LOVE

One of the most iconic pieces of jewelry from one of the oldest jewelers of all time is the LOVE bracelet. Besides the immaculate workmanship, it symbolizes the seal for the never ending love and commitment. While the love and commitment came with no surprise, the gesture was! Straight from the flag store in Paris and hidden somewhere in the house for weeks if not months, I was really surprise to receive it especially when I was expecting a new oven! Captain told me quietly as he put on the bracelet that I will get my oven, but not on an anniversary! 

Thank you, Captain.. for being so wise! ;)

Tested - Best hair products for thin limp hair

I used to have thick healthy head of hair before I moved to Dubai. So thick that my hair dresser used to complain that she had to work extra hard just to blow dry my hair! Fast forward 10 years later, I am left with half of what I used to have. Don't get me wrong, I am not turning Kojak anytime soon, as hair is still 'sprouting' on my head as I type here but the hard water that Dubai is famous of is steadily doing its job to making my hair thinner faster than the new hair is growing. Yes, hair fall is a common problem in Dubai. Everywhere you'll hear the moan and groan of the expats (especially the new ones) as they realized that their hair is thinning and their horror as the plumber pulled out a hand full of hair from the drain! (Yes, I almost fainted)
My hair is naturally coarse, straight, dark and heavy. It tolerates heat very well and resistant to coloring. It tends to get flat especially when it is kept long and styling products rarely work on it. Having a flat thick hair is one thing but thin flat hair is another story. Along the way, through trial and error, I realized that too much product will not help my hair getting fluffier but flatter instead. The style plays an important role as well. My hair would look fuller and lighter in shorter cut and a shorter side fringe helps making the top a little bouncier. 
Here is my sworn by products that proved to work (at least on me!) :

This shampoo by Keihl's is on the pricey side but rather than try something that might not work, I'd rather spend some money on something that does. It is light and leaves hair feeling 'bare' and clean. So light that you can use it daily if you want. 

This conditioner also by Keihl's is so light weight but still, I don't use it everyday and only at the end of the hair shaft, never on the scalp. This conditioner gives all the nutrients the hair needed without adding the weight.

Now, this is where the magic is. We tend to over styling our hair and use too much product that leaves our hair coated with residue resulting to dull lifeless hair. Shampooing once a week with this anti-residue shampoo allows it to strip our hair from the unwanted including chlorine if you are a swimmer and get our hair ready for all the nutrients our regular shampoo and conditioner have.

For texturing, I use this product by John Master. This organic sea salt and lavender spray adds volume, texture and perfect to revive a day old hair. It is better than dry shampoo in my opinion as it leaves no residue and the lavender fragrance is delicious! Remember though, less is more.  Use sparingly and you will see the good result!
What is your go to hair product? Do you have any tips for thin and flat hair? 

Lifestyle : My Paleo Journey

Smoked salmon on bed of beansprout, baby tomatoes, sliced onion, chive and shredded coconut - my typical Paleo lunch menu

My 80/20 Paleo snack - mix nuts, blueberries and flax seed 

Kale and chicken breast in clear vegetable soup - Paleo dinner

80/20 Paleo breakfast of banana, mix nuts, sultanas, berries and pomegranate 

Dinning out menu choice of Tuna steak on bed of steamed vegetable and olive oil

Satay or spiced beef and chicken on skewer, the best Paleo dinner!

Dining out menu choice for brunch of poached eggs on bed of smoked salmon and spinach. 

Skip the Hollandaise sauce!

A Paleo must, coconut oil

Another Paleo choice for dining out, Sushi salad with no dressing

Homemade mayonnaise with almond oil

Captain and I, we are quite peculiar when it comes to eating. We do not belong to any diet group; not vegetarian, not vegan, not lactose free or gluten free, but we have our phases. For an example, when we travel to the US we usually go vegetarian. Well, why not when we can take advantage of the best of many vegetarian restaurants which we can only dream of here in Dubai. Sometimes we would go gluten free or fully organic, just to take advantage of what the places we visit has to offer. But a few month ago, I was attracted to a type of eating style called Paleo. I'm sure to many of you Paleo is a no brainner but to those whom may not be too familiar of this word, allow me to give a bit of explanation.

