Sunsets, Yoghurts {& an ice-cream that will make one squirm}

On my way home I saw this beautiful sunset. I've been wanting to capture it for what feels like the longest time now. But my camera wasn't able to capture it well enough. It did its best though this time round, but these pictures are still nothing compared to seeing the sunset in person.

Maybe is it just me, but through my years of living in the UK, never have I seen breath-taking sunsets until this year! And it seems like, some people also haven't seen one (read on =P). I was so enthralled with the sunset in Dubai last year; I wanted to watch its full course every day.

As I sat down, I saw a young lady looking out at the trees, the houses and the fresh cut grass that was beside her. After a few seconds, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped very slightly.

'Look!', she said in a loud whisper, her voice sounding amazed and excited.

She was talking to her friend next to her, who looked puzzled. She asked, 'is that... the sun?!'

'Yes, that's the sun! Amazing isn't it?', the young lady replied.

'Wow, I've never seen it like that before!' her friend said, looking at the sun which now contained all the gradients of the orange colour.

'Neither have I... ', I heard the young lady say.

Both of them sat watching the sun set in silence. And there I was too, watching alongside them, wishing I could capture it in all its beauty.

-----------

And then I stumbled on to this ice-cream shop. It's not an ordinary ice cream shop, that's for sure. Having read about it on the BBC not too long ago, I suddenly realised I knew about this place.

It received so many headlines for selling ice creams made with breast milk. You heard it right! And I know, I know. I'm disgusted too. And actually seeing it in front of me made me squirm inside. I saw enough customers inside to form a small queue. I was surprised.

This same shop was apparently about to be sued by Lady Gaga for calling an ice cream 'Baby Gaga' and dressing one of its shop assistants as Lady Gaga herself. Totally bizarre.

What do I think? I think it is completely wrong to sell breast milk in the first place, let alone allowing strangers to eat it in their ice creams. Yuck! Plus the names of some of the ice creams in the menu are totally inappropriate (I mean, think of the kids who might walk in there!), I saw one or two which sounded of a sexual nature.

I didn't go into the shop. I captured these few pictures for this post and left it there!

-----------

And then, I was off to Snog! =)

Sometimes I do think to myself if I should skip posting all the Snog yoghurts I keep having.

I can't help it >.<.... !

This time I ordered natural yoghurt + apple crumble + brownies.

I have to say....that was almost enough for my dinner!

End of a Day's Ramblings

After another busy week, I've slumped on my chair and before I could get up to make some tea, I managed to stumble on to some of these findings, so I thought I'd share them with you all.

' Why Modesty is Essential... ,

So, I was reading this article on the BBC, titled 'Why do men shout at women in the street?', and initially I thought, what a strange title. I could not immediately foretell what it was about.

The article happened to be about the many women who face harassment in their everyday life on the streets. From the whistling, to the the catcalling to even groping. It is not at all unusual. In fact, it is so big of a problem that there's finally an article on the BBC about it to highlight the increasing problem!

As one quote in the article rightly put it: "Culturally, men have been indoctrinated into it, and it's been a privilege for them to walk down the street fantasising about women. The culture hasn't checked the behaviour."

While I know there might be disagreements from some people on what I'm about to say, I also know that many of you might already agree with me. The fact is, a lot of men see women as sex objects. It is why, we sisters, have to take it upon ourselves to dress modestly and lower our gaze, whilst making sure we're doing all we can not to attract the wrong kinds of attentions in everything we do.

I also know that there will be the following arguments against and for these:

1) It is not the woman's fault for dressing how she wants to. Men have to control themselves.
Totally the wrong way to think about it!
If you are religious, what ever sect you may come from, I'm sure there are guidelines and rules clearly stating us all to be modest and dress in a way that will maintain your dignity and not reduce you to the level of an 'object'. In turn, we're also avoiding causing any temptations and helping men lower their gazes.
2) Some women actually like the attention they get. It makes them feel better about themselves.
Self-esteem is an important part of developing yourself and achieving happiness. But in my opinion, if you need the attention and crave for compliments from strangers, this is simply not going to feed your self-esteem in the long term.

