Lifestyle Choices

Himalayan Salt v Other Sea Salts & Table Salt – My verdict

The other day while going through various posts on social media, I stumbled on a discussion between a couple of friends about the Pink Salt also known as the Himalayan Salt. It caught my attention because, several years ago, I was in a friend’s house and I had seen this pink salt. I thought nothing of it because I already used these salts in my bathe and was not really into the health stuff as I am today. However back then she did say she preferred these to the regular table salt or other sea salts in her dietary requirements.

20170129_121727 — Himalayan Salt mixed with pepper.

I became quite interested again and popped into one of my locals and picked up some Himalayan Salt to try with my foods. The result so far has not been very noticeable, save for taste. I suppose it’s early days yet as I have only been adding this salt to my food only about 2 weeks or less. My past preference was the regular supermarket-bought Sea Salt.

Okay, I have since done a lot iof reading and comparing the Himalayan Salt with other commonly used Salts.

Here’s my findings:

The Himalayan Salt

Going by what Alanna Ketler of the Collective Evolution and many other commentators and experts write, the Himalayan Salt will be said to be one of nature’s gift to mankind. Not only does it contain same number of trace elements and minerals found in the human body, 84 last count, it also contains less quantity of Sodium per regular serving compared to other salts simply because of its unrefined nature and larger chunks. It is also said to store vibrational energy as the minerals are in colloidal form due to its unique cellular structure.

They also praise it’s detoxifying properties too, when added to your bathe.

Clinically speaking however, there has not been any conclusive evidence of its ‘superfoods’ qualities as touted by many. The composition of all Salts is 98-100% Sodium Chloride and about 0.2% of other minerals which may not have much health or nutritional benefits.

The Himalayan Salt, although unrefined and containing loads of trace elements needed by the body, most of these minerals are already present in many foods we already consume everyday. Such minerals include phosphorus, bromine, boron, zinc, amongst others.

Other Sea Salts

Sea Salt is made by the evaporating of seawater and like all salts, it is mostly composed of Sodium chloride. Sea Salt does also contain traces of minerals such as potassium, iron and zinc. It is also said that the darker forms of sea salt contain a higher concentration of ‘impurities’ and trace nutrients, which in my opinion, may also contain some trace elements of heavy metals like lead due to the pollution of oceans.

The regular table salt on the other hand is a highly refined form of salt with most of its elements removed. Also note that iodine is added to regular table salt.

My verdict

Whether it is Sea salt, table salt, kosher salt, flavored salt, fleur de sel, Hiwa Kai, Black Hawaiian Sea Salt, Kala Namak, ‘organic salt’ or Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, all basically contain the same chemical, sodium chloride. The difference is that they contain varying levels of other trace elements.

If you have an iodine deficiency, then the regular Table salt might be a better option as it is fortified with iodine which helps prevent goitre.

As for taste, I really love the Himalayan Salt and find its unrefined taste quite appealing. The verdict is still out on its nutritional and health benefits, but it’s detoxifying qualities also makes it a winner for me.

Whatever your preference, it is important ones level of salt intake is low for medical and health reasons.

Why Some Women Cheat

Lifestyle Choices

“Fishes in a glass bowl, swimming ever so freely; in a bowl they live, ever bound within; trapped they are, for in that bowl, there’s no escape” ~ Lorenzo

Tim is a 45 year-old retired man-for-hire, a male escort. His other services involved pleasing his female clients, offering sex for a fee. This lifestyle afforded Tim countless holidays to the Côte d’Azur, romantic escapes to Venice, lazy weekends at one of his favourite getaways, The Peninsula Paris, skiing trips to the Swiss Alps, Film Festivals in Cannes, trips to Ocho Rios and lots of other perks only money could provide.

Sometime ago, sitting in a swanky city bar, watching the fishes in a glass bowl, Tim and I got talking about life of a male escort. For me, being a guy who’s always been more comfortable in the company of females, not that I don’t have enough male friends to fill a small room, I find the company of beautiful women more relaxing and less of a pressure. They are like gold dust sprinkled on a bed of roses.

As we got to our third glasses of South African red, Tim, as was his wont, spotted an elegantly dressed girl, perhaps in her early thirties, with ginger hair spilling down to her waistline. Sitting down against the wall, long legs crossed so tenderly one on the other, she had this look of sophistication. I could see in Tim’s eyes the temptation to walk up to her and pour out his very soul. Being retired, as he claims, each time he sees one of these gorgeous girls, he believes they need his attention. Once I told him he was quite arrogant and he agreed. She looked delicious alright, almost edible, dare I say. As I looked closer, I noticed a sparkle coming from her fingers. She had a massive diamond ring on her ring finger. That was it for me. She was taken. Tim and I shrugged our shoulders and fell back on our wine, feeling like a couple of old blokes whose dinner dates had stood them up.

This leads me to a rather controversial subject that my friends and I have talked about since our youth. Why do some married women, or those with long-term partners, cheat?

The truth is that in our younger days, it would have been very appealing going for the married women. They were mostly quite generous and were not looking for commitment, although some were tempted enough to want to elope. These women needed satisfying, wanted attention, wanted sweet words whispered to them, wanted to feel desired.

I know. Most women will climb the highest mountain to scream how unfaithful men are. I agree. Men are like wild beasts, like predators, seeking, sneaking into every crevice, nooks and crannies, searching for that next new thing, that ravishingly beautiful woman who’s like white grapes dipped in crispy white wine. Well, some men wouldn’t mind what woman she is anyway; skinny, fat, beautiful, those with alternate beauty, so long as she breathes, she must be had.

Okay, the question again. Why do some women cheat? I mean, what drives a married woman to seek the warm embrace and sexual satisfaction of another man?

One thing I have learnt from my experiences and from listening to my more adventurous friends is that most women who cheat on their partners get into it for emotional comfort. They find an emotional connection with the other man, an intimacy somewhat lacking with their partner. In many instances, because the affair is emotional, most women who find themselves cheating do toy with the idea of leaving their partner, but most never do.

Again, you have the predatory women, those who are just not satisfied with the man at home. They want to feel in charge, controlling, demanding recognition and feeling the power of domination. One man is never enough for these fierce women.

You have those who just want to try something new. They have had that one boring and regular sex partner for so long they can’t even remember what it feels like to be sexually daring. It doesn’t help when the partner is a one-trick pony kinda guy, or perhaps two. These women have girlfriends who tell them how exciting their love lives are and they feel they are missing out, so they seek that one time, one experience with another guy. Unfortunately for some, once the nut is cracked by another good fella, they keep coming back for more.

You have those women who are enticed by physical appearance, wealth and the life they dreamt of, which unfortunately, is yet to be provided by their partner. They get tempted daily, wanting and desiring a taste of that life. Such women most times have been beat down emotionally and their self-worth is down in the gutters. They seek to be dragged out the gutter and giving a good wash, metaphorically.

As Tim says, those women who cheat on their partners, who have the financial rewards to dish out, are mostly those with a bit of adventure, daring and not necessarily lacking attention at home. I agree because for some women, and not talking of pornstars, sex is like a drug, and why not? If it makes them happy and alive, then I suppose their partners do really need to step up, or find some fun way of satisfying these cravings. I know of some who regularly have swaps and invite others to join in their sex adventures.

Women who cheat on their partners seek attention, appreciation, understanding, consideration, they want to feel alive and desired. They find themselves in crossroads emotionally and sometimes with very little persuasion, they dive head first into an affair. Those women who have just the odd one night stand seek the thrill of a new partner, to be touched by new hands, made love to by someone who is so different from their partners.

