My parents met and got married in Kolkata (previously known as Calcutta) and it is basically 'where we are from' if someone asks us.
 
The name changed to Kolkata, along with several other major cities in India in 2001 to be called how the locals call their cities. Frankly, I thought Calcutta sounds nicer, but whatever. Kolkata was India's capital under the British Colonial times between 1773 and 1911. Today it is known for its grand colonial architecture, art & culture, food, pollution (sadly) and is also known as the City of Joy. 

Despite the chaos of Kolkata, everyone seems to work well within this strange system of no system. The cars, people, rickshaws, cycles, buses could look like they are all going to collide into each other at any point, but they usually do not. I have seen quite a few indifferent old people casually walk in front of cars to cross the road, without a hint of being afraid. The vehicle drivers do not seem to care about the pedestrian crossings either, so to get to the other side, unless you fancy standing for a long time, you will need to brave it.

The main spoken language is Bengali. This is the same language, in its purest form, as the national language of Bangladesh, but the dialects in Bangladesh over the years have evolved to sound completely different. It is one of 22 languages spoken in India. Other languages spoken include Nepali, Oriya and Hindi as well as some others that I can't even pronounce. 

Before New Delhi, Calcutta was the capital of India and still has an obvious essence of the British colonial times. Victoria Memorial, built in memory of Queen Victoria, is one of the main landmarks (it looks a bit like the Taj Mahal), surrounded by serene gardens, students reading under trees, lovers chilling by the ponds, and a line of horse carriages (Tangas) waiting outside the gates to charge tourists extortionate amounts of money (in local standards) for a ten minute round trip.
 
Note: negotiation is common in Kolkata, despite being pretty cheap. You pay what you think you can get away with, there is a standard few minutes of haggling, followed by a final price, somewhere in the middle. Depending on how foreign you look, you are more likely to be overcharged. But even after being overcharged, you will probably think it was money well spent. 

Having said that, it is a lovely ten minute ride, especially in the evening when Bengali songs, play on the loud speakers attached to the street lamps. You are almost taken back in time, and you could close your eyes and pretend to be a rich Bengali prince(ss) on a horse carriage from the colonial times. Or you could just keep your eyes open and enjoy the ride. 

Other places you should check out: 

1. Victoria Memorial 
2. Park Street - the equivalent of Oxford Street, London or Time Square, New York for Kolkata
3. Jorasanko Thakur Bari - the Nobel prize-winning poet: Rabindranath Tagore's home and where he spent his last few breaths
4. St Paul's Cathedral - this looks nothing like the one in London, but it's almost as beautiful
5. Marble Palace - this was basically a very rich man's house and everything inside is stunning and obviously made of....marble!
6. Belur Math & Dakhineshwar temples - these are serene areas, around an hour's drive from the city.

When you are done with the ride, you can pick and choose between all the street food stalls, including Phuchka (hollow crispy balls of flour, stuffed with spicy potato, dipped into minty water and served really, really quickly). Customers circle around the phuchka seller, and are served one at a time on disposable environmental friendly mini bowls, made from dry leaves. Sometimes I may not have finished one and I am served my next one, and they keep serving until you hold your hand up and /or tell them to stop. It amazes me how the sellers remember how much each customer owes them, how many they had. I struggle to remember my own! It is also common to have phucka-eating competitions in Kolkata... 20... 30... 50! My PB is 15, and working on it.
 
In terms of food in general, as long as you are careful with where you eat (to avoid stomach problems), I personally think Kolkata has some of the best variety of tasty food: from Chicken-Egg Rolls (link), to Biriyani at Anarkali in New Market (one of the oldest shopping areas in Kolkata), or Indo-Chinese food in Park Street (check out Oasis Restaurant). 

Kolkata feels like a massive market. From food to jewellery, accessories, clothes, shoes, kitchenware to furniture, paintings, miniature models of Hindu Gods, clocks, almost all of these are sold on the streets of Kolkata by small stalls.
 
There are obviously, bigger shops and quite a few shopping centres with the international and high quality brands, but the real fun is haggling with the street vendors.
 
Oh and if your shoes or bags break while you are working, worry not: you can pay less than 50p (if that) and get it repaired by the street cobblers. 

• Auto-rickshaw (3-wheelers) 
• Rickshaw (cycle or 'tanga')
• Metro (underground)
• Yellow taxi (do it from the old-school and bumpy ride experience!)
• Uber (you can pay with cash) 
• Walk

Now for the two main problem with Kolkata: pollution and poverty.

There is a lot of both and it breaks my heart, because it is one of the most authentic Indian cities, full of character, imperfections, where people experience culture, art, cuisine, shopping, celebrations, diversity and joy. The city of joy. 

/ˈsɛlfɪʃ/ adjective
(of a person, action, or motive) lacking consideration for other people; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure.

​Most people would take the word ‘selfish’ as a negative one, and it often is. However, I believe being selfish depending on circumstances, has its own benefits.

I was sat in my seat right before take off, before 13 hours of binge watching movies and Friends episodes, when the Emirates pre-flight safety video was playing in Arabic, then English. The usual demonstrations of how to buckle your seat belt, where your life jackets are, switching off mobile phones for take off, how to put on your oxygen mask, how to wear a life jacket etc. Although most of us would (hopefully) never get to use a mask or life jacket, there are important life lessons in there of how being selfish can sometimes be a good thing. 

