Saturday 28 May 2016

Internet/App recommendations

Aloha!

Ever since I finished my exams, I have been a little bit more attached to my phone and obviously in this era a phone is nothing without internet. So I thought I would share with you some recommendations if you are looking for something new.


World chef

For my food lovers. This game consists of owning your very own fancy restaurant, having to serve food from around the world by different chefs. At the first few levels you start basic like making patties and bread then you earn money and level up by gaining stars. Eventually you have a lot of different chefs like the Spanish chef who cooks tortilla, paella and other stuff or the Indian chef making mouth watering samosas and chicken tikka and other stuff. You can also buy and sell any of your ingredients, meals or tools with other players at a more pricey or cheaper price depending of what you and they choose. Not to forget that after a certain level you can host parties like birthdays, weddings and pool parties and plant grapes to make wine and champagne. My current level is 26.
This is how my restaurant looks like currently

Miniature cooking

This is a youtube channel that cooks normal recipes but... in smaller size!!! It is a favourite of mine following that I love cooking and baking and come on, is it not amazing how you can cook in such surprisingly small quantities? The videos are quite relaxing and good thing to watch as a mind therapy or meditation because it is that cute! The ingredients are in smaller sizes and are real but they are just hybridized into smaller size like mini shrimps or mini quail eggs.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTFT5NbDl0Fa_fE9Cz_yOAA



The Simpsons Tapped Out

Do you like The Simpsons? Do you like Springfield? Want to build your own city (Springfield)??? This may be the right app for you. The story is that Homer was careless in his work at the Nuclear Plant and blew up the whole Springfield. Now your job is to work with Homer and restore everything back in the city and make your own version of Springfield. Beware: It is quite addicting and it takes up a lot of memory because the graphics and the content are so good. Sadly I am unable to play it currently because I don't have space to download the updates so that is another thing to keep in mind. Make sure you have a lot of space in your phone throughout the time playing the game.






WebToon

This is a website and also an app now that has thousands of different animated comics of different genres. If you like comics and manga this may be really good for you. Best thing is that the website and app are free and are so the contents inside. Currently I am reading a comic by the makeup guru Michelle Phan called Helios Femina. It is a fantasy comic. I haven't read a lot so far but the drawings and the story line looks amazing. No spoilers but OMG Bebo is super cute, the kind you want to cuddle forever. Check it out!




http://www.webtoons.com/en/

TheMakeupChair

An amazing Irish beauty blogger and youtuber slowly growing her way to success and she deserves it. Her name is Sinead Cady and her channel name is The Makeup Chair. She is beautiful and her youtube videos are amazing for beginners who want to learn everything about makeup and want to start to do makeup. She is the reason I learnt so much about makeup and gained confidence to be able to use makeup. Here is a video for a eye makeup tutorial for beginners.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMakeupChair

Whisper

This is an app and I am sure you know about this if you follow Buzzfeed where they make confession videos from this app. Don't worry, it is safe and anonymous unless you give your identity. It is good time pass and you get to read confessions from other people and you can anonymously interact with them. It may sound bad but trust me it is not. You can freely express anything as long as it is appropriate. The best thing is that you can put down your school and see posts from people in your institution or even from people near your place. I suggest you give it a try. I have not used it for a long time but so far I enjoyed it and the people I interacted with seem nice.

For example:



These are just some of my current favourites that I feel would be really nice for you to try them out. I'm pretty sure I have other recommendations that it's out of my mind right now. If I can remember them or find something new, I will make another post. Hope you try them out and you like them as much as I do!

Take care


Yours, Nafiza

Wednesday 25 May 2016

Lip Products

Hi!

In this blog post, I have different types and colours of lipsticks/ lip products. Maybe like me, you are looking for the right lip colour for you or as a present to your friend or family. Majority of the products I'm presenting here are beautiful and I love them. So, leggo!

These are all the listed lip product colour swatches on paper in order of their number. However, this is not how it looks on the lips and it varies in every individual. If you want to see a swatch on my hands then let me know.

AVON

1. Color Trend Lip Stix - Coral you later

Colour Range:Coral-Pink
Price: £4.99
Finish/Look: Light Shimmer
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Color-Trend-lipstick-Coral-later/dp/6041521132
Recommended: Yes

2. Color Trend Lip Stix - Gone Pink

Colour Range: Light Pink
Price: £4.94
Finish/Look: Light Shine
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Color-Trend-Stix-lipstick-Gone/dp/6041521167
Recommended: Yes (if fair skin), No (if tanned or dark skin)

3. Color Trend Lip Stix - Think Fast Pink

Colour Range: Pink
Price: £1.50
Finish/Look: Shiny
Link:https://www.avon.uk.com/product/1955/color-trend-lip-stix-think-fast-pink?cb=-1856110398
Recommended: Yes

4. Color Trend Lip Stix - Foxy Fuchsia

Colour Range: Pink
Price: £ 2.75
Finish/Look: Shine
Link: http://www.premium-beautyshop.de/Avon-Color-Trend-Lip-Stix-Lippendrehstift-Foxy-Fuchsia
Recommended: Yes

5. Color Trend Lip Stix - Just Peachy

Colour Range: Peach-Coral
Price: £3.99
Finish/Look: Shine
Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NEW-AVON-COLOUR-TREND-LIP-STIX-JUST-PEACHY/252395800021?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D36824%26meid%3D147fd1ac19974c519365a20764dd4fa9%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D9%26sd%3D252267665587
Recommended: No (very light)

6. Color Trend Lip Stix - Reddy to go

Colour Range: Red
Price: £4.98
Finish/Look: Very Light Shine
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Color-Trend-Stix-lipstick-Reddy/dp/6041521159
Recommended: Yes

7. Color Trend Lip Stix - Plum Fun

Colour Range: Purple
Price: £2.45
Finish/Look: Light Matte
Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AVON-COLOR-TREND-LIP-STIX-VARIOUS-FUN-SHADES-RRP-4-50-SALE-/172130875835
Recommended: Yes

8. Ultra Colour Bold Lipstick - Blush Brights

Colour Range: Light Pink
Price: £3.98
Finish/Look: Shine
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Avon-Ultra-Colour-Lipstick-Brights/dp/B00Y6EPEVG
Recommended: No

9. Perfectly Matte Lipstick - Adoring Love

Colour Range: Pink
Price: £8.00
Finish/Look: Matte
Link: https://www.avon.uk.com/product/2990/avon-perfectly-matte-lipstick?cb=-357192122
Recommended: Yes

10. Perfectly Matte Lipstick - Ruby Kiss

Colour Range: Red
Price: £8.00
Finish/Look: Matte
Link:https: //www.avon.uk.com/product/2990/avon-perfectly-matte-lipstick?cb=-357192122
Recommended: Yes

11. Perfectly Matte Lipstick - Red Supreme

Colour Range: Red
Price: £8.00
Finish/Look: Matte
Link: https://www.avon.uk.com/product/2990/avon-perfectly-matte-lipstick?cb=-357192122
Recommended: Yes

12. Ultra Color Lipstick - Country Rose

Colour Range: Pink
Price: £8.00
Finish/Look: Shimmer
Link: https://www.avon.com/product/50841/ultra-color-lipstick?setlang=en
Recommended: Yes

13. Ultra Color Lipstick - Frozen Rose

Colour Range: Gold Pink
Price: £8.00
Finish/Look: Shimmer
Link: https://www.avon.com/product/50841/ultra-color-lipstick?setlang=en
Recommended: 1/2 Yes

14. Extra Lasting Lipstick -  Enduring Wine

Colour Range: Purple
Price: £10.00
Finish/Look: Semi Shine and Shimmer
Link: https://www.avon.com/product/48018/extra-lasting-lipstick?setlang=en
Recommended: Yes

15. Ultra Colour Lipstick - Mocha

Colour Range: Brown
Price: £7.50
Finish/Look: Satin/Shine
Link: https://www.avon.uk.com/product/1943/avon-ultra-colour-lipstick?cb=1135517161
Recommended: Yes


MAC

1. Lip Pencil - Whirl

Colour Range: Nude-Brown
Price: £12.50
Finish/Look: Matte
Link: http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/13852/340/Products/Makeup/Lips/Lip-Pencil/Lip-Pencil
Recommended: Yes

2. Lipstick - Mehr

Colour Range: Nude-Pink
Price: £15.50
Finish/Look: Matte
Link: http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/13854/310/Products/Makeup/Lips/Lipstick/Lipstick
Recommended: Yes

