New Beauty Regimine...Oil Pulling?

So I'm not sure if anyone else goes onto Eonline as much as I do (aside from my fabulous movie/fashion soulmate Inez) but have you heard of Oil Pulling?????

A couple weeks ago I saw it on Yahoo news, which we all know is the most reliable source of breaking news. They said that this 3,000 yr old tradition was starting to make it's way into the limelight again....used by homepaths,Ayurvedic  practitioners, beauty experts and those hip celebrities. 

So of course I had to investigate this hysterical sounding ritual. Apparetly Oil Pulling has been practiced all over the Mediterranean for centuries and is said to help with:

Detoxing (the mouth holds so much bacteria and it's recommended to swish the   oil around in the morning when bacteria is at it's highest (not sure if that's true) 

Teeth whitening

Acne

Dry skin

And many other ailments

So....needless to say....i'm givin it a go. 

They said to use Coconut oil which I'm already a hudge advocate for and have stocked at all times. You swish the oil around for 10-20 minutes once a day, swish around, gargle and then spit out in trash (as it will clog sinks when solidified) 

Sooooooooo......we'll see if I notice anything different. 

Not just for the kitchen my friends...

Canals and cannabis

Yep. Amsterdam is quite a city. Beautiful....I can imagine in the late spring/early summer with all the flowers canal side would be stun-ning. 

And of course....a very colorful city. The red light district is....somethin to see that's for sure. Seeing it during the day compared to seeing it on a Saturday night, well there is NO comparison. I found myself staring at the women (obviously most people do) which made me feel weird like they were in a side show. I felt sad for them. I wanted to open those windows they stand behind, smoking their cigarettes, drinking their redbull and on their phones and tell them they don't have to do this. When I looked at them, a lot would look away and bite their nails and just seemed strangely shy. I'm not sure how to explain it. Yes...nighttime they strike their poses, tap their long nails on the glass window to get the attention of the gawking (nasty) men to lure them in. Yes, it's legal there but so what. A lot of them are probably there as a result of being trafficked or sexual abuse. Not all....but probably a fair share I'd guess. 

Anyways, the "coffee shops" are hysterical. I love the bike centered culture  and the fact that there are more bicycles than cars. That makes me happy.

The city has INCREDIBLE history, architecture and some amazing street art.  I feel blessed to have seen and experienced this city....and I also feel blessed to have a strong head on my shoulders that allows me to look at all these things and have an open mind but not too open so my mind falls out. I'm thankful for my life and how much I've grown...yet I've held tightly to my roots. 

2 more terms. Boom. 

Proper amsterdam brew...coffee? ;)

Xo 

Rynny

Yeah. Not a sauna. 

Im sorry but this is hilarious. What a way to be incognito...

Don't judge. 

I salute you Anne. 

Obligatory pic. 

Yeah i know im annoyed it was so busy you can't even see the sign. 

Holland McDonalds. 

Amsterdam...you get in my senses...

Yes, I will be making the long and sour gummy worm filled 10 hour bus ride to Amsterdam this weekend. Basically, I'm insanely stoked. This last term has been craycray busy and I could really let loose in the Dam. (Don't worry....I'm not one for crazy insane drug induced nights...)

You're welcome Mama. 

I will be visiting a lovely friend we made in Paris who was ever so generous in offering her place to host me for the weekend. Europe is frickin awesome. 

You never know who you'll meet and people tend to be so generous it just puts a giant smile on my face. 

Next week = start of Spring 2 (already I know) and then summer term......and then DONE. Masters....you get under my belt. 

Back to work...

Xoxoxo

Rynny

Don't worry....there will be plenty of proper brews in the Dam this weekend. I like how I'm already abbreav-ing it. ;)

Here's a few pics from a couple of days ago. Spring is here yo (well kind of...)

Yes, that is a teacup ring. Via: Camden Market

An ode to ranch dressing

Yeah, I am posting about ranch. Ranch dressing. REAL ranch dressing. Which poor UK....(bless you) you do not know how to make here. I went to a ''pizza hut'' a few weeks ago.

1) Their personal pan pepperoni.......not pizza hut pizza
2) Their ranch dressing (which was the only thing I was looking forward to) was literally some sort of strange concoction of like a yogurt, mayo, tasteless crap. Needless to say...I cried on the way home. Duh.

So bascially all I want right now is:

Spicy fries from 5 guys
Real ranch dressing from Dog House Grill in F Town
A grilled cheese from In N Out
A cupcake from Chiffon's
Jamba Juice


All at the same time. Heart attack and diabetic coma aside....I think I'd really enjoy all that for at least an hour.

