July Favorites :)

Hello good people!

I am finally back with a proper blogpost! I know I’m late but as I said in my previous post, “Sorryy”, I have recently moved apartments and it is only now (two weeks later) that I have begun to settle in properly. There are still certain things that are taking up a lot of time; one being work. The other is, my new internship. It is only my third week at the internship but it feels like I dove, head first, into all the work.
I am yet to find the perfect balance between the above two, my domestic chores, social life (which has been seeing a decline of late!) and my blog.
Here’s to taking baby-steps towards achieving that goal.

Today I thought I might bring to you something completely different from what I’ve done before.

As we are approaching the end of yet another month, I thought I might compile a list of all my ‘July Favorites’. This basically includes everything I’ve tried, tested, experienced and loved this month. I hope you enjoy.

Since I usually start the week with a music related post, I’ll do the same with this one.

Music:
Some of the songs that I’ve been playing over and over again have been listed here(in no particular order):
– Becky G – Shower
– Chris Brown ft Usher, Rick Ross – New Flame
– Justin Timberlake – Not a Bad Thing
– Paloma Faith – Only Love Can Hurt Like This
– Declan Burgess – Forrest Gump (Cover)
The last one (but certainly not the least) is a cover that I urge everyone to check out. Declan Burgess is a friend of mine and I am being completely honest when I tell you that he sounds amazing. The song has been on repeat for almost a week and a half now. Go check him out on the link down below.

Television Shows:
To be honest, I haven’t had much time to watch a lot of television shows of late. There are many new shows that I would like to start watching though. Perhaps, I will find the time soon and include those in my August Favorites. But for now the only TV show that I’ve been watching and enjoying is
– Revenge.

Fashion and Style:
Some of my current favorite pieces have been:
– ASOS Cable Jumper in Oatmeal
– ASOS T-Shirt
– Topman loop scarf
I have mentioned all of the above in my previous blogpost, “Saturday bliss + OOTD/OOTN”. Be sure to check it out https://itssoovert.wordpress.com/2014/07/05/saturday-bliss-ootdootn/

Food:
For those of you who don’t know me personally, I am a huge foodie. So it was only natural to include my favorite picks in the food department. They are:
– Jordan’s Chunky Nuts
– The Vegan Teahouse – Hazel (Chocolate & Hazelnut spread)
Jordan’s is available at any Coles and Woolworths (for my Australian friends), so make sure to definitely go out and buy some.
I bought the Chocolate & Hazelnut spread from the Cruelty Free Shop on Glebe Point Road(Sydney) at Vegan Day Out. I’ve provided the links to both The Vegan Teahouse as well as Cruelty Free Shop in case you want to buy something.

The Vegan Teahouse: http://www.theveganteahouse.com/
Cruelty Free Shop: http://www.crueltyfreeshop.com.au/

APPS:
I haven’t really found any new apps that have blown me away. However a few that I have been using this past month are;
– SaveMySnaps: I always wondered what the point of ‘Snapchat’ was if you cannot view a snap for more than couple of seconds. There have been several times, I’ve received some really cool or funny pictures from my friends, but before I can view the whole thing, it disappears – caput! And then one day I discovered this new app that would let me save the pictures for a better/longer viewing. Now when I get snaps from my friends in Tuscany, Madrid, Paris or Norway, I can always save them and view them better.
– Audible: I know I’m late to the party with this one, but I have just downloaded Audible and have grown to like it. It’s a convenient way of enjoying a book, especially if you have to multi-task.
– Gumtree: As you may all know by now, I have moved apartments. And this app was definitely a great help in helping me find options at times when I had no access to a computer.

Restaurants:
Two new restaurants that I am happy to have found are;
– Burger10 – This new fast food joint on Glebe Point Road serves some of the most delicious burgers I have had in a long time. I found this by chance while looking for a new joint to eat at with my ex-flatmate Ben, a couple of weeks ago. Their menu is quite different from any other burger joint, in that, they take inspirations from different cuisines from different parts of the world.
I chose to go with a Classic Beef Burger, which is a traditional American styled beef burger. And it was simply yummy. Ben on the other hand, ordered the Pork & Prawns Burge, a r Chinese inspired burger that uses steamed bun instead of the regular bun and uses Hoisin sauce in it (A little tip:- You may want to consider using cutlery for this one because it can get quite messy eating it). From what he said, it was very tasty.