I also saw this article on the Metro this week.
A few adverts demeaning women were taken down after a few people complained about it. ' The adverts had two photos – one of three girls in a nightclub and another of a woman in a yellow bikini – and stated: ‘Awesome views.’ '

I was reminded of this advert I saw on TV about a new POM drink. It was launched a few months ago. I cropped the picture below as I thought it was inappropriate (the woman is completely nude apart from a snake covering her 'parts').

My immediate thought was, what does this drink have to do with a woman?

The company 'smartly' played it out well, by letting the woman act out 'Eve', almost in a way to glamorise the drink & find an excuse for her nudity.
This is just one of the many ads out there using women to sell things; be it a car, butter, anti-perspirant, you name it!

{Source}


What do you think?

------------------



Earthquake in Burma

{Source}

Like in my previous post on Japan's earthquake, a picture like this never fails to bring chills tingling down my spine. To think of the very foundations of the ground underneath us being cracked as if it were an egg's shell makes me also feel humbled by reminding us that whilst we are building the world around us, we are not the makers of the universe. Disasters such as these are beyond our control. It is a reminder that sooner or later, we will all lose our possessions, our youth, our jobs.
This world is only temporary. So be humble. Be thankful for what you have. Count your blessings.
And let us pray for the people affected by these disasters and also those facing civil wars.




------------------

' Jacob Barnett ... ,

A 12-year old prodigy with an IQ higher than Einstein, teaches some pure Mathematics! Professors and lecturers are apparently already planning to prepare him for a PHD research role.
I'm one of the many people intrigued by Mathematics and I was amazed at how clearly he explains all the steps.
If you happen to know what he's talking about, it'll be more fun to watch =P. You can tell he knows exactly what he's talking about!

The First Signs of Spring

Today, I saw sunshine and blue skies. I saw some trees blossoming; some were still in their last autumn stages.

I heard an ice-cream van calling people through its melodic music.

Groups of people sat on the grass or benches, basking in the sun. Some were having a picnic, some were playing games, some were lying down simply to enjoy the weather.
They were all in a good mood.

The surroundings of cafes were finally greeted by a crowd of people, who now swapped their preference to sit outside, where the breeze was cool and gentle.

And in the midst of all that, I took out my camera and captured some of the first signs of spring along the way...

What's in my bag?

I didn't know what else to call this blog post. Initially, I thought of using the word 'handbag' - but it's not my handbag. Then I thought, 'make-up' or 'toiletry' bag - but both didn't quite fit in with the bag's contents.

Now more the the point.

I'm a person who likes keeping everything organised. And because I hate the notion of scattered things in handbags, I usually have one of these mini bags to put all my necessities in. This also makes changing handbags a lot easier!

This came along with the purchase of a perfume.

SO, what do I carry? Well, actually I don't carry as much as I used to before. I sorted out all the necessities from the junks and here they all are.

A mini Nina Ricci perfume

- because I'm obsessed with perfumes and I adore this scent!

A hand sanitiser

- because this is vital - no more said!

A pick and mix of my favourite lip balms

- because I like selecting which one I will put on, depending on my mood. I have a couple of lip balms and will blog about them all in future.

- and because nothing beats Burt's Bees' Lip balm! It's my favourite.

A creamy Clinique lipstick

- my favourite lipstick. It's so neutral, creamy and suits all occasions. (I've blogged about this before =P)

A Lip gloss & a Harajuku solid perfume

- I don't use this lip gloss so much. As for the solid perfume - it's so handy!

Painkillers

- you never know when you might need it!

Shu Uemura Lipliner

- another thing that is rarely used, but I carry it, just in case.

A pen set

- I have to carry something to write with me everywhere I go. It's something essential.

A collection of chewing gums & mints

- essentials!

Tissues

- I can't leave the house without these.

A mirror

- again, you never know when you might need one!

--------------

I went to Snog yoghurt.

Again.

My excuse: I was treated to it. =P.

This time I indulged in the Apple Crumble. Incredibly delicious. Highly Recommend.