I watched para-gliders whizz past our heads, one after another like giant birds, while my friends and I enjoyed our daily intake of wine, ceviche and cake. In all honesty, I did have a bit of ‘FOMO’ for not swinging around in the air, with a parachute stuck to me (or the other way round?) while the beautiful rose-coloured sun was setting... but then I looked at my giant plate of the best ceviche I have ever had (Mango’s Restaurant), and I didn't care as much. 

We walked back to our hotel from the beach, past families playing near the swings and exercise machines, having picnics after 10pm at night near the Parque del Amor (Park of love), which looks a bit like one of Gaudi's creations from Barcelona (but it isn't). Miraflores is the chilled out family and lovers' town in Lima, Peru and I loved it. If I had another life, I would like to live there. ​

My favourite museum in Peru was Museo Santuarios Andinos, where we met the teenage mummy of Juanita (who apparently looks like me when I’m asleep, according to one of my friends), but my second favourite was the San Pedro Church, near the main city of Lima.
From the surface, it’s a beautiful yellow church, but underneath it all, lies an impressively organised collection of human bones in the Catacombs (a.k.a. Catacumbas). 

For a more light-hearted museum, you can also go to a chocolate making course at the Choco Museo in the city centre, or even in Miraflores, ​

Within a ten minute drive from Miraflores, there are a few markets, including the Inca Market, where I bought all the small(ish) touristy things I could fit into my bag, considering I had no space left in my luggage. Clothes, hand-made bags, embroidered fabrics, silver jewellery... and of course a small ‘made in China’ plate with ‘Peru’ written on it for my home collection... and a magnetic bottle opener, and a T-shirt. My favourite jewellery items were a hummingbird pendant, which signifies human connection with the Gods in Peru, and silver earrings with one of the Nazca lines’ geoglyphs. Things in the local shops are generally quite cheap and reasonably priced across Peru, but the western style shopping centres were pretty expensive, as expected.

A 10-15 minute taxi ride from Miraflores is Barranco, a Camden-meets-Lima area with bars, view points, restaurants and a completely different vibe to the rest of Lima. We started our evening in a local Peruvian equivalent of a pub, where I downed Pisco and whisky shots (which may explain the memory loss from that night). 

And then of course: Ayahuasca Bar (named after the famous hallucinogenic brew, historically made by indigenous people of the Amazon to cure illnesses). This bar looks like a scene from a Bond-movie. The inside walls decorated in authentic rugs, five different bar rooms, and a club outside, dim lighting and amazing Pisco Sours (their national cocktail, made with egg white), it has everything you need for your night out, including tasty tapas. It’s expensive, compared to the other bars in Lima, but totally worth it, if you ask me. 

For those who like watching live performances, there are Tango performances at Barranco as well, we didn’t go, but probably would have if we had more time. We found conversant and friendly taxi drivers through out our time in Lima, with no problem, and at affordable prices even during the later hours of the day.

The old town and the palace grounds were a 30 minute taxi ride from Miraflores, and there were at least five plazas (squares). We tried to walk all the way there one day, and I think my friend was close to killing me (slight exaggeration), but in short: don’t do it. The local buses are comfortable and cheap and will save you time from walking on straight long roads.

If you have a few extra days, I would try to hire a car and drive down to Huacachina, a tiny town surrounding an oasis in the middle of the desert. It’s stunning at night, and you can do sand-boarding (don’t forget to cover your mouth!), and have a sand dune ride on a desert-style buggy.

Some people go to Ballestas Islands from Lima, apparently the Galapagos of Peru. We went, and frankly, I didn’t like it because all we really saw, was clusters of sea lions piled on top of each other on a tiny island, while our speedboat amongst another twenty-odd, gave off black fumes of pollutants, for these weirdly cute (but smelly) sea lions, to inhale. There was also the added risk of being shat on by the hundreds of seagulls flying over our open boats, which explains the people selling so many hats at the port. From an animal-welfare, environmental, photography or even bird droppings - perspective, I would advise against this.

Miraflores was indeed a great choice of location. We stayed in a standard hotel for the first few days, then decided to treat ourselves on the last two nights by staying at a fancier hotel: Costa Del Sol, Wyndham Hotel. The breakfast was a buffet of everything I wanted to eat: croquettes (for breakfast!), pancakes, omelettes, sausages, chicken. The heated pool and jacuzzi was a great way to relax before our long journeys back home to London. The hotel even offered us free shuttle service to the markets and back.

Overall, Lima is one of my favourite cities, with a constant presence of its Spanish colonial history, an atmosphere of romance, happy families playing in the park after 10pm, modern and traditional buildings and culture and of course: chocolate. Don’t forget to fill up on Peruvian cacao for the trip home!

Recently, when we were video calling my brother in Dubai, he said that his two-year old walked into a room, saw too many children, screamed in disgust and said: Bye Bye. This is how my nephew is able to clearly communicate what he wants to walk away from.

As we grow older, and especially if you live in the U.K. and adopt the usual British diplomacy, saying no or walking away from things and people you are not sure you like, is probably not done as often as it should be. 

Knowing when to stop, or when to stop someone, when to say no, all of these could help minimise complexity and negativity in our lives. Without realising, being nice can prolong dysfunctional projects or relationships. Selfishly speaking, anything that we think affects us negatively, we should be cut-throat about and aim to eventually ween them out of our lives. From personal experience, I feel like I have had situations where I built up anger towards people, situations and even myself, which could have been avoided if I just walked away earlier, or just said no.

