About Me

i was born nina rae diaz parpana. when i was confirmed into the catholic faith at age 16, i took on the name cecilia, hence the name of this blog. i have an over-abundance of nicknames; some have stuck through the test of time, while others have faded like old fads. to everyone, though, i’m known simply as nina.

there’s really too much to me than can be fit into a simple page on a blog, but i’ll try and hit the important points before this turns into a novel.

i’m 23 years old, and i’ve recently graduated from the university of california, irvine. i finished with two bachelor of arts degrees, one in film & media studies and another in sociology. what i’m doing with my life, i have absolutely no idea. i have a plan and a goal, but for now i’m taking baby steps and slowly trying to simply figure out my way around the world and where i belong in the grand scheme of things.

i’m filipino-german-american. my parents are immigrants from the philippines, and i’m proud to have been raised in such a cultured atmosphere. my family and my roots mean more to me than anything in the world. i’m proud of where i come from and the goals and achievements of my ancestors. i believe that the successes of the past are ultimately what shape our present and future; to know who you are and see what you will become, you have to know where you came from.

i’m definitely a family girl. i love my parents, sister, and brother to death. we’re not a perfect family by any means, but we work it out. not only am i close to my immediate family, but my extended family also. i don’t think i’ve ever met a family as close as ours. my cousins and i roll deep, on both sides. i was raised to believe that no one will have your back in the end the way that your family does, and time has only proven this to be true.

i’m blessed to have a huge circle of friends. i’m not the kind of girl that needs to be friends with everyone, but i try to keep everyone close. friends are the family that aren’t connected to you by blood. i treat all of my friends like my family. i wouldn’t be who OR where i am today without the friends i’ve had, past and present. i can’t say that i have just one best friend, but my best friends know who they are and what they mean to me. i’m open to being a friend to everyone; if you ever need someone to have your back, chances are i’m always down. i’m one of the most loyal people i know, loyal to a fault in fact; i defend my friends to absolutely no end.

i’ve always considered myself somewhat of a misfit. i’m not the different-for-the-sake-of-being-different kind of person (although i admittedly was at one point in my younger years), but i’m not one to cover up my differences. in fact, i embrace the most unique parts of my personality. i’m shy and have a nervous tick around people i don’t know, but once you get to know me i’m loud and can’t shut up.

i see things from the inside out, rather than the outside in; i’d rather judge you for your insides than your outsides, because i honestly feel that you are as pretty on the outside as your insides show. i have a taste for the uncanny and quirky; i love that people are so unique and that humanity has such a dynamic of different personalities.

i wear my heart on my sleeve; sometimes that scares people, but it makes it easier to see who’s really going to be there for you. even though i’m terrible at hiding my own feelings and secrets, i can guarantee you that i am the greatest secret keeper you’ll ever trust.

i’m a hopeless romantic. i’m that girl that rules with her heart rather than her head in most (if not all) scenarios. this has gotten me into a lot of trouble with myself. i have been in a constant struggle to find that one, and i think i might have found him. i’m a believer in the fairy tale ending, that everyone is destined to find someone. i’ve never been able to let go of that dream, and i’m so glad that i never did because i feel like i’m as close as i’ve been in a long time. i’m young and in love, but i’m learning every day and i’m the happiest i’ve been in a while.

my hands-down absolute biggest passion in life is music. i eat, sleep, breathe music. i live by music, and most likely i will die by music. i’ve been singing since i learned how to talk. i’ve been playing rhythm acoustic guitar since i was 14 years old. i’ve dabble in piano since i was 10 years old. music is the one thing in life that i’ve never been disappointed by. my ultimate goal in life is to know that i made a difference in someone’s life through music. my greatest wish is to record an album, something tangible that i will have to encapsulate all of my hopes and dreams. the fastest way to my heart is through song.

my favorite band in the history of my life is hanson. i’ve been listening to their music since i was eleven years old, and to this day, i get just as excited about them as i did back then. i’ve thought about the reasons why for a long, long time, and i finally figured it out recently. this band, no matter how amazing or shitatious my life gets, has a song to relate to my life. during my highest of highs, and in my lowest of lows, there’s always been a hanson song that spoke directly to me. i’ve never felt more connect to music than i have through them. they will never know how much they really mean to me. it would be a dream come true for me to ever work with them musically.

the greatest (and least expensive) form of therapy is writing. i learned to write early for my age; as soon as  i learned how to hold a pen, i was off like a shot. i’ve been keeping journals since i was 10 years old. writing has always been a release for me, the way that a painter uses art to release. the pen is my paintbrush, the words are my image. the colors come from the emotions that my words invoke. i write from the heart; i’ve never been concerned with being a “good writer.” to me, a good writer is someone that can craft words into feelings that get you right in the heart. everything that i write is personal. nothing i write is fake or exaggerated for the sake of storytelling. sometimes it’s happy, sometimes it’s melodramatic; whichever way it swings, i feel like my words are the truest expressions of my feelings.

if you really want to know more, i’m an open book. get in contact with me and get to know me. i can almost guarantee you won’t be disappointed.