Thursday, April 21, 2011

Mo Mansour ft. Emma Hayes - Dubai State of Mind




A track dedicated to the amazing city of Dubai. Lyrics and Rap by Mo Mansour. Chorus Vocals by Emma Hayes.

LYRICS

Goodbye Canada, I must say you will be missed,
I trade my winter gloves for a pair of oven mits,
Flip flops in December, damn I'm loving this,
And I can still go skiing at the Mall of the Emirates.
All jokes aside... Dubai's the best,
Just host a visitor and tell me if he's not impressed,
Built from the desert but, you woulda never guessed,
Best of the Middle East, sprinkled with some West.
Perfect place to travel from, but this is where my base is,
What a perfect blend of fifty different places,
All the diverse cultures, languages, and races,
Adds a real spice to life that everyone embraces.
From a desert with some shrubs to a world hub,
From not being on the map, to it's own rap.
Sheikh Mohamed raised his vision straight to the sky,
Make your arms do the same, let's hear it for:
(Chorus)
I say hamdullah that things are back to goin' well,
The economy and buildings are both growin' well,
So bring the tourists on, we'll play some show-and-tell,
Let's add two to a five star hotel.
That's the Burj Al Arab, in case you didn't get it,
Just pick a record out, let's make a bet we set it.
And if it's set then we'll break it and we will maintain,
Look up at the Burj Khalifa, just make sure your neck don't sprain.
Wanna see some culture? You can see them all,
Wanna do some shopping? You should see the malls,
Shopping on a budget? You can hit Karama.
Wanna see Atlantis? You can skip Bahamas.
Lookin for some nightlife? Don't have to look too far,
Pre-game at Caramel, party at Boudoir.
Some say its artificial, more like official art,
You really can't deny, this city's got some heart.
(Chorus)
Something charming bout the old Dubai like Bur Dubai and Deira,
But I still prefer the new Dubai like Downtown and Jumeirah,
And I love the other Emirates from Abu to Fujeirah,
But you really can't deny that the action's over here.
We could go to JBR and just chill and tan,
Or take a tour of some islands that were made by man,
Big events are every month so you don't have to make a plan,
Rugby 7's, Tennis Open, or the World Cup at Meydan,
And I'm barely scratching the surface,
This city's got way too much for just a couple of verses.
So if you need some more reasons to come and visit just aks me,
Or better yet just move here, it's tax free.
They come in winters when the weather is a dream to 'em,
Take off in summer when the city is a steam room.
The only two seasons are warm and hot,
It's no wonder that this city's such a melting pot.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The History of Makeup (& Women) - Part 1 & 2

I found this so interesting! Lisa Eldridge talks about vintage makeup and how it has evolved over the years (from 1920's and onwards)... this is the first video:




Second video ( I think I could listen to Madeleine Marsh all day!):



Saturday, April 9, 2011

Mussels in Tomato Basil Garlic broth

This is my second time making mussels! The first time, I just used plain water when steaming/boiling the mussels, and added lemon at the end... but this time I thought I would make it more interesting.  This is my healthy version (no oil/fat in it) -  Hope you like it!
The recipe serves 2-4 people depending on how much you eat - we ate  A LOT lol.



Ingredients:
- 800 g of fresh Mussels (cleaned, rinsed and de-bearded)
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 1 - 2 large cloves of garlic
- pinch of dried basil (or fresh if you have it)
- lemon juice
- salt and pepper

To make the sauce:

1. Boil water in a large pot, and once it's come to the boil place the plum tomatoes in (make sure there's enough water to cover the tomatoes.
2. Boil them for around 15 minutes (or until you see the tomatoes softening and the skin peeling away)
3. Drain, and leave to cool for a bit before peeling the skin
4. Place tomatoes back in pot and on the heat, add around 1 cup of water.
5. Break up tomatoes with masher, and add salt/pepper, basil and crushed garlic
6. Bring up to the boil again, then lower the heat to medium and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

This sauce can be prepared in advance or right before cooking the mussels.  I had prepared the sauce earlier in the day, and you can either put it in the fridge or keep it in the covered pot.

To prepare the mussels:
1.  After making sure all mussels have been cleaned properly, discard any which aren't fresh.  If a mussel is open, and does not close after you tap the shell, then you must discard it.
2. Heat the tomato sauce which you prepared in the large pot; add a few more tablespoons of water if you need to. (Optional: I also added some roasted vine-tomatoes which I had made for lunch the day before).
3. Place mussels in pot, and put lid on pot.
4. Bring it up to the boil to steam the mussels.  Reduce heat a little, and leave mussels to cook for around 3 minutes, shaking the pot every so often.
5.  Remove the cooked (open) mussels, and place them in the serving bowl.  Discard any mussels which have not opened.
6.  Pour the rest of the tomato broth over the mussels
7. Finally, squeeze some lemon juice over the top.