I stole this from Legally Blonde 2, which is about a lawyer who is stereotyped as a Blonde but is actually intelligent in her ways. She mentions in a classic chick-flick style speech, that the reason for her bad haircut at a salon was not the fault of the stylist, but her own. She could have involved herself earlier in the process, trusted herself in what she wants and spoken up to stop the stylist from ruining her hair. 

This applies to manicures, pedicures, massages and everything else we pay for but do not necessarily get the best service out of. I know I sometimes still say it's fine when a masseuse asks if the pressure is ok, when I am actually in borderline pain (I am working on it). There have also been times when a beautician would file my nails unevenly and I would not say anything because I would just bear with it and do it myself later. In my mind, I would rather not make the situation uncomfortable then, even if it would make me angry later.

This is something I need to learn from my dad.

In restaurants I wish any waiter luck when they ask him how his meal was, if I know my dad really did not like it. He tells people, to their face, that their service was not up to scratch. But often I notice that people appreciate honesty and take feedback on board, while my dad does not build up any negative feelings in his mind as a customer. 

Although, he has also told one restaurant manager that he won't be coming back again, which perhaps I will never do, but it does make me laugh.

We all love a checklist, right? This article highlights s 10 signs that you may be ready to let go and calls those that make you cry: Onions.

1. Feeling undervalued
2. Settling for less
3. Exhaustion
4. Loss of joy
5. Scared of change (and loss)
6. Regularly sad
7. Feeling trapped
8. Living in the past
9. Not putting yourself first
10. Low expectations

I can talk about this now, but in my previous job I was feeling almost all of the above for about a year, which is a long time, but it could have been longer if I didn't take some action. It's crystal clear now, but it wasn't then. Until I resigned, I did not know how much being at the wrong job, five days a week, was sucking my energy and life out of me. To the outside world, and with the help of social media, I was living my life and traveling, drinking, socialising. But all of these activities, as much as I still love them, were only helping me avoid what I was feeling about myself. In this case the onion was in fact my job. 

Applying this to relationships and friendships, there have been times when I bottled up a lot of things that I have wanted to say to someone, when certain things about their behaviour annoyed me, or when they were crossing the line. The end result has usually been a delayed emotional outburst or arguments, and sometimes they had no a clue about how I had been feeling. 

My view is that when there is an imbalance in the effort put into a relationship, or if someone has crossed the line more than once, you should not refrain from telling them how their behaviour made you feel, as soon as possible, in the right moment, calmly and politely (not after 20 years). If possible, a healthy discussion, face to face or at least a phone call, could clarify whether either of you are willing to look into your actions to make the relationship work.

Personally, I find writing emails or text messages easier to articulate, but this has backfired a few times, and it's inevitable that the other person may misinterpret what I wrote. Texting is never ideal, but my opinion is that communication is better than not saying anything at all. 

Having said that, if we can see and feel that a relationship has lost its base, is broken, hurtful and doesn't involve mutual trust and respect, maybe it's time to say Bye Bye â€‹in the interest of everyone involved. 

I will caveat the below with the fact that I truly respect those who have the dedication and will power to challenge them to do physical challenges like marathons, triathlons, mountain climbing or train for competitive sports and so on. Especially if you're a crazy French Spiderman (Alain Robert) who free climbs skyscrapers like Burj Khalifa. 
​
By all means, if anyone is passionate about something, there probably is not a better feeling than achieving certain goals related to it. However, what I have now learnt about myself and what I disagree with is: trying to physically challenge myself because others are doing it, or they expect me to, or because I want to fit in, or I want to prove something to the world... etc.

It is good to push ourselves, but not at the expense of what we really value for ourselves. For example, I wanted to do something to mark my 30th birthday so I decided to attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I am glad I trained for it, attempted it, and enjoyed my journey up. However, on the last day (summit day) I struggled to breathe and I was close to crying in frustration that I cannot even take a few steps. In that moment I decided to turn back. I could not give myself a single reason why I should put myself through the self-imposed torture (emotional and physical) to get to the top. What was I trying to prove and to whom? 

No doubt, if I made it to the summit on that day, it would have been an amazing feeling. But in that moment in time, I said Bye Bye to the situation and did what I wanted to do (go to my tent and sleep, and no I am not a lazy person).

You can make many meanings out of this, but I had to maintain the PG rating of this website. 

This was something our guide, Fabio in Peru said to me, looking bemused when I asked him if we needed to dress up in smart clothes to go to a certain bar in Lima: F*** that Sh*t. Ever since then, it has become a regular thing I say to myself when something or someone is not worth a headache. In kinder words: Bye Bye. Try it, it feels good and is liberating. We rocked up at the fancy bar in our usual 'holiday clothes' which for me involved my fading t-shirt, capris and sports sandals. We had a great night! Thanks Fabio!

There is a Bollywood movie called 3 Idiots (and yes, they do start singing and dancing, but within context...sort of). The movie has a strong message about pursuing what you truly love and you will probably be very good at it (eventually).

For instance, where I am in my career is probably a hybrid of what I love and do not love. It is a combined result of my interest in marketing and being taught to be practical.

