Spa Dream

I wish I could go on holidays, I said casually to my mum. She asked me why not go next week? I said we are finalising important project at work and it's not the best time to go. She said, ok then, go after you finish this 'project'. I could hear in her voice that she remember me saying this last time. And time before that. So I said: I'll go on holidays. Next month. She said: Great.

We both knew it will not happen this year.

Is it only me? Why we postpone our 'me time' treats just because of work? Ok, so maybe you are passionate about your work. That's good. But it is also stressful. No matter how much you love your work, you need holidays.

I know I do.

And I don't want anybody to go with me. If it sounds selfish, I don't care. But I have this dream about being far away from everything I know. Just floating in a warm, blue water, drinking amaretto or reading new Pratchett book I didn't have time yet to read. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and being with my boufriend, and I really like my work lately. It's just this feeling in me, unsettled. And small voice asking: where are you?

It might be just the winter coming but I feel like I could sleep for a week. Do you?

Too much ado about fruits

Eat your 5-a-day, more fruits, vegetables all year round, go green - it seems like we are surrounded by "Fruit rules!" campaigns everywhere, it's like a siege. But prices for fruits and vegetables aren't going down, on the contrary, they are getting new label - "organic" and now go for twice the money. Is it suspicious or what? Today in a supermarket normal cucumber costs 62p, organic one - 97p.
I feel confused. So now they are trying to convince me, my normal vegetables are wrong, and they don't count as my 5 a day if they don't have a fancy new label? What kind of difference makes a label? What kind of guarantee I have that those two cucumbers weren't grown next to each other? Ok, so maybe organic one wasn't speed-grown on chemicals. But was it grown in natural environment or next to the motorway? And why fresh potatoes are 2 pounds per kilo, when frozen fries costs only 55 pence per 2 kg bag? What kind of potatoes are used for making fries?
All I want is a tasty, sun ripened, ready to eat food. If it is fair paid to local farmers, even better. If they don't use chemicals - even better - that's supposed to be a rule, anyway. What I am getting is half ready fruit, from the far far away kingdom, with fancy labels and no guarantees. Have you tried 'British Strawberries' this summer? They had all the right labels and no taste at all. What was strange they did smell great. So what, now they perfume the fruits to deceive us or what? I was put off so much I don't even eat strawberry jam anymore.
Sour lemons, that's what it is. There is a new trend for 'organic' 'fair trade' labeling and all that. And while this is all very nice, it makes me wonder what kind of food scandals would unfold in a near future if somebody just compared the products. Is a 'normal price' range all bad? Does 'fair trade' include 'organic'? Does 'organic' mean 'fair trade'? I could say making organic food still could be done on the expense of 'local farmers' while producing 'fair trade' food doesn't guarantee that vegetables aren't grown on chemicals.
I know one thing. I am growing suspicious.

Drink water = Great skin (the small print)

Everybody out there is giving you this great tip - Drink plenty of water for beautifull skin. From the diet experts to shampoo commercials anywhere you turn there is a big, flashy arrow pointing to 2 litres a day, moisturize, hydrafantastatic. They are obviously right. Water is important. What we drink count as much as what we eat.

But it's a small print that you need to read. You don't have to drink 2 litres of water per day. You need to drink enough for your lifestyle, says dermatologist Dr Howard Murad in october issue of Glamour.

Get plenty of essential fatty acids to hold it in, he says, because It's the water you retain that matters.

Great sources of fatty acids are walnuts, fish, leafy veg and pumpkin seeds. As they are quite tasty as well we can easily inlude them in our diets.

Well hydrated skin reflects light as a mirror and equals healthy skin glow. To help your skin lights -up use gentle exfoliating, but be carefull with scrubs with scratchy ingredients like almond. Instead, for a daily care use a polisher that will smoothly brighten your skin and paired with skin-plumping moisturizer give you the celbrity glow.

Fruit salad for gloomy sunday

It was raining all weekend again. I went to supermarket and bought all the boring house essentials like black bin bags. That's how exiting my sunday is.

I wasn't even in a mood for eating anything. I even passed the cheesecake without noticing. Ususally cheesecake with belgium chocolate is all but waving at me and jumping and I cannot resist.

