6 months left until we are in 2020, can you believe the madness? We are in the midst of Summer, and I hope everyone is enjoying this indecisive weather. Whether you are just dating or in a relationship, there is no better time to enjoy the outdoors in the capital.
I am a fan of daytime drinks as everyone knows ( and here are some of my favourite boozy brunch spots around the city) and the alfred le roy is a perfect spot by the canals in hackney wick. The boat is sometimes stationary or you can take a ride with it. The sun, views and chilled vibes makes it a perfect date spot.
On the topic of day time drinking, a bottomless brunch is always a good date idea. Big easy in Canary wharf is a great choice with a live band, lively cocktail bar and meaty food with bubbles for a more party date than something romantic.
Moving away from the alcohol and food, spend some time with mother nature. Taking walks and having picnics in the park are such underrated activities, you get to spend one on one time with your date and talk about anything your heart desires while breathing in the fresh air, you might have to leave central London for this. Richmond to see the deer is the perfect escape from the hustle.
Walking through little Venice near Paddington is a guaranteed romantic stroll paired with a stop at one of the many cafe’s by the canal.
Finally, the outdoor top golf spots around London and Essex are ideal for an outdoor activity with some competitiveness while you can still cute. Now go forth and enjoy your weekend!
Hola! Selamat Datang, Willkommen! Sorry for the radio silence.
For anyone following me on social media, you will know I have reluctantly returned from an almost 3 week vacation with my other half. It was his first visit to southeast Asia and the first time I’ve ever brought a guy back to meet my family in Singapore. So quite a big deal for both of us.
We have been on short weekends away but this is something else. When you’re back home everyone has their own friends they meet up with and work they go to, so travelling together for a long period is a completely different dynamic because you are with each other 24/7.
Safe to say, we survived it and came home even stronger with some amazing memories but I thought sharing a few expectations and tips from my own experiences could help anyone preparing for their first couple’s trip.
Expect Arguments: And they will be about the silliest things but bickering is normal with anyone you spend a lot of time with. The important thing is to realise that it is inevitable and try and be conscious of the other person’s feeling.
Expect lots of laughs: While I started this article of with arguments, majority of your holiday should be filled with a lot of adventures and laughs, maybe a couple mosquito bites. But I always knew that my “the one” had to be someone I could travel to and liked doing the same things I did abroad ( a lot of adventures!).
And in many instances, a long holiday with your significant other can make or break the relationship the same way moving in with someone does.
In my opinion, these are signs that your partner is not a great travel partner and that always raises warning signals for me:
If you want to do completely separate things on holiday and can’t agree on activities.
If you cannot compromise on the little things
If there is no communication to get to the bottom of any arguments and you would rather not talk about it
If your other half enjoys spending more time with other people on holiday than spending one on one time with you
If they get jealous when other men/women are around
So how can you make sure your trip has the strongest chance of being great? Plan the holiday together so everyone has a say on what they want to do and a rough itinerary is agreed on, at the same time try and be relaxed so that not every minute of the day is planned – that is an argument waiting to happen.
Take turns with responsibilities, don’t be the person that always is in charge of the map or blamed for getting lost.
Finally, take the pressure off yourselves. You guys will be tired at the end of a long day, the romance is in spending time together and having a laugh but also do not think that some time by yourself ( a stroll on the beach is perfect!) means you’re not meant to be together.
So I have returned from Bali, sorry I know I am still posting about the holiday on instagram, there were just so many insta-worthy moments captured (shoutout to the amazing boyfriend).
One thing Bali has plenty off is waterfalls, and I love a powerful, serene waterfall. So it was no surprise that we spent quite a few days trying to suss out the best waterfalls in Bali, and quite honestly it was hard because there were so many we didn’t even get to see. The sad news is, they are all spread out across the mesmerising island. Staying in Ubud is prime location to reach many of the well-known waterfalls, a popular one being Tegenungan Waterfall.
While this waterfall was the most powerful one we saw, it was also the most populated with tourists and access is restricted for safety due to the utter strength it possesses. I would suggest going here as early as possible to have a better chance of quietly taking mother nature in.