The linear models for education and career paths have been suggested to every other child for generations. For example, having a real job to many parents would include being a Doctor, Banker, Engineer, Lawyer, etc., which is great if you genuinely love sciences, maths, law, etc. But if you really do not and instead you love singing, painting, writing, running, pottery etc., whether it's now or in ten or twenty years, you should consider saying Bye Bye to what you do not love and say Hi to what you do love. 

It is something I am telling myself and I know it is harder than it sounds and may involve foregoing elements of my current lifestyle and money. I am not sure if I am brave (or stupid) enough to quit my job and become a painter, but maybe being in the middle of my career, a fine balance would be to have a flexible job doing what I do not mind, to make more time for things I love doing i.e.: travelling, painting, photography, swimming, writing and eating! 

I am guilty of this myself: filling up my diary with something to do for most of the week after work and ending up stressed, tired and grumpy. I have gotten better with cancelling and declining meetings (or 'tentatively accepting' which basically means, I won't show up). Being busy gives me a buzz and I love meeting new people and sharing ideas and talking in general, but being too busy can cause stress, anxiety, depression, headaches, insomnia... and in extreme cases heart attacks! Having a good social and professional life is great for our personal growth, but not to the expense of our physical and mental health. 

Here's a few things I plan to say Bye Bye to:

• Unfulfilling jobs 
• Bad service
• Unnecessary meetings
• Physical challenges that I really don't enjoy e.g. Running 
• Pretentious places 
• My commute 
• Selfish people
• People who make me feel worse 
• Large WhatsApp 'group chats' 
• Crowded places 
• Eating, drinking and socialising out of politeness

Everyone has priorities in life which are unique to them, so what you bring to your life or remove from it, whether it is a situation, a person, a job, your colleagues, your boss, your fears, challenges, qualifications, labels, tasks, or even yourself - is all in your hands. We just need to learn when to say Bye Bye.

My first impression of Sweden was that it was a bit 'boring' from a couple of years ago, when we took a 30-minute train ride across the Oresund Bridge from Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo. I have to say, the main reason for our visit was that my brother and I have our own targets for "countries visited" to achieve (transit stops don't count and Wales, England and Scotland count as three countries, thanks). My new job made me think of Sweden differently, especially after my latest work trip to Stockholm. 

Having spent all of my adulthood so far in London, one of the busiest cities in the world, Stockholm felt like a yoga retreat. On a Tuesday evening, after I finished work at my 'temporary office' near the city centre (with a whole three other colleagues in the building), I went for a wander, crossing a bridge or two, and walked over the cobbled streets into 'Gamla Stan' i.e. the Old Town.

The first thing I did was buy a magnet of a colourful building in Stortorget, the main square in Gamla Stan. I noticed that apart from review websites like Tripadvisor, another quick way to find out 'what you should see' on your trip is to visit souvenir shops. They usually have all the famous tourist landmarks on plates, bottle openers, magnets, bags and snow globes, all freshly made in... China. I still buy them. 

1. Nobel Prizes in Sciences, Literature and Economic Sciences are awarded in the Stockholm City Hall
2. Stockholm is the 14th richest city in the world
3. The famous pop group ABBA was formed in Stockholm in 1972 
4. Stockholm is made of 14 islands and 57 bridges 
5. Stockholm has one of the largest archipelagos (series of islands) in the Baltic sea. 

The first thing I noticed about almost every other person I spoke to in Stockholm (excuse the stereotyping), was their piercing blue eyes. I don't think I have seen so many pairs of beautiful blue eyes in the space of three days. Apart from trying to stop myself from being the creepy little Indian girl who keeps staring, I also admired how good everyone's spoken English is. Swedes have one of the longest life expectancies, probably due to their relaxed and healthy lifestyle, focus on quality over quality food and just the lack of too many people to stress them out. 

There's no question about the fact that the Nordic countries are expensive to visit, even more than London. A beer is around GBP 8 (94 SEK, Swedish Krona) and at lunch time, it is normal to spend around 170 SEK (GBP 15) on a plate of Sushi (compared to GBP 4 for a beer and GBP 6-10 for lunch in the City of London). However, once you get over that, you will appreciate the quality of the food, especially the Salmon from it's neighbouring country, Norway. The salmon I had was probably the best I have ever had. 

One evening, I acted like a traitor in Sweden and had Spanish food for dinner at The Hairy Pig, which was perfect with it's dim lights, wooden tables and cosy ambience. Delicious tapas style food and local red wine gave me some entertainment and energy to walk back to the hotel. 

But as I had nothing better to do for the rest of the evening, I took a detour and walked to the end of Gamla Stan and sat in silence next to some ships, with not one living creature in sight (picture the typical wallpaper on a meditation app - this is what I was looking at in real life). I walked across one of the bridges to the island where The City Hall is, the 106-meter tall tower with three golden crowns at the top of the spire. I ventured into the building, apparently made with eight million bricks (I don't know why anyone would count... I don't know how many bricks a normal building would have either). It's certainly I nice place to wander into and walk near the water banks during and after sunset. 

I have already gone on about how nice Gamla Stan is, by foot. However, with more time and budget there's a lot more to see in Stockholm, whether you do this with a 30-minute flight on FlyOver or via a boat trip along a big part of the 60km archipelago, with prices ranging from 1500 to 2500 SEK (GBP 120 - 220). I didn't have much time to see many of the other architectural sites that the city has to offer, such as the Royal Opera House and The Great Synagogue, but as long as I pass my probation, I should be coming back to Stockholm, gladly. 

