Chinese New Year

This Sunday, me and my amazing friend Kooly went to the Chinese New Year festival/parade held in Central London. The day was just pure awesomeness, to say the least. We took tonnes of photos and purchased quite a few cute items, but I think I will leave those for another time as this post will focus more on the various events that took place that day.

Standing in the middle of China Town :)

One of the first things we noticed there, other than the beautiful decorations, were the many stalls camped at various locations.

This stall owner was really nice to us, and didn't mind being snapped :)

We took some more snaps before the actual parade began~

The parade was supposed to start at 10am, and as we were running a little late we thought we'd missed part of it. It seems our worried were unfounded though, as it didn't start till 10.40 and was still going on for several hours later! Below are some of the highlights from the parade:

After the parade, there was a show being held in Trafalgar square starting at 12 noon. When we got there, however, we were greeted with this...

There were far too many people, and hardly any space to fit them all. Also, since we'd left our homes really early without having any breakfast, we were quite hungry at this point so decided to leave. Luckily, however, there were several other shows running around the area- the tradition fan dance being an example- so it didn't feel as though we'd missed much. 

Also, as we were leaving Trafalgar square, we were bid farewell by these awesome people..

...which totally put a smile to our faces!

Whilst roaming around, we noticed there was this massive brightly decorated tree, with several people crowded around it. There were bags hanging off the branches, with people throwing these small bags at the tree.

When we got closer we realised it was more or less a wishing tree, and I think the image below explains clearly the idea behind it:

Afterwards we spent the rest of the time shopping, watching performances and just enjoying our surroundings. A few more pics~

Eventually, we found ourselves quite cold and tired, so decided to go home. There are a few details I'm missing out, but as I said I will do a separate post for purchases etc, as well as including anything else I may have missed. All in all, I had an amazing time! :)

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Laptop dead, Day out with bros

So as you can tell from the post title, my laptop has demised. Gone. finished. It took a tumble- which may I bitterly add was not my fault- although in the grand scheme of things this probably won't be so catastrophic as most of the stuff is backed up anyways. It has not been working since it fell, which was last night, and you know what I'm not even going to freak out. Whatever happens, happens. So now I am blogging from the  blogger iphone app, which I should note is far too basic and just..well.. rubbish (get it together google!). I think I'm probably going to have to finish the rest of this entry on a computer or something.

[Insert pause as I make my way to a computer] Okay, BACK. :) Much better!

Anyways, before the laptop perished (atleast I'm assuming the worst has happened.. I've yet to receive an official diagnosis), I was getting together some pictures of my day out with my bros. I had a lovely day yesterday, with a mild shopping spree thrown in, and even managed to get my brother to be the photographer for the day. I love being the one that takes the photos, but when it comes to being in front of the camera it's a little out of my comfort zone. The pic below shows the outfit I wore and the beautiful stream that I often walk by when I fancy a change of scenery.

Mismatched shoes, but really comfortable nonetheless ^^

After I got home, I FINALLY received the new shirt/dress that I had ordered in the boxing day sales. We ordered several stuff online that day, in case we didn't find any in store, and they've all been arriving separately. This was the last to arrive:

Top from Next :) 

Also, the polka-dot headscarf I'm wearing in the pictures above, and the cheetah-print one I'm wearing in the image below, were both from Primark, which has been on the ball lately when it comes to selling affording, long hijabs in my opinion.

Anddd.. that's all for now. I'll be going to a Chinese new year parade with my amazing bestie on Sunday Inshaallah, so should have an entry on that soon enough. Until then, Toodles!

Ramyun

Alas...no post banner today ^^ but here's a complementary picture instead:

Kimchi flavoured Ramyun

The picture above shows what I just ate, which leads me on to a little story that I want to share with you guys today.

Firstly, I'd say that I'm the type of person that is quite open to new/different things (within reason, of course), which is why I don't mind shopping in random places or going to places that you typically wouldn't see a Somali person. An example of this would be my trips to the local Chinese supermarket that I frequent a lot, which sells several Asian foods and goods (Japanese, Korean and Chinese products all under one roof). The only thing is, as someone who doesn't eat pork or pork based stuff, I have to look carefully at the package to make sure there isn't any in whatever I want to get. This is why nowadays, the only time I go there is to stock up on certain things- Ramyun being one of them. Although I don't eat Ramyun often, I like to have a stash so that I can have an instant meal that tastes delicious- particularly when I need a cheer-up.

Anyway.. I digress....