3. Lipstick - Craving

Colour Range: Pink
Price: £15.50
Finish/Look: Light Shine
Link: http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/13854/310/Products/Makeup/Lips/Lipstick/Lipstick
Recommended: Yes


REVLON

1. Colourburst Balm Stain - Crush

Colour Range: Purple
Price: £7.99
Finish/Look: Shine
Link: http://www.revlon.com/products/lips/lip-color/colorburst-balm-stain#309976348056 ||0
Recommended: Yes

2. Ultra HD Lipstick - Petunia

Colour Range: Pink
Price: £7.99
Finish/Look: Light Shine
Link: http://www.superdrug.com/Revlon/Revlon-Ultra-HD-Lipstick-Petunia/p/424000
Recommended: Yes


RIMMEL

1. Lasting Finish Lipstick - 206 Nude Pink

Colour Range: Pink
Price: £4.99
Finish/Look: Shimmer
Link: http://www.superdrug.com/Rimmel/Rimmel-Lasting-Finish-Lipstick-Nude-Pink-206/p/223283
Recommended: 1/2 No

2. Lasting Finish Lipstick - 058 Drop of Sherry

Colour Range: Brown-Red
Price: £4.99
Finish/Look: Shimmer
Link: http://www.superdrug.com/Rimmel/Rimmel-Lasting-Finish-Lipstick-Drop-Of-Sherry-58/p/223274
Recommended: Yes

3. Provocalips Lip Colour - 200 I'll Call You

Colour Range: Pink
Price: £6.99
Finish/Look: Matte (without balm in the lipstick), Shine (with balm in the lipstick)
Link: http://www.superdrug.com/Rimmel/Rimmel-Provocalips-Lip-Colour-7ml-I%27ll-Call-you-200/p/308800
Recommended: Yes


OTHER

1. MUA Lip Liner - Red Drama

Colour Range: Red
Price: £1.00
Finish/Look: Matte
Link: http://www.superdrug.com/MUA/MUA-Lip-Liner---Red-Drama/p/522552
Recommended: Yes

2. MUA Lip Liner - Broody Plum

Colour Range: Dark Red
Price: £1.00
Finish/Look: Matte
Link: http://www.superdrug.com/MUA/MUA-Lip-Liner---Broody-Plum/p/522553
Recommended: Yes

3. NYC Expert Last Lip Colour - 438 Candy Rush

Colour Range: Light Pink
Price: £1.99
Finish/Look: Shimmer
Link: http://www.newyorkcolor.com/uk/makeup/expert-last-lip-colour#438-candy-rush
Recommended: 1/2 Yes

4. NYC Expert Last Lip Colour - 441 Traffic Jam

Colour Range: Red
Price: £1.99
Finish/Look: Semi Shine
Link: http://www.newyorkcolor.com/uk/makeup/expert-last-lip-colour#441-traffic-jam
Recommended: Yes

5. Primark PS Lip Liner Pencil - Brown

Colour Range: Brown
Price: £1.00
Finish/Look: Matte
Link: http://www.primark.com/en/product/lip-liner-pencil-in-plum,R35397119099090
Recommended: Yes

6. Tanya Burr Exclusive Collection by Eye Candy - Aurora Ladies

Colour Range: Clear Pink
Price: £4.49
Finish/Look: Shine/Gloss
Link:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-TANYA-BURR-EXCLUSIVE-COLLECTION-BY-EYE-CANDY-AURORA-LADIES-LIPGLOSS-MAKEUP-/191793148489
Recommended: 1/2 Yes

7. Bourjois Effet 3D - 04 Rose Polemic

Colour Range: Pink
Price: £7.99
Finish/Look: Shine/Gloss
Link: http://www.bourjois.co.uk/catalog/make_up/lips/gloss/new_effet_3d_lipgloss
Recommended: Yes

8. Bourjois Effet 3D - 23 Framboise Magnific

Colour Range: Purple
Price: £7.99
Finish/Look: Shine/Gloss
Link: http://www.superdrug.com/Bourjois/Bourjois-Effet-3D-Lipgloss-Framboise-Magnific-23/p/234638
Recommended: Yes


If I had to pick a favourite from this colour I would pick MAC Mehr because it is such a beautiful nude pink colour that goes with anything. I would also pick Rimmel's Drop of Sherry and Provocalips in I'll Call you because of how long it lasts and the colour. I must say it is a bit annoying to shop with Avon because they release a lip product and it is only in stock no more than a month and it is gone forever so I'm sorry some of the links for Avon are a bit dodgy.

