I haven't written in a while and that really is all my fault. I could say I've been wickedly busy (which is true), but I still found time do watch BBC iPlayer so...yeah.
But I'm back now and I'll fill you in on what's really been going on.
To start, I'm still in London and working well at school and at work--i.e. using work commitments to procrastinate on coursework. But that's still productive, right?
I've been to Brighton, and Bath. I've taken selfies with Elvis and Stonehenge. I've been a right ol' traveller, I have.
Chillin' with my druid friends.
That Elvis tho....
I've also consumed a fair bit of fermented drink, if you know what I mean. However, those are the pleasures of Blighty and they will sure be missed when I'm gone.
I've also made friends, the best of whom has been a young Chicagoan (I really don't know what they call themselves... I must ask), called Ryan with whom I have embarked upon adventures during my time here.
I also was reunited with my cousin Dominique who I haven't seen for around 6 years. When we last saw each other, we were both under five foot tall and prepubescent. She's now 6 feet tall in heels and towers over me. I'm forever jealous of her ability to source things from high shelves and she envies my shoe size. Despite our vertical differences, we've clicked and have spent time giggling, taking selfies, and drinking Caramel Macchiatos-- so basic, but so good.
This gal has been frolicking around London and other parts of England for the past month, exploring, eating, and being terrified by pigeons. This weekend I shall be travelling to Northumbria to see an old friend-- a girl I haven't seen in nearly a decade. I'm nervous about if we'll click back like it was 2007 or if it'll be awkward. I'm also very excited. We've more or less stayed in constant contact over the years via e-mail and later FaceBook, Twitter, and even Skype; but this will be our first in person meeting and she has lovely green hair.
I'd love to end this blog post by promising to write something next week, but I know if I did I'd probably be a rotten liar. I'll try, okay? I'll make something momentous worth writing about happen-- unless you'd like to read a type-off of my Tesco purchases. If the latter is the case, you can have your next post within a week, if I can find the receipts.
It's that time of the month again. The one we actually look forward to-- the end.
This month, I returned to school (thus the inconsistency of posts, sorry), started a new internship, and have been really busy. It feels like it was just yesterday I was poolside in Antigua with a glass of merlot. I hope you love what I've loved in the month of September.
Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette 2: Anyone who knows me, knows I'm attracted to nude eyeshadows. I didn't like the first basics palette when I took swatches at Sephora after it came out. The colours were too light to be a "nude" on my skin tone so it looked quite powdery. This palette suits me much better. I mainly use the darkest colour on the left in my crease and any of the following three on my lid. They also perform oil control on my lid really well.
Benefit They're RealMascara: I have thick lashes, but they're short (as I've discussed when I spoke of the Nº7 Exquisite Curl Mascara). This is a pretty good mascara for a more glamorous look. Great for a night out with big lashes. It uses a rubber/plastic wand instead of a bristly one. That helps to separate the lashes and add definition.
Essie Nail Polish in Shade "After School Boy Blazer": With September comes autumn. With autumn comes darker colours. This is a beautiful, neutral navy blue which complements my nails well without clashing with too many colours.
Essie Nail Polish Shade: "Carry On" : Keeping with the nail theme, this is a smooth, dark burgundy which is a very autumnal colour. I've been wearing it about 60% of the month.
DevaCurl- Frizz Free Volumizing Foam: I got a hair cut and took out my braids this month because I was just tired of dealing with longer hair in the mornings. Because of this, my curls have become tighter and more rebellious because of it. This mouse helps to elongate, moisturise and define my curls so they look less like a hot mess and more like Shirley Temple.
Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioner: Also with autumn, comes the cold and dry air which is murder on the hair. As a result, I need to moisturise my hair more often than I would in the summer. This is a creamy leave in conditioner than I can apply at night or whilst styling in the morning and my hair drinks it up throughout the day. I've seen a marked difference since I started using it. It has been shinier and has a bounce. It's also pretty reasonably priced ($7.49 at Kmart for a 16oz jar that lasts a month and a bit).
Jane Carter Solution Revitalising Leave-in Conditioner: This spray is a good protectant for when I am blow-drying for flat ironing my hair. Not only that, but it is also good for detangling rebellious strands. After washing, I generously spray it throughout my hair before styling. It works just as well on dry hair (when the wind blows your hair in all sorts of directions and you look like you've got a head of headphones).
