The big apple.

“I believe in the supreme with of the individual and in his right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that every right implies a responsibility, every opportunity, an obligation; every possession a duty.

I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master.

I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that he world owes no man a living but it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.

I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living and that economy is a prime request of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs.

I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character-not wealth or power or position- is of supreme worth.

I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross (waste matter) of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.

I believe in all-wise-and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individuals highest fulfillment, greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His will.

I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might.”
-John D. Rockefeller.

I love this quote. It was etched into a big plaque at the Rockefeller Plaza, when I was in NYC.
Oh, by the way, did I tell you I've been to NYC? Yep, I have! I can now tick it off my dreamy to-do list that I blogged about previously. (see here for a fresh little reminder!)

What I learnt about NYC:
1. It's not all just a load of concrete, man-made buildings. There is a lot of natural beauty there, which seem to be heightened and emphasised more when you can see the jungle of buildings in the background.

(* All the images you will see in this blog post are my own.
I have no problems if you want to use them,
but out of politeness please let me know by commenting below!) 

2. American fast-food is proper fast food. And Shake Shack does good milkshakes.

3. (Mostly) all American ladies have their toenails manicured. (It looked so nice that when I got back home I manicured mine. If only England had the weather for flip-flops!)

4. It really is the city that never sleeps. And I feel sorry for those people who work in the shops/restaurants on the craziest shifts. I used to think finishing work at 8pm was horrific.

5. That if I had to live somewhere in Manhattan, I think I would choose Chelsea.

6. A lot of famous places have free selective opening times, so you can save a lot of money when you visit them! (E.g. MOMA is free on Fridays between 4pm-8pm!)

7. That the Rockefeller (Top of the Rock) really does have the better view of the city than the Empire State Building. However, I think they have figured this out, as now it's more expensive to go to the Top of the Rock than it is the Empire State Building! 

8. The Central Park Zoo does not contain any of the animals found on Madagascar (the movie). No zebras. No hippos. No giraffes. No lions. This movie deceived me. It did have penguins though. And I like penguins.

9. It is highly likely that you will see someone getting proposed too. I witnessed two proposals. One involved a fake member of a mariachi band. The other was a clichéd baseball game proposal.

10.(......I am starting to struggle here....) To you, this list is just a list. Of one person's opinion. This is not what New York is about. Therefore, go! Fly like a butterfly and visit the place for yourself!

One day.

I have a dreamy to-do list of things that I would love to do one day. 

I think most university students start having these to-do lists when they have hit the third year of studying and the end still seems a little way off (though not too long now, really!).

This list of things is always changing. Some things get crossed off when I change my mind, some things get added and then some just remain a steady constant. I might one day look back on these lists and laugh, or maybe I'll have a sad little grin as I realise I never did them and at one point in my life I must have wanted to; or maybe I will be able to happily 'cross' them off the list and say "I've done that!"

Here are a few:

1. Go to New York.

I've been daydreaming about holidays recently. Anywhere hot and sunny recently, it feels like the sun hasn't shone on my face in ages! But one place I would love to got to is New York. I think I would be a little afraid of it, of how big it is and how many people there are, but I still would like to go one day. I would like to go at Christmas time and skate at Central Park.

2. Learn French

Okay, this isn't a 'new' experience as I did study French for 6 years at school, and I bitterly regret not taking it further. I could have been fluent! (I wish!) I think it's such a romantic language, and I really miss studying it sometimes, and get a big pang of excitement when I hear someone speak French on the TV!

3 Try Yoga/Zumba

I know they are both very different. One very slow and one very upbeat and wild. However, I'd like to try both of them! I'm not a sporty person, in that I have never been to the gym or competitively been on any sports teams, but I am definitely up for some sort of dance/stretch fusion!

That's all for now!

What dreams do you have my lovelies?

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!