Stay Seated and Look...

New Zealand Travel Blog #2 "Awesome Kiwi Experience!"

2012-02-01T00:44:00.000-08:00

I write this from Queenstown in the stunning South Island of New Zealand, and I have lots to report about my last few days!

After smelly Rotorua we went to the powerful Huka Falls (which looks like mouthwash it's so blue) and then hit Taupo, where I had my very first skydive! It was absolutely UNREAL! We had a scenic flight up to 15,000 feet above the huge Lake Taupo (which is the same size as Singapore!) strapped snuggly to my instructor and more excited than nervous. Once the oxygen mask was on the nerves kicked in a little, but on watching all my fellow passengers tumble out of the plane before me there was nothing but cold hard adrenaline! 1... 2... 3 and WAHOOO HOLY S**T! We twirled out of the plane and I think I forgot to breathe as we hurtled towards the earth, disorientated at first until I figured out what was blue sky and what was water, then just blown away by the feeling of freefalling through clouds and sunlit sky. Once the parachute opened I could actually stop swearing and start taking in the incredible views, even steering the parachute by myself :D

That night we went on the Taupo Bar Crawl, winning a half price voucher for a boat trip by being super fast to roll a coconut from hips to chin between Anna and I, with only minor bruises incurred. Other challenges taken on by the revellers included Kareoke, Balloon Popping and a Wet T-shirt competition, and a good night was had by all! The next day Anna and I went on our boat trip to see some Mauri carvings which was nice and chilled, with only one chorus of 'I'm on a Boat' quitely sang.

Our bus then headed into the Tongariro National Park, where much of Lord Of The Rings was filmed. Movie buffs might reecognise Mount Doom (or Mount Ngauruhoe as it's Mauri name reads) which dominates the landscape there. We also visited Gollum's Pool; since then I've watched all three LOTR movies and now feel cool being able to point out spots I recognise from NZ's stunning landscape. Other fun facts- apparently Kiwi Director Peter Jackson used New Zealand's SAS or army or something for the realistic fight scenes in the Battle of Helms Deep, but the injury register was so long afterwards that the Kiwi president wouldn't let him use them again for other battles in the film!

From there we moved on to the little-known River Valley lodge. I couldn't tell you where it is, not because it's a secret just it's in the middle of nowhere down a steep valley on the bank of a river! It's beautiful there though, we played volleyball and sunbathed and just had a well deserved rest. The river is great for rafting but is very cold as it's melted glacier water (I felt the chill when forced to jump in fully clothed for my Uno forfeit, though the wine took the edge off!)

Though I could have stayed at River Valley for days on end, we moved on to New Zealand's capital; Wellington. As it was the last time me and Anna could go out together before her return to England, we toasted our time together in the city. Luckily, though it was a Sunday, luckily the following day was a bank holiday for 'Wellington Day' so we could dance along to a live band as though it was a Friday- fate much? Wellington's free Te Papa museum was fantastic and we spent the next day exploring the city, enjoying the cable car up to a great viewpoint and botanical gardens, and eating- happy days :)

After an early start and a sad goodbye the next morning and I found myself on the ferry to the stunning South Island (choppy to begin with but it got much better) for our first South Island stop; Kaiteriteri. This is on the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park, and it was a great place to relax for a couple of days; sunbathing, playing mini golf and being big kids on the park and flying fox. Back on the bus we braved the wind to walk along Cape Foulwind, spotting seals lounging on the rocks and taking in the views, a whopping 16,286 kilometres from London (said the sign).

A couple more walks through lush forests, along raging coastlines and through the blowholes of Pancake Rocks and we found ourselves at Lake Mahinapua. We stayed at 82 year old Les's place; barrack-style set of basic accomodation in the middle of nowhere, but 50 metres from his legendary 'Poo Pub'. This is where every Kiwi Experience bus has a steak meal cooked by Les and our driver guide followed by a raucous fancy dress party. Our theme was 'Bad Taste' and boy did everyone lower the tone with their costumes! Pregnant nuns, cross-dressing paedophiles and stuffed-animal thongs were the order of the day, the drinks came in jugs and the jukebox played some belters- epic night!

We stopped at Lake Matheson for the picture-perfect mirror views of the mountains in the lake and a glimpse of NZ's two tallest snow-capped mountains, followed by Huka River, sparse bushland and on to Wanaka. Nothing much to report at Wanaka, it's pretty but small, but there's an awesome Puzzling Place that boggled our minds for a couple of hours! We moved on to a bungy jumping site (not for me thanks!) and on to the #1NZ party place; Queenstown. My first night was epic but I probably should have shared my World Bar teapot and not rinsed the 11pm free bar! I'm here for a few more days then chilling out at Lake Tekapo before heading to Christchurch for my flight to Oz- I have LOVED my time on the Kiwi Experience bus, bring on Oz!

New Zealand Travel Blog #1 "Sweet As Bro!"

2012-01-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

My friend Anna and I embarked on our little adventure last week, and MAN are we loving it! We flew from London to Hong Kong for two nights, only losing one phone and lots of sleep on the way! Hong Kong was great- incredibly clean and excellent transport, really cheap noodles (stay away from the vegetable dumplings if you're a veggie, we found lumps of something suspiciously like pork in ours!) and tasty BBQ beef rice rolls. We got the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong Island from Kowloon and stepped from a mish-mash of shanty-town and hotels to sweeping boulevards and business lunch restaurants. Other things we learnt: the rice wine is strong and insanely cheap but does not taste good, haggling on the markets will get you a good deal and they will escort you to a cash point if you need one, and the 'light show' that takes place every night at 8pm is kind of over-rated, though we had some lovely wine and nibbles on the harbour side that made it seem much better!

Next we flew to Auckland, New Zealand's sprawling but uncharismatic northern city, and were picked up by my friend from summer camp; Brooke. Brooke was a STAR- the time we spend with her and her lovely family was amazing (I am still going on about her Mum's beef and the pool) and we had a hoot with her friends on a night out in Whangarei. We also had a corker of a night in Paihia at the Base Hostel bar, then drove up to the northernmost point of New Zealand; Cape Reinga, the next day. Momma Cat purred along nicely during the scenic looooong drive, Tracy Chapman was belted out and we still enjoyed the swirling Pacific/Tasman meet and views despite the weather being foggy!

Brooke drove us back to Auckland after a 'sweet' beach day ready to start our Kiwi Experience on the notorious buses. We've found the bus trip great so far- it's so easy and convenient, plus a great way to make new friends, it's just the journeys are long and the driver's ipod can be... well... interesting! Our first bus stop was Mercury Bay where we went on an awesome glass-bottomed boat trip around Cathedral Cove, learning about the different marine life and geographical features of the rocks there, exploring caves and doing some ace snorkling- we even touched sea urchins and saw an octopus!

Next stop was Hot Water Beach where geothermal activity beneath the sand means you can dig your own hot pool when the tide is out and have a nice long soak, but be warned- parts of it are BOILING and toes can get toasted! We stayed in a brand new block of cabins on a cool campsite where we made teriyaki chicken on the BBQ with mugs of wine and our new friends :D good times! The following day was a beach day with only minor sunburn acquired, but we missed the last shuttle so had to hitchhike with a French family back to our campsite! First time for everything, right?

We stopped off at Karangahake while on the bus the next day to walk through the old pitch-black railway tunnels and along the gorge swing bridges which was a cool way to bond with our group. That afternoon in Waitomo we went on the incredible 'Black Abyss'- an exhilarating combination of caving, tubing, zip-lining, abseiling and climbing through the pitch-black but stunning Ruakuri Cave, mesmerised by the glow worms on the cave ceilings and amazed at our seemingly endless energy supplies! I think the hot drinks and sugary snack provided en route during the 5 hour caving expedition helped, plus the adrenaline! It was one of the best (if not THE best) things I've ever done!

Now we're in Rototua which smells a little funky because of the thermal activity and sulphur geysers around, but that does not affect our sunbathing as you can't smell it from our pool! We had a wonderful night in a Mauri village or Marae where we learnt about their customs, beliefs and way of life, enjoyed an awesome traditional dance, song, weaponry and poi show, then had a huge feast of delicious foods cooked in a hangi beneath the ground (with vino of course!) before many amusing sing-songs on our waka (bus) on the way back! SUCH a fantastic night, followed by an entertaining bungy-run competition in the hostel bar (which I didn't enter, not in a maxi dress!)

Tomorrow we go to Taupo and we're going to do a Skydive- wish us luck!

Review: The Jenny Craig Diet Plan

2012-01-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

My two weeks spent testing out the Jenny Craig Meal Plan diet are over, and it's time for me to share my experiences with you, my fabulous readers :)

Although I was approached by a lovely Jenny Craig affiliate (via this blog- woo!) and asked to test out the program, I will aim to be unbiased and honest, but hopefully still informative and kind of useful to anyone considering trying it out too. Here goes!

I've already outlined the three main tenets of the program HERE, but in my experience I found that the 'Food' part of the program far outweighed the significance of the 'Body' or 'Mind' sections in my daily thoughts. For me, considering how much exercise I was doing, how my body shape was changing and how I was feeling at regular intervals in the day didn't feature in my thoughts as much as what my next meal would be (though those of you who know me and my foodie ways will not be surprised by this!)

I started the program on a Friday, just before I went to stay with friends for 10 days in Birmingham. The inconvenience of having half my suitcase filled with food was cancelled out by the incredible convenience of having all my meals practically ready to eat! As I was staying away from home, I was also away from the temptations usually found in my house (my biscuit barrel and I were all too closely acquainted) though my friend did tempt me into baking chocolate cake with her... twice. Having said that, the odd indulgences I had didn't totally throw me off track, because I was mindful of quantity, occasionally had my treat instead of the recommended Jenny Craig snack and also had the added pressure of feeling that I'd need to confess my sins to my consultant if I took it too far, so tried not to.

My consultant Alison was great (she even sent me a Xmas card); we'd arrange a convenient time for a quick chat, when she asked how I'd been getting on and we'd discuss any challenges I had faced or any problems I needed help to overcome. She would remind me to follow the plan as best as I could, to drink plenty of water and to get in the recommended exercise, but I think I found having a consultant most helpful because I felt it made me accountable to someone other than myself. I'm naturally quite a teacher's pet, so I just wanted to be a top student!

The pack you are sent with the plan is very thorough, easy to read and informative, plus it's filled with motivational advice like "Break The Cycle" and "Affirm Yourself". You can fill in certain sections and analyse your eating styles (I'm somewhere between a social eater and an emotional eater) and activity levels (I was in the 'Action' stage before my gym membership expired) and then follow the steps to progress to healthy levels of eating and activity, with the help of your consultant, and the support of the Jenny Craig online community.

You're supposed to take your measurements before and after starting the plan (I didn't- shoot me), but I did notice my waist seemed smaller after the two weeks, and the scales said I'd lost 3 whole pounds- result! I've even decided to keep this vintage pair of shorts I was selling because NOW I can zip them up! Wahooo!

If I hadn't have had at least one Big Night Out, and more than one episode with share pouches and the aforementioned cake, then I know I'd have lost more, because I do believe the plan definitely causes weight-loss if you stick to it. How can it not- calories are controlled, exercise is encouraged and you have a support network, it's the three-pronged attack that does it!

I found the whole program incredibly easy to follow, it was like paint-by-numbers, you cannot get it wrong, you can only not do it properly! Portion sizes are not a problem at all, as you can supplement meals with as much fresh salad and vegetables as you like (there's a handy list of 'Free Foods' you can peruse HERE along with a sample menu). I never went hungry, and even had a few meals out but tried to make healthy choices (not sure Pizza Express goats cheese and chicken salad is super healthy, but MY GOD is it tasty!)

I did end up occasionally switching the meal I was supposed to have with one I preferred from the menu (I'm not big on instant noodles) so didn't exactly follow it to the letter, but I'm still pleased with the results, and enjoyed pretty much all of the food I had! I did a little bit of exercise most days, which I only sometimes filled in on my trusty sheet, and I usually forgot to tick off each item of food I ate, but as it was just for my benefit I wasn't too fussed. Noting my huger level before and after eating made me more responsive to my body, and having a plan to follow where you can see what will be going into your body makes you less likely to add in 'baddies', because you would have to admit it on your lovely neat little chart, and I didn't want to mess it up with too many scribbles of 'vodka x lots' and 'cake'. I did find it hard to get in all the dairy and fruit snacks I was supposed to have, which surprised me as usually I have no problem with regular eating, but I think my tea addiction helped on the dairy front!

