Weekend
Saturday I finally had my hair done. It's been ages since I had been last to the salon, and it felt great to get my hair a slightly lighter tint than the usual deep brown. The colour will most likely fade away quicker though.
Later me and boyfriend went for dinner and a movie. We went to a nearby South Indian Restaurant for some dosa and chilli chicken.
We went to see JOKER. Can I just marvel at the awesomeness of the movie ? I actually wanted to avoid the movie, the trailer looked and felt quite depressing and I personally avoid 'dark' films. How wrong I was!! Joker is a downright powerful movie. This adaptaion is very clever, real, completely fleshed out and so relatable. Despite its divergence from canon, it is undoubtedly one of the best origin movies I've ever seen, within both DC and Marvel world. I've heard of all the controversies surrounding Jared Leto, but honestly, no one could have done this particular adaptaion justice other than Joaqin Phoenix. I cried with him, laughed with him, and at the end despite all circumstances and despite knowing he was slowly becoming, me, and I'm sure rest of the audience wanted him to win. And boy, this movie was a pure triumph!
My friend made a Chinese soup over the weekend, pork ribs with Lotus root. I had see this soup in a very famous Chinese Drama 'Untamed' and I really wanted to try it. She left the lotus root in square chunks, and kept larger pieces of meat. It tastes amazing. I think I'm turning into a huge fan of traditional homecooked Chinese meals.
Later me and boyfriend went for dinner and a movie. We went to a nearby South Indian Restaurant for some dosa and chilli chicken.
My friend made a Chinese soup over the weekend, pork ribs with Lotus root. I had see this soup in a very famous Chinese Drama 'Untamed' and I really wanted to try it. She left the lotus root in square chunks, and kept larger pieces of meat. It tastes amazing. I think I'm turning into a huge fan of traditional homecooked Chinese meals.
Christmas Cards
It's that time of the year again :)
Would love to send a Christmas card to my LJ friends :) please add a comment here or send ne a PM!!
Would love to send a Christmas card to my LJ friends :) please add a comment here or send ne a PM!!
Spring
Finally spring is here. Last few weeks were weird, we had snow, then cold Easterly winds, and now finally some sunshine and warmth. I had viral fever for a week, and gave it to my boyfriend who suffered from it longer (I reckon it was a bit of the manflu though).
Some beautiful spring daddodils from around where I live:
Some beautiful spring daddodils from around where I live:
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Beast from the East
I feel so disoriented today. I caught my bus to work today at 5 past 7, and suddenly got struck with a weird realization... that I thought I had woken up at 7.
I hate feeling disoriented like this.
First week of March had been terrible. We were struck with blizzards everyhwere in UK. Newspapers called in 'Beast from the East' or 'Siberian Beast. Schools were closed, transportation was off, and Met office assigned a Red Warning to Scotland first time in over a decade. It was fun however, taking pictures and waddling about in the thick snow, and for the first time in seven or eight years I saw snowmen outside my flat. The downside of all is the transportation closure, and for one week all shelves in supermarkets were devoid of milk and bread. And slowly all vegetables shelves were empty too, mostly due to panic buying thanks to newspapers that said 'Don't Panic'.
A few random photos of the snow:
I hate feeling disoriented like this.
First week of March had been terrible. We were struck with blizzards everyhwere in UK. Newspapers called in 'Beast from the East' or 'Siberian Beast. Schools were closed, transportation was off, and Met office assigned a Red Warning to Scotland first time in over a decade. It was fun however, taking pictures and waddling about in the thick snow, and for the first time in seven or eight years I saw snowmen outside my flat. The downside of all is the transportation closure, and for one week all shelves in supermarkets were devoid of milk and bread. And slowly all vegetables shelves were empty too, mostly due to panic buying thanks to newspapers that said 'Don't Panic'.
A few random photos of the snow:
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Just some thoughts..
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So true!On my way home, I observed this billboard at a bus stop.
I'm not obese, I'm overweight. I have a BMI of 26. And I want to get myself in a healthy category, with a BMI of 20 to 25. Hence I really want to get back at my diet of VLCD, as NHS calls it, which is very low calorie diet. So basically I'll be dropping my daily intake to about 600 to 800 calories. Once my BMI and weight are within range, I will adopt a lifestyle of healthy eating and diet. I will have a consultant to help me with this.
So I'm excited for my new phase in my diet.
Overeating does cause obesity. And I'm overweight because I can't keep my hands off shortbread, crisps, and sweet stuff. My work has free vending machines. It's so easy to nip out a packet of munchies than actually waiting till I get home for healthier alternatives. If I do wait till I get home, I get so ravenous that I can't stop to gobble down whatever I get my hands on. That needs to change. My lifestyle needs to change.