I don't think Poland (Polska) was ever on my hit-list, if I'm being honest. However, when you meet someone who is so passionate and patriotic about their country, its culture, natural beauty, food (especially meat) and vodka you can't resist the temptation to see the place through their eyes. And I'm glad I didn't.  

My friend and I talked for four hours straight, from Stansted Express to the flight, to Krakow Airport, pissing off almost every unfortunate soul that had to be around us. We were picked up by a (very beautiful) young man in a fine Mercedes E-Class, which was a nice intro to the country. Although I wouldn't call a local experience, it almost felt necessary after Ryan Air. Apart from a pit-stop for a hotdog in a quiet petrol station, we got to Zakopane within an hour and a half, a small city right at the bottom of Poland.  

We checked into a wooden cottage style house, although a little tricky to find in the middle of the night. The inside of the house was decorated with pretty crochet pieces used as curtains and lots of paper decorations placed strategically around the walls, with a nice warm and cosy feel to it. It felt a bit like a prelude to Christmas.

The following day, we went to Koscielisko Valley in the Western side of Tarta National Park. This was an 'easier' trek near streams, through forests and some waterfalls and a lovely secluded lake, until we decided to check out the caves. We thought this would involve strolling into a cave, taking a few photos and walking out. Instead, it involved close-to-vertical climbs and descents on soap-textured rocks, using nothing but a metal chain and a lot of arm strength.

This was real-life bouldering and I was close to tears. I still can't say if I enjoyed it or hated it (probably both). On one side, was the sense of achievement and on the other side putting myself through that freight that: "if my hands or feet slip I may fall and will die". A slight change from indoor bouldering in Harrow (you fall onto a mattress), or abseiling in Thailand or canyoneering (or canyoning) in Costa Rica where you have a harness and are clipped onto all sorts of things to make sure you will at least hang in the middle of nowhere, but you won't fall into the valley. It was certainly one of the highlights, though. ​

Overall, my impression of Poland has been eye-opening and is certainly under rated or less spoken about as a tourist destination compared to many other European counterparts. The history, the religious influence, the art and architecture, natural landscapes and the vodka... I will be back for more.  

The only thing that I wish I could change about this trip was Ryan Air and Stansted Airport. Neither should be on anyone's bucket list, unless you have a desire to torture yourself, confuse each other and generally not want to travel again (for a while). I will spare the details this time. ​​

First of all, if you haven't watched Dexter's Laboratory growing up, then the title of this article will not mean the same thing to you and I. 

I can now assure you, that apart from the fact that me and my best friend had cheese omelettes every morning (and sometimes for lunch) during our weekend away in Paris (and that it's actually omelette au fromage) there's nothing else about eggs or cheese in this article. Sorry guys. However, in terms of food places, I have yet to find a place that I didn't enjoy eating at. From what I can remember, my favourite places were La Fumoir where we had nice late night cocktails and brunch and wine at L'Escargot Montorgueil. Street food is quite common near the Latin Quarters and if in doubt, walking into any of the usual Brasseries just about anywhere in Paris, should not leave you disappointed, or hungry.

Those of you who want to sight-see and eat and drink fine things all in one go? Try Bustronome. As per its name, you're sat inside a double-decker Bus, eating and drinking a number of courses of food, with paired-wine, if desired. It's pretty cool, and worth booking way in advance. 

I first went to Paris in 1992 and was the most excited child with the full collection of Aladdin stickers at Disneyland in my sticker collection, when the Disney cartoon had been released. This is only a few years before the Eurostar started running in 1994, so it was a complicated journey, that I thankfully don't remember much of. Disneyland Paris is a train ride away from Paris at Marne-la-Vallee.  

The next time I booked a trip to Paris, a friend and I leisurely rocked up just ten minutes before the departure time, at which point we experienced the expression of complete disbelief on the Eurostar Officer's face, at the gates. We could tell that he thought we weren't very bright. We eventually made it to Paris in the evening, managing to get some sympathy from the Eurostar staff at the ticket counters at London and Lille, luckily at no further cost.

Ever since, trips to Paris from London feel no less strenuous than a train to Bath or Bristol. The fact that I don't need to go through any airport security screening and I can carry FULL SIZE body lotion and shampoo, are good enough reasons to go to Paris for a weekend break (as long as I am there 30-40 mins before) instead of somewhere else in Europe. I also worked for a French company which was kind enough to allow their employees to travel on Business Premier, which means you can in fact miss trains and get the earlier or later ones as you please. Once, I missed a return train to London on purpose as I wanted to check out the lounge. When I say 'check out' I mean go a bit crazy with the little french bites and unlimited french wine, which was followed up by champagne in the train, once I got on it. The 'cabin crew' equivalent of planes would give me a wider smile every time I asked for another glass, in a funny way. I wouldn't say the seats in Business Premier were significantly better than Economy and I wouldn't really pay for a Business Class ticket myself, but it is a 'stress-free' option for those who can afford the prices, or work for companies who can. 

Eiffel Tower is often the first thing that comes to mind if we were to mention Paris to anyone, whether it's because of its historical significance of the French Revolution,  or because it's a 300m tall metallic cone in the middle of the Capital of France, or the fact that it's the most common and recognisable souvenir everyone brings back for loved ones (please don't bring me any more... I have five, in all varieties. One has little lights on it too). I do like the tower and I find the flickering lights display in the evenings quite endearing. During a work trip to Paris, I had to travel on my own so I had an evening to myself and chose to sit in a boat restaurant by the river, read a book with a glass of red wine and watched the lights every now and then, while the sun went down. The waitress was bemused by my excitement, but that didn't affect my mood. 