Hope you enjoyed it and remember to come back every Wednesday/Thursday and Saturday/Sunday for a new post!!!!

Yours, Nafiza

Saturday 21 May 2016

University life: Start vs Later

Hi guys!


I hope you are doing well...because I'm not. It's 2 am (midnight) and I have a sore throat with cough and runny nose. I guess it's the weather change so stay safe. However, that did not stop me from making a post for my lovely readers.



So... my first year exams are over!!! (dancing in joy) and now I have the longest holidays ever. 4 months or basically a third of a year. I am very excited to be spending my free time with no studies and no stress. Although, I must admit I am a little sad because I will miss my friends and some lecturers (yes I am that nerd, shoot me). If you are in uni, about to start uni or left uni then you can relate. I must say this is pretty much similar in any kind of institution (e.g. school, 6th form, college). These are some of the aspects that change over time.




1. Attendance

Start:

It's after the holidays. Results day and all that nonsense is gone finally (if you experienced a bad results day like me). You are new to the place. You may have been lost on the way because for some damn reason all the educational institutions are placed in the most random location. You attend those introductory/welcome assemblies and they scare you how attendance is crucial for your studies and etc. The way universities portrait the importance of the smallest sessions, like the computer sessions, you end up going and obviously it is pretty useless because you have common sense and you know how to do it for yourself. For the first 2-3 weeks the lecture halls are proper full and it's a struggle to get a good seat because majority of the students attend lectures.

Later:

The following conversation will explain a lot:

Friend A: 'What do we have tomorrow and when?'
Friend B: 'There is a biochemistry tutorial at 2'
Friend A: 'I don't wanna come in just for a tutorial. Is it important?'
Friend B: 'I guess for the coursework'
Friend A: 'Can you please send me notes if you go coz I won't go'
Friend B: 'K cool'

Do I need to explain further?
My point is that by 3th month of uni, there are way less people in the lecture hall and will only come if it is anyhow beneficial to them to which my favourite phrase to use: '9k for this huh?'


2. Friends

Start:

Most people are in the same position. They are alone with no friends or maybe that long distant friend from college is probably your friend for now. Social anxiety raises a lot amongst students because they want to portrait the best of them to make a friendship, ignoring the fact that they should be who they really are. Maybe you speak to one or two people thinking they may be the right one. Guess what? Never! It is very unlikely that the first person you speak to will be your best friend for life and all that illusional crap. It takes time and you do meet some good people and hang out with them.

Later:

You don't notice and your Whatsapp is full of recent chats of your uni friends. Yes, at the end you meet a lot of people and all amazing people and amazing friends. You go to lectures together (unless they're friend A, look at point 1 attendance for reference). You get a lot of friends and you are blessed for every single one of them if you think about the start. You keep meeting amazing people in other events around uni. To ALL of my friends: Thank You!!! <3


3. Lectures/Lessons

Start:

You attend them proper motivated and all. Pay attention and make amazing notes. You also try to stay up to date with all the content and do not miss anything because obviously the introductory assembly instructed to do so. You are a completely new person ready to learn, get first class in everything and take over the world (maybe not just yet).

Later:

You do not care anymore. At this point you are quite behind and since "first year doesn't count" you don't give a damn and all you want now is to just pass with that 40%. All motivation lost and the only reason you go to uni or lectures is to see your friends and maybe listen to what the lecturer is saying and perhaps make some notes in hopes that will help you scrape that pass. No joke, in a Human Anatomy and Physiology lecture, me and my friends found ourselves doing this:


4. Lecturers/Teachers

Start:

You think the lecturers are amazing because they are all doctorates and professors. You listen to their lectures and still try to keep thinking they are really good lecturers. Basically, everyone is good, otherwise how are they in front of you teaching you that the nucleus is composed of nucleolus, nucleoplasm and nuclear pores and it is the central storage of DNA and the site of RNA synthesis?

Later:

Since you don't care about the lecture at this point of uni, most of the lecturers are going to be boring, chatting in their own language. At this point you have an idea of who is actually a good lecturer and who is boring as hell. Often in my experience the module leaders or course leaders are the good lecturers and you don't get them as much as you want to. One of my lecturer literally only speaks about his passion for plants.

