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Top Picks in Music

Hi friends! Letโ€™s take a quick break from makeup and beauty stuff reviews. This post is for all of us, music lovers. Raise your hand if:

*You have all the music streaming apps downloaded to your phone

*You have at least one Bluetooth speaker

*Different headsets in your pocket ready to listen to music any time

I can definitely relate to all three above. If you are a music lover, you know that music is the soundtrack of your life. Imagine a life without music? It is utterly bleak. I grew up with a strong musical background. From where I came from, everybody loves music, and it is all over the streets during festivals and in my local neighborhood. Each of my family members knows how to play a musical instrument, and I learned to play the piano at a young age. I never really took many piano lessons. I just listen to the sound and try to figure out the melody. Unfortunately, I am not one for a singer. But I am a songer, LOL. I love all kinds of songs, and I have a strange ability to remember a songโ€™s lyrics ever since I was very young. Since then, I listen to songs from all genres, paying attention to lyrics, melodies, and rhythms.

Music heals the soul, puts a smile on peopleโ€™s faces, and inspires creativity. Lately, I listen to more slow, dreamy music with a mix of techno and kpop. Last year, I listened to several heavy metal bands (my favorites are: In This Moment, Halestorm, and The Pretty Reckless) during my workouts. This year, I plan to listen to songs from other countries and concentrate more on melodies.

When it comes to the songs I like, there is no definitive reason for why I like them. The lyrics may not apply to me, but it helps me to empathize what the artist is trying to convey in the music. Lyrics and melodies help me to imagine the setting of the song and the artistry behind it. That is the reason why I have a gazillion playlist for songs in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s that I like. Yes, I also listen to Chicago, Simon & Garfunkel, and even Michael Learns To Rock.

I try to keep my music gadgets as minimal as possible. I like my AirPods for working out and while taking pictures. However, I also love the portable Bluetooth speakers from Bose, especially the SoundLink Micro and the SoundLink Color. I can easily synchronize these speakers, and they produce a quality sound all throughout the house. The Bose app is very easy to use, and the speakers are water-resistant.

I wish I could share with you the lists of all the songs I like. But, there are too many of them. So, I narrowed them down to the ones I have been listening to lately. The list below is not a lot. Perhaps, I will add some more in the future posts.

 

bose soundlink color II review

 

Artist/Song Part of the lyrics I like Why I like the song
Coldplay: The Scientist I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science,science and progressโ€ฆ
The entire lyrics and mood of the song. Also, the video is ultra-cool:-)
Grimes: Flesh Without Blood What a catchy title for such a fun bop. I can imagine this song being played in the outer space. P.S. I love Grimesโ€™ work ethic.
Troye Sivan: Heaven Without losing a piece of me
How do I get to heaven?
Without changing a part of me
How do I get to heaven?

So, if I’m losing a piece of me
Maybe I don’t want heaven.

A powerful song about finding oneself and learning to love it. It does not really matter what other people say. What matters is how you value yourself and how you treat others. Each of us is enough, and each of us does not really have to fit to a certain standard. Why try to be someone else when you are meant to be different? You glow!
Billie Eilish: Ocean Eyes Burning cities and napalm skies,
Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes,

Careful creature made friends with time,
He left her lonely with a diamond mind.

What a beautiful, relaxing, and nostalgia-inducing song about a fascination or attraction between two brilliant creatures. I am not sure though, which one is the careful type, which one is time, and which one has a diamond mind, or which one has the ocean eyes? This song is hands down on another level.
Lana del Rey: The Next Best American Record And we were so obsessed with writing the next best American record,
That we gave all we had ’til the time we got to bed,
‘Cause we knew we couldโ€ฆ
There are so many themes in this song, but a certain part of the lyrics spells hard work to me.
Lana del Rey: Old Money Blue hydrangea, cold cash divine
Cashmere cologne and white sunshine,
Red racing cars, sunset and vineโ€ฆ
The lyrics in this song transports me to a beautiful garden where everything is warm and sunny.
Annie: Anthonio I do not know what to make of this song. It is very sad and mysterious, yet it is beautifully composed and has a unique tune. Also, the lyrics has a twist at the end.
BTS: Blood, Sweat, and Tears In English:

My blood, sweat, and tears
My body, mind, and soul

What a very passionate song with very contrasting dance beats. It will give you mixed emotions.
BTS: Louder than Bombs In English:

You and I,ย we feel it together
Sadness and pain
It’s not a coincidence
Yeah, we picked this game

Pain and success are not really that mutually exclusive. This song lights up my synesthetic brain like dynamite. What a beautifully crafted masterpiece.

