Flic en Flac | Islander 03

Hello Humans ! 

It's been a few days since I posted on my blog. I have been busy and somewhat lazy :p 

Apologies !! 

Anyhow, recently I went to Flic en Flac and got a few pictures of the sunset - okay I have to admit the sun had already set but it was still pretty to watch !! 

Flic en Flac is one of the most popular beaches of Mauritius. I used to love it when the beach was not that eroded. It was easier to swim as well - now the sand is just full of corals - corals that are supposed to be on the reef. But oh well - climate change, increasing sea level, increasing sea surface temperatures and oceans acidifying - I could not expect any better :p 

Let us not forget human activities - digging, building, etc etc.

Anyhow, I seem to have gone on a bit of a ramble about climate change. Never mind - I will not bother to edit that out. 

Excuse the lack of megapixels :p 

xoxo
BusLady

College to University : Stepping in the University of Mauritius

Hello you !

I had never thought of writing a blog post concerning university until..well..now :p

I  believe there are tons of YouTube videos out there that already give you a brief idea as to how university life proceeds. There are thousands of articles on how to juggle assignments, tests, exams & all that jazz as well. To be honest, I really like reading those, even if i do not apply any of the tips or advice :p However, I never really read any article about how life was going to be at the University of Mauritius in particular. There are not that many videos out there. You do get all the gossips from Facebook..though the amount of posts can get overwhelming. You cannot trust each and every post either because it is all subjective. Not that you should be trusting this post completely, but I thought I would share some basic tips, etc etc :p

Now, on the University's website, it is clearly mentioned that any kind of information that administration deems inappropriate will result in sanctions. So, do not expect any kind of 'juicy' bits and pieces. Mauritian newspapers and Facebook are appropriate for that :p

My post will be an innocent one - to people who are actually aiming for something in life.

If you are still reading up to now, then great, let's get started.

Firstly, do not be trusting of ANYONE or anything, except for university deadlines :p 
(The university may not respect its own deadlines but if you do not abide by them, you will be bankrupt by the end of your degree)

If you thought there was too much pressure for your A-levels, uni is worse. You will be ambushed by the amount of assignments, lecturers, modules and people around you. There are mentors there to help you in the beginning but they will not tell you everything.

Be observant and communicate with the people around you. Do not restrict yourself to the first person that you speak to (I did that and turns out I was lacking tons of useful information). The minute you step into that auditorium for you induction, you need to be attentive. Listen and try to grasp as maximum as possible. Engage with your class mates as well. You will undoubtedly be spending a lot of your time doing group projects with them so there is no point in keeping your distance or trying to be superior than the others.

Of course, do not trust anybody because you really have no way of knowing people..not until you've actually spent a few weeks with them. Do not believe every tiny thing that your hear. Rumours are way too common at the university. I spent a year there and till date I cannot really distinguish between what's true and what is not sometimes.

If you think your lecturers will be your safe haven, then please scratch that out of your brain. Respect them, attend lectures, keep you head down and you will be good to go. 

Make sure to attend the INDUCTION ! 

I did not want to attend the induction for various reasons but I am glad I did. Most of the speeches will be boring. You will be congratulated upon your admission to UoM far too many times. It will get annoying. Remember to deep breathe.

The induction becomes 'interesting' post the speeches. Your batch will be assigned mentors who will give you a guided tour of the campus and tell you a little about the latest happenings. They will bitch about lecturers as well. My advice is to ignore that part. Form your opinion a few weeks after you have actually met with the lecturer. It is not right to judge them before experiencing their classes yourself.

Aside from that, there is a lot of helpful information that will be given to you, about modules and module registration.
Do listen to whatever they have to say as the university website is not that user friendly :p
Atleast to me it was not ! I really struggled to register for my modules and without the help of the seniors, I'd probably have ended up with tons of fines.

You will be told where to collect your bus pass. Where to print stuff. How to look for books at the library. Laboratory protocols. other very useful information.

Be yourself. 
You really have to be, especially if you want to make genuine friends. There is no point really in faking who you are. Unlike college, uni people are not that forgiving. They will leave you stranded. In a place like Uom, where most people really need to expand their perspectives, you really need good friends to survive..

Your friends will make the experience less painful, in the sense that they will go through more or less the same troubles as you do. They will understand, and sometimes going on rants and having someone say : "I GET IT !" at the end, is simply what you need.


Trail Blaze 
Do not try to copy what everybody else is doing. You already know your hopes, dreams and ambitions. Focus on them. Remember to study, work hard and do not let UoM get to you. It can be a very harsh place - you will unveil that for yourself.

I have witnessed people who went to school/tuition with me undergo drastic changes, some for the better but most for the worse.

It is okay to be your own self. It is okay if you are not the most popular girl/boy on campus. It is okay to a nerd. It is a okay to be a geek. It is okay to be all fun and outgoing. It is okay to be anything as long as you study.

