Taking Stock: 006

Making: a movie for my upcoming blog anniversary. It’s been a year full of adventure! 🙂

Eating: breakfast as I write this.

Drinking: lots of water. A 5 litre bottle doesn’t last more than 3 days over here. 🙂

Reading: traumatology books.

Wanting: it to snow. Its been a dry holiday season.

Playing: Photogragh by Ed Sheeran.

Wasting: no time in getting my 2016 travel diary filled.

Creating: lists of places I’d love to visit in 2016.

Wishing: I was spending the holiday season with my family back at home.

Enjoying: a cup of milk.

Liking: Brooke’s travel blog.

Wondering: where I’m going to live after I graduate. You know, like where I’m going to build a home.

Loving: Patricia Bright’s videos. She’s hilarious!

Hoping: that everyone is healthy and happy.

Marveling: at the pretty roses my love got me last night. 🙂

Looking: through my travel blog and loving how everything has turned out so far.

Needing: a massage.

Smelling: peanut butter. I’m taking breakfast. 🙂

Wearing: a chunky orange sweater and denim shorts.

Following: lots of travel photographers on Instagram. Hello Emilie is my favourite.

Knowing: that I should always say yes to the things that make me happy.

Thinking: of how fast the year has gone by.

Feeling: very, very blessed. And thankful.

Opening: nothing.

Watching: just watched Concussion, a movie featuring Will Smith. His art is impeccable in this one.

Giggling: laughing at some video that went viral on YouTube called Instagram Husband. You’ll love it! 🙂

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Always be kind,

Dee.

❤

Taking Stock: 005

Making: plans for my upcoming winter break.

Eating: lots of cereal.

Drinking: enough water daily.

Reading: my favourite travel blogs every chance I get.

Wanting: it to snow already.

Playing: Dear Future Husband by Meghan Trainor.

Wasting: nothing.

Creating: resolutions for 2016.

Wishing: I had a personal photographer.

Enjoying: my 20s! 🙂

Liking: Ed Sheeran’s  Thinking Out Loud.

Wondering: how life will be like once I start working.

Loving: Ellie Goulding’s Love Me Like You Do as well.

Hoping: and praying for world peace.

Marveling: at how beautiful the world is.

Looking: forward to 2016! It’s gonna be a great year. I can feel it.

Needing: to be on a warm beach, eating coconuts and playing in crystal clear water.

Smelling: lavender. There are burning candles in the room. 🙂

Wearing: turquoise nail polish.

Following: A number of Instagrammers from the Philippines.

Knowing: that everyone is beautiful and uniquely created 🙂

Thinking: of warming myself a cup of milk.

Feeling: more than blessed.

Opening: umm…nothing.

Watching: How To Get Away With Murder every Sunday. It airs on Wednesdays but I save it for Sundays. 🙂

Giggling: laughing so hard after watching the Shaqtin’ a Fool videos. Also, Shaquille O’Neal is just too funny.

Always be kind.

Dee.

❤

How To Take: Stunning Pictures Of Wildlife.

Hey there! 🙂

Hope you are all doing great.

Today, I’m gonna share a few tips with you on how to take amazing pictures of wildlife.

1. Blend In.

Make an effort to blend in with the environment. It will increase the chances of you getting a more natural shot. You know. Since you are not sticking out like a sore thumb in the wilderness.

2. Angle and Lighting.

Most animals love seeking shade under trees and all. This makes it hard to take pictures of them since they may appear darker than they should. So you need to work your way around those shadows. Go to the other side of the animal maybe. Very smoothly though. Then take your shot.

3. Composition tells The Story.

Get as much of the natural habitat as the animals you are capturing into your frame. This lets viewers have an idea of what’s going on without having to say a word.

4. Steady Hands.

Wildlife can be unpredictable. One minute they’re “posing” for a shot and the next they are running away from you. As much as you would love to run after them and shoot, you’re much better off standing still and zooming in. While keeping the camera very steady so as to avoid blurry images.

5. Timing and Persistence.

Those “Magic Shots” don’t just happen. You have to be really patient. Observe the wildlife. Admire them. Enjoy the moment. Take it all in. And take a couple of pictures as you do so. Your “Magic Shot” will be in there somewhere when you finally relax and go through the photos you took.

Always be kind.

Dee.

❤

Taking Stock: 004

Making: less smoothies because…winter is coming. Haha 😀 For real though. Now that summer is gone and autumn is half way through, finding fresh fruits in the markets is almost impossible.

Eating: pretty heavy breakfasts lately. Which is a very, very good thing.

Drinking: lots of milk this weekend.

Reading: Craving Yellow, a natural hair blog.

Wanting: a bowl of fruit salad right about now.

Playing: Sugar, by Maroon 5.

Wasting: nothing, I hope.

Creating: a wall collage of my Instagram travel pictures right above my study table.

Wishing: that autumn/winter didn’t have to be so damn cold.

Enjoying: the weekend. A little break from school is always treasured.

Liking: this song.