Paleo or Paleolithic diet or in plain English, Caveman/Stone-Age/Hunter-Gatherer diet is a type of diet that was designed to allow us to eat the closest possible to the way human did during the Paleolithic or Stone Age era where agriculture was not known of. Human back then eat what they gathered or hunted - meat, fish, nuts and fruits. Robb Wolf the author of Paleo Solution, The Original Human Diet and probably the person that started the whole Paleo craze, claimed that it is the healthiest way we can eat as it gives us what the body needs to stay lean, strong and energetic. Research has shown that today's diet or eating habit that filled with process and refined food, sugar and trans fat was the main contributor to diseases like obesity, cancer, heart problem, Alzheimer, Parkinson and depression. The idea is to eat lean proteins, lots of fresh fruits, vegetable and healthy fats, the cleanest possible. Not bad, huh?

So there I was, drawn, intrigued, all hyped up and excited to start living healthy life and try my best to go Paleo for as long as I could. Before that lets see what are the dos and don'ts of Paleo diet :

Dos

Oil - Olive, Canola, Coconut

Coconut milk/cream

Balsamic

Coconut flour

Almond Flour

Nuts except peanuts

Meat - Beef, lamb, chicken

Fish and seafood

Veggies

Fruits

Salt

Don'ts

Wheat- even whole wheat

Grains and seeds including rice, quinoa, corn, oats, cereals

Beans - cheakpeas, red beans, black beans, peas

Bread of any kind

Pastas even whole wheat

Rice even brown or wild rice

Sugar, added sugar, artificial sugar even honey

Dairy and its product
Alcohol 

As I scrolled the don'ts section I had to do 'double take' a few times. What?? No quinoa? And oats?? But these are the good stuff, stuff that are healthy! This can't be right. So I did more reaserch and found out that grains and seeds were not part of our ancestors' diet as they were only available after the knowledge or agriculture. Bummer! Still, I went with it. Was it hard?  Well, honestly I might be an Asian but I can really do without rice. I was never a fan of pasta, hardly eat bread unless it's really good bread and milk, what am I, 3? But, after a while I was missing cheese.. and then quinoa and a month later rice. I then started incorporating some of these things I missed back in my diet, you know, a scoop of rice every couple of weeks, a tablespoon of Parmesan with my salad once in a while, some quinoa and flax seed... (Oh, c'mon! Flax seed is good for health!).

Then it came the time for my vacation and what is a trip to Italy without the fresh Mozzarella and Burrata? Well, lets just say I tripped and savored every bite of those cheeses. Back in Dubai I tried going back on track but I found myself trying to justify the healthy things under the don't list that I was told by every health book I read as good for our body like grains, honey and seeds. After much deliberation and further consideration , I agree that too much of 'good' things is never good for me and decided that I will continue eating the Paleo way but once in a while I am going to give my self a break and have that scoop or rice or slice of bread with cheese, a dash of milk with my coffee.. after all there are people who live to be 90 or more and some I am pretty sure do not even know how to spell Paleo let alone know what it is all about. Conclusion is, I'm sure Paleo is good (or not?) but for me moderation prevails.

An Evening On The Palm

The Palm Jumeirah
If there is one thing that Dubai is proud of apart from its Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world; it has to be The Palm Jumeirah.  For some of you who are not aware of this, let me give you a short '101' on it.  The Palm Jumeirah is a man made island in the shape of a palm tree that was built and developed somewhere in the mid 2001.  It consists of a trunk, 17 fronds and a crescent. The trunk housed some high-end apartments and hotels, the fronds are dotted with exclusive villas that are owned by some rich and famous (The Beckhams, Brangelina, Indian film star Shah Rukh Khan and a string of football stars are among the owners) and the crescent has among the best hotels and restaurants in the world. Well, the island was opened somewhere in 2006 but (wait for it..) even if I have been living here since before that, (here comes..) I HAVE NEVER BEEN ON IT except on the trunk (I dined at some of the restaurants on the trunks before, and that's it) 
Seriously I don't know why.. maybe because I was not taken by it (how can I not, right?), or again maybe because I had no reason to go until recently when Captain wanted to try out an Italian restaurant in one of the hotels on the crescent. Honestly, it was worth the time.. the view was breathtaking and it was breezy and fabulous so much so that we forgot it was on a late afternoon in May! We took a drive on the trunk, passed by the fronds (the fronds themselves are private, so no access to them) and took the underwater tunnel to the crescent. We then drove on the crescent from one end to another stopping by once in a while to bask in all the glory and sight of this man creation. We passed by The Atlantis Hotel (right in the middle of the crescent) and I was disappointed as it did not look as grand as I expected it to be in that late sunlight but wait until you see the sight of it at night time.. spectacular!
So the sun set and off we head to the restaurant..., great food, fabulous setting and all in all I am glad that Captain made the booking.  Not only for the food but for the chance to experience The Palm, finally.

