Guide to Finding Korea in London

Korean pop culture has gained popularity the world over. This can be attributed to the sensational TV dramas and delightful music scene, which led to an increasing interest in the Korean culture in general. This doesn’t just stop at entertainment, food and fashion but has transgressed to history, art and of course the language.

Due to popular demand, business owners in the UK have found a niche market to cater for the growing number of Korean fans in the country.

I have put together this guide to help the new fans to Korea navigate their way to all the Korean delight London has to offer…

CULTURE

Korean Cultural Centre UK. Image Source: KCCUK Flickr

The Korean Cultural Centre is located in the heart of touristville London AKA Trafalgar square. Here, you are sure to find all the information you could possibly need about Korea. The centre boasts an interesting exhibition hall with displays ranging from ‘thousand year old scripts’ to

The day I hung out with Gaya: Books, good food, Art, Culture and Walking around london

One of my very good friends from Uni, Gaya, hung out with me after our final exams. I shared some pictures from that day here ~ Covent Garden through my iPhone Lens...

So Gaya and I share a love for good food, Arts and Books. So you can imagine that we have tons to talk about when we do manage to find the time to hang out. There's always so much to say and do, She is my kinda person!!

We started out the day eating lunch at Busaba Eatthai......

Happy Birthday M....

Dear Min Min,

It's been a year since I met you, and I have to say staying in Flat 22 was one of my best decisions because it brought me you and the rest of the guys.

It's been a year of friendship laced with laughter, fun and happy memories. But underneath there were trying times and you have shown me what a true friend means with your sound advice, caring words and steadfast spirit. And I can speak for all of us when I say this, thank you, terimah kasih mina, for being an angel to us all. We love you and wish you all of life's best gifts.

Some of my best memories of the last year has your smiling face popping out of it (with the most prominent one being you dancing around the statue of brunel in the H A P P Y video, LOL) and I'm glad about that. You've taught me a lot without you realizing and I shall hold on to those for life for they are important life lessons.

I hope you never lose your smile and you keep being exactly the way you are cos 
YOU IS AWESOME!!

Thank you for all that you've done and all that you are.

In the end I'd like to say 

with love,

meera

Motivational Monday: The Ripple effect of kindness

I stumbled across this video earlier today and I immediately knew 
I was going to write about it. 

I initially had something else planned for today's motivational monday,
 but I think this is more fitting. 

In case you didn't know, I am a muslim and right now muslims around the world are observing the holy month of Ramadan. 

"The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities. Ramadan also teaches Muslims how to better practice self-discipline, self-control,sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and compulsory charity."

The message behind this video resonates a lot with what this month is all about.

 But the thing is, we shouldn't just practice this attributes only in the month of ramadan, we should make it part of our daily lives.

This video right here shows us a perfect example of what an act of kindness means to the receiver and how it can reap benefits for the giver, even after so many years.

I hope this will help you reflect on your attitude in regards to kindness. 

I leave you with the sayings of Ellen DeGeneres.....

BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER!!! 

HOPE YOU HAVE A LOVELY WEEK GUYS!!

with love,

 meera

Motivational Monday: Things are never as bad as it seems.

Hello there Internet friends!!!

How have you been?

I hope you've had a lovely weekend... Mine was perfect!! well except for Korea loosing their match :(

Today's Motivational Monday is to reassure you and remind myself that in this life things happen that sometimes makes us feel like it is the end of the world and we can never move past it. 

But here's the thing that is never the case. So don't you go fretting and worrying yourself about things that are either 

1. Not in your control
2. Not as bad as you think
3. Has a solution

So the next time you maybe 

• have a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, remember there are kind people travelling on the same road that can stop and give you a hand or
• have a deadline looming over your head and you feel you can't make it, stop, take a deep breath and calm yourself down, then have a mindset that you can do it!! You will be surprised when you eventually meet the deadline. This things are all in our head... or
• You want something but you feel it is never going to happen, well you haven't tried, so how do you know that the answer will be 'NO'? Last I checked you aren't a psychic!!! So that Job you've been eyeing, that person you like or even that work trip or project that you really want to be a part of is just an ask away. So I dare you this week to go after all your heart's desire!!!

I know life can seem pretty scary sometimes and things don't always go our way but 

what we fail to realise is that every event in our life is connected. 

We might lose a Job to get a better one, 

miss a flight that will sadly crash because it isn't our fate to die at the time. 

Life isn't all rainbows and roses but, if we accept that, we can begin to see the hidden beauty underneath.

If you look hard enough at the right places you will see the real beauty of life, 

a kaleidoscope of laughter,pain,love,hope and so much more....

So the next time you feel that your world is falling apart and you can never pull yourself out of it just remember

Then you know there's nothing that life will throw your way that you can't handle!!!!

HAVE A LOVELY WEEK GUYS!!!

with love,

meera

For lack of a better title, Let's just call this one 'Passion Fruit'

Hello there Internet friends, I hope ya'll are having a good week.

I apologise for not uploading a Motivational Monday post this week. I have been having Internet problems. But things are back to normal now. In the mean time, if you haven't read the previous ones you can check out these motivational monday posts from the last two weeks.

It is so much easier to "Just be Yourself", Trust me.

Of Maya Angelou and Mukhtar Mai

So I was going through my creative writing notes this morning when I stumbled across the writ-up below. I just thought it was interesting and slighty humorous, so I'm sharing it with ya'll. I can't vouch for my state of mind when I wrote this or why I chose this topic, but then again, can I really explain why I do half the things I do? No.

Anyways this was a random exercise in class so make of it what you will :) enjoy!!!

My write-up is about Passion Fruit. 

yup!! 

you read it right, passion fruit!!!

PASSION FRUIT

It' surface is smooth and hard like a perfect rock by the sea. 
You would expect and wonder at what is hidden underneath. 
Blunt knives as hard as they try do not penetrate it.
You need a sharp knife, as sharp as can be, to get to the surprise laid within.

But lo and behold, a mushy bed of slimy seeds awaits you,
that makes your skin crawl and your insides cringe.
But what will baffle you is the sweet oh sweet taste that it brings.
Now who would have thought such ugliness had a hidden beauty it seems.

Hope the rest of your week is awesome. Two more days till friday ;) :)

with love,

 meera

S is for Survivor: Book reading and Tea Party

I invited my cousin who is also a sickle cell warrior to attend the event with me.  We arrived early for the event and was met at the door by Samira, she welcomed us and we headed in to find our seats. But as it normally is at Nigerian events, there was ‘African time’. 

Whilst waiting, one of the warriors, Zulaha, walked around the room giving the guests a placard to take a picture with. I decided to indulge and participate as well. On it was written #Cellfie and #WSCD here’s a picture of me…

#CellFie and #WSCD (World Sickle Cell Day)

 After waiting for a while, and by then the room was packed, Nura another warrior gave the opening remarks. He talked about the life of a Sickle cell soldier, how they go through the same things we do but not in the same way. Being too happy or too sad can result in a crisis. He mentioned how sometimes people do not understand his pain or think it is exaggerated. 

Then it was time for the reading… Samira chose excerpts from the book that was dubbed as the most crucial part or as I like to say the core of the book.

 

Samira reading S is For Survivor

Sitting in a room filled with “soldiers”, family and friends, care-givers and well-wishers, Samira tells her story in an assured voice.