Summink New...

Apologies for the lack of posts - work has been stupid busy....

I was supposed to be on a retreat this weekend, but due to a lack of funds, I find myself at home, sulking, while eating ice cream, watching Law and Order: SUV, and surfing the net in search of new music (yes, all at the same time!), and I thought I'd show you what I found so far:

Roses by Georgia Anne Muldrow



Soul Glo by Fatima (I HAVE to get this girl's album!!)



Enjoy

Andy Allo feat. Blu - Dreamland

This track is one of my favourite tracks this year, and now a video has been released.



It's simple, but effective and really brings the track to life....enjoy.

To Meat or Not To Meat - The Conclusion

So it is decided.....I am officially a vegetarian/pescatarian.

I went to Prezzo for lunch today with a friend.

I had spaghetti and meatballs.....I'd been looking forward to it for weeks.

Damn you and your luscious, juicy meatyness...

About an hour after my meal, my stomach started hurting.

Ten hours later, my stomach still hurts.

Ok, maybe the meatballs weren't cooked properly, or maybe I should have weaned myself onto something a bit lighter with only little bits of meat in it...? But it doesn't matter, because my stomach bloody hurts, I feel really uncomfortable and I don't like it.

No more meat for me.

I'm serious.

I actually am.

To Meat or not to Meat.....part deux

So I'm reaching the end of my 'experiment' and I'm proud to say there have been no meat shakes sweats cravings. Alright, there was an incident where I walked past a KFC and was tempted to buy a chicken wing - really and truly, who would have known? But I resisted temptation, and went home and made scrambled eggs on toast for dinner instead.

I saw my mechanic yesterday (Black Betty has a small leakage problem - more on that later), and he told me I had lost weight and asked what I've been doing. Ok, my mechanic is in love with me, so he could have been trying to flatter me, but a girl at work also mentioned that my face is looking a bit slimmer so it must be the lack of meat, no?

So nearly a month later, how am I feeling? Lighter, healthier, my skin is clearing up, my clothes fit better and most importantly, my shopping bill is much cheaper, meaning I have more money to spend on SHOES!!

I can't walk in them, but when did that matter??

Let's see if I can make it 2 months without meat....I'll keep you posted.

To Meat or Not To Meat??

I am a MAJOR carnivore - I cannot go a day without eating meat. It is the BEST food out there; fried/roast/jerk chicken, stewed beef, Christmas turkey, curry goat, roast lamb, oxtail stew, cowfoot....oh my goody goody gosh, I LOVE meat.

YUM - nuff said

Which is why I can't understand how I've become a vegetarian for the last 12 days...?

If I'm honest, I know some meat can be a bit fattening, and I've been trying to lose a couple of stone for the last 18 months now. But I can't resist coming home from work and taking a piece of chicken/beef/whatever from the pot of stew my mum's made, and chowing down on it like a rabid beast. However, a trip to my mechanic who I've known for about 5 years, got me thinking. When i went to see him earlier this year, he was looking a lot slimmer than usual. 'Dude, what you been doing?' I asked. 'I gave up meat babe, I watched this documentary about meat and all the crap they put in it put me off for life...I get my protein from other foods now, no more jerk for me babes.' At the time I thought to myself 'rather than you than me mate, meat is the best thing in the world.' The thought of not eating meat was alien to me. 'What are these 'vegetarians' you speak of??' I thought. My boss is a vegetarian and I always looked at her wondering if she knew what she was missing out on when she told me she didn't like the taste of meat - strange chick.

But despite all of that, the amount of weight my mechanic lost got me thinking it was meat I needed to cut out of my diet - maybe I needed to get my protein sources from elsewhere.

At the end of last month, I had a day off from work. I met up with a friend for a pub lunch and got a fish finger sandwich. Later, I carried out some errands, met up with more friends and got home around midnight. As I went to bed, I realised that I didn't have that bloated feeling I normally get in my stomach towards the end of the day - it dawned on me that meat had not passed my lips in 24 hours! This, my friends, was the first day of my month long meat ban. 

On day 2 I forgot I was on a meat ban. 

I went to a friends house and she made me a sausage sandwich - let's take a moment and pause as I remember how good that sandwich was....mmmmm..... Five minutes after eating it, I remembered what I had told myself the night before, 'No meat for a month, you idiot!!' But then my friend reassured me that I could continue with the ban and didn't need to punish myself. We went to Croydon and got a pizza - vegetarian of course. It was okay I guess, but pizza without pepperoni is an abomination to me. Anyway, I got through the day, and 12 days later, I have survived a meat free diet.

