MANGOES HAVE ARRIVED - DID YOU HAVE THEM YET?

BLENDZ in Avenues Phase II serves fresh mango juice with bits of mango pieces

BLENDZ in Avenues Phase II also serves any fresh juice of your choice from their fruits displayed

This is a rather late post. Two weeks ago,  I stopped by BLENDZ  at Avenues Mall (1st floor, phase II), and asked what fresh fruit juices were they serving and the lady at the counter went 'We have fresh mango juice with little pieces in them, it's very nice'. She gave me a sample in a tiny paper cup and I enjoyed every bit of it. The mango juice was fresh and the presence of little pieces of mangoes really added to the great taste and feel. 'Do you want Ma'am?' the lady asked. 'Yes, please!' I went. After the mango juice, I walked for another one hour! LOL. If you are in Avenues, try the fresh mango juice with little mango pieces in them from BLENDZ. You will surely enjoy it.

Alphonso mango tree

Mangoes are a rich source of iron, vitamin A, E and selenium and antioxidants. Alphonso mangoes, one of the most fragrant and delicious varities of mangoes, have started to arrive in Kuwait. I picked up a few good ones from Geant. Very soon, all the supermarkets will be flooded with several varities of mangoes, 

Fresh mango juice (Alphonso)

One cup of fresh sliced mango : 107 calories
Unsweetned fresh ripe mango juice 200 ml : 115 to 120 calories
KDD Mango juice : 118 calories (200 ml pack)

For weight loss aspirants: A cup of sliced mangoes or 200 ml to 250 ml fresh mango juice is not going to sabotage your diet so long as you ensure you don't cross the 1500 or 1200 calorie, whichever calorie controlled diet you are on. And ofcourse...do exercise!

A TINY GIFT

Roly Bear (Hallmark, Marina Mall - Salmiah)

Aren't these really cute? They are available in HALLMARK, Marina Mall - Salmiyah. They make perfect little gifts, if you want to want to surprise someone special with something tiny, yet so cute.

NUTS FOR HEALTH

Variety of Nuts at 'AG MART' in Salmiyah

Last month when I was at AG Mart in Salmiyah, I picked up wonderful tasting cashewnuts of good quality. They had a good variety of nuts.  The plain cashewnuts I got from AG Mart were large, fresh tasting, crunchy, absolutely fantastic.  Its believed that for optimum health benefits, its best to have plain nuts and not the flavoured ones.

Nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts etc.) are a great source of energy, protein, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids and they are delicious too. Just munch a handful of nuts a day and you will be doing more than good to keep yourself healthy and stay fit. They are excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic and palmitoleic acids which help to lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increase HDL or "good cholesterol".

According to physician nutritionist specialist Dr. Melina Jampolis, 'Limit your intake to quarter cup of nuts per day' (CNN-Health).  

Power your diet with a handful of nuts everyday (about 10).  But be sure not over indulge as they are high in calories.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/expert.q.a/09/11/nuts.calories.jampolis/index.html

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/nuts_nutrition.html

WILLIAM AND KATE : THE MOVIE

Camilla Ludington stars as Kate Middleton and Nico Evers-Swindell as Prince William in 'William and Kate'

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Actors Camilla Luddington and Nico Evers-Swindell star in the  TV film 'William & Kate' that chronicles the royal couple Prince William and Kate Middleton’s nine year romance, their engagement in November 2010, culminating in  the anticipated Royal wedding on April 29^th. The TV movie was produced by US Lifetime cable network and the movie will be released in the UK on DVD during the Royal Wedding week.

Source : http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/the-trailer-for-the-us-tv-movie-dramatising-the-romance-between-prince-william-and/story-e6frewyr-1226038963270

FEEL THE SAND UNDER YOUR BARE FEET AND THE WIND IN YOUR HAIR!

Forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the wind longs to play with your hair

It's the weekend...the weather is beautiful....what better way to enjoy this quote than to walk on the beach, feel the sand in your feet and the wind in your hair.....

'CHOICE' AT MARINA MALL

Last week in Marina Mall, I passed by this shop called 'CHOICE'. They had a nice collection of long and medium tops of beautiful colours and designs for ladies. I found the prices to be reasonable as well.  It's a shop worth visiting if you are in Marina Mall.

FACTS ABOUT BODY FAT

Want to know how much of body fat you are carrying on yourself? Firstly, if you are carrying excess body fat, it means you have thousands of calories of food that need to be ‘used’ (or burnt).

1 Kg is 2.2 lbs (pounds) and 1 lb is 3500 calories,

So, 1 Kg is 3500 X 2.2= 7700 calories!

This means, inorder to reduce1 kg off of your weight, you have burn 7700 calories.