Spring flowers are out, but the weather is supposed to get colder this week.
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New Books
Finally I've finished the two books that I started a couple of weeks ago.
Eleanor Oliphant was a complete surprise. This book has been awarded the Costa Book of the Year and many more, also is in line for a movie production by Reese Witherspoon. I believe this book does deserve every praise it gets. It's a very warm, heartfelt and a beautiful story of Eleanor Oliphant, a woman in her 30s, who is completely content with her life. She is lonely, Monday to Friday she goes to work and back home as clockwork. Every Friday afternoon she gets a pizza and 2ltr bottle of vodka. And back to work on Monday. Her weekdays evening's are spent in front of the telly, Wednesday phone calls with her mother, and she lives in the tiny council flat since the last ten years after moving out of foster care. Her story is unique, enlightening, and gives a thorough depiction of 'adult loneliness' combined with mental illness, that she wasn't even aware about. The book makes us feel frustrated, angry, delighted as well as root for Eleanor as she finally triumphs against her fears at the end.
Close Quarters is a satirical book, and it's story is based in a tenement house in Glasgow. It starts off as a murder mystery; murder of one of the most hated man in the building. He is the infamous Walter Bain who has irritated and antagonized his neighbours, the local council, police and other services to the point of no return. He is a meddler and a muddler, a typical self appointed leader who had made every resident's life a misery. The story is essentially a huge backstory, of each resident of the building, of how they ended up buying or renting their flats, while being unaware of the disruption known as Walter Bain. Also the book gives quite a detailed view of the lives of Glaswegians during the 80s, the shops, pubs, and life in the University. This was possibly why I picked up the book in the first place.
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Eleanor Oliphant was a complete surprise. This book has been awarded the Costa Book of the Year and many more, also is in line for a movie production by Reese Witherspoon. I believe this book does deserve every praise it gets. It's a very warm, heartfelt and a beautiful story of Eleanor Oliphant, a woman in her 30s, who is completely content with her life. She is lonely, Monday to Friday she goes to work and back home as clockwork. Every Friday afternoon she gets a pizza and 2ltr bottle of vodka. And back to work on Monday. Her weekdays evening's are spent in front of the telly, Wednesday phone calls with her mother, and she lives in the tiny council flat since the last ten years after moving out of foster care. Her story is unique, enlightening, and gives a thorough depiction of 'adult loneliness' combined with mental illness, that she wasn't even aware about. The book makes us feel frustrated, angry, delighted as well as root for Eleanor as she finally triumphs against her fears at the end.
Close Quarters is a satirical book, and it's story is based in a tenement house in Glasgow. It starts off as a murder mystery; murder of one of the most hated man in the building. He is the infamous Walter Bain who has irritated and antagonized his neighbours, the local council, police and other services to the point of no return. He is a meddler and a muddler, a typical self appointed leader who had made every resident's life a misery. The story is essentially a huge backstory, of each resident of the building, of how they ended up buying or renting their flats, while being unaware of the disruption known as Walter Bain. Also the book gives quite a detailed view of the lives of Glaswegians during the 80s, the shops, pubs, and life in the University. This was possibly why I picked up the book in the first place.
Takeaways
Japanese food is my favorite kind of takeaway. I usually have the urge have one Japanese meal every two weeks. Scotland has quite a lot of good Japanese restaurants, though food may not be fully authentic and has a Scottish flavor. Today I ordered a lunch of Chicken Katsu curry with rice, avocado maki, chocolate mochi, Custard Dorayaki, Ueshima's Chilled Coffee. This is the first time I'm trying out this paricular coffee, its different but has a nice flavour.
What is your favorite kind of Takeaway food ? What are the common takeaways where you live? What kind of meals do you like the most when you don't feel like cooking?
What is your favorite kind of Takeaway food ? What are the common takeaways where you live? What kind of meals do you like the most when you don't feel like cooking?
Sweet Indulgences
Here in this post I list a couple of delicious food indulgences from last week.
Our lunch at workplace has the American name of 'Deli'. But the food is generally UK or Scottish based. Breakfast is usually comprised of fried items such as bacon, black pudding, hash brown, eggs, sausages and a breadroll. Lunches would usually be a wholesome plate of food of a rice based item,
This below is one of my favorites at lunch. Its mash potatoes with chickhn broth, and topped with boiled chicken, mushroom, peppers and garnish. It has a delicious creamy texture, and has a pinch of salt with almost no spices.
