Purpose

Since I listened to Made in the A.M. until my ears bled, I started listening to Justin Bieber's Purpose. The Biebs really disgusted me there for a while with his immature and reckless behavior, but I think he is really trying to turn things around for himself and I applaud him for that. I'm all about personal growth and being the best you, so you can then add to other people's lives too. I once read, "You can't pour from an empty cup. Work on yourself first." Those words could not be more true.
Anyway... Purpose. JB's comeback started with Jack U's "Where Are U Now?" Skrillex and Diplo were genius on this track and Justin's feature made it that much better. Super electronic. "What Do You Mean?" came next and I absolutely loved it. Slower, but smooth and makes you want to get up and dance. My favorite track by far on this album is "Sorry." I don't think anyone can really argue with that. Extremely catchy and fun to groove to. 

Its completely evident Justin did some real reflection and soul searching when writing and recording this album. With songs like, "Love Yourself" (co-written by Ed Sheeran), "Life Is Worth Living", and "Purpose," he slowed it down with simple beats, but powerful lyrics. You can feel his emotion and honesty. I've added these to my meditation playlist before I practice yoga at home.  
One thing I really like about Purpose is the simple sounds and melodies, but Justin's voice makes them all that more sweet. "The Feeling" verses start slow and then take off in the chorus with the help from Halsey. Another example is "Children." The bridge/chorus is electronic and upbeat, but almost solely instrumental. 
Other notable tracks are: "Company", "No Pressure" featuring Big Sean, and "No Sense" featuring Travis Scott. All have grown on me as I continued to listen the album through. From the live performances I've seen on YouTube, Bieber sounds fantastic live. If you're planning on buying tickets to see his Purpose tour, you better grab them quickly because it appears most venues are selling out! And if you purchase tickets, you get a free digital download of Purpose. Pretty sweet deal.

I must confess, I may now be a Belieber. 

The Guy in the Glass

I'd like to share one of my favorite poems. A friend introduced me to these wise words my freshman year of college and recently I flipped through an old journal I wrote them in for safe keeping. I've been doing a lot of reflection and when you feel at peace with yourself, everything else seems to fall into place. And thats who I want looking back at me.

So I share with you, Dale Wimbrow's The Guy in the Glass:
When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf, And the world makes you King for a day, Then go to the mirror and look at yourself, And see what that guy has to say.
For it isn't Father, or Mother, or Wife, Who judgment upon you must pass. The feller whose verdict counts most in your life Is the guy staring back from the glass.
He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest, For he's with you clear up to the end, And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test If the guy in the glass is your friend.
You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum, And think you're a wonderful guy, But the man in the glass says you're only a bum If you can't look him straight in the eye.
You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years, And get pats on the back as you pass, But your final reward will be heartaches and tears If you've cheated the guy in the glass.

Horror Movie Survival Kit

Horror movies really get me into the Halloween spirit (see my 13 Nights of Halloween from last year!) However, I usually start talking to the TV about how this entire mess could be solved if they just had _____. I'm sure I'm not alone. Coincidentally, the people over at Man Crates inspired me to put together a hypothetical "horror movie survival kit." Man Crates is a new company that puts together awesome gift crates for men, where they must open their perfectly curated gift with a crow bar! You know, to feel all manly and stuff. ;) They have crates for grilling, the outdoors, drinking, eating, sports, etc. Man Crates posed the question and I answered with my top 10 items to survive a horror movie. Anyway, lets get to it because I know people are just DYING to know! haha.

