Thursday 22 December 2016

HP SPROCKET MOBILE PHOTO PRINTER REVIEW


It's only 5 days to go before Christmas! Lately, I've discovered a cute pocket printer that changed the way I look at photos on my iPhone forever! I don't know if it's just me but I like to touch tangible things {not sure if I'm making any sense here} 😂 And this is true not only for pictures but for books as well. Case in point: I never finished any digital books as of yet. Articles, yes of course but books... somehow it's easier for me to get distracted.

Imagine a world where you can customise and print photos from your phone. 30 seconds then bam! Printer is tiny and stylish too. HP has it in white & rose gold combination! Some details:

The compact HP Sprocket Mobile Photo printer is pocket-sized at just 2 x 3” making it easy to carry anywhere. It fits easily into jacket or jeans pockets and handbags to let you create stickable durable water-resistant smudge-proof snapshots whenever the moment strikes. Source: Curry's PC World site

FYI: This is not a sponsored post. No coupon codes with my initials on it or anything like that. I just like buying things from Curry's because although their customer service is not perfect, I can feel that they're doing their best to provide their clients with good experience. Got mine for £99.00 but since it was Black Friday when I bought it, they offered a 10% discount from the site. I bought an extra pack of zink paper (£10.00 by 20's) as well.


So, how does it work? It's easy peasy! 1. Download the sprocket application. 2. Choose a photo from your camera. 3. Load the zink paper on the gadget. 4. Select print on the app. That's it! Trust me, it's not sprocket science {see what I did there?}. When you buy the gadget, it comes with free 10 pieces zink paper. The paper is on a sticker format so that's doubly nice!


The Good. I like that it's light and portable. The colour is on point too! It's easy to use and it delivers okay-ish photo. You can't expect a high resolution photo of course but it's good enough for its 2x3 size. The Bad. I can't think of anything really. Except that it's something that you don't really need in your life. It's a nice to have but if photo's not your thing, you'll be better off spending your £100 on something that you fancy.
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Monday 5 December 2016

SALMON TERIYAKI WITH CARAMELISED ONION


I've had a life-changing discovery this year. That is: eating healthy can be easy and sustainable. This blog is a chronicle on how I morph from a fast food eater to a better one. And by better, I mean someone who is not a freak but rather one who appreciates the power of healthy yet equally tasty food. I'd like to share with you our dinner last night. 

For this dinner entrée you'll need:
  • Salad: Greens of any kind, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, pumpkin seed oil
  • Salmon Teriyaki: 2 fresh salmons, teriyaki sauce, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder
  • Quinoa: 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water
  • Caramelised Onion: 2 white onions, brown sugar, worchestire sauce
  • Vitamin C Booster Juice: 2 oranges, 1 lemon, 1/4 piece of ginger


CARAMELISED ONION:
Simply slice the onion. Put them on a large lunch box. Sprinkle brown sugar, salt and pepper, garlic powder. Shake shake shake! Put on 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan. Once the pan is hot, put on the onions and leave it until cooked. Tip: It depends how 'cooked' you want them to be. I'd like it thoroughly cooked so I let them caramelised for a good 15 minutes or so!

SALMON TERIYAKI:
Season the salmon with teriyaki sauce, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Leave it for 5 minutes or so. On the same pan (with our caramelised onion), shove the onions and free up the centre part of the pan. Put the salmons side by side with the skin up. Cook them for 15 minutes and serve them on a warm plate.


SALAD:
Cut your greens, tomatoes, carrots and toss them on a salad bowl. Add pumpkin seed oil and balsamic vinegar, if you fancy. Serve them with the salmon and quinoa combination. I am using quinoa from Watirose here. Cook them as you would cook a rice (add more water, if needed). Tip: If you've got leftovers, you can make a quinoa green salad as your packed lunch the day after!
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Sunday 4 December 2016

LONDON DIARY : FOUR PLACES I'VE BEEN TO THIS FIRST CHRISTMAS WEEKEND


December 3. It's the first weekend with Christmas in the air. Ahhh, I just can't enough of the thought that Christmas is coming and you can tell it by the lights and sounds. I was living and chillin' locally for two weeks straight and so I felt an urge to spend my weekend in Central London. Tottenham Court Road to be exact. Let me take you to a mini-tour on my whereabouts the past two days.


1. Lu-Ma Cafe. We usually have our weekend breakfast or lunch in the place. It becomes sort of a ritual for me and Gab to spend a good portion of the day catching up over a cup of almond cappuccino and a hearty meal. This time, I ordered for Delicious Eggs Florentine (2 organic eggs served on a bed of sautéed spinach and toasted sourdough bread with vegan hollandaise sauce). 

