how i feel about this week… lol.
xoxo,
PJ
39. little india
This past week, a group of us researched London’s “Little India”, otherwise known as Southall. Of course, me being the biggest foodaholic there is, I volunteered to research and try the Indian foods. Not only was it delicious, but also very informative/interesting!
As Indian food has developed, it has become heavily influenced by different religions, cultural choices and interactions, and other historical incidents. Today, traditional Indian food varies extremely and encompasses many different spices and herbs that have helped shape their international relations.
A normal Indian food diet consists of legumes, vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, honey, fish, eggs and meat. Most Indian people are vegetarians as the vast majority of Indians today are part of Hinduism or Jaoism religions. Their food has been classified into 3 categories: Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic. These three qualities are universal and equally necessary to maintain our psychological balance.
Sattvic food is uncontaminated and should not spread evil or disease in the world. However, its presence must purify the surroundings. Thus, when an individual consumes such a food, he/she must feel that he/she is eating pure, healthy, nutritious, and clean food such as fruits and veggies.
Rajasic foods generate more fire, outward motion, creativity, aggression, and passion. Any canned, sweetened fruit, all fermented food, all bottled fruit juices are rajasic. Sattvic food can be turned into rajasic when eaten too hot, too cold, or too spicy. Some of the rajasic foods include avocado, beans, lentils, chili, and chocolate.
Tamasic foods increase inner darkness and confusion. They are said to slow us down, depress us and enhance inertia. These foods include fast food, fried food and any frozen foods. (aka my favorite type).
Food also differs across india´s diverse regions as a result of variation in local culture, geographical location and economics; it also depends on which fruits and veggies are ripe. Some regions that have been replicated in the United Kingdom (specifically London) are Delhi, Manipur and Punjab.
- Delhi: once capital of mughal empire and was the birthplace of mughal cuisine. Noted for street food… Punjabi cuisine is common bc a lot of Punjabi communities… street food like Kababs, kachauri, chaat, indian sweets, Indian ice cream…
- Manipur: usually features spicy foods that use chilli pepper.. staple diet consists of rice, veggies and fish.
- Punjab: known for its diverse range of dishes; mostly inspired by central asian and mughlai cuisines since it was the enterng spot for Muslim invaders; most popular elements of Anglo’Indian cuisine (i.e.: tandoori foods, naan, pakoras and veggie dishes with paneer, tikka masala).
Can you tell I’m hungry?
xoxo,
PJ
38. homesick
our first program is about to come to an end and a lot of our friends are all returning home. a few of us, though, will still be here for another month or so. i’m still so excited but am definitely missing home a tad.
Happy
Old friends
Mom & dad
Exercise (lol)
xoxo,
PJ
37. GOT season finale… spoiled
you know what i really HATE? i hate when magazines give away SERIOUS SPOILERS in their headlines. WTF people?!
since i’m here in london, it’s virtually impossible for me to watch game of thrones since it is only available on HBO, which does not work over here (although i did watch one episode from my phone using data…it probably wasn’t the best idea considering how much money it cost- oh well).
i tried so hard not to pay attention to any spoilers from people or websites! i logged onto a magazine website probably two or three days later not realizing there would still be headlines in the top news stories, but there were! right there. smack in the middle of my page… “Jon Snow is Dead.” ARE YOU KIDDING?!
i don’t want to know he DIED! why do they have to kill off all of the good (HOT) characters!? So unbelievabley upset.
let’s be honest though, they know i’ll still come back to watch it every sunday at 9pm.
RIP Jon Snow. RIP.
(*sheds tear*)
xoxo,
a bitter GOT fan.
