Hot Trend Chunky Statement Necklaces

Posted on November 21, 2012 | 10 comments

This article was published in +977 (a Nepalese Lifestyle Magazine in Australia) in Nov 2012 issue.

Ladies, get ready to vamp up your wardrobe with some statement necklaces this spring. The chunkier, the funkier, the bigger, the better! There are myriad choices from floral accents and multicolour gemstones to layered pearls and bib necklaces as well as acrylic, plastic, shells or resins.

Here are a few I absolutely adore.

How to wear it?

  • Wear a really plain top and jeans and mix it with a statement necklace.
  • Wear a sundress or white dress with a chunky flowery necklace for a beach looks.
  • When dressing for a formal affair, an elegant statement necklace is great to transform from plain to fabulous.

You may also like :

*Autumn Trend Alert: “Dot On” *Fashion from Nepal
 *Pretty in Pastels this SUMMER

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Posted in Fashion, Published

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Slave of Smartphone and Instant messaging

Posted on November 20, 2012 | 18 comments

This article was published in +977 (a Nepalese Lifestyle Magazine in Australia) in Nov 2012 issue. 

“Tring!!!” mobile phone rings. Within a second, everyone in the restaurant takes their phone out and checks for call/sms/mms/Facebook alert or Tweets.

That is a common scenario I see everywhere. Today, when you walk into a restaurant, you will notice that almost everyone has his or her phone out, and they’re texting, emailing, tweeting, or updating a Facebook status. Even though we are socialising and having a great time, a ring from our mobile phone will stop what we are doing and we start checking our phones.

There was a time when visiting a restaurant with a friend/family meant enjoying a tasty meal together, having an engaging conversation and updating each other about one’s life. These days with smartphone in our hands checking Facebook while having a conversation, tweeting a photo of a dish during the meal and taking a call seems to be accepted behaviour.

If you travel using public transport, look around and I am sure you will see almost every single person staring at their phone. The worst and dangerous ones are the ones who drive while talking or texting on a phone.

Also what about those who talk on the phone while someone is trying to serve them, completely ignoring the person.

Don’t get me wrong, I am just as attached to my smartphone as anyone. I love gadgets and technology in general. But lately I have realised that the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is check my phone for emails, messages, Facebook alerts and Tweets. Like many people, I have become so addicted to my smartphone that it is hard for me to go an hour without checking my e-mail, Twitter or Facebook alerts. It is with me, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

I am sure I have been doing it for a while but I only realised what I was doing when I saw my husband reading his eBook on his smartphone all the time.  After a long day work when we come back home, we were sitting in the same room but often, he is reading his book while I am watching TV or using my phone to Facebook, Tweet or just surf internet. We were in the same room but we were not really talking. That moment, I realized that I wanted to get out of the slavery of phone.

Another habit that I realised I had was that I tend to look for my phone every time a pop alert for email, Facebook, Twitter rings so my smartphone was constantly demanding a significant part of my attention taking away my attention from just about anything instantly and consistently.

I realised that rather than me using a phone, I was the slave of it and its instant messaging. The ability to instantly connect with anyone has its advantages but it comes with a price. We pay the price in terms of the time which we feel we have so less of in this busy world.

I have also read about a research which proved the following.

“Those who are constantly breaking away from tasks to react to email or text messages suffer similar effects on the mind equivalent to losing a night’s sleep.”

So lately I have changed the way I use my smart phone. In other words I have stopped being used by my smartphone but start using it again.

  • I know all the emails and messages I check in my phone can wait and people can always call if things are important, so I check them a couple of times in a day rather than as soon as a message lands in my inbox.
  • I turned off all the alert sound from Facebook and Twitter so it doesn’t pop on while I am in the middle of something urging me to check it instantly.
  • I make sure I put my phone inside my bag or pocket when I am meeting people.
  • At home, phones stay in the table so no need to check every 5 minutes.
  • I turn the internet off on the mobile before going to bed.

I am sure lots of you might have similar habit like mine so go ahead and try not to use for phone for an hour. See if you get more things done without getting distracted. Turn off all the alerts and have a quiet and piece time for a change.

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Lugano: Switzerland

Posted on November 19, 2012 | 20 comments

When I was growing up, if there was place in the world I always wanted to visit, it was Switzerland and on this Europe trip we went there.

As a child I was always fascinated by the beauty of the Swiss Alps and the natural beauty of Switzerland. As I got older, every time I saw someone’s photo from Switzerland or any movie or documentary of Switzerland, I would tell myself that one day I will visit that country. So when we entered Switzerland from Italy that was one of the most exciting moments of my life.

