Medieval Rochester

I feel exhaustion deep in my bones this week. 

It seems working hard constantly for months on end is beginning to take it's toll.

Thank God I'm headed home this weekend. 

My mum and step-dad are coming back from Dubai for two weeks and I haven't seen them since early December so that should be nice.

Last weekend, however, I went to Faversham, right after work, to my dad's place.

I've only been there 3 times and only twice on the train after work. 

But I noticed the first time and this time going past a stunning harbour with a crumbling, cobblestoned town.

When we pulled into the station not long after these sights, the sign said 'Rochester'.

And funnily enough that's where my dad suggested we go the following day.

It  was supposed to be such a beautiful, warm weekend, but the weather wasn't all it was meant to be.

I still had a good time though.

We settled in to watch the Olympics on Friday night, my sister arriving a couple of hours after me.

And then on Saturday we headed to Rochester Castle where there happened to be a medieval festival on as well.

It  was definitely an interesting day.

People genuinely dress up in medieval gear and live like they did back then for an entire weekend.

Imagine that?

Medieval stories always fascinate me - Robin Hood, Merlin and Arthur, The Musketeers.

There's just something about sword fighting and men in armour that will capture my attention every time.

Anyways, I'm getting diverted. After wandering around the stalls for a bit (maybe stalls isn't the right word) and catching Pokemon, we decided to stay and see the falconry show.

There were about five birds they showcased - an eagle, two owls, a falcon and a vulture.

They were incredible.

They introduced their different talents: speed, sight, smell, flying.

I enjoyed watching the vulture the most. Apparently they are rubbish flyers, preferring to hop about. It's hilarious.

Another could watch TV from 2 miles away (if it was so inclined), it's eyesight is amazing.

They really are beautiful creatures.

There was a beautiful cathedral nearby but we didn't go in it in the end, just took photos of it.

We didn't go inside the castle either, but there was probably more to see in the grounds anyway.

We finished off the weekend watching The Hobbit, playing countless games of Uno and reading.

It  was such a relaxing weekend, I just wish it didn't go so quick!

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What I Want To Do In The Next 6 Months

I just sat opposite a man on the tube who had the hairiest chest and, equally, hairy mole right on his chin. I honestly thought he had a goatee at first... Whoops.

Anyways, as my countdown app kindly reminded me this morning, it's just six months to Christmas (as I write this post) and that brings me to look back on my resolutions from January. 

I haven't quite achieved many of them as of yet, but I've created another similar list of goals in this post of what I would like to have achieved in the next 6 months.

I don't know how much I can actually accomplish with my ever dwindling motivation, but maybe this will get my butt into gear. So here goes:

1. To visit home/friends/my dad more

2. To book my trip to Venice

3. To buy a sketch book and start drawing again

4. To finish the second draft of my novel

5. To travel more, even if just in England

6. To do a writing retreat and lock myself in a hotel away from home and get a substantial amount of writing done

7. To find more inspiration. Create mood boards if I have to in order for my motivation to return

8. To meet some more of Adeel's family

9. And to equally not worry so much about it and what people think

10. To celebrate Adeel's new job (when he gets one)

11. To donate money and the rest of my unwanted clothes to charity

12. To have a clear out and a tidy up of my room

13. To take more photos in photo booths or more photos in general

14. To decide when I want to return to Dubai and visit my mum and Neil

15. To run 96 more miles

16. To increase the percentage of my wages going in to my pension

17. To stop buying cheap clothes that always seem to fray or break easily, buy something expensive and durable

18. To find a new home, one that we can start calling our own with new furniture and everything

19. To give away or sell all my old textbooks

20. To spend more time offline



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Spew Of Restless Thoughts

It's been one of those weeks where I literally feel all over the place.

I've been so restless and easily bad-tempered that it's a surprise no one has told me to snap out of it.

Like, I'm soooooooooo fidgety at the moment with, well, everything.

I think what I really need is a nice, long, relaxing holiday. Somewhere far away, preferably hot with a stunning beach.

I mean, before Dubai in November I hadn't had a proper holiday for almost (or more, can't quite remember) four years.

Yet, now, a mere 6 months or so after my last holiday I'm craving another one and feel I will go mad without one.

Frustrating.

Another thing making me bad-tempered and restless is the lack of online shopping I've been able to do.

I've been searching high and low for just a nice pair of flats as I've thrown one pair out, another pair absolutely stinks and the third is just merh.

I've literally searched every chain store known to man.

Maybe I will actually have to go in to a shop to find a decent pair.

I have successfully bought a new pair of black jeans though and a couple of tops from Misguided which is nice, recommended highly by my sister as I couldn't trust the ASOS sizing (who measures themselves by the waist and/or leg length anyway? I like the good old numerical way).

In other news, I'm reallyyyyyy excited having spoken with A about our future living circumstances.

I've always wanted to live in Beckenham (ever since my dad lived there) and it looks like it may just happen.

Although I've struck a deal with him, that it will only be for a few years and then just maybeeee a move to America will be on the cards. Eep! 

Ever since he mentioned it and I took it in a not-so-serious-dismissive-sort-of-way, I can't stop thinking about it and how good it might actually be.

Well, after that jumble of thoughts has now been strewn out of my head and onto this wonderful page, I think I will sleep a little better knowing the future is looking a little brighter (even if I have been a moody so-and-so all week!)

Am also thinking about doing an ASOS/general wish list as I can't seem to make up my mind and actually buy anything, just ogle at them and um and argh over the out-of-stockness of everything I want.

Humph. 

How has your week been?