Than I couldn't be bothered with oranges and melons and all of those sunny and smiling fruits. So I grabbed some kiwis, berries and limes coz I haven't eat them for a while. Is this emotional eating? Sure it is. I went straight to register forgetting bread and realizing it at my doorstep. Nevermind.

I looked at my impossible dinner combination. Kiwis, berries and limes. I din't even have tequila to utilize the limes. I was doomed.

So decided to not bother at all. I toasted white bread, put on it olive oil. Basics. Tasty. Than I made a fruit salad with all my great choice ingredients. It was actually nice. I was feeling better with my stomach full. Now, I am sure I got bottle of vine somewhere... I forgot to buy mineral water as well, you see...

Extraordinary tomatoes

Tomatoes are so common and popular we just have forgot how extraordinary they are. They are treated as vegetables but they are fruits actually, the best ones still smell of vine, they have made it to an hollywood super star movie title and a great book - Fried Green Tomatoes. I could go on and on. They are low in calories but high in vitamin A and C. Potassium levels are also significant. They do have some traces of sodium, iron and even calcium. Weirdly, one ounce of tomato puree has twice the vitamin C and 20 percent more beta carotene than one ounce of fresh tomato, so maybe all those Italian pastas I indulge in recently aren't all that bad for me;)

It is claimed that the fruit had aphrodisiac powers on top of this. Try it. Enjoy it.

How to drink yourself slim

How to make a small change with huge effect?

The easiest way to lower your daily calorie intake is to wisely choose your drinks.
Drinking mineral water is the best way - no calories at all, detoxifying effect for free, make your skin looks nicer and healthier. So, no worries, just benefits. You cannot go wrong with water.
For you regular tea or coffee watch out for sugar - 2 coffees a day with 2 spoons each equal to 120 calories, which is easily a nice little chocolate passing you by or this extra 15 minutes you have to sweat in your gym. And, be honest, we drink more than 2 teas/coffees per day. So forget the sugar or at least cut it by half and soon you will see benefits.
I am not even talking about hot chocolates, the worst ones really, with often more than 120 calories per cup. Allow them only on treat-once-in-a-while-basis. You will enjoy it more if it is less often.
By the way, switching to herbal teas let you explore huge variety of uncommon tastes, making it easier to swallow. Vanilla, toffee, strawberry - possibilities are endless.
People are also swearing their lives on the benefits of the red tea [bit of earthy taste, I quite like it actually] or green tea. They boost your metabolism, prevent cancer, are anti-aging and so on. Makes for interesting reading and it is worth a try.
So go on and make your tea brake more interesting with different kind every week. It is easy, it's nearly effortless and beats coffee every time.
My new favorite is white tea. It used to be the most expensive, most rare and all, but now you can probably find it close to you with a little bit of effort. Why? It is believed to be the best. And you deserve the best, don't you?

After the wedding diet - Introduction

Usually, we all go frantic just after we get the wedding invitation. Well, competition is always enormous as every girl is trying to look her best. And all those aunties doing nothing but commenting... So we go on diet, start some excercises and so on. You know the drill. But what I find most annoying is that whatever promise I made to myself I always put weight AFTER THE WEDDING. Simply, there is no pressure anymore. The dress is back in the closet. Hello chocolates and cakes and pizzas and ice creams and pastas and... wider waistline. Pure horror. How could I let myself slip like that? I ask that question every single time. So how to go on with dieting life without the wedding invitation standing before your eyes as a reminder? Well, apply some 'After the Wedding' tips and tricks.

1. Find new motivation
2. Have an extraordinary treat - small portion, great taste
3. Get a new outfit and go out there

Hot water with lime

For a detoxifying effect first thing in the morning you can drink hot water with a bit of lime juice. I find it is more tasty than a lemon juice. It will kick-start your metabolism without you running around a block in a pajamas. Lemon or lime juice aids your liver in flushing out unwanted toxins from the body.

As you see, you can achieve wellness through simple healthful remedies like this one. There is a belief in Ayurvedic medicine that a cup of hot water with lemon juice in it tonifies and purifies the liver. My friends tried it and they are saying that it definitely prevents 'this bloated feeling' mentioned so often in tv commercials. It doesn't actually taste so bad as it sounds, especially with a hint of honey in it and it does make great pictures, don't you think?