Other than beauty favourites I've got a music favourite too! I've been listening to Paolo Nutini's new album Caustic Love a lot and I love it. I especially love the single "Scream (Funk My Life Up)". He's been gone for too long and I'm chuffed to bits that he is back!
I've been also watching the DVD of Seasons 1 and 2 of A Young Doctor's Notebook. It stars Daniel Radcliffe as a young doctor from medical school in Moscow and top of his graduating class. He is stationed in a rural and isolated town where he realises that he is brilliant, but inexperienced. Luckily, he has his future self to talk to and worry about, but that future self has his own set of problems.
It's a very dark comedy, and that happens to be the kind of comedy I like the most!
Here are my favourites in the world of beauty, music and whatever else I've especially liked this month! 1.Body Shop Body Butters: These body moisturisers are creamy body moisturisers and a great alternative to lotions. I've been using the Shea Butter and Olive Body Butter this month and have been loving the moisturising power it gives to my skin. The containers also double has handy little organisers. I've began to use them as littler jewellery pots for when I'm travelling and don't want to take a jewellery box but want to keep everything protected and in one place.
2.Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner: I've recently died the tips of my hair purple, which involved bleach. That being said, my ends get dry and tangled easily now, so what do I do? Use his leave in. Especially after washing my hair whilst it is still damp, this spray has magical detangling powers and makes my hair smell lovely! I can't say how many people have been sniffing my head since I began using this regularly.
3. Origins A Perfect World Moisturiser with SPF 25 and White Tea Extract: I have dry skin that tends to get oily at times and contrary to popular belief, if you are black YOU STILL NEED SPF. Skin cancer and melanoma do not discriminate. This has been my favourite moisturiser for a few months now and now that I've nearly finished the lot and am looking to repurchase it has to go into this post. A little goes a long way with this. A dime-sized dollop is enough to cover my entire face and it doesn't have a strong fragrance or leaves a white ghostly residue like other SPF moisturisers seem to at times. It also stays well under make up.
4. Simple Moisturising Facial Wash: Apply to a damp face, lather it in and rinse. I use this twice a day to cleanse and it does a really good job. When I have make-up on I just rinse and all of it is gone. I do rinse twice sometimes if I just want a really deep clean. It gets rid of dirt and gunk in your pores without drying your face out and leaving you looking like a raisin.
5. Body Shop Tea Tree Oil: Lately I've had a few breakouts, but this little saviour in a bottle just kicks ass. After cleansing my face, I pour four or five drops on my palms, rub them together and just pat it on my face, especially my cheek and chin (where I tend to get the most pimples). This not only dries up and gets the pimples to go away, but actually prevents them from coming up to fast and I also found it to even out my skin tone a bit where I had acne scars. Really a little miracle in a bottle. Thank you to my friend Abby who recommended it!!!
6. Nacidit Aloe Vera Treatment for Normal and Mixed Hair: Now, I ran out of my normal Organix Keratin Conditioner AND my It's a Ten Deep Conditioner (the latter being not the cheapest of hair products). I was in the Caribbean where getting those conditioners back would have meant spending an arm and a leg, and I quite like my arms and legs. My mom took my to a West Indian beauty parlour and where the Dominican stylist recommended this BIG pot of heaven ( which only costed about ECX$30.00 which is only about USD$11.00). It's cheap, so I thought I'd try it out, and if not, just give it to my mum. Now I want it, and I found it on eBay and Amazon so I know or a fact I'll use it again. It is a product from Santa Domingo and it smells heavenly. It uses Aloe Vera extract and is very nourishing to the hair. My hair feels moisturised after using it and breakage drastically decreased. Highly recommend.
7. G.H. Bass & Co.: The original maker of the penny loafer. I was looking for a pair of fun and funky flats to wear on vacation so I ventured to the DSW website and found these oxfords. They had in navy blue with peach soles which I really liked and a grey with yellow soles. However, they did't have it in my size in either of those. Instead, I got these taupe and turquoise ones instead, which are a brave look. Wearing them isn't as hard as I thought, good pair of khakis or black slacks and they look incredibly chic and fun.