So, on the last occasion I went to stock up, I decided that since I was going to get some unhealthy treats, I might as well walk there. I opted to take the 3 mile route, even though it's less than a mile away. I get there eventually- soaked in rain and feeling really peeved. Usually I like to take in my surroundings, but on this particular occasion I was thinking, "Get the stuff, then go". Eventually I made my way to the cashier..

Usually when I check out at this particular establishment, I'm always greeted warmly and have often been given random free things to take with me (often things like dried fruit..this one lady gave me a huge bag once that I spent ages trying to finish). This particular cashier, however, was just right out staring at me... giving me a look that was akin to the deadly "you're in big trouble, young lady" look that parents give. At this point,  I looked away as he was serving the lady in front of me, and acted as though I hadn't noticed- all the while thinking, "Dude... you can stop that now." And I'm not even joking o_O. Like literally, he'll scan *beep, STARE, not even looking at what he's scanning. Even the lady in front turns around to look, which of course makes things even awkward. Anyways...

He eventually looked away, though not entirely. This time his attention diverted to the items I was about to purchase. The lady in front had done some massive shopping, so as she was finishing up the packing and searching through her bag to pay, the cashier picked up my packs of Ramyun and turned them around, looking at them nonstop- for a good 2 minutes at-least. Even after the lady paid him, he took the money with one hand, whilst holding a pack of my Ramyun in the other. The lady finally left, having eventually received her receipt, and gave him a look I can only describe as the, "What the heck, dude!" look. I, on the other hand, was just really confused.

By now it was my turn to be served, and as I'm waiting on the other end, I notice Mr.Cashier is withholding my items. He didn't even look up at me, or say "give me a moment", so I cleared my throat really loudly to get his attention *Ahem!

He looks up quickly, snapping out of the trance that these packaged noodles had clearly placed over him.

Now, for the sake of what I am about to say next, let me describe Mr.Cashier. Mr.Cashier, without a doubt, looked 100% Chinese to me, working at this mostly Chinese employed store in which all the employees I saw spoke in Mandarin/Cantonese to each other (and to some of the customers too). So when he said to me, "Sister...", I was a little taken aback. I mean, of course there is a massive muslim population in  China- I mean, I once received acupuncture from this lovely Chinese lady who took great pride in telling me that she too was Muslim.  But of course, I just hadn't expected this Mr.Cashier to be Muslim as well... so what he said next took me aback even more.

"Sister, I'm muslim too you know. I was just checking the ingredients on your items to see whether they had any pork in them for you." And there you have it....

I learnt 2 things that day.

1) Never assume and 2) Staring can totally give off the wrong impression and is therefore best avoided. Yup.

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Lastly, to finish off, here's a little photo showing what I ate with my noodles.

Yup.. moos (banana). One thing I really like about Somali culture is the fact that we eat moos with practically everything...ok maybe not EVERYTHING but dang, still tastes awesome with MOST things at least!

[Also, I've failed at keeping this post short but hey, it was fun to write!]

Toodles!

The weight debate

Growing up in London, I've noticed several changes to eating habits throughout the years. For example, gone are the days when you'd have to travel a few miles just to get some fast food. In fact, I distinctly remember back in the late 90's being so surprised whenever my mum would bring home a batch of fried chicken... and only once every month or so- if I was lucky. Nowadays, however, there seems to be a fast-food joint on practically every street, selling takeouts at very low prices ("2 burgers and 2 chips? That'll be £2 ma'am" o_O). This has contributed to the increased levels of chubbiness.. so yes.. in this entry I'm going to hop aboard the weight debate train.

Now, I wouldn't say I have a particularly healthy diet- but I am making the changes. Being of Somali origin, the standard food made at home is often either Bariis (rice) or basto (pasta). Thankfully, we are a more varied in the foods we make at home, cooking different things on a regular basis- most of which are significantly healthier. Also, the Somali community seems to be learning to accept a healthier way of eating- which is essential in lowering the incidence of diabetes, high blood pressure..high cholesterol... conditions that continue to plague our community and impact lives worldwide.  

Top: Example of a healthier lunch; Below: Selection of cakes.