I have also come across those women who say they cheat or cheating because they found out their partner was unfaithful. This is a form of revenge. I have however come to know that women who use this as an excuse are not truly being frank with themselves. They are somewhat in denial. I believe this is an excuse to satisfy a craving, a lust, a desire that is borne out of a want. Most women who revenge-cheat may not be getting the desired attention and finding out their partner is a cheat becomes the catalyst which finally unleashes the inner cravings and builds the confidence to do likewise.

The list goes on. One thing is certain though, men can easily cheat on their wives and be back home acting like nothing has happened. This is because most men can easily separate emotions from sex and as such are more successful in the game of infidelity. However those guys who have deep respect and love for their women, stay faithful. Love is a strong restraining order of its own you know. On the other hand, many women have told me that they cheat because of problems in their relationships. They say they do not take cheating lightly and toy with it for very long before they sleep with another man, or woman. Because it is usually emotionally involved, most of these women may lash out at home, frustrated with their partners. They may engage in increased arguments with their partners in order to give them the confidence and more reasons to cheat.

Whatever the reasons women cheat, I believe we have come to a place in our various societies where partners need to pay attention to each other, be more sexually exploratory, daring. It is crucial to be adventurous and give your woman reasons to ache for you, want you, desire you so much that every naughty experiment she wants to try out, you are the only one on that list.

Travel – An Escape from Reality

Lifestyle Choices

Back in December 2014 I took some time off from my London life to enjoy the sights and sounds of beautiful Turkey. It was a holiday I was looking forward to with eagerness as I needed some time away to relax from a rather challenging year.

Turkey is one of the most exciting countries I have ever had the privilege of visiting. An 8-day guided tour saw me travel across some of the most beautiful locations and breath-taking scenery you could imagine. From Instanbul through to Antalya to Izmir, Kusadasi and Pamukkale, visiting ancient ruins of Aphrodisias, Ephesus/Kusadasi, the UNESCO world heritage site of Hierapolis-Pamukkale and many other sites of astounding beauty across the mountains and coasts.

We had landed in Istanbul from Stansted Airport and caught a connecting flight to Antalya. Antalya is one of those old ancient cities lining the Mediterranean coast with some famous waterfalls such as the Kursunlu Waterfall, the 13^th century Seljuk Bridge, and a few mosques, one of which is the Yivliminare Mosque, which was first built in 1230 and then reconstructed in 1373. The present day mosque was built around the 14^th century after the destruction of the original mosque and today, it houses some fun and exciting stuffs like the ethnographic museum. There are displays of clothing, kitchen utensil, tapestry, embroidery etc. That place left an impression on me.

The entire region is surrounded by the Taurus mountains, with winding roads and views to die for. Driving through the winding roads up the mountains, I remember our guide telling us how for hundreds of years, the mountains were a place for many ancient temples of the storm-gods. Alexander the Great was also said to have defeated Darius III Codmanus at the Battle of Issus down at the foothills of the mountains along the coast.

In Ephesus, I was struck by some monuments such as Odeon, Temple of Hadrian and the Scholastica Baths. This ancient Roman city, which is now ruins, left me thinking how folks back in those days lived such beautiful lives, with pillars of marble lining the streets, on the ground, everywhere.

The highlight of my tour across the Southwest of Turkey was my visit to Pamukkale, a natural site in the Denizli Province which contains hot springs and travertines, a white bed of carbonates covering the size of more than three football pitches. Everywhere is white as snow, extremely beautiful and awesome to behold. Pamukkale sits nicely in Turkey’s Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley. The climate is mild for most part of the year, making it one of the most ideal places if you want to escape from a freezing cold December winter.

Back in Antalya on my sixth day, I went into Antalya. The ancient part of Antalya magically transports you back into the ancient times. The beautiful little shops selling native wares and tourist jewelleries, ornaments, textile etc was just a tourist delight.

Tried some of their local foods, sweets and some stuff like yogurt which I thought was nice.

Back at the hotel, we were treated to some fantastic belly-dancing and I had to join in the fun dancing after a few drinks and some strong Turkish coffee.