There are basic lifestyle habits that are important to incorporate into your daily life, I would recommend this one. Just give it a try.

The Lazy Sunday Tricks

Well, you don’t want to be on diet on Sunday, don’t you? Me neither. So first trick - start it with a breakfast. That’s a good, healthy rule you should actually follow every other day of the week. For a detoxifying effect you can drink hot water with a bit of lime juice (Hint: lime is more tasty than a lemon juice). It will kick-start your metabolism without you running around a block in a pajamas.

If you like porridge, you can have it, but muesli with sprinkle of almonds will provide more taste and benefits (Hint: watch out for sugar content and do not buy those already sweetened. Use honey instead).

A slice of a whole - goodie - grain bread with a real butter (unless you watch cholesterol) and boiled egg (well, again, unless you frantically watch cholesterol) plus lettuce and tomato would do nicely as well. I find those both propositions very filling and easy to prepare but feel free to experiment with your own lazy breakfast. It should be made from real ingredients and no microwave is allowed. Just keep it simple, coz you don’t want to spent your precious day in a kitchen (Hint: do not bake your own bread unless you really like it), but do not eat the same breakfast you had for years. Make it enjoyable experience. For a midmorning snack for example, have a pointy red peepers salad with olive oil and bit of chili for extra hot taste. Or a fruit you rarely eat, something extraordinary. Smoothie makes a great afternoon snack as well.

Second trick - keep it going. Get active, go sightseeing, nowhere near fast foods though. If it’s raining I usually clean the bathroom and do the hoovering. It is easy, quick, gives you satisfaction of the job well done and it burns calories as well. Just do something, move around, go bungee jumping if you want or pick some yellow flowers from the garden. Remember, your body is designed for motion. The more muscles you have the more calories is burnt without you noticing.

The third one - laziness is a piece of cake. Being lazy doesn’t mean being sloppy. It means relaxed view on life, quality over the quantity, most of all - doing all this things you always wanted to do, finding pleasure in a simple things. Living a lazy life means avoiding a rat race and all this big city every day mess. It does count even if you do it for a day or an hour. Get more sleep, drink more water, say no to fast food - slow down and enjoy the moment. Carpe diem.

Saturday's Pampering

On Saturday morning lay in bed a little bit longer, cherish the moment. It’s a weekend. With your eyes still closed make a list of urgent things to do and those that could be dismissed till Monday. When you got it all sorted make a list of things you want to do.

Pampering Tips: Have your nails done or maybe a pedicure? Pay a visit to a nearest day spa centre and try a new chocolate massage, lie back and immerse yourself as your skin is cleansed with a smooth (often edibleJ chocolate. Or if you already put a night out on tour list to do, make it detoxifying or contouring body massage than can make you loose up to a 1 kg of your weight in one go.

Instead of workout in a gym, which I find personally little bit boring from time to time, go to the nearest park for a relaxing walk or alternatively for some thrill rides in an amusement park for adrenaline boost. You can always go shopping for new handbag to get both, I reckon. Whatever suits you, just make it your thing.

Food can be really tricky on Saturday, coz we tend to eat fast and lavishly on the days like that. Well, what can I say - indulge yourself in proteins. You will actually discover that they keep hunger at bay longer than any law calorie yoghurt. But I don’t mean eating a double cheeseburger because if this thing seen any proteins it was long frying time ago. Go to the fancy restaurant when you will get something freshly made, tenderly handled. Or make it yourself, something extra special, something that you are not eating very often, because it is your weekend and you deserve only the best.

The first and only rule of Saturday’s Pampering? Enjoy it.