I was so happy that finally I would be on a mountain trail, looking at the beautiful Alps and the farms full of big cows.

Our first stop in Switzerland was Lugano.

Lugano, with 54,000 residents, is the largest city in the canton of Ticino. It is located on the beautiful Lake Lugano, 30 minutes north of the Italian border and one hour north of Milan. The city feels completely different than German-speaking Switzerland, but the prices, cleanliness, well-dressed people, and Ferraris remind you that you are still in Switzerland.

Lugano, Switzerland, nicknamed the “Monte Carlo of Switzerland,” is a popular tourist destination because of its quaint Swiss-village feel, its culture, its favourable proximity to (and distance from) urban commotion and, most of all, its majestic scenery.

Once we were in Lugano, we had half a day to explore the beautiful city. It was perfect spring weather with the sun shining on the clear blue beautiful sky. I was so excited to get off the bus and explore my dream destination. You could actually tell that you are in Switzerland as it was so clean everywhere.

As we got off the bus, I could see Lake Lugano with its deep blue water. The rich vegetation in the surrounding valleys and the stunning mountain peaks makes this a place of peaceful relaxation. As we walked along the lake I was extremely happy to enjoy this beautiful country.

Down by the lake shore is the famous Lugano promenade which gently meanders along the water’s edge, decorated with maples, palms and carefully tended flower beds. Here you can sit and watch the ferry boats busy themselves or take a lake cruise and admire the spectacular scenery.

The charismatic narrow streets in the centre of Lugano are peppered with grand piazzas, where cafes and bars make a welcome retreat for those who like to relax and watch the world go by. There are historic buildings and Renaissance churches with their charming belltowers and 15th century frescoes that portray incredible moments in history.

The next thing I noticed in Luganoo was big designer stores and boutiques everywhere. Via Nassa and Via Pessina are two of the most popular shopping streets found right in the heart of Lugano. You name the brand and they have it from Hermes, Versace, Gucci, Issey Miyake, to Armani, Rolex, Cartier.

We were not planning to go brand shopping but we were looking to buy a Swiss knife for my husband and a watch for me.

As we were walking along the shops, we discovered that everything is expensive in Switzerland. It’s quite amazing to see items that you saw the day before in Italy at triple the prices. Our guide told us that a lot of locals drive into Italy to do the shopping (it’s quite close) every week or two.

We ended up ditching shopping after buying few souvenirs and concentrated on sightseeing.

We visited San Lorenzo Cathedral, City hall, Old Fountain on the embankment in the centre of Lugano. It was a really nice town and I can understand why it is called a place for the rich and famous.

Please click here for more photos.

20 Comments

Posted in Switerzland, Travel

Jamie’s Crackin’ Crab Briks, Couscous Salad & Salsa

Posted on November 19, 2012 | 5 comments

Here is another great recipe from my favorite chef, Jamie Oliver. This recipe from Jamie’s’ 15 minutes meals. It is really easy and yummy.

Briks 

  • 1–2 preserved lemons
  • 2 spring onions
  • ½ a bunch of fresh coriander
  • 400g crabmeat (I used tin crab)
  • 2 tsp harissa, plus extra to serve
  • 4 large sheets of filo pastry (from a 270g pack)
  • olive oil
Salad

  • ½ tsp caraway seeds
  • ½ a mug (150g) of couscous
  • 2 tsp sun-dried tomato purée
  • ½ a bulb of fennel
  • ½ a bunch of fresh mint
  • 1 lemon
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pomegranate ( I didn’t use)

Salsa

  • 1 large ripe tomato
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
  • ½ a lemon

To serve

  • fat-free natural yoghurt

Procedure

  • Finely chop the preserved lemons, trimmed spring onions and coriander (stalks and all).
  •  Mix in a bowl with the crabmeat (I used can crab meat) and harissa.

  • Lay out a sheet of filo pastry, add ¼ of the mixture and shape into the size of a packet of playing cards at the centre of the bottom of the sheet, then push your thumb into the centre of the filling to make a space for it to expand as it cooks.
 

  •  Fold in the sides, then fold them up.

  •  Repeat until you have 4 briks.
  • Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan, then add the briks and cook until golden and crisp on both sides.

  • Add the caraway seeds to the side of the pan and toast for a minute, then scrape into a salad bowl.
  • Put ½ a mug of couscous (I used wholemeal one ) , 1 mug of boiling water, the tomato purée and a pinch of salt into a bowl and cover.