My top favourite was Kanto Lampo, a slightly less known fall that we only found about through our driver. The fall was less infiltrated with people and you can be one with it, climbing right on the rocks and embracing the force of nature. From Ubud this is about an hour drive and you can visit the Goa Gajah temple en-route but I wouldn’t suggest planning an activity after this fall as it takes your energy out with the climb and current wrestling.
Finally, Tucad Cepung gives you all the mystical, instagrammable vibes of a hidden gem. Catching the light at the perfect time is vital for the gram, before noon should do the trick (I am sure another website has more precise information for the instagram influencer… )
Just let go and fall like a waterfall
Bob Ross
Prices range from about 20,000 IDR to 30,000 IDR per person which gains you entry to the waterfall.
What were some of your favourite waterfalls on this tropical island?
Before I start this post, I just want to say I am no
nutritional or fitness expert. I do a lot of research and experiment with different
types of activities. Last year after two semi-successful pole dancing classes,
I realised how weak I was in my upper body and core and doing weights in the
gym made me realise how weak my back was. I was constantly having lower back
pains and I needed to concentrate on building my strength without rushing to my
weight goal.
Majority of the weight loss I saw was after the Christmas sluggish period where most of us probably put on a few cakes and glasses of wine. Before I found out about my yeast intolerance, I decided to just cut out refined sugar and lower the carbs in January. On top of that I went completely alcohol free. And there you have it – the secret diet…
Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? Think again. All I do is crave sugar in the winter and especially when it’s gloomy outside, which it always is. I had to swap chocolates with fruits and nuts but the truth it, while I had withdrawal symptoms and the sugar free flu for the first week of Jan, the cravings subsided in the next weeks and soon I wasn’t constantly thinking about brownies and wine. I did have a week of intermittent fasting but I realised it became too hard with the physical training I was undergoing.
In terms of fitness, I do have a PT (aka my boyfriend) which helps me with focusing on target areas through free weights and body weight, at the same time I also upped my cardio. I started to go to the gym twice a day, at least two times a week. The first session would be a body targeted weight session and the second gym visit would consist of 25-30minute cardio with 10 minutes abs.
With all these factors, I managed to lose 4.5Kg in January which was impressive for my standards! However, since then the weight loss has admittedly plateaued. Possibly due to the alcohol being re-introduced into my diet once – twice a week.
But it was impossible not to drink in February seeing as it is my birthday month, a very serious affair. With all the celebrating and cheat meals, I managed to keep my weight stable ( thanks to the gym) but since then I have upped my game in the gym and in the kitchen and I continuing to tone.
With all these factors, I managed to lose 4.5Kg in January which was impressive for my standards! However, since then the weight loss has admittedly plateaued. Possibly due to the alcohol being re-introduced into my diet once – twice a week. But it was impossible not to drink in February seeing as it is my birthday month, a very serious affair. With all the celebrating and cheat meals, I managed to keep my weight stable ( thanks to the gym) but since then I have upped my game in the gym and in the kitchen and I continuing to tone.
The truth is, I have never liked to weight myself because I found it could sometimes be so de-motivating if they scales do not reflect the hard work. We all know muscles weight more than fat so as you tone your body, your weight won’t fall as much. And while I have only lost another 0.5kg since Feb, I can see a continued loss in body fat through pictures tracking. I continue to do fitness class to keep the heart rate high, like the one I did recently with Modibodi to launch their new sweat proof gym leggings ( what a treat!) .
But what I am extremely proud of is my commitment to Yoga. Since the beginning of this month I have gone twice every week and it has already stopped the lower back pains AND strengthen/tone my core muscles. I have said this before, but this time I really am going to give monthly updates on my diet & fitness progress. Next update will be to share more yeast free, low carb, candida friendly and nutritional recipe’s that have helped me cut down on some body fat. I still have a long way to go but I’m moving in the right direction!
What are some of your health and fitness tips/challenges?
So one of my major 2019 aims was to understand my body and health a bit more. I have enrolled in a free Uni course around how food is your medicine and also taken an intolerance test to understand my specific needs. I already new that I was intolerant to dairy after my vegan detox where my skin cleared and my stomach stopped feeling so bloated and uneasy. But cutting out dairy didn’t stop the pains completely and with two of my close friends finding out about Candida and yeast overgrowth, I was interested to learn more. Not only did my test results show an intolerance to yeast and dairy, it turns out that I am intolerant to Soya, egg yolk , pepper (wtf), walnuts and rasberries. The idea behind intolerance tests is to cut out the food items for 4 to 6 weeks and reintroduce them into your diet one at a time to see which item/ingredient is causing you discomfort, as not all of them do.
There are many other side effects people encounter from yeast and that could be dry/flaky skin, itching and irritation and thrush! My biggest heart break was thinking that I couldn’t have rice or bread, my two favourite carbs and comfort food. But thank god for all the alternatives that exist in this world.
Marbella is not like your typical Mediterranean beach city. Sure, it’s got all the things you would expect and more from a city of the Med. incredibly soft and warm sand that you sink into with each step. Beautiful hiking paths that winds around the coast, up the hills and into the city alleyways. The succulent and fresh as can be fish that is fried in gorgeous rich olive oil is here too. However, it’s not the same as many cities on the Mediterranean coast because it has a lot of British culture. There’s a British school for kids to go to as there are many British expats that have retired here or work in the city’s many sectors. If you’re from Britain you’ll feel right at home as they have good old fashioned British pubs, plenty of fish and chip shops, and many people who speak English. In fact many of the apartments and modern hotels are geared toward something you might like in the way of Western decor instead of Spanish. You can mix a bit of home with a bit of Spanish coastline.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! I love birthdays because you just get so much love from old friends, new friends, strangers and everyone you love. It is that one day in the year you really get to appreciate yourself and celebrate being you and everyone knows I love to celebrate me all February. I was getting ill on the weekend so I did not have as much of a party but I shall make up for that this in the next few days 😊
Turning 28 hasn’t hit me as hard as when I turned 27 last
year. I know age is nothing but a number, but 27 is a really shit number
because it just feels like a late 20’s vibe. 28 however is still my late 20s
and I am use to that now and to be honest, I had such a great year last year I
cannot wait to see what this year has to bring!
I wrote this post on what I wish I knew in my early 20s when I turned 25. I love reading my old posts as it shows my personal growth (hopefully) and change in perspective. It also makes me realise that I made such a big deal about entering my late 20s and the horror when actually life has been so uphill since my 25th Birthday.
It is my last week of being 27, oh my god I am 2 years away from 30 AHH.
In both of my girl WhatsApp group chats, I am the oldest or 2nd oldest, and with that comes a lot of responsibility as well as an extra year of experience and wisdom..
Like probably most girls my age, I have seen it all – the nice guys who are just too full on, the friend zoned guys, the not too bad but didn’t wow me guys, and the scums that walk this planet.
I’m back again with Love Talks With Mel(this might become a regular thing), I have been getting so much feedback that you guys like the lifestyle/relationship posts that you can relate to, so here is a topic that comes up in my group chats all the time. It is crazy how each of us are so individual yet we have so many parallels in our lives that coincide. I live for discussions with my girlfriends because we all have different approaches and rationals when it comes to the dating sphere yet there are somethings we just all agree on too.
I was dating for almost two years before I met my “the one” so this post is solely based on my experience of the frogs I crossed to get to Prince charming. Disclaimer: I am not a dating expert, do not blame me if you meet the wrong one but saw all the right signs… 🙂
Flying was once an expensive luxury – indeed, the cost of a private jet is still very high, but there are ways that people can fly private for less than you might think, you just have to know what to look for. Thanks to changes in technology and oil prices, those of us seeking escapism, but for whom private jets are still out of our budgets, find that it is now easier than ever to board a plane to any number of destinations around the world. However, the trick here is to make sure you’re not paying more than you need to and to do that there are a couple of ideas to consider. Firstly, make the most of cheap flight gurus who are spending their times researching the best priced journeys around the world. Websites that once started small like Scott’s Cheap Flights and Jack’s Flight Club are now causing serious ripples in the travel market and helping travelers to be transported for less.
Mel Adela | London Travel And Lifestyle Blog 