Tuna Ratatouille with Durum Wheat and salad

Some of the food on the plan was divine, like the roast chicken meal, the tuna ratatouille and the lasagne, but sometimes I found the texture of the chicken a little strange, and having to squeeze the food out of a packet both off-putting and a little tricky to get it all out! I gave my friend Anna the extra day's pack of food I was sent but her feedback was rather less positive. Anna thinks all muesli tastes like cardboard so she wasn't overjoyed with her breakfast, though I love cereal so I actually enjoyed the muesli when I had it during the two weeks (though the chocolate and yogurt coated flakes are definitely better!). She noted that she felt 'peckish' at around 10am, and so had her Jenny Craig chocolate biscuit (yes, chocolate biscuits, on a diet plan, wahoo!) which she loved, obviously :)

For lunch she said the rosemary potato pot was quick and tasty, but she was not keen on the added croutons (I'm a Team Crouton player myself). Anna supplemented her day's diet with fruit and veg, so she wasn't hungry again later in the day. Dinner was supposed to be a Thai vegetable curry which I had tried before and enjoyed, but my chum was so turned off by how it looked when she squeezed it out of the packet ("like grey dog food") that she didn't eat it! I must admit that some of the foodstuffs on the program are far from being aesthetically pleasing when you first see them, but the flavours are really tasty and with a little stir or fluff up and the addition of fresh and colourful salad and vegetables, they end up looking much better and tasting great!

As you can see from my experiences vs. Anna's, opinion on the program's menu is largely based on personal preferences. I'll try anything going, but for people who know what they like and like what they know, this diet plan might not be the one for them. A more flexible plan that requires you to make you own decisions about what you eat would be better for people who are confident in doing so, for example the Dukan diet or Weight Watchers, which allow more flexibility than meal plan diets. Having said that, the principles I have learnt from the program can be applied to your own diet, if you eat 6 times a day and ensure you get 5 portions of protein, 2 fats, 2 fruits, 3 dairy, 5 starches and minimum 3 portions of veg or salad. Though this sounds like math, once you are familiar with portion sizes, it might start to be part of your regular thought cycle so you can eat a healthy balanced diet without being on the meal plan. Myself? I'll be too busy worrying about bikinis and beaches for the next four months, but I'll try!

I think the plan is great for anyone who needs the extra guidance, enjoys the convenience and wants to kick-start a diet or re-educate themselves about having a healthy balanced diet. Personally, I wouldn't be able to do the plan for a long period of time, because for people who love cooking their own food and want to eat what they fancy, not what's on the menu, it's hard to follow a set menu. In the future, I'd be happy to try out other diets and meal plans, but as I'm going travelling in a couple of days, I think I'll be surviving on what I can get! I will try and remember what I've learnt from this experience though, namely about portion size, regular eating, balanced diet and of course, not eating half of a whole chocolate cake... twice...

HELLO to the Jenny Craig Meal Plan Diet!

2011-12-12T05:45:00.000-08:00

Although it may be snowing outside and my thermal socks are seeing a lot of use, my thoughts are straying to my post-Xmas travels to New Zealand and Australia, where bikini season is in full swing! I am also well aware of how Christmas indugences usually cause us to put on a little bit of winter insulation, which I do NOT need after my summer going super-size in the US!

To both prevent any further weight gain and also in a bid to start losing a little of that which I've gained, I have embarked on the Jenny Craig weight loss program, which you can read all about right HERE.

The program is basically a three-pronged attack the help you either lose weight, maintain your current weight or re-educate yourself on what (and importantly; how much) to eat in order to have a healthy balanced diet.

Firstly (this is the main thing for me), you are provided with the right foods in the right amounts in the 'Food' part of the plan. I received a HUGE box of goodies containing all my meals and a few snacks to last two weeks, delivered direct to my door. It was strangely exciting to rifle through my planned diet, and it got me excited to try all the delicious-sounding meals (more on that later).

The contents of my stomach for the next two weeks!

Secondly, you are put in touch with a consultant who is like your go-to person if you have any problems, need to confess a slip-up or need advice on how to handle a potentially dangerous situation (I had a Big Night Out planned, but I tried to counter-act my many vodka/diet cokes by dancing for 5 hours, skipping my daily 'goodie' and drinking lots of water). My lovely consultant Alison is thus helping my tackle the 'Mind' part of the program, I've spoken to her twice already and feel like I'm doing pretty well!

Thirdly, there's little point in putting the right fuels in your body if you don't supplement that with exercise to help boost your weight loss and your mood, hence the 'Body' part of the program. The calorie content of the diet plan is according to your level of activity, mine is 1200 per day (not including 'free foods') but I've been walking loads and I danced until 4am on Fri night/Sat morning so I'm getting in some workouts, kind-of!

Now, the Food! Breakfasts are packets of flavoured porridge, tasty wheat flakes or muesli, and you add milk and fruit. Lunches are almost instant (soups, noodles, instant potato, salad pots etc) with salad, but often require you to be near a microwave or kettle. I've managed to fit the plan into my erratic schedule so far by eating my tuna pasta salad while shopping instead of my potato and croutons, and I chose soup during a lunch out because that's what I was supposed to have anyway. Dinners are very tasty so far, and include curries, lasagne and roast chicken- not typical diet foods by any means, but these are calorie controlled and you get the amount your body needs, but can supplement your portion with vegetables or salad. You also get a delicious snack like the white-chocolate and caramel cereal bar, which I LOVE, and eat fruit and yoghurt between meals too, though I've found it tricky to fit in so many food breaks (surprisingly!)

Chocolate Coated Wheat Flakes- YUM!

I have a couple of meals out to navigate whilst on the plan (which are allowed but you must try and be mindful of your choices) so we shall see how I deal with those! Watch this space for my grand review of the whole program and my experiences overall, but for brief updates check my Twitter and the Jenny Craig Facebook Page, where I will be posting regularly! Wish me luck!

Christmas Holiday Essentials!

2011-12-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

So many of us choose to go away over Christmas, be it travelling to be with family, travelling to get away from family or heading for some winter fun in the sun, but what essential items should you take with you over the festive period?

Here's my list of the top 5 essentials that what would be going in my sleigh/suitcase if I was to spend the holidays away from home...

1. Alcohol :) Preferably home brewed sloe gin or something festive like mulled wine, advocaat for eggnog or Glayva for a warming hot toddy. I always find that a day of my Mother's overcooked turkey, my grandad's snoring and the Queen's speech becomes much more bearable after a liquid breakfast of the adult kind. If I were on holiday overseas, I'd have hit the duty free en route and stocked up on festive spirit(s) to help the party season go with a clink, why not? HEY it's the holidays! Share a bevvy or five with the people you love!

2. Decorative Ribbon- the kind you curl with a scissor edge. Any gift can be jazzed up with a bit of ribbon, even if it's wrapped in the Christmas Eve newspaper because you yet again left it too late this year goddamit. Little rolls of the stuff can even be stuffed into shoes when packing to save space, and any bottle of wine you pick up can instantly be made to seem extra special. You took the time to curl the ribbon didn't you? WIN.

3. A Sparkly Dress- Christmas isn't Christmas for me without a smattering of sequins, so I would always pack a really jazzy little number for all those party season dates you'll have in your diary. Failing that, dress up on Christmas Day, just because it's Christmas- the only day on the calendar during which sequins are acceptable day attire. Sparkly dresses are also proven to increase your chances of experiencing a mistletoe kiss by up to 74%. Yeah, that's a real statistic. This jaw-dropping one from Lanvin is a jaw-dropping £1,635, but this high-street gem from Dorothy Perkins is equally fabuous and a much more purse-friendly £60...

Lanvin at Matches, £1,635

Dorothy Perkins, £60

4. Morning Rescue Kit- No-one wants to be hungover on Christmas Day, the turkey just won't taste right ( vote 'hair of the dog'- see point 1. on this list). What you need, is channel your inner Boy Scout when packing, and Be Prepared. I don't mean include your sparking flint and Swiss army knife (though the latter usually has a corkscrew. Just sayin'), I'm talking about your rescue kit for those mornings after the night before, using mini-bottles where possible to travel light. Mine would consist of: pain killers, Berocca, eye mask for lie-ins, Vitamin B, Touche Eclat, lip balm, Sex and the City on DVD and ideally a small elf who would bring me food, give me foot rubs and close the curtains for me if I took a dislike to daylight.

5. Festive Extras- A Santa hat is actually quite sensible if your winter break is somewhere chilly; keep your ears warm, reduce heat-loss through the head and emit festive cheer on the slopes! Tinsel could replace your usual piece or ribbon/luggage strap that you use to distinguish your baggage on the conveyor belt, and red lipstick could be used not only for vixen lips but for an impromptu Rudolf nose if the situation suddenly called for it (this could happen- a couple of twigs more and you've got yourself an easy-peasy fancy dress outfit). A few small baubles bit in the suitcase could be used as wine glass markers (HEY that's my zinfandel, my bauble is terracotta coloured, yours is the one with squiggles on!) but could also be used as silly earrings or even bobbing apples during a seasonally-confused games night. Here's an extra travel tip- fit all these items into a compression sack (like this one from Rutand Outdoor) and squish it all down to save space. They also keep all your clothes in neat little sacks that make great weapons in pillow fights!

Hopefully my handy hints and tips will stand me in good stead for winning This great competition from Thomas Cook to win a fabulous Antler suitcase, which is very shiny and sexy, and I want very much!

All together now (Mariah warbles optional):
Santa won't you bring me one thing I really need, won't you please bring the suitcase to me-e-ee!

VINTAGE and Pre-Loved for SALE!

2011-11-28T04:17:00.000-08:00

SO because of my penchant for all things vintage, and all things I can wear in general, I have a wardrobe that's bursting at the seams and a very empty bank balance!

My remedy- a huge clear-out and mass SALE! Now any of you readers who also enjoy a bargain can peruse my items and make me an offer- WIN WIN- I get dosh, you get a fabulous new addition to your wardrobe!

Simply comment the post or email me at hellostaceybarnes@gmail.com to make me an offer or express your interest!

Happy Shopping!!!

Freakin' awesome vintage shorts, would fit 8-10

Scarf from a Berlin vintage warehouse, £3

Another scarf from same warehouse, £3

Crushed Velvet snakeskin maxi skirt, would fit 8-10

Real Lether navy bag

Real leather black bag

Vintage M+S dress, would fit 8-12, requires relatively small boobs!

White shirt, size 16 but would tuck into shorts and look FIT on any size

Red military jacket, size 16

Blue vintage military jacket, size 16

Customised bag (I added those vintage buttons!) £5

Original Dr Marten's, says size 9, definately more like a size 6/7, £20

Size 10 pleat-detail dress, needs an iron but it's tres cute!

Vintage jumper, super cosy for winter! Would fit 8-12

Sequin floral blazer, feels kinds festive!

Silk topshop tie-side and tie-shoulder top. Slinky size 8

Metallic top, size 10

White denim dress, size 10, never worn! cross-over straps, gathered back, side zip and colour block square beads

Raw-edged grey dress, silk details, cute cap sleeves and buttons, size 10

Kitsch little strapless dress, exposed zip fastening, boned upper, size 10

Silky kimono-esque dress, size 10, side zip, worn once, comes with matching belt tie.

Black velvet vintage dress- SOLD!

Vintage skirt worn as a dress, customised with bleach and styled with a vintage belt

Vintage shirt, size 16 but looks good tucked in or tied up

Vintage dress from COW vintage warehouse

Size 10 pinafore dress

Button detail puffball top, floaty style, would fit 8 or 10, maybe a small 12 :)

Embellished shrug, sequined and jazzy :D Size 8 but can be worn open

Size 10 Animal board shorts, logo on back of left thigh, would fit size 8 too

Open Studded Waistcoat, pretty snazzy, size 10 but would fit 8-12. also selling the tee!

Floral top, size 12, back tie makes it fitted and flattering

Post-Camp Travel Stories- NY, Toronto, DC, MD and PA

2011-11-21T05:26:00.000-08:00

Well I've been a busy bee since my last post, but my 5 months in the US of A are officially over (for this year- more on that later!) and I thought I should share some of the stories and pearls of wisdom I gleaned from my time travelling the states after working summer camp.

From camp I got the train (not the right one- I missed that!) to Buffalo in north-west New York state. The vibe I got from Buffalo was kind of strange- it was like a ghost-town during the day, all high-rise office blocks but only homeless people on the streets. By night things got a little more fun, at least they did in my eyes (I had my first cocktail with some sushi at the lovely SeaBar around 1pm. A couple of Oktoberfest pints and some vanilla vodka later, my time in Buffalo was perking up!) Moral of the story- only go to Buffalo if you're going to Niagara Falls, or you're old enough to buy alcohol in America!

SeaBar's lunch special- sushi, noodles, miso soup and tea, plus a cocktail!

I meant to go to Niagara Falls from there but had so much fun with my first hostel friend that I didn't get round to it until I got to Toronto- a bustling cosmopolitan-feeling city in Canada with a central square that seemed to look to Times Square for inspiration (though it didn't have quite the same brash austerity as the NYC photo-op favourite). In Toronto I found good shopping, helpful people, a busy bar/club scene (though it was quite expensive) and some lovely European girls who I am still in touch with.

I ventured to Niagara Falls all on my lonesome, choosing to travel by bus and get a local shuttle down to the tourist mecca that is Clifton Hill. Considering the falls are a beautiful natural phenomenon, the gaudy facades of the ubiquitous Tussaud's and Ripley's seem to jar, but fair play to the tourist board who are laughing all the way to the bank as tourists decide to 'make a day of it' at all the amusement arcades and could-be-anywhere entertainment venues. As you can see it wasn't my favourite place but I'm glad I did the Maid of the Mist tour, even if I got soaked, got water in my camera and almost froze to death, because the high-winds/rain/waterfall spray combo caused quite a ruckus amongst the excitable Japanese tourists, which amused me no end.

Back to Toronto in time to catch my 11 AND A HALF HOUR BUS RIDE to Washington DC. No, I didn't get a wink of sleep, and yes I did have to sit next to a snoring man, but I arrived to glorious weather in a beautiful historic city that I'd been excited to see. Also, I was on Megabus (cheap as chips and free wifi) so I amused myself on the Internet for most of the journey!

Washington DC turned out to be AMAZING- after my hostel had no record of my reservation and so postponed my check-in for 7 hours, I went exploring to the White house and the fabulous FREE museum mile, before I came across hundreds of people making some sort of pilgrimage down by the monuments. I befriended 3 awesome girls, who explained that Obama was about to make a speech to open the Martin Luther king memorial, and there was to be a free open-air concert afterwards. The next few hours were amazing- Obama's speech was powerful and moving, and I got to sing along to Stevie Wonder (who forgot even his own song lyrics but blew us all away), Sheryl Crow, James Taylor and others, whilst getting one shoulder sun burnt and dancing with my new found friends. They even loaned me some trainers and brought me along to one of their awesome Zumba classes the next day! That's what travelling is all about, just exploring and going with the flow, making the best of it and making friends, plus having incredible opportunities just because you were in the right place at the right time :D

The Whitehouse

After a good night out in the gay district at DuPoint Circle with my hostel friends, I made my way to Baltimore to meet my first CouchSurfing Host, Michelle. for those of you unfamiliar with CouchSurfing, here's the lo-down. You sign up to an international website, make a profile like on Facebook, and can either request couches to surf on, arrange to meet other surfers for coffee or a drink, or just hit them up for insider tips on where they live. You can host fellow surfers if you have a spare sofa or bed, but I just wanted to meet someone cool who would show me around and let me stay, and I'm so glad I did it!

You may think CouchSurfing is like advertising yourself to rapists and murderers, which to some extent it is, but there are safety measures in place via the site and you must be a bit careful. You can research and contact your host first, there's no obligation to stay once you meet them if you get a bad vibe, and you can get in touch with other people who have stayed with them too, to see what their experience was like. On the whole the site is full of interesting and worldly people who just want to treat others how they'd like to be treated. It's rather philanthropic actually, and my experiences were wonderful :D I didn't even have a couch, I had my own bedroom, bathroom and key!

In Baltimore I walked along the beautiful harbour at sunset with my surfing host, we cooked together and planned my first full day there. I did the touristy things and went shopping, to markets and art galleries and up the observation deck, generally embraced the rainy day and then chilled with Michelle over some rum punch that evening. A friend I'd met in Thailand and Vietnam came and met me for dinner and drinks with his friends, and he ended up staying with my next couch surfing hosts in Philly a couple of days later- making the world smaller one step at a time!

Baltimore harbor

In Philly I couch surfed in a huge house full of multicultural people with interesting stories to tell, and enjoyed a house party that night before I saw Philly's sights and got my art gallery fix. From there I headed to New York City, where I stayed until my flight home on Halloween.

Time for a few pearls of wisdom-
1) Couch Surfing is an amazing idea and I'd recommend anyone to try it, but you have to trust your instincts and do your research before you stay with a stranger. Don't be naive, but do be open to people from other cultures and let them into your life too, many a life-changing conversation can be had over a cup of tea on a stranger's sofa!
2) Hostels are very communal, so if you like to strut around naked for a while after you shower, it probably isn't for you! Remember that other people have different sleep patterns to you, have different levels of messiness and are not there to ensure you have a nice stay. Usually you'll befriend many people in your dorm. Occasionally, you will hate them. It's hit or miss! Here's some more tips from TravMonkey...
3) I've learnt to pack light, and pack cleverly, but include things you really value. Use multi-tasking products like scented lotion (no need for perfume), face wipes (for face and body), and thick scarves (cardigan, pillow, blanket, bag, you name it!). If like me you like accessories, then include your lightest, smallest ones, rather than none at all. If you have to match, then take mix'n'match clothing so whatever you wear will go together. Take black shoes and a black handbag, they go with everything! Earplugs and an eye mask are essentials. Take more than one! Consider sleeping tablets, lip balm and painkillers, plus a torch and a padlock for in the hostel. Something you don't wear at home, you won't wear travelling! And allow for fluctuating weight- I put on over a stone at camp, but lost half a stone travelling after. Stretchy pants are KEY!
4) Alcohol is a great way to make friends. Always buy enough to share!
5) Don't plan every day, let yourself just go with the flow, join in others' plans and stumble across things that you enjoy. So what if you spend 2 hours in a book shop and only half an hour looking at some monuments. Don't worry about being selfish, you don't have to change what you want to do to fit in with someone else. It's your trip, make it matter to you!

Picture I took from the Empire State Building- HOW Awesome!

New York City is amazing and I think everyone should try and experience it at least once. The atmosphere is just fabulous- one day I will live, work and play there, wearing black and feeling cool just because of my address. At the beginning I was helped up and down stairs with my luggage, was given directions by NYPD and looked up in awe at the skyscrapers looming overhead. I followed my map like it would lead me to treasure and I got paranoid about pick-pockets every time someone brushed past me. I sat in awe in front of pieces of art that I'd read about as an art student, and gleefully took pictures of Times Square in all weathers. I sang along to Broadway stars in Ellen's Stardust Diner, gave a standing ovation at Mary Poppins, and queued for 2 hours for panoramic views form the Empire State Building.

By the end I carried my Starbucks coffee cup and steamed up my sunglasses with it whilst walking purposefully like all the locals. I sat and read outside the Central Library (SJP's wedding venue in SATC), I gave homeless people my left-over food and toiletries, and I strode out of subway stops as though I knew which way was East and which was West. I hunted down the best vintage warehouses in Brooklyn, spent a night in Queens, went to a weekend thrift market and even haggled in Chinatown. I avoided eye contact on the subway, didn't sit next to the guy with his pants down, shared a giggle with a guy dressed as an Angry Bird. I EMBRACED life as a faux-local, and enjoyed every minute of it!

I will be returning to America next year after a second summer back at camp. This time, I'll hit New York with my 'cwo-fey' cup and eke out all the places that tourists miss, no doubt blogging along the way. Watch this space for more travelling adventures!

Floral Flare Fever...

2011-08-26T05:41:00.000-07:00

So I meant to share my excitement over finally plucking up the courage to wear my floral palazzo pants, and now i'm converted!

Mine were a bargain from Primark (don't judge, I am a student!) and they were debued in Berlin just before I went to NY, teamed with a long black vest and a statement necklace, plus a gold scarf in the daytime...

By day- palazzos, leather and sunnies

By night- palazzos, sandals and 'pose'

They are UBER comfy, surprisingly flattering if worn with a fitted top, and bang on-trend, not to mention nice and airy for when the sun hopefully comes out!

These chifon flares from Therapy at House of Fraser are MEGA- floaty, floral and almost like a maxi-skirt, they remind me of Monet's waterlillies. Currently £36 down from £45- get them quick!

These ones are £34 from Rare, and are finely pleated but still floaty- nothing wrong with a bit of subtle textured detailing!

Rare, £34

These ones from Love Label are huge, look mega comfy and have a more Jackson Pollock-esque feel to them, as does this jumpsuit from BooHoo.com, which is only £18- that's for practically a whole outfit!

Love Label, £35


BooHoo, £18

If you're not a fan of the wide leg, try a similar print on a more slim fitting trouser. These white ones from Matalan are only £14 and ASDA do a fabulous pair of printed palazzo trousers for £16.

Now it's coming into Autumn yours can still be worn! Save then for less windy days though as the flapping-round-the-ankles flare is not something others will covet!

Daisy Chain Tees at Student Fashion Blog

2011-07-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a tasty little link to an article I've recently written for the fabulous Student Fashion Blog .co.uk- if you like cool T-shirts then Daisy Chain are the ones to watch!

Enjoy :D

American Summer Camp... It Begins

2011-06-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this from across the big pond as I am currently working at a kids summer camp in New York! In my pre-camp excitement I made this post, but now I'm here I can tell you much better what it's like.

After almost 35 hours travelling with only 5 hours sleep (from setting off for Heathrow to arriving at Camp in the Adirondack mountains in New York state) I arrived at the glorious Point O'Pines private girls camp, having met some wonderful fellow counselors along the way.

Point O'Pines is gorgeous- set on a beautiful peninsula surrounded by Brant Lake, the bunks have great facilities, the camp boasts so many things you can do and the weather has been great (only one patch of sunburn so far! Oh, and 4 mosquito bites).

The food here is delicious- the salad bar is well stocked and the main meals are tasty (though not always healthy- my mac and cheese tasted like shortbread it was so buttery!) plus the deserts are to die for- especially the giant iced chocolate cookies! When the kids arrive on Saturday there will be even more treats- candy canteen twice a week, two 'snack' times per day and special days like ice cream day, Point O'Pizza and Point O'Pasta. Nom!

Most people here are from America, Australia or the UK though the tennis team is predominantly hilarious Mexicans and there are lots of Eastern European staff too, especially as 'Campower', who work very hard to keep the campers well fed and looked after! Everyone I've met has been so friendly, definately making some friends for life here!

I've been so busy it's unreal- fitness bootcamp at 7am, activities all day stopping only for food or 'rest hour' a.k.a nap time or writing in my sexy new journal time. Yesterday by lunch time I had worked out, swam fully clothed in the lake, been trussed up as a horse and galloped round a course, played a pantomine horse in a play, cheerleaded, hoola hooped, done a taste testing game, made up songs and helped build a boat for an egg. Standard morning at camp! Evening activities are fun here too, we've had one social with the brother camp so far but have more planned, and there will be more plays, movie trips, talent shows, competitions, dance shows, campfires, traditions, days out and 'surprise' nights than I could shake a spirit stick at.

I am loving my time here so far (and haven't even had the Walmart trip yet!), an though it was a little over whelming at first, I am having so much fun and am beginning to feel so at home that I am already thinking about returning next year! Stay tuned for more camp insights!

Vintage in Birmingham!

2011-05-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a tasty version of an article I wrote for last week's Redbrick Newspaper... Enjoy!

Last Saturday saw the launch of “Birmingham’s Newest Independent Fashion, Home and Arts Fair”;

Retro Brum.

Held, fittingly, at the Custard Factory’s Space 2 in Digbeth, the fair was jam-packed with treasures old and new; from antique watches and granddad jumpers to scrabble-letter rings and hand-made greeting cards!

The Custards Cream Stall... see http://thecustardscreambirmingham.blogspot.com/

The quid entry fee was worth it for the atmosphere alone; haggling with the traders, grooving whilst browsing and mooching on the battered sofas eating caramel shortbread was made über-fun by the sexual tracks spun by the Tantrums. Saturday afternoon well spent I'd say!

DJ + full sleeve = YES

A quaint vintage tea room took over the bar area selling delicious cakes and nibbles on kitsch chinaware, and some stalls were dedicated wholly to cupcakes, tray-bakes and other heavenly treats! My company and I headed to Yumm just round the corner instead for their scrummy mezzalunas (like a calzone/panini/pasty!?) and spicy wedges. Sorted out our hangovers a treat!

NOM!

Two low-key catwalk shows were held, styled by Bad Apple and Ove-ra Monkeys, which were short but sweet and featured ‘real-life’ models (none of this Size-Zero malarkey). Folks from The Vintage Salon were offering retro pin-up hair and make-up over in Zellig, and you could even get beautiful henna tattoos done.

There were over 40 stalls selling titbits old and new, from well-loved leather bags from Tea Cup Kitsch right up to new but vintage-inspired tees from Daisy Chain Clothing. Do not despair if you missed it- the fair will be on 1^st and 3^rd Saturday of every month from 11am! There’s also a vintage market on 25^th June at Stan’s Cafe in the Jewellery Quarter, and weekend car boots like ‘Bar Boot Sale’ at the Hare and Hounds from 1pm Saturdays or the city-centre Sunday morning one, which are often dotted with vintage finds. Don’t forget the vintage stalls in and around the rag markets, plus there’s vintage to be found in a garage-y warehouse shop near Sing Fat Ltd Chinese supermarket- if you can find it!

The Custard Factory is also home to Urban Village and Frock On Vintage, and of course there’s the iconic vintage warehouse COW on Digbeth High Street, so why not make your trip to the fair into a thorough vintage shopping experience.

Urban Village

More Urban Village

COW has a sister shop near Urban Outfitters in the city centre too, and the Urban Renewal (Men here and women here) section at UO stocks one-off treads made from vintage, surplus and pre-loved materials. Also check out Top Banana in Kings Heath, Yo Yo in the city centre, the vintage section on the top floor of Oasis, and keep an eye out for Forgotten Vintage’s next hanging-rail vintage market!


COW in Digbeth

You can check out this article in it's original format at Redbrick Online right here...

Birmingham's Best Bits... On The LASH!

2011-05-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

Here is Chapter 2 of the Birmingham Gospel According to Me: Where to go Out on The LASH!

Disclaimer: It must be noted that these suggestions are coming from a student, with limited funds, who is able and more than willing to go out during the week when normal people go to work. Do not expect an all-encompassing view of Birmingham's night life, as I am by no means knowledgeable enough to give it!

Having said that, there are a few MUST-GO-TO places in Bham, my favourite places being The Rainbow (cool place, cool people), Snobs (Indie, Messy, FUN,), Mechu (dress up a bit, still get smashed, it also serves food), and the infamous Fab'n'Fresh on Saturdays at my SU: The Guild.

If you fancied a whole week on the LASH, here is a suggested diary:

Monday- Bambu or Loaded at Gatecrasher.
Tuesday- Naked Lunch at The Rainbow (if it's on), or Stupid Tuesdays (which seems to switch venues constantly, anyone know where it is now?)
Wednesday- Full Moon Party at the HMV Institute (see an earlier review here) or Snobs
Thursday- Minted at Mechu, or DV8, or Jam House.
Friday- Propaganda at The 02 or Anarchy at Subway City.
Saturday- Fab'n'Fresh at the Bham Uni Guild of Students, or Snobs, possibly followed by Subside.
Sunday- sleep it off!

Bambu; not to shabby!

So considering what kind of night you're after:
If you want to get your rock on, then you want the quirky Flapper and Firkin, followed by the fortnightly Anarchy at Subway City on Fridays (£10 entry, 10 free drinks!), Subculture Saturdays at the 02 Academy, and alternative/rock bar Subside (open 'til 6am!). A new club is opening next weekend, ran by Subculture, called Vudu; Fridays are set to be the new Ramshackle, and Saturdays will be full of Indie/Rock tunes too.

Gatecrasher, admittedly on a busy night!

If you want Indie, then Snobs is always a winner and the Sunflower Lounge often has cool bands playing downstairs for pre-drinks. Also it's decisions decisions for Indie on Fridays: you can choose from Propaganda at the O2, Supersonic Vague at Gatecrasher, or Subway City's other fortnightly night; Resurrection.

A band playing downstairs at The Sunflower Lounge

For cheesy, it's gotta be Flares, Reflex or the gay clubs; DV8 and Nightingales. If you want to get your rave on, wait for a proper event to come to (what's left of) the Custard Factory, or Godskitchen at Air, or Raveology held at places like the Rainbow.

Standard queue at DV8...

For 'nice drinks' rather than 'drunk clubbing', try the many bars at The Mailbox (Penny Blacks, Pitcher and Piano, Bar Room Bar etc), or the bars in the Arcadian complex near China Town (Sobar, Poppyred, Arca Bar, Mono Bar etc).

Also don't be afraid to think outside the box a little; the Yarbird jazz club is awesome, and the Jam House is a cocktail-tastic proper-dancing bar owned by Jools Holland which is pretty swingin' and always seems to have live music on. Also check out the Island Bar for it's cocktails, the Gothic-inspired Bacchus bar beneath the Burlington Arcade, and the achingly-cool Victoria, which also holds quirky events like 'A Crafty Beer' (knit and drink- win win!).

I'm yet to explore the evening delights of nearby Moseley and Kings Heath or the Jewelery Quarter bars, but I hear that these are the places to be, and so must try them out before I leave Birmingham!

One final note on going out in Brum- avoid Broad Street at weekends unless absolutely necessary. The reasons for this needn't be listed, just take my advice.Yes, it's were Gatecrasher resides and some of the bars along it's sick-blood-and-lager strewn length are passable, but only people who don't know Birmingham very well, or who are laddish balding men/crazy almost-menopausal women enjoy Broad Street at weekends, unless you're doing Carnage; the awesome charity pub crawl (sounds oxymoronic but it's true!)

"A typical Sturday Night on Broad Street" from the Daily Mail

I also wouldn't particularly recommend Air in Digbeth, Oceana is an acquired taste but you may love a cheeky bit of Vodbull on Thursdays, and Risa must be saved for when it's absolutely necessary.

If you want to look for 'What's On' in terms of club nights and special events like silent discos, comedy nights and roller discos, these are the best sites I've found; WOIB (What's On In Brum), Live Brum, Visit Birmingham, Itchy, Don't Stay In, Birmingham Theatre Guide and also the Birmingham Mail website.

The End

5.5 Points of Procrastination

2011-05-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

So now I've handed in my dissertation (halle-freakin-lujah!) I have time to publicly procrastinate!

1) TOWIE (You should know what this is, if you don't, click here, you are missing out) is so unbelievably crap, yet is as addictive as Maltesers, if not more! One of the 'hunks' of the show, if you could call them that, is Kirk Norcross, who I've discovered features in a random music video, shirtless and mute, looking like a bit of a spare part, which you can watch HERE. I've got to admit, he does have a bit of a sexy smouldering thing going on here, but the singer (NY apparently) has some crazy schizophrenic hair going on which reminds me of the hilarious new Boots advert (watch it here).

2) Royal Wedding FEVER was wonderful, wasn't it? I attended a fab street party and helped decorate the lovely cakes below... (I did the cool ones by the way, the 'bejeweled' ones were my friends' creations!). Many glasses of Pimms and much BBQ food later, we came to the conclusion that Harry is much hotter than Wills, Kate's sister Pippa has a peachy bottom but is not prettier than Kate, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugene looked ridiculous. Also, hurrah to two kisses on the balcony, and to lip-readers interpretations of the Big Day Banter!

I only ate four of these I swear...

3) Someone please buy me these Jeffrey Campbell shoes? They're only £95, but alas! My meagre student budget must be spent of food/alcohol/train tickets instead. They're tapestry but I promise I won't ruin them?

In the style of Homer drooling over donuts... Mmmm... Shoooes...

4) HOW COOL is this wash basin (now there's a sentence I've never said before...)

5) Kind of like guerrilla gardening, but different and less messy; public embroidery. A nice idea, special if you see it or are involved in it, probably isn't going to change the world but nevertheless, I like it.

And finally, it was only a matter of time before even entry stamps at clubs and such places started trying to sell you stuff. I think having them printed in lickable ink would be just swell!

Student Fashion Blog Review

2011-05-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Want to see me pretending to model for a review I did for the Student Fashion Blog? Click here!

I road-tested some clothing from Get The Label.com, and paraded them around my Birmingham house for photographer Emmanuel (idrawwithlight).

I have had the pleasure of working with Emmanuel before on this shoot and review... where I got my geek on wearing J!NX T-shirts in our Uni Library!

Birmingham's Best Bits... Where to EAT!

2011-04-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

So I've lived here for three years now and I think it's time I shared some pearls of wisdom about this fabulous city- where to eat and drink, what to see, where to shop and all manner or little things like that.

This first post will be on FOOD- I hope you're hungry!

So aside from Selly Sausage's 'what-it-says-on-the-tin' big breakfasts and awesome omelettes (with beans and 2 slices of toast!), Birmingham has some great eateries, and here are a few of my favourites:

I went to a new little cafe/eatery called Arco Lounge in the achingly middle-class suburb of Harborne at the weekend, next door to Cafe Nero up near Waitrose, which was just FABULOUS. It's part of the 'Lounge' chain but the only real give-away is the range of printed menus. Everything else from the home-made cakes and tray bakes to the big jugs of water and help-yourself glasses, magazine and newspaper stacks and huge blackboard with the menu written on feel very 'nice-one-off-little-cafe'. I like.

Apparently, (says the website) this one seats 80, and there's another one in Kings Heath which is huge (130 seats inside 40 outside, if the weather holds!). Better than a gastro-pub and the menu is varied enough to be a crowd-pleaser but also interesting and saliva-inducing.

I ordered tapas, (3 bowls for £7.95) they have a great selection for meat-eaters and veggies alike. I LOVED my cream-cheese stuffed mini peppers, honey-glazed 5 spice shredded pork and goats-cheese topped roasted sweet potato, which came with sliced ciabatta to get dippy with.

My brunch buddy had a scrummy-looking poached eggs with hollandaise sauce and crispy bacon on English muffins, and a good ol' bacon sarnie on doorstop bread. Yes, that's two meals for one person, but it hits the spot for brunch, right?

The previous night I had tapas at Bar Estilo in the Mailbox (this was a very tapas-y weekend), which was also delicious. Potato Bravas, salmon quesadillas, minted lamb kofte and sweet potato mash were spot on, but the stars of the show were the delicious duck and chorizo wraps and the spicy chicken thighs.

Also at the Mailbox is a very nice Cafe Rouge, where I would recommend the Confit de Canard; duck with dauphinoise potatoes, and also the huge bread and dip starters to share, though my boss would say it's all about the Croque Monsieur if you're feeling indulgent. In my opinion the deserts are better than the mains I've tried though- Crème Brûlée, Tarte Tatin and the melting chocolate torte are all rich and divine!

The mailbox is full of similar places to eat; GBK, Nando's, Pizza Express, Strada, Zizzi's, all nice and I wouldn't turn down a meal at any of them but nothing a-mazing in my humble opinion.

Although part of a chain itself, Jamie's Italian is gorgeous, as I've already said earlier in this blog. It's not too pretentious for pretentious-sounding Italian food, and surprisingly good value for money. You can see my review of it here, but long story short: go there!

Now I must turn to my all-time love; sushi. The many times I have been for all-you-can-eat sushi at Woktastic have been phenomenal- and not only for the variety of mini dishes offered (from sushi to noodles, salads, calamari, wontons, spring rolls and even deserts). I also love for the novelty value of getting it off a conveyor belt and the other non-sushi Japanese treats it offers (like the-world's-most-filling-bowl of Ramen, right Dean?). Also, the value for money is great- £10.99 for all-you-can-eat (I always seem to rinse this unlimited amount and leave with a huge rice belly, see fig.3).

Yes those were all my empty bowls. And what?