5. Travel:

Honestly, nothing changes. You take the same bus or train, taking the same time to travel to uni. At some point you have tried other routes or alternatives to reach uni quicker and it does not make any difference because it is probably longer.


Hope you enjoyed it and it helps you if you are going to start uni soon. One tip for you: don't stress or worry too much because all ends well.



Yours, Nafiza

Wednesday 18 May 2016

Mango cake!!!

Hola!!!



If you live in Britain, you should have noticed that the weather is getting slightly warmer and it is something people in Britain love. For me getting warm is starting to compare the temperature to Bangladesh and so that reminds me of Bengali fruits, especially mangoes. Having mango in the form of the fruit itself is delicious but it is boring. So then why not incorporate such an amazing fruit with my favourite thing to do; Baking! If you have seen my snapchat or any other way, I have been talking about secret project which is this recipe I developed. Sadly it has no fresh mango but the ingredients added to make it mango flavour makes it very fruity and delicious. You can just eat the cake on its own or decorate it like I did and I went crazy with different refreshing fruits and fresh cream. The cake is really spongy and moist and the flavours just fill your mouth with joy.

Enough chit chat, lets get to the recipe


Ingredients:

For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cup (375g) Softened Butter
- 1 1/2 cup (375g) Sugar
- 1 1/2 cup (375g) Self Raising Flour
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 6 Eggs
- 1 1/4 cup (300g) Mango Puree
- 30g Dried Mango (chopped)

Ingredients of the cake
For Decoration:
- 3 cup (750g) Fresh Double Cream
- ~1 cup (225g) Mango Puree
- ~1/2 cup (110g) Sugar
-  Fruit of you choice. I chose:
> Canned Apricot
> Canned Mango
> Canned Pineapple
> Kiwi
> Strawberries
> Dehydrated Papaya
> Passion Fruit
> Apricot Jam (for glazing)

Ingredients for decoration


Method:

1. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites

2. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks appear. Do not mess this step because it is crucial to make the cake spongy.

3. Add in the egg yolks and mix well.

4. Slowly add the sugar and mix at the same time and keep beating until sugar is mixed well with the eggs.

5. Add the butter bit by bit and mix. Make sure the butter is quite soft and in small chunks so it incorporates well to the egg or it won't mix very well.

6. Sift in half of the flour and baking powder and mix well.

7. Sift in the second half of the flour and mix gently until it forms a smooth batter. At this point the batter may look like a dough but do not fear.

8. Add in the mango puree and dried mango and mix well. This is where the batter gets thinner and less like a dough.

9. Preheat oven to 150°C (302° F).

10. Line pans with baking paper. I used one 8" and one 9" to make kind of like a two tiered cake.

11. Raise oven temperature to 180°C (356° F).

12. Bake 8" for 30-35 minutes and 9" for 45-50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake.

13. Let it cool properly

14. Whip the double cream, mango puree and sugar together to form mango flavoured whipped cream.

15. Decorate to your taste.

16. Share it with everyone and enjoy!

Warning: I am about to bombard the ending with tons of pictures I took of my cake!


Finally managed to develop my own mango cake recipe and reveal it to my readers and I am very proud of it, you will notice why once you make it and taste it yourself. I hope you enjoyed my recipe and I will try to create more recipes of my own in the future and probably more in summer. Is there anything you would like me to create? Let me know! Give this a try!


Yours, Nafiza






















Sunday 15 May 2016

What Is It Like To Work In A Tuition Centre

Wassup!

If you are my family or friend then you may know that I work in a tuition centre, and if you don't then yes I do work in a tuition centre on Saturdays but no big deal. It is not a lot of hours of work but I have been working enough time to provide a little description for anyone interested. Before I keep writing I would like to thank and give a shout out to Zee and Fatz (Zainia and Fatima) who are the "Tom and Jerry" at work for inspiring me to write this.



1. Setting Up

This is a community centre, which means that staff have set up their own tables and chairs for teaching. So you go a little early and help out setting up the workplace. The layout is the same, 12 tables with 6 chairs each and 4-6 tables for spellings, mental maths, marking, etc. I must say this is the tiring part and also a little disadvantageous compared to some other centres. It is the worst when there are no male staff around to help and the females have to struggle unfolding and turning over heavy tables and the tables are huge, after all you are going to have 6 students per table.