Do not get engulfed by all the 'fun' that will come your way upon entrance to uni. Many focus on the fun and not the study part. This in turn reflects on their final year transcripts. Fortunately I had a lecturer who groomed us since the very beginning and warned us about how difficult acquiring a degree can be. It may seem easy. but IT IS NOT ! After all, there has a to be a distinction between a degree holder and a non degree holder. Likewise, someone who scores a first class degree cannot be viewed same as someone who scores a third class degree.

Do not judge
As simple as that. Being judgemental will get you nowhere :p


Keep holding on
Now, I know a lot of you out there are not very pleased with the idea of attending UoM. You were probably aiming for something else, maybe you wanted to go abroad or wanted to attend another institution... or maybe you did not get your first degree choice at UoM.. or maybe you are going through financial situations..any problem or issues you might be going through..

Be strong and keep going !!! There is nothing more rewarding than hard work. It is the sole thing that pays off. Earn a first class degree and chase your dreams afterwards !! It is okay if your path is not exactly how you had imagined it to be... it is the destination that matters. Do not be bitter or unpleasant..it will make things harder.

Keep an open mind. Be patient. You are not the only one. You may find people exactly like you and well, connect etc.


Anyway, that was it. Maybe I will do another post on how to organise yourself for university later. For now that is it. Attend the induction. Be friendly, not judgemental. Make your own opinions. Have an open mind. Grab all the information you can get as it will help you adjust faster and better.

Enjoy yourself and STUDY ! Work hard, play hard, right?


xoxoxoxoxoxo,
BusLady

One Litre Of Tears | Thoughts

Hello Humans !

A while back I (BINGE) watched this Japanese Series of YouTube called One litre of tears.



Upon watching the trailer, I thought that the protagonist would be shedding 1 litre of tears - or maybe her family members and loved ones. Maybe they do... But then I read online somewhere that this show was supposed to make the viewer cry one litre of tears. IT MADE TOTAL SENSE !

That show is just disturbingly overwhelming. Honestly, I was secretly hating myself for watching it because it was so heavy on the mind ! I loved it though!! It is a great show, wonderfully written and enacted ! You really feel the pain and anguish of each character.

Basically the show revolves around this girl who unfortunately suffers from spinocerebellar something disease - a degenerative disease where neurones do not transmit signals properly to the brain. Anyhow, the series documents the ten years of her life with that disease and her struggles. It is truly fascinating how she never gives up on life and tries her very best to be there for her loved ones. The latter are obviously devastated. Yet they try very hard to give Aya(the girl) a somewhat normal and fulfilling life. Of course there is a boyfriend, named Haruto (so cute !!). Although having issues if his own, he never gives up on Aya and keeps on loving her. Can't trust boys nowadays to stick around if you are in a wheelchair, can you ?

Despite the amount of emotions that this show triggers, it is worth a watch. Engaging, gripping and absolutely fantastic !! It got me looking for similar things to watch. Unfortunately I haven't found anything yet.

Watch away if you'd like :



Anyway, I just had to have a post about One Litre of Tears on my blog !

xoxo
Buslady

Islander | Mon Choisy Beach

Hello everyhuman :)

How's life?

A few days ago I wrote a blog post titled Islander in which I said i would explore my own country a little more.

Well, I have not been the best at it but recently I went to the beach, took some pictures and thought I would post them on my blog.

I went to Mon Choisy and spent the day at a hotel. I had a wonderful time !! Thanks to my boyfriend for the treat <3

It was really soothing to lie down and watch this beautiful sight. Relaxing and refreshing as well.
There's something about the ocean that I cannot quite explain..the grandeur, the mystery, the vastness, the colour, the slight notion of what lies underneath..it is truly amazing !!

That's all for today folks :)

Penning off,
BusLady

How to make your Mehendi last longer | Tips to obtain the deepest henna colour

Hello beautiful human reading this :)

If you have not heard of Mehendi or henna before, then let me give you a very quick 'intro'.

It is essentially a paste made from leaves of the Henna tree and upon application, it turns the skin into a deep burgundy/ reddish brown colour. It kind of reminds me of Bromine (yup from the periodic table) :p The mehendi stain does not last forever - it wears off after a while. It depends on which part of the body you apply it and what that part of the body is exposed to. For example, on your hands - it will start wearing off after a 1week - 2 weeks. However, on your shoulders - it will probably last a month or more because that part is not exposed to as much water as are your hands.

For centuries now, people have applied mehendi on their skin in the form of various designs to enhance their beauty. The most common ones are paisley, peacock, floral and somewhat baroqu-y designs. When applied correctly, it really is gorgeous to look at. Some people use henna for temporary tattoos as well.

I adore the smell of it <3
I do know some people who cannot stand the smell but hey..girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to look pretty :p
Not implying that mehendi is limited to girls but I have never really quite witnessed men wearing it.