Granted, health should always be a vital consideration when making lifestyle choices- from exercising, to drinking plenty of water and eating healthier...but let's be honest, it's not the easiest of things to keep up when you're constantly surrounded by temptation. That coffee you like so much? 220 calories. That one slice of pizza? 240 calories. Soon it starts adding up, and before you know it, you're 10kgs overweight and saying you've tried "everything" but can't shift it. Yup... story of my life -_- 

In reality, a persons weight should not determine the way they see themselves. It's as though most women are programmed to think they must be a set way or a set size, or there's something lacking. Granted, people all over the world succumb to social pressures one way or another- whether it's on the way they should be, look or act. In the west, for example, although curves are more accepted and seeing overweight/obese people is more common- there's still pressure to be slim. To look as though you practically walked off a runway. As unattainable as this may be, you'll often find women regularly on a diet or with a gym membership they might not even use... and trust me, I've been there T.T 

My latest obsession ^^ nomnomnom

Furthermore, depending on where you go in the world, people have their own idea of what is a "healthy" weight or an ideal size is. Take Mauritania for example...

Mauritania in West Africa. Image modified from Google images.

It has been well documented that in certain parts of Mauritania, men prefer to marry women that are thicker and have more weight to them. So much so that young women are sent to be force fed in camps- eating as as much as 16,000 calories a day before they are married off. So whilst western women are buying Bio-oil and Coco-butter to reduce stretchmarks, over there women with stretchmarks and some extra fat are deemed to be beautiful. The "Ideal" image of what a woman should be (see BBC article: LINK).

Even in other parts of the world (mainly in African countries- Somalia being an example), a woman with some extra weight is seen as a symbol of heath as it shows she is not malnourished. This may be an antiquated notion in the western world, but there have been examples of similar behaviour seen over time in the west in which fuller figured women were considered ideal (Peter Paul Rubens paintings are a key example of this).

Obviously these days we know that obesity is not something to be taken lightly, as it can lead to many health complications- which can also be the case if someone is underweight. Rather, it would be nice to just try and be healthy instead of going from one extreme to another, and respect out bodies a little more. I, for one, intend on doing just. We'll see if I can stick to it in the long run- inshaAllah.

:)

Owls, owls, owls!

Lately, I've found myself addicted to buying anything with owls on it. Perhaps it's the eyes, but there's something about owls that make them seem mystical. Ever since I took a primary school picture with an owl (let me see if I can fish this picture out to show you guys- as horrid as it is), I've found them to be really unique creatures. Granted, my favourite animal by far is still a bunny, but owls come in at a strong second. Perhaps a little bit of Harry Potter may have rubbed off on me... I want a Hedwig of my own now T.T

During the past few weeks I've come across several owl pieces- mainly rings, necklaces, brooches... and as I wore my owl ring today I thought it would be nice to show some of my pieces. Below are some pics I took today of a few items, starting with the owl ring that I wore today.

The next piece is an owl necklace that I've seen on so many people lately. Back during my first year of university, a friend of mine had this necklace on. I remember asking her where she'd got it, and then going the next day to that same store... only to find that it was sold out >.<  I totally forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago when, as luck would have it, I saw one randomly hanging in a jewellery shop- yup, I took it straight to the counter.

And Lastly... the Pièce de résistance...

My owl brooch. As someone who wears a headscarf, it's nice to have something unique to accesorise your hijab with. I found this cute brooch at a shop and instantly the red (which happens to be my favourite colour) caught my attention. The fact that it was an owl was the cherry on top. This brooch is probably best worn with less busy patterns/slightly plain clothes to add a pop of colour. I, on the other hand, wear it on whatever, as the picture below will show you.

I don't care what anyone says.. owls are awesome. Period. So... to finish off, here's a rather awkward picture of me with an owl from over 10 years ago. Yup, I've come a long way since then :D 

First Entry..well, sort of!

Howdy folks! Asalaama aleyukum and that jazz. I hope all is well!

I thought I'd start off with a brief introduction. My name is Lula from London and as you can see from the blog name, I love cake. My love for cake is akin to my love for Korean dramas and handbags... which, believe me, is a lot of love. *sigh ^.^

Although this is my first post, the blog itself is not new. I'd opened this blog a few months ago with no real idea on what to make it about. Life? Interests? Cake...  어떡해?

My initial entries were a combination of every day happenings, discussing body image and musing over  Korean dramas. So basically.. total randomness (not to say it'll be any different this time around >.<). Whilst I did like the blog in general, I felt that most of those entries lacked in something, whilst the layout itself just didn't quite cut it. This subsequently led me to revamp the page instead of starting anew (plus... I'll be damned if I have to make another banner or two)..so there you have it. Here it is. Done. Finito.

If you, therefore, like reading randomness, seeing picture updates and life updates... then feel free to hop on board. ^.^