– Just Falafel: Those of you who know me personally know that, of late I have been reducing my meat intake. And ever since, I have been trying to find restaurants that serve good vegetarian food. While there are quite a few that serve elaborate vegetarian dishes, only a few serve vegetarian fast food. Just Falafel, caters to those who are looking vegetarian food on-the-go. This brand new eat-out on Lee St near Central Station serves vegetarian and few vegan sandwiches, wraps, salads and burgers.
While I was there two days ago, I decided to try their Indian Falafel and it was by far the best falafel I’ve had in recent times. The portion was huge, the falafels were succulent and the Indian sauces made for the perfect flavoring. Their prices are very reasonable and yes, they also make ‘Meals’ with fries and a drink. If you are ever around that area, make sure to go in and try some of their delicious food. I think this could be a healthy substitute for McDonald’s.

Drink:
I found out about this drink while I was working at Good Food and Wine Show, Sydney that happened a few weeks ago.
– Cascade – Ginger Beer
Seeing me run from pillar to post every day, one of the guys who worked at the Cascade kiosk felt sorry for me and gave me a huge bottle of Ginger Beer to drink. I was thankful to him for two reasons; a) for coming to my aid when I was tired and b) for introducing me to this drink. Now, I am usually not a huge fan of ginger beer nor do I fancy any drink in particular. But this one tasted so good, it even surprised me.
If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you go buy yourself a bottle. It is a very refreshing and tasty drink.

Youtube Videos:
I spend a lot of time on Youtube and I don’t know how I would pass time if it wasn’t around any longer. It is a goldmine for anyone looking to while away time 😛 So it was only natural for me to include some very interesting and ridiculously funny videos.

Website:
For almost 2 years now, I have been watching videos/ reading articles on a particular website. Through this site, I have been informed of many important issues that are happening around the world. The website is called Upworthy. Many of you may be familiar with the site. I follow them on Facebook and Twitter and think they do a wonderful job bringing newsworthy videos to young people.
Follow them if you want to receive informative and thought provoking videos like the ones below:
– http://www.upworthy.com/bless-this-blogger-for-explaining-feminism-to-the-girl-from-the-fault-in-our-stars?c=ufb1
– http://www.upworthy.com/if-you-like-porn-its-really-important-you-watch-this-if-you-hate-porn-id-still-learn-about-it?c=reccon1

Skin Care:
I’m a guy who has extremely sensitive/combination skin and applying products containing chemicals aggravates my skin rather quickly. One product in particular that I hadn’t found luck with for a long time is moisturizer. The problem I’ve found with most moisturizers is that they either dry out too quickly or they irritate my skin. After a long search for a good moisturizer, I discovered the Aussie brand, Delicious Skin. Those with sensitive skin like me will be happy to know that their range of products is all-natural and 100% vegan. The products can be used by both men and women. I particularly love the Delicious Skin Silk Serum.

For more information go check out their website http://www.deliciousskin.com.au/

Memories:
If I have to sum up this month in one word, it would have to be – chaotic. However, there have been certain moments that I will go on to cherish for a very long time. This list wouldn’t be complete without including them.
– Topping the list is my recent trip to Hunter Valley with some of my very good friends

– First time going clubbing with Ben (ex-flatmate) and my homies at Sidebar.

– Being nominated for Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

That concludes my ‘July Favorites’ list. I can’t believe how fast this month has gone by. But I am definitely excited to see what August has in store for me (only good things I hope).
If you guys enjoyed this post make sure to like, comment and hit that FOLLOW button. Also, if you guys have made a list of your favorites, make sure to let me know. I would love to read them 

Until my next post,
Take care!
KBYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Saturday bliss + OOTD/OOTN

Hey there people,

How are you? Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I know I am.

I am so pleased with how my day turned out today! The sun was out, the skies were clear and albeit some strong winds, it wasn’t freezing cold outside. So I decided to take advantage of the weather and took a stroll to the Growers Market in Pyrmont.

For those of you who haven’t been to the Growers Market, I suggest you do so next month. It is something you shouldn’t miss if you are in Sydney. It happens on the first Saturday of every month and is located by Sydney Harbor at the picturesque Pyrmont Bay Park. Here, you can find a wide variety of stalls selling everything from, fresh fruits and vegetables to venison, pork, seafood and wine! A lot, if not all, of their products are fresh and organic which is definitely a huge plus in my opinion.