  •  Pick and reserve the fennel tops, then roughly chop and grate the bulb in the processor.

  •  Tip into the salad bowl, then chop and add the top leafy half of the mint.

  •  Squeeze in the lemon juice and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
  •  Season to taste and toss everything together.
  • Finely grate the tomato and ginger into a little bowl.

  •  Add a pinch of salt and pepper, a good squeeze of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and mix together.

  •  Fluff up the couscous, then tip on to a platter.
  •  Pile the salad in the middle, then bash the halved pomegranate over the top so the seeds tumble out.
  •  Scatter over the reserved fennel tops, pop the crab briks on a board and serve with dollops of yoghurt and the salsa.

You may also like :

*Jamie Oliver Szechuan stir fry with chicken and brown rice *Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Tikka Masala *Jamie Oliver’s Dan Dan Noodles

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Posted in Recipe

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Etiquette for announcing engagement

Posted on November 18, 2012 | 10 comments

I want to share a story from my workplace today. Let’s call my colleagues S (male), B (Female) and K (female).

We (me, B and K) have been bugging S regarding his wedding for a long time now. He has been with his girlfriend for over 5 years now and he is in no rush to propose.

Our argument was that if a woman wants to get married then she deserves to be. I really think if both of the people in a relationship are happy living together without getting married that is perfectly fine but if one of the people in the relationship wants to get married then the other should be able to give in.

The wedding doesn’t need to be big, just go to the registry and register but at least respect the wish of the other person in the relationship so that they will stay happy.

Anyway S has been living with his girlfriend for a while and they have even bought a house together. So we always asked him what the problem is, why he isn’t married to her yet. I think he wanted to stay away from all the planning and the wedding headache as long as possible.

Anyway, the good news is that he came back to work after a 2 weeks holiday and told me and B that he proposed and they are getting married next year. It was great news for us as well and we finally think we managed to get it into his head. K was off that day so she didn’t get the news.

Today when K was back at work, I told her excitedly that S is engaged now and they are getting married. I was sure she would like to know about it.

But the scenario changed quickly when B had this shocked expression on her face while I was happily telling K about the engagement. Ohoo I was given this look that I might have murdered someone. I didn’t realise what I had done wrong.

So when the initial shock and surprised expression was over, B told me that it is not right for me to tell K or anyone about S’s engagement. I should let him announce it.

I felt really bad about it as I never knew this rule regarding engagement announcement before. So I went back to S and told him what happen. He being a guy didn’t care at all (Thank god!). He said it doesn’t really matter to him how people find out. I think he is just glad that the difficult part is over and done with.

I always try to follow the etiquette everywhere I go as I know in Nepal we have different etiquettes while in Australia I need to follow different ones. Even when I travel, I try to Google and learn basic etiquette of the place. This must be one of those times when I  had no idea what I did wrong,

I talked to other colleagues at work about it and some think that B is right about the matter while some are either ignorant like me or don’t think it is a big deal. Anyway, I do understand why B wanted S to announce it.

It is funny how things works in the west compare to east.

I remember when me and AS got engaged, we told our parents and they told everyone else.  We called a few close friends to convey the news but for the rest of my friends, after the engagement ceremony, I uploaded mine and AS’s pic on Facebook and captioned it, “ENGAGED”. Also I changed my relationship status from WHATEVER to ENGAGED.  🙂

After that I remember that my Facebook flooded with thousands of likes and comments. Most friends who we went to school with me were shocked about it. As I told you before in many posts, here and here, I and AS are so different  that it was surprising to some people to even think that we would get married one day.

I was the chatty one who had many friends and used to speak with everyone. I never minded attention I get while AS was the quite one who had select friends and didn’t want to have any attention on him. So imagine North Pole and South Pole coming together.  As I explained already before about our relationship here, we were friends first and it took a while for AS to propose to me.

After the engagement me and AS were trying to convince our close friends that we were not a couple from school days; we were just friends but they thought we had lied to them all these years.

I didn’t bother to correct other friends from school who wrote comments like

 “Chhupa Rustam, how did I not see it?”

“I knew it something was on with you guys” and so on.

It was really funny that suddenly when our relationship was out in open, everyone was telling me that they knew AS liked me from the start. I must be the silly one who never saw that before. Anyway I am glad things happened the way they did. I am just happy with my loving husband and still feel butterfly in my stomach every time, I recall the day he proposed :).

So what is the etiquette in your culture regarding engagement announcement?

10 Comments

Posted in Personal, Relationship