2. Teaching

I have been fortunate enough to have the experience of the teaching role and homework marking role, which I will expand in point 3. This centre does maths and English and staff can pick their preferred subject. I went for maths because I love teaching maths. Most students should know the procedure that they should swap homework (take new one home for next week and hand in last week's homework) but sometimes they need a reminder and your role is to ensure they are doing that first thing when they arrive. Then they start their classwork and the teacher's role is to help them when they struggle and mark their work once they are finished and provide feedback to them. A really good procedure they have is that students are motivated by rewarding them with stickers and prizes, sweets, etc.




3. Marking Work

As I mentioned in the previous point, I have also had the experience to work with the marking team. It is not really a team because only 2 people are in charge, 1 per subject. I am currently responsible for maths homework marking. In here you and your partner (English homework marking person) have your own table and all the students will bring you their previous week's homework. You count the number of work they present and if there are more or less than expected then you make a note of that and find out the reason behind missing homework. Maybe you are wondering what kind of homework am I talking about? Well, students of this centre get homework of their own (not from school) and are expected to complete it for the following week. Once all (or most of them) received, you start marking them and at the bottom write how well they did (marks or no. of mistakes). It is a lot of work so obviously other staff are instructed to help us if they can and few people do help. When it is almost ending time, you finish the work you are in and divide them by what is marked and what is not and that is taken by the managers to prepare for the following Saturday. It does get a bit hectic when students come back asking for their folders (that has homework inside) and then putting it back and be aware that there are a lot of students (at least 60-70 students).


4. Calling the day off

Most students have finished their work and so have teachers and other staff. Then the students' works have to be packed up and put in to place so the managers can take them home for preparation of following week. Again, the damn heavy tables and chairs have to be packed up back to the store room. Someone has to do sweeping up the floor and there is a rota for that. At the end, a final short meeting takes place where feedback is given about the day by either the staff or the managers and information about any changes in the future or praises because everyone is amazing and works really hard.


After all, I really enjoy working with little children and gives me experience of the working world. Please share this with anyone who would benefit from this information, wanting to work in a tuition centre. How is your workplace? Let me know below!



Yours, Nafiza

Wednesday 11 May 2016

When Guests Come Over In A Bengali House

Wassup everyone!

It's been under a week since I posted my previous blog post and I missed it so much. So I am back with another one because I could not wait till my exams finished.

So... A few weeks ago I had guests over and it was a bit random because the lady was my mum's cousin's sister-in-law and her family and if you are like me then we hardly have any family in the UK (more like London).

This is pretty much the process of the whole concept of having guests over (Dawah in Arabic or dawat in Bengali):

1. The Discovery

Your parents (or you if you are grown enough) will somehow find the most random person you could think of. "Oh you are my 2nd cousin's granddaughter? We are pretty closely related". Really dad? Anyway so they set a day when they are available to come and time because people work on Sunday afternoon, duh. And then if us kids are lucky enough we will get an early heads up otherwise we find out the day before and by then there is nothing to do but cry and run for your life. I'm joking, it's not that bad.

2. The Shopping

Since they are a big deal and yada yada, your parents will spend their free time grocery shopping from the tomatoes from Lidl to the Koral fish in Green Street fish bazaar. Also, if you are given the responsibility to get something, you better not forget or you are dead. They will probably end up buying things they are not sure about.

3.  The Cleaning

Closer to the time everyone has to get involved in cleaning, and I mean proper cleaning. From the living room to the toilet. Even the damn store room like why!?!?!?!? If the house is not spotlessly clean, we will be judged and thought bad the house is when majority of the time they don't give a damn about it.

4. The Cooking

If the guests come for lunch, the cooking will start the night before and if it is dinner then starting to cook in the morning should be enough time. There should be a variety of dishes like plain food such as simple rice and curry or heavy food like pulao or biryani with roast chicken, meat curry, etc, and not to forget the sweet dishes like homemade rasgulla. My aunt makes the spongiest rasgulla, it's amazing. If you have been taught how to work in the kitchen, you are unconsciously expected to help your mum in the kitchen. If you have close family, they will come and help out too so less work for the kids.

5. The Big Moment, The Arrival

When they are 2 minutes away (and by that I mean 10 miles away because they are lost), everyone will be looking out of the windows in all directions or stand in front of the door like it is a big deal (it does not last long). They come and greet and all that jazz. Nothing too exciting for people like me but for the guest and host it's the highlight of the day.

