Funky Friday With Funky Fashion

I would like to define funky fashion. Funky fasion is not people who follow the trends, but may use the trends to their advantage in a certain outfit. People who are funky do not define themselves by the store that they shop in nor do the discriminate against any certain store. Funky fashion is not limited to just Lisa Turtle, or Screech but could be a mixture of the entire Saved by the Bell cast. Funky can be a mixture of thrift store and name brand, lacy and leather, a simple gold bracelet and a huge plastic pink one, matching or unmatching, a ton of jewlry or none, classy and trashy. Being funky is about taking risks, and not being afraid to get a stare or two from people who wish they could be as funky as you. Funky is about color or a lack thereof, but funky is never about boring. & Lets celebrate funky fashion on Funky Friday. 

Funkmaster Dye is liable to spin anything funky from the 50's to brand new funk, as long as it'll make your butt move, but the center of the show is the funk decade of the 1970's. You can expect to hear something from the Mt. Rushmore of funkiness on every show

Sample Funky Friday Playlist

The Crusaders - "Put It Where You Want It" - Var. Soulful Grooves 
Curtis Mayfield - "Move On Up" - Curtis 
Rufus - "Tell Me Something Good" - Rags To Rufus
Lee Dorsey - "Night People" - Lee Dorsey Selected Hits 
The Meters - "Just Kissed My Baby" - Good Old Funky Music 
Galactic - "Out In The Street" - Carnavale Electricos 
Kid Creole & The Coconuts - "We're Rockin' Out" - I Wake Up Screaming
Deee-Lite - "Groove Is In The Heart" - World Cliquw 
Eddie Hazel - "California Dreaming" - Games Dames and Guitar Thangs 
Gil Scott-Heron - "Winter In America" - The First Minute Of A New Day
Teena Marie - "Square Biz" - It Must Be Magic 
Mayer Hawthorne - "Hooked" - How Do You Do 
Earth Wind & Fire - "That's The Way Of The World" - Best Of...vol 1 
Sly & The Family Stone - "If You Want Me To Stay" - Fresh 
Stanley Clarke - "School Days" - School Days 
Cymande - "Bra" - Cymande 
Kool & The Gang - "Funky Stuff - Super Bad" - Funky Stuff Hits 
Citizen Cope - "Let The Drummer Kick" - Citizen Cope 
James Brown - "Funky Drummer" - Star Time 
Parliament - "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)" - Mothership Connection 
Prince - "When You Were Mine" - Dirty Mind

Stylish Mobile Accessories

Gold & Diamante Wing Phone Topper

Pimp your phone with this Gold & Diamante Wing Phone Topper! 


























Mirror Mirror 

Accessories your phone today with this stunning Mirror Mirror ! 

Black Tail Phone Topper

Pimp your phone with this awesome Black Tail Phone Topper!

Crowned Blue Skull Phone Topper

Personalise your phone with this funky phone topper! 

Studded Cross 

Be fashion forward with this trendy Studded Cross

Jewelled Skull 

Pimp you phone today with this edgy Jewelled Skull. 

Foods For Diwali

Diwali preparations in RAJASTHAN, India. The festival of lights has family and food at its centre. 

Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs (on 24-28 October this year – dates vary according to the Indian lunar calendar) has become increasingly popular and mainstream in the UK, as it is in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore where the festive fare reflects local traditions. But beyond a vague notion of "eating Indian" most people outside the subcontinent are unfamiliar with common Diwali foods. So what is eaten during the five-day festival?

The immediate answer is sweets – and plenty of them. Indian sweetmeats, known as "mithai" are a cross between snack, dessert and confectionery. If there's one thing that captures the Indian culinary psyche, it's mithai. Little morsels are nibbled throughout the day, on their own, with masala chai or as part of a meal alongside savoury items.

Chickpea flour, rice flour, semolina, various beans, lentils and grains, squashes, carrots, thickened condensed milk or yoghurt are normally used as base ingredients; to which cashewnuts, almonds, pistachios,chirongi nuts or raisins are added. Fragrant with sweet spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg, they're further blinged up with saffron, rose or kewra (pandan leaf) water, and silver or gold leaf.

While "laddoos", "barfis" and "halwas" like my pumpkin version here are universally popular, some of other items like "mawa kachori", "moti "and "sohan papdi" are more regional specialities requiring elaborate preparation. It's customary to exchange extravagantly decorated boxes of mithai, dried fruit, nuts or silver serving dishes with family and friends.

Around a month before the festival starts, women, especially of my mother and grandmother's generations, get together in each other's kitchens in turn to make the all-important Diwali snacks. Snack-making is very much a social activity, with older women turning out a dozen or more items and young people keeping the tradition alive by making at least a few.

Diwali snacks, made from chickpeas, rice, lentil and several other varieties of flours, are seasoned with different combination of spices, sesame seeds, fresh fenugreek leaves or coconut, pummelled into assorted shapes and usually deep-fried – though nowadays both mithai and snacks are available in low-fat, low-sugar and baked versions. It's common for family and friends to drop around to each other's houses with boxes of homemade snacks.

Festive specialities include Bombay-mix like "chivda", with countless variations (each with a different name – I spotted "London mix" in a supermarket the other day), diamond-shaped "shakkarpara", noodle-like"sev", sweet, layered deep-fried discs "chirote", and a range of sweet and savoury "puris" from puffed ones that look like UFOs, to ones dented with the back of a thin rolling pin that resemble the surface of the moon.

My favourite snacks are nutty lentil flour discs called "mathiya", pretty spirals of "chakri", and crescent moon shaped pasties known as "ghughra" or "karanji". You can buy both mithai and Diwali snacks fromAmbala, Royal and other Indian sweet shops around the country. If you've never tried them before, don't be afraid to give them a go. Ask for small tasters before you buy; most shops will be happy to oblige.

Different speciality meals are traditionally cooked on different days of the festival, and these vary further depending on region. Generally speaking puris, traditionally deep-fried in expensive ghee and therefore rich in every sense, replace flatbreads; and are accompanied by a different dal, vegetable curry, fried titbits such as pakoras, collectively known as "namkeen" or "farsan", and a pudding on each day of the festival. Many, though not all, Indians continue to eat vegetarian at this time of year.

On the first day , associated with wealth, large-grain cracked wheat sautéed with ghee and sugar known as "lapsi" is very popular, and may be accompanied by a curry of yard-long beans which, due to their length, symbolise longevity. On the second day , associated with the elimination of evil spirits, specialities include anarasa, a rice-and-jaggery dish that can take up to seven days to prepare. Light, fluffy urad lentil pakoras are eaten alongside the milky rice pudding, kheer.

Some festive dishes from around the subcontinent on Diwali day  include curry of courgette-like squash "galaka", "ukkarai", a steamed dish of split chickpea and moong bean batter; "sheera", a fudgy sweet of semolina sautéed with raisins, cashewnuts, cardamom and saffron like my banana version here, steamed fine-grain cracked wheat porridge dolloped with ghee and sugar known as "kansar", crumbly doughnuts "balushahi", and sweet flatbreads stuffed with mashed pigeon peas, saffron and cardamom called "poli".

On New Year's Day , "puris" may be partnered with"shrikhand", a chilled pudding made from home-made yoghurt cheese; and mixed vegetable curries made with as many varieties of vegetables as possible, as this symbolises year-round culinary riches. The day after the New Year  is a celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters. Women spend the entire day in the kitchen, making their brothers' favourite dishes and sweets, and are presented with lavish gifts in return.

Diwali is a vibrant, colourful, joyous celebration expressed through the medium of food. Cooks find their creative spark with a side helping of therapeutic "me time" in the kitchen, jaded palates perk up and family and friends come together to eat. What could be more important?

Introduction to Diwali For Kids

Introduction to Diwali For Kids

Diwali, or Deepavali, is a Hindu festival that will be celebrated worldwide on Sunday, November 3rd this year. During Diwali, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” clay lamps or diyas are lit to signify the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative qualities -- be it violence, anger, jealousy, greed, fear or suffering. In other words, Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil.

 

The story of Diwali is known by every Hindu child as it is celebrated in almost every home. There are several legends about the origin of Diwali. One goes back to the Hindu Epic of the Ramayana.

 

Over a thousand years ago, there was a kind, humble, and much beloved Prince named Rama who was soon to be named King. Instead, his jealous stepmother found a way to have Rama banished to the forest for 14 years. His wife, Sita, and brother, Lakshman, went with him because they did not want to leave his side. One day, a demon king named Ravana saw Sita and fell in love with her beauty. He hatched a plan and eventually kidnapped her. Rama went in pursuit of Ravana and fought a great war to win his beloved Sita back. After their reunion and completing their 14 year exile, Rama, Sita, and Lakshman returned home to Ayodhya where the people rejoiced and lit lamps all over the kingdom to welcome them back. Shortly after, Rama was crowned King of Ayodhya.

 

Another story for Diwali is about the victory of Krishna over the demon Narakasura. Thousands of years ago, there lived a young lad named Narkasura. He was the son of Mother Earth. Narakasura could have been a very fair ruler, but over time he befriended a demon and soon Narakasura also became evil. Narkasura was horrible and wreaked havoc on all of those around him. He started taking over neighboring kingdoms and soon set his sights on a heavenly kingdom called Svargaloka. He seemed unstoppable. As the demon felt more and more empowered, his evil doings grew greater. One day he decided to kidnap all the beautiful young damsels of the kingdom. The inhabitants of Svargaloka could take it no longer. They called upon Lord Krishna to save them from Narkasura’s terror. Lord Krishna came as soon as he heard and fought the demon in a fierce battle. Lord Krishna defeated Narakasura and stopped the evil demon, restoring peace and prosperity to the people.

 

Sikhs also recognize Diwali to celebrate the release of the Sixth Guru, Hargobind, one of their spiritual leaders, from captivity by the Mughal Emperor Jehangir. In his honor, lamps were lit all the way to the Golden Temple, welcoming his return.  For Jains, Diwali is the day Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain Tirthankaras (Ford-maker or Savior), achieved enlightenment or nirvana/moksha. Lastly, Buddhists, especially Newar Buddhists, commemorate Diwali as Ashok Vijayadashami, the day the great Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism as his faith.

 

As per Hindu tradition, Diwali is celebrated with grand splendor, welcoming the new year. It is on Diwali that...

...sweet and savory snacks are prepared throughout the day.

...every home is lit with diyas, leaving no room for darkness to enter.

...every doorstep is decorated with rangoli to welcome guests with great honor.

...one fashions new clothing to thank Goddess Lakshmi for providing prosperity and good fortune.

...when the sun sets, firecrackers light up the streets.

It is on Diwali that every face is adorned with a smile.

Celebrating Diwali in the Classroom

From diyas to rangoli to yummy snacks, you can help bring Diwali to your child’s classroom.

Creating a festive atmosphere...

• Ask the classroom teacher if you can bring decorations for the room.  If s/he agrees, bring in strings of light and help hang them around the room.  Make a rangoli on posterboard with a sign that says "Happy Diwali from Ms./Mr. ____'s Class" and hang it outside the room for the rest of the school to see.
• Introduce yourself and say good bye with “Namaste.”  Explain that “Namaste” is a traditional Hindu greeting that translates to “The Divine in me, bows to the Divine in you.” It is based on the belief that each one of us is a part of God or the Divine.
• Play your favorite Indian music lightly in the background during the Diwali presentation, while doing arts and crafts with the kids and/or while snacking on food.

Creative activities for elementary and middle schoolers...

Elementary School

• Elementary students love read alouds!  Tell them the story of Diwali by reading aloud from a book, or use the HAF powerpoint for a dramatic reading. Materials needed: provided PowerPoint presentation, recommended books for children
• Demonstrate and teach the kids some Indian classical or folk dance steps (i.e. bharat natyam, kathak, garba, dandiya, bhangra, etc.)
• Color in diyas and rangoli designs. Materials needed: -provided Diwali coloring pages, markers/crayons/colored pencils.
• Make candle-diyas. Materials needed: provided diya cutout, tea light candles, felt sheets, scissors, glue, glitter. Optional: Additional decorative items (i.e. beads, sequins, etc.)
• Mold diyas. Materials needed: Crayola Air-Dry clay, tea light candles. Additional decorative items: glitter, beads, sequins.
• Go outside and draw rangoli designs on the ground. Materials needed: colored chalk.

Middle School

• Middle schoolers love being involved! In small groups, create 3-5 minute skits depicting scenes from the Ramayana.  We've even created a sample Ramayana skit for your use!  For example, one group can act out Scene 1 (Exile from Ayodhya), another group can act out Scene 2 (The Forest), and a final group can act out Scene 3 (Getting Sita Back). Provide the groups with paper, scissors, and tape so they can create props for their skits.  Bring in props like dupattas, beads, and crowns to amp up the fun!  Materials needed: -provided Ramayana skit. Optional materials: Colored paper, scissors, tape, markers/crayons/colored pencils, beads, crowns.
• Make diyas from scratch.  Ask each student to mix together 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup glue, and 1/4 cup cornstarch in a bowl until it becomes clay-like.  Shape the clay into diya and decorate it with paint, glitter, and intricate designs. Materials needed: All-purpose flour, glue, cornstarch, small mixing bowls, paint, glitter.
• Create Rangoli paper plates.  Show the students several examples of rangoli designs, and then let them create their own designs on paper plates.  1) Lay newspaper down on each table. 2) Pass out plates, glue, and glitter. 3) Ask the students to write their names on the back of the plates. 4) Encourage students to draw out their design in small parts.  For example, first lay down the glue lines for blue glitter, shake on the blue glitter, shake off excess, repeat with different colors.  Materials needed: provided rangoli example Powerpoint, paper plates, glue bottles, newspapers, several colors of loose glitter, markers

Note: Be mindful of school fire safety rules. Instruct children that they may light their diyas at home with parental supervision.

With the start of a new year, Diwali also reminds one to give back to the community...

• If possible, donate or display these arts and crafts at a local charity (i.e. library, hospital, nursing homes, etc.)
• Have kids make Diwali greeting cards to be sent to an children's hospital or senior center. Materials needed: provided coloring cards, crayons, markers
• Help your child hold a classroom penny drive starting on the first day of Diwali and donate proceeds to the school’s Parent Teacher Association or Organization (PTA/PTO).
• Hold a food drive and donate goods to a local food bank.

Fashion tradition...

Dress in Indian clothes and encourage the classroom teacher to do the same. Lend him/her a dupatta and/or jewelry.

 

Take traditional Indian clothing for a demo. Pick two kids, a boy and a girl, and ask them to come to the front of the class. Drape the girl in a sari and the boy, in a kurta and dhoti to model the clothes of India.

 

Bring bindis or bangles for all the girls and tilaks for the boys. 

Diwali isn't Diwali without food...

The Sweet...

• Bake diya-shaped sugar cookies or regular sugar cookies and use icing to decorate them with Diwali-themed designs.
• Bring in burfi or gulab jamuns from a local Indian shop.
• Fun activity: Make doodh peda with the kids. 

The Savory...

• Bring in mini-samosas from a local Indian shop.
• Bring in khasta puri from a local Indian shop.
• Fun activity: Bring in dough and demonstrate how puris are rolled. Have the kids roll their own.

Note: When preparing food items, consult with the classroom teacher regarding food allergies, namely nut and dairy.

Tips for Taking Care of Your Skin

Sometimes it may seem like your skin is impossible to manage, especially when you wake up and find a huge zit on your nose or a cold sore at the corner of your mouth. The good news is that there are ways to prevent and treat common skin problems

A pimple starts when the pores in the skin become clogged with a type of oil called sebum, which normally lubricates the skin and hair. Acne is common during puberty when hormones go into overdrive, causing the skin to overproduce sebum. Because many oil-producing glands are on the forehead, nose, and chin, this area — the T-zone — is where a person is most prone to pimples.

Here are some tips to help prevent breakouts and clear them up as fast as possible:

• Wash your face twice a day (no more) with warm water and a mild soap made for people with acne. Gently massage your face with circular motions. Don't scrub. Overwashing and scrubbing can cause skin to become irritated. After cleansing, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends applying an over-the-counter (no prescription needed) lotion containing benzoyl peroxide. This will decrease oil and bacteria.
• Don't pop pimples. It's tempting, but here's why you shouldn't: Popping pimples can push infected material further into the skin, leading to more swelling and redness, and even scarring. If you notice a pimple coming before a big event, like the prom, a dermatologist can often treat it for you with less risk of scarring or infection.
• Avoid touching your face with your fingers or leaning your face on objects that collect sebum and skin residue like your phone. Touching your face can spread the bacteria that cause pores to become inflamed and irritated. To keep bacteria at bay, wash your hands before applying anything to your face, such as treatment creams or makeup.
• If you wear glasses or sunglasses, make sure you clean them frequently to keep oil from clogging the pores around your eyes and nose.
• If you get acne on your body, try not to wear tight clothes. They don't allow skin to breathe and may cause irritation. Scarves, headbands, and caps can collect dirt and oil, too.
• Remove your makeup before you go to sleep. When buying makeup, make sure you choose brands that say "noncomedogenic" or "nonacnegenic" on the label. Throw away old makeup that smells or looks different from when you first bought it.
• Keep hair clean and out of your face to prevent additional dirt and oil from clogging your pores.
• Protect your skin from the sun. It may seem like a tan masks acne, but it's only temporary. A tan may worsen your acne, not improve it. Tanning also causes damage to skin that will eventually lead to wrinkles and increase your risk of skin cancer.

If you're concerned about acne, talk to a dermatologist. Dermatologists offer a range of treatments that help to prevent and acne scars. A dermatologist can help you find the treatment method that's best for you and can also give you lots of useful tips for dealing with acne and caring for your skin type. Some salons and spas have trained skin specialists, called estheticians, who can offer advice and skin care treatments.

Weekend Outfits To Enjoy

Weekends are for relaxing and spending time with family and friends, but cast aside those jogging bottoms and trainers and instead choose clothes that are elegant and softly tailored. Click on our gallery link in the blue box below to see our favourite weekend looks from the high street. Denim is the quintessential smart-casual fabric and jeans are an obvious choice for easy weekend style. Wear your jeans or knee-length denim skirts with a simple white cotton shirt -wrap shirts and those with three-quarter-length sleeves look particularly stylish - as does a cream chunky knit. Denim blazers are very flattering on the bottom - H&M, River Island and Ralph Lauren Polo have a good selection - while indigo jean jackets and tan leather zip-up jackets are classics that will last you seasons. The classic preppy style of chinos and flat fronted khakis are easy to wear and look great worn with a fitted T-shirt or chunky neutral-coloured hooded knit. Try Gap, Marks & Spencer and River Island for some of the best on the high street.

Funky Friday Night With Fashion

Funky Fridays is all about what’s current, with high energy driven by the music, the game and the specials.

Join us for one of the busiest nights of the week with our House DJ playing the funkiest tracks to get you in the party spirit. Funky Fridays are packed full of entertainment and to make your experience one to last in the memory.

Whether you’re looking for a late round after work, or gearing up for one hell of a night, Funky Fridays has it all. From fabulous food and drink, games and competitions to exclusive VIP bays. There’s no dress code at TopGolf, although footwear of some kind is advisable!

Live DJ playing the latest funky house and R’n’B tracks VIP Bays including a bottle of champagne Games and competitions (see reception on the night for challenges) Great food and beverage promotions