8. Twin Folks- Cross my Mind: I heard this song whilst watching a Drama called It's Okay, That's Love which in itself is a wonderful drama series with deep characters which make me laugh and cry many times per episode. The OST (Original Soundtrack) for this drama is on point! A mixture of English and Korean songs and all of them I love. My favourite was this one which plays whenever a happy moment like a drive montage or date happens. It's a really happy go lucky upbeat song that I just listen to on loop and dance in my bedroom.
And those are all my favourites this Month! See you soon!
When flying from Antigua, I normally used Delta. However, Delta decided not to fly from Antigua to JFK anymore so I'm stuck having to deal with my love-hate relationship with American Airlines. I love American Airlines so far because every time I've flown with them I haven't died or been critically injured. However, their customer service and sense sometimes annoys me.
I'm suffer from Chron's disease which is a form of inflammatory bowel disease. Eating the wrong foods results in bad stomach aches, headaches and just overall pain. My wrong foods include mostly meat and dairy but white flour can do me in also. After reaching to reserve my in-flight lunch, I realised that only a chicken salad and teriyaki been entrées were available. So, like any tech-savy millennial I sent a cheeky little tweet to American Airlines.
No word on how to reserve my special meal, I resorted to the website which contained a few menu options such as Gluten Intolerant, Vegetarian and Halal (good on them). I called the 1-800 number to reserve a meal but the helpful, though sarcastic customer service member informed me that "special meal choices are not available for my flight"... I thought I paid so I won't have to smuggle food from the in-airport pizza joint in or risk getting my mustard-laden homemade sandwich taken away in accordance to airport security rules.
Sigh *American Airlines* Everytime I fly a "lunch-time" flight with you guys from Antigua I've got to buy a vegetable pizza at the airport and smuggle it in. It'd be nice if I could get a nice little tray with a salad and sit down with a glass of wine.
As I feel that I want to be a bit more approachable, I thought in an effort to make a personal connection with you, I'd make a list of my favourite songs. Now, I love music-- seriously... to a near obsessive amount. I have more than 200 albums on my iTunes and my iPhone's memory is slowly depleting. I rely on one of those old iPod Classics because that often have over 100GB, which is PERFECT for my music addicted self. Here is a piece of my ever-changing list: 35 songs that I listen to at least weekly (in no particular order).
1. Teardrop- Massive Attack
Never mind the singing the singing fetus. The haunting voice of Elizabeth Fraser of the Fraser Twins and the harpsichord riff make this spooky ditty a good one indeed. Those of you who might have not been sitting under a rock for the past ten years or so may remember this song in its instrumental form as the theme song of the Medical Drama, House.
2. Do You Remember The First Time- Pulp
Jarvis Cocker and his band was a big part of my early childhood, especially with this song (despite it being released before I was even born). I heard it for the first time when I was in England with my parents to visit some of my elder cousins. I remember singing and dancing to this in my bad early 2000's fashion.
3. Playing God- Paramore
As an angry pre-pubescent and one who had to deal with bullying in my school days, this was my anthem-- my big "F*CK you!" to all of the hypocrites who made my school life miserable in those days. It also helps that Haley Williams is so delightfully fierce in this video.
4. All is Full of Love- Björk
This reminds me of one of my big musical influences and one of my best friends growing up (Nick, if you're reading this, love ya bro). He introduced me to this song when I was starting to develop my singing voice. It was and still if perfect for my babyish soprano and Björk is such a great artist. Plus the robots in the video clearly state my stance on LGBTA people. Their love is as beautiful as anyone's and they deserve equality.
5. Healing Hands- Citizen Cope
This song is by little-known artist, Citizen Cope (aka Clarence Greenwood). It does help that his near transparent blue-green eyes and jazzy beat melt me like hot chocolate, but the song never fails in getting me to dance around whilst doing a chore or two.
6. Waiting All Night- Rudimental (Feat. Ella Eyre)
This is a bit of a departure from my regular style of indie rock music, however the reggae beat is a really good one. Ella's voice is pure silk and it really does help me to embrace the Caribbean rhythm that I lacked when I was younger.
7. Radioactive- Kings of Leon
I love me some Kings of Leon. This song is another chore-dancing selection. When this song is up I am also prone to some questionable dramatic singing and air-guitar playing.