Watermelon

Watermelon is high in vitamins and low in calories which makes it a perfect for summer deserts. It is 98% water and a little bit of sugar, I must admit, but it is still no fat. And with only 10 calories per 100g you get also plenty of goodies. It is packed with natural antioxidants, vitamin A and C, beta-carotene. It is also qualified as a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin B1, potassium and magnesium.
The more pink is watermelon's flesh the more great it is as a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. Lycopene has been extensively studied for its cancer-preventing and antioxidant qualities. And, unlike other studies, this one was carried on humans as well as lab rats, so we can actually trust it a little bit more as we have a better data.
This thirst quenching fruit is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. That makes it related to the cantaloupe and pumpkin - plants that also grow on vines on the ground. Generally it got round or oblong shape, it is dark green or stripy, but the flesh actually can get various colors, with pink still the most popular and accessible.
The best quality fruits are having flesh of dark, rich color without white marks and are relatively heavy for it’s size. They are also sweet, sweet, sweet…

Being goddess - the weekend plan

The weekend plan is not going to make you stick thin, forget it. As a goal it is unrealistic, unhealthy and most of all not really attractive. Being Twiggy is not glamorous in a real life - there is no camera to follow you around to add this extra few kilo and there is definitely no light guru to make you look fabulous.
So what are the benefits?
You are going to feel lighter and more energetic. You are going to get pampered, and that’s a plan!

Start on Friday
Don’t eat anything heavy for your last meal, don’t skip it either. Remember, you are not going into a starvation mode this time. This one is about feeling gorgeous, not exhausted.
As a desert eat some watermelon. Tomorrow I will publish a feature listing impressive benefits of this fruit, and I bet you are going to be surprised. It’s worth it’s weight in gold.
Get a relaxing bath with aromatic oils and massage your body with a gentle scrub - the new series of Radox with sea minerals is great for it.
Have an early night. When you sleep, your body will regenerate and you will wake up in a great mood next morning. Well, it’s going to be a Saturday morning after all.

Being a goddess is easy

Just relax. Think about everything you already have. It is nice, isn't it? There is always something nice. If not, we can find it, build it or just make it happen.

Remember, you don't have to look like a goddess to be a goddess, but if you feel like a goddess you will certainly look like one.

Because it all starts in a mind.

So what you are waiting for? Feel it.

My blue goddess logo

Finding a logo was too difficult - I think I'm bit fussy - so I have made one myself. I wanted kind of manga girl or chick lit cover girl and I have seen something similar [OnFocus] but I needed softer look, so I draw it myself in Inkscape. It probably doesn't look as professional as vectors you can buy, but it was my first attempt and I am quite proud of it and it's going up. I mean, you going to see this a lot from now :)

It never rains...

... but it pours. My bank account just have been wiped clean. Nothing left. Somebody just logged in and stole all my money. I cannot believe it!
I am going on holidays in a week and I was saving for that!
I just don't know what to do...
Ok, just ignore it. There are worst tragedies than that, hungry children and all, and I am a whining baby


BUT I feel so angry! This is unfair!

Spa basics

Aromatic oils, relaxing atmosphere, your mini spa can be recreated at home. Light some scented candles instead of electric bulb in your bathroom, pour few drops of luxurious bath oil into or generous amount of crystal bath salt, just close your door and close your eyes. Enjoy it.

See you after weekend.

Handbag – Aid

Retail therapy was long overdue.
Yesterday was so unbearable in the office, all different projects from all the departments, nothing urgent, no, no, just to be done in the next five minutes, would it be okay – kind of stuff, so when I finally left instead of going home I headed straight in opposite direction – city centre. I knew I need a new handbag, I haven’t bought one in ages, like 4 months or maybe even longer. [I know, I know, shame on me].
First, I made quickly A NEW HANDBAG CHECKLISt:

• TYPE/OCCASION: Summer Handbag = should go nicely with light dresses and linen
• But because I am in England it means it is raining – so it needed to be kind of waterproof as well (glazed?)
• MATERIAL: It should go with my new wardrobe – summer amended for UK, meaning it is warm as well as it is hot – linen, cotton, silk; so maybe some soft leather, but not the suede (see 1a)
• COLOUR: fresh, summery, light
• SIZE: small to medium
• MATCHING ABILITY: something neutral, so it could go with anything. I have got too many ‘one outfit’ handbags already, I am not making this mistake again.
• Well, maybe not that often
• I must admit, sometimes I am buying clothes to match my new shoes or handbag because it is so much easier to find a top than decent shoes
• IT! FACTOR: well, I know it when I see it.
• Budget – well, not much really, I need a bag for one season,