It'll spoil you rotten.

I tasted a bit of the fruit smoothie, but didn't quite like it so much. Though it'll be a good treat for the summers.

And then, I got this take away bag - which is so handy...

...way to encourage me to take away yoghurts...!!

It has a special lining inside to keep all desserts cool =), and cool it is!

Clinique's Moisture Surge

A few months back, I said I'd blog about some of the Clinique products I use. I never got round to blogging about it. -.-

So I decided to blog about Clinique's Moisture Surge to begin with; one of the reasons being Glamour magazine has a free sample size version of it (featured below). So keep a look out for it if you plan to get it ^.^

Clinique has been my facial care routine for 9 years now (unbelievably!). I can't see that changing. Their products can be amazing and deliver truly satisfying results.

I use Moisture Surge once or twice a day. Whenever I feel my skin needs it really.

The Spray version

Before the gel-like Moisture Surge came out, I was using this spray. I got it as a sample initially and I was convinced from the first application that this was going to be a staple product. The spray is less concentrated than the gel - so you might need top ups. For that reason I much prefer the gel. Although I did miss spraying this on!

The Gel-like version

Only a pea size amount is needed to apply to your entire face. It takes about 10-15 minutes to fully absorb.

It has an almost gel-like texture, which helps to keep the mixture cool. A few Clinique staff have actually advised me to put this in the fridge to make it even cooler - I have yet to do that!






I don't wear any foundation so I haven't tested applying this over makeup. As the instruction says, this should be fine to use under or over make-up - how convenient! =P

I think the instruction '5 minute moisture mask' (below) can be a bit misleading as some people might think it needs to be washed off - it doesn't!





The Results?

I always look forward to that cooling feeling it brings upon application. It makes your face look more lively, dewy/almost golden - in a good way (not oily!) and healthier. It moisturises your skin without the greasiness some moisturisers and face creams bring.

It really is a cure for thirst for all skin types.

One jar can last up to a year if you use it sparingly. That's how long I've managed to make my previous jar last. The price is £30 or below, which I think is very reasonable - in terms of how long it lasts and delivering what it promises.

Maybe that's why I can't seem to find any more of these in Glamour magazines........!

The Monsoon Maxi Dresses

Maxi Dresses are making a come back again. I have to say, they'll always remain one of the most elegant fashion pieces to me although I only have one. I plan to add more to my list in the future =P

All that's needed to do to complete these maxis is a bit of mix and match; add layers where needed. Use shrugs and boleros to achieve the look.

But for now, I've been looking through all the maxis at Monsoon and here are my short-listed

top 4!

Monsoon is one of my favourite shops when it comes to dresses. The only let down for me is their prices. They vary hugely. You might be able to find dresses from £50. They can be as high as £200 or over at times. So watch out for any sales. You can visit their site here.

Pick 4. The Pradesh Dress

It's made with 100% organic cotton and traditionally hand crafted with woodblock print. I really like the spring feel to this and the laid back floral look.

Pick 3. The Delhi Dress

Also made with 100% Organic cotton. This is hand sewn with mother of pearl embellished bib. What I like about this is its bursting colour and its casual loose fit look. It looks very relaxed, pretty and girly.

Pick 2. The Cleo Embellished Maxi Dress

I prefer more formal looking dresses to casual ones. This happens to be at number 2, because of the beautiful detail around the neckline. It makes a statement for the dress. I also like the fact that this dress wasn't overdone and the designer stuck to leaving the rest of the dress plain and simple.

One thing I would find a bit tricky to do is to find tops/pieces to go underneath or over this dress without ruining the look. But there is always a way to everything =P.

Pick 1. The Goa Maxi Dress

With hand sewn embellished neck and shoulder detail, this dress speaks for itself. It's so elegant, simple, yet also manages to be sophisticated and modest. I'm totally liking the bow 'tie-back'!

If it weren't for the £190 price tag, I'd definitely get this. All that would be left is to find something to wear underneath, which shouldn't be too much of a hassle =P ... and you're done!