Hi Dubai!

If you have seen my previous blog post, you will know that I went to Dubai over Easter and had an amazing time (the video shows it all). I have been back over a week now and I already feel the need to take a trip down memory lane and look at all my photos. Sometimes it's good to put your blog into good use and use it as an online scrapbook for everything you love. This is me doing just that...

If you are wanting to visit Dubai, these photos and my video are probably the perfect resources in persuading you to go (or in my case making me a bit depressed that I'm not there- sorry!). It may give you some ideas on what kind of stuff to see or do if you ever want to visit. Who knows?! Have a peek. 

(WARNING: excessive photo-taking and posing)

Our first night there we went on a little wooden boat in old Dubai to the souks at sunset. From what I know it was pretty cheap so it's a nice thing to do to venture out of the skyscraper jungle. Go at sunset for the best photo opportunities. Just look at that! 

The second day we went on a desert safari with Emirates Arabian Adventures. It was so fun and really good value for money (about £50-60 per person). It includes all transport, dune-bashing, drinks, camel-riding, 3-course meal in the desert, entertainment, henna tattoos, shisha, and more which I have probably forgotten. We got picked up from the Jumeirah Beach Hotel that had the best view of the Burj Al Arab so I, of course, had to take a very Instagram-able photo. 

For good measure, I thought I would throw in a picture of the Palace hotel where we picked some people up from for the desert safari. We later went for drinks there in the evening as we sat under the Burj Khalifa drinking Sangria. 

Sunset in the desert! (*tick it off the bucket list*)

Now skiing in Dubai was a pretty surreal moment. Ski Dubai is the largest indoor snow centre in the world so I had to go. The place was so big it had a chair lift in it, and penguins, a snow park AND a zipwire. I decided to stick to the skiing and it was incredible. I was so happy that I took a selfie by myself on the chair lift because I had no cares. 

These are the views from the Palace hotel which I mentioned earlier. Dubai is so pretty at night. 

Below is a picture of my crew before we went for brunch. Too. Many. Gins. 

The Atlantis waterpark, Aquaventure, was on the next day's agenda. I emphasise that the price on the website is wrong! We turned up and had to pay a bit extra and pay for a towel but we were too excited to care that much. The lazy river at Aquaventure is the king of lazy rivers, with rapids, slides, and a wave pool. I think we went round about 3 times and it is long. The staff even recognised us on our last circuit...

A really fun (scary) ride. And below: the queuing system in this waterpark was the best- a sit-down conveyer belt.

On our last evening we went to Dubai Mall to have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, to see the fountains, and to go up the Burj Khalifa- the tallest building in the world. Due to Dubai laws not permitting the sale of alcohol in restaurants, the Cheesecake Factory had an amazing 'mocktail' menu that we all chose a drink from. They were huge and sooo good, I just wish were outside drinking them in the sun!

The portions at the Cheesecake Factory are absolutely massive. I will award anyone who finishes one of their portions a medal because my word, I struggled. It looked like I hadn't touched the plate when I finished. It was such good value for money considering the portion size and in hindsight, we should've shared! I decided on a Chinese Chicken Salad with orange, rice noodles and plum sauce. I mean, look at it, its the size of a small child!

(I am loving culottes at the moment- these are from Topshop). 

Up the Burj! SO TALL.

And there you go! As you can tell I had an awful time ;)

Take me back!

x

The Dubai Music Video

Give 4 girls a GoPro, a selfie stick and a catchy pop song in a hot, picturesque country then the result is this...

A couple of weeks back, my housemates and I ventured to Dubai on a much-needed holiday before all the hard work begins. My housemate lives out there so for the other 3, it was our first time to Dubai and we had such a good time. Dubai is something we have heard more about in the last two years than we have ever in our lives. Tell me two years ago that I would be going to Dubai on holiday, I would've asked you if I had won the lottery or had found a new obsession with entering TV competitions. With only a flight to pay for, the holiday was unquestionable: we are going to go to Dubai. 

Now, this video is just a fun insight to our week frolicking in the desert sunshine and I aim to do a few 'picture' blog posts on here over the next week or so. If you know me well by now, you know that these music videos are hobby of mine. So much so, that they are now expected if I go away anywhere. Suppose I have to live up to it!

Enjoy! 

Where Else Can You Find Me?

What a weird blog post you're thinking (I know I know I didn't know what else to call it). Now hear me out, I do have reasons.

I am currently a busy writing bee, writing for 3 blogs in total. This blog is my own where I freely write about anything I fancy, full of random posts of absolutely anything and everything. VeryBecca developed when I finished my first year of university in an attempt to help my writing progress over the summer and fortunately have carried it on almost a year later *pat on the back*. 

However, I have recently been required to write a blog for my university course that must be related to the upcoming General Election in May. Now, this is not my main topic of interest, nor is it in the interest of many young people like myself, but the aim of this blog is to direct people into understanding their government and their policies. Mainly looking at tuition fees as a foundation for the blog, I aim to deliver a jargon-free account of the student life in 2015 and how it could potentially change depending on who we vote for. If you wish to find out more click here to direct you to my other blog. 

Also, out of interest rather than my degree, I write fortnightly for TheDailyTouch- an online publication for students. You can find my posts under my name on the site for all my ski season and student-related posts. It lets my sarcasm and wit thrive in all it's glory! (Not entirely sure why my photo isn't showing in the below picture but imagine a beautiful, gorgeous Victoria Secret model). 

Thanks!

Durdle Door

In my opinion, March is the worst month of the year. I apologise if your birthday is in March but for me it is so dreary and full of nothing. Luckily my housemates agreed with me that we need to venture out of the Bournemouth bubble and make something happen in March. We packed up the car with some Haribo and sunglasses (necessities) and ventured to Durdle Door in West Lulworth, Dorset for some fun that involves taking a lot of Instagram-worthy pictures. 

Despite the parking being rather pricey (£3 for 2 hours!), we managed to park at the top of the cliff at a holiday park quite quickly. The drive there was beautiful with lots of windy roads and cottages that seemed so quaint and peaceful that I wanted to escape there for the rest of the weekend. To think this has been right on my doorstop for the last couple of years is baffling. If it has taught me anything, it's that I need to get out of Bournemouth a lot more, even if that involves paying pounds rather than pennies to park the car in a field. 

The Durdle Door experience isn't one for the indoorsy kind of people. It didn't really register to us at the beginning that we need to walk down the cliff and even worse so, walk back up. It couldn't have been a better day with the weather resembling a British summer rather than a mere, dreary Spring. It was so picturesque. I probably took about 50+ photos of the sea at about 3 different angles but hey ho, I was loving this amazing view and fresh air. Maybe I was just high off the country air and seaside breeze...

After being so overwhelmed with the breathtaking scenery, we decided to go right down to the bottom, onto the gravelly beach and frolick in the sunshine (one of our favourite pastimes). 

The peace and tranquility of it all had to end at some point though so we began our walk up the cliff and back to the car. Bearing in mind it took us 20 minutes to take pictures, walk down to the beach, and sit down- it took us 20 minutes to walk back up. It felt like I had been for a run but it was so worth it! After reminding ourselves that we aren't as fit as we think we are and whilst feeling very proud of our hiking skills, we thought we would head to a country pub on the way home for some well-deserved food. 

We kept our eyes out for the best pub on the way there so we settled for the most English looking one that served food. The Weld Arms is in East Lulworth is a 10 minute drive away from West Lulworth. It was quiet for a Saturday so we were rather intrigued whether it was open or not. Luckily it was open and sat at a table in a quiet area where the ceilings were low and the interior was all vintage and country. We kept on saying how cute it all was and that we wanted to take so many pictures to pop on Pinterest. Have a look at the pictures and understand what we meant!

We all had a passionfruit Redkorderlig (the best thing on a sunny day!) and I chose a beetroot risotto with vegetable crisps on top. It was so good. In fact, we were all so impressed with it all we are already planning to go back with our other housemates, but maybe next time we can sit in the garden without being too cold!

Ticked Durdle Door off the list, now where's next?

10 Steps of Organisation...

We all want to be more organised in life. It is sometimes the simplest things that make us feel ten times better, whether that's new stationary or writing a to-do list. I am a fan of the latter, making endless lists containing even the tiniest tasks that weigh a ton on my shoulders. Organisation makes life so much easier, but for some can be daunting and time-consuming. Truth is, it isn't. If it is, you are doing it wrong. Organising your life, your social life and work life, makes your week a whole lot better, finding you will have more time to have fun and relax which I'm sure we all need. Oh life, why are you so tough?! 

Most people say I'm a pretty organised person so I'm here to share with you the tricks of the trade that work well for me. It may not work well for you but hey, it's worth a try...

1. Make to-do lists

I make many. I put them on my whiteboard which I bought for a mere £2 from Asda. I draw bullet points as hearts and fill them in once I've completed the task and trust me, the colouring in of that little heart is an amazing feeling. 

2. Buy storage

Now storage comes in many shapes and forms and for pretty much everything. I even have a storage tray for my lipsticks as girls, we all know that lipsticks grow legs and escape from our bags. Storage allows things to not go missing, meaning you can save a lot of valuable time instead of frantically rushing to find things. It also allows you to categorise your belongings, from uni work to your toiletries. You will find you will become a much tidier and less stressed person.

3. Setting your clocks/watch 5 minutes early

Time is valuable so do everything 5 minutes before you were meant to. This is a hard one as you have to tell yourself that your watch is on time, but if you are an organisation pro you will just assume that your watch is correct. Imagine never being late for things, seems ideal doesn't it?

4. Begin a project as soon as you can

Even just laying out the foundations or an idea will gain your project some momentum. Obviously some projects can't start too soon, but start it as soon as you can. This will mean that you don't panic about what your doing and you will have more confidence in what you are doing, which will ultimately reflect in the outcome. 

5. End your mailing list woes

We all get emails from companies and shops that we no longer are loyal to. Simply scroll to the bottom of the email and click on the button that tells you to unsubscribe. Waking up to no annoying emails is a wonderful thing.

6. Make plans

Your social life tends to take the backseat in your list of the priorities so scheduling that time to go out and see your friends makes you become more organised to get things done as you'll have something to look forward to. Some would say this takes the fun out of it, but it only does if you make it. I always find this makes my week a lot more exciting. 

7. Get a family planner

I live in a house of 4 girls. We are not technically a family but sometimes it feels as if we are. So what else to make our family more like a real family than getting a family planner to document our whereabouts over the month. We were so excited about getting this that we began to question ourselves. Not only does this assist point number 6, it makes our life easier by knowing where each other is rather than sending out multiple texts if they haven't been home in a few days.

8. Bulk buy/Use the deals

Not that this is an excuse to shop more (it kind of is), buy the things you need whilst they are on offer. If your deodorant is reduced then stock up; you will never have to go through that annoying process of going deodorant-free whilst popping to your nearest supermarket/drugstore to grab one. It does save money in the long-term.

9. Take a trip to Paperchase

Sometimes the fancy stationary is the answer to making us more organised. I mean.. it's just so pretty...

10. Use folders

I use folders for pretty much every bit of paper I own. For my uni work, I have a different colour folder for each unit and for important documents, I have another. If I ever lose something, I look here first and 99% of the time it will be in one of these folders. As you can imagine, this saves time and stress as having to find the information elsewhere is a pain. Don't you ever just wish you could receive an email back-up for every bit of paperwork you get?!

I hope this helps you in some way.

I am most definitely open to more organisational tips... 

Mad Cucumber: Bournemouth's Vegan Lounge

As I have previously mentioned, I am a newly-complicated eater, meaning I don't eat any dairy, egg, or gluten. Eating out can be an ordeal so when I discover eateries where I don't have to worry about what's on the menu or ask someone what is in the dish, I become a bit like a kid in a sweet shop. So overwhelmingly excitable and happy. There are no words. 

I stumbled upon Bournemouth's 'Mad Cucumber': a self-described vegan lounge. Even though I am still very much a carnivore, the prospect of eating out is just easier if I call myself a vegan. I know I'm not and I'm sorry to all those loyal vegans but my word, it makes life easier. People just understand your diet difficulties a lot better. Besides, I love healthy food, vegetables and all that so vegan food suits me pretty well. 'Mad Cucumber' has a delightful food and drinks menu that almost makes you question how on earth it is all vegan. Quiche, cakes, brownies (which I did take some home and they were amazing)- it is baffling how this all vegan. I even saw someone have a rather extravagant hot drink with whipped cream on top. I now live in my regret for not asking what the cream was made from- cashews? Suppose that's another reason for me to return...

I love eating out and the interior is just as cool as the food. The lounge had a very hippie and casual feel about it- lots of reused furniture and mismatching accessories. The walls were covered in lots of interesting... erm... nick nacks (?!) which made us look around the cafe like a couple of tourists. 

I get the idea that the menu changes quite a bit. We decided to opt for the 'Greek Style Beans' with rice and a Quiche with salad and neither disappointed. The price was reasonable, with my bean lunch being only £3.95. There was also a long list of juices which I aim to try them all out. We had banana, apple, ginger and cinnamon, which to be honest, would have been better without the cinnamon. It would best suit a cold winters day. Maybe that's because I associate cinnamon with Christmas. 

Before I left I grabbed a couple of takeaway desserts. For someone who has such a sweet tooth, the world of puddings, desserts, and chocolates is a world I can no longer enter *sobs* so having a large array of loveliness to chose from made my week! I decided on the chocolate brownie and the raw lime cheesecake to takeaway to enjoy over the weekend as I simply didn't want my vegan experience to end. 

Now, whenever I pop into Bournemouth's town centre I will have to go and stock up on vegan cakes and puddings. It is an ideal lunch spot, or even a drinks break when you fancy somewhere else other than Starbucks. With no queues, overpriced goods, and unnecessarily unhealthy foods, 'Mad Cucumber' is my number one choice. Even though my non-vegan friend loved it, I now have to persuade the rest of them!

Where else is good to eat out as a vegan/gluten-free?