8. I Want You- Kings Of Leon
At first glance, this song may seem to be a good way to say "Hey babe, I like your face... can I sit on it?" but no. It's actually a commentary on young love and how eager some may be to prove themselves-- like ya know in the case of recording a regrettable sex tape with a boyfriend (it's all in the lyrics).
9. You Don't Love Me- The Kooks
We all had that unrequited crush. The mixed signals, the guy/girl who knew you really liked them and toyed with you till the end. This is song is for the realisation that we are all a little masochistic. An anthem for all of those who are bitter and in love.
10. A Whiter Shade of Pale- Procol Harum
This song is from the 60's and when British Soul music was at it's best. My dad and I used to always listen to this on his record player in the living room. The origins of the song's lyrics are clouded. Some think the band was so high on drugs that they put random words together, others say that a member of the band, Keith Reid, got the title of the song at a party when a girl, seeing her friend looking a little sickly commented on her complexion telling her " You look a whiter shade of pale, love." No matter what is the inspiration, the song is beautiful.
11. (Still A) Weirdo- KT Tunstall
This Scottish songstress penned the song with the misfits in mind. It is about looking at yourself objectively, accepting your mistakes and accepting your faults.
12. That's Alright- Laura Mvula
Another anthem for those who march to the beat of their own drum. The hook, "Who made you the centre of the universe?" Asking people about who made them the right to judge who we are and a nice way to tell them to mind their own damn business.
13. Numb- Linkin Park
We were all rebellious and recalcitrant teens once. Need I say more?
14. Nightcall- London Grammar
The British trio put their own twist to the electro-pop song by Kavinsky. To tell the truth, I kind of like this version for the lyrics. It is serene and powerful with Hanna Reid's floating and emotional vocals really taking the prize. The song details the inner monologue of someone preparing to break up with their soon to be ex-significant other.
15. Midnight City- M83
This catchy ditty has minimal lyrics and tells the story of someone going to their favourite place to be alone and enjoy the view. I like to listen to this in the car. It is a great song for a road trip montage.
16. Just -Radiohead
Jonny Greenwood's guitar solo is epic and Thom Yorke's lyrics about a narcissistic friend who keeps getting himself in dumb situations hits the spot. We all have that friend who we love dearly but can be an attention-grabbing annoyance.
17. Brother- Matt Corby
The Aussie crooner with a soulful voice wrote this song as a commentary on a friend of his who was slowly drifting away and making questionable choices in his life. It's all about offering or asking for help when you or your brother needs it.
18. A Litte Respect- Erasure
This 1988 synth pop hit is a plea for respect and proper treatment from a lover who has been hurt. This is a sort of dancing in your kitchen at one in the morning, hairbrush karaoke single.
19. Wonderwall- Oasis
Oh the Gallagher boys. Liam and Noel, the rocker brothers of the nineties. I love this song when I'm feeling mellowed out and calm. Noel wrote this song about a lover or friend coming to save you from yourself. Someone who is your "wonder wall". A wonderful sentiment.
20. Riptide- Vance Joy
This song manipulates my weakness for a good Ukelele. It's a playful and upbeat song about being socially awkward and being in love with someone who you may deem as way out of your league and the insecurities that come with that.
21. Money On My Mind- Sam Smith
I know this song is grossly overplayed, but hear me out. I think the sentiment of doing what you like and what your talents allow you to do for the love of it rather than the money is a good one; and, I think Sam puts it better then Jessie J did with Price Tag... just my opinion. This is also a hairbrush karaoke song.
22. If I Had a Gun- Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Noel is back, and this song about confessing love to someone who as Bruno Mars would say " You'd catch a grenade for." It's about finding the one most of us hope that we would spend eternity with and proving the lengths you would go for them.
23. Somewhere Only We Know- Keane
Keane! I love this boys and Tim Rice-Oxley has a song-writing talent that elicits awe. This song is about going to a place, a physical or mental one of calmness. Somewhere only you and your thoughts can be at peace -- a metaphorical safety blanket.
24. Everybody's Changing- Keane
Keane again, I hope there are no complaints! I really love this song as a statement of being confused as to what exactly are your hopes and aspirations in a world where you may be stagnant and everyone else seems to have their shit together perfectly. It captures the feeling of being a Peter Pan whilst everyone seems to be growing up and out of the people they were when you were friends.