This below here is one of my favorite desserts - Lotta Chocca Pizza from Dominoes. The taste is heavenly, the base is quite buttery and salty, and the topping is rich melted milk chocolate. I cannot have more than two slices though, as this is quite rich.
After coming to Scotland, I became a huge fan of gelato ice-cream. Gelato are basically Italian ice creams, with delicious flavouring. My favorite flavors are Tiramisu, Honeycomb and Belgian Chocolate.
Our lunch at workplace has the American name of 'Deli'. But the food is generally UK or Scottish based. Breakfast is usually comprised of fried items such as bacon, black pudding, hash brown, eggs, sausages and a breadroll. Lunches would usually be a wholesome plate of food of a rice based item,
This below is one of my favorites at lunch. Its mash potatoes with chickhn broth, and topped with boiled chicken, mushroom, peppers and garnish. It has a delicious creamy texture, and has a pinch of salt with almost no spices.
This below here is one of my favorite desserts - Lotta Chocca Pizza from Dominoes. The taste is heavenly, the base is quite buttery and salty, and the topping is rich melted milk chocolate. I cannot have more than two slices though, as this is quite rich.
After coming to Scotland, I became a huge fan of gelato ice-cream. Gelato are basically Italian ice creams, with delicious flavouring. My favorite flavors are Tiramisu, Honeycomb and Belgian Chocolate.
Breakfasts
Probably quite a silly thing to post, but I do love breakfasts. It's an important meal of the day, and my favorite are full vegetarian breakfasts. That way, I can easily skip lunch and go straight to dinner without any meal in between, and still retain the energy. I however prefer this on weekends only,
So below is my first choice of breakfast. It's based on Scottish protein rich breakfast but with vegetarian theme. A slice of normal toast with butter, baked beans, scrambled egg, hash browns, potato scone, fried mushrooms, fried tomatoes, and my favorite avocado, followed by black coffee.
My second choice is a partly vegan breakfast from Juice Garden. Its partly vegan because of the addition of a poached egg. And along with it are sourdough toast, with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, homemade beans, avocado with falafel and a bit of herbs on top. The highlight of this dish are the wild mushrooms, they are a heavenly delight.
Finally, to add something really healthy, I love fruits and granola. I love crunchy fruits, and make my mix quite sweet by adding in honey sometimes, or often flavoured yoghurt.
So below is my first choice of breakfast. It's based on Scottish protein rich breakfast but with vegetarian theme. A slice of normal toast with butter, baked beans, scrambled egg, hash browns, potato scone, fried mushrooms, fried tomatoes, and my favorite avocado, followed by black coffee.
My second choice is a partly vegan breakfast from Juice Garden. Its partly vegan because of the addition of a poached egg. And along with it are sourdough toast, with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, homemade beans, avocado with falafel and a bit of herbs on top. The highlight of this dish are the wild mushrooms, they are a heavenly delight.
Finally, to add something really healthy, I love fruits and granola. I love crunchy fruits, and make my mix quite sweet by adding in honey sometimes, or often flavoured yoghurt.
Autumn
Autumn is here. And with it, comes the morbid weather or grey skies, strong winds and constant rain. I've been leaving home in the dark in mornings, and coming home in the dark. This is why I hate autumn, it is so bleak it makea winter more welcoming. Most trees have started shedding their leaves, those aren't are preparing themselves. It will be half a year after which I will see them vibrant again.
I do miss my boyfriend. I'm glad he is at his home taking care of his mother, and we chat everyday on WhatsApp which makes tbings easier. I really wish his Mom gets better and he could come back home to me. Somehow this awful weather isn't helping much. It's really selfish of me to wish him return soon, when he needs to take care of his mother. It's a strange situation, and I feel so lonely. Had we been married, I would have been there with him by his side.
On his last day here, we went to his favourite India restaurant. We had Biryani, idli, dosa and chilli paneer, all were so yummy.
Here is a photo with the last remnants of summer:
I do miss my boyfriend. I'm glad he is at his home taking care of his mother, and we chat everyday on WhatsApp which makes tbings easier. I really wish his Mom gets better and he could come back home to me. Somehow this awful weather isn't helping much. It's really selfish of me to wish him return soon, when he needs to take care of his mother. It's a strange situation, and I feel so lonely. Had we been married, I would have been there with him by his side.
On his last day here, we went to his favourite India restaurant. We had Biryani, idli, dosa and chilli paneer, all were so yummy.
Here is a photo with the last remnants of summer: