Dinner Date :)

Okay so maybe this wasn't exactly a "date" in the strictest terms. It was just two girls deciding on an impulse to maaaybe pass-by somewhere after work (possibly sneaking off work an hour or two early). I'm not saying we really did sneak off work early, just in case my boss is browsing through my blog and happens upon this particular post......I was at work till it was time to clock-off okay?

So, back to the point. We went to this really beautiful Jamaican Restaurant called Velisa's here in Dar es Salaam. I couldn't find the link to its website but that should give you an idea of the place.

This is what we had for dinner....I don't remember what my friend ordered but I had jerk chicken, rice with beans, fried plantains and a sweet avocado salad. It was my first time trying out Jamaican cuisine and I was NOT disappointed at all. Well it helps that I love food and rarely do I ever not like what I'm eating.

I'm a sucker for the ocean and this is part of the view from the restaurant

These are some of the pictures we took. Not the best quality but you get the idea. I'll try to capture more pictures next time so you guys can better see how beautiful the whole setting is.

Till next time!

Anne xo

Of unknown quotes

"You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, the conversations you engage in. You are the sound of the ocean, the breath of fresh air, the brightest light and the darkest corner. You are a collective of every experience you have had in your life. You are every single day. 

So drown yourself in a sea of knowledge and existence. Let the words run through your veins and let the colours fill your mind."

A quote I recently came across whilst browsing and loved. I'm not sure about the author but thought I'd share it with you guys. 

Oh a happy belated new year....lol I KNOW its way more than overdue but oh well.

Anne xo

Back to Basics :)

Ask any one of my old friends, not old age-wise just friends who've known me over a long time, and they will tell you how much of a reader I used to be.

I used to love reading books, mostly fiction novels and at any given time I would have a book stowed somewhere ready for me to dive back into in between (what I thought were) these boring day - to - day routines. My mom wasn't a particular fan of this given I would gladly put away my school work or rush through it so I could gratefully get back to my wonderful fictional world....ah was it wonderful!

Over the years I found myself reading less and less and less to the point where over six months ( close to a year really but I don't wanna count the actual time passed, so ashamed of myself) have passed since I read anything *pause for reaction*......nothing? ok. Work reading doesn't count, just to be clear.

So anyway, I recently traveled for work to Pemba Island and I had to stay there for a night. Now usually I absolutely love traveling and exploring new places but this time I wasn't very eager to, it might have to do with the fact I traveled alone, or maybe its just an excuse and I didn't feel like exploring anything so whatever; that's not the point, got a little carried away there, boy do I get distracted easily huh..

As I was saying, I have a couple, or maybe more, of books at home so I decided to carry one along, just in case. Wow, the feeling I got when I opened the first page, all the excitement I used to get when I was reading just came rushing back in! The book I chose has nothing to do with it, its just that I had A novel and I was lost in the pages with the characters and their story. Suffice it to say, I think its time I went back to basics like the pleasures of a simple book. Its amazing how fulfilling that can be....

My current read 

Birthday wishes

So my birthday was a couple of weeks ago, last day of May *pause*, well thats to anyone out there who cares.
Maybe I'm partial but I think I have a pretty cool birth-date May 31st; always puts a smile on my face.
Yes yes you guessed right I'm one of THOSE people who think their birthday is a big deal and I have to do something special blah blah blah so whatever.

This year its been bitter-sweet, I had one single wish that couldn't possibly come true but hey, that's how life is sometimes right?

A couple of my BEST gal-pals took me to lunch, very grown up-ish of us. We had an amazing time! Right girls? I mean it wasn't just me right? lol

I may have possibly gained a dress size after that but it was just perfect and well worth it.

To top it off they got me a box of 20-something cupcakes.....well 25 cupcakes which is how old I am right now, I chose not to focus on my age because I really don't want to lol..

Honestly the day didn't start out so well, I had a lot on my mind but thanks to these two gorgeous amazing ladies, I ended up having one of the best days ever!!!
We had such a hard time leaving that our waiter had to politely ask us to pay so he can finish his shift because we had kept him there for close to an hour......don't worry, he got a nice apologetic tip for his trouble.

Here's to many more amazing birthdays to come!!

Anne xo

"Over you"

I started out writing a post about my birthday which was a couple of weeks ago; but then I got to listening to this song and felt a whole rush of emotions.....

The song is 'Over You' by Miranda Lambert and it goes like this::

Weather man said it’s gonna snow
By now I should be used to the cold
Mid-February shouldn’t be so scary
It was only December
I still remember the presents, the tree, you and me

But you went away
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I’ll be OK
But I’m not going to ever get over you
Living alone here in this place
I think of you, and I’m not afraid
Your favorite records make me feel better
Cause you sing along
With every song
I know you didn’t mean to give them to me

But you went away
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I’ll be OK
But I’m not going to ever get over you
It really sinks in, you know, when I see it in stone
Cause you went away,
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I’ll be OK
But I’m not going to ever get over you

~~xoxo

Diving in......

Last post I made to my blog was on November 2012!
Wow I didn't realize that so much time has passed, over a year and a half to be exact.
Alot has happened over this time. I've been through major highs and lows. The lows greatly overshadowing any highs I've had during this whole time. But that's not what this post is about, got a little side-tracked there *ahem*.

You know how you wake up one morning and decide you are going to pursue something with all the energy you can possible muster up and you end up going through with it for a couple of days and then forgetting all about it? I think its when you put too much energy into something, after a while it just burns out you know, and there's none left to pursue whatever life-changing thing you swore you'd pursue. I'm not going to do that this time, blogging is something that I love to do, I know I know my 18 month gap begs to differ but it really is. So I'm going back to doing what I love.

If I've learnt anything during this time it's this; the world never stops for your grief, life goes on as if nothing has happened so you can choose to live in your grief-stricken state and be miserable or move past that and try finding the good in life again. Find whatever it is that you love, that makes you happy, focus on that and just BE happy. Happiness really IS a choice, life is made so much easier when you make the choice to simply be happy. Now I'm not saying its always easy to make that choice but its important to try as much as you can to overcome the bad and focus on the good.

After all, life goes on anyway and the world keeps spinning regardless. So why waste your life away?

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future,

 not to anticipate the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.

- Buddha

 

 (borrowed from here)

The past is a ghost, the future a dream, and all we ever have is now.
-Bill Cosby

~~ xoxo

Thoughts on work

 

Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr

and the more popular one,

Do you choose a job that you love and look forward to every day or a job that pays better but one you don't enjoy doing as much?

I've found myself being faced with this question recently and yes it might seem like such a simple choice to make but it really isn't all that easy.

What do we usually opt for? the money or the satisfaction we feel at the end of the day? I mean, most of an adult's life, at least the average working class adult, is spent at their job. So its really important to make sure that you spend this time doing something that is worth while and you truly love right? 

But then comes the question of income. Now I know we all dream of having a job with a little bit more than a decent income, lets not kid ourselves here. So then, if you had to choose, would it be a job that you love that may not pay as much, or a job you don't enjoy doing but pays really well?

 Anne xo