The Way of Tea

Proper Moments for Drinking Tea by Hsu Ts’eshu

When one’s heart and hands are idle.
Tired after reading poetry.
When one’s thoughts are disturbed.
Listening to songs and ditties.
When a song is completed.
Shut up at one’s home on a holiday.
Playing the ch’in and looking over paintings
Engaged in conversation deep at night.
Before a bright window and a clean desk.
With charming friends and slender concubines.
Returning from a visit with friends.
When the day is clear and the breeze is mild.
On a day of light showers.
In a painted boat near a small wooden bridge.
In a forest with tall bamboos.
In a pavilion overlooking lotus flowers on a summer day.
Having lighted incense in a small studio.
After a feast is over and the guests are gone.
When children are at school.
In a quiet, secluded temple.
Near famous springs and quaint rocks.

You Are What You Eat

My Favourite Places to Eat

~ Restaurant Alimentum and Bar (3 AA Rosettes)
Address: 152-154 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PB, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44(0)1223 413 000

Ethical fine-dining restaurant offering a Modern European menu dictated by the seasons and prepared with passion, integrity and originality.

Website: http://www.restaurantalimentum.co.uk/


~ Shiraz - Restaurant & Bar
Address: 84 Regent Street, Cambridge, CB2 1DP, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44(0)1223 307 581

Specialist Persian/Iranian dishes including Iskander, Ghormeh Sabzi, Fesenjan... not forgetting their dessert: Shole Zard.

Website: http://www.shirazrestaurants.com/


~ Thanh Binh
Address: 17 Magdalene Street, Cambridge, CB3 0AF, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44(0)1223 3620456

Family-run restaurant offering Vietnamese food in quiet intimate surroundings. Unlicensed premises so alcohol is not offered on the menu, however, customers are allowed to bring their own alcoholic drinks for a small corkage fee.


Website: http://www.thanhbinh.co.uk/index.html


~ Teri-aki Restaurant & Bar
Address: 6-8 Quayside, Cambridge, CB5 8AB, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44(0)1223 882288

Japanese restaurant offering a menu with over 100 dishes ranging from sushi to bento meals.

Website: http://teri-aki.co.uk/


~ Chez Jules Bistro
Address: 109 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 4DJ
Telephone: +44(0)131 226 6992

Authentic French food served in basement surroundings.

Website: http://www.chezjulesbistro.com/


~ Jamie's Italian
A chain restaurant conceived by Jamie Oliver - currently consisting of 18 locations within the UK.

Website: http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/


~ Masala Zone
London's leading Indian Brasserie Restaurant serving real Indian food and cuisines in contemporary yet exotic Indian popular art settings.

Website: http://www.masalazone.com/


~ Belgo
Belgian restaurants based in London specialising in mussels, fries and beer. Lobsterfest is normally held in June.

Website: http://www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk/


~ Rice Boat
Address: 37 Newnham Road, Cambridge, CB3 9EY, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44(0)1223 302 800

Offering Kerala cuisine - Indian food but not as you know it!

Website: http://www.riceboat.com/


~ Michaelhouse Cafe
Address: St Michael's Church, Trinity Street, Cambridge, CB2 1SU, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44(0)1223 309147

Located within the 14th century nave of the working collegiate church of St Michael's.

Website: http://www.michaelhousecafe.co.uk/


~ Cosmo Restaurants
Currently consisting of 14 locations within the UK offering a Pan-Asian buffet-style banquet.

Website: http://www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk/

~ Yim Wah Express
Address: 2-4 Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EG
Telephone: +44(0)1223 309530

Offering a wide range of authentic Chinese cuisine.

Website: http://www.yimwahexpress.co.uk/


~ Bill's Cafe, Restaurant and Store
Currently located in Lewes, Brighton, Reading, London and Cambridge offering "delicious and unusual lunch dishes".

Website: http://www.bills-website.co.uk/




* This list is subject to change at any time *

Peppermint Lounge

Things I am Grateful For

~ The opportunity to have Piano lessons during my childhood with Mrs Fuller.
~ The opportunity to have Violin lessons during my childhood with Mr Yangopoulos.
~ The opportunity to have Ballet and Tap dancing lessons during my childhood at the Gina Van Dyke Stage School.
~ The opportunity to join the Brownies during my childhood.
~ The opportunity to have driving lessons with Derek Keogh.
~ Love and support from my family.
~ True friends.
~ The Internet.
~ Music.
~ Digital cameras.
~ Clean drinking water.
~ British Summers.
~ Sunscreen.
~ Working toilets.
~ The hair cutting talent of Fred Gielly.
~ A workplace that promotes people based on their potential and not whether your face fits.




"Music is the international language. If there is music, the world will never end" - Wong Ka Kui.