Also amazing for Japanese food is Mount Fuji, attached to the Bullring so super close for while you are shopping! Their eel and scallop sushi is to die for, as is their chicken teriyaki... NOM! The thing I love the most about this place though are the bento boxes where everything comes in it's little box section within a bigger box; great for those who sometimes seem to have OCD, and it feels kind of like tapas- always a winner!

Next on my agenda is this Vietnamese restaurant which does Pho Bo, or beef noodle soup, which I fell in love with in Vietnam and would like to relive the experience!

Woman making Pho Bo in Saigon

"It's 3am, we need Pho Bo"

Thoroughly addicted to Pho Bo by the time we reached Hanoi!

I also want to try out buffet restaurant Ming Moon (they have a chocolate fountain, and it's all you can eat, why wouldn't I want to go there), and Lasan; the Indian that won "Best Local Restaurant" in one series of The F Word, and is one of the "Healthiest Restaurants" 2009 as judged by Men's Health. I'd also like to eat at the vegan and veggie Warehouse cafe in Digbeth, try the teas at Cha Cha Cha tea lounge near House of Fraser, and (on my good friend's recommendation), Chez Jules. Oh, and Purnell's Michelin starred eatery. One can dream!

The Weird and the Wonderful...

2011-04-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Just some things that have amused me while I've procrastinated this week...

Needs no explanation, 'tis fabulous

Been doing some proof reading work recently, things like this = annoying

Those of you familiar with Aestheticism and Wilde's 'Decay of Lying' will chortle...

This article on Mashable.com on awesome uses of Facebook's new photo layout...

Also worth a shout out is this post on the Student Fashion Blog about 'Dickheads'... (scroll to the bottom and watch the YouTube clip- hilarious when you realise you've been seeing them everywhere, especially in Birmingham hanging around COW, Urban Outfitters and the Rainbow...)

Reviews and Random Writings...

2011-03-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

See just below for some things I've been writing and reviewing recently, and watch this space for a review I'll post next week in which I get to again try my hand at attempting to model- should be interesting to say the least!

Here is a link to a cheeky little article I wrote for the wonderful Student Fashion Blog .co.uk, reviewing a personalised hoodie and two photo mugs kindly donated from T Shirt Studio.com. I had a lot of fun swanning around my house pulling poses for this, so watch this space for similar shenanigans in the future!

Also, here is a review article I wrote about facial primers for Redbrick Newspaper's newly renamed 'Life & Style' section...
Also, rate the new-look website, I think it's fabulous!

This was the overall winner- I'm still using my lil tester pot of it and it is just SO SOFT I'M GONNA DIE! (Despicable Me how you've changed my life!)

Clarins Primer, £23.50 for 15ml

Ciao for now!

Summer Camp in NY- Here I Come!

2011-03-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

So this was quite a spontaneous decision, but I decided to get a train to London last weekend and attend the Camp America Recruitment Fair in Kensington (all by myself, in the rain) but I'm SO glad I went because I GOT PLACED!!!

Camp America liases with summer camps in the USA and helps them recruit their staff- from 'Camp Counselors' like me who look after the kids but often also have a special area of expertise they run classes in, to 'Campower' staff who have roles in the kitchens etc.

After queuing for an hour and a half, the doors opened and hundreds of hopefuls poured in. The atmosphere in the recruitment hall was one of panic- each camp had a list of what they were looking for on their desk and were crossing off the positions as they became filled. As you had to queue to speak to each camp director, it could be that the person JUST in front of you got the job you wanted- so everyone was feeling quite competitive!

After blagging my way into an interview to teach dance and gynmastics at one camp, I decided it didn't feel quite right and I should 'shop around', so I queued to speak to the director of another camp who was looking for dance teachers. However, on seeing how "enthusiastic and peppy" I was about the Dance Aerobics classes I currently teach, the camp director offered me a job as fitness instructor!

So I'm going to be teaching fitness classes like boxercise, step and skip, aqua aerobics and dancercise at Point O'Pines private girls camp in upstate New York- this place is phenomenal and I just CAN'T WAIT!

The camp is situated in the most beautiful area of NY state, but it's close to Boston, NYC and other cool cities, plus I can hop over the border to Canada and visit places like Monreal on my days off!

Plus, check out the fitness studio, I think I'll need these kind of facilities after the gourmet food they serve and the legendary ice-cream parties, pizza parties and cookie days!

I've been unable to concentrate on anything because of my MEGA excitement at going to camp, I've even decided I want to buy one of these POP sweatshirts...

I'll be working there June to October and I'll get time to travel during and 2 weeks afterwards too, so I'm so excited for summer now!!!

New Rings and Suede Things...

2011-02-21T05:26:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to expel some of my excitement over my new 'will use it every day and it will make me look fabulous' bag...

Which looks just as sexy in real life...

Other colours were sold in Urban Outfitters for £50 to £55 but this was an online exclusive that went down to £25 in the sale- this, I believe, was a sign- I HAD to have it!

(OOH SUEDE AND LEATHER....)
You can shop other Ecote bags here...

Also got me this fierce peacock-feather ring from Forever 21...

Forever 21 actually have an amazing selection of rings (check the online stuff here), I especially like this elephant ring and this vintage-inspired one, all for around £5.

Plus, with Forever 21 only having one store in the UK, I feel like buying things from here is a little more special than shopping in Topshop or H & M where it seems there's one on every corner!

Things I've been busy with...

2011-02-18T02:56:00.000-08:00

So here's a few links to some things I've been writing recently...

This is a review of the fabulous Urban Roots hair salon in the centre of Birmingham, as posted on Student Fashion Blog and the Lifestyle section of the University of Birmingham's student newspaper; Redbrick

This is an article reviewing two Khadi products, as featured on Student Life Blog... (the khadi website is here!)

And (exciting stuff!) here's a sneak preview of the business cards I've just made...

SS/11 Fashion Trends Round-up!

2011-02-16T03:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a post I've made for the fabulous Student Fashion Blog (which, btw, is the number 1 hit for google searches of 'student fashion' woop!) on the new season fashion trends.

SS/11- I've got you In The BAG!

Here's a word cloud to give you the gist straight away....

Check it... http://studentfashionblog.co.uk/2011/02/staceyloves-spring-summer-2011/

Quote of the Day...

2011-02-13T04:31:00.000-08:00

"To burn always with this hard gem-like flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."

Walter Pater, in his conclusion to his canonical The Renaissance encourages aesthetes and decadents alike to grasp fleeting moments with passion and intensity, to capture and preserve the richness of time in flux, and to take pleasure from those tiny perfect moments that are all to easily lost in everyday life.

Rihanna's 'S&M' video... risque or OK?

2011-02-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

So Rihanna's new viedo is stirring up something of a controversy... it's already been banned in 11 countries... but I don't see what all the fuss is about?

The song's called 'S & M' so obiously the video wasn't gonna be all rainbows and my little pony, but I think the creative director of the video could have upped the kink factor much more and really caused a stir if they'd wanted to!

The video is making a statement, but I think it's more about the pornification of culture on the whole and the bondage effect the media have on celebrities and public perception, rather than Rihanna just wanting to be a little Jezebel!

Watch the video HERE and make what you will of it!

Note: Look out for Perez Hilton lolling around as a human dog- classic!

A* for A|wear purchases!

2011-01-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

These amaaazing boots are the latest thing to make my feet VERY happy...

YES they are over-knee, YES they are studded and YES they are leather- and they were a bargain! £117 reduced to £25.50 = WIN!

My new bootsboots (sounds cuter) are channeling the biker vibe that I declare will sweep the nation this year- mark my words!

A|wear (that line is just annoying, but I wanted to get it right) are based in Ireland but these bad boys (and 5 other clothing items) were delivered within 4 working days, providing me with momentary joy in the midst of the horrific essay-writing period I've just endured!

Some of my other fave picks from the site include the taupe waterfall jacket (£50), delicious brown boots (£94) this fit hairband (£12), and shown right here....

To me A|wear seems good for girly girls who like pretty dresses, plain knits and simple tailoring, but it's also pretty fab for office-wear and, did I mention, boots?

Festive Fashions and Snowy Sales!

2011-01-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few of the TREATS I have acquired over the Xmas period...

This is one of the two AllSaints cardigans that have been keeping me snug this winter...

Themis Cardi, £55 in sale

I also got this gorgeous Nilah top, in black/oxblood love how they've called the dark red oxblood. Has anyone from AllSaints ever seen Ox blood?) and this cute little frock...

Embellishment central- down to £55 from £110

Gainsborough dress, £45

Seeing as my brother was entirely unprepared for Xmas and I had to buy my own present from Toppers and have me pay me back for it, I got this adorable headband earwarmer WITH A DOG ON IT!!! Or it might be a bear actually judging by the name...

Brown Bear... £14

My family also got me slippers, slipper boots, socks and the mother of all blankets... the legendary blanket with sleeves... a SLANKET!!

Can you tell it's been a bladdy cold winter?

I've also been trawling the charity shops up north and raiding my aunty's wardrobe, and have acquired a chunky knit cream granny cardy, a festive scarf, 3 big knitted jumpers, a slinky camel blouse, gold engraved earrings and a mini leather satchel bag. Ooh and I also purchased some vintage-esque clock earrings and a feather headband :)

My housemate also came up trumps in secret santa with a beaded bow headband, cute bow brooch and one of those weird furry snake-animal things that you can play tricks with! Ha!

Oh the endless hours of fun...

Book Review... The Shaking Woman

2010-12-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

The Shaking Woman or a History of My Nerves by Siri Hustvedt (2010)

Looking at the colourful child-like cover of this book; the first on my reading list for my Literature, Sexuality and the Body module, I was looking forward to a nice, easy pick-me-up-between-train-stops read.

On reading The Shaking Woman, I found that it was largely easy to read, but the frame of reference the book deals with (neurology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis) was a little out of my comfort zone.

After suffering a mysterious seizure while giving a speech at her dead Father's memorial service, Siri takes the reader on an informative and intriguing but rather disjointed tour on her quest to find the reason, via many strange experiences and well researched thoughts.

I found myself actually interested in the authors quest once I knew my hysteria from my neuroses and my psychobiological systems from my neurological ones (because I'm one of those people that use these terms every day, ahem). The sheer number of abnormal experiences she documents made me increasingly think of her as a little cuckoo; including shakes, migraines, divine lifting feelings, synesthesia, powerful dreams, seeing sparks, black holes and hallucinations, hearing voices and out-of-body experiences. However, her book is incredibly well written and refreshingly more detached and analytical than your average memoir.

Siri finally accepts that her unruly Other, The Shaking Woman that is subdued but not eradicated by the use of beta-blockers, is a very real part of herself, not the imposing illness or hijacking psyche she first felt.

I think we all have that mysterious Other within us; that voice that tells you to squish things that are just TOO cute, tempts you to jump from great heights and pull the legs of jinny-spinners. Well, maybe mine is just a little sick and twisted rather than hysterical. Each to their own ey.

Gotta love the internet...

2010-12-29T04:24:00.000-08:00

Things I've found that I just LOVE...

Been a busy bee...

2010-12-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

So here's a couple of links to things I've been writing today for other blogs, enjoy!

Koreesa: Post on the celebrity favourite Aldo Coppola on Sloane Avenue in London being the first salon in the UK to use the Fusion Mesotherapy machine to give younger-looking, healthy skin...

Furore Style: Post on a pioneering way to combat male hair loss- Micro Hair Technique, which involves tattoing tiny micro hairs onto the scalp to give the appearance of an almost-shaved head- genius!

Today I've also been arranging pieces to write on two of their other clients for local papers, have been integrating all their social networking sites and providing general entertainment, so I'm very much looking forward to our Christmas night out tonight :) I think I deserve the number of chocolates I've already eaten and the extent to which I'll be indulging further tonight at Cafe Rouge and the Mailbox!

FuroreStyle Blog Post- Bye Bye Botox!

2010-11-26T05:08:00.000-08:00

Click here for my new post on the Furore PR blog!

Celebrities are sacking off the face-paralysing Botox in favour of more natural non-invasive alternatives that penetrate the surface of the skin without the use of needles.

One of these newest technologies is Virtual or needle-free Mesotherapy, as used by Oxynergy Paris alongside their specialist skincare products.

Although I'm only 20, I feel like now is the time to start thinking about my skin in order to help prevent some of the visible signs of ageing, rather than trying to cure them miraculously when it's too late and I look like a prune!