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Brunches Galore

A popular outing in Dubai is to go for brunch (not the kind of brunch we think of in the UK, but more of a buffet). They generally offer a whole variety of cuisines, ranging from Chinese to a roast dinner, to a selection of fish and a spread of breads and cheeses, topped off by the magnificent dessert section where there is literally so much to choose from that you end up piling your plate high with an assortment of cakes and cookies and ice cream even though you're stuffed from all the savoury items you've eaten(!)

Unlike some restaurants where you feel a certain pressure to not outstay your welcome, at a brunch you can book a four hour time slot in which you can slowly nibble your way through different stations. There are lunch time slots and dinner time slots to book, but both times I went, we opted for the lunch time option.

Bread Street Kitchen

Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant in Atlantis, The Palm.

Image from Pinterest

 Sophisticated, amazing food, excellent location and cracking live music. I managed to try oysters and lobster here which was definitely interesting - not sure I'm a fan! But the whole spread of food was beautiful, although I didn't get to try it all considering the amount. Here they let you pick at the different stations as "starters" and then they bring out all the options on their main course menu for your group to share (don't worry, the menu only has a few options) and then you dig into dessert afterwards! It was such a relaxed atmosphere and they really try to take care of your every need, constantly topping up drinks (which I believe is included in the price package).

Atlantis hotel, The Palm

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Bamboo Lagoon

JW Marriott Hotel, Dubai

Marriott Hotel, Dubai

This one had an even larger selection of cuisines to pick from that were spread out over what felt like different parts of the entire hotel; it was massive. It had a much more oriental theme to it which was quite relaxing in a different way to the other one. Also, their live entertainment was something else. They were a band of four, two women, two men and they were very energetic and brought a sense of the Australian culture to it - very strange mix but interesting! This one I feel would be more suited to an evening option though.

I preferred Bread Street, but that's probably because I wasn't nervous for a flight for the following day!

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What else is there to do in Dubai?

I've heard two things about Dubai. It's either an action-filled adventure or there isn't anything to do. 

So, what's my opinion? 

I think it's like anywhere, if you do your research or you have someone to give you advice on places to go then you're sorted. It all depends on what you want out of your holiday. I wanted to relax as I hadn't had a break for nearly 2 years.

Here's an outline of what I did over the two weeks:

*Dubai Emirates Mall - they have a snow dome/ski slope inside the mall

*The Dubai Mall - they have an aquarium and ice rink inside this one, plus it's probably, at least, 5x bigger than Westfield Stratford

*Walked around the Marina and to the beach

*Brunch at Atlantis and then onto The Fairmont for shisha and relaxing

*Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - entire weekend of sun, greasy food and very, very, loud cars (obviously this isn't for everyone, this was a belated 21st birthday present because I love it)

*Desert offroading - always go with someone else so that if either you or they get stuck you can pull each other out! Was so much fun though, me and my boyfriend got to drive around the dunes!!

*Lunch/dinner at loads of new places - a Brazilian restaurant in particular stands out because they come to your table to carve your meat and they have Brazilian dancers, plus the whole restaurant is on the top floor so the views are spectacular

*Old Dubai - we got to see traditional markets and went on a quick river trip

That sums up my holiday. I wish I'd taken more photos to post (see this post for lots of photos of my trip!) but I was so absorbed by my surroundings that I thought it'd be a shame to be superglued to my camera/phone the whole time. 

Maybe next time...

Classy Emirates

Image from Pinterest

When you spend seven hours in the air you know you don't want it to be on some cheap flight with tasteless food and seats that are so close together you feel like you're in a tin of sardines. Especially if it's your first flight in around ten years and you're absolutely bricking it.

Image from Pinterest

Emirates are definitely the one. Even in economy you have a reasonable amount of leg room, great food and an endless choice of films you could only dream of. The plane is well air-conditioned and they provide blankets if you do get cold, with little stickers to alert staff of whether you want to be disturbed or not. Even bad turbulence wasn't so bad (who'd of thought I would ever say that?), with the pilot downplaying it as 'a patch of rough air'.

Image from Pinterest

The staff are polite and immaculately dressed in uniforms that are both unique and stunning. The seats are clean and, most interesting of all, the plane has cameras placed at different angles in order for you to watch the whole flight from various perspectives!

Coming in to land

I would have to say though, the only bad thing I found was that the seats reclined. In economy I don't think this is right because once people do recline, space becomes limited for those behind, leaving them with their screens two inches from their faces and their dinner in their laps.

Somewhere over Turkey

Other than that though, brilliant.

I am officially cured of my fear of flying!

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p.s. Have a very Merry Christmas :)

A Step In The Right Direction

So this post was meant to be posted a few weeks ago about my birthday trip to Paris in March. But then the attacks happened and I didn't feel right about posting it after that. It sounds strange, but maybe I'll post it at a later time. So this post will now be about Dubai.

I suffer from severe anxiety - but going to Dubai has actually helped me in ways I can't even explain. Both flights went well, I explored the city and most of all I enjoyed myself, instead of constantly thinking about getting back to the apartment.

I will do little reviews on things like the airline and places we ate at in the next few weeks, but for now I'll just give a little overview. 

The whole experience was pretty amazing, not somewhere I would've thought to go on holiday if my parents hadn't of moved there recently. And because they were at work a lot of the two weeks I got to go exploring by myself, in the first week, before my boyfriend arrived in the second. Pretty scary, but it was beautiful - especially at night!

The temperatures were actually alright, mainly staying around 30 degrees, and not the sticky, humid type we get in England either - so it was bearable! Also, with it being a Muslim country I was a little worried about how strict they'd be considering all the different things I'd heard, but it was actually alright because of all the expats that live over there.

Anyways, I'll stop rambling on for now and give you some photos from my trip: