Guest post: The price of beauty

Today I am very excited to share with you a guest post from Angeliki of the Reading Psychology (RePsych) blog. Her motto is Know more, Grow more. I really enjoy Angie's writing so I asked her if she would do a guest post for me. And she very kindly agreed. Yay! Please go on over and say hello! Take it away Angeliki!

The price of beauty

Last Friday night, my boyfriend saw me wearing make-up and he said to me: “What have you done? You look like another person” What he usually sees is me in my pyjamas with no make-up whatsoever! I hadn’t realised how much I change when I wear make-up and my boyfriend’s remark made me wonder; why do we transform ourselves? Why do we want to look like something that society decided is attractive?

 
We all want to look beautiful and there is nothing harmful in having some fun with it. I love how I feel after a new haircut, after I’ve been to the gym or when I’m wearing pretty colours. I enjoy discovering new make-up products and I like following the fashion but I worry that the balance of fun versus effort is spinning out of control. Women are putting themselves under extreme pressure to appear sleek, fashionable and youthful. Girls and women of all ages and classes are being pulled tighter into fashion’s grip, spending more time, money and energy into transforming themselves into an “ideal of beauty”.


Studies show that attractive men and women earn more than less attractive but equally qualified individuals. Instead of women using their increased choice to dress as they please, they have found themselves having to reach for higher and higher standards. Women are in a double bind here. They are expected to conform to ever-higher beauty standards, but are then condemned for doing so.


Fashion has taken a stronger hold over the mainstream culture. It is no coincidence that women’s battles with their bodies have increased. Dangerous eating disorders are still rare, but every survey shows that a greater number of women are feeling unhappy with the way they look, and it is starting at ever younger ages.


Fashion is fun, it’s the way we express our taste and sensuality. But taking it too seriously-to the point where we’re never satisfied and always insecure that we haven’t measured up to some universal standard of primped perfection- is a kind of madness. Fashion should be at the service of women, not the other way around.

Thanks Angeliki for a wonderful guest post. What do you think of Angie's views? I agree with them wholeheartedly. Please share your opinions in the comments and remember to get in contact with me at caribbeanprincessmusingsATgmailDOTcom (using the usual convention) if you would like to do a feature.

Please note that I will be on a mini break in Tobago from Friday to Monday with CP2. However I have a couple of posts scheduled for you all to read since I am so wonderful love you so much. ;-)

The Philofaxy London Meet Up Spring 2011 part two

Welcome to part two of my post on last Saturday's Philofaxy London meet up (see here for part one). I am still on a high from the amazing time that I had. Everyone was so friendly! It took us about 40 minutes to walk over from the Tate Modern to the Filofax Neal Street Store. It probably would have taken everyone else 20-25 minutes! But I am from the Caribbean. We don't walk, we amble! hehe.

Anyways so here are some more pics. I am sure you are most excited to see what was available from the new range. You can click on the photos if you want to see them even larger.

Filofax Neal Street.

The Luxe. It comes in the new Compact size.

The Malden Vintage Rose collection.

The Chameleon Aqua.

The Grey Finsbury.

The Imperial purple Finchley.

More of the Vintage Pink Malden.

The Grey Malden.

The Red Chameleon Collection and the Amazing Amazona.

Slimlines all in a row.

The Apex. I shall summarise in one word. Why?

Ok so if I am completely honest I wasn't blown away with any of the new collection. I didn't really like the Pepto Bismol 'pink' of the Vintage Rose Malden. I suppose the Malden is just not feminine enough for me. I was really quite disappointed as I really wanted to love it. The grey Malden was nice though but again too 'male' for me; the same with the grey Finsbury.

I thought the Luxe was number one in the new collection but alas the compact size would be way too small for me. So I couldn't even think of getting it. Sadly the purple Songbird was not available as yet as that is one I think I will definitely get! I am sure it will be lovely. And I love purple and pink!

So did I keep my money in my wallet?

What's in here?

Sadly my friends it is getting late. And this post was written on the Saturday before my flight so I need to pack my hand luggage....... and go to bed! Don't worry. All will be revealed when I get back from Trinidad in 3 weeks time. Remember patience is a virtue!

What do you think of the new range? Please share in the comments.

I'm in Trinidad!!!!

So I am finally here! Once again my feet are on Trinidadian soil. And I am typing this post from my old bedroom which has not changed much except for the fact that my Mum now thinks I am too old for pink bedding and curtains.......... As if! Humph! I don't think words can explain what it feels like to walk out of the arrivals lounge and see your parents (who you have not seen in 2 years!) waiting for you. Well to be honest that didn't actually happen. They were operating on Trini (Caribbean time). But let's pretend shall we? The point it I was still extremely elated when they did actually turn up half and hour later (after some angsty phone calls on my part).

Did I say how great it feels to be home? Yes I shall keep on repeating it. And as my parents upgraded from Broadband to Wireless (just for me) ALL of my gadgets........ iPhone, iPad, laptop work! Because you know I just don't like to be disconnected! So I am in Trinidad and it is hot. Even the neighbour's rooster is heralding my arrival by crowing at 4 in the morning. But that doesn't matter as I am jetlagged anyways hence the reason why I am awake and writing this post!

So I was able to catch up with most of my family as they had all dropped by my parents' house. My brother was working (he is training in orthopaedic surgery so unlike me he actually has to see real live patients. Imagine that. A doctor actually seeing patients. In a hospital! My mind boggles). Anyways hopefully I will see him soon. I also want to meet my other niece who is not yet 2 but is already having long conversations! I guess the gift of the gab also runs in my family. We have superior genes! haha.

Plans for this week include
♥ Sleep
♥ Eat
♥ Chat with family and friends
♥ Eat
♥ Sleep
♥ Have a manicure
♥ Visit my siblings' homes
♥ Sleep some more
♥ Vegetate
♥ Go to Tobago
♥ Eat
♥ Sleep..........

Ok you get the picture! I have a hectic week ahead. I may even have to write it all down in my Travel filofax! So I am here safe and sound, the British Airways flight was great (except for the 1 hour delay caused by a passenger deciding he didn't actually feel like travelling any more. So his suitcases had to be removed). And the plane didn't land in the sea when we stopped over in St Lucia (that island is so small I didn't even notice the runway). Cue me hyperventilating and saying to the lady in the next seat 'Where the hell is the pilot landing this plane?  I can't see anything! Sea, Sea, Sea. Oh there it is! My bad!   

These are a couple of early shots. I am hot and sweaty and I hadn't slept in 24 hours. So I apologise for not looking glam....... But you can tell how happy I am!




CP2, moi and older sis with the twins.



CP2.1 and CP 2.2 like looking at each other. My younger sis took the photo.

CP2.1 and CP2.2. OMG they are sooo entertaining!

Take care all! Regular posts will resume tomorrow :-) Have a marvellous Monday wherever you are!!!!

The Philofaxy London Meet Up Spring 2011 part one

Hello Hello
I know many of you are eagerly awaiting a run down of today's Philofaxy meet up! I was sooooooooooooo excited before the event and you know what? It TOTALLY lived up to my high expectations! It was an absolutely fantastic day. It was great to meet up with some of the veterans from the last one in November. But it was equally wondeful to meet some new people as well. I can't tell you how amazing it is to meet someone you have been communicating with online for some time and realise that his/her real life persona is even more fantastic than the virtual personality. I really did feel like I was catching up with old friends. We had so much fun! And of course before our lunch appeared the filofaxes were already being shared and ogled. I don't know what the people on other tables thought of us! But they couldn't deny that we were having a fabulous time! :-) Yay for Philofaxy meet ups!

So onwards to some pictures......... Click to enlarge.

Lunch hasn't been served and the filofaxes are already out! We take this very seriously!

Jess's lovely pocket Classic Rose. I loved it!



Maybe I should change my PhD topic! Jess and I in deep discussion.



 Loulou contemplates whether the Baroque would be a wonderful addition to her collection.

Butanben and I. She gave me a lovely little present which was so generous of her :-)

With Jess and Steve. I could not put down Loulou's pocket Deco!

Loulou and I.

Shazza and I smile for the camera!

My cunning plan to steal all the filofaxes is foiled! I should have brought a bigger handbag!

Oooh what do we have here? DH should be very worried! My next on call supplement perhaps?

Ok so in addition to all the wonderful filofaxes I also fell in love with this AMAZING Mulberry Bayswater belonging to Jess. And she told me where I could go to get them more reasonably priced too. Note that my smile is just as dazzling as the handbag. Win win I say! I can hear DH groaning all the way from Singapore.......

Stay tuned for some more wonderful pictures taken when we got to the Filofax store on Neal Street........ So did I get that Malden Vintage Rose? I guess you have to tune in again to find out! Aaaah the suspense ;-)

Update 29/3/2011 For part 2 see here.

I am sooooooooo excited!

As if I really need any more encouragement!

Ok folks I am sure that this weekend will be the best weekend of the year, for me that is!! Yes I know this may make me seem a little pathetic (like if you didn't already know).... But I really don't care. I am so excited that I am doing little happy dances every ten five minutes! Thank goodness DH isn't here to see me or else he would tease me mercilessly! 

So you may ask what is so wonderful about this weekend? Do I even have to tell you? I am like a broken record! Anyways for those who don't know why I am excited here are my fabulous weekend plans.....

♥ Saturday - Philofaxy meet up in London!! I am so excited to be able to meet in person some of the lovely people who I have been exchanging emails and tweets with over the last couple of months! The last meet up was so much fun and I am sure this one will not disappoint :-)

♥ Sunday- With any luck I should be on a BA flight back home to Trinidad early tomorrow morning. I keep on telling myself that breathing recycled air and watching crap movies for 8 plus hours will be so worth it. In 2 years I am sure that a lot would have changed as the family has grown! And people would have moved on. But I hope that many things will still feel familiar and that I won't feel too disconnected.

Now it is very unlikely that I will get any sleep tonight due to all the adrenaline coursing through my veins! So I should be able to do a post on the meet-up first thing tomorrow. Also, now that I am a proud filofax Deco owner, can I keep my money in my wallet? Only time will tell.........

What are your weekend plans? I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Reasons why I am going home: A story told in pictures

In four days' time I will be on a British Airways flight back to my home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Provided, of course, the staff don't decide to strike. After all it is British Airways..... So it is understandable if I have low expectations. Anyways I am sooooo excited I can't sit still. I haven't been back in almost 2 years.

I wanted to share with you a quick photo diary of the reasons why I am glad to be heading home.

My parents

Aren't they adorable? I have a lot to thank them for!

My twin sister

The yummy mummy!

My twin nieces

Don't be surprised if I kidnap one!

The Beach

Nothing beats Pigeon Point Beach in Tobago.

But the real reason why I am going back home?

The Colonel

That secret recipe of 11 Herbs and Spices meant that McDonalds went bust in Trinidad! haha.

Please don't judge me!

I will continue to blog while in Trinidad so be sure to drop by for your fix of my musings ;-) What do you miss the most about home? Please share in the comments.

Have a lovely day!

The Decadent Deco Filofax

Ok so I have gone and done it now! Remember when I said that I would treat myself to a certain filofax when I finished my PhD? Or better yet when I finally became a public health consultant? Well friends, it is do as I say not as I do........ because week before last I just happened to mosey on down to the wonder that is eBay and get myself AN IVORY DECO FILOFAX!!!!!! Sorry for shouting but you must have known HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN CRAVING THIS!! Again. Sorry. I shall try to calm down. Deep breaths CP. Deep breaths! :-)

Anyways initially I had bid on a lovely Ruby Deco which as I mentioned here was my favourite colour. Would you believe that in the 5 minutes it took for me to leave office and get to the bus stop I was outbid! I was extremely annoyed. But then a certain enabler named Jotje came to the rescue and told me that another one was up for auction. Although it was the Ivory, I decided to go for it! Friends I even got up at 5 one morning to make sure that I won the damn thing. And I am so not a morning person. If that isn't dedication to a cause, I don't know what is!  So finally getting my Deco was the seventh reason I was smiling grinning like a Cheshire cat last week! As soon as I got it I showed it off to my office mates. Even haters had to oooh and ahhh over it. I was not surprised as absolutely, positively without exception this filofax is the MOST STUNNING PLANNER ON THE PLANET!!! Berluti who?? Point made.

So here are some photos. My camera and the lighting struggled to do it justice as it is really beautiful. It is also darker than I expected but somehow I think the Ivory represents understated class compared to the obvious bling of the Ruby. Not that I have a problem with bling. Just sayin'!

I also placed it on a purple velvet cushion for the pics. After all, my Deco is royalty, just like her owner!

Front view. The leather is sublime!

Close up of the clasp. It is utterly fabulous. And very easy to open.

Interior pocket!

Back pocket which can open to hold a lot of stuff.

A stylish posterior view!

So folks, I can finally say I am the proud owner of a Decadent Deco filofax. Maybe this will cure my obsession with filofaxes for good......... Although the vintage rose Malden has caught my eye! And the Philofaxy meet up is this Saturday at one of the flagship filofax stores...... Oh no! Here we go again!

What do you think?

PS I think I shall get this instead as my new consultant treat in 4 years time! Ssshhh. Don't tell DH. It will be our little secret ;-)

Introducing DH....or why on earth did I marry a physicist???



 Sing it like Cee Lo Green 


So dear readers, today's post is going to be different. For once I am not going to talk about me, i.e. my thoughts, my shopping, my filofaxes, my randomness. Nope, today I shall focus on my Dear Husband (who I have fondly referred to as DH in passing on so many occasions). Why? Well for one I am missing him like crazy! And it hasn't even been an entire week since he left for Singapore. So writing about him will make me feel like if he is actually in the house. And not you know, ten billion miles away! (I know. I know. I exaggerate). And the second reason? Well because he is really quite a character! However people tend not to realise this as he manages to hide behind a cloak of English reserve. Yes, people actually think I am the 'kooky' one. If only they knew the truth. Sometimes, I feel as though I am living in a sitcom. I never realised it was possible to laugh so much and so hard in a marriage. To warm up, go and read this post. Read it? Good! Now you have some perspective. Let's get started.

Ten things you didn't know about DH
1. He is passionate..... about physics, me not so much (just kidding!). He loves his chosen field so much that he insisted on having a whiteboard in his study (see photo at the end). He lives, sleeps, eats and breathes physics. It is quite inspiring. Not to mention that it is hard for me to get jealous of a book on quantum computing or optical lattices! haha. Who am I kidding? Sometimes I do!

2. He is hardworking. DH is definitely not lazy. He usually picks up after himself (except for his socks). Before we got cleaners, he would also help me with the housework. He does the grocery shopping every week with relatively little complaining as strangely food shopping is the only shopping I hate!! It is probably genetic as my Mum never ever does the food shopping either. DH will also give me a lift to and from the train station whenever he can. When I did night shifts in the hospital, he would do a 100 miles round trip every night for seven nights in a row as he did not want me travelling so late. Man he is sounding more and more like a saint! How did I get so lucky? What can I say? I have high standards!

3. He snores, loudly! It sounds like a formula one race track. Without Louis Hamilton or Jenson Button. However he always denies snoring and insists that it is all in my imagination. Now that he is not here I might actually miss it. I LIE. I WILL NEVER MISS THE SNORING!!!

4. He is kind. He is not a pushover but he is not a bully either. He is nice to his students and juniors. Although he is much more emotionally restrained than I am, it is obvious that he does not like to see anyone in pain. He looks out for people.

5. He is very mature for his age. When I first met him I didn't realise that he was younger than me. He is extremely independent and if I am honest he definitely looks after me more than I look after him. Maybe it is because he dealt with the loss of a loved one when he was still quite young. Sometimes I feel that he has an old soul.

6. He is confident. DH has never ever tried to put me down or make me feel insecure. He is not intimidated by me. Instead he supports me in everything that I do and is not resentful in any way. Many men would not appreciate a wife who is as career focussed as I am. It does not bother him in the least (see first point).

7. He has a wonderful sense of humour. It is difficult to have an argument or stay mad at someone who makes you laugh or can find a million ways to tease you. He is absolutely ridiculous and is not afraid to be extremely silly. He even has 'fart' apps on his iPhone. Why? Who knows? And yes, this totally contradicts point five above. But there is never a boring moment with him. He also does a terrible mock Trinidadian/Jamaican accent! Beware! You have been warned.

8. He is good with money. Unlike a certain person (I will not name names), DH is quite shrewd about money. He does not buy himself a lot of treats although he likes to own a nice car and a nice watch. However he is not cheap. If he were, I would leave him!

9. He buys his clothes in the grocery. The designer? George at Asda. I kid you not. However he does NOT expect me to do the same. If he did I would leave him (see point eight above).

10. He loves me. DH is not a classic romantic (I know I will never see rose petals in the bath or have a house filled with scented candles- the latter is a health and safety hazard anyways). He is also not that good at giving compliments. He once told me that my eyes looked like limpid pools of darkness?!? However he really does treat me like a princess. And for that I have been truly blessed.

Some Photos



DH and I at a friend's wedding. Look closely. You will see the evil twinkle in his eyes!

The picture above is from a couple of years ago. I realise now that except for wedding photos we don't actually have that many pictures together. I need to do something about that!

The evidence!

The above is a picture of DH's study. There are lots more bookshelves which you cannot see. When I posted this pic on Facebook I said he had crazy stuff (supposedly physics) on his whiteboard.

This was his response "That is not physics. It is me trying to work out how to pay off your credit card bill. I have yet to find a solution......."

I rest my case! Please refer to post title.....

Does your other half drive you crazy too but in a good way? If so, please share. And of course have a great day.

Disclaimer- No physicists were harmed in the creation of this post. All posts about DH will now be labelled The Husband Chronicles.

Winner of the 3rd Royal Giveaway with CSN stores

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Thanks so much for participating in the 3rd Royal Giveaway with CSN stores. All you needed to do to enter was name a celebrity that you would like to meet and say the reasons why you wanted to meet that person. The comments were very interesting (read here for the full version). Here is a list of all the celebrities you mentioned! Click on the names to read more about each individual! I hope you find their stories inspiring.

♥ Anthony Bourdain – chef, author, traveller

♥ Bruce Parry - TV presenter and adventurer

♥ David Cross- actor, writer and stand up comedian

♥ Dhani Jones- American football linebacker

♥ Donald Trump- Business magnate, socialite, author, TV personality

♥ Drew Barrymore- actress, producer, director

♥ George W Bush- US president

♥ JK Rowling- author

♥ Johnny Depp - actor

♥ Jon Stewart- political satirist, writer, TV host, comedian

♥ Lady Gaga- singer-songwriter

♥ Lara Jade Coton- photographer

♥ Larry Bird- former basket ball player and coach

♥ Leo Babauta- blogger, journalist, author

♥ Ozzy Osbourne - singer-songwriter

♥ Richard Branson - entrepeneur

♥ Sandra Bullock- actress and producer

♥ Sarah Silverman- comedian, writer, actress, singer

♥ Suzy Hotrod - roller derby player

♥ Tom Hanks- actor, producer, writer, director

And the winner is, via random.org

Drum Roll please

 

Comment no 16 AubreyLaine!!!

Congratulations Aubrey !! I will be in touch via email to make the arrangements as I need to know if you are from the US/UK or Canada.


PS for some unknown reason I am unable to save a picture of the results from the random number generator so you will just have to take my word for it!! :-)

Six reasons why............ I am smiling today!



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I was in two minds about whether I should post about the little things that are making me happy today, especially when I know that so many people are suffering in many regions of the world. The images coming from Japan have been horrific, Christchurch has also suffered mass devastation and I simply cannot bear to see the Libyan dictator continue to attack his own people. But then I decided that it was important to remember that we have to take the good with the bad in this world. And that even in Japan, there were miracles.

So here are the six things making me happy today!

♥ My on call allowance. Now being on call is not that much fun (especially when one ends up dealing with a 'health protection' emergency at 4 in the morning). However it does mean I get an extra supplement. The lovely DH agreed that I could spend all of this allowance in the first month since I will be saving it from next month. This has allowed me to contribute extra this month to our chosen charity, the Red Cross as well as buy myself some more March treats ;-) 

♥ Feeling like me again! As I discussed in this post I had been going through a difficult time. I think I have turned a corner, although I still need to be more assertive at work.  However I am back to my usual bubbly self, I am sleeping much better and there is definitely less tension in my body!

♥ You guys! I really appreciated the comments, emails and messages that I received from all of you on Sunday. I was really humbled by your support. I really believe that your kindness has contributed significantly to the fact that I am feeling much happier now!