Tried and Tested... Nail Varnish

2010-11-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Here's the link to a review of nail varnish I wrote for the University of Birmingham Redbrick Newspaper...

Enjoy!

Jamie Oliver's New Restaurant... NOM!

2010-11-23T08:50:00.000-08:00

On Friday I sampled the delights of Birmingham's new Jamie's Italian near the Bullring, and MY MY was it wonderful!

If the restaurant is busy (which it invariably is) then on arrival you get a nifty little pager to let you know when there is a table ready for you. The staff were really friendly and fun, dressed in dark jeans, white shirts and ties with cowboy-esque pocket belts that actually looked pretty cool!

The decor was almost All Saints-y in it's industrial feel, but mixed with elements that would be at home in a European Deli, like dry cured meats and salamis hanging above the food prep area, and huge jars of chillies, capers and olives next to rows of crusty bread loaves.

There was even a fresh pasta station where you could watch the chefs press and cut it to make your meals with- no out-of-the-packet fusilli in sight!

For starters we had an English Wild Boar Salami Artisan Meat Board (basically fancy salami but v. nice and tasty), and huge iced olives with sun dried tomato and black olive tapenade and shards of crispy 'music' bread.

The mains were their pièce de résistance; I had one of their specials; the most AMAZING slow-roasted (15 hours!) pork rolled with pan gratata, pine nuts, raisins and herbs, that had been basted in a sweet wine and came in a rustic pot served with roasties and rocket. It was uber tender and delicious, perfectly dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil- by far the best pork I've ever tasted.

My companion had half a marinated grilled pheasant with crispy fried liver and sage, salad and bread sauce smeared on the chopping-board type platter it came on. It was gorgeous, but my pork just pipped it to the post!

Having the world's most ridiculous sweet tooth, I had to have their ultimate warm chocolate, raspberry and Amaretto brownie with lush vanilla ice-cream. It was more like a rich, satisfying muffin than a brownie, but it definately hit the spot!

For 2 starters, 2 mains, a beer, a glass of wine and a desert the bill was around £45 not including service charge or tip, so for the standard of the food we got and the experience as a whole I reckon it's well worth it.

On asking our waitress if Jamie comes often though, she said he hasn't visited yet! Well, he's missing out!

Check out their usual menu on their website here.

Quote of the Day...

2010-11-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."

Albert Einstein- Amen

Steal Kate Middleton's style

2010-11-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

Check out my second Blog post on Kate Middleton and her engagement style for the FuroreStyle blog.

Not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous of the soon-to-be Princess's glowing face, svelte figure, Issa London dress and of course that priceless sapphire and diamond ring that belonged to the late Princess Diana.

Maybe one day I'll find my own handsome Prince to lavish me with precious gems and who looks as good as Wills in a suit...

New post on Furorestyle blog...

2010-11-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know I work part-time for the wonderful PR company Furore PR in Birmingham. I have now been entrusted with managing all of Furore PR's online activity; their Facebook, blog, twitter and the like.

Today I wrote my First blog post on Furorestyle about Danii Minogue's wonderful choice of Fei Liu Jewellery on Sunday's X Factor.

Fei Liu is one of Furore PR's clients and his jewellery is just stunning. Some of his collections have won awards and received huge critical acclaim because they are just beautifully classic and yet entirely unique.

Check out some of his amazing pieces on his website http://www.feiliu.co.uk/.

Review of Brum's new HMV Institute...

2010-10-25T03:24:00.000-07:00

Holla!

Here's my review of Birmingham's premier new music venue; the HMV Institute, on the Birmingham University newspaper's website Rebrick Online...

Student Fashion Blog New Post

2010-10-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Check out my latest StaceyLoves post on the fabulous SFB...

Aviation Nation baby...

Back to Brum!

2010-09-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

I've returned to my beloved surrogate city to do a couple of weeks work experience, earn some money then start my dreaded final year!

My work experience has been with two different Birmingham-based companies; a web design and advertising agency, and a fashion, beauty and lifestyle PR company. I am having a great time in the 'real world' trying out different possible career routes, so we shall see where I decide to start heading!

To counteract the chill in my big rather-empty-at-the-moment house (until I work out how to use the heating) I've decided new slipper boots are in order. My Mum found these cute ones from AVON so hopefully they will be in my possession soon! Until they arrive it's double layers all the way, even on my tootsies!

I've also just ordered this faux fur jacket from New Look to add to my winter wardrobe, which goes just perfectly with my great-in-all-weather Clark's buckle boots from last year.

All in all a good start to my Autumn pre-term preparations, and I am enjoying having time to chill out before the pressure of my final year really kicks in.

Now, where did I leave my hot water bottle...

Summer Loving... Had Me A Blast!

2010-09-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well following my travels in Asia I have been embracing my time back home in the Lake District with my nearest and dearest. From drinking to dancing and from capoeira to capsizing, Summer 2010 has turned out to be a corker!

Though I haven't had a job this year (except for the 1 day I worked at a wedding!) I have been trying to raise funds in other ways; namely via eBay and doing carboot sales with my Mum!

I found selling on eBay to be a little disappointing; it takes a while to create a good, attractive and informative advert, and then only around 15% of the items I listed actually sold (often for a much lower price than I really wanted them to go for!). Naturally, with my penchant for shopping, all of the items I listed were clothing, and admittedly I knew that clothes aren't lucrative items to sell on eBay.
Ah well, at least now I've sold a few clothes I have more space in my wardrobe for all the new things I've aquired this summer!

Including... new lilac stilettos and matching nail varnish and eye mousse, 2 silk hankerchief hem vests in navy and grey, some bargain grey boots, a tiger-print MNG tee, a River zippy slouch bag, a Warehouse military jacket, some polka-dot cullottes, a printed wrap dress, some rosy blusher, a Motel chain dress, high-waisted black jeans, many new patterned tights and an inordinate amount of new jewellery and accessories!

Shopping aside, I've been having a hoot on great nights out and at gigs with my favourite people, many a meal out and girly nights in plus one too many take-aways and late-night pizzas!

I also went to the Edinburgh Fringe festival (where we rubbed shoulders with Alex Zane, Stiffler's mom, Jack Whitehall and the VIVA advert guy!), and I had a fantastic time at the wonderful Solfest festival learning capoeira, african drumming and creating things from clay aswell as enjoying the great atmosphere and music!

I've also tried out Zumba with my Mum (YouTube it it's insane) and have been going to Dancercise, Boxercise and Steps to try and counteract my summer excesses!

My friends and I went kayaking and capsized our tin kayak Branston within 10 mins so played scrabble instead, I went bowling with the family, and have attended Christenings, Weddings and Birthday parties but sadly no Bar Mitzvahs.

Also part of my life this summer; sunshine, Family portraits, decorating, the park, fake tan, Magnums, jogging, pensions, Thai spices, ISAs, cooking, Facebook, reading, Bowtime and sofa time.

I've been preparing myself for my final year of my degree by buying all the books on my reading lists (reading them is next on my agenda) and thinking about my dreaded dissertation.

I have two weeks of work experience lined up before term starts, which I am very much looking forward to as I hope it will give me a beter idea of what I should do with my life!

That's my latest news, so bye for now, I'm off the enjoy the last of my summer break... :)

Geek Chic post on the SFB

2010-08-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

I recently reviewed two T-shirts for my fabulous friends at Student Fashion Blog (.co.uk).

The Tees were kindly shipped over from American clothing brand J!NX, and I thoroughly enjoyed modelling them in my Uni Library, even though some people were trying to study while the photographer's camera flashed incessantly- sorry!

To read my short but sweet review and follow links to the J!NX website, click here. Thanks!

The end of my amazing trip!

2010-07-23T02:52:00.000-07:00

So my travels in South East Asia have come to an end- sob! Here is a re-cap of my final week-and-a-bit:

From Nha Trang we travelled to Hoi An; a quaint and beautiful city with an iconic Japanese bridge and a gorgeous beach only a short ride away. We even got to lie on actual sunbeds if we ate at the beachside restaurant- an absolute necessity with the scorching temperatures of the sand making it almost too hot to sprint across never mind sunbathe on!

Hoi An is famous for its many tailors- they can make absolutely anything you want overnight no problem and then make alterations in an hour or two if needed. I fell in love with the stunning silk in a tailors called Thi, and my seamstress Hui made me a colourful kaftan/robe with chinese buttons and a matching waist tie for only $12. I drew a slinky dress for my friend and she had it made in crushed nude silk, and some of my other friends had silk-lined jackets made exactly like the pictures they had printed off the internet. Some of them even had cute leather or suede shoes made to measure!

While in Hoi An I decided to try their delicious regional speciality dish; Cao Lau- noodles, beansprouts, tender strips of pork, deep-fried crispy rice paper and greens. We also splashed out on some exquisite deserts from one of the french-style patisseries near the Old Town that tasted as good as they looked, before another bus journey up to the historical city of Hue.

In Hue we went on a relaxing dragon boat trip up the Perfume River to see the oldest house in Hue and its fruit-yielding gardens, a floating fishing village and the Heavenly Lady Pagoda. We also got an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch, which resulted in sore stomachs all round! That evening we had a fablous night out, and the following day we visited the Citadel and explored the Old Town before getting our last sleeper bus up to Hanoi.

From Hanoi we were picked up and taken to Ha Long City, ready to depart on our beautiful old-fashioned boat to Ha Long Bay. We visited huge caves which were stunning but disappointingly unnatural due to the added mood lighting, music and guards playing on lap-tops. After that we jumped off the top deck of our boat and went swimming, careful to avoid the jellyfish, before kayaking around the stunning bay and soaking up the magical atmosphere.
The food on-board was wonderful and included whole fish, seafood noodles and vietnamese spring rolls, and as there were only 13 people on our boat we got to socialise with new people as we watched the sunset around the limestone islets rising out of the emerald water. Getting up early to catch the sunrise was definately worth it, but our trip had to be cut short due to an impending storm about to sweep the area.

Back in the capital of Hanoi we enjoyed a great night out playing pool in an Irish bar; Finnegans, with people we had bumped into earlier in our trip. A bowl of steaming pho bo (beef noodle soup; delicious and only abour 70p for a huge bowl) from a tiny street kitchen at 3am really hit the spot and began my obsession with the traditional dish, which I have been craving every morning since then! We wiled away the next 2 days exploring the city-centre Hoan Kiem Lake, including its Turtle Tower, Jade Mountain Temple and huge varnished giant turtle, and buying souvenirs at the atmospheric markets.

A flight to Bangkok gave us one last day before our flight home, so we did a pit-stop tour round the main temples, buddhas and pagodas (which turned out to be a bit of a scam!). Every day is 'Buddha Day' it seems, and when a friendly tuk-tuk driver told us that means free entrance to many attractions and he'd drive us round for only 10 Baht each (around 20p), we thought we'd go for it. I'd heard about scams to do with 'Buddha Day' before but we went with it, thinking our guy was genuine. It turns out he wasn't, and after making us go and pretend to be interested in a tailor's suits, he left us at the 3rd stop on our route, though as we hadn't paid him we don't really know what he got out of leaving us! We got another tuk-tuk who told us that the Grand Palace was free after 4pm, so we let him drive us to other attractions until then. On arrival at the Grand Palace we learnt that it closes at 3.30pm and we had been fooled again! Aside from missing this we had only paid 10 Baht and had seen a lot in a couple of hours, so we didn't feel too bad, and set off to find our other friends on Khao San Road.
After a couple of my friends got henna tattoos we went for a final thai curry, then spent all our left-over currency on cheap beer vests, ice-cream and souvenirs before running through the torrential rain back to our shack. I can't call it a hotel room; it was a shack with a bed in it.

Rising at 5am and picking up our friend from her (much swankier!) hotel, we flew the first leg of our flight home to Bahrain, where our 12-hour stop-over meant we were provided with a glorious hotel (with carpets and a marble bathroom that didn't smell of urine!) and fed with delicious Arabic food before our final flight to Heathrow.

Now back in England I am so thankful for having had such a wonderful time travelling. I would do it again in an instant and would urge anyone thinking about going to just book your flights now; South East Asia is such a fantastic area of the world filled with amazing sights, interesting cultures, delicious food, friendly (but not always honest!) people, and great experiences to be had.

The only thing I need to decide now is where to explore next...

Good Morning Vietnam!

