I hope you are all having a great week so far. Did any of you suffer from the Monday Blues? I did! And it was partly because the weather in Melbourne dropped from 30 degrees during the weekend to 17 degrees on Monday (well,more or less). It was rainy and cloudy and downright depressing! I need to get used to such inconsistencies in Melbourne.
And while we’re on the topic of inconsistencies (great segue huh *nudge nudge*), I’d like to talk about the unofficial Queen of inconsistencies,Raven-Symonè. If you guys are unfamiliar with the name and/work of Raven-Symonè, here it is in a nutshell – She first came into the limelight at the tender age of 3 when she was cast as Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show.She then rose to prominence in the early 2000s with her own show on the Disney Channel called That’s So Raven in which she plays Raven Baxter, a psychic teenager who gets into a lot of sticky situations because of her visions. Apart from her comedic skills on television, she is also musically gifted and has released four studio albums – Here’s To New Dreams(1993), Undeniable (1999), This Is My Time(2004) and Raven-Symonè(2008). Her most recent works include guest starring on the hit TV series, Empire and joining the panel of the popular daytime talk show,The View in 2015.
For someone who has such a strong body of work to her credibility and experience being in the limelight, you’d think that Ms.Symonè would know better than to spew verbal diarrhea (to put it mildly) on national TV. And we could’ve forgiven her if it was just an accidental slip of the tongue, once. But that wasn’t the case with her.
Her most recent comment on The View sparked a lot of controversy and had the internet,especially #BlackTwiiter ablaze! Last Thursday, while on the discussion about a study on people who make racial assumptions based on names, she said that she is discriminatory and wouldn’t hire somebody with the name “Watermelondrea” !Tch tch. Even though she is trying to back-peddle from her original statement now (she recently said that she heard the name “Watermelondrea” on a viral video online and wasn’t targeting a particular race), I believe it is a little too late to redeem herself.
And I say this because, this isn’t the first time Ms.Symonè has said something in poor taste. Watch my YouTube video down below where I have made a list of things she has said in the past.
While you’re on my video, comment and let me know what you have to say about this! Also, don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my channel because I make videos every Friday and Sunday talking about a range of topics. Also, spread the love by SHARING this post and my video on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and wherever else you can 🙂
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.
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.
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.
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
I hope everybody had a great weekend and a goodnight’s rest.
I had such a lazy day yesterday and it involved a lot of sweet-treats such as, Adriano Zumbo macaroons, hot chocolate, Hillier’s chocolates, Rowie’s Rocky Road Bites and of course the staple of every Sunday morning, old Hollywood movies!
Here’s a picture of how I started my Sunday morning.
Sigh, if I could only go back in time!
And I know many of you would like to travel back in time to your weekend and just stay there. Unfortunately we can’t. So the only thing left to do, is to make our Monday more fun. And what better way to do that by listening to some great tunes! I’m here to help you with that.
Here’s a list of what I’m listening to this morning.
Of course my actual playlist is a lot longer than this. But these are some of my favorite tracks.
Hope you guys enjoy these songs as much as I do. As always, if you have any comments, recommendations or suggestions, do let me know in the comments section. I would like to know what you are listening to!
You can also find me on various social media platforms. The links are in the homepage.
Have a fantastic day everyone! Till I come to you with another post,
Okay, so my post for today wasn’t supposed to be related to music but I couldn’t help it. If you have read my previous post, Outfit of the day/Outfit of the night, you would have known that I had gone out with some of my friends last night. As per usual, we were aimlessly driving around town in our friends car, when I happened to hear an amazing cover of Whitney Houston’s How Will I Know.
Now, if you go on YouTube you’ll be able to find a plethora of Whitney Houston covers and some of them are really good. But this was by far the best cover I have heard in a long time. And of course, who else should sing it other than my current favorite artist, Sam Smith.
I know what some of you might be thinking; can Sam Smith do a good dance-pop cover? And the answer is, “I don’t know”, because he didn’t stick with the original genre. The singer/songwriter put his own spin to the number by slowing down the tempo and making it more soulful and melancholic. And I just love it!
Check out the cover he did for Sirius XM and let me know what YOU think about his rendition. Hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as I do.
P.S: If you have something nasty to say, spare me.
I hope you had a great weekend. Mine seemed to have gone by too quickly. I guess that’s probably because I spent the whole of Saturday recovering from a hangover!
Anyhooo, we’ve entered yet another week in our lives and as much as we’d like to be thankful and cheery, it is simply impossible to do so on a Monday morning. So I’m here to help you out.
Below is a list of songs that I think would help you beat the Monday Blues and put you in a much better mood for work, uni or whatever else you may have lined up for the rest of the day. Most, if not, all of these are on repeat on my playlist every morning!
First up is a track called Together by Disclosure, Nile Rogers, Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith. My current favorite; this song is just 2 and half minutes of pure sexy awesomeness.
