Tuesday 29 November 2011

More acne?

Not this time. Infact I am pleased to say that after being on zocin azithromycin for 6 days (250 gm per day) I am acne free. I have to repeat the meds next Thursday for another 6 days and then my doc said I can start with microdermabrasion. For those of you who do not know what this is, there is intensive knowledge on the web so just google it up . From what I read it's a milder treatment compared to chemical peels. Some of the side effects could be sensitivity and mild irritation or redness of the skin - nothing too dramatic, which I can manage. As per my doc I need 4 sittings but I don't have too much time so I'm going in for 2.

A very interesting home remedy for dermabrasion involves using the inner skin of an egg shell/shells. So next time you're making eggs for breakfast keep the shells aside. You will notice a very thin pale skin on the inside. You might have to break the shell into a few pieces to peel that skin off. Apply the shell skin on your face (from what I read you have to apply the sticky, gooey side). After it dries up you have to peel it off. I suggest you look this up more on the web as I tried it just once. I was quite impressed. It seemed to work like one of those blackhead removal strips you get at a store. But then I think my skin can take a lot as I have tried almost everything. For those of you who have really sensitive skin may want to avoid doing this altogether and see a doc for best results.

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Acne trouble?

Yes me! I'm not 16 anymore but it just keeps coming and coming. I recently went to a very well renowned skin clinic in Muscat and the doctor prescribed me Doxycycline. What she didn't mention were some side effects and precautions - (I am quoting what I just read on a review I saw on http://www.acne.org/prescription.php). The pamphlet reads something similar about nausea etc...

"Do NOT take it with anything dairy. If it makes you sick when you take it on an empty stomach, eat with it [remember, nothing with any dairy]. Make sure to drink A LOT of water. And also DON'T lie down for 30 minutes after you take it. Wait 2 hours after taking doxy before you take any antacids, vitamins, or calcium products"
  
I took the meds after food and I would feel like throwing up so I tried before food and I would still feel the same. My head would feel like it had been banged somewhere 10 times. I took the tablets for 2 days and could not take it anymore. I didn't go back to that clinic. 

I am now going elsewhere and I specifically told my current doc that I do not want Doxycycline or anything that ends with cline. I am on Zocin Azithromycin which I also googled but could not find anything too dangerous :) - no nausea so far...

I pray this works!

Sunday 20 November 2011

Rockstar!

No not me - this is the latest talked about movies in Bollywood featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri. I had a chance to see it last evening. Nargis is born to a Pakistani dad and Czech mom. This is her first step into Bollywood. I guess she was spotted when she took part in the Kingfisher Calendar Hunt 2009.



I won't go much into the story of the movie as you should go and watch it for yourself. It's a love story. I am not sure what the director was trying to convey through Ranbir's clothes. His acting was good though. He over-acted a bit in the first half of the movie (which made him seem a bit dumb/slow). As for Nargis - if she had acted well, the movie would have been far far better. The songs are amazing - you can just close your eyes and drift away to the music. The music director is none other than A R Rahman so you can expect nothing short of extraordinary.


Also starring in the movie is Moufid Aziz, a Brazilian model (who I must say has done a good job in the Hindi department).
If nothing else, watch it for the music and watch it for Ranbir who seems to have worked hard.

Have a "Rocking" holiday next week :)

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Browniz - Muscat

A cozy cafe located very close to Grand Hyatt in Shatti Al Qurum. If you sit outside you are facing the beach. I went for lunch with my colleagues yesterday. It was a bit sunny but just the perfect weather for snoozing under a tree :) The menu is quite extensive than what I thought it would be. They have cold and hot coffees, fresh juices, burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, fish and chips, crepes, brownies, cheesecakes and some other items which I can't remember. The food is not overly priced and you may end up sepnding RO 4.5-5 for a yummy and filling sandwich and dessert/juice/shake.

One thing I noticed was, the server asked me if I would like honey or sugar in my juice and when I said sugar, she asked me if I would like less or just normal. It shows that they are aware that people might be health conscious. The watermelon juice I ordered came out just the way I wanted with very less sugar. I had ordered a steak sandwich which I could not finish on my own :) I ended up taking it home with me. I didn't try their coffee but I am sure going there again to try some!

Thursday 10 November 2011

Dreamland Aqua Park - Dubai

And yet again holidays go as easy as they come - we had a 6 day break for Eid (inclusive of weekend). As I mentioned in my previous post I had gone to Dubai to spend the holidays with my fiance. One of the fun things we did was go to the Aqua Park. The weather was just perfect - not too sunny and not too windy. The water was a little cold - it could have been temperature controlled (if it was then I don't think it worked too well). Once you're out of the water you're kinda freezing. 

Let me mention some of the rides there -

Wave Pool - A perfect way to laze around in the pool...

Dream Stream - You basically do nothing here - just float ...

Twister - I did not go on this one - you have to be a good swimmer which I am not! It throws you around a big bowl and then drops you into a small pool...

Family Raft Ride - The most amount of fun we had - not too scary (we went about 4-5 times)...

Pool Bar - It's a bar!!

Dead Sea - This was weird - tasted of salt and burned your eyes out..

Kamikaze - Can't remember which one this was as there were a couple of slides - amongst which I went on 2 of them (some of the slides were scary)...

Twisting Dragons - see Kamikaze...

Slide 5 - see Kamikaze

There is also a kiddies pool play area with 19 game options (fun water guns, showers,  water sea saw, a big bucket that splashes an insane amount of water if you stand beneath it etc)

There are many more attractions. For more information you can visit their website - http://www.dreamlanduae.com/. If you don't have proper swim wear you can buy it from a store at the park. It is preferable that you wear appropriate swimwear as you may not enjoy most of the rides/slides if you don't. Entry fees to the park is AED 135 - 35 extra for a lunch buffet (which was really good). Lower rates are applicable for seniors and children.

 

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Amma's Steak House - Muscat

I recently ate at the Amma's Steak House in Madinat Qaboos (MQ). It is situated next to Costa Coffee and HSBC and opposite to Bamboo Spa. I thought I must mention how lovely their service is. When you enter, the staff greets you with a big smile, when you're in the midst of your meal they make it a point to ask you how it's going and if you are enjoying the food - so much so that we had 2 guys asking us how it went (each thinking that the other had not asked us already). The second girl was so sweet and nervous that she couldn't quite complete her sentences but I understood that she was trying to ask us if we were enjoying our meal (my guess is she is new there). After we finished, she asked us to write our comments on a notepad and well of course I mentioned their outstanding service. 

The food is also quite reasonable. We spent a total of RO 16.4. We ordered 2 mains, 1 starter and 1 drink. We were 3 of us but we only ordered 2 mains because personally I cannot finish a whole steak by myself. We decided to order less because we always end up wasting food, which is not a good thing.

After our meal we decided to go to Starbucks, which is next to Pavo Real (just a minute walk from the Steak House). I ordered the white chocolate milkshake - which was good; just that I don't like a lot of ice.

Right now I am in office (yes I am free because no one is in the mood to work considering the up coming long Eid Holidays and the amazing weather outside).

The weather calls for some hot "vada pavs" and "chai" - there is a small shop in Ruwi. It is at the Petrol station (can't remember if it was shell or oman oil, but you cannot miss it as it's on the main highway - if you are going towards wadi kabir it will fall on your right, so just look out for a petrol station on your right).

I will be leaving for Dubai tomorrow night to meet my fiance and will be back after a week.

Eid Mubarak everyone!!