Picnic Monday

London weather is very unpredictable. Spring started off with snow and hardly any sun and I was already beginning to think that yet again we were not going to have any summer and my lovely summer dresses will have to stay in the closet this season. However, I was very wrong. Since the end of June, we have had in London a proper summer, some days temperatures even reaching as high as 30 degrees! While many people complained that it was becoming TOO hot and failed to look after themselves properly, I was enjoying my summer…and in fact still am…It is end of August and it is still lovely and warm in London. The weather forecasts are for yet another two wonderful weeks of good weather, clear skies and bright sun.

So, I took this opportunity to go for a picnic with my boyfriend in my local park on a beautiful sunny bank holiday Monday.  

For such an outdoor occasion, I decided to wear  "jumpsuit shorts". I don't usually wear such short clothes or jumpsuits for that matter;however, I could not resist buying these ones. They are black and decorated with tiny metallic type beads in various patterns. I have accessorized my picnic look with a hat that successfully protected my eyes against the bright sun.  My boyfriend, on the other hand, went for a casual grey look, brightening it with a multi-coloured stripy rucksack. Actually, the rucksack is where we packed our yummy food for the day!!! 

Below is a photo of the willow tree in the park under which we sat and enjoyed our romantic luncheon.

We made a sort of "mediterranean" picnic, taking with us tomatoes, cucumber, rocket, salad leaves, cream cheese, salami, olives and houmous, and we ate it with wraps. It was lovely, light and summery. As dessert we had juicy sweet watermelon.  

The park, in itself, is beautiful and green and has three lakes, small golf court, tennis court and a mini garden. I love taking walks there in early mornings or evenings, when everywhere is still and quiet. It reminds me of the enchanted forest. 

On the way back home, looking happy as ever, after a relaxing day out.

My Furrrrrrry Neighbourhood

In the area where I live, which is the North of London, it seems that I am surrounded by cats. Everywhere I look, I see these lovely furry creatures. Some of them friendly and are willing to let you touch and pet them, others are more hostile, taking care not to come too close. All of these cats look domestic, or at least part domestic. This means, they mostly live outside, but come back “home” in time for meals or to sleep in warm blankets in rainy chilly days.

I love cats. They are such interesting animals, each with their own sort of personality and air of “authority”. It’s like that note on a postcard I have see once, has said, “Dogs have masters; cats have staff”.

Here are some photos of neighbouring cats. Unfortunately not all cats wanted to be photographed. Some of them ran away before I could get the chance to get my camera ready; while some of them actually got angry and furious and hissed at me…

The black beauty in this photo lives a few houses away from me. She occasionally allows me to cuddle her and carry her around...of course she prefers when I bring her  an eatable treat in return for her "favour" to me.

The two mistresses below are lovely to look at but are not so friendly as they seem, especially the white and grey one.

This white and grey cat started hissing at me as I was following her around trying to get a good picture of her. Every time I focused my camera, she turned away, as if on purpose. Eventually she got tired of me "stalking" her and disturbing her peace and quiet, so she "told" me in her cat language to go away and leave her alone.

The white/black and ginger cat below was very friendly and kind to me. She kept circling me and rubbing herself against my legs :)...she was either feeling too happy that day or it was another one of cat's sneaky manoeuvres so I would give her something tasty to eat...

I wish I could have a cat of my own here in London; however, since I am renting an apartment that does not permit any pets, plus my current busy life style, I cannot commit at present to have a cat. So, the idea of getting a cat would have to wait until my living circumstances change and I can get my own home. 

Sweet Friday!!!

This weekend is starting off with a “sweet note” for me…as today me and my boyfriend went to London’s sweetest attraction, the M&M's World. Until today, I vaguely heard about its existence; however, never REALLY thought that there actually is a whole shop dedicated to the funny little chocolate characters of various colours….

The place is simply amazing and smells of chocolate inside. Everywhere there are figures of M&M's characters and not just the most commonly known Yellow and Red, but also Green, Organge, Brown and Blue…

Moreover, there are various items on sale inside the store such as stationary, T-shirts and caps, jewellery, key rings, mugs and cutlery, stuffed toys and of course chocolates. I could not believe my eyes, everywhere I looked there were M&M's…and I mean EVERYWHERE…

Here are the cutest chess ever...I would not mind playing a set or two with these chess myself.

On the left is the London Guard M&Ms wearing the well known tall beaver hat, with whom I had the greatest honour of being photographed next to. Then, on the right, we can see  Sir Knight M&Ms in his Shining Armour ;) posing in his heroic pose next to my knight in striped knitwear.

There are even  paintings of some of the well known M&M's ;). Below is His Majesty Henry 

M&Ms 8th and his daughter Queen Elizabeth M&Ms. 

