life austyie Reach for the ramen How to sustain your budget and blood sugar with the classic budget food By Sharon Miki hether you’ re living on your own (enacting a starving student fantasy scenario) or you just love the taste of it, ramen is the quintessential food for college students across the country. Cheap, idiot-proof, and ready in mere minutes, ramen has long been a dietary staple in my shoebox apartment (for me, the starving student thing is less fantasy and more so a daily reality). Afraid of nutritional monotony, I’ve developed some inexpensive and tasty ways to spice up your ramen noodles—taking them from limp to luxury. Invest in Sub-Dollar Quality Call me a noodle snob if you must, but the key to a successful ramen dish is using high-quality noodles. For me, this means authentic Japanese Sapporo Ichiban ramen noodles. If you wait for sales you can stock up on these bad boys for as little as 62 cents a pop, and I find that the texture is more satisfying than other brands of noodles. Cook it Up! Once you’ve got your water boiling and noodles ready, scour your pantry for add-ins. Can’t go wrong ingredients for me are any kind of wilty green (think spinach, bok choy, kale), frozen or canned veggies like corn or peas, eggs, or canned proteins like tuna. Want to take it up another notch? It’s all in the seasoning. My two go-to ramen flavour-maximizers are sesame oil and hot sauce, but feel free to experiment—there’s very little you can do to take away from the starchy carb-infused taste sensation of ramen. Mr. Noodle Casserole Still need ideas? Try out Life & Style editor Stephanie Trembath’s recipe for the ultimate comfort food. Ingredients: ¢ 1 can of tuna, drained ¢ cup canned peas, drained * cup canned corn, drained * 1 can mushroom soup ¢ 1 package of ramen noodles, in pieces Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Combine tuna, peas, corn, and mushroom soup in a casserole dish. Toss ramen on top. Place dish in oven for ten to twelve minutes, or until mixture is crispy and bubbling. Enjoy! Slick hair tricks for fall Does your hair demand attention, or fancy simpler styles? By Stephanie Trembath, Life & Style Editor very year is marked by ridiculous trends and fashion fads like harem pants (Really—you’re going to wear Aladdin pants to a wedding? The little black dress didn’t cut it this time around?). In any case, there’s a totally unique and off-the-cuff style that I’ve seen fashionistas attempting this fall... ombre hair. Ombre-toned hair is marked by darker roots that fade to light coloured hair ends, perfect for fake blondes that want to grow out their bleached roots. This summer, all the hottest celebrities were sporting it: Drew Barrymore, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jessica Alba were just a few of the fabulous femmes rocking the “root” fashion. Ranging from subtle honey-toned blondes, to full-on platinum, ombre hair has moved away from basic blondes and has taken on a whole new twist this fall. Bubble gum pink, lime green, faded orange, and powder blue are a few of the favorite colors currently favoured by ombre fans. From redheads to basic mousy-haired brunettes, this hairstyle is destined to get you noticed—though not always in a good way. Ombre fashioned hair tends to look better on longer-haired ladies; otherwise you actually do look like you are trying to grow out miss-matched roots. This is definitely a hairstyle that you shouldn’t attempt yourself, as the line where the lighter-colored hair dye starts needs to be really straight, or your hairstyle will look messy and unkempt instead of fashionably chic. Too tame for ombre style—or maybe you’re more like me and don’t like to bleach out your strands whenever a new hair trend hits town? Another cute and easy hairstyle that’s simple enough to do yourself (after a lot of practice, that is, so it doesn’t look frizzy or crooked) is a woven French braid. If you already know how to braid, or French braid, then you’re one step ahead. Weave your braided locks tight to your head and tuck the leftover ponytail underneath. Voila: you have a classy little chignon that is perfect for casual days at school, but also suited for red lipstick and heels for going out at night: The students’ solution to boosting your bust Thai technique claims you don’t need money to get bigger breasts! . By Stephanie Trembath, Life & Style Editor ver wish you looked like Angelina B= with her big lips, long legs, and ample breasts? Or perhaps you favour Pamela Anderson’s iconic bod, with her blond hair and excessive bust? In a society that favors everything bolder, bronzer, and bustier, it seems impossible to compete with these glamazons without the proper amount of passed-down money, in order to fulfill your teenage, California-girl dreams. Luckily for us, Thailand-native (and answer to all our breast prayers) Khemmikka Na Songkhla claims to have a way to increase bust size without spending money on implants or push-up bras. Using an ancient technique passed down from her grandmother, Songkhla’s practices are famous throughout Thailand, and are extremely simple and easy to do on a daily basis. Songkhla’s technique involves, slapping, kneading, and massaging your chest to boost your bust size! According to her practice, this natural technique works as it kneads excess fat towards the desired area — either that, or the area is so swollen and bruised it appears a lot larger for a few hours. Areas also subject to her “slap-happy” practices are the buttocks and face; simply slap your fanny for a few minutes each morning to get a rounder bottom, or get your friend to whack you across the face a few times for a smoother, tighter visage. Songkhla claims that the Thailand Breast Slap will increase your bust by 1-4 inches, and is constant for up to five years. So young students, what do you think? Want to join the latest craze of the 21* century: slapping yourself silly! Khemmikka Na Songkhla