Life Lessons from pop- culture

As Yuppies’s, pop-culture influences our lives on many levels. Most of what we see, hear

and learn through pop-culture is not very insightful; however, sometimes you come across 

something that really hits close to home. 

 Mark Waters movie Mean Girls is one funny-assed movie. It was actually one of the first 

satirical movies that I really enjoyed (don’t judge me!). Anyway, it was on t.v the other 

day and one quote really stood out to me. It was close to the end of the movie when LiLo 

has a moment of realization and she says:

“Calling somebody else fat

won't make you any skinnier.

Calling someone stupid

doesn't make you any smarter.

And ruining Regina George's life

definitely didn't make me any happier.

All you can do in life is try to solve

the problem in front of you.”

I got a lot of positive feedback from my previous post and this quote just reminded me of 

it so I thought I would share it.

I believe that if we concentrate on the positives in life, and in people as a whole, our lives 

will be happier and our world a better place. This might sound corny, but its how I feel. I 

find that often people “hate” on others for no valid reason. Granted, not everyone likes 

everyone but I just do not like people that rarely have positive things to say about others.

By no means am I saying everyone has to be nice, this message is strictly for all the 

HATERS out there.

Lesson to be learned: Don’t hate without a valid reason. Solve the problem that is 

in front of you. ;)

Hmmm…Who woulda thought that Lilo could be so insightful? lol

xoxo 

YP

Brown Girl Rant

Okay, it has been too long since I last blogged. I know I said I was going to blog about my Euro-Trip and I will; it’s a work in progress. My European adventure was a blast, but there is one funny thing that Europe taught me, Brown Girls (Desi’s, Indians whatever you wanna call em) are gonna be haters ANYWHERE! I mean… come on women, relax! 

I realize she's not 'brown'- but you get the point!

To put this all into context, in London, V and I went to a club in Camden called ‘Shaka Zulu’. It is a South African inspired club and is simply beautiful (http://www.shaka-zulu.com). We were there with a group of friends and having a great time until we noticed all the looks and nasty stares from all the brown girls at the club. I am not talking about “Look at those skanks” stares or anything, bc we were both covered up and NOT at all acting like fools…. These were just mean, rude stare downs! NO SHAME stare downs, kinda like “Yeah, I am looking at you and WHAT?” There came a point where we were literally fed-up and uncomfortable so we asked them what the problem was. Did they have one, NO! They just continued with the looks and the rolling of the eyes.

We did not know these girls; we didn’t say anything to them (until much later into the night when we asked them if there was a problem); but they didn’t like us. I know this is a really extreme example, and this obviously does not happen all the time, but I feel like most girls can relate to this. I just don’t understand why when most brown girls meet others, they tend to not like them before they like them. Non-Indian people are really good in this case. For the most part when you meet or see one another, you’re typically nice and cordial and will only be rude or show attitude if something calls for it. I wish brown girls would extend the same kindness to one another. I just don’t see why we can’t?! I mean why do brown girls have to look at one another in such a judgmental fashion right from the get-go? Why are we greeted with stank looks and eye rolling before a simple “Hi” or a smile?

Dramatization of the Classic Screw-Face

Growing up, I was always told that I have a very stern, mean… ‘bi*ch’, if you will, look- it’s natural I cannot help it (but I am trying)! When people don’t know me they often tend to think I am rude or even bi*chy… however, as soon as I make eye contact with someone, or meet someone, they come to realize that this look of mine is just that, a look… and in fact I am a nice, fun, loving person. I give most girls the same benefit of the doubt that I hope people give me. I don’t expect people to be super friendly and smile at strangers and be fake, but I do ask that if  you are one of those brown girls who has this perma ‘stank look’ work on it, as I am, because it can come across very rude and I am sure that’s not always what you want.

I do not want to be friends with everyone I meet, but I do not see the harm is being NICE to people… I mean why not? What do you have to lose? By no means am I saying ALL brown girls are this way, but I think many of us can relate to these types of situations and I do not think I am the only one who feels this way. The point I am trying to make here is: Let’s try to be nicer to each other! If you see someone and think she's pretty, tell her that instead of giving her a rude stare-down. If you meet someone new, smile before you roll your eyes. If we all do these little things, maybe we won't hate on each other so much. Just some food for thought.

YP.

AmsterDAM!

Hey all,
In Amsterdam, it's very 'interesting' to say the least!Everything is kinda as I expected it to be but at the same time quite 'dirty'.....literally. Everything just seems grimey n gross; which I guess adds to it's rustic charm.

Last night V n I hung with our tour group. Everyone seems pretty chill. Lots of ppl travelling with partners and families(cuzins, bros, sis' etc). It's pretty cool. Most ppl on our tour r in their mid-late 20's which is awesome :).

It looks like we all didn't pack to well for the trip; it's been freezing so far!! At least we're heading south from here on put so I hope it gets warmer!

Sad to be missing the Drake concert with my ladies tonight; especially bc I know u will have special access. Take loads of pics n think of me. I'll be sipping on wine in the Rhine Valley
Tonight and listening to Drake on my iPod. ;)

London

Hey guys, finally in London! It was an adventure to get to the hotel- lots of hauling our luggage up and down stairs, getting stuck in a round about etc. Finally made it to the hotel to find our room is not ready. Oh what fun, lol. We're troopers tho, so we left our stuff at the hotel and headed out to explore and eat (of course)! We're at 'pitcher and piano' just ordered our food; can't wait to try it!

YP

Euro-Trip Begins!