In the next paintings we can see the famous outlaw of Sherwood, Robin M&Ms Hood and the two inseparable detectives, Sherlock M&Ms Holmes and his loyal partner Doctor M&Ms Watson. 

I was surprised to see that these chocolate characters have an almost celebrity status!!! 

So for anyone who is travelling to London, aside from visiting some of the more common sightseeing places of London such as Tower of London, Buckingham Palace  and Westminster Abbey, I advise to add this cute, fun and sweet attraction to the list. 

Check-mate

Last weekend, while aimlessly strolling about Oxford Circus, I went into one of my favourite brand stores, Desigual. Their shop and window displays are always so unique, bright and colourful, as is the brand itself. Their prints and mixes of colours and patterns are simply stunning and very different from other brands, which is why I like them.

So, as I was admiring the clothes and the interior décor of the shop, I noticed this beautiful check patterned “man” style tunic shirt. It came with a colourful plaited belt. The shirt was coloured in various shades of indigo and blue. On top, near the collar area there are beaded patterns stitched in, and buttons are in different colours and shapes, which gave the shirt a nice girly and feminine touch. I can actually imagine myself wearing it with black or white skinny jeans or just blue jeans. Unfortunately, I cannot buy the shirt at the moment, as it is slightly out of my budget. 

Then later that day, once I got home, I went through my wardrobe and realized that I already have quite a lot of clothes in check pattern. Here are just some of the check-patterned clothes that I have.

This is a shirt dress that I usually wear with black leggins. Its dark blue colour and thick fabric make it ideal for evening summer walks in London. 

The next garment is a kind of bolero. It originally came with a brown woolen dress but I like to wear it with some of my other dresses. Its design and brown colour add a lovely "vintagy" and "period" touch to the look and can be an a ideal accessory for completing an evening attire. 

Next is a green/white check wasitcoat. It is slightly lose, so I wear it with a black belt, which also emphasizes my waist. In this outfit, I combined the waistcoat with black shorts and black top that has puffed up and slightly gathered sleeves. It can also be worn with white or black leggins. Simple, casual and lovely!

In the next photo, which was taken this Sunday, I am strolling in my local park in this simple black and white check patterned shirt-dress. I seem to like shirt dresses too. At the back there is a tied bow, and at the front I just tied a lose knot. I made 3/4 sleeves, but they can also be made shorter or left long, depending on the weather. This is very useful for London weather, one never knows when the chilly wind may blow and hide the sun with clouds...I wore this outfit with black leggins, but it can also be worn with tights or in warmer days just on its own.

So, after carefully inspecting contents of my wardrobe, I came to a conclusion that even though it may seem like I do have enough of checks to last me a long time, I still find myself yearning for that Desigual shirt. 

Thus, for the present all that remains for me to do  is to fantasize about possessing that unique Desigual shirt, patiently wait until the sale day and free up some "VIP" space in my wardrobe ;)...and in the mean time, I will just have to be satisfied with wearing checks that  already clutter my wardrobe. :)

Dress to Impress

Job search can be very tiring, time consuming and fruitless for quite a long time…preparing CV and covering letters, sending them and then getting ready for the interview. Personally, I don’t quite enjoy the whole preparation process, but what I do enjoy is actually getting ready for the interview and picking the look to make the most professional and positive impression. This includes everything: hairstyle, accessories, jewellery, shoes, make up, nail polish, perfume, clothes, hand bag and portfolio case or folder. Usually it takes me a few hours to get the look that I want; however, there were a few times when I had to pick an outfit in just 3 hours before the interview. Very nerve racking, but I have been to quite a few interviews, so I know generally what to expect in terms of dress code. The key to remember is Dress to Impress.

I have noticed that showing some creativity in the dressing attire can show the potential employers that you possess ingenuity, confidence and ability to stand out from the crowd. Plus, even if you don’t happen to get the job, at least you look fantastic ;)

Here are some of the photos of the looks I have picked that would be ideal to impress any interviewer. So even if he/she cannot remember what you talked about, at least they will remember how you presented yourself, which is a big statement in itself.

Below, I am dressed in a simple black dress. Its greatest feature is its cut, which unfortunately  is not visible in the photo. I accessorized it with a black thin belt and torquise jewellery. I have also applied simple almost natural make-up; however, kept the eye shadow blue which is the same hue as the jewellery. I like choosing accessories and make-up in contrast to the main colour of my dress, as it adds a nice touch to the whole look and keeps it interesting, as oppose to just having black and white colour tones. I prefer wearing heels to the interview as they give me the confidence and a walk that I need. I kept the bag simple black to match the white/black shoes. The hairstyle is  minimal and simple to give a nice clean finish but not boring. There are braids going from each side of my head into a low pony tail  that finishes at my left side . I try to stay away from the overly used buns and chignon hair styles. The key with this dress is to let it speak for itself. It is a statement dress so I kept the whole look simple, effortless and elegant.