25. When You Were Young- The Killers
This tune makes me dance and sing to the top of my lungs. It recounts the feeling of expectations and how sometimes we all fall short or what we get falls short of those expectations.
26. Mr. Brightside- The Killers
This iconic tune of 2003 tells the story of lead singer, Brandon Flowers and a cheating ex. He turned his feelings of betrayal into this tune saying "It's killing me and taking control", but he's happy that destiny is calling him and opened up his eyes to the truth and looking on the bright side that the relationship is now over and he can relax now.
27. Settle Down- Kimbra
This kiwi-songstress was the female voice on Goyte's "Someone that I Used to Know", but she's a force to be reckoned with in her own right. She wrote this song sarcastically on the social expectation that women are to settle own and have children early. She says that this song is an anthem of independence saying that women don't have to feel desperate to keep someone at their side in fear of being unable to settle down early enough.
28. Sick Muse- Metric
This song is a cynical thought about love and how it can at times be an inconvenience, especially when you're young. Singer, Emily Haines wrote this song when she felt that she was falling in love with the wrong person too strongly and her struggle to forget them.
29. Do I Wanna Know?- Arctic Monkeys
The awesome clap-stomp beat and guitar riff in this song gets me every time. Alex Turner and his band seriously outdid themselves with their most recent album, AM. This is one of my favourite songs off the album. It tells the story of wanting someone and being unsure of whether or not to tell them for fear of their answer.
30. Skinny Love- Bon Iver
Bon Iver ( founded by the lead singer and songwriter, Justin Vernon) is an indie-folk band and this song is one of their more well known singles. In the song, Justin looks back on his relationship with his ex who he refers to as Emma, describing the love as malnourished and and unhealthy.
31. Young Volcanoes- Fall Out Boy
I can not verbally express how ecstatic I was when I learnt that Fall Out Boy was to reform and release an album. That album was Save Rock and Roll and secured their place as the pop-punk gods of the naughties.This is one of my favourite songs from the album. Patrick's voice is as powerful as ever. The song is a battle-cry for those of us will untapped potential saying not to underestimate us, young volcanoes for we will grow to surprise you. They wrote it as a defiant statement against the record execs who inflicted creative wounds in the band in the early days, trying to label them for optimum commercial success.
32. Spectrum- Florence and the Machine
I knew I could not make a list of songs I listen to all the time without a nod to Florence and the Machine. Florence Welch's powerful voice and the baroque pop style makes this duo one of m favourite musical acts. This song is about the spectrum of emotions that being in love releases.
33. Maps- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O can do no wrong in my eyes. This song's title is an acronym for "My Angus Please Stay", standing for Karen's then long-term boyfriend Angus Andrew. They were going through a period of limbo between staying together and breaking up. She wrote this when she felt him drifting away most.
34. Kids- MGMT
The psychedelic rock duo formed whilst attending university and this was one of their first hits. It reveals the feelings of naivety and confusion when first attending college. The need to make family proud, grow up and step into the adult world (as a student, I relate).
35. Flaws- Bastille
British group Bastille, lead by frontman Dan Smith had a great 2013-2014. Their debut album, Bad Blood was a hit and "Flaws" is a single from it. The song talks about hiding one's flaws and admiring those who own them by accepting them and parading them in the open. It is also about the beginning of any friendship or relationship when everyone's flaws have to be laid out into the open for the relationship to be honest.
There you go! Just some members of my daily playlist. I hope I introduced you to some gems.
Today, I was having a conversation with a close friend of mine who said that she does not know what she wants to do in life. She believes the fact that she is twenty and doesn't know makes her a "failure". I was utterly gobsmacked that she could think that way. My friend (let's call her Elissa) is a psychology major, who is doing her pre-med courses. She is doing medicine because it is what her parents have always pushed her to do, but she does not exactly enjoy it. However, she doesn't hate it either. It is just not her passion or what she perceives as her calling.
I could not understand her point of view. From the age of fourteen, I always knew I would study Economics or Business (never Accounting, though bleh!). I love it as a subject and as a discipline. But, at the age of eighteen, I have no idea where my degree will take me; whether it will point me to journalism, accounting, business, etc. and I am okay with that. When I graduate, I will have a marketable degree and so will she, but how are we, the unsure graduates supposed to find our calling? Well, here are five tips I've gathered from my own experience and advice from my parents and peers.
