New Year, New You?

Happy new year!

Tis the season to be punishing and unrealistic with the best intentions. Time to scream at your self in the mirror 'your disgusting!'. By New Years Eve I'm so looking forward to stripping away the sticky sweetness of the Yuletide season. I see New Years Eve as one more opportunity to have a massive blowout, big hair, bold make up, and jagerbombs, jagerbombs, jagerbombs!

I have a long list of things New Years Resolutions that I really want to implement this year. 

First of all I really want to learn to

***Shut The Hell Up***

because....

1. Don't talk more than other people participating in conversations.
2. Awkwardness, if you can't think of anything interesting to say- DON'T!
3. When angry belt up or walk away before you say something awful.

'Oops, accidentally mortally wounded our friendship, my bad!'

There's a New Years Resolution that a lot of people make or secretly hope for that everyone can probably sympathise with. 

*** I Will Find Love****

Umm...no you won't. Love will find you on it's own terms. When and where it feels like it. The time you look for it, you are least likely to find it. 

***Diet Riot***

Okay first of all...Eww!

I love food too much to turn it into an enemy. 

But I want to change my relationship with food like I want to change my relationship with shopping. I don't want it to be a comfort blanket for when I feel like throwing myself off of something high and onto something pointy. That's a dangerous habit and one of my worst. 

Also while I'm here. 

***Dress like it's my last day every day***

I guess overall, my new years resolution is to be the best I can be, a little bit better than last year. 

To live life as vigorously and optimistically as I can.

And

***When life gives me lemons- make margaritas! ***

All the best for 2013.

Flattery

I am a little free with my compliments. If I see someone in the street with a jacket I like I will tell them, stranger or no. I think sometimes though, it can make things a bit awkward. Like this poor East Asian girl I met briefly while working. Firstly I remarked how cute her jumper was, then I started gushing about her eyes (I have a thing for eyes).

She left with one of those 'please-don't-follow-me' smiles that you wear when you pass someone on a tube platform screaming into their tote bag of eggs-crazy cat ladies. You know what I mean.

 I was livid when I realised how I must have come across to her. Usually I am quite secure, not at all a 'no homo' type of girl but I could help for her and even more so for myself.

The reasons why I give compliments are numerous. Mainly though, I like when someone looks good and enjoy the fact that by acknowledging that I can make them feel good too. When someone compliments my hair or my shoes it gives me a spring in my step. I like passing that spring on to as many people as I can.

Of course I sometimes pass people who are dressed in a way that doesn't appeal to my tastes. But so what? If my opinion is negative, I should keep my mouth shut. Nothing positive or helpful is going to come of my expressing it. Who the hell am I to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't wear? That's what guru's are for, I'm just a humble appreciator.

I used to see people all the time who were well put together, quirky or cute but not say anything even though I was foaming at the bits to tell them the goodness I saw. It's part of my shyness that can sometimes be crippling. Frankly, it sucks. Talking to strangers can e pretty daunting at times. But complimenting strangers or saying good morning to arbitrary locals has taught me that most people are nice and wear the same mask of apathetic indifference and borderline aggression.

A positive reaction helps boost my confidence in people, as fundamentally as kind hearted and social as me. A negative reaction like you standard blank stare or worse the old 'cross to the other side of the road' thing, can easily be brushed. After all, they don't know me personally, so why take things personally?

All it takes to peel away the negative 'f*** off' persona of your average Londoner is a compliment, a greeting or even a nod and a smile.

Try it, give someone a boost and in the process boost yourself! Most of us city folk aren't as bad as you think!

Until Next Time!

More Deliciousness

I love making food for people. Whether it be chopping up as salad, making tea or cooking a curry- I love it. People are happy when they enjoy food, and I like sharing that happiness with my friends. Especially when I get to add a little creative flair to whatever I'm creating. Nevertheless, my skills aren't quite as great as I would like them to be.

So I've set myself a task. I intent to try something new every week. It could be something as simple as flapjacks or as complicated as goulash! Whatever it is it'll be fresh. Whatever it is it will be home made!

Hopefully the majority of these well meaning experiments will turn out more like this....

than this....

But I'm prepared for the disappointment of a culinary disaster. Heaven knows, I've had my fair share already.

In the meantime though I want to share with you some nice things I've managed to make (albeit with little effort and even less skill). Healthy and happy meal options- on a bit of a budget. 

Breakfast!

A salmon, onion and sweet pepper salad with my beloved Wakame. I added a Ryvita biscuit (with olive spread) and an iced Latte! Delicious no? To top it off I had a kiwi and orange fruit salad. 

Lunch!

Okay so I went to a placement during the week and decided to bring with me a big packed lunch to help me through it all. 

I made my 'quick tings' pasta sauce because I was in a bit of a hurry this time. I'll  show you my proper pasta sauce- one of my few gems when I have the time and the drive to whip up a proper batch!

Chicken wings, spicy tomato pasta (with dice  tomatoes and onions) and for dessert a fruit salad, with cherries, kiwi and oranges. 

Dinner!

I can't take credit for this, it was my fantastic mother's doing!

Spinach mash, roasted jack fish, and carrot, chilli and tomatoe salsa. Yum!

Okay so I went to a placement during the week and decided to bring with me a big packed lunch to help me through it all. 

I made my 'quick tings' pasta sauce because I was in a bit of a hurry this time. I'll  show you my proper pasta sauce- one of my few gems when I have the time and the drive to whip up a proper batch!

