Striped Nail Polish - A DIY for the Fashion Diva

Fast & Furious Chicken Curry Recipe

This is a perfect weeknight curry that takes under 10 minutes to prepare (and approximately 40 minutes to cook). I thought I’d christen it the ‘fast and furious’ chicken curry as its super-fast and easy to make, and the blend of hot spices and gorgeous red colour makes it ‘furious’ – maybe Vin Diesel would like to try some! To tame down the spiciness, you can replace the chilli powder with cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper will still lend a lovely red hue to your curry making it look ‘furious’, but will have more bark than bite.

For two servings, you need:

-          2 tablespoons sunflower oil

-          2 tablespoons tomato paste

-          1 tablespoon chilli powder

-          ½ tablespoon turmeric powder

-          ½ tablespoon cumin powder

-          1 heaped tablespoon coriander powder

-          Salt to taste

-          500 grams chicken, cut to pieces

-          1 cup water

Whisk together the first six ingredients and rub onto the chicken pieces.

Place the chicken and spice mix into a cooking pot, and add the water.

Cook on low flame for approximately 40 minutes, or till chicken is cooked through and the gravy has reduced to half.

Serve with steaming hot basmati rice.

 

xox Big Sis.

CV Tips for Job-Hunting in the UAE

CV etiquettes differ greatly from country to country, and sometimes even industry to industry. In New Zealand, my CV was short and to the point, and did not have my photograph. There we are told employers do not have the time to read in detail, so keep it simple. And we do not put photos or other personal details such as date of birth and ethnicity as employing on such basis is seen as racist and punishable by law.

In the UAE, the scenario is completely different. Read the vacancy sections in Gulf News or online websites like Bayt, and you’ll find countless ads that specifically ask for Western or Arab nationalities only. Sad but true, many employment agencies also screen by looks and age.

So, to save you the heartache and time, it’s best to come clean on your CV in the first place with the following:

-          A passport-sized photo: refrain from holiday clicks, and use one where you look polished and professional. A photo tells an employer your ethnicity, approximate age, gender and how professional you look. It also adds a human touch to a CV which is otherwise very formal and factual.

-          Mention your ethnicity. Maybe you are an interesting mix! Mention this. Perhaps you have additional language skills that can be an asset to the job?

-          Mention your date of birth.

Other points to consider when creating your CV are…

-          The layout of your CV. This should be attractive yet easy to read. Stick to one font style.

-          In New Zealand, we were told to keep our CV’s as short as possible (a maximum of two pages). My current CV is 4 pages long. If you are restricted to two pages, chances are you will squeeze in as much information as you can in the limited space and end up with a very cluttered look. It is important to keep your CV reader-friendly and neat. Ensure it has a lot of white spacing.

-          This brings me to the look and feel of the CV. In the West, we are encouraged to keep it plain and simple. In the UAE you can play with the layout more. However, refrain from too much colour contrast. An attractive border will look neat and help you stand out.

-          It is also very important to read the job requirements advertised. Do some background checks on the company you are applying to. Would you like to work there? Does the job culture seem very formal or laid-back? How can you translate this in your application? How can the set of skills you have be of value to the job on offer? Modify your current CV.

When applying for a job via email…

-          Refrain from creating crazy pseudo email accounts (like blacklilly89 or sweetbaby002). Ensure your email address is personalized with your own name.

-          In the email subject header, put in adequate detail about yourself but keep it concise. An example would be ‘Advertising Manager, 8 years’ experience from New Zealand’.

-          If the name of the recipient is known, greet them by it. Refrain from using ‘Sir/Madam’ as it sounds too traditional and makes your email less likely to be read.

-          Rename your CV file to something more relevant to the job you are applying for (so that it becomes easier for the employer to find later).

When posting a CV on an online portal…

-          The first few lines of your CV should be a summary of your job skills. This makes you easier to find via SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

-          An online CV should list all your experience with as much information as possible.

-          If there is an option for attaching a cover letter, do so! Summarize your plus points but keep it short and sweet. Don’t rewrite your CV.

At an interview…

-          Look your best! Dress professionally, and above all be confident. Your CV has done the job of getting you in to the office, now let your personality shine through.

-          Give a firm handshake, it shows confidence.