Xo

I miss you ranch.

Ryn

(image via: pinterest-across the pond blog)

Animal style fries. Best chicken sandwhich in life. California.......I love you. In 20 some odd weeks, it's a date.

Signs of Spring

Well, how do I say this without getting too disgusting?..........Let's just say I've had the worrrrrst stomach issues within the last week (actually few weeks) EVER. I blame these new English bugs and my delicate American gut (ha).

So now that I am probably 14lbs lighter after 4 days, missed 2 classes and literally stayed in bed the entire time...I needed to go for a walk. Luckily, Sundays have some cute lil Farmers Markets, and ya'll know how I feel about those. Oh right and the most important part.......it's SUNNY today. You heard me. Mr. Golden Sun has shown his bright face and my poor Vit D deficient skin soaked that shit up. Soaked it up reaaaal nice. Oh and there's signs of tulips blooming everywhere. Sooooo much happiness.

I officially signed up and paid the very small yearly fee to become a WWOOFer. What....you don't know what WWOOFing is? Well my goodness...it's all good I didn't either until like a month ago.
Short and sweet Check out WWOOFing here

1) You pick a country
2) You apply, pay small yearly membership fee
3) You pick a (organic) farm
4) You GO
5) You work 4-6hrs per day on the farm...many differnet duties...varies
6) You get FREE housing and FREE food in exchange


BOOM. Tell me that's not right up my hippy alley? I know right. Not only that but it's actually gonna be great research/info for my thesis, which is gonna be on permaculture/biointensive farming. God is good ya'll. I can't wait.

I got my internship AND I got a volunteer position with Parkinsons UK and I'll be heling the team set up, organize, answer phones, recieve art entries (u name it) for the Mervyn Peake Awards ceremony held in July. Again, total blessing of an experience. (Hopefully not bad on that ol' resume. Ja'll feel?)

I had a hot apple cider at the farmers market this morning. Proper brew for my almost functioning tumtum.

x0x0
Rynny

These are all photos (clearly) from instagram that I just thought were to doggon cute. Photo cred to: #theironyou & #seemusibrien (# = pound) 

Basically I figured out how to take a snapshot on this iphone contraption. #imissmyolddumbphonebutthisonetellsmewheretogo

Something that bugs me

So yes, I may be gettin up there in years. However I must say this...

This ladies and gents is not a "hashtag". It is a POUND symbol. 

Everytime someone (or even when I) use "#" for instagram or what have you I think "pound". (I refuse to get a twitter. I can understand it's relevance for business and what not, but there is no one who would give a hoot about my every move and/or thought. That's what my blog is for! Bwahaha) 

Anywho...that's all. #(pound)Iwentthere

I stayed in today...missed class cuz I'm feelin bit under the weather. Literally, its stormin it up somethin fierce today. 

Till next time,

Rynny

My proper brew = hot fennel, cardamom and anise tea. Tummy issues. 

The 6 month paradox

After indulging in my usual dose of my fav blogs this morning (and by morning I mean noon...after I woke up late) Across The Pond and Happy Yolks I realized something. There IS a 6 month timeframe from when you move to a new place, until that place starts to feel like home. It doesn't mean that you miss home less necessarily...but your mind is able to take a break and take in all that your current state has to offer. I am very thankful for this experience. I can tell it's shaping me.

Seriously...this girl Megan from Across The Pond blog is frickin hysterical. She literally is my sense of humor/sarcastic twin. Her convos she has with her Irish husband just kill me. Which now that I live here I find even funnier (yes, it's a word) since I am constantly like ''whhaaaattt?????'' at work and around London. It's not that I don't understand what they're saying necessarily...it just takes my mind a minute to fiddle through the accent and lower tone. Those who know me know I can be a bit loud at times anyways and when someone is speaking to me in 1) an accent 2) lower tone......I go a bit deaf.

Anyone see Lorde's Grammy performance? I keep watching it over and over. Oh, and Queen B's also. That woman blows my mind. Like I always tell my sis...if I could be anyone for a day, I'd be Beyonce during a performance. Let my inner diva shine.

I'll post it just in case:

 

 

Now that's enough wasting time. I have a paper due at midnight. Frick...apparently I thought this was a good idea.

 

xoxoxxxxxx Rynny

What was your proper brew today? Tea? Coffee? Something stronger perhaps?