The second one would most definitely have to be Say Yes by Michelle Williams ft. Beyonce and Kelly Rowland. It is so good to see the trio together again, this time supporting Michelle’s gospel number. Regardless of what your beliefs might be, this song will definitely put a positive spin to your day with its peppy beats.
Next is a song that I’ve been obsessed with, for a while now. Hence it’s only fair that I put it on the list. Here is Like the Morning Dew by Laura Mvula. I honestly believe that she deserves more popularity.
Okay, so I might be a little late to the party with the fourth one but, better late than never right? This is Rather Be by Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glyne.
I’m not late with this one though. This is their most recent single titled Extraordinary ft. Sharna Bass.
Who doesn’t like a bit of Ariana Grande? This one’s called Problem by Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea.
Speaking of Iggy Azalea, my list wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t include Fancy by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX. How funny is the Clueless inspired music video!
Since I started the list with Sam Smith, I thought it would be appropriate to end it with another one of his tracks. This ballad titled Stay with Me shows just how good Smith’s vocal skills are.
So, hope you guys enjoy my Monday morning playlist! If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. It’s always great discovering new music.
Till next time,
BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I’m back with yet another post. I must be honest with you, I did not intend on writing a post today. I was planning on going out with a friend today because the weather is soooo good outside. However, my friend has a few errands to run before that and in the meantime I was just catching up on some daily news. That’s when I stumbled across an article that said that the issue of same-sex marriage in NSW is a step closer to being achievable. I think that’s fantastic news for the LGBTQ community here. I strongly believe that everyone, and I mean everyone, has the right to share their love and life with that special someone and the fact that it is still a right that ‘needs to be fought for’ is quite saddening. And that’s where such news comes as a silver lining.
And as you’ve guessed this post is about same-sex marriage. Uhmmm No. I’ll save that for another post. As I was reading the article on same-sex marriage in NSW, I had the radio on and what song should come up but ‘Same Love by Macklemore’. Perfect timing I’d say! And that got me thinking about the acceptance of homosexuality in the music world. Until now, every male singer in the biz has sung his songs for the lovely ladies and every female singer has sung her songs for the handsome men, respectively. No-one, ever imagined there would come a time where singers would openly sing about acceptance of the LGBTQ community and furthermore openly gay singers would make videos of same-sex love. I for one was doubtful that singers would ever dare to portray gay love in the music videos.
However, my doubts were soon put to rest when I found the two clips below:
It is refreshing to see that young gay singers are finally stepping out into the limelight with music and music videos that depict their true self and feelings. Kudos to them! And kudos to the many supporters who’ve made it possible for them!
As always, I’d like to hear your views and inputs. Follow me on
Today is a very special day in the history of music. It is the birthday of the one and only David Bowie. It’s hard to believe that he turns 66 today!
I distinctly remember the first time I was introduced to Bowie’s music. I was still in middle school and was at a friend’s place when he turned on ‘Space Oddity’ in his music system. To say that he was a huge David Bowie fan would be quite an understatement. He had about the largest collection of Bowie music and merchandise I had ever seen. And when I told him that I hadn’t listened to David Bowie before this, he was all but ready to disown me as friend ! We then sat together to listen to the entire David Bowie/Space Oddity album. And since then I’ve become a major fan too. Bowie is also the main reason for my love of Glam rock and Art Rock music.
A prolific star in the world of popular music, Bowie was seen as more than just a rock star.Many regarded him an innovator who constantly strove to reinvent his music. This creative reinvention also transcended to his relatively short-lived androgynous alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. Oh, how could anyone forget Ziggy! That was the first time I was introduced to the concept of androgyny. No ordinary person could pull off a look like that, but then again we all know that David Bowie is no ordinary person. Even though we live in the 21st century and claim to have evolved in our outlook and perceptions of life, a lot of us still would criticize(and some quite harshly unfortunately) if anyone were to dress up in something even remotely flamboyant. However, it was a whole different scene back in the 60s and 70s. It was the era of sexual liberation; a time that challenged the conventional norms of social and cultural behavior as well as sexuality and sexual relationships. And it was the perfect time for Bowie to unabashedly display his ‘over-the-top-in-your-face’ persona! No offence to my favorite actor Johnny Depp, but for me it was Ziggy who first made the eye-patch look cool.
Bowie went on to churn out a massive number of hits like “Heroes”, “Diamond Dogs and “Fame”, to name a few. He has sold an estimated 140 albums. Many music historians say that Bowie in fact created the glam rock genre.Many others go on to say that he brought a certain sophistication to rock music. At a time when not too much was changing in the rock scene, David Bowie came along and showed the audiences what it was to be an actual rock star. This earned him a huge cult following.