There are many advantages to this: I have lost weight, my shopping is cheaper, I don't feel so gassy and bloated anymore (attractive, I know). Of course, I have to plan my meals in advance, which means my shopping takes longer, but it's so worth it. In place of meat I've been eating beans, lentils and lots of fish. I'm satisfied after every meal, comfortably full in fact, and there's no need to undo my belt and sprawl out on the sofa anymore.

I have to admit though, meat substitutes are not cutting it for me. I can't fathom the idea of fake meat or tofu. But I'm so pleased with the results that I'm thinking of continuing the ban for another month. I'll let you know how I get on.

I'm Back!!!!

Ola amigos! Oh, how much have I missed you?!?!

I still don’t have a computer yet, and I probably won’t have one until after Christmas, but seeing as I get into work at stupid o’clock, why not use my time wisely, get my fat arse into gear and blog from work, right?

 A LOT has happened in the last 4 months – I am about to become an auntie, I am now a single lady, and I have become an experimental vegetarian (more on that later). As well as all that, I’m still going to gigs, still crazy about music and still in love with fashion, so not much has changed there....

I know I need to fix up (and look sharp – couldn’t help myself) and get back on the old blogger. This is more for me than it is for you (especially as I seem to have lost all my followers...come back!!), but I do hope you enjoy reading my opinions, so look out for more regular updates, reviews, rants etc coming soon!



x

Back Soon.....

Hey guys, apologies for the lack of posts, but my laptop died on me 2 weeks ago :-(

I'm in the process of getting it fixed, so I promise there'll be more posts soon. X

Let's Talk

"Lets Talk..." Discussion & Spoken word every 2nd Monday & @ Bar 19:20, Great Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, EC1

Running every other Monday, with a film night held every 4^th Monday, Let’s Talk has been described as ‘an alternative to raving’, and rightly so. I can’t remember the last time I went raving; I’ve never really enjoyed it. In fact, I prefer to go to a live gig and see my favourite artists perform instead. So when an old mate invited me to come down to one of his Let’s Talk film nights, I was intrigued....

Hosted in Bar 19:20 on Great Sutton Street, the film nights begin around 7.30pm, but you are advised to get there at 6.30pm in order to get a good seat and avoid having your view blocked by a big head.

This week we were shown the film ‘Good Hair’, a docu-film narrated by Chris Rock about Black women and our hair. If you haven’t seen it already, I advise you to get a copy now! I am seriously considering going natural after watching it.....

During the film we were given bits of paper to write down any questions we had, which would be discussed afterwards.

The discussion afterwards was where it got a bit juicy – I must say I enjoyed this more than the film itself! There were some interesting points mentioned, such as ‘What is the definition of good hair??’ and ‘What do women hope to achieve by cosmetically altering their image to emulate a culture (European) that they don't belong to & which does not fully accept them??’. Understandably, it got a bit emotional, but this is what made it an enjoyable night. I may not have agreed with all the points mentioned (getting my regrowth retouched does NOT make me insecure, as suggested by one particular dude), but I came away from the night feeling rather stimulated.

To be invited to the next Let’s Talk event, add Lets Talk to your friends list on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LetsEvents

Relay Race

Just been on the Soul UK blog (one of my favourite blogs) and I found this gem of a track featuring the singer/rapper Graziella from last year’s X Factor (remember her??). The track is called relay Race and it’s produced by Savvy.

To download the track (for free), click the link in Soul UK's blog.  


http://soulukblog.com/2010/03/10/x-factors-graziella-is-still-in-the-race/

Enjoy! xx

I love this guy...

Swoon....

 

Enjoy! xx

Rich Girl Poor Girl

 

I absolutely LOVE reading, and one of my favourite authors is Lesley Lokko. I discovered her about 3 years ago when I read her novel Sundowners, and I immediately became a big fan.

I’ve just finished reading her novel Rich Girl Poor Girl, which is her fourth book. All I can say about the book is that it’s a story of friendships, love and revenge – if I could tell you more I’d end up telling you the whole story and ruining it for you! It’s one of those books that I couldn’t put down, and as weird as it sounds, I was really upset when it finished as I didn’t want it to end!

One thing I love about her books is that they’re always set in at least 3 countries across the globe. Ms Lokko tends to set her books in London, the South of Africa and Europe. I’m not a big traveller (I don’t even have a bloody passport at the moment!), but the way she describes the locations always makes me feel as if I’m there, witnessing the action first hand.