You will also, inevitably end up going past the Arc de Triomphe, at the end of Champs-Elysees and the Notre Dame cathedral, a gothic church is within walking distance, and yes it is worth going inside. For art-lovers and those who actually think Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa was worth being painted, you can go inside the Louvre. If not, then you can admire some of the Roman sculptures and / or take the usual tourist holding the tip of the pyramid - photo and leave it there. 

Paris Metro transport is not the most exciting to look at (it's quite boxy, metallic and old), but it is also very affordable and if you're lucky, you may get a random performance from some musicians, one often has an accordion, a harmonica, and they walk through the carriages. You could even experience a puppet show behind a makeshift curtain. These things make me smile every time, because it's almost impossible to expect a puppet show in the London Underground trains. Even just the thought of how Londoners would react...

Walking around Paris is probably my favourite way to explore the city, as you can pop into random boutique clothes or accessory shops, designer perfume shops, shoe shops, you name it. My friend showed me around Le Marais, which is now my favourite part of Paris. It feels local and perfect for some unique shopping, far from the usual high-street experience or the 'Oxford Circus' vibe you get at Champs-Elysées. If in doubt, it's worth checking out the 'Paris Pass', even if it's to have a checklist of what you shouldn't miss. 

Working in Paris' financial district would require you to go to La Défense, which is best to go to using the RER or the Metro. Do not take a taxi there, unless you would like to kill some time, going round in circles under the tunnel. It's a maze. The area has been through a couple of deserted periods during times of crisis, but in 2009 it started to take more of a vibrant shape. 

This really depends on you. I enjoyed staying close to Saint-Lambert, not far from the Eiffel Tower, but for the latest trip, my friend booked a crazy hotel for us (CitizenM Hotel) near Gare de Lyon, which was an easy walk to Le Marais, Notre Dame, etc. Our hotel was very 'Jetsons' and had disco lights for the room including special lighting for the shower, with settings ranging from Romantic to Party mode. 

There's another hotel that I encountered, which was very quiet, and after a few cocktails I was convinced it was haunted: L'Hotel. It's quite famous, so I heard and the bar-tender used to work in a number of bars in London, so was quite the pro, when it came to cocktail-making. I'm not sure he enjoyed my lack of gin / vodka / spirit knowledge and my no-idea-what-I-want-to-drink responses to his 'Fun Quiz', but he did make some delicious drinks, probably costing around 20 Euros each. Apart from the haunted-vibes, it is worth checking out. I guess. 

And that's my overall view of Paris. In terms of people, I personally think Parisians are quite friendly... or at least as friendly as Londoners! Almost everyone speaks perfect English, so no, it's not worth trying to practice your rubbish French from tenth-grade... 

The first time I went to Dubai (not on transit) was almost twenty years ago and my memories from what it was to what it is now, is in total contrast to each other. 

In my opinion, Old Dubai was mostly 'blank' with a lot of sand, lots of taxis and just a few shopping malls, some five star hotels, an exciting Duty Free shopping selection (back then) in DXB airport. It's statement landmark had to be the Burj Al Arab. I remember walking around in Bur Dubai, a.k.a Old Dubai with my mother, near the Spice Souk with every consecutive shop selling exactly the same spices and souvenirs, one after another. The Gold Souk was her favourite, while mine was the local 5 Dirham shop (basically Dubai's equivalent of a Dollar store or a Poundland). As a child, being told by your parent(s) that you can buy whatever you want... was a bit of a shock. In fact I think it was confusing. Anyway, I bought a lot of tat that I don't remember. The locals a.k.a. the Emiratis were incredibly helpful and eager to help us as tourists. I had very fond memories of Dubai as a child. 

Ten years later, we went to Dubai again and it was an eclectic mix of Wanabe-Western culture and local Emirati culture (and a lot of South Asian culture... from plenty of workers who had moved to Dubai for work). M&S was considered 'cool' in this Dubai. We struggled to find a bar and we were eventually bored of the shopping malls selling over-priced imported brands. We had decided to escape the modern side and attempted the Desert Safari, which was actually a lot of fun.

A chauffeur-driven, hefty four-wheel drive took us to the middle of the desert and gave us quite the rollercoaster ride. My mother did not enjoy it, but the rest of us had a blast. This was followed by a (pointless) 2 minute camel ride, after queuing for over half an hour in the heat. However, the evening concluded beautifully, with talented Belly Dancers and generous portions of local food, a BBQ and Shisha a.k.a. Hookah. I can't remember everything I ate, but I do remember having Machboos which is basically like a Biriyani (and I love Biriyani). 

Ten more years later, my brother and his family decided to relocate to Dubai, so we went there again. Now the scene is completely different. They have changed the face and map of Dubai completely. There isn't just one Palm Beach, there are two: Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Jumeirah, the latter being the more popular one with locals and tourists.

We hired a car and decided to drive through Old and New Dubai. We drove through the Palm Jumeirah which is all man-made, and is home to The Atlantis Hotel and Resort, a huge waterpark and plenty of other hotels and upcoming theme parks, apartments, more and more buildings. It's endless. Their Royal Bridge Suite has been occupied by our very own Kim Kardashian, Shah Rukh Khan, Michael Jordan... for around $24,000 per night. Start saving guys....

Or for now, just look at the standard room or watch this video.

We drove to The Fairmont, a beautifully decorated and fancy hotel, to eat... chicken. Not just any chicken though. It was gold-plated chicken which we paid around 40 Dollars for, at their Trophy Room. Slightly more expensive than my butterfly chicken and peri peri chips at Nando's.

Would I recommend it? No. The service was great, and ambience was peaceful, but all I really got out of eating golden chicken is a metallic aftertaste and an instagram story (yay). 

We stayed near Dubai Marina, which is a very good location, near JBR (Jumeirah Beach Residence). We went hotel-hopping to dine out, and the food was generally very good in most places, despite generally being expensive. If you enjoy an alcoholic beverage, it's not going to be cheap for you in Dubai, but maybe it's a good thing. Consider it as a Detox holiday = Win-Win. And if you're a lady, don't forget to check out 'Ladies Night' on Tuesdays and Wednesdays where women can drink all-night for FREE. That should balance out the average costs for everyone. It's also worth keeping an eye out on Time Out Dubai for latest offers for meals, resorts, 2-4-1 theme park tickets, etc. which will save everyone some cash. 

For the young (and wealthy) party animals out there, we happened to be close to Barasti Beach which could be considered as an alternative Ibiza for Dubai. Bikini-clad young ladies and Speedo-sporting young men, with arms and abs of steel (slight exaggeration), were enjoying their music, beers and cocktails and sun and sand. There are plenty of watersports available in the area, being near the resorts, but I am sure at a price worth thinking about twice.

I'm not sure whether this would be my regular hangout if I lived here, not only because of the pressure of perfection, but also because I have turned into a granny in my head and what I would rather do on an evening is have a nice glass of wine overlooking the city at one of the several rooftop bars in Dubai. Sadly, I didn't get to go to any this time round, but just so I don't miss out entirely on my little nephew's childhood, I may have to visit Dubai again in a couple of months. For now, here's a nice list of rooftop bars recommended by Time Out. 

Our hotel InterContinental Dubai Marina was exactly what I would describe as a five-star hotel stay (we got a good deal via Tripadvisor.com). Modern decor, flawless and friendly staff and service all-round, all week and almost every facility to make our stay feel effortless and relaxing. Although the pool was smothered with confused families and children everywhere, the view was very special. The view from our room on the 18th floor was as stunning... some may call it a 'concrete jungle', and despite initially despising the fact that I couldn't see the beach from my room, I started to warm to waking up to buildings. So many tall buildings, so many swimming pools... so much capacity for more humans to come and visit or even live there. Dubai is making space and preparing itself for more people. 

My overall impression of Dubai has changed, although it's still very much 'fake' and man-made and the advert for winter clothes in a magazine made me LOL (for those who want to go Skiing in the indoor ski resort Ski Dubai). It is very expensive and usually very hot, and it has an endless number of new projects for even more flats, more luxury resorts, more tall buildings... it's home to the tallest building in the World (Burj Khalifa), which I refused to pay $90 each just to get to the top, but the evening fountain show from the base was in fact spell-bounding enough.  

Having said all that, Dubai is really trying to improve and evolve and this time round, it felt very multi-cultural, open-minded and quite similar to London. In fact, it's common to bump into people from London who have moved to Dubai for a short while or even several years. And we mustn't forget that, even though Dubai is all new and shiny, Old Dubai still exists. It's still possible to go to Bur Dubai and have a local meal, mingle with the shop-keepers, haggle for the price of Saffron and actually feel like you're in the U.A.E. 

Modernisation has been defined by Dubai, so I suppose it's worth a visit at least.

Chicken has been consumed as food by humans for thousands of years. As we discover more about the breeding of chicken, whether they are free-range, organic or conventional, we can try to be as ethical as possible, especially if you're like me and have grown up eating chicken, along with other meat and fish (and some veg!). Almost 30% of chicken is protein... fat, iron, phosphorus (eyes, nails, teeth), potassium, vitamin A, B6, C, D, E and K!*

*Source: USDA,  organicfacts.net

Now that I have created the 'base' of my article (I won't call it an argument... and yes, my vegetarian friends still like me... unless I offer them chicken wings for the hundredth time at a restaurant), I would like to share with you places in London that make chicken that have left a mark on my taste buds... TimeOut's mentioned two of them, but they've clearly not been to the other places yet! 

Don't go by the 'looks' of the green sauce when you search for them on Google. It is delicious. You can grab a table at the Farringdon branch.

Annoyingly, they have deleted their website, but they have a Twitter account. Which makes sense, as they run out of all their food before 2pm, they probably don't need a website... they can focus on cooking those Chicken Tikka Naan Wraps. 

Oh my goodness... their 'Bhangra Burger' is divine. 

They have loyalty points for regular diners... and the thigh burger is actually quite good! 

Probably a nicer version of Nando's, but fresh, marinated and succulent chicken and a Tripadvisor rating of 4.5 out of 5 is a giveaway! 

When you really can't be bothered with the queues of Dishoom, this may be an equally good place to check out, especially for their not-so-healthy: deep-fried chicken lollipops. Drool. 