Wondering: if I should take a trip during the winter holidays or save up for a new laptop. Hmm…

Loving: my mama and papa more and more each day. I’m really grateful for them. ❤

Hoping: the invisible mosquitos in my room would just go away already. I keep waking up with new mosquito bites on my face every other morning. I should probably just buy a different kind of repellant for my room.

Marveling: at how delicate life really is.

Looking: forward to class tomorrow. 🙂 My clinical cycles keep getting more and more interesting. I’m doing Infectious Diseases now. I only have 2 more weeks left and I don’t want it to end. 😦 Also, my teacher is amazing.

Needing: to feel better soon.

Smelling: nothing. I have a cold.

Wearing: my PJs.

Following: Adam. How does one have such amazing style, tho?! Check him out. You’ll see what I mean.

Noticing: that I have gained a little weight. 🙂

Knowing: that what I do actually makes me happy. I’d do both medicine and blogging for free, but somebody has to pay my bills, right? 🙂

Thinking: of making myself some hot lemon water to help with the cold and sore throat.

Feeling: happy and grateful for my blessings.

Opening: wish I was opening the door for a delivery of a huge bouquet of fresh flowers.

Watching: Blackish! Why did it take me soo long to learn about this one?! 😮 Hands down, the best comedy I’ve ever watched since Friends. Yeah, it’s that good.

Giggling: smiling at the thought of finally putting this post up. 🙂

Always be kind.

Dee.

❤

Taking Stock: 003

My first month as a 5th year medical student is almost coming to an end as I write this and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the school year goes. So far so good. The clinical cycles are more intense now and so are my professors, which makes me realize how closer and closer I keep getting to finally be working as a doctor! 😮

Let’s take our monthly stock now, shall we? 🙂

Making: lists of places that I would like to visit next year.

Eating: taking my multivitamins regularly.

Drinking: smoothies for breakfast now. I got myself a blender and it’s still watermelon season over here! Those two combined is just HEAVEN!

Reading: about to study for my gynaecology class tomorrow.

Wanting: the gynaecology cycle to last a bit longer. It’s one of the top 3 specialties I’m considering pursuing.

Playing: this and this Ali Kiba songs over and over again. Thank me later. 🙂

Wasting: wasted quite an amount of money this September. All because I hadn’t budgeted for the month as I normally do. I feel so bad because I might have saved that money and used it for a couple of trips in future. 😦

Creating: taking pictures for my next blog post already.

Wishing: for world peace. The situation in Syria fills me with sorrow. 😦

Enjoying: the summer that has refused to leave. It’s already autumn but middays are still burning at 31 degrees celsius. I just love the fact that I can throw on a short dress and a pair of cute sandals and be off to class. Simple!

Liking: the fact that I don’t have any lectures on Saturdays. So my weekends pretty much start at midday every Saturday. It could be worse. 🙂

Wondering: when I’ll finally get to repair my braids because they’re starting to look a bit…you know.

Loving: my new room. I moved into a new, cheaper and way prettier apartment earlier this month. Also, my housemates are really cool! 🙂

Hoping: to do well in all the clinical cycles I have left.

Marveling: at how pretty flowers still manage to look given the extreme temperatures around here lately.

Looking: forward to getting my savings on check. I’m planning on cutting my expenses big time for the next 3 months.

Needing: still needing that new lappy.

Smelling: nothing distinctive really.

Wearing: a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt.

Following: Devin on YouTube. He’s a super talented travel and adventure videographer. You should check him out.

Noticing: that my face has become way clearer since I started cleansing and toning it almost daily. Thumbs up to that! 🙂

Knowing: that travel blogging has become a big part of me. I always look forward to putting up new posts and all the jazz of editing pictures that comes with it. It literally satisfies me.

Thinking: of polishing my finger nails right after publishing this post. I find finger nails to be high maintenance by the way. That’s why I hardly apply polish on them. Coloured polish that is. Because colourless polish doesn’t count.

Feeling: exhausted! I had class the whole morning and a lecture in the afternoon that left me with a headache to nurse. SMH.

Opening: about to open a can of pineapples. They’re part of my smoothie recipe tonight.

Watching: Scandal, now that the new season is out! Woop woop!

Giggling: smiling at the fact that I don’t have exams at the end of this semester. It’s gonna be a long winter holiday people! 🙂 Summer will be shorter though, because then I’ll have 7 exams to sit for.

Always be kind.

 Dee.

❤

Taking Stock: 002

It’s the last week of my summer holiday. I’m leaving for school in two days and as much as I’m excited to be drawing closer to getting my degree, I’m also kinda sad to be leaving home and my family. Being around them is always therapeutic.

Making: packing for school already.

Eating: lots of tropical fruits. Avocados, pawpaws, coconuts,  mangoes, pineapples…haha! That last fruit reminds me of Kevin Hart though! 😀 High five if you know what I’m talking about.

Drinking: smoothies every other day.

Reading: remember that book I talked about last time? The BNF 63? Yep, it’s all mine now and I’m still on it.

Wanting: to pause my life every happy moment that goes by.

Playing: Afropop music mixes whenever I get a chance to.

Wasting: wasted so much time on relaxed hair. I decided to go natural for my final 2 years in uni. It’s way easier to maintain.

Creating: a shopping list for school. And 90% of it is hair stuff.

Wishing: the next long holiday could start already. I know, I know…I’m not even done with this one yet.

Enjoying: having my fro out before I braid it again.

Liking: baby blue nail polish.

Wondering: what it’s gonna take to have smooth & clear skin again. Between acne, change of weather and water, my face has had it.

Loving: my creative side…A LOT. 🙂

Hoping: for an excellent 5th year in uni.

Marveling: at how much I’ve grown up over the last couple of years.

Looking: forward to my flight back to school. I love being in the air. I wish I could fly more often than I do.

Needing: a new lappy.

Smelling: lavender. Just got outta the shower! You know, just incase you were wondering. 😉

Wearing: my jammies.

Following: Adanna’s YouTube channel faithfully. So excited that she’s expecting a lil one this coming January! 🙂 Oh, and in case you haven’t heard of her before, she’s an amazing, recently graduated MD who makes YouTube videos.

Noticing: that I’ve been wearing my fave pair of blue jeans almost every other day. You’ll see what I’m talking about when my holiday posts start going up. 🙂

Knowing: that life is special and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Thinking: of ways to start earning money before my graduation.

Feeling: lighter. Lemme put it this way. My head feels lighter. I’ve had faux locks on up until a few hours ago so…

Opening: a savings account once I get back to school.

Watching: 1000 Ways to Die. Good vibes only, though. Good vibes only.

Giggling: smiling at the fact that I’m now an aunty to 6 little ones and there are twins coming up soon as well! So proud of my siblings and their amazing families. God bless them.

Always be kind.

Dee.

❤

Taking Stock: 001

I’ve been juggling with the idea of starting a new, exciting, monthly series on the blog for days now. The taking-stock series was inspired by one of my favourite bloggers, Sharon Mundia.

To be honest, the main reason I’m doing this is because I’m a full-time student with a very demanding school schedule, and trying to balance that out with travel blogging can get really tricky.

See, when I started this blog, I set out to put up 3 destination posts every month. But since I get only about 2 months of holiday a year, that initial plan is proving to be a bit difficult, for now.

So instead of 3 destination posts a month, I’ll put up 2. And as the last post of each month (every 25th), I’ll write a taking-stock post.

Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do writing it! 🙂

Here we go:

Making: plans on visiting a couple of new & interesting places that I’ll be sharing with you on the blog soon enough.

Eating: less junk & candy and more healthy food. I just had my first root canal procedure done on one of my incisors. I’d initially just gone in for a tooth refill but after looking at the x-ray my dentist said the damage was a lot more extensive that I thought.

Drinking: Water. Lots of it. I now order water with my food at restaurants as opposed to soda or juice.

Reading: Umm…nothing lately. Oh, wait! There’s this pharmacology book that belongs to my brother. I’ve been on it, alright. It’s simply written, but oh so detailed!

Wanting: to go up the roof so bad. It’s already 6:31 pm and the sunset should be gorgeous right now. I went up at 6:50 pm yesterday and only managed to watch it for a couple of seconds.

Playing: with the cutest baby nieces and nephews! They’re all convinced that I’m their cousin and not aunty for some reason, although they know very well that their grandparents are my parents. 😀

Wasting: no money. I need all I can save up for future trips, you know.

Creating: title pictures for the upcoming blog posts.

Wishing: I had more holiday time. Like 2 more months or something.

Enjoying: watching dad and mum play double standards on me and my nieces and nephews. Just after my root canal treatment, on the drive home, my folks gave me the pep talk on how I shouldn’t take junk food any more. We got home a few minutes later and mama and papa gave the babies sweets and biscuits!! 😮 Haha! Now I understand why grandparents are the coolest people you’ll ever know.

Liking: photography more and more each day.

Wondering: when this cold will leave me alone. 😦 I hate feeling sick.

Loving: every minute I spend at home. I’ve been here for a little while now and I don’t want the holiday to ever end.

Hoping: that the sunset today is as pretty (if not prettier) as yesterday’s.

Marveling: at how lovely faux dreadlocks look.

Looking: for ways to increase my holiday/travel days.

Needing: a kiondo.

Smelling: literally nothing. I have a cold. 😦

Wearing: my 2 favourite Kenyan bracelets and my Gemini one all the time. You gotta love accessories that have a sentimental meaning.

Following: only the best YouTube vlogger yet! Casey Neistat. You’re welcome.

Noticing: that I’m less stressed out with my natural hair on than I am with it when it’s relaxed.

Knowing: that I need to be more cautious when it comes to my teeth.

Thinking: about owning a country home as soon as possible.

Feeling: very, very grateful for my parents. They’re the most special people in the world to me and I’m always thankful for having them. ❤

Opening: my Instagram feed every other minute! Oops! 😮

Watching: lots of documentaries. This has been my cup of tea lately.

Giggling: at how cute the little ones who call me aunty (never, but they should) can be.

Always be kind.

Dee.

❤