An avid lover of art and theatre, David Bowie also dipped his toes into acting. He has gone to do quite a few movies such as “The Man Who Fell To Earth“, “The Hunger” and “The Last Temptation of Christ” among others. One of my personal favorite David Bowie movies however is, Labyrinth, in which he plays the king of goblins named Jareth.
One would expect a man of such stardom and fame to still continue his avant-garde lifestyle, however such is not the case. David Bowie has become more of a recluse in recent days and lives his life doing regular things he loves like painting, spending time with family and occasionally visiting 20th century art museums. His image has also taken a dramatic change with his current fashion statement being sweatshirts and jeans!
Even though it’s been close to 10 years since Bowie has been spotted on the music scene, he is anything but forgotten. His music still continues to be listened by millions and he continues to inspire many other musicians such as Adam Lambert ,etc. And he will always continue to be one of my top favorite artists of all time!
A Very Happy 66th Birthday to you Sir David Bowie. And to Ziggy; have a kickass one!
Ever have one of those days when you’ve woken up with a song stuck in your head? I have and quite often, at that. Most of the times they’re songs that put a huge smile across my face for the rest of the day. However, occasionally they’re the kind that makes me wonder what kind of playlist my brain listens to on Spotify when I’m asleep!
Thankfully, this morning I woke up with one of my favorite Marvin Gaye songs called “ Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing”. For those of you who haven’t listened to the song before, DO IT AS SOON AS YOU FINISH READING THIS POST!
Anyway, the first thing I did after getting out of bed was to listen to the song on YouTube. Once I finished listening to it for the fifth time, I noticed on the side a Beyonce & Justin Timberlake version of the song. Now, I’m usually not one to listen to a lot of covers but in this case I was actually very keen. I think Beyonce and Justin Timberlake are two amazingly gifted singers and performers of our time. And honestly, after watching the video I feel that they did complete justice to the song. But you don’t have to take my word for it, go ahead and check it out yourself.
What I like most about their performance is the fact that apart from increasing the tempo, they stayed true to the original from beginning till end, unlike many covers. I definitely feel that Beyonce and Justin make good singing partners and wish they would do more songs together. Although, I did hear that JT is working along with Beyonce on her upcoming album. But don’t quote me on that. I’ve watched their performance of Ain’t Nothing LikeThe Real Thing for the eighth time now and even though no cover would ever be as good as the real thing, this one is by far the closest.
Until I wake up with another blog piece in my head,
Bizou bizou,
D
Pop Queen Whitney Houston dies at 48.Cause still unknown.
At first,when TMZ reported the news I didn’t believe it. For two reasons a) it’s TMZ. b) Since when did they start getting information before any other media outlet?
But when the death of Ms.Houston was confirmed by ABC and others, I was completely shocked! Singers I’ve grown up listening to are going away one by one; first it was Michael Jackson and now Whitney Houston!
I was introduced to the beautiful voice of Ms.Houston back in 1999. I was in New York at the time and I remember my family and I were driving down to visit my cousins, when the radio started playing “It’s Not Right but it’s Okay”. I found the song quite catchy and I loved the voice singing the song. Since then, I’ve been a fan of Whitney Houston’s work. I, especially loved her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” which was recorded for the soundtrack of her film,
“The Bodyguard”.
Whitney Houston rose to fame during the 1980’s with hit tracks such as The Greatest Love of All, Saving All My Love For You to her perfect rendition of I Will Always Love You. The singer, who possessed an unbelievably powerful and flawless voice, won a total of six Grammy during her career.
Her success carried her beyond music to movies, such as The BodyGuard and Waiting to exhale.
Once regarded as the golden girl of the music industry, her career started to dwindle as of early 2000 with her constant alcohol and drug problems. Not to mention her tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown.
Although she tried to make a comeback with her 2009 album “I Look To You”, things soon fell apart after a concert on “Good Morning America” went awry. She failed to hit-high notes and left many fans unimpressed.
Whitney Houston has influenced many other pop artists such as Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey.
Although her music will be greatly missed, she will continue to live in many hearts through her wonderful music.
No, I’m not talking about the cartoon character. I’m referring to Coldplay’s new song “Charlie Brown” from their album Mylo Xyloto. This is one of my favourite songs from the album. But what’s up with the video?
The video which released on Feb 3rd 2012 shows a bunch of teenage kids (‘kids’, because most of ‘em don’t even look old enough to be 16!) busting out a car and driving down to a club, where Coldplay’s performing. The people in the club are wearing Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto neon bands and havin a mad time.
As if busting out a car wasn’t reckless enough for these kids, they later spray-paint it(someone else’s car mind you!) and light up fireworks in the background.
Now I get that Coldplay wanted to make a video that was different from their usual ones (which are filled with emotions and philosophical dramatics) but I fail to understand what they’re trying to convey in this one? Because all i get is heights of stupidity interspersed with traces of ideas of anarchy.
The only positive thing about the video is that it’s visually catchy! Gotta give them props for that.
itssoovert 