A week ago I turned 24 and me and my friends went out to Akbar's Glasgow for some curries and a giant naan. However, celebrating my birthday by stuffing my face didn't end there as I headed up to Aberdeenshire to see my family and my parents took me out to a Thai/Chinese restaurant called Tiger Lily in the Aberdeenshire town of Oldmeldrum.


I'm not up-to-date with my Aberdeen/shire restaurants these days as I only get up about three times a year, but apparently Tiger Lily has become quite popular despite it's slightly isolated location (Oldmeldrum is a decent sized-town but it's not the 'main' one in that district). My mum had previously been there with some of her friends in the summer when it was very bustling (we went in cold November so had the place almost to ourselves) and her friend who is a vegetarian was very impressed with the range on offer. I've said before but vegetarianism is still easier in urban areas so it was nice to see a countryside venue offer a good selection, and even better a Chinese restaurant which isn't a 'safe' cuisine for vegetarians.



For my starters I had vegetable skewers. The vegetables were nice in their own right and they tasted as though they were cooked in soy sauce (my fav), however the sauce that went with it was lovely (they don't have a website so I can't check what kind of sauce). My mum had a chicken and sweetcorn soup whereas my dad had wantons.



For main, both me and my parents had red curry with fruit, however I had the vegetable version whereas my mum had hers with chicken and my dad with duck. It had quite a lot of sauce compared to solid food however the sauce was lovely albeit very spicy for my tastes.



The decor of the place was beautiful (and is within an old converted cottage) and I actually think it would be a nice place to take someone on a date, albeit not if your date lives ages away as the roads around the area are very dark (I forgot how terrifying it can be to drive in the countryside at night). They also do a take-away which I noticed was busy that night and the place has a very central location just off the main square of Oldmeldrum. If you're a foodie or vegetarian I'd recommend taking a trip out to Oldmeldrum for this wee place.

If you're one of my Aberdonian readers, have you ever been to Tiger Lily or any other restaurants in the area?

Morag x

P.S. Tigerlily doesn't have a website but you can have a look at their Facebook.

As I've gotten older my teenage skin worries have subsided and I'm much less prone to break-outs and I only have very small blackheads on my nose. However nothing brings out the spots in me any more than a bit of stress. Things have been quite hectic in the past few months - some of it good busy, whilst some of it bad busy that I really cannot be bothered with. This blog post however is not to discuss my private life but to get down to some skincare.

A few weeks ago an independent skincare brand new to my radar got in contact to ask if I would be interested in having a facial in John Lewis in the Buchanan Galleries, one of the shops where their range is stocked. Whilst MeruMaya don't do facials their facialist came up to Glasgow to look at my skin and see which of their products would be most suited to my skin.

My skin was looking embarrassingly spotty that week, due to far too many things going on. I was recommended the Luxury Facial Wash* for my daily cleansing and also the Concentrated Spot Treatment* for when any spots did occur as I explained that my skin isn't consistently spotty but only during times of stress.

My stress levels are still very high and might be for some time yet (I need to chill, but some of the issues are outside my control). However these two products have definitely brought my spots down and my skin looks a loss let angry. I currently own quite a few cleansers but the MeruMaya Cleanser is the product I have been keeping in my shower for daily use whilst my other cleansers are rotated for my evening skincare regime. It's foams up nicely and you only need to use a tiny bit (the first time I used it I overestimated and it ended up right down me) and I have also used this to cleanse my chest and shoulders, where I have also seen a noticeable improvement.

The spot treatment is a product I use every now and then when my skin is looking especially angry. Admittedly at half seven in the morning I do sometimes forget to add it to my routine however I only need a tiny little bit (don't be alarmed by how small the tube is - this lasts a long time!) and I usually use it at night.

As the asterix shows I was given these two products as PR, however I have been especially impressed by the cleanser and I am very tempted to purchase it myself when I run out as it has become my daily cleanser with good reason. It is £14.50 itself which brings it in line with many of my favourite cleanser such as Lush Herbalism (which is cheaper but less uses in one tub), and is a great price when you realise I've tried £20 cleansers which have been useless (I'm looking at you Nude Cleanser).

Have you ever tried any of the MeruMaya range? Does you skin get extra spotty with stress?

Morag x

A reminder on the importance of small gestures.

An old Guardian article on how unrecognised women's sport is (using netball as it's main example).

Also, go Jessica Ennis for standing up to rape culture!

I found this really good article on National Collective that asks 6 questions of a potential Yes Alliance.

And some background on Nicola Sturgeon.

8 ways a notebook can change your life.

I'm a big believer in the difference between giving up and just deciding something isn't for you any more, and this post is perfect on learning the art of letting go of dreams.

My USA obsession continues with a look at this rural Alaskan town.

Also related: rural post offices in America.

Some dispute that Victorians created the first vibrator.

A word on grammar school's being kind of shit.

Unilever have been dicks to an independent brand, and it's backfired.

No, we don't need to re-brand feminism for the men.

Vegan comedian Sara Pascoe wrote about why she's vegan (includes links to further reading).

My new favourite phone app.

Adding the word etymology to any search in Google provides you with that word's origin (see water as an example).

Top 25 solo female travel bloggers to follow in 2015.

How to be a backpacker...without looking like  backpacker.

Women document what they were wearing when they were catcalled.

I'm not into heavy metal so cannot comment, but there's something on homophobia in the metal community.

London is getting a cereal café.

Ever wondered what a Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Grease mash-up would sound like? Of course you have.

When panorama photography goes wrong. Haha.

Sorry I murdered everyone, I'm an introvert. Also, Ravenclaws are better than Gryffindors.

I hope this is satire, I'm certainly sure it isn't though.

This is satire, though I wish it was real.

Natalie Bennett explains what she thinks is behind the recent #GreenSurge.

Believe it or not, I used to reject femininity because I believed it to be more 'feminist'. This piece by a tom-boy explains why rejecting femininity is quite problematic.

Though I relate to this Glamour piece on what the worst guy I dated taught me  it reminded me why promoting healthy relationships is one of my main feminist issues.

Annnnd, Positions for sex at your parents house (NSFW).

Morag x

We're etching much further into the Christmas period and it's becoming a lot more acceptable to talk about the 25th of December. I started off a bit of ho ho ho cheer with my first thoughts on some of the Lush Christmas range, and now I'm moving onto getting my abode into the mood.

Last Thursday I was invited along to Sterling Furniture in Glasgow to have a nosey at their newly launched Christmas range and have a wee chat with the buyer for the company, Isabelle. They have three main ranges as well as their regular products, and no matter what you're after - whether it's a traditional throw or a pair of fluffy ice-skates to hang from your ceiling - this range has you covered.

The picture I used above is a quick look at the Candy Cane range. It makes use of the colour red and has a very American feel to it, and out of the ranges it is the most Christmassy. Santa makes several appearances along with his reindeers, along with some tongue-in-cheek slogans. It's very funky and includes off-beat pieces, my favourite being the pair of ski's for your tree.



However my favourite range is the Frosted Forrest. Isabelle explained that this is aimed at buyers with contemporary homes which would be me (only one of the seven properties I've lived in could be considered old). I love me some green and teal shades and this reminds me of a winter wonderland fairy tale.



Finally, for anyone who doesn't want something that looks like Santa or Snow White designed it, there is the Midas Touch range. As you can see from the photo it is gold and black throughout and is not your stereotypical Christmas decor. If you fancy some black feathers, a giant gold pineapple or some sparkly black birds for your mantelpiece then this is your calling. Even though this is range I was least personally drawn to what did strike me about this is that almost everything could be used all year round. If you want to have a Santa cushion on your sofa all year round then that's your prerogative, but if you don't want to change your ornaments when the clocks change then this is a great range to look at (especially if you like black).



Beyond the three main ranges, there is also a generic Christmas range if none of the three showpieces caught your eye. The white tree in the photo above is from the etc range which I bought on the night for only £3. The Santa it's a long story tree decoration* is part of the Candy Cane range but as I don't buy a tree (Christmas day is spent at my parents' in Aberdeenshire) I'm planning to make use of it by hanging it over a door handle. I have a few Christmas bits and pieces I've built up over the years and I'm planning to get round to showing off some of the tiny Christmas touches I give my rented flat.

As always, all pictures from the event are on my blog's Facebook page.

Morag x

P.S. The tree decoration was given to me for free at the press event. 

On Monday night I celebrated my 24th birthday, which now means I'm embarking on a section of my life known as the 'mid-twenties'. Being a part of this mid-twenties club me and my friends forwent a messy night in a club and instead chose for a civilised sit-down meal (or because this is my first birthday since starting full-time work which fell on a week night). For this meal I chose Akbar's on Sauchiehall Street (just at the start of the west end) which had long been recommended to me by Glaswegians and I had considered for my 23rd birthday meal as I was told it is good for groups and has a big vegetarian selection.




Everyone was collectively starving so we all opted for starters. My choice was the mushroom pakoras whilst the paneer and mixed veggie pakoras were also selected by my friends. These were surprisingly quite spicy and were also quite filling for a starter. I loved mine though and I've been craving them since Monday and my mouth is salivating slightly as I write this up!




For my main I went for something I had never had before: a dansak curry. According to the menu this is a Persian curry and contains sweet and sour paste, pineapple, lentils and sweetcorn. Shockingly enough, it was spicy but in a very sweet way which is how I like my spicy foods. Also in non-news (if you've read my blog a while) I ordered a naan - and we went for a family sized garlic naan which is pretty bloody big (as shown the first image). I still ate it all cause I love me some naan.




The staff were also lovely and the service was second to none. I know from my own waitressing days that tables of six people can be very daunting but they handled all requests and got the order correct which is impressive as it did include starters, mains, a giant naan, pakoras and about three plates of sharing rice.

It did take me ages to get round to trying this place and I now see why so many people were recommending it. Great for groups and there is a small continental menu if you have friends who don't enjoy spicy foods. It was a great place for a birthday and apparently you can get a cake if you say it's your birthday but I ignored that tip as I don't want that kind of attention in public....

Morag x