If you happen to find yourself in a bookshop or library anytime soon, be sure to pick up this book, or indeed anything else written by Lesley Lokko.

Enjoy! xx

You Probably Don’t Care, But....

I was tagged by Ashwini to do this, and since I haven’t posted lately (work has been VERY busy the last couple of weeks) I thought I’d post this list of my favourite things for you lot....yes, all 3 of you!

Colour: Purple...as it’s the colour of royalty, but I am partial to a bit of blue too.

Animal: Although I have a cat (no spinster jokes pls, I have a man!), I’m not really an animal fan. However, my little sister has her heart set on getting a Shiba Inu puppy, and I have to admit they are bloody cute.

Band: Not really a band as such, but I’m loving The Foreign Exchange. If you haven’t heard of them, go on You Tube and check out their stuff. I’m hoping they do a gig in London soon....

Singer: Eric Roberson – this guy is a frickin legend. An independent artist and songwriter, he has written for the likes of Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Musiq and others. I’ve seen him perform at the Jazz Cafe twice, and each time he put on a brilliant show. If you’re into Neo-Soul check him out. He’ll be in London next month, hosting Groove Gumbo at The Pigalle Club Feb 25^th (www.thepigalle.co.uk)

Song: Dreamland by Andy Allo – this song has been on repeat on my car for a few days now. I’m hoping she comes to London for a gig as well someday..... (www.andyallo.com)

Film: I’m not really an avid cinema-goer, but when I think about all the films I went to see last year, I was really impressed by District 9 (Nigerian stereotypes aside of course...)

Food: I looooove Thai food, but anything cooked by my mum, especially her Jollof rice will do it for me; let it be known that some of my friends have said that her Jollof rice is better than the Jollof cooked by their own mothers.....controversial, but true...

Drink: I love a rum and coke, but if I’m not doing alcohol, then a simple sarsaparilla with fizzy water will put a smile on my face!

Restaurant: Sema Thai on Lordship Lane (south London, not north!) does the BEST Thai food ever...I go there nearly every month.

Shop: For clothes – COS, Urban Outfitters, American Apparel and Whistles. For shoes – Kurt Geiger and Office.

Website: Cor blimey, I go on about 10 websites everyday. These include:

http://www.clearlybeautiful.blogspot.com/

http://atehjewelbeautyinsider.blogspot.com/

http://www.lotionspotionsandme.blogspot.com/

http://www.vexinthecity.com/

http://www.thisisrealmusic.com/

http://souluk1984.wordpress.com/

as well as the usual Facebook and Twitter ones....

Magazine: I always have a copy of Grazia on me – to me that’s just as standard as carrying lip balm, but I love InStyle and Elle too.

Sport: I LOVE watching the athletics championships, especially the sprints and relays....and some of the athletes are quite hot too...

Team: Well if Nigeria is in the World Cup then I have to support them, but if it comes to football I support Arsenal, because my man is sitting here and he told me to...lol!

TV Program: I discovered the Food Network a few months ago, and since then I’ve been hooked – it is my crack. Bear in mind I haven’t actually attempted to cook anything I’ve seen, but I will one day. I’m getting fat just watching it, so I’ll have to wean myself off it soon. Apart from that I do like Glee, Friends and CSI (not New York...it’s a bit crap)

Place: My car – I love my Black Betty; she’s absolutely busted and dying a slow death, but it’s hard to let go after 6 years. I love that when I’m having a bad day, I can jump in her (petrol levels permitting of course), and go anywhere in comfort (well, not complete comfort as my heater doesn’t work), while listening to some heavy tunes. It’ll be a sad day when I have to scrap her.....(sniff sniff)

Season: Autumn – because I’m an autumn baby...plus I hate summer with a passion...I sweat like a pig. Not sexy.

Beauty Product: I actually don’t wear that much makeup as I don’t know how to (my mum despairs at this), but I guess I like my Bourjois Lip Creme and I have millions of nail polishes (I change my nail colour every 3 days). If anyone would like to give me makeup lesson that would be appreciated...

Hair Product: I have 2: Organics Hair Mayonnaise for conditioning and Africare Olive Oil Hair & Scalp Nourishment (http://africare.days2nights.co.uk/intro.html). I find this keeps my roots straight in between relaxers.

Make Up Brand: Hmmm...again, not a makeup-wearer, but I have been impressed with what I’ve seen from Bobbi Brown.

Perfume: Marc Jacobs Daisy – gorgeous.