Until then!

Porridge and Green Mush!

In keeping with the food them, here are more goodies I have tried during the last couple of days. My lovely friend Emi was nice enough to sell me a big sachet of Japanese Macha Green Tea for a very reasonable price. I have to say it perks you up quicker than most coffee and is supposedly good for your skin.

So I had the drink sorted but as part of a nutritious breakfast what could I eat?

Porridge!

Nutritious Benefits

-Healing Skin

-Fights Heart Disease

-Beats depression- Vitamin B6 bumps up brain serotonin

-Boosts Energy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirwiseowl/2975927428/

But just plain porridge with salt can be boring and I didn’t want to add sugar so I decided to make it more interesting with sunflower seeds...

Nutritional Benefits

-Bone Health- Contains lots of Magnesium

-Anti Inflammatory- Big source of Vitamin E

-Lowers Blood Pressure

See for yourself!

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/6-health-benefits-of-sunflower-seeds.html

...And raisins

Health Benefits

-Lots of Iron

-Boosting Libido

-Good teeth

-Healthy blood

Manly sex power is not a joke by any means. Look!

http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-raisins.html

Here are bad pictures of my awesome porridge! It is really delicious although I've hardly had the chance to munch because work has been really crazy of late.

My sleep patterns slowly improving and I'm using a face mask called 'LOVE LETTUCE' made by 'LUSH' which is essentially green mushy stuff, see!

And just to prove that I don't look like that all the time. I tried a vintage look with red lipstick and air hostessy accessories. Please see below!

Well Goodbye! 

Spring!

I’m watching the satisfactory denouement of Geordie Shore. It’s silly that it’s gets me thinking about all the endings and beginnings of the days that have passed and will pass. All of the people I’ve been attached to and grown apart from. It’s sad to think of all those friendships and bonds now haunting me like shadows, just memories in the back of my mind. It makes you wonder what the future will bring; romance; heartbreak; tears of laughter; tears of pain- a tattoo perhaps.

Isn’t it exciting? Now that it’s officially spring there are horny birds swirling in clouds above us, everything begins to bloom including our hopes for a great summer. I like spring better than the New Year. There is more of optimism now in spring than in the half assed, hung over promises we make to ourselves at the start of each year. I will lose weight; I will eat better; I will be a Pokémon master.

I don’t want to do that crap again. That was January. This is March; April; May...this is spring. My favourite part of spring, or one of them is being able to take walks through Greenwich Park in a light jacket. The sun sets later so even after a later shift at work it’s possible to enjoy a little bit of extra sunshine. Watching the sunset from that special bench in Greenwich Park is one of my favourite overly romantic pastimes, reading on this bench with a coffee is a great way to build up to it.

Spring is also great because it’s cheaper. The warmer it is, the more enjoyable being outside is and the more we can enjoy galleries and museums.

I’m going to try in the month of April to hit one gallery a week and two markets a month for fruit or cute quirky stuff. After all, London has loads of markets to offer and I’ve only explored Camden, Greenwich and Lewisham. I would love to revisit these markets but I have to try Deptford, Ridley, Roman Road, Brick Lane, Dagenham, East Street and so many more! I can’t wait.

But until then I’ll keep taking my walks, keep doing Zumba, and eating salmon and olive salads.

I hope my friend will join me on these escapades, spring is always more enjoyable when your friends are there to share it with you.

 Bring on the cherry blossoms!

Am I not my hair?

Hello,

This entry is solely about hair and self image so if you're like me and shallow read on. If you are looking for a deeply philosophical exploration of any kind, I suggest you skip to the next blog. Or the next entry depending upon when you stumble across this.

I wonder about hair a lot. Perhaps too much. I try to pin it on my current job in fashion retail. Essentially I'm flogging pretty things to people who want to be pretty. But I think my obsession goes further back than that, way into primary school. The issue I wanted to address though, despite being a bit of a non issue, is the issue of natural afro hair.

Why ladies do we shy away from the ever archaic afro? There is nothing wrong with relaxing, texturising or perming your hair. In fact it seems more of an accepted norm for a woman with curly or afro hair to use chemical's to straighten and alter their natural hair, than it is for them to keep it natural. I understand that fashion dictates that straight is great and anything other than straight or wavy is 'frizzy' and should be outlawed. That rule is perfect for those who have naturally straight hair.

Why then do those with the 'frizz' feel the need to conform to these rules as well? Personally, I have stopped relaxing my hair. I have 'gone natural' but I'm not trying to be subversive and militant. Growing my hair out isn't my way of sticking it to the man. I just think it's beautiful the way it grows. Just like that.

I also think it's a shame that there are few people who agree with me. Many women look beautiful with weaves and perms, in fact most of the black and mixed raced sex symbols of this decade wear their hair straight. I think these women are beautiful and should be celebrated.

Nevertheless there are a few women I personally relate more to and who I think are beautiful. One of them is American songstress Janelle Monae whose afro-pompadour hair style is a want for me. Another is the lead singer of the band 'The Noisettes' Shingai Shoniwa who has a really quirky style as well as unique ways of styling natural hair.

However you choose to wear your hair should make you happy. It matters less than most things. But it matters quite a bit to me. For the time being I am proud of my hair as it spirals however erratically out of my head. Maybe in the future I will change my name and my blog- the title no longer being relevant.

Therefore, for the time being I shall remain one of a dying race.

An Afro-Samurai...