6. The Hosting

Your mum will start to serve the food, you will help her, decorate the table with all the dishes made and the fancy plates you have at home just for guests and etc. Food is served and cheesy or cringy conversations starts and you wish you could disappear but instead you are there with a big fat smile (because you have to or you are rude). This picture probably explains what the hosting is like:

Yeah it's real!

There is the main course, like the picture above, then the dessert (remember homemade) and the tea and fruits and all that.



7. The Farewell

This process takes a good 30 mins to 1 hr. They never decide to finish their farewell because they will bring up even more conversation topics. At this process the whole "Alright, now it is your turn to come over to ours" happens ( ¬ ¬ ) and it is annoying because the whole concept of attending a dawat is another hassle. I will do another post about attending a dawat if someone invites us so stay tuned! But yeah, they are gone and then it is discussed by the family how good (or very rarely how bad if they are). Most of the time they end up good guests and all is well. If not that is the first and last time you meet them.

It was a little different from my usual posts and I enjoyed thinking back to few weeks ago and writing this. Hope you enjoyed it as well!!!

What happens in your house when someone comes over? Let me know below!

Until next time!


Yours, Nafiza 

Wednesday 4 May 2016

Coconut Oil

Hey!

From my previous brownie recipe, you may have noticed I used coconut oil instead of butter, which is the main approach for majority of people. That was one of the instances where I was testing out coconut oil uses. I am happy to have discovered different uses of coconut oil in different things that you may have not thought.

I use the KTC 100% Pure Coconut Cooking Oil  (it doesn't matter, it is still pure coconut oil) from Asda but also available in other grocery stores. I am half way finished with it. It is in solid state at room temperature, so you may need to melt it a little to work with it. It turns out liquid in over 24°C so it is not too hard to melt it. You can also store it in room temperature and it will be fine. Also there is hardly any smell.



The following are some of the uses of coconut oil I have discovered:

1. Cooking/Baking
Coconut oil is a friendlier approach than butter when cooking in terms of health. Coconut oil contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (for others; they are good fats). However, don't start thinking that coconut oil is the healthiest fat because it still contains quite a high amount of saturated fats (or bad fats). It is a healthier alternative. Coconut oil can also be used for vegan cooking/baking or for those who may have lactose-intolerance.

2. Face mask
If you have dry skin, I highly suggest you try the following:
Take enough coconut oil to cover your face in the palm of your hand, warm a little bit by carefully rubbing it between both of your hands and apply all over your face as a mask. Make sure the face is covered with quite a bit of oil, but not a lot that starts to drip everywhere. Leave for 20-30 minutes and wash your face thoroughly with your desired face wash. You will notice a softer, more hydrated skin with no harm caused.

3. Moisturiser
Use it to moisturise your face or body, again if you have dry skin like me. Oils are mostly featured for the drier side. You may also find creams and lotions with coconut extracts if oil is not your thing.

4. Makeup remover
Coconut oil is amazing at removing makeup, especially waterproof makeup like mascara. Take a bit of oil and warm it with the palms of your hands and rub all over your face until all of the makeup is melted. Use cotton pads to clean off the oil and makeup and wash your face thoroughly with face wash.

5. Hair
Again, coconut oil is really good for frizzy, dull or tangled hair. It helps combat frizz and leaves your hair looking healthy and smooth. Also it is a good excuse to get a head massage after a long, stressing day. Melt some coconut oil in the microwave for 10-15 seconds (not too hot, just melted). Massage it thoroughly your head and hair and apply extra where it is drier or more frizzy. Leave it for 2-4 hours and wash it off with shampoo. The longer you leave it, the better for your hair. It is best to do it the night before if you are showering in the morning. Some people apply it after washing their hair but beware, do not do that if your hair gets oily very quickly.

6. Teeth
Coconut oils help whiten your teeth. You must be thinking that is a bit tricky to use coconut oil in teeth. It is not. There are 2 ways. They can sound a but gross or crazy but trust me, it works!
1. Take a pea sized amount of toothpaste and same amount of coconut oil. Mix them together properly and brush your teeth with that or...
2. Take some melted coconut oil and use it as a mouthwash, then rinse it off with water.

These are some of the uses I have discovered, there is probably more uses that I do not know. Do you know any uses? Let me know below


Hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for my future blogs very soon...


Yours, Nafiza

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