Hello Friends,

I am currently at the Plaza Premium Lounge in Toronto, sipping on a rum n' coke and loving life!

I don't know if I will be able to blog while I am away, but I will try.

The trip is off to a great start! Our luggage was a little bit over but the attendant was nice enough to let it slide. Our backpacks are a lot heavier than we had earlier anticipated- our poor backs!

So V and I want to set some groud rules to the trip, very basic but essential when traveling with a loved one. I mean, we still want to be friends when we get back. Here they are:

Rule number one: Try to be understanding of each other and refrain from pulling out one anothers hair. We plan NOT to fight!

Rule number Two: Don't judge each other based on our actions on this trip. ;) lol. (We're really not that wild, but its a good rule to have just in case one of use gets too CRAZY (V! lol)).

Rule number Three: If you wouldn't do it in Toronto, HELL YEAH you gotta try it in Europe.

So we're off to enjoy the lounge until boarding time. Stay tuned for our adventures!

xoxo
Y.P

SummerLicious = Overrated

What’s the deal with SummerLicious? I mean every summer your yuppie friends will try to get together and plan an outing to a restaurant for SummerLicious. “Incredible value of 3-course prix fixe menus at 150 of Toronto's favourite restaurants”. I mean sure, it sounds like a GREAT bang for your buck, but have you ever truly liked the SummerLicious menu at any of these restaurants? I am talking to the point where you want to go back because you crave it? NOT ME!

It is a great experience and it’s a nice thing to do in good company but in terms of food (and you should know by now how much I LOVE food) it’s not really that great. It can also get quite costly. The restaurants lour you in with the attractive prices, but you end up spending so much money on drinks that when you average it out, you probably could have gone to a fancy restaurant of your choice and enjoyed the food MUCH more.

I also find that the more expensive the food, the more likely it’s a small portion or tastes gross? lol. That’s just my opinion :)

Although I am not a HUGE fan of SummerLicious, there are some restaurants that aren’t so bad. Of all the SummerLicious places I’ve tried, some of my personal favs are:

Dinner: Big Daddy's Bourbon Street Bistro & Oyster Bar (love the steak)

Dinner: Drake Hotel (love the Salted Butterscotch Pudding).

Bon Appétit!

 

 

I LOVE FOOD!

Yes, that's right, I LOVE food! 

Dude, I am not kidding when I say I LOVE FOOD….I wouldn’t classify myself as a ‘foodie’ per say, but I definitely LOVE to eat. I am also not the world’s healthiest eater, but I try to eat well when I can, lol. As someone who ‘loves’ to eat… I generally like going out to dinner with people who have the same love for food as I do… I mean, come on ppl, I do not want to be chowing down on some chicken wings, while you’re eating a salad next to me! Lol. I mean I do not blame you salad eaters, but then you cannot be offended if I do not want to eat with you. I won't judge you, if you don't judge me ;).

If you were to meet my close friends, you would see that we’re not very ‘large’ individuals…. Actually, I would argue that I am the most shapely of my friends… nonetheless, we’re not ‘BIG' girls but when we do go out to eat, we certainly enjoy our food. For my birthday for example, a few of my friends took me out to one of my favourite Chinese restaurants and we ordered a feast. No word of a lie, the man taking our order thought we would be joined by others. Sure enough we finished every last item we ordered, we never disappoint.

We then proceeded to a local park for a dessert picnic…. It was the perfect Birthday outing! I know this sounds lame, but I am beginning to understand… the older you get the more you appreciate ‘down-time’. We all live very busy lives, and don’t always have time to do the things we most enjoy. I think we should all take more time to do ‘nothing’ and enjoy the simpler things in life… like food for example, lol.

Enjoy Life. Eat Food. :)

Yummmmm Poutine!

European Discovery: T-6 days!

So my BFF, V, and I are planning a trip to Europe. We’ve been trying to go since we first finished University… which seems like ages ago! Unfortunately, we were never fortunate enough to get the time off of work to make it happen before. Both of us recently got new jobs in our fields that we LOVE and were fortunate enough to be granted the time off this summer; better late than never! We’re decided to do a Contiki tour… I know I know! Everyone’s been giving us crap for doing this BUT in our defense we both travel quite extensively for work and this option limited how much of our brain we’d have to use while we’re away. Everything is planned, and V and I both enjoy structure. It’s OBVIOUSLY more expensive then doing it on our own, but what the heck, convenience is totally worth the extra cash… besides we’re Yuppies right now; we only have so much time where disposable income is available.
K, back to the tour! We’re doing the “European Discovery’ tour and will be gone for about 16 days (including extra time in London) . Our tour covers:

1. London
2. Amsterdam
3. Rhine Valley
4. Munich
5. Austrian Tyrol
6. Venice
7. Rome
8. Florence
9. Lecerne
10. Paris

Neither of us has ever been so it’ll be a new experience for us and we’re totally looking forward to it. When I am back, I will tell you about my experience and whether or not the tour was a good option. Until then…. wish us both luck! :)

Memoirs of a Yuppie Princess: more about me

So as I mentioned earlier, I am new to this whole ‘blogging’ thing. Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself. I am a Yuppie living in Toronto, Canada. I work for a University in the City, and love what I do! I am getting married next year, to my University Sweetheart and am in the midst of planning a BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING. I am of South Asian decent (although this can be disputed, lol) and Canadian born. I live a ‘simple’ but joyful life and I hope to share with you, the reader, a little bit about my thoughts and views on issues that arise in my daily life. I hope you enjoy me shooting the shit :)