Viper Room

~ I must not drink alcohol especially cocktails or shots.
~ I must not eat chicken, raw tomatoes or sweetcorn.
~ I am intolerant to certain complex carbohydrates such as rice and potatoes.
~ I am allergic to melons, cucumbers and lychee/longan.
~ I must avoid fizzy drinks.
~ I should not have caffeine after 18:00 hours.
~ I must not take St Johns Wort whilst on the pill.
~ I must not overdose on Chrysanthemum tea.
~ I must avoid soft serve ice cream cones from ice cream vans. 
~ I currently have an aversion to meat.

The Style Bible According to Genevieve Antoine Dariaux

Basic Minimum Wardrobe

For the Winter:
One coat in a bright colour - for example, red.
One matching skirt.
One sweater in a complimentary colour - for example, beige or brown.
One black skirt
One black sweater
One silk sweater, black or white, with a pretty neckline.
One pair of black high heeled pumps.
One pair of flat brown shoes for the country.
One black leather handbag.
One pearl necklace.

Spring and Summer:
One lightweight wool suit, grey or navy.
Two blouses - one dark colour - one solid clear bright colour like lemon yellow, turquoise or pink.
Two skirts in the same material as the blouses; worn together, they become two-piece dresses; perfect for the summer holidays.
One pair of bright coloured trousers.
One pair of navy blue shorts.
Two cotton knit tops, one of them low cut, and both in becoming fashionable shades.
One natural coloured straw handbag.
One pair of linen sandals, the same colour as the trousers.
One pair of strap sandals.

Dresses

To wear almost all year round:
One white wool dress (for lunch, afternoon and informal evenings).
One black crepe dress (simple but very chic, for cocktails, dinner and the theatre.
One bright coloured dinner dress, long or short, in a rather rich wool or silk material.

Plus, in the Winter:
One wool dress in a neutral colour selected to form an elegant ensemble with your winter coat.In the Spring:
One silk dress which forms an ensemble with her Spring coat.
One pretty evening dress , short or long, in a light fabric such as white or a light colour (lemon yellow, turquoise, coral, sky blue etc).

And in the Summer:
As many washable cotton and linen dresses as her particular activities and climate may require.


Quantity

One of the most striking differences between a well-dressed American woman and a well-dressed Parisienne is in the size of their respective wardrobes.

The American would probably be astonished by the very limited number of garments hanging in the Frenchwoman's closet, but she would also be bound to observe that each one is of excellent quality, expensive perhaps by American standards and perfectly adapted to the life the Frenchwoman leads. She buys very few garments; her goal is to possess a single perfect ensemble for each of the different occasions in her life, rather than a wide choice of clothes to suit every passing mood.

It is only her vacation wardrobe that she renews every Summer, most often buying these expendable items ready-made in a department store or an inexpensive boutique.


Travel

If you consider that when you are far away from home and surrounded by strangers, you are judged entirely on the strength of your external appearance, perhaps you will realise the importance of being flawlessly well-dressed whenever you travel.

Which means that your clothes should be perfectly adapted to your role of traveller and not give the impression that you are on your way to a wedding with a veiled hat and a fur stole - or, at the opposite extreme, toward the conquest of Annapurna with a knapsack on your back.

When travelling by train, plane or car, a suit is still your best outfit: in the Winter you might wear it with a coat and warm boots; in the Summer you might wear it with a blouse or light sweater.

If you are lucky enough to embark on a long sea voyage, there exists an established set of rules, which it is wise to respect: Arrive on board in a rather casual ensemble; never dress for dinner the first and last nights at sea, but deck yourself out in  your best evening clothes on the other nights; relax in sports clothes during the morning; appear for lunch in a slightly less informal outfit. All of which necessitates a mountain of luggage, to the great joy  of the few remaining women of unlimited wealth and leisure, who would rather travel by boat than any other way.


All visuals included in this post are copyright to the artist: Andrea Laliberte.

The entirety of this post were derived from: Dariaux, G. A. (2003) A Guide to Elegance, London: Harper Collins.

Good Morning Grant!

"And they wonder why those of us in our twenties refuse to work an 80-hour week just so we can afford to buy their BMWs...why we aren't interested in the counterculture that they invented as if we did not see them disembowel their revolution for a pair of running shoes. But the question remains...what are we going to do now? How can we repair all the damage we inherited? Fellow graduates, the answer is simple. The answer is..." - (Lelaina Pierce).

"Didn't you get my 'espress-yourself' memo?" - (Lelaina Pierce). 

"I'm bursting with fruit flavour" - (Troy Dyer).

"I am not under any orders to make this world a better place" - (Troy Dyer).

"If I could bottle the sexual tension between Bonnie Franklin and Schneider I could solve the energy crisis" - (Troy Dyer).

"Evian is naive spelt backwards" - (Vickie Miller).

"You do know the punishment for premature evacuation?" - (Troy Dyer).

"Hello, you've reached the winter of our discontent" - (Troy Dyer).

"I'm late for a jean-folding seminar" - (Vickie Miner).