2010-07-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

Chào!

Well, the bus journey to Vietnam from Cambodia ended up taking 16 hours (it was dire) but once we arrived in this AMAZING country I knew it was instantly worth it- I love it here!

We first stayed in Ho Chi Minh city; formerly known as Saigon, and once we'd mastered the art of crossing a road heaving with motorbikes (it's all about keeping a steady pace!) we settled right in. I even tried my first traditional shrimp and pork spring roll, which was nice and fresh but I unfortunately prefer the much less healthy deep-fried versions to the rice paper ones favoured here.

On our first full day we visited the Cu Chi tunnels used by the ingenious Viet Cong guerrillas in the Vietnamese war. We learned about their lives, clothing and weapons (including cleverly making their bombs from their enemies bomb materials and designing brutal booby traps), tried their food (some potatoey substance dipped in nuts with weak tea) and crawled through their infamous undergound tunnels.

That night we ate shrimp noodles ($1) on the market and had a night out in the city, which was fabulous until we were getting fried rice at 3am and my friend's bag was swiped by a passing motorbike thief!

The next day we visited the War Remnants Museum, where the graphic images and shocking information about the Vietnam war really affected me and my friends. Photographs of American soldiers holding up the heads of the Vietnamese dead, burned victims of Napalm bombs and disfigured children of civilians gassed by Agent Orange were among the most affecting, and alongside the propaganda posters, torture stories, prison cell replicas, the place had a strange feeling of sadness that clashed with the contemporary setting.

That night we experienced our first sleeper bus; rows of double-decker reclining leather seats that as it turns out were not so great for getting a good nights sleep! Arriving in Nha Trang at 7am we dumped our bags and headed straight for the gorgeous beach until the midday sun and our drooping eyelids meant we had to go and nap until 5pm, then we got up and hit the town for another fab meal and a few cocktail buckets!

Today we went to Vinpearl; a great waterpark/aquarium/themepark island reached by cable cars, with white sandy beaches, animal shows, water fountain displays and more fast food restaurants than you could shake a chopstick at. Personal highlights include being mesmerised by the huge stingrays, eating too many cornettos and screaming all the way down the waterslides like I used to as a wee nipper.

Tomorrow we are hitting the beach (I'm finally moving on from SPF 50 to 30) before getting another sleeper bus to Hoi An where we will hopefully get some lovely clothes made for cheapy-cheap! Off to do some internet reearching now, net-a-porter here I come!

My Visit to Cambodia!

2010-07-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Suor Sdei from Cambodia! A land of friendly people, tragic history, very skinny cows and pyjama-clad women!

My 7 fellow travellers and I arrived in the bustling capital of Phnom Pehn after far too many hours of travelling from the Thai islands. On our first night we found a basic hostel in a back-packer area that had less-than luxurious rooms but my much-sought after hammocks on the wooden "floating"" structure that jutted out over the river. We watched the movie "The Killing Fields'" in preparation for our next-day plans, which turned out to be upsetting but poignant and worthwhile, and we made friends with the friendly Cambodian staff, who later robbed my friend's phone from our room!

The visit to Cambodia's largest killing field invoked high emotions as we thought of the of the 3 million people who died at the hands of the Khymer Rouge up until 1979. It was hard emotionally as in the soil you could see human teeth and fragments of cracked boned from the victims of the Khymer Rouge that were taken here to be killed. Before the prisoners were taken to a hushed-up Killing Field to be executed, they were imprisoned in a former school called S21. We visited here next and were shocked by the tiny bare cells the prisoners were filed into, and the hundreds of pictures of emaciated victims.

That night we had a few pre-drinks by the river (literally, we were on the Mekong river bank wall with our own shop-bought drinks talking about which cocktails we would love to have instead). A great night out ensued in which we finally got to drink the cocktails we'd been drooling over, and have a ruddy good dance to the resident DJ (who was actually great and mixed in all our requests!).

After a 6 hour bus journey the next day from Phnom Pehn to Siem Reap, we found some cheap lodgings ($2 a night) and went for a fabulous meal at a Cambodian restaurant, where our entire bill (for 6 meals, with rice, drinks, tea and fruit) was $26. Happy student travellers! My friends would recommend the traditional beef lak-lak and the fish curry that is served in a hollow coconut, in case you re ever in the area.

On Saturday we visited Angkor Wat; the magnificent temple complex near Siem Reap (where Tomb Raider was filmed!). We hired tuktuks for the day and got up at 4.30am to make it in time to watch the beautiful sunrise, and explore the different temples before the stifling midday sun kicked in. The temples themselves were vast and imposing but so intricately detailed that we were in awe; needing to just 'have some me-time' to soak up the magical atmosphere. Many mesmerising temples, nasty monkeys and persistent kids trying to sell you something later, we went home for well-deserved naps. Later that afternoon we visited the central market and sampled some more of Cambodia's culinary deights before booking our 13 hour bus ride to Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam at 6.45am tomorrow morning.

I am not looking forward to the journey but Vietnam itself will hopefully be awesome!

Thai Islands for my 20th!

2010-06-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

This week my fellow travellers and I have been sunning ourselves on some of Thailand's most beautiful southern islands, and it has been wonderful.

From Chiang Mai we stayed one night in Patong near Phuket, which didn't float our boat, but after the world's most tiring day on multiple buses, tuk tuks, minivans, coaches ferries and a taxi we arrived on Ko Samui; a stunning island with a buzzing nightlife on the east side of Thailands southern strip. Samui was beautiful but quite commercial, and we had a fun night out here where we shared our first notorious Thai "bucket'', played pool and wondered who was a tall thai woman and who was a (convincing!) ladyboy.

After Samui we got the ferry to Ko Phang Nga where the infamous Full Moon Party takes place. Here we met 3 friends from England, making our terrible twosome into a fabulous five (soon to be an excellent eight!). As I was meant to be meeting three friends and staying with them but this fell through, I bought a lilo and camped on the other girls' floor in their luxury beach apartment. To thank them I bought lots of buckets, straws and a big bottle of "vodka" for us to share (it did not turn out to be vodka but it definately was alcoholic!). We had a fantastic night out on the beach drinking buckets, watching the fire poi shows and laughing at those silly enough to skip in a fire rope only to trip and land on the flames.

The next day we did a day trip to Ko Tao, which is a smaller, less commercial island to the north of Phang Nga. Our guides took us snorkelling, which turned out to be fabulous after I had recovered from a bout of sea-sickess (or hangover maybe) and aside from my first experience of being sick in the sea this was actually pretty fun! We also went to a STUNNING island and had a delicious buffet lunch then sunbathed on white sands and in turquoise waters :)
That night we went to the Coral Bungalows pool party, which started well but ended on a dull note when a guy jumped from one table to another, slipped, banged his head and had to be taken, covered in blood, to hospital. We left and returned to the atmospheric beach where my friends were tackled by some crazed men and one lost her flip-flops, so had to scrounge around for another pair for the journey home!

We stayed on Ko Phang Nga for the Full Moon Party on the 26th June (my birthday is the 27th!), for which I bought UV paints to decorate my roomies (and inadvertently the room itself) with. Not that all our efforts lasted the night- it rained! We just had to "embrace it" and dance on the beach with wet faces and soaking hair. I learned the verb; "to Dub", and will be "Dubbing" a lot more on this holiday I am sure!
At 5am we showered and got ready for our journey across sea and land to the east islands at 6am, finally arriving around 5pm (!) and in the evening we watched the England game (4-1 = embarrassing, but made better by Mai Tai cocktais and the biggest shot I've ever had- thanks girls) and watched the mesmerising fire shows on the beach

Today we were meant to be kayaking around the island and snorkelling on the beach where they filmed 'The Beach', but as it is raining we have to go tomorrow instead! Then it's back to Phuket to meet 3 of our other friends at last and travel to Cambodia via Bangkok.

Written with love and happiness from the Thai Islands!! x

Chaing Mai- Thailand!

2010-06-19T02:47:00.000-07:00

Sawadee Ka!

I greet you in Thai because that is where I am writing from; the northern Thai city of Chaing Mai!

My fellow travellers and I flew 7 hours from Heathrow to Bahrain, and a further 6 to Bangkok, then my friend and I flew up to Chaing Mai, arriving around 8am on Sunday morning.
Aside from a few initial setbacks (having to run to catch my train to London, needing to crack the crap padlock off my bag after losing my keys etc) everything is fine and I am having an AMAZING time!!

Here's a quick run-through of my activities this week:

On the Sunday we arrived we attempted to 'power through' our jetlag and explore the city, but the heat and the fatigue got the better of us and we had to sleep it off before the Sunday Night Market held in the city centre. The market was so much bigger than anything I could describe, it literally took us hours to walk round half of it but it was so atmospheric, and gave us a much better view of the city than our first tentative dragged steps that afternoon. The items being sold were as varied as the people browsing; from homewares, jewellery and clothing to instruments, massages and black coconut jelly. Trying to find our way back to our (2 pounds each a night) hostel proved difficult, as we spent 4 hours aimlessly searching street after street; finally stumbling across it at half 1- thank God!

The next day we accidentally slept in until half 5 (which is acceptable because we had been travelling for a whole day), much to the amusement of our hostel staff when we rose and said "good morning". That night we went to an awe-inspiring temple then went to a bar and met some lovely Argentinians who introduced us to their English friends at their hostel. Their hostel had a POOL and was far better than ours so the next day (hungover after an awesome night out with our new friends!) we moved in, haggling the price down to the same as our 1st hostel.

Tuesday we haggled for and booked a trek and went to another night bazaar (and found the most amazing ice-cream and Mac make-up for super cheap!), deciding to try some unusual Thai food from the street stalls. The green sloppy fish in a bag and the spicy snails we tried were inedible, as was the "sausage" that definately wasn't a sausage, the oily fried maggot grub thing and the orange fruity sweet that was far too sweet even for me. On the plus side though they sold sushi for 5 Baht a piece (around 10p) and we had some lovely pad thai noodles!

Wednesday was trek day, and after deciding that a 3-day trek would be too hardcore for us girly girls we plumped for a busy 1-day Trek that began with a visit to a beautiful orchid and butterfly farm. After that we had an AMAZING elephant ride where I got to sit on our elephant Menchan's head behind the guide! I loved this part of the day as it was peaceful riding through the jungle but also fun as the baby elephants were really playful, we fed the elephants bananas and had to hang on for dear life whenever we went downhill! After that we went white water rafting, which wasn't as intense as I expected it was more amusing singing along with out excellent guide, all bouncing on the raft sides whenever we got stuck between rocks and squaling when we saw water snakes. After that we swatted the flies away from our Thai buffet then had a 40 minute hike up and down the hottest dryest and steepest mountan-sides I've ever experienced, but when we got to a stunning cool waterfall our happiness was restored.
Following a quick swim we went bamboo rafting down the river, which was so peaceful (if you forgot about the cricket and unidentifiable jungle noises) and a great time to reflect on what a wonderful week we'd been having so far. We then visited the long-neck Karen tribe and were shocked by the TVs they had in their 'primitive' village and how money-orientated they seemed to be. Rather than giving them money me and my friend left our trainers as they probably mean much more to them than they do to us. On returning home absolutly knackered we had a delicious meal of vegetable spring rolls and pineapple rice and hit the hay.

The next day was 'chill-out day', but ironically I ended up very sunburnt from one too many dips in the pool wearing a 'water-resistant' (but not waterproof) suncream. We returned to the night bazaar to finish the remainder of the market, but the sun had exhausted us so we were sensible and had an early night.

Friday was some more sun-bathing to try and even out my skin tone (at the moment I am like Ross in Friends when he gets spray-tanned repeatedly on the same side) and we attended a fabulous cookery course with Siam Rice Cookery School. There was only myself and my friend in the session so we became really close with Nancy, her funky husband Pot, their adorable baby and their extended family and friends. We were taken to a market to learn about the ingredients and then learnt how to make 4 dishes each plus how to make curry paste from scratch, and I can honestly say it was the best curry I've ever tasted! We were given a certificate and recipe book to bring home so no doubt when I've tracked down some ginseng and lemongrass I'll be a top Thai chef in no time! See the pics here!

We bought a bottle of interesting-tasting Thai whiskey from the 7/11 and had a glass or two with Coke while we waited for the England game to start at 1.30am Thai time, which turned out to be a disappointment but a good night at the pub making friends!