It's easy to reduce 1 kg in a matter of 1 week to 2 weeks, depending on your diet and type and duration of exercise and consistency in both. You could choose a 1500 calorie diet and in two months time, go on a 1200 to 1000 calorie diet. All of us weight loss aspirants certainly have more than 1 kg to lose...but give no room to disappointment. Stick to low cal, exercise, stay motivated, remain determined...and your journey of weight loss will take you to your destination.

Never exercise in dusty weather. If your house or gym is weatherproofed with no chance of dust getting in, well, you can exercise. If not, continue your low cal diet and when the skies are clear, or weather has improved, head for the gym or outdoors to get plenty of exercise! Avoid exercise when you are sick.

A low cal diet, exercise and tyring to lose weight is not a punishment or suffering , its a healthy lifestyle change - to treat your body right!

SANDSTORM AND SARAYAT

'Sandstorm' Painting by German Artist Ilona Kraft

Dusty weather has engulfed Kuwait once again and life sort of disrupts and this kind of weather takes a toll on the health, if going out for work or being outdoors cannot be avoided for some reason. Even inside closed doors, the smell of dust can be felt. The weather is expected improve on Friday. Wouldn't we all love to look forward to that! The present ‘Sarayat’ season will continue to have Dust storms, thunderstorms, followed by temporary clear skies and this sort of unstable weather may continue till mid May. 

I was reading a quote by Japanese author, Haruki Murakami (from his book Kafka on the Shore), it goes… ‘Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing direction…..And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in.’

Poets, writers and artists have always compared nature to human life for the simple reason that we are part of the grand design, inseparable from nature.

OSTRICH EGGS

Ostrich eggs in Geant Hypermarket, 360 Mall



Was I in for a shock - the Ostrich egg I held must have weighed almost 2 kg!

I don't know how I would have missed display of Ostrich eggs that are seen in co-ops and hypermarkets in Kuwait. Last week when we were in Geant Hypermarket in 360 Mall, we were passing by the eggs section and my husband said, 'There, Ostrich Eggs'. The Ostrich eggs are glossy cream coloured and quite heavy. The one I held in the picture above, must have weighed almost 2 kg ! 

An Ostrich egg is believed to weigh 1.5 to 1.8 kg, around 20 to 23 times the weight of a chicken egg (equivalent to 2 dozen eggs or slightly more!). Ostrich eggs are high in polyunsaturated fat,  low in cholestrol and have a high iron content. One uncooked Ostrich egg contains about  2000 calories while a large chicken egg contains 72  to 80 calories. The eggs are incubated by the female Ostriches by day and by the males by night. The incubation period is 35 to 45 days

WILDLIFE PICTURE

COLORADO DESERT OWLS

Photos by Wildlife Photographer Rob Palmer

OUTER SPACE AND INNER SPACE

Our greatest discoveries are not found in the outerspace; they will be realized in our 'inner space'

NEW iPHONE APPLICATION 'MEAL SNAP' CALCULATES CALORIES FOR YOU

New iPhone app  ‘MealSnap’ from 'Daily Burn', takes a picture of the meal with the phone, and gives a calorie read-out almost instantly! For the full article visit source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1375714/MealSnap-iPhone-app-counts-calories-picture.html

MYSTERIOUS LIGHT SEEN DURING JAPAN EARTHQUAKE ON 8TH APRIL 2011

A huge mysterious flashing blue light was captured on video over Japan as  another earthquake hit the country on April 8^th,  but what was it?

The video clearly shows a ball of light pulsing for around eight seconds on the horizon in Tokyo during the aftershock. The earthquake registered 7.1 on the Richter scale and struck 40 miles east of Sendai along the same fault line as last month's quake.

For more details, visit source:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/38/20110408/tsc-mysterious-light-spotted-during-japa-98fda55_1.html

CAT CLOWN...

If only the cat could speak, would it allow something like this?!!!

MOVIE 'RIO' NOW PLAYING IN THE THEATRES IN KUWAIT

Blue and Jewel

Rio is a 3 D animation feature from the makers of ‘Ice Age’ films. Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on ‘Blu’ a rare macaw, who believes that he is the last of his kind, however he discovers there’s another macaw out there, a girl named as Jewel. Then to set up a life with her, he travels from the comforts of his small home in Minnesota to Rio de Janeiro. Blu is domesticated and flight-challenged, and Jewel is the fiercely independent, high-flying female. They embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they find out about friendship, love, courage, and being open to life’s many wonders as unpredictably thrown mutually. ‘Rio’ also brings collectively a menagerie of bright characters, a heart-warming story, colorful backdrops, stimulating Latin & modern music, beautiful song & dance.