"At the beep please leave your name, number, and a brief justification for the ontological necessity of modern man's existential dilemma and we'll get back to you" - (Troy Dyer).


The above quotes were derived from: Reality Bites (1994) Directed by Ben Stiller. USA: Universal Studios. [Video VHS]. 

Do A Good Turn Every Day

Charities Close to my Heart

~ World Vision - founded in 1951.
A Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, their families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

We can give via Child Sponsorship; Must-Have Gifts; Children in Emergencies; regular donations; one-off donations; fundraising; legacies; Book of Remembrance and so on.

Website: www.worldvision.org.uk/


~ Lupus UK via JustGiving
Forever in Our Hearts... in memory of Onyi Chan.
My dedicated page: www.justgiving.com/chanfamily
Page closes: 04/08/2015

My Current HG Products - Part One

 ~ Arbonne FC5 Mattifying Powder
Takes away unwanted shine and reduces the appearance of redness.

~ Baby Bottom Butter from Waitrose 
Great for adults who have patches of dry, itchy or inflamed skin. Contains only natural ingredients: olive oil, vanilla and chamomile oil.

~ Blot Out Offensive by Nurturing Force
Instant matte HD primer/ shine & oil control cream. 

~ Dandelion by Benefit Cosmetics
A ballerina pink finishing powder which I use as a blusher.

~ Dove Beauty Cream Bar
Contains 1/4 moisturising cream - does not dry your skin like other soaps.

~ FACE Atelier Ultra Foundation
Silicone based formula that offers lightweight yet highly pigmented coverage.

~ Keratase Elixir Ultime
Beautifying hair treatment enriched with Maize, Argan, Camellia and Pracaxi oils. Hair is transformed into silky weightless matter.

~ Moisture Surge Face Spray by Clinique
Great for setting mineral makeup.   

~ Origins Multi-Grain Makeup SPF 14
Fortified with oats, vitamins and minerals.


* This list is subject to change at any time *

Brand Preference

Why do I choose to purchase certain items from a particular brand in the presence of other competing brands?

I generally strive to purchase products and services that are made ethically with minimal harm to, and minimal exploitation of, humans, animals and the natural environment.

Affordability, quality and sustainability (respectively) are also taken into account.


Eyes Lips Face
~ Launched in 2004 by Scott-Vincent Borba.
~ Where beauty meets value.
~ The internet is used for branding rather than higher-priced advertising media.
~ The best ingredients are sourced at competitive prices.
~ Products take top priority, rather than packaging.
~ Website: http://eyeslipsface.co.uk/


Origins
~ Powered by Nature. Proven by Science.
~ Long-standing commitment to protect the planet, its resources and all those who populate it is reaffirmed by their earth and animal friendly practices, packaging and policies.
~ Products are formulated without parabens, phthalates, propylene, glycol, mineral oil, PABA, petrolatum, paraffin, DEA or animal ingredients (except cruelty-free honey and beeswax).
~ On-going Plant-A-Tree campaign to help improve the local and global environment.
~ Website: http://www.origins.co.uk/


REN Skincare
~ Clean Bio Active Skincare. Skincare as it should be.
~ Launched in 2000 by Robert Calcraft and Antony Buck.
~ Principles: Right Ingredients; Right Science; Right Attitude; Right Product Experience and Right Environmental Impact.
~ Website: http://www.renskincare.com/


Lily Lolo Mineral Cosmetics
~ Launched in 2005 by Vikki Khan.
~ Recognised and approved under the BUAV Humane Cosmetics Standard for not testing any products on animals.
~ Recognised by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for a cruelty free production process.
~ Every product is free from harsh chemicals, dyes and fillers and even has antibacterial properties to help improve the skin.
~ Website: http://www.renskincare.com/


Laboratoires Embryolisse
~ Began in 1950 by a dermatologist specialising in skin pathologies.
~ Pharmaceutical skincare products that are essential, effective, natural and highly tolerant.
~ A sincere, authentic and effective skin care brand, for all women who wish to commit their skin to a recognized expert in the health and beauty industry.
~ Website: http://www.worldwide.embryolisse.com/
~ Online ordering: http://www.cocobeau.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=65


Bam Clothing
~ A Bamboo clothing brand founded by David Gordon in 2006.
~ Products are made from 70% natural Moso bamboo fibre - a sustainable resource
from the Yunnan Province.
~ Clothes are made by workers in Europe and in Turkey, paid with minimum wages and in excellent working conditions.
~ Bamboo fabric is soft, smooth and comfortable as well as being strong and durable. Bamboo fabric has moisture wicking and thermo controlling qualities and is suitable for sensitive or allergy prone skin.
~ Website: http://www.bambooclothing.co.uk/


MUJI
~ No Brand Quality Goods
~ Japanese company selling household and consumer products at reasonable prices whilst following their simple policy: to conserve resources and reduce waste.
~ Website: http://www.mujionline.co.uk/



* This list is subject to change at any time *


"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit" - Aristotle.