I can't get enough of the cafe's shabby chic vibe. Every corner is instagram worthy! They even have a stack of books for your reading pleasure. You'll frequently see both locals and tourists grabbing a bite or two. From their freshly made meals to sumptuous dessert, you'll fall in love with the place in no time. I particularly love their breakfast option but every once so often, I try their dessert selections as well.

2. Waterstones. There's something about the smell of a book that I can't get rid of. Call me old school but I still prefer a real book over a digital or audio ones. Case in point: I have never finished a book from a digital print. And I'm totally okay with that.

Waterstones bookstore has a special place in my heart because of too many mushy, good reasons 💕Sentimental value aside, there's something nice about most of Waterstones bookshops. That is, they have a cafe inside where you can browse and read your books. I got two new books which I am so excited to read. 1. In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom and 2. 99 Things That Bring Me Joy.



3. Primark. Because, who says happiness and cute things should be expensive? We live in a world that's so hallucinated about brands. Sure, quality comes with a price but if you're buying fluffy slippers and little trinkets, I wouldn't break my piggy bank for that! Anyways, I had a full-on floor by floor ogling and shopping at Primark Tottenham Court Road. I bought Christmassy, winter-thingy kind of stuff.
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Friday 2 December 2016

5 THOUGHTS FOR THE FIRST CHRISTMAS WEEKEND


It's happening guys! Here comes the days when I am in my cosy lounging robe by default, debating whether I should get up every morning or to snooze for 5 minutes more. All I want to do is to catch up on my favourite blogs, watch Netflix, bake some banana almond butter cookies and have a crazy, funny banter with Gab over a cup of tea (make that coffee for me!).

I am amazed by people who can get their creative juices flowing. Sometimes I feel frustrated because it seems that I am stuck in a blog plateau. Then I remember that a) this is not my main job, b) maintaining this blog should be a joy and not a burden; and c) there's a life outside the computer screen.


1. I want to get out and explore London after dark. At the same time, I want to be warm and have a long rest too. As you see, that's a big dilemma right there! Kidding aside, Christmas is such a big thing for me! I don't have any problem being a home buddy but come this season, I want to be out and about! 

2. I already planned our Christmas dinner with friends. We'll have it at Busaba Eathai at Kingston, overlooking River Thames. It's going to be fun! Then, I want to go to Southbank Centre Christmas Market and Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. Finally, we've made some booking at Bath, England to experience the magical Christmas market!

3. Peace of mind is very expensive. Sh*t happens (sorry, that's such a harsh transition, isn't it? 😬). Fact. Lately, my patience is being tested with some few annoyances (from a pesky letting agent who seems to master the art of ignoring things to delayed deliveries... it's not all rainbows and sunshine, you know).

Then, I realised that if I just step back a bit. It's not all too bad. These blips are just tiny nuances to an otherwise, blessed happy life. The world will always try to take away our joy and it's a daily decision to let out a big SHHHH to our mind and focus on things that are worth-thinking.
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Thursday 1 December 2016

FEELING CHRISTMASSY AT BONN, GERMANY


One thing is for definite: blogging will always be a part of me. I may do more or less of it over time but it is something that I crave for every once in a while. You know that feeling when you can't help but to word-ify your current thoughts and feels? Yep. That's it! :) I was binge reading my favourite blogs last night because I can't sleep early no matter how hard I try! I always had it with me. Even when I was a kid, I just don't like excessive sleeping. And when Christmas is approaching.... wooohooo, I don't sleep much because I don't want to miss a thingggg!!!

Speaking of Christmas, I mentioned last year that 1st of December is an unspoken legit date to put up Christmas decorations. To be honest, I don't care. By 3rd week of November, I was shopping reds and greens! 🎄Last year, me and my friends went around Europe to celebrate the holidays.


One of the places we've been to was Germany. We've been to Frankfurt, Cologne (Köln) and Bonn. These shots are particularly from Bonn. Place is very clean and the weather? Well, cold. It's picturesque wherever you turn your head to. I recommend that you stay here for a good 2 to 3 days. Unfortunately, we didn't have the luxury of time to explore the place that long, but if ever we'll come back, I'll make sure we have an ample time to go around Bonn.


This shot is at Bonn University, I believe 😊. It was sunny, that day but cold at the same time. Very few people were here as most were on their holiday. It's really surreal. I can't remember what I've eaten at Bonn or if we've eaten at all! Here's a snap from one of Germany's cathedral. It took me about 6 shots to get it done properly, to no avail. It was so windyyyy! But we all had fun.
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