Gun If you have a brain, you know a gun is definitely needed in this situation. And since I know next to nothing about them, I probed my friends and family. One person said they would use a shotgun because it would be a lot harder to miss the murderer. Two others said an AR-15 and another gave me a long, descriptive scenario of possible events and guns to use for the ultimate "no murderer comes out alive" outcome. All 97 pounds of me felt pretty intimidated by these selections, but I'm obviously not getting into a knife fight with anyone, so I will keep these recommendations on hand. Now also remember, some mythical creatures can't be killed by just any bullet. You're going to need silver and wood bullets too as back up for werewolves and vampires.

via

Do you remember that little gun that Will Smith used in Men In Black, coined the midget cricket? Yaaaa. I need one of those too. Perfect size for me. No one will get out alive besides me and whoever is behind me. Might make for a really short movie though. 

via Head Flashlight This one is pretty obvious, but I can't tell you how many times people in movies don't have one or think that walking by candlelight will do the trick. First of all, fire hazard and second, you need to be able to see hands free to use your weapon(s). Dorky, but this is life and death. If you're really prepared, make sure the flashlight is solar! 

Camouflage I'm going with magic on this one by throwing in Harry Potter's invisibility cloak. I thought about camouflage attire because a lot of movies end up in the woods at night or in a dark creepy house, but with this cloak no one will even be able to see you.

Phone and Extra Charger Um... before we even step foot down this scary path to no man's land, bring a cell phone. Call for help, DUH! And usually in movies, something crazy happens where their phone goes dead. Crisis averted with the portable external battery pack for charging. The only thing you have to worry about is whether you can get service or not. :/ 

Running shoes How many times have you seen girls in heels trying to run from a killer? Better yet, flip flops. You are FOR SURE setting yourself up to trip and get caught in the wrath of the killer. Some nice running gym shoes would set you up for a successful chase to safety.

Rope Scary movie characters are always losing each other in haunted houses and in the woods, so what better way to stay together than one of those child leaches? I know its a little crazy, but again, this is life and death. We don't need any stragglers get snatched without knowing. However, I think I would actually go with an item with dual purpose because rope could be beneficial in many instances of survival.

Bullet Proof Vest Another obvious choice.

Camelback Backpack After dodging the killer through an on-foot chase, you could be catching your breathe and a nice drink of water may be very helpful for future surviving. What if you get stranded out there for days? You never know, so being prepared with the elixir of life would not be a bad idea.

Katana

Michonne in the Walking Dead absolutely kills it with one of these. I think from all the binge watching of TWD on Netflix, I could channel my inner Japanese samurai. Also, you never know when one of your weapons could become unreliable, so it would be nice to have a variety. 

First Aid Kit Backpack

This backpack is perfect to house first aid and anything else you may need to store while on the move. 

I'm sure there are many other items that could be used to survive a potential blood bath, but I went with rather practical things aside from the cloak. Comment with some of your ideas to walk out alive!

*This post was not paid for by Man Crates and contains ideas and opinions solely of B-Mont's Beats.

Central Park

Central Park was a must see site on my list. Its so iconic, in my opinion. The movies and TV shows its been the backdrop for seem endless and I felt it was absolutely necessary to experience nature thriving in a huge city. Its pretty crazy to think about and see how big it actually is, dropped in the middle of this enormous concrete jungle. 

The tulips were beautiful. I'm now thinking I want to buy some for my balcony.

There was a little wedding going on under one of the most picturesque terraces in the world. 

The Bethesda Fountain and Terrace were gorgeous. They literally were everything I could have imagined. They don't build things like they used to.

Beautiful.

Upper East Side

 

What is a fashion enthusiast's dream? All of their favorite designers up and down one street. I was told that Madison Avenue has surpassed Rodeo Drive on being the most expensive retail street in the nation.

I was in my glory window-shopping and stepping into some of the world's best designer boutiques and department stores. The Upper East Side is elite in itself, but the fashion is bar-none.



 

What I would give for a pair of Vivier heels.



 

Swooning over the Celine bags.



 

The Rolls Royce of Macaroons. Ladurée Paris was the cutest little café. Biting into one of their delicious creations was pure luxury. The salted caramel was my favorite.



 

I LOVE cupcakes and I believe I have found my unicorn. Why have one flavor, when you can have little bites of a bunch of flavors? Genius. The cupcaron was a serious treat. Cupcake + Macaroon = Cupcaron. The cotton candy one was divine.

 



Feel free to have these delivered to my door. I will not turn them away!! :)