I find travelling to new sites and locations quite exciting. Learning new cultures and ways of life of others gives me an immense buzz.

I do hope when you go on your various travels, you do make out time to enjoy the locals and what they have to offer. See things not just with the eyes of the tourist, do try to blend in and be one with the locals. That’s how best I enjoy my travels.

Shabby chic culture

Lifestyle Choices

There is indeed a growing and hugely popular trend catching on with the stylish young and not-so-young folks out there – as the French would call it, the ‘rustique’ look. Others more fashion savvy and in with anything stylish see this as the ‘shabby-chic’ look.

The shabby chic look is slightly differentiated from other more worn look as it has that air of old, used and LOVED. It shouts “don’t let me go, I’m too precious to be done away with 😊!” LOL.

I fell in love with the shabby chic look especially with furnishings where the painting is falling off the very skin of the furniture and showing the old layers of paint of original wood etc when, a couple of years ago, I holidayed with my family in the village of Maffliers in the Val-d’Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. There, I was fascinated by the old beautiful buildings lining the narrow streets and in one home I was invited into for a drink, I was blown away by an old chaise longue. The piece had this old and well-worn silk-like material, but what caught my attention more was its entire faded, rustique look. Old Satin blue paint falling off the wood, exposing a creamy-coloured hard wood underneath, the design on the legs of the furniture was real ancient-looking, very Gothic, with paint peeling off and marks across the entire leg surface, like scratches from a rather angry cat. The material covering the chaise longue looked tired but adorable. I fell in love!!

That was my shabby chic awakening moment!!

Now I’m always looking out to rediscover that feeling in every piece I come across.

Here’s one I designed and handpainted recently and which will be available for grabs soon on my Marketplace page.

If you haven’t been bitten by the shabby chic bug just yet, just you wait, there’s no escaping it!

screenshot_20170115-140316 — An old building typical of many structures I saw and fell in love with in Maffliers, a French village in the Val-d’Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. This was the little village where I fell deeply in love with the shabby chic culture.

The Classic Man

Lifestyle Choices

The Classic Man

As the saying goes, “The eyes might be the window to the soul, but shoes are the window to just about everything else”.

I remember some years ago walking into a shop and picking up a bottle of the Original Old Spice Aftershave. Why? I needed to be reminded of that distinctive classic masculine smell, the smell of the man’s man, when men didn’t smell like girls.

Today’s Classic man is like Old Spice, exudes masculinity and distinctive. He has been around and knows the game.

The Retro look, from Shoes to Socks, cries confidence.

Be distinctive!!!

Marriage – A very Unique Union

One thing people must understand is that in reality, there’s NO textbook approach to having a happy and long lasting marriage ~ individuals differ, circumstances differ, the conditions under which the marriage was consummated differ. One of the basic premise of relationship is on what foundation was/is the relationship laid on?

There have been reports of spouses killing the other…you wonder how come? Situations where a spouse has lost his/her mojo and become a shivering wreck. In a union between two people, the physical, psychological/emotional, social and economic aspects of life comes to play within that home.

Marriage is like a merger: the culture, in this case, the behavioural tendencies of the other , including their psychological and social perceptions, must be analysed early on. You may have a potential psycho in your hands but don’t know it. Staying on in a terribly unhappy marriage should be a NO-NO.

For all single ladies and single men looking to be married, just remember it aint a STAY OR DIE affair.

Marriage is a very unique union and I’ve come to realise you need a high level of good luck to find the right person that is ready to go through the thick of it with you. It’s not perfect, the ability to work things out depends on the nature and character of the partner and how far the other is ready to sacrifice. But if you end up with a VIOLENT, VINDICTIVE, AGGRESSIVE AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY-CRAZED INDIVIDUAL, no matter how much you love and give love, sometimes it aint going to work. Just pray you don’t end up in a body bag.

Conclusion: There is no exact text book approach to a happy longlasting marriage. No two are the same. Do right by your partner and pray that the good luck smiles down at you.