The Burj Al Arab in the horizon, the ONLY 7 stars hotel in the world

Dubai Marina or The Miami or the Orient as they call it

The Atlantis was not an impressive sight in the beginning

I managed to capture a few stages of the sunset

L'Olivo at The Rixos served authentic Italian cuisine. Captain gave it a thumbs up!

My gorgeous burrata cheese with mix salad and wild berries

After dinner we hang out at the bar and listen to some live music that set the whole ambiance 

Now, this sight was another story :)

Foodie Weekend : Chop Suey

It all started with a couple of friends, a passion for food and a longing for a little something of home. The result was a family friendly casual dining experience with fantastic variety of delicious quality food; Chop Suey, located on the Ground Floor of Jumeirah Beach Plaza, Dubai is a new Chinese restaurant that embraces the concept of Chinese cuisine created by immigrants in the United States that spread worldwide to become the Chinese food we all familiar with either through the media or first hand experience. Remember the famous cardboard delivery box from the movies?

Walking into the restaurant greeted by the ever so friendly hostesses Diana and Dina, I could immediately feel the casual, easy dining experience that awaited. I simply loved the minimalist exterior with 'mixed and matched' chairs and the beautiful mural that dominated the room. Glancing through the menu, I could't help but noticing with excitement (besides the 'NO MSG IN OUR KITCHEN' note on the menu) some familiar items like: arrays of dim-sum, spring rolls and great choices of soups to start. Going deeper into the main menu, I could tell a lot of research had been put into creating these fabulous selections. Among others Peking Duck, Manchurian Chicken, Szechuan Style Prawns, Black pepper Wasabi Beef and for the ones with an acquired taste, the Lobster in XO sauce. Also a splendid selection of mouthwatering desserts.

Together with some blogger friends, Lady and Mariam, we sampled many items on the menu and I have to say the ones that I was most impressed with were the Prawn Toast with Sesame, Black Pepper Wasabi Beef, Sizzling Silky Tofu with Broccoli and the unusual yet delicious Green Tea Creme Brulee. 

In my opinion as a fellow customer, Chop Suey had all the quality of a 'must return' restaurant - great authentic food (one of the chefs was from mainland China!), value for money (a 3 course meal for one would be around AED 100 and the portion was good), casual, family friendly setting and location, location, location! I was thinking who needs picnic basket when hitting Beach Park when Chop Suey is just a street cross away?!
For more information on delivery (yes, they do home delivery with cardboard box, chopsticks and all), menu and prices, visit their website www.chopsuey.ae

iCream is in town!

I love this tag line!

Who doesn't like dessert? Sweet, succulent flavor with smooth texture, hmm... just wish sometimes they come  with lesser calorie. Now, imagine this.. a dessert parlor that gives you the freedom to choose your own ingredients to create your choice of dessert that is freshly prepared especially for you. Now, do I get your attention?

Yesterday I was invited to the opening of the first iCream franchise in the Middle East at Al Ghurair Centre, here in Dubai. This one stop frozen dessert cafe originating from Chicago, USA has a brilliant concept of made to order ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet or milkshake using the ingredients specifically chosen by the customers. They have everything from skinny milk, soya milk for the lactose intolerant, sugar free, fresh fruits, candies.. you name it, chances are they have it. You can also bring your 'special' ingredients from home if you wish!  Camel milk, anyone?

Not only that, the customers could also witness the making of their favorite dessert that takes less than 5 minutes using the rapid liquid nitrogen freezing process.  Boy, I tell you it looked like a scene in some Sci-Fi films and if I was excited watching the whole smoky freezing process, can you imagine the children?

There were so many possible combinations and I wanted to try at least one from each category. So try I did.  They were seriously delicious but the ones that really caught my attention were 'Peanut Butter OMG' ice cream and my own 'concoction' of plain yogurt with fresh mix berries. Out of those two, I have to say my own concoction topped the chart.  Reason being, I chose my own ingredients and less calories means less guilt!

The choice is all yours!

Now, tell me if this doesn't look like some scene from a Sci-Fi movie!

Peanut Butter OMG!

All in all I can say that iCream will definitely give its customers not only a good variety of choices when it comes to the menu but also an opportunity for them to be part of its unique experience.  In today's world where advanced dining and ample choices are vast, what differentiates one outlet from another is the experience that accompanies.

iCream Cafe

Level 2 New Extention

Al Ghurair Centre

Dubai

My plain yogurt and mix berries.  2 thumbs up!

With Dubai's Food and Travel blogger Mitzie Mee

:: Wearing ::

J Crew shirt

Current Elliot skinny cargo pants

Zara utility vest

Aldo booties

Chanel purse