Anyhow, I am on of those people who can actually apply henna. Not gonna lie, it does require patience and is a very painstaking task - especially when applying on hands, arms etc. However, it is absolutely worth it once in a while. I do it as a hobby and it did take quite a lot of practice to get it right. So here are some tips to make the mehendi last longer. Tried and tested by the way.

1. Time of application 

 It is very important that you choose when to apply mehendi very carefully. Applying it too earlier on will cause it to start fading. Likewise, if you wait till the last minute then the colour will not deepen to its full potential.

I would suggest 2 days before an event. Not that day before nor on the very same day since the henna has to be absorbed by your skin. Also, your body temperature will make the colour darker and prettier.

I would also suggest that you apply it in the afternoon or evening so that the henna has time to dry and you can rub it all off before going to bed.

It is okay to keep the henna on while sleeping but it is quite cold and will definitely cause your hands to remain cold throughout the night. Plus, the mess that the dried henna will cause is something you really wanna avoid :p

2. Lemon juice with Sugar

When your henna has started to dry up, you can take a piece of cotton wool - dip it in a lemon-sugar mixture and dab it slowly all over your mehendi. This will ensure that bits and pieces that dry up faster do not fall off. Also, for some reason this does make the henna deeper. 

Something that I have also noticed is that when i allow bits and pieces to fall off, the final overall mehendi is not of uniform colour. 

Rmember to make the lemon juice + sugar mixture very concentrated, ie, add more sugar than necessary. The thicker the mixture- the better. You do not want that juice to drip off or slide across your hands - this will ruin your mehendi. 

3. Warm Oil 

When all your mehendi has dried up completely and it starts to itch - then you know it is time to rub it off. 

If you have applied the lemon-sugar mixture - wash your hands (with luke warm water preferably). 

If you haven't, then do not wash your hands.

Warm some oil and using tissue paper or a peice of cloth or cotton wool, apply it to your skin. 

Now, warm the oil - do not let it simmer or DO NOT BOIL IT ! Otherwise your skin will melt off. the oil should be luke warm - that is it. 

The warm oil will help keep your hands warm. You could put your hands in some old socks as well - for maximum colour. 

4. Avoid Water

This is the most obvious one - avoid water. Now, I know it is impossible not to use water but try not to. It will cause your mehendi to start fading. 

5. Warm hands

Keep your hands warm as much as possible. 

Wrap it in a towel. Put some socks on. Stay in Bed. Whatever you need to do :p

That is it really. 5 full proof ways to ensure that your mehendi lasts longer. 

Of course these are things that I have tried myself and will not necessarily work for everyone. 

Please note that henna does not necessarily have the same colour on all people :P

Penning off,
Bus

Current Eyeliner Favourites | Maybelline

Hello Humans of this Planet !

Today I thought I would talk about my eyeliner faves !! <3 Who doesn't love a good eyeliner huh? :3

Ever since I was a little girl i watched my mother apply Kohl every single day - even if she was not planning to go anywhere. It was sort of like her daily make up staple :p

Naturally, I grew to like kohl as well - even if I am too lazy to wear it every day :p

Kohl, Eyeliners, Kajal - whatever you name it, I have tried quite a lot and my faves are :

1. the COLOSSAL KAJAL by Maybelline New York
2. LASTING DRAMA 24H - Automatic Gel Pencil by Maybelline New york :p 

The Colossal Kajal was probably one of the best things ever created by Maybelline ! This thing lasts forever <3
Okay, not forever but it really is water proof and once I have applied it in the morning - it can stay put for the whole day up to night time without any touch up ! It does not melt in the heat nor looks cake-y after 12-15 hours ! One could dream to have these qualities in a kajal and well, Maybelline turned it into reality.

It makes the eyes look really beautiful however way you decide to apply it.

It can be used on its own without any eye shadow because it is quite overpowering. A little will go a long way. You can blend it with an eye shadow brush to give yourself an amateur smokey eye ! It will last longer than eye shadows and well - you do not have to spend minutes blending and blending and blending.

Or you can simply apply a thin coat on your waterline - will definitely make your eyes pop! Yup - even the thinnest coat will make your eyes look dramatic and wonderful and all good things !  By all means, apply eye shadow, or other fancy schmancy stuff on your eyelids as well - these will only make you look more beautiful !

Colossal Kajal is definitely one of my staples !! So is the lasting drama 24H actually :p One can never have too many staples :p

The lasting drama is not of the same consistency as the kajal. Is it lighter and for some reason, feels slightly tingly on my water line. I still apply it anyway :p

This one tends to get slightly cake-y after 12hours and requires touch up if you wanna look good. I would say this one is more suitable for daily make up - for going to work or day time activities.

It makes the eyes pop just as well as the colossal kajal so all's good :)