In the next photo, I am wearing a dress that I accidentally stumbled upon in the thrift store. I love its fabric. The top has an almost woven lace effect, while the yellow band and the skirt which has yellow weaves in it too are also made as if it is has been woven. Additionally, the neckline, the neck ruff and the cut are simple but yet intriguing. The waistline is done in just the right place, so it does not cut my body in two, but keeps it in a nice single graceful line. I accessorized it with a single blue wooden bangle and blue heels that match the blue of the dress. I am wearing here the same black bag as in the previous photo. The outfit already has three main colours, so keeping the bag a neutral black keeps the whole look together. Due to the hot weather, I am wearing a pony tail here however the golden sparkly hair band adds a nice sparkle to the look and keeps within the colour palette of the entire look. The make-up is kept to  a minimal and the eye shadow is dark indigo blue. The earrings, which are not visible, are small and are white with blue flowers drawn on them. I have finished the look with a yellow folder, where I kept my CV. It is visible in the second photo, behind my right hand. It perfectly matched the yellow band of the dress. This entire looks states that  you don't have to wear black and white to the interview. Bright colours and coordinating the colour palette can add a lovely distinguishing and bold touch to the entire look.

In another interview I have worn this dress that I got in Nepal. I was really attracted by the lovely silk fabric, the bog green colour, the interesting print and the cut of the dress. Since it was cold, I have worn it with a simple black jacket and a light blush pink pashmina scarf that is in line with pink colours in the dress and my hot pink Ben de Lisi bag. In order to keep the whole look together I have worn simple bog green shoes, this way, I am not distracting the eye from the actual dress but keeping everything in tone with it, so the dress stands out more. 

My hair is just let loose and eye make up is smoky green shade. This creates a simple statement, as oppose to just having neutral make up. The jewellery is a set of earrings and necklace that consist of medium size beads connected together with black string. The reason why I picked this unusual and not classy jewellery as the dress is already of elegant cut. Its print suggests vigour, energy and brightness. So having a slightly edgy and raw jewellery creates a nice balance between elegance and wilderness.

As you can see, later when London weather changed to warmer temperatures, I have worn the exact same dress but slightly differently. Here I am wearing the golden sparkly hairband to give the pony tail a more sophisticated look and add a sparkle into my hair. The jewellery is same as in the previous look; but this time since I am not wearing the jacket, I had the opportunity to wear a green bracelet on my right hand. Shoes are also green but this time a higher heel and more edgy. They have a simple bow at the side. Here, I am going for an elegant but yet edgy look. Having a simple black bag adds a nice sophisticated and classy touch to the entire look.

 

In this photo, I went for classical black and white colours. I like this dress again for its simplicity and elegance. I have accessorized it with a thin black belt and torquise jewellery. Just as previously mentioned, the blue adds a nice contrast to the monochrome colour palette, which is why I have also worn the blue heels. Make-up here is simple; however, the eye shadow is torquise. I really like this look as it screams confidence and elegance, which are the two key ingredients in making a strikingly good first impression. 

Apart from the impressive dress attire, there are a few other things to keep in mind when applying for a job.

Firstly, ensuring your CV and covering letters are well written and express your views and passion with regards to the job being applied for. So key to remember is not only to KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid but, as I prefer, to continue KISSIN’ ;), which is Keeping It Simple Stupid and Interesting.

Also. general advice is to write the truth; however, a little lie cannot hurt anyone. My rule, if “a lie” is based on true facts, is reasonable and can make your CV stand out from the crowd, then put it in. At least it will get you to the interview stage. This is where the real action begins. In the interview, even though it may seem like the interviewer is in charge, he actually is not. It is the interviewee who is in control. I always see interviews as almost defending your case. The employers want to see what you have to offer, so it is similar to defending yourself and proving to them you are appropriate for the job.  So, rule number two, is to show what you know, not what you don’t know. My University lecturer used to say this in the exam context, but I believe it can be applied to any real life example.

Finally, CHEEESEEEE. Smiling helps. It shows you have an enthusiastic and friendly attitude. :)

So, now there should not be a reason why anyone cannot nail the job they want or least the one they don’t mind doing for a while until they find the job of their dreams. At least that is what I am doing at present. I am still searching for my dream job, but I am staying optimistic and confident and believe that just around the corner, there is a job position perfect for me which is becoming vacant right this moment and soon I will be dressing and getting ready for an interview for it.