The 30 minute walk down to the market got me super hungry and so as soon as I reached, I decided to grab a nice cup of Hot Chocolate, to begin with. I bought it from the Columbian Connection stall, of which I hadn’t heard of until I got there. The best thing about this hot chocolate (aside from the fact that it was HOT CHOCOLATE) was that it was a 100% organic; much like their coffees! Most of the people in line were there for the coffees but I’m not exactly a coffee person so I opted for the hot chocolate instead. And boy was it a great decision.
After grabbing my chocolatey goodness, I next hit the lukbeautifood stand. I was intrigued by their Cold pressed juices and smoothies options that consisted of; Revitalise (with apple, beetroot, ginger and lemon), Super Skin Milk (with almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, dates, filtered water, nutmeg, sea salt and vanilla bean) and Antioxidant Boost (with blueberry, pomegranate, red grape and coconut water). I picked up a bottle of Revitalise, because of the amazing colour of the beets, as well as a Super Skin Milk, because I love almond milk (duh)!
I also picked up one of their Breakfast Bars. Now, I’ve tasted a lot of snack bars and granola bars from the stores, but this one is hands down the best thing I’ve ever had! Each bar is filled with omega 3 rich seeds, nuts, dates, lemon zest and coconut oil. Good for your health and definitely good for the taste buds! This combined with my Organic Hot Chocolate made for the best brekkie.

Here’s a picture of my yummy ‘kick-starter’ breakfast for this morning.

After roaming around for a while, my next halt was the Rowie’s Cakes stand. Again, I didn’t know of Rowie’s Cakes until today. But I’m glad I found them! They make some very yummy (and yes, as you guessed, HEALTHY) desserts and confectionaries. After deliberating between their cupcakes, rocky road bites and snack bars, I decided to buy a box of Rowie’s Rocky Road Bites. These delicious cocoa bites are allergy-free (wheat free, gluten free, dairy free, yeast free, egg free and nut free) so it is good for those who react negatively to any of the said substances. I myself am allergic to gluten and dairy (my skin is highly sensitive) and this was truly a delight to find because I have such a huge sweet tooth. And if you aren’t allergic to any of these, I suggest you still pick up one of these boxes. I mean, who can resist the combination of dark chocolate and marshmallows!?

I ended my trip by grabbing some fresh veggies for the week and headed for a flat viewing.

All in all I had such a great time at Growers Market and am looking forward to heading there next month! Make sure to note the date in your calendars because you do NOT want to miss it!

And now, for my OOTD and OOTN.

For my OOTD, I chose to wear my ASOS Cable Jumper in the colour Oatmeal. I really like how the jumper fits on me (I wear a size M) and the color compliments dark skin guys very well. I teamed this up with my blue stretch skinnies from Topman (you guys might’ve seen this in my last OOTN blogpost) and my Metro Shoes Zip-Up Converse. To beat the harsh winds I wrapped my Topman loop scarf around my neck. I finished the look with my glossy black Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses, which was a birthday present from my dad (thanks dad!). I also threw my maroon ASOS cardigan in my messenger bag (also from ASOS. Yes, I shop on ASOS a lot :P) just in case it got too chilly.

For my OOTN, I am going for a smart casual look. I am wearing my ASOS long sleeve T-shirt in the color Green Marl and layering it with my teal corduroy blazer from RDX. I purchased this blazer last year for my 23rd birthday party.
I paired this up with the same jeans I wore in the morning along with my black suede shoes from ZU Shoes. I finished the look with my stainless steel Pulsar watch (that I purchased from Melbourne) and by spraying on some Blue de Chanel which was a gift from sister from New York.

The look for the night is ready! Now, all I need to figure out is where I want to go for dinner and where my friends want to go clubbing #firstworldproblems

Hope you guys liked yet another post from yours truly. Have a great night and I’ll be back again next week with yet another post. Stay tuned!

KBYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Outfit of the day/ Outfit of the night

So, this isn’t my blog post for the day, but I thought I might as well post this now because tomorrow it will be irrelevant (forget the fact that it’s almost 01:30 am here in Sydney, so technically it’s a new day but whatever).

This is my first OOTD and OOTN post ever. Hope you like it.

For my OOTD I chose to wear my ASOS Pumpkin Jumper (I know it’s not Halloween but, Halloween and autumn don’t exactly go together here in Australia). I paired it up with my black Lee Cooper jeans and my metro shoes zip-up converse that I purchased from India 2 years ago. For the finishing touches I slung my ASOS messenger bag across and tied my scarf from Arrow, around my neck.

This was my house-hunting look!

For my OOTN, I wore my black drape neck sweater from Tarocash and layered it with my maroon ASOS cardigan that I got on Boxing Day last year. I teamed this up with my blue stretch skinnies from Topman and my metro shoes. I accessorized this with my Pulsar watch in stainless steel and my Love Conquers Hate wrist band from the HRC store.

This is a semi-casual look, perfect for a mellow night out with your friends. I had an amazing night with some of my besties. Pictures soon to follow!

BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE