Hey Guys,

So firstly I would like to say sorry for my appalling behaviour in previous posts. It has just come to my attention that I never greet my readers, ever. I go straight into topic, assuming you'd like to listen. From now on I will definitely be more welcoming.

Anyway, anyone who knows me would be aware of my love for food. Its not just a love for eating but actual love for food itself, I live to eat, I love flavours, I am a self-confessed foodoholic! So when my parents suggest we go to Bluewater for the day I say yes because I know, somewhere in the itinerary there will be food. And of course I was right.

So we've had a little look around the shops, and mum says we need to do a food shop from Marks and Spencer so maybe we should have a light snack there before heading home. Now, I was a little disappointed as eating in Marks and Spencer is not what I had in mind, but then she informed me there was a little area where champagne and platters were served. She had been before with dad and they both said it was really nice so I had to try it.

I was little dubious walking towards M&S but was pleasantly surprised when I actually got there, sat down and looked around. I had noticed it before but not paid much attention to it.

As we only intended to have a light snack we chose two of their platters to share between the three of us (they are portioned as a large lunch for one). There was the option to upgrade and have a glass of cava or Prosecco which obviously we selected. Well, actually I tried to be good and ordered water to begin with but after finding out that Prosecco was in fact low-carb (I know, unbelievable) I just didn't have a reason to say no.


My mum and dad had been previously, as I had said, and had really loved the 'Shellfish' platter. This was "1/2 a lobster in lemon & parsley dressing, dressed Orkney crab, Madagascan prawns, oak smoked Lochmuir salmon, watercress".

Shellfish Deli Platter - £19.95
I think this platter was really nice, especially the crab paste and the lemon and parsley dressing. The salmon also had that 'special' taste, where you could tell it was high quality food. I think that the overall flavours were good but a too delicate for my liking and could have tasted stronger. BUT I have to admit that I was hungover during this experience and this could have affected my taste buds. This seems likely as both my parents found it delicious and flavoursome.

Ploughman's Platter £10.95


Again this dish was beautifully presented and consisted of Wiltshire cured ham,  Barber's Cheddar, Melton Mowbray pork pie, 'soft-set' Scotch egg, sweet pickle & piccolino vine tomatoes. The sweet pickle is what made this dish as it had a beautiful balance of sweet and spice. Although I enjoyed this platter I felt like it was something I could make at home and therefore though £10.95 was a lot to spend. However all the ingredients were Marks and Spencer quality and you can purchase all the ingredients within the store too!



Both platters were also accompanied with some soft bread. As I am on a low carb diet I avoided this as much as possible but it smelt so good couldn't resist one bite. I think the guilt got to me too much though as I couldn't properly enjoy it.

I'd recommend eating here if you are in a rush in Bluewater and fancy a nice quick lunch or snack. The service is faster than that of a normal restaurant and the food is of good quality. They also serve main meals that I am tempted to try at some point also!

withloveAmrit 

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Hey Guys,

It's come to that busy period that occurs in many Asian families during August time which is Wedding Season. I don't know why, but this is the time when all weddings seem to fall, and those of you who don't know about Asian weddings there is a lot that goes on. I come from a Sikh Punjabi background, and this Friday was the Ladies Sangeet for my cousins wedding. Now normally the ladies sangeet is for the brides family as this is when henna is applied to the bride and close guests, however on occasion the groom side also has one. There is a lot to know about Asian weddings which I may or may not discuss in the future but this post will just be so you all can see how I do my hair and make-up for certain events and also what I wear.


 MAKE UP:  Face Base: Prime time by Bare Minerals; Foundation: Sheer Cover Concealer: Sheer Cover Contour: Hula by Benefit Brows Brow Archery by Soap & Glory to line and Browzings by Benefit to fill using Chelsea Boutique Brush Eyes Prime: Urban Decay Primer Potion Lids: Urban Decay Naked Pallet; Lids Liner: Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner; Waterline: Rimmel Soft Kohl; Lashes: Sheer Cover Lash fibres with L'Oreal Million Volume Mascara Lips L'Oreal Liner Couture in 630 Beige au Nu, Sexy Mother Pucker by Soap & Glory in Half Naked Finish Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray


  HAIR: I washed my hair the night before using Aussie Beach Mate Shampoo and Conditioner. I then combed my hair whilst wet and put it in a plait. I left it in all the next day until I was ready to do my hair. I did not brush my hair. I then used some Batiste XXL volumizing spray (not dry shampoo) and Vo5 High Volume hair spray. I pinned the sides up by using some Bobby Pins.


  OUTFIT: Custom made, material bought from a shop in Green Street, Ilford (one of the go to places for Asian clothes). Shoes: Garage Shoe in Bluewater; Earrings: Clare's Accessories; Necklace Clare's Accessories


This is a  more simple outfit and look as this event is fairly small compared to the rest of the festivities. However I thought it would be nice to share something from my own culture with everyone. I will also be doing blog posts on other wedding events so make sure you come back to see more!


 withloveAmrit


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I haven't previously mentioned this on my blog but I am currently trying to lose weight through exercising and some pretty big changes in my diet. During my quest to obtain the perfect body I have spent many hours on Google researching good diets, healthy meal plans, what to eat, what not to eat and it is pretty conflicting I must admit. I can't really give too much advice to anyone who may be in my shoes as I haven't been too successful at the moment. But one thing I can inform you on is some healthy alternatives to snacks and foods you may consume all the time without thinking about. I can't guarantee that these foods will help you lose weight but they should make you healthier and therefore workouts more productive. They may also seem obvious to some but not to others.

Fruit Juices  à  Actual Fruit
You may not think there is much difference between drinking a glass of orange juice with bits not from concentrate and eating an actual orange but you'd be wrong. Fruits are high in sugar which we all know is cbad. BUT fruits also are high in dietary fibre and contain some other nutrients that make that intake of sugar more acceptable. These nutrients are significantly reduced in juice form yet the sugar content remains high. 
An average orange may contain 3.1g fibre, 12.2g sugars and 1.2g protein  but an average glass of orange juice contains 0.5g fibre, 15.9g sugars and 0.6g protein. I'm guessing if you like orange juice you also like oranges so this shouldn't be too much of a difficult switch.
           Image Source: Pinterest
Fizzy Drinks à Water
This one may be more difficult to do, especially at first but you do get used to it. There are many different reasons why you should switch all drinks to water as often as you can. For one, it helps reach the 8 cups of water goal we are constantly reminded to drink. Water is also the most hydrating drink and often when we feel hungry it's because we are dehydrated, so drinking more water should suppress hunger pangs. Carbonated drinks cause bloating and make you feel full temporarily which means you are more likely to snack in between meals. In addition they are often high in sugar, or if they are diet, high in artificial sweeteners which in large quantities are carcinogenic (cancer causing). Water has 0 calories, and if you add ice to it you actually consume -1 calories as your body has to use energy to regulate the water temperature. I also like to have boiling water with lemon and a dash of paprika which I find really delicious and also increases metabolism and digestion. I'm not saying that you should just drink water for the rest of your life but if on a daily basis you drink water and save other drinks for social events, special meals or even just the weekends you'll be doing your body a whole lot of good!

Adding ice and lemon makes water a lot nicer to drink!

Bread/Buns/Wraps à Lettuce
This is particularly effective if you are trying to reduce your carbohydrate intake but is a healthy alternative anyone can try. I only recently discovered this is a thing and I totally love it. All you have to do is use lettuce leaves as a carbohydrate substitute! So you can still enjoy the family barbecue by wrapping the bun and cheese within two lettuce leaves and have a guilt-free (well, kind of guilt free) Mexican night by putting the delicious fajitas filling on top of lettuce leaves instead of within a wrap. As a society we have diet that is high in carbohydrates and although they are necessary for everyday living they are also big contributors to weight gain and bloating. Although they make you feel full at the end of a meal they also significantly increase your appetite resulting in bigger portion sizes. Small changes such as this means you can still enjoy food and not feel like you are stuck within a diet but still look after your body.
           Image Source: Pinterest
 I originally set out to do around 8 tips but this post ended up being more wordy and technical than I expected. I would have liked to make it more fun but when it comes to eating/drinking, the only fun I think of is chocolate fountains and large glasses of wine. I do think people need to be more aware of what they put into their bodies though.

If you have found this post informative please share and/or comment below and I may do another 3 tips soon.

withloveAmrit

A healthy outside starts with the inside - Robert Urich
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Are you constantly looking for ways to hide dark circles, scars, markings or pigmentation? Or are you just looking for a natural airbrushed looking skin? Maybe you want fuller, longer looking eyelashes without the weight and irritation of false eyelashes. If any of this appeals to you must read this post!
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There is a common misconception surrounding blogs, which is when you start you must have money to spend. Money to spend on buying advertising or having a top of the range Mac, a DSLR Camera and high-technology photo editing software such as Photoshop. As much as I would love to be able to have access to all of  those things, I have managed to get by on a very old Dell, my iPhone camera and a number of free services. I have to admit, blogging isn't easy and can be very time consuming. It is also a slow process trying to get viewers and I am only just about nearing 3000 viewers in total. But once you get into the swing of things and with the help of these low budget tips and tricks, becoming a blogger may be more than just a dream!

Social Media
First of all I think it is important that you have an audience that you can begin with. If you already have 500+ friends on Facebook and 1000+ followers on Instagram your chances of getting a few viewers on your first post are already looking pretty good. I personally use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram a lot and therefore hit 100 views on my first post fairly quickly. Apps like Instagram and Pinterest are also excellent sources for ideas and inspiration!

Bloglovin'
Again, another sort of social media platform but this one is specifically for bloggers! This is an excellent website to use to start broadening your audience, seeing other peoples posts and people actually following your posts! This is a must have for any blogger who hopes to one day have a very large following.

Third-party templates
Once people click on a link that directs them to your blog you want them to stay there. Although we say don't judge a book by its cover unfortunately this isn't always the case and the way your blog looks will leaving a lasting impression on your bloggers. Although you can tweak around with the default templates provided by your platform, after a while you will probably want to venture out and find more specific templates to your taste. Luckily if you search on Google you will find a whole selection of free templates of various layouts and colours!

Dafont.com
To further personalise your blog you may want to look at creating a banner for the top of your blog or a signature to go at the end of your blogposts. In addition you may want to explore different fonts rather than sticking to Arial, Comic Sans or Times New Roman. Dafont has a huge selection of different free fonts that are easy to download and install.

Dropbox
I have found this little app incredibly useful for transferring over pictures from my phone onto my laptop quickly and efficiently to upload on my blogs. This is handy if you only have one or two pictures that you want to upload. If you have a folders worth you will probably better off doing this manually or I use iCloud sharing for iPhone.

Gimp
Once you have your photos you may want to edit them to make them more interesting for your blog. For ages I've been trying to find a product like Photoshop to use but couldn't seem to find one anywhere. Therefore I was delighted to come across a programme called Gimp that is totally free to download and has plenty of features to help created a banner, or editing pictures. For example I took one of my simple holiday pictures.


and with a little editing and adding one of many quotes that I love from Harry Potter I made a picture more meaningful ( I definitely will be creating a blog post about this quote!)

Picture taken on iPhone | Quote taken from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Imagination and Creativity
This is where things start getting more expensive, and no I don't mean you'll be out of pocket. Rich content is what is going to make your readers really come back over everything else. If you write a post that you are passionate about and that contains personality then people are going to enjoy your blog. Don't hesitate to be yourself and don't just follow the tone of your favourite blogger because that;'s them, not you!

Time
Probably the most expensive yet most important requirement of blogging is time. You need time to put into your posts making sure that they have great content, well written text, interesting photos and a good presentation. Also it takes a lot of time for your followers and readers to grow. Sometimes you have to be proactive and get people to look at your blog, whether it be bringing it up in conversations, sharing on social media, following other bloggers and commenting on their profiles in the hope they do the same; it all takes time. I'm still waiting for a good set of readers but slowly I am getting there!


Are there any other free tips and tricks that you have found useful that you would like to share? If so leave a comment and if I think they are particularly good I may add them to this post or create a post number 2 (with credit and link to your blog of course)

withloveAmrit

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.” - Brian Clarke

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First of all I'd like to pat myself on the back because, I just graduated! This is such a significant milestone for me as graduating at 21 means that every year of my life since the age of about 3 has been spent within the institution of education and it is finally all over!

Started of the with standard snapchat selfie!
Progressing to a restaurant picture




My Mum and Dad x



I was so hungry I forgot to take food pictures! Me and my mum shared two side salads and two low fat starters as I am on a diet and my mum likes to join me! My dad however had a juicy steak and chips and a naughty desert to follow!

The I got to the Brighton Dome where the graduation was being held and changed into the graduation attire...

deep down I think he is happy...

Dad's fantastic photography...


Did you get it?
 The answer is no, she didn't, However after taking a few steps back my mum finally learnt how to take a photograph...



That's Amrit Khaira BA(Hons) Applied Psychology and Criminology to you!

 Overall I had such a lovely day and was just so thankful that I didn't fall on my face on stage! Here are some more pictures of me with my family and friends :)















withloveAmrit

"always wear your thinking cap with your party shoes"
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