Directed by : Carlos Saldanha

Starring : voice of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, George Lopez

Official Website: Rio-themovie.com

In Kuwait, RIO is being shown at Cinescape Avenues, 360, Marina, Laila, Metro, Plaza and Ajial, Fanar, Muhallab, Sharqia, Al Kout

For more details and online booking of tickets and seating, visit the Kuwait National Cinema company website  http://webserver2.kncc.com/synopsis.php?mv=3311

ROBOTIC SEAGULL BIRD TAKES FLIGHT INTO THE FUTURE

The German automation company Festo has deciphered the flight of birds with the development of the world’s first seagull robotic bird that could pave  way to a new generation of process automation components. Controlled by a radio handset, it can also simply glide through the skies if left to its own devices. The team, from Festo’s Smart Birduses has a compact 135 brushless motor that can start, fly and land autonomously. An articulated torsional drive unit allows the bird to beat its wings up and down as well twist at specific angles. Built from carbon fibre and polyurethane foam, the ultralight Smart Bird weighs 485 grams, operates at 23 watts and can be controlled from the ground using a radio controller

Source :

http://www.feelguide.com/2011/03/29/the-festo-corporation-develops-worlds-first-flying-robotic-bird/

COOKERY DEMONSTRATION AT CARLUCCIO'S, AVENUES MALL

Carluccio's the wonderful authentic Italian restaurant located in the Avenues Mall, has some great news for those who would love to learn to cook Italian dishes. They are having Chef Giulio Bringola on Saturday 16^th April at Carluccio’s to present a cookery demonstration at 10 a.m.

Dishes Chef Giulio Bringola would demonstrate how to make :

1. Sicilian Caponata
2. Panzero alla puglise
3. Pizza di patata

It’s K.D. 15/- per person to attend the cookery demo on Saturday 16th April, which includes breakfast at 9.30 a.m, followed by cookery class at 10 am., and you shall be given a take away bag with all the ingredients to prepare the dishes by yourself as well as the recipe. Do book in advance to reserve your place to attend the cookery demonstration.

Contact : 60906372 (Mr. Sumesh, Restaurant Manager, Carluccio’s Restaurant) for more details or 22597310

Visit Carluccio’s  at Avenues Mall to enjoy their authentic and delicious Italian breakfast, lunch or dinner or enjoy a delicious selection of fresh food such as cheese, olives and baked goods with an outstanding range of products imported from Italy. They have a live band to entertain you, every Friday from 7pm onwards.

HEALTHY LUSTROUS HAIR

Summer has begun in Kuwait, and its time to give extra care to your hair. Whatever is your hair type, massaging your scalp with warm oil an hour or two before your bath or shower, would be very uselful, encouraging blood circulation and nourishing the roots of your hair. Do this thrice a week. If you don't have time, you could do it once a week.

Magic potion for the hair
1 Tablespoon olive oil,
1 Tblsp castor oil
1 Tblsp almond oil
1 Tblsp coconut oil
4 pepper pods
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
3 fresh basil leaves
4 or 5 fresh henna leaves or 1 tsp good quality henna powder 

Mix all the oils in a dish. Crush  pepper pods, cumin seeds, basil leaves and henna leaves, add into the oil. If using henna powder, just add to oil and mix well. If its thick, add little more olive oil for application consistency purpose. Heat it over the fire on really slow fire till warm (don't over heat). Take off from fire and mix well. You don't have to strain it before application, unless you choose to. Use cotton, dip into the warm oil, apply on your entire scalp and massage gently and apply oil to rest of your hair. Keep for 1 to 2 hours and wash off with a shampoo and see the difference. You might need to shampoo twice to remove traces of oil. Now this is a tip for a treatment from outside. Now for healthy hair, you should eat healthy food as well. Fruits, vegetables, skim milk, yoghurt, and stay away from too much sugar and junk food.

Talk to your hairdresser and see if you could carry this oil to your Hair spa or Parlour and she could warm it and massage it to your scalp and wash your hair for you. Carry a positive attitude and don't be a victim of stress, as stress can lead to hair fall.

HORSE MEAT

Horse meat Plov of Uzkebistan

In Uzbekistan, Horse meat Plov (horsemeat with rice cooked in spices) is a famous national dish  and to Uzbeks, horsemeat is a delicacy.

French, Italians, Swiss, Japanese and Quebecois in Canada are horse meat aficionados. Horsemeat is lean, firm, rich in protein and low in fat, finely textured, bright red from the myoglobin content in muscle fibres. Horse meat is supposedly very mild and sweet-tasting because of its high glycogen content. Last year, there was proposal from the health minister in Italy to ban horse meat and consider horses as pets like cats and dogs. In UK , USA , horses are considered as companions, pets or used for work, not food.

'Basahi', sliced raw horse meat served in Japan

The thought of eating 'horse meat' is totally  uncomfortable, well, actually a definite No-No for me.