36. blow up records
yay! i’m employed!… well kind of.
i just heard word about my internship placement at blow up records, an independent based record label here in london. it was founded in 1994 by DJ Paul Tunkin and offers a variety of sounds ranging mostly from electronic to 60s to new wave to pop. it’s a smaller label that works with artists such as David Woodcock, Baltic, Silvery, and Alfa 9.
here’s some of their artists’ songs below:
(love his sound btw ^^)
i’m so pumped about it… i know it’s cheesy, but i am SO excited to learn anything and everything i can about the music industry as it’s been my dream job FOREVER.
which artist is your favorite?
xoxo,
PJ
35. bucket list #1
i keep coming up with more and more ideas of what i want to see and where i want to travel before i return back to the US at the end of the summer, but i never plan them out! so, i thought i’d make a bucket list of everything and try to check something off each week!
1. eat in cereal killer cafe in shoreditch
cereal killer cafe has over 120 different types of cereal, 30 types of milk and over 20 toppings… just sayin’
2. visit tate modern museum
3. go to the globe theatre
4. see the inside of buckingham palace
5. see the view from the shard
6. london symphony orchestra concert
7. hidden speakeasy
8. karaoke at roadhouse in covent gardens
9. go to a world-famous jazz club
10. see the skyline from primrose hill
xoxo,
PJ
34. woman crush wednesday
or i guess… woman crush tuesday…
ruby rose ladies and gentleman… aka stella carlin in OINTB.
i don’t think i’m alone here either with this girl crush. since the third season of OITNB has premiered, ruby has come to be the breakout star of the season and has left many people wondering who she is and where she came from.
before OITNB, ruby made a name for herself in her native Australia as a DJ, model and an MTV DJ. ruby had recently gained much attention last year when she released a video entitled “break free,” which was supposed to be an autobiographical music video of her transformation basically from a blonde girly-girl to a gender-queer short haired BADASS.
ugh… can’t wait to see what happens in season 4!
if you haven’t seen her “break free” video already, check out the video below.
xoxo,
PJ
33. saatchi & saatchi art gallery
(trash bags these days…)
‘
xoxo,
PJ
32. i’m so corny
while also in barcelona this weekend, i thought it would be a cool, trendy idea to get cornrows on one side of my head (you know, like rihanna). i will say, it wasn’t terrible when my hair was down, but when it was up… my oh my. it was a strange sight. i honestly think that i was lucky enough to not also get robbed, solely because i looked so scary.
what do y’all think?
yay or nay?
xoxo,
PJ
31. getting robbed in barcelona: safety tips
i just visited barcelona, spain for my first time this weekend and my was it beautiful, however, when traveling there, it is essential to err on the side of caution. we were warned before going that it is a huge pickpocketing city and knew better, but we still made a huge mistake…
my friend and i just finished up our amazing weekend and were traveling to the airport early in the morning to catch our flight. we had walked down a dark alley way and i had immediately felt nervous, but i assumed it was my paranoia for being so afraid of the dark. as we were getting into the taxi, a man came up behind my friend, shoved her and stole her whole bag (passport included). despite having no choice as to when we had to leave, we should have made sure a cab could get down our alley. while the U.S. Embassy was extremely helpful when it opened the next day, it was still a traumatic experience that really tainted our trip. thankfully, though, we did make it back safely.
so… for all of you world travelers out there… a few lessons learned:
1. your instincts are ALWAYS right.
2. if it’s dark, get to safety or don’t leave your apartment/hotel
3. stay as close together as possible.
4. make COPIES of your passport and driver’s license (that was our saving grace the next day).
5. if you do get something stolen, make sure you notify banks and cell phone carriers immediately and fill out a police report
6. have a trusted contact at home with all of your necessary information.
7. if possible, find a hotel that is a well-known international chain (we stayed at the Renaissance afterwards which was perfect).
8. do NOT fall apart until you are safe. stay calm.
9. know where the embassy is and make sure you fill out documents ahead of time in order to expedite the emergency passport process (if you have access to a computer)
10. main lesson: STORE YOUR BELONGINGS IN SEPARATE PLACES on the way to the airport. with your passport specifically- always keep it in a passport belt under your clothes.
stay safe friends!
xoxo,
PJ
Pajama Joan 