve decided to finally let you go and free my mind from all the thoughts of you that has kept me awake each night. They say that when another year is about to end, we must let go of our painful past and learn to forgive and forget. And that’s what I’m going to do.

THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” (PLS TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. It may save a life, It may save your life.)

queenkeyland:

brittanymichael:

echolessvoid:

An Article from Neena Susan Thomas


“Through a rapist’s eyes. A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interview…ed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:

1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter. Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.

2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh – HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .

b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it’s better safe than sorry.

If u have compassion reblog this post.
‘Helping hands are better than Praying Lips’ – give us your helping hand.

REBLOG THIS AND LET EVERY GIRL KNOW
AT LEAST PEOPLE WILL KNOW WHATS GOING ON IN THIS WORLD.
So please reblog this….Your one reblog can Help to spread this information.

THIS COULD ACTUALLY SAVE A LIFE.”

EVERYONE BOOT THE FUCK OUT OF THIS

isn’t it sad that we have to teach women how to avoid rape instead of telling rapists not to fucking rape people

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