1. INTERN INTERN INTERN!
Internships, even if unpaid, provide valuable experience and could even land you a full time job. I've interned at banks and law offices and through my intern experience, made judgements on the pros and cons of working in such an establishment. Internships give you a personal view that just reading a job description would not.
2. Join Clubs
As said before, I thought of using my Economics degree to dabble in Journalism. That's also the reason I started this blog, to try out writing and see how I can work. However, a blog alone can not get you a job. I joined the school newspaper and made friends who are all going to be New York Times bound, Pulitzer-Prize Winners in my mind. As someone who is interested in Journalism, the school paper is also a good way to gather clippings of articles for your portfolio (most Journalism internships and entry-level jobs require at least three "published" articles).
If you like Finance, join the Finance/ Investment Club. Acting? Join the Theatre group. You get the idea.
3. Read Up
So, you found out you want to be an Accounting, Economics, English or Psychology major. But, does that mean accountant, economist, teacher or phycologist/psychiatrist is all you can do? No! Your major/ minor can have so many applications in the real world. Visit websites and read journals for your specific field of study. They can offer insight into the myriad of jobs that require your major. Some may surprise you!
4. Talk to professors
Many professors had professional jobs before going into academic work. Form a bond with a few and use them as a career advisor. They could tell you about their professional life and how they might have got into being a professor (if that interests you). A lot even have side jobs or private practises into which they could hire you as an intern. They could also have many friends or connections that could allow you to use them as a recommendation
5. Go to Career Fairs.
Many colleges and universities hold career fair every semester. These fairs a filled with companies trying to attract students and graduates. Look around all the booths and displays. Talk to recruiters and see what they are looking for. There is something there for everyone and you are bound to find something that fits.
All in all, my biggest tip to anyone is do not fret. Do not allow people to choose your career for you. It is your life and you have to live it.
~ I always said that if I had a blog, one of the things I would do would be to share bits and bobs that I've grown to love in product reviews. So, here I go!~
I've been trying to get fit, or more active than I used to be. My years of eating ramen noodles and watching Korean Dramas was starting to affect my waist line, not to mention my health. I knew I was not going do fad diet, I wanted a lifestyle change. I started eating healthier and using apps such as MyFitnessPal to watch my food choices. However, I am a gym-hater and one who prefers walks and the occasional kickboxing lesson; therefore I needed something that tracked my activity and motivated me. That's where my relationship FitBit began.
I first had a FitBit Zip in Magenta, but the cute Tamagochi-like pedometer got lost within the first month. Luckily, FitBit's awesome customer service policy sent me a new one free of charge, which I lost in H&M whilst trying on trousers... I know that was careless, but that's how I am, a ditz of the most ditzy persuasion imaginable. I decided to splurge the extra forty dollars on a FitBit Flex. This little guy is a lot different as it tracks sleep (which the Zip does not) as well as is worn on the wrist and not as a clip on. This makes it a heck of a lot harder for me to displace, which is a very, very good thing. It is accurate. I have tried walking around counting fifty steps, and the pedometer counted the same. It uses Bluetooth to sync to the FitBit app on your iPhone or android to see how you've been doing OR you can tap the sensor to see the flashing lights. Five lights= you've got to your ten thousand step goal; therefore one light = two thousand steps. The tracker also comes with a USB dongle for your computer so you can sync it that way if you don't have a smartphone.
One pet peeve I have got with the device is the need to charge it. It charges via USB where the sensor is removed from the band and placed in the charger. Full charge takes about 45 minutes, which is reasonable. The FitBit Zip did not need to be charged , but it used a 3V coin battery to show a black and white LED display where the FitBit Flex uses lights and vibrations as well as is active during the night for sleep tracking so the difference in battery life is justified.
It retails for $99.95 on Amazon for the black and $89.99 for the slate, which is a a good $30 less than most other wristbands with similar capabilities such as Jawbone. It comes with a large and small wristband, USB dongle (which is TINY so try not to loose it!), the FitBit sensor to go into the wristband and the USB charger.