♥ My Boden swimwear. They were hand delivered by the lovely porters to me in my office today and I was so excited I had to try them on at work....... in the bathroom of course! Let's not get too carried away here! Remember I would love to keep my job. That is not how I plan to get ahead in academia! haha.  Anyways they fit beautifully and are quite stunning. And they were also packaged in the cutest little matching totes! Total bliss!!

♥ My dear hubby (DH). Although he is in Singapore and I miss him dreadfully (we won't see each other for 5 whole weeks!), he made sure to look after me and treat me like a princess even in his absence. How? Well he left me with a fully stocked fridge, cooked lots of yummy meals which he then froze in little containers so I won't have to cook anything. He knows I don't like to cook for one. To top it off he left £80 on my desk for taxis just in case I am too tired from my hideous commute to take another bus home. Five gold stars to DH. I promise I will stop telling people that you are not romantic! Eventually...... :-)

♥ Next weekend! Not only do I have a wonderful meet up to attend in London on Saturday, I then get to fly home to see my family (who I have not seen in 2 years) on Sunday. Which means......... I will see CP2, my Mum and Dad and the rest of my family. I will meet my twin nieces. I will stuff my face full of home cooked delights. I will catch up with old friends from medical school. I will sleep until 10 every day! All I need to do is survive next week and believe me, I have enough to keep me occupied, with 2 deadlines looming! But I am so pleased to be going home I feel like I am walking on air. I should mention that this trip was DH's Christmas present to me. Five more stars for DH!

So what else is making you happy today? Please note that the winner of the Giveaway will be posted on the weekend!

PS There is one more thing that made me smile today! However since the post is called six, and NOT seven reasons why I am smiling today, I guess you just have to wait until next week to find out........ Oooh the suspense!

A Trinidadian Travel Filofax!

So it is just over a week until I go home to sunny Trinidad for a well deserved 3 week vacation, including a mini beach break. You must have heard me gloat mention my impending trip before. If not then you must be living under a rock or simply not reading my blog enough (Gasp! How could you?) Anyways all is forgiven as you are reading it now! :-)

Now this is not a new filofax. I bought it last year as a possible replacement gift for my twin sister CP2 when I thought this one had gone missing in the post. Fortunately it arrived safely (after 8 weeks) so I was left with an unused but not unwanted filofax. As I had seen another lavender Domino filofax in use courtesy of Laurie, I knew immediately what this one would be used for....... A Travel-o-Fax!!! I bought the Filofax Travel Journal Pack at last year's Philofaxy meet-up and I could not wait to use it. Plus I am sure this filo would love to meet her filofax twin sister in Trinidad, no?

I spent a lovely lazy Saturday afternoon last week setting it up. I hope you enjoy the pictures as this is quite a picture heavy post! Click the photos to enlarge.

Lavender Personal Domino.

Filofax Travel Journal Pack.

I used the coloured tabs from the Filofax assorted sticky notes. British passport and e-ticket in front pocket.

Travel itinerary and Travel planner pages.

Kit list.

Journal pages.

Telephone numbers



To Do.

Pull out for Where on Earth.

Where on Earth list and international map.

Filofax stickers and my Trinidadian passport.

Closed back view.

Now the travel journal pack is not cheap (£17.50) but it comes with 240 pages. I inserted my own week on 2 pages diary inserts. As there are duplicates of the pages I have left about 1/3 for use another time (most likely when I go to Singapore with DH in late summer).

Included in the Travel journal pack are ♥ travel journal ♥ personal information ♥ home sweet home ♥ SOS ♥ blank subject index ♥ travel itinerary ♥ budget sheet ♥ shopping list ♥ to do ♥ ruled notepaper ♥ currency converter ♥ expenses ♥  pass it on ♥ world map with overlay ♥ where on earth list ♥ organiser stickers ♥ plain notepaper ♥ travel planner ♥ kit list ♥ telephone numbers ♥ international SOS ♥ travel games ♥ envelope.

I can't wait to use it! You can see how Loulou uses her Slimline Adelphi as a Travel Fax here and some tips on travelling in style here.

What do you think of it? And what do you use when travelling internationally? Please share.

Enjoy your day. The Giveaway winner will be posted on the weekend!