Saturday (today!) we've just relaxed and read by the pool, went for a greek meal (Thai is lovely but I wanted something that wasn't noodles or rice!) and are going to a temple and the huge Saturday Night Market tonight before we hit a few cool Reggae bars down town for our last night in Chiang Mai.

All in all a wonderful week in the charismatic city of Chaing Mai. Tomorrow we fly down to Phuket and travel across to the eastern islands ready for the Full Moon Party on th 26th.

Wish me luck! x

And So It Begins...

2010-06-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

Well I'm packed and ready to go on my travels round South East Asia!!

I'll be posting on here every time I go to an internet cafe all about where I've been, what I've been doing and any other things that might take my fancy, for example cute things I've seen or funny stories to tell or interesting things I hear.

Assuming the computers I'll use have some way to upload pictures from an SD card then there will be images to compliment my tales- if not I'll be adding these when I return (hopefully safe and sound with SD card still in my possession) at the end of July.

Tonight I'm going to London to stay overnight with a friend's brother as we have to get up at the crack of dawn to make our flight. We have a stop-off in Bahrain then it's on to Bangkok, and pending on no delays, my friend and I will be leaving our other friends to spend a week in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. There we are hopefully going to do a 3 day trek, ride the elephants, get a well deserved Thai massage, maybe do a cookery course and sample the delights of Chiang Mai nightlife!

My (massive) rucksack is stuffed with mosquito repellants, malaria tablets, SPF50 and 30 suncream and medication for all ailments. I am taking no chances.

Aside from holiday buys like bikinis and thin towels and coloured eyeliners (yes these are necessity even when backpacking) I intend to find a special item or 5 out there to bring back a slice of the Orient with me, and am especially looking forward to getting something tailor-made in Vietnam.

Anyway enough for now, wish me luck and I'll post again soon from Asia!

ASOS you legend

2010-05-31T07:09:00.000-07:00

What started out as a reasonably modest website based around providing us mere mortals with clothes akin to the celebs, has now taken over the planet.

Well, that could be a slight exaggeration, but since ASOS found its way into my life, I have been a slightly poorer but happier and better dressed fashionista.

The recent brainwave of offering free delivery and free returns (though it can take up to 6 days) is genius as it encourages buyers to add many items to their basket "because I might as well, just to see", thus giving buyers more options at no extra cost, and expanding the website's chances of making a sale. Win-Win!

I have especially enjoyed the sale items recently, nabbing the dresses above for £18 each, as well as these delectable longline tops...

The online shopping experience isn't quite the same as a good old-fashioned trawl round the shops; you can't feel the fabric, check the quality, be inspired by the strategically positioned nearby accessories and well-styled mannequins.

It is however, quick, easy and convenient (especially when you're meant to be doing something like revising or writing an essay, but 5 mins online just brightens up your day a treat!)

Be warned: it is also addictive, and doesn't feel like you're spending real money when it's only a figure on the computer screen!

Tried and Tested... Mascara

2010-05-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

So as a new feature to Stay Seated and Look's already riveting content, I will be conducting tests and giving reviews of numerous beauty products (well, the ones that can be purchased on my meagre student budget).

First on the agenda: Mascara!

Every girl needs a wand of magic that will lift, lengthen and luscious-ify her lashes, but as there are so many on the market, which purse-friendly mascara gets the much-coveted Stacey Seal of Approval?

In the spotlight today are:

Maybelline Volume Express Waterproof Mascara in Black. £5.99 in Boots.

The 'anti-clump brush' and 'multi-level bristles' are actually far more standard than they sound, but this isn't a bad thing as it renders the mascara wand easy to use.

Application was swift and easy, and the mascara left my lashes looking thicker, longer and nicely separated. No hic-ups there.

The formula sets slightly when dry thus keeping curled eyelashes upright all night.

In swish monochrome packaging, with a compact length and only£5.99 for 10ml, I'd definately buy it again.

No. 7 Extreme Length Mascara in Black. £12 in Boots.

This modest little number has a very rigid application brush that's great for precision but again a little hard on the lash line.

The mascara itself is a good consistency and gives good lash separation though not a huge amount of volume. After a few hours my lashes looked a little dry, verging on spidery, but still looked long and dark.

As this comes in a 7ml tube, it's less value for money than the other two options, and to be honest I wouldn't spend the money on it again (I'd rather spend it on things for my limbs not my lashes to wear!)

Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara in Black. £8.99 in Boots.

The 'flexible new generation brush' has longer bristles on one side than the other which is great for giving either a smooth coat that separates the lashes or a closer, thicker coat that volumises them up a treat, and gets the jet-black colour close to the lash-line; hence the name.

Although the brush takes some getting used to (the longer bristles are quite sharp so if you misjudge how long they are you could give your eyelid a scratchy tickle!), with a little practice it's a fantasic tool (or Weapon of Mass Destruction).

This mascara made my lashes thick, long, and very evenly coated. With it's ergonomically designed casing it was easy to hold and use, and at 11ml for £8.99 I'd say it's the best of the bunch! Stacey's Seal of Approval to you Mr. Bourjois!

Fruity new dress to keep off the revision blues...

2010-05-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Recently treated myself to this bee-yootiful hot pink satin dress for sophisticated summer-time cocktails, weddings or just because every girl needs a hot pink dress that makes her feel gloriously girly.
It has a thin rubber trim lining the top of the dress to prevent any accidental flashing and pockets... incase I want to... pick daisies and keep them with me?

Quote of the Day, 20th May 2010

2010-05-20T02:23:00.000-07:00

Lord Henry, in Chapter 2 of Wilde's glorious Dorian Gray, says;

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

Yesterday I bought many packets of biscuits and a couple of bars of chocolate to contribute to my friend's BBQ snacks. I knew they were looking at me, they were teasing me and so I ate them.

This meant that I had to walk to the supermarket again to buy more, but at least Lord Henry would have been proud!

Fashion Union website comes up trumps...

2010-05-19T12:28:00.001-07:00

So I stumbled across this lovely lil website; Fashion Union, and thought I'd share the love.

Selling male and female clothing at reasonable prices, it's good for the basics and has some nice holiday worthy clothing and accessories (as this is pretty much all I can think about between bouts of revision!).

It reminded me a bit of La Redoute at first but I think Fashion Union is a tad (but just a tad) cooler No offence intended L.R.I've ordered this gorgeous embellished top in peach, and I intend to wear it with a dark grey or black body-con skirt (would my black sequin one be too much?!) or just thrown over some stone-wash skinnies with some nice dainty sandals and a tan. Bish Bash Bosh.

An article I wrote for my student newspaper...

2010-05-08T09:20:00.001-07:00

I recently carried out a linguistic study as part of my degree, in which I alanysed the language use in two similar news articles.

The were both about a bill in Utah that proposes to ban 'intentional miscarriages'.

It spawned me to write this Article (scroll to page 23) which got printed in the Birmingham University student newspaper; Redbrick.

A Taste of the Exotic...

2010-05-07T13:48:00.001-07:00

The colourful embellishments and enchanting prints of the high-street's tribal trend make me yearn for the summer in all it's fashion glory.

Floats maxi dresses and patterned halter-neck bikinis conjure images of languidly sipping a pina colada on an exotic terrace (well I would if I liked coconut, I'll change that to a Woo Woo- classy bird me).

If only I could be whisked away to foreign lands with the flourish of a heavily-bangled, henna-tattoed and sunkissed arm. Alas, my arms are pasty and bare, outside my window is a wet pavement and on my desk is a stack of books I'm supposed to be reading. SIGH.

To get my tribal fix in anticipation of the real summer to begin, I got this fabulous bag from Matalan:
Just huge enough for filling with all the uneccessary crap women put in their bags 'just incase' (sunglasses, umbrella, cuticle cream, nail file, paracetamol, lib balm, comb and of course cheek and lip tint...)

To release your inner tribal godess, try wearing floaty but bold fabrics in rich colours, with added details and beading to add a luxe feel. Tie strips of patterned silk around your hair and adorn your wrists with bangles of every colour- brownie points for chunky wood, tassles and beading!

This red tribal tunic is perfect for that 'just been to Marrakesh, actually' vibe, and these gorgeous lil' Miss Selfridge sandals just scream 'TAKE ME TO THE BEACH AND SUN ME NOW'.

Just think: authentic arabian accessories, beautiful bold bangles, colourful creations, dramatic designs and exotic exuberance (OK I'll stop now, by quixotic quaintness this could get tedious.)

Quote of the day, 5th May 10:

2010-05-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

"Variety in the spice of life"

I have recently watched the 1997 biopic of Oscar Wilde's life, and this line in spoken by Jude Law playing Lord Alfred Douglas.

I'll gloss over the fact that it was said in the context of Bosie seeing rent boys as well as his lover, Wilde...

Too many books, too little time...

2010-05-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Exam Period is upon us.

As a student studying English Literature (amongst other things), and having been revising for four whole days now.
I feel as though I have only just started climbing a never-ending staircase of knowledge, only to find that it is in fact an escalator and those stairs just keep on coming.

The more I try to get my head around plot, characters, setting, themes and just trying to 'get the gist' of a book or a poem, I am finding myself having to explore allegories, pragmatics, criticism, social historical contexts, author biographies and everything else that makes one piece of literature become a cavernous world of extraneous pieces of information that refuse to stay in my head.

Sure finding out about how an author's sexuality affected the reception of his story is interesting, and questioning why the texts I've been asked to study have been canonised into 'English Literature At It's Best' actually reveals a lot about the power of dominant ideologies and groups (it's always the white, middle-class men that get to decide if it's keeper or not).

My problem arises when I think about the sheer amount of things I am trying to remember on the off-chance that a question in one of my exams might require a sentence or two's reflection on something I've read, once, weeks ago.

I must try to remember that knowledge isn't all about being able to regurgitate facts, dates and names when prompted by a crisp sheet of white A4. I came to University to expand my knowledge; true, but it's the effect of this knowledge that I'm really looking for; wisdom, awareness and acuity.

It just so happens that the means to this end involves climbing many more steps for many more years, never hoping to reach the top, just enjoying the excercise along the way.

Quote of the day, 2nd May 10:

2010-05-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

Stay Seated and Look...

New Zealand Travel Blog #2 "Awesome Kiwi Experience!"

New Zealand Travel Blog #1 "Sweet As Bro!"

Review: The Jenny Craig Diet Plan

HELLO to the Jenny Craig Meal Plan Diet!

Christmas Holiday Essentials!

VINTAGE and Pre-Loved for SALE!

Post-Camp Travel Stories- NY, Toronto, DC, MD and PA

Floral Flare Fever...

Daisy Chain Tees at Student Fashion Blog

American Summer Camp... It Begins

Vintage in Birmingham!

Birmingham's Best Bits... On The LASH!

5.5 Points of Procrastination

Student Fashion Blog Review

Birmingham's Best Bits... Where to EAT!

The Weird and the Wonderful...

Reviews and Random Writings...

Summer Camp in NY- Here I Come!

New Rings and Suede Things...

Things I've been busy with...

SS/11 Fashion Trends Round-up!

Quote of the Day...

Rihanna's 'S&M' video... risque or OK?

A* for A|wear purchases!

Festive Fashions and Snowy Sales!

Book Review... The Shaking Woman

Gotta love the internet...

Been a busy bee...

FuroreStyle Blog Post- Bye Bye Botox!

Tried and Tested... Nail Varnish

Jamie Oliver's New Restaurant... NOM!

Quote of the Day...

Steal Kate Middleton's style

New post on Furorestyle blog...

Review of Brum's new HMV Institute...

Student Fashion Blog New Post

Back to Brum!

Summer Loving... Had Me A Blast!

Geek Chic post on the SFB

The end of my amazing trip!

Good Morning Vietnam!

My Visit to Cambodia!

Thai Islands for my 20th!

Chaing Mai- Thailand!

And So It Begins...

ASOS you legend

Tried and Tested... Mascara

Fruity new dress to keep off the revision blues...

Quote of the Day, 20th May 2010

Fashion Union website comes up trumps...

An article I wrote for my student newspaper...

A Taste of the Exotic...

Quote of the day, 5th May 10:

Too many books, too little time...

Quote of the day, 2nd May 10:

"Because life without experience, is not experiencing life..."

(Me, because it is my motto and it is true. NB: also good for peer pressure.)