 

P.S. Sugaโ€™s rap is really great on this one.

BTS: Heartbeat In English:

I feel destiny in you, you, you,

I feel destiny in me, me, me,

(guccipiggy, donโ€™t laugh at me :-))

A song about love, destiny, and the universe. I purple you all!!!

 

bose soundlink micro review

 

Artist/Song Part of the lyrics I like Why I like the song
Lauv: Bracelet I walk down memory lane late at night,
I end up losing my way every time
I love the beat of the chorus. Definitely a great song to listen to at night.
Bossa nโ€™ Adele, Michelle Simonal: When We Were Young You look like a movie
You sound like a song
My God this reminds meย of when we were young,

Let me photograph you in this light,
In case it is the last time
That we might

be exactly like we were,
Before we realized
We were scared of getting old

It made us restless

Bossa Nova and Adele? Never knew a combo of this tune would sound so good.
Bossa Nova Lite, Sofia: รguas De Marรงo This song is giving me an โ€œEmily in Parisโ€ vibe. The ultimate chill song while in a bathtub or just getting ready for going somewhere nice and fun.
Charlie Puth: Losing My Mind I got so much to do and not enough time,
Not enough time.
Is this the ultimate grad school theme song? LOL
Goo Goo Dolls: Iris And I don’t want the world to see me,
‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand,
When everything’s made to be broken,
I just want you to know who I am.
Forever a 90โ€™s kid.
Lord Huron: The Night We Met I am not the only traveler
Who has not repaid his debt
I’ve been searching for a trail to follow againโ€ฆ
This song can hit you like a truck. Not kidding.
Alan Walker: Faded Where are you now, Atlantis? All of us are looking for some form of Atlantis, arenโ€™t we?
Imagine Dragons: Natural Will the stars align?
Will heaven step in, will it save us from our sin, will it?
‘Cause this house of mine stands strong
I take this as a song about resilience.
Halestorm: Amen My God, it ain’t no sin
Can I get it?
Can I get an Amen?
One of my top workout songs. Amen.
Bishop Briggs: White Flag Oh, won’t wave my white flag, no Another favorite workout song. Be strong, darlings. Live your life.

 

These songs are the ones currently streaming on my playlist. Go listen to them now and tell me which one you like. Whatโ€™s on your playlist?

 

SHOP THE PRODUCTS IN THIS POST

 

 

 

Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan. Book & Audiobook Review

dear amy book by helen callaghan

 

Here’s a book that I started reading two years ago but I didn’t think of finishing it until recently. In fact, I didn’t even know if I was ever going to finish it because of several reasons. For example, even though the cover is really intriguing and nice, the first half of the book was quite difficult for me to follow because the writing seems a little too convoluted and the story’s pacing is a little too detached. Also, some choice of words by the author seems quite complicated for what the book really is. So, I naturally have lost interest in reading it. However, recently, I spotted the book again in my bookshelf and I decided to give it another go. This time, I listened to the Audible version of it and I was glad I did because my impression of the book has now completely changed.

 

dear amy book

 

As you can see judging by the pictures of the book, both front and back covers, you can deduce that the book is a thriller. In fact, a psychological thriller, to be specific. The story is about Margot Lewis, an English teacher in Cambridge who runs her advice column called “Dear Amy“. One day, she receives a letter from a missing girl named Bethan Avery, asking for help because she’s been kidnapped, doesn’t know where she is, and at the danger of being killed soon. Problem is, Bethan’s been missing for twenty years and is already presumed dead. How can a missing girl be writing letters now and had a chance to send it by mail? Is it a hoax? Could it be true? Hmmm.. intriguing, right? Bethan is not the only girl who has been missing. Ever since her disappearance, there were already a couple of young girls who’d been missing around the area. Margot had a student named Katie who had also disappeared recently. Something is seriously wrong and she’s determined to find out, no matter what.

 

dear amy book review

 

I love the interesting psychological concepts that the book was alluding to, like Dissociative Fugue, possibly MPD, and even hypnosis. As the plot unfolds and the story progresses towards the middle and ’till the end, you will find that the book is a heart-pounding experience with its own twists and turns. It completely changed my point of view especially upon listening to it via Audible because the narrator did a really good job of portraying the characters with her different accents and voice tones. Reading this book will probably still be a snoozefest, at least for me, but listening to the audiobook is a whole different story. So, I definitely recommend that you use Audible for this one.

 

I would love to tell you more about the story, but I would rather give you a clue: The first rule of fight club is – you do not talk about fight club. Got it?

 

 

Check out some of the psychologically thrilling books I’ve read or listened to below

 

 

Books to Read While Social Distancing. Part 1

all along you were blooming morgan harper nichols

 

As we try to make sense with our new normal, it’s very important that we keep our day to day activities as consistent as it used to be as possible. Establishing some sort of normalcy in our lives during these times is really challenging but it’s good for our sanity. Also, taking advantage of the extra time most of us now have will help to make us feel productive.

 

While I do like to binge-watch shows on TV (yes, I did watch Tiger King and Crash Landing On You :-)) and run to the tune of Dua Lipa’s โ€œLet’s Get Physicalโ€ (how ironic is this song given our current situation?), I’m also a big fan of reading. Although it’s hard to read a book nowadays because a lot of us are worried, reading can actually provide a momentary distraction and a sense of focus. It’s going to be hard at first especially when thoughts are racing inside your head, but it’ll get easier as soon as you get into the habit.

 

So, without further ado, check out this first part of the books I recommend to read while social distancing.

 

andy warhol was a hoarder book

 

You Are A Badass Everyday by Jen Sincero – If you’re a fan of Jen Sincero and her original badass book, you will most probably like this one. I actually liked this book a lot and even more so than the first book. This was a quick read and Jen had put some very interesting self-affirmative advice that a lot of you will mostly like.

 

georgianna lane books

 

Paris, New York, and London in Bloom by Georgianna Lane – If you don’t feel like reading, you can just sit and browse through the beautiful pages of Georgianna Lane’s coffee table books. I absolutely adore these “in Bloom” books and these are perfect for Spring. Also, Georgianna is an amazing photographer with such Pinteresting work.

 

All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols – Such a great powerful book of poems by Morgan Harper Nichols whom I discovered through Instagram. This handy hardcover with a beautiful floral illustration is full of poetic healing words that are transformational and inspirational. Morgan’s words will touch your heart and this is the kind of book we need nowadays.

 

 courtney peppernell pillow thoughts

 

Pillow Thoughts I & II by Courtney Peppernell – I don’t think I’ve ever read a poetry book as interesting as Courtney Peppernell’s. Ever since the release of her first Pillow Thoughts book, I’ve become a fan and I really like how her words rhymed and the overall emotion conveyed on every page of her books. If you haven’t read one of her poetry books yet, well, her books have sections for whatever your heart is going through or whatever it desires.

 

top books to read while social distancing

 

Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder by Claudia Kalb – Here’s a Psychology book that reads like a very entertaining novel. What do Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe have in common? How did Charles Darwin manage to finish his “On the Origin of Species” despite having a psychosomatic disorder? And why was Andy Warhol a hoarder? This is a book about the minds of some of the greatest personalities in our history and why they became the way they were. Interesting right?

 

Have you read any of these books before?

 

Stay tuned for the second batch of books I’m going to recommend soon.

Take care everyone.

 

 

SHOP THESE BOOKS BELOW