-          Be on time. Infact, be atleast 15 minutes early. Punctuality is a virtue.

-          Ask questions. This shows intelligence, and that you’ve done your homework and did a background search on the employer.

-          Leave on a good note, and do not ask for the job directly.

All the best job-hunters!

-          Big Sis.

50 All-Time Favourite Chick Flicks

After Lil Sis had her night out at the ‘Chicks at the Flicks’, my mind went on overdrive listing my all-time favourite chick flicks. I started with a top ten, but the list went on to 50 (and I could easily reach 100, but I didn’t want to bore you here!).

Chick Flicks are movies designed for us ‘chicks’. They tend to be overloaded with emotion men might barf at (or pretend to anyway), or have chic-centered humor only chicks dig. Many focus on the wedding theme or female friendships, and always tend to showcase chicks in the pivotal role.

I’m sure you have your favourites that haven’t been listed below, please feel free to suggest more! Please note these are in no particular order, I love them all and have watched each more than once. So grab some popcorn and call your girlfriends over for a night in with the movies!

1)      My Best Friend’s Wedding

Her best friend is getting married just when she realizes she is in love with him. Love this movie, and love the song ‘Say a little prayer for you’.

 

 

2)      Coyote Ugly

A small-town girl moves to New York to make it big as a songwriter, and turns into a Coyote to cover her finances. Great flick on achieving your dreams, and love the song ‘Can’t Fight the Moonlight’ (I discovered Leanne Rhymes here!)

 

3)      The Diary of Bridget Jones (all parts!)

A romantic comedy with a touch of reality on what a real-life girls goes through; the awkwardness, the granny undies, hilariously believable! Love Rene Zellweger.


 

4)      Titanic

A movie with a cult-following, a deeply romantic slice of history retold. Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ epitomizes the epic.

5)      Mama Mia

Light-hearted, touching, Abba’s greatest hits reloaded, and Merl Streep at her best.

 

6)      The Sound Of Music

Another cult movie, no childhood is complete without watching this. Fresh-faced Julie Andrews is the nanny we all craved, and she taught us the musical alphabets with ‘Do a Dear’.

7)      Dirty Dancing

This movie has a cult following to date. It has many remakes, but nothing beats the original. Dirty Dancing gave us Patrick Swayze, and 'I had the time of my life'.
 

 

8)      Ghost

Surreally romantic, this movie iconized Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in the romantic genre. The song ‘Oh My Love’ by Unchained Melody still gives me goose bumps.

 

9)      Breakfast At Tiffany’s

Style icon Audrey Hepburn romances her neighbor in this epic romance flick.

 

10)   Monsoon Wedding

A wedding in the house, a stressed out father, a bride with a secret, the extended family and more drama. So many plots but beautifully sewn together. 

11)   Serendipity

Love plays in mysterious ways. And the title added another word to our vocab!

 

12)   The Lake House

Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock might be best remembered for their pairing in Speed, but this flick portrays them in a more romantic light in this sci-fi romance of two people communicating across two timelines.






 

13)   Bend It Like Beckham

A young girl from an orthodox Sikh family challenges tradition by following her dreams of becoming a footballer. This movie introduced us to the lovely Keira Knightley.

 

14)   Wild Child

A wild, spoilt American tween is sent off to boarding school in England and causes quite a stir. Emma Roberts, who plays the lead role, is Julie Andrew’s niece in real life!

15)   Sex and the City (Part 1 & 2)

If you loved the sitcom, you have to watch the flicks. Although I still prefer the sitcom, the girls do not disappoint in both parts. PS: The screenplay of Part 2 is based on Dubai, but was shot someplace else. Trust me, Dubai is nothing like this!

 

16)   How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days

What starts off as an interesting experiment for a magazine editorial, takes a complete twist for a young couple.

 

17)   The Notebook

A poor young man falls in love with a young lady from the upper class. A love story that transcends social borders.




 

18)   Sweet November

Can you live a lifetime of love in one month? Sweet November is a touching love story you’ll need the tissue-box for.







 

19)   When Harry Met Sally

A movie that proposes the age-old question, can a man and a woman really be just good friends?









 

20)   Clueless

This movie surely epitomized the dumb blonde genre in chick flicks!