They have recently changed their 'Brinner' menu, so if you're in luck you may get to try the fried chicken and waffles. It even comes with Mac n' Cheese!

The only things I would order here is the 'Jack Daniel's Chicken Wings'... and maybe the Oreo Milkshake. 

Crisp, fried jerk chicken, triple-dipped in ginger beer batter, served with fries, coleslaw and jerk gravy. Their twitter handle not only promotes their chicken, but also the latest gigs in town.

I'm quite sad that these lovely Jamaican men, who serve jerk chicken and plantain chips or rice under a bridge, who taught me how to say 'plantain' (plaaanteeeen), don't have any presence on the world wide web! I need to do something about this...

​Watch this space! 

ugly
ˈʌɡli/
adjective

1. unpleasant, especially in appearance (in the eyes of the beholder).

The BBC cartoon: Ugly Ducking has been teaching children life lessons since it was first written in 1805. 

The Plot: a loving duck-couple is expecting a number of baby ducks and when they all hatch, there's one duckling that looks: different. Not ugly, but just different. However, the duck-parents disown this 'ugly' duckling, who then travels around the ponds and jungles, looking for people who would just accept it and be its friends. It was searching for somewhere to call home, but fails repetitively.
The 'ugly' duckling is obviously heart broken and feels ugly, unloved and has nowhere that it belongs.
Until one day, other ducklings who look and behave just like it, turn up and welcome it to the family. The 'not-so-ugly-anymore-duckling' finally regains its confidence, feels loved and realises its worth and starts living its life happily.
Meanwhile the duck-couple who rejected this duckling for being ugly (different), notice that it's found friends, and accept its existence. Not like the duckling cared anymore...

I don't know about you, but apart from my heart going out to this sad, lonely (fictional) duckling, I can personally pin point quite a few parts of the story to reality. 

Ducks aside, humans can be shallow. Whether its generations of building up images in our minds on who is beautiful and who is not, or just our preconceptions... we judge. Since 1995, online dating has been commercialising our shallowness. Nowadays we can take a whole 2 seconds to swipe left at the first sight of 'unpleasant' or 'ugly'. Meanwhile, the health and beauty brand: Dove fights back with their Self-Esteem Project for adults and children. 

Children can go through a lot of self-doubt while growing up, leading to possible health risks from skipping meals or even being accustomed to bullying and mental pressure and even depression... just because they're different. According to Dove, 9 out of 10 girls in the UK have low body esteem. We can blame media as much as we want, models, celebrities, the internet, or Instagram, but we can't change what is. 

It all starts with acceptance. Over the years, I have personally tried to embrace being different by accepting my 'flaws' as part of who I am. I've had a huge complex about my teeth, my height, my weight... the usual deal for many. But with time I have learned to accept it (or work with what I have). Only then, was I able to build on my confidence and most importantly, I stopped comparing myself endlessly to the rest of the world. This doesn't mean that I sit on the couch and eat all the food I want and walk out of the house with no make up and frumpy clothes (okay, sometimes...). I believe in being the best version of myself, and then loving that version of me.

If we work on improving our own image of ourselves, respect our efforts to be our best, we feel better and the same life will start looking beautiful again. When the 'ugly' duckling wandered around and was reassured of its beauty as a duckling, it finally started to see the same life it has, differently.

In short, be the Swan that you are! 

We can feel lost if we don't know where we belong.
​
In a TED Talk: 'There's more to life than being happy', according to Emily Esfahani Smith, 'Belonging' is one of the four virtual pillars of a 'happy life'. Personally, I know when I am at home or with my family, I feel safe and at peace. There's no judgement, no make up, no fashionable attire and yet there's warmth and a welcoming feeling. Family for everyone is different. For some, family is not always blood-related. It could include your colleagues, friends, dog... it's where the heart is. Home is also where you reflect, feel grounded and recharge on your confidence, self-worth and energy to deal with the Big Bad World out there. 

According to Teachings on Love by Thich Nhat Hanh, a well-known Buddhist saint, the four qualities of true love are: 

1. Understanding
2. Compassion
3. Joy (to ourselves and the ones we love)
4. Equanimity (nonattachment, non-discrimination, even-mindedness, or letting go). 

Clearly, the duck-couple who rejected the little duckling, had none of these four qualities and unfortunately, the world has quite a few people who don't have these traits to share true love.

If the duckling never ventured out to look for a home or friends, and decided to cry to its own misery in a corner of the jungle, it would never have known its worth and wouldn't have learnt about different types of ducks and birds around the ponds. It would not have found its family either. 

Travel brings us insight, opens our minds to appreciate different places, people, nature, food and ourselves. So occasionally, if we get 'lost' in life or during a journey, we can see where it takes us and try to learn from the journey, rather than despise everything and avoid the whole ordeal altogether. 

Stop caring.

The sooner you stop caring, whether its about what your neighbours or distant relatives would think about your career choice, what your colleagues would think about how you work, or how much fellow commuters stare at you for wearing your favourite bright yellow dress... the sooner you will do more things that make you happy and become a better version of you. 

The little duckling was only just born to find out it was unwanted by those who looked at it as different to them. However, with some wandering, some rejection, acceptance and some life experience, it would have known whose 'judgement' to take on board e.g. the opinion of close family members or friends who show it true love, versus the shallow opinion of others, who don't matter. 

And while you're at it, why not commercialise this story as a TV advert for a car brand? (Well done Audi!)