I am back and Hello!!

It's been a long 9 months or 10 months since I stopped blogging. 

Well, there is not much that I would like to share. Yet here I am, excited to be writing 'again'. 

Nothing has really changed much in my life yet I have changed so much. 

Changes that happen slowly are ever so confusing. You do not realise it, yet you wake up one day and find yourself in a place you least imagined to be.

Here are few quick updates on my life (that you might have missed knowing ;~P):

1. It's the cold-bitter season of winter again here in the mid-west.

2. My parents and Kali are visiting us for the winter, so we are all together enjoying our good and not so good days together.

3. Kali: there is so much to tell about her. She has become so much smarter than the last time I saw her in person. She is as sweet and lovely as ever. A constant source of support, inspiration and happiness. :)

4. I might go back to school this summer, for a second masters...well, let's discuss about it later. 

5. I have totally gotten over my ex and ex-s. 

6. I've been consistent at wanting to go to gym everyday and rarely successful at doing so.

7. I've lost 10 lbs in 2014. Yay, right! But, I have also become obsessed with checking the number on weighing scale everyday. I try to remind myself that my primary goal is to become fit and not  to see a particular number on the weighing scale. 

8. I have had fewer 'sleepless and or I am going to cry myself to sleep 'nights.

9. I feel very sad at the thought that there will be no more Frodo or Bilbo Baggins movies to watch.

10. I have been doing yoga, cardio, core exercises, infusion water days, juicing days, Netflix binge watching days, blah blah on and off.

11. I deleted my FB account 10 months ago. Now, I no longer know when my classmate in 7th standard is going to deliver her baby. I do not miss Facbeook but sometimes I miss the false sense of being wanted, loved and cared for that Facebook provided.

12. I am now a Certified Software Tester. Want to hire me? anyone...someone? :-P

13. I have written GRE for the third time in my life. Yup. :~| Whatever. 

14. Fluffy is still with me.

15. I've fallen in love with two amazing dogs: Simba and Maximus. 

16. I tell myself everyday that the phase of my life that I am in right now is the worst ever and it can't get much worse. But then the next day God proves me wrong.  

17. I have visited the White house, Niagara falls and a couple of other places with my family.

18. I know how to cook chicken nuggets, pound cake and pasta in edible forms.

19. I did not get a tattoo.

20. I have stopped volunteering at the hospital.

That's all for now. It's been a one long heck of a year and............ I survived. 

Love,

Archana

Kali darling

Kali found herself an activity to do everyday during the one hour power cut. She is doing pooja (prayer) everyday. Lol 

Mom told me that Kali looks super cute as she falls asleep with her hands folded (in namaste pose) as she prays. 

When I was in India, Kali used to do mediation everyday(fore few days). She used to fall asleep, sitting in a Buddha pose. If she ever caught me taking a picture or video of her meditating, she would get mad at me. 

I (& Sru) miss her sooooooo much!!

Kali found herself an activity to do everyday during the one hour power cut. She is doing pooja (prayer) everyday. Lol 

Mom told me that Kali looks super cute as she falls asleep with her hands folded (in namaste pose) as she prays. 

When I was in India, Kali used to do mediation everyday(fore few days). She used to fall asleep, sitting in a Buddha pose. If she ever caught me taking a picture or video of her meditating, she would get mad at me. 

I (& Sru) miss her sooooooo much!!

Kali found herself an activity to do everyday during the one hour power cut. She is doing pooja (prayer) everyday. Lol 

Mom told me that Kali looks super cute as she falls asleep with her hands folded (in namaste pose) as she prays. 

When I was in India, Kali used to do mediation everyday(fore few days). She used to fall asleep, sitting in a Buddha pose. If she ever caught me taking a picture or video of her meditating, she would get mad at me. 

I (& Sru) miss her sooooooo much!!

Kali found herself an activity to do everyday during the one hour power cut. She is doing pooja (prayer) everyday. Lol 

Mom told me that Kali looks super cute as she falls asleep with her hands folded (in namaste pose) as she prays. 

When I was in India, Kali used to do mediation everyday(fore few days). She used to fall asleep, sitting in a Buddha pose. If she ever caught me taking a picture or video of her meditating, she would get mad at me. 

I (& Sru) miss her sooooooo much!!

Day 11 to 15: Changes

Hey,

Remember my first post on Lent, when I wrote a list of rules to follow for Lent and said at the end of the list that "Probably I might keep adding or modifying the above list! " Yup, I have decided to make some changes. 

At first I thought I shall give up this whole Lent idea because I failed at keeping my commitment. But on further thought I realised, 'we do not have to be perfect at everything we do. Achieving ones goals is the first best thing and the next best thing is to 1. not giving up in despair, 2. Be willing to change for better and 3. Be committed to gain perfection.'

• Eat in moderation. ( not yet broken...I guess ;) )

• No meat on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. (not yet broken!!)

• Fast on Wednesday, Friday and Monday. (Broke this rule this week! ....Hey I can justify though. Fasting is kind of making me sick. Moreover I have tired hard to habituate myself with good (and consistent) eating habits since an year and I do not want my new fasting habits to affect my recently developed healthy eating habits. )   

• Pray everyday. ( informal praying counts too, right? Like the conversations in the head with god? )

• Read bible and Bhagavad Gita. (Read 4.37% of Bible and 4.09% of Gita)

• Exercise at least for an hour. Regular exercise. ( Not exercising everyday, maybe it is a good idea to change this goal to something more achievable.)

• No Facebook. Minimum Facebook usage. (I broke this rule. I had to log in. I had to see if anyone missed me or not. I had to be available for friends, in case they needed me. Excuses apart, I need to cut down my FB time significantly. Phones or direct conversations with friends are still the best way of communication.)

• Blog everyday about something positive. Blog as often as I can.  (Everyday blogging is sort of tough. Mainly because I am not in the best of my moods these days and it is very difficult to blog positive when I am stuck in a rut. So I will just make sure to write (+ve) when ever I can.)

• Stay calm & positive, do not argue and learn to forgive others and yourself. ( I try to remind myself of this rule again and again. It will be a while before I can incorporate it in my life.)

• Sleep early and wake up early. SLEEP EARLY. WAKE UP EARLY. ( Got to follow this simple rule. No excuses can justify for breaking this simple rule. )

Love,

Archana

Day 10: The best is yet to come!

Hi, 

Here are some pictures of the blooming tree in our front yard. 

Enjoy your weekend.

Love,

Archana

Day 9: Persevere

Hi,

I logged in to my FB, today. Oops, right!? I know I should not have but ....I just wanted to see if someone or anyone missed talking to me ( or maybe I felt lonely enough to believe FB can make me feel less lonely). I feel guilty that I did not keep up my word of not logging into FB. Hmm...what is done is done and I need to not repeat it again. Logging in FB or not, is not a big deal for me, but what is important is sticking to my decision which I did not. :( 

I try to make the best of my time but few days like today, I fail at doing so. Every morning I wake up and unintentionally end up counting the number of days (well years) since I've seen my parents and Kali. I wonder if what I am doing in life right now is really worth it. 

 My goals are and have always been my priority but sometimes I ponder if I I am not being pragmatic enough and need to reevaluate my goals. Or should I believe that perseverance wins and dreams always come through if one works hard enough? But how will I know if I am working hard enough and not just wishing for something that I do not deserve to? Sounds confusing right? 

Maybe I think too much. All I need is sleep for now and patience to do what all I need to do from tomorrow. Wish me luck world. 

You know I love you, right? :)

Have a wonderful friday!

Archana

p.s.:  "Some of my lowest points were the most exciting opportunities to push through to be a better person." Demi Moore  

Day 8: Grateful

Thankful for the amazing people in my life!

Hi,

There were and are so many nice people in my life that it makes me wonder if this is how it feels to be blessed.

Rajesh Sir during my childhood who taught me lessons that still help me learn and evolve. Anil who stood (and still stands) by me during all my tough times, My sister who cares for me more than I do for myself. Bryan who taught me not only have the confidence to drive but also not give up on something I failed at once. Bincy, Reema and Jay for their little words of encouragement that keep me going right now and not give up my career aspirations in despair. And there are so many others that played and still play a vital role in helping me reach my full potential. 

There has always been someone in my life who unconditional helped and supported me to face a difficult phase of my life. Some of these people I haven't even met in person nor know how they look like. Probably if I ever meet them in real life, I would not even recognize them yet they have touched my life in a way that I often think of them and thank them for the role they played in making  me a better person.

I aspire to be like these nice people in my life as they inspire me to be a person better than I am right now. 

Love,

Archana

PS: When you realise who the good people are in your life, you're so lucky.Sophia Bush

Day 7 of Lent

Today was okay!

Hi,

I did nothing much today. I was feeling a bit home sick or maybe just anxious. So I just decided to relax and not be bothered about anything. :)

I got to start preparing for my GRE test, which I need to take ASAP. There are a lot of things I need to do right now, but sometimes I do not feel like doing anything because I am so stressed. Blah. I am good at making excuses I guess. 

On a brighter note, I found myself making better choices in matters of food. Like choosing salad instead of a cookie, for a snack or pushing myself on the treadmill to challenge my own limits. It feels nice to know that making better choices for a healthier life style comes naturally after a couple of months of struggling to do so. Weight wise, I have not lost much and the number on the scale is the same. It's disappointing for sure, but I do not expect to lose all the excess fat I have in a day or a month or two. As my mom reminded me, 'Slow and Steady Wins the Race.' 

I need to catch up on my sleep now. Need to make the best of tomorrow and strike off a few things of my 'To Do List'.

Have a happy hump day you all.

Love,

Archana