21)   Legally Blonde

Another movie in a similar vein, a light-hearted comedy playing with the old adage that all blondes are dumb. This one ends up in law school!





 

22)   Love Actually

Love comes in all forms. A lovely lighthearted take on this.








 

23)   The Devil Wears Prada

We’ve all had bosses from hell, and this one’s the devil reincarnated!

24)   50 First Dates

A young lady has a memory span of one day. A young man takes her on the ‘first date’ 50 times. Now that’s called dedication!

25)   27 Dresses

She has a closet stocked with bridesmaid dresses, 27 to be exact. When will she graduate to the alter?






 

26)   Bride Wars

Two best-friends turn foes when their wedding dates clash on the same date, and they go on to compete on who’s will be best.

27)   Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past

A Casanova is revisited by all the women he has dated, and he learns a thing or two about playing with emotions.




 

28)   Notting Hill

The luck of a small-town bookshop owner changes when the most sought-after actress (played by Julia Roberts) moves into his neighbourhood.

29)   Bridesmaids

A young woman hits rock bottom, both in her personal and professional life, and to top it off her best friend is getting hitched. She now faces stiff competition for the role of bridesmaid.



 

30)   The Help

A touching movie following a young White woman who becomes a voice for the oppressed Black help through her writing. Don't know if this really counts as a 'chick flick', but it shows the empowerment of women, and I loved it, so had to add it to the list!




 

31)   Thelma & Louise

An action-packed road trip of two chicks on the run!

32)   Four Weddings & A Funeral

Always the Best Man but never the groom, Charles (played by Hugh Grant) starts thinking he will never get married. Then he meets an American, Carrie (played by Andie Macdowell). She is beautiful, intelligent and already engaged.

33)   Music & Lyrics

A once-famous rockstar finds the lyrics he’s been looking for in the most unlikely of places. A romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore with one of my favourite tracks ‘The Way Back Into Love’.
 

 

34)   Sleepless In Seattle

A son tries to find love for his recently widowed father through a radio show. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan make a great pair!

35)   The Wedding Singer

A romantic comedy set in the ‘80’s starring Adam Sandler who plays a wedding singer who falls in love with a waitress (played by Drew Barrymore).

36)   Pretty Woman

Another movie with a cult-following, the scene where Julia Roberts gets snobbed at the luxury store has become a classic.

37)   Jerry Maguire

A successful sports reporter’s life takes an unexpected turn when he decides to come clean about his line of work.






 

38)   In Her Shoes

Two sisters who have nothing in common but their shoe size come of age and get to know one another.





 

39)   My Big Fat Greek Wedding

An American chooses to marry his Greek sweetheart. A delightfully hilarious peep into a bicultural wedding.

40)   The Time Traveler’s Wife

A sci-fi romance that tugs at the heartstrings, this movie revolves around a man with an unusual condition that takes him to different timelines and his life is seen through the eyes of his beloved wife.




 

41)   There’s Something About Mary

Mary, played by Cameron Diaz, has one too many admirers. I remember going to watch it at the theatre when it was just released, and they handed us a pack of hair gel that read ‘100% organic’. Great marketing I’d say (you’d know what I mean if you’ve seen this flick)!

42)   Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood

A young woman discovers the tight bond her mother has formed with three of her best friends from childhood. Starring Sandra Bullock.

43)   Pride and Prejudice

I love Jane Austen, and I love Keira Knightly here.






 

44)   Sliding Doors

How can the simplest of acts affect our lives? This movie gets me thinking every time.






 

45)   While You Were Sleeping

A romantic comedy showing love comes after the strangest circumstances.

46)   Never Been Kissed

Drew Barrymore at her comic best plays a nearly-thirty reporter who goes back to high-school and falls in love with her English teacher.

47)   Stepmom

Two powerful actresses, Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts. Thought-provoking, heartstring-drawing. Keep the tissues handy.

48)   Runaway Bride

Julia Roberts plays a serial runaway bride who cannot help running away from the alter till she meets Mr. Right.





 

49)   Sweet Home Alabama
 

A small-town girl makes it big in the city, but is drawn back to her hometown and the man she once loved.

50)  Miss Congeniality

Secret agent disguised as a beauty pageant contestant. How can you resist a giggle with this one?!


 

- Big Sis