It was easy to predict that the list would go to bin the moment I went to the first shop [second one, actually] and seen this too expensive, too bright, so fabulous lime green Dericci handbag. She was so distinctive and royal and kick-ass that all the other bags were hiding in the corner of the bottom shelf. All the usual fireworks kicked in – pointing neon arrows, heavenly music and the hand of Fate dragging me to it.
I was resisting at first. After all, I wanted cheap handbag – 30 £ or so. But I grabbed it – as I was unable to walk away without it – and start wondering around this shop to see other things and after some time I admit the defeat – SHE put her claws in me and started innocently to look so familiar like we've been together for ages. The size perfect for a lip gloss, mobile, chocolates, credit cards and even small book. Works for me. I handed my card quickly, put some numbers in, tried not to look at the amount and took HER home. It is a beginning of the fabulous friendship, it’s got every sign to it.

ps. picture arriving as soon as I'll find my 'mobile to laptop'cable

Well, I was doing some painting.
The results were predictable, so I finally gave up on the green idea. I like the flower in a glass picture, you see. And is black - grey -pink and I couldn't escape that so I made it blue. than I have to change the template. And it was all down hill from there.
It looks like I am going to spent some more time here, painting.

I spent loads of time looking for some crispy, fresh, green template and when I finally found it - my header arrived in pink. And I am not even a huge fun of pink. I think it is my fate. Probably I am not a crispy fresh green person at all. I am just a pink shoe -addict, spending her time painting nails and getting tanned.
.....

"£$%&*"£$%%*
......
[Here was the screaming and all other stress management exercises.]

Ok, I am going to look at it again. Nope. Still pink. And slightly off centre for some reason.

[More screaming and boxing with a wall]

I am relaxed. I am a new person. I am a goddess. I can live with pink, I just have to find a way to make it work.

[Trying to paint it]

*&^%$%^&*$%£^*

[More screaming]

I am a goddess. And I have a pink header.
Ok, so it is not pink, I mean it is not ordinary, boring, girly pink.
From today it is going to be VIBRANT PINK.
Because that is new me – vibrant. And pink.

Oh, hell.
I need a bottle of Rose.

Where the goddes is going when she finds her comfortable temple a bit boring or overhelming? She cannot just go anywhere. It have to be innovative, relaxing, goddess-like in every aspect. It ought to be beautiful, glamorous and amazing - a natural place to be for goddess.
Fortunately, we are expieriencing some spa boom lately - and SPA is a place every respectable goddes should visit once in a while. Since goddess isn't just for any SPA, will choose some that can deserve a name of RETREAT for goddesslike day out.

I am good catholic girl and I can tell you that is not easy to became a wellbeing goddess with this kind of background.

For a start we are not encouraged to be well. We should be modest, hard-working, obeying and most of all, no sex before marriage. Mostly because it makes us easier to control by priests. I don’t know why they also insisted on this no-sex thing, but I definitely don’t like it. Maybe they figured that once satisfied girl will not easily get married with a guy that doesn’t have a clue.

It is not like I tick any of the boxes on theirs list, but it still leaves me with a nasty guilt every time I am saying loud: I DESERVE THIS meaning smooth, silky chocolate, new fabulous shoes or a great night out with a breakfast. Well, it actually feels really hard even to write it, I never have so much as whisper that before. But what I am getting at, is I am trying on hundreds pairs of shoes to find the perfect ones FOR THE SEASON before I buy one, so why on earth anybody would expect me to get a husband FOR LIFE without trying it on?

Lesson for today – I am fabulous, gorgeous creature and I deserve all the shoes I want. Shoes are your best friend. They never get too small out of sudden.

As an afterthought, I think you can apply this to guys as well.

Wellbeing - ready, steady, go!

WELLBEING starts here. Starts right now. Your mind relaxes when your body relaxes. So just close your eyes and don't think for a moment.
That's hard, isn't it? For a second this nice, smooth, warm feeling slides into your mind and than snap! You start panicking. How it is not to think about anything? Ok, we start again. Close your eyes and dream. Something simple. This island with white sandy beaches and palm trees and blue, blue sky that you ALWAYS wanted to go, but actually you know you can't afford it and anyway you don't have time for it... Here it goes again - you are thinking! THINKING is BAD. What wellbeing is all about is to give you back the ability to dream. So, just sit back, close your eyes and relax. Where was I? Oh, yes, BLUE, BLUE SKY...