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

Day 6 of Lent!

A day of fasting (or self control)!

Hi,

Nah! Just Water!

Today went great! I was able to fast from the time I woke up in the morning until sunset at 7.38 pm today! I did feel hungry a couple of times during the day and had cravings of food in the evening. But I kept myself busy doing things I needed  to do and also drinking ample amount of water through out the day, which helped a great deal. 

Sunshine soaked!

The beginning of many beginnings!

 I realized today that when I kept myself occupied, it became easy to not focus on my worries or needs (that could not be met immediately). Moreover, when I finished the tasks I had to, it made me feel better! I need to remind myself of this little lesson I learnt today, i.e. 'not to waste time on matters that can not be changed but focus on what needs to be done at the moment.'

The whole idea of fasting all day today seemed to be a pretty neat challenge for myself. I am not a very religious person (or well I do not know), but this "fasting task" is more of a self control thing for me rather than a religious or cultural custom. I did end my fast with a prayer though. I wonder if that actually makes me a religious person?? Well, I really do not mind I am religious or not...as long as whatever custom I follow makes me a better human being ...physically, mentally and spiritually.

Oh, in-between, I did start reading Holy Bible today. Just a couple of pages. Reading Gita and Bible, I have more questions than answers though. Like; Are they called texts or verses? How are the page no.'s listed? Am I pronouncing the words right? Who is him or her? In which time period did this happen? And so on. I need to do more research  and get the basics right, I guess. Well, at-least I  now know what all I do not know and where I would need to start to begin my(?) spiritual (?) journey (?).

By the way, when I ate my dinner tonight, I loved it! I do not know if the food was really tasty or my body deprived of food for 20 or more hours learnt to better appreciate whatever I ate?? Whatever the case be, I am happy to be aware of the self control I possess when determined to achieve something. :~)

Have a great Tue-S-Day!

Loads of Love,

Archana

Day 5 of Lent!

Today feels magical!

Hi,

Day light saving began last night, due to which the clocks are advanced an hour. As the days progresses on, there will be more sunlight in a day. To be precise there will be 16 hours of day light in a given day.

The sunset was at 7.36 pm today and the weather was nice too with the temperatures being in upper 40's F through out the day. 

I simply love it, how nature transitions from one season to another. It's a really slow process yet it's such a huge change from one season to another. The change in: sun rise &

 sunset, temperatures, the growth of trees and plants, blooming of flowers, growth of grass, the colors in the sky, the attitude of the people...all this feels magical to me and I love it. 

Looking at the beautiful sunset and contemplating on how nature transitions itself slowly over a period of time instead of abruptly changing from one season to another, I realized I needed to learn a lesson from Nature.  I aspire to do great things and in a very perfect way, but I lack the patience that is essential to accomplish them . I need to learn to be patient, perseverant and  work harder & smarter to reach the goals I set for myself .

Well, that's it for today. I hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Love,
Archana

PS: Life is short. Go new places, meet people, learn, travel and learn more. Be a better you! Make the best of every moment. Make every day count. :)

Day 4 of Lent!

Today was okay.

Nothing eventful. I Just stayed at home. Spoke to my grandparents, uncle & aunt in India through Skype.

The rest of the afternoon, I tried to draw a family tree of the Kuru dynasty that I read about today. It's confusing and interesting at the same time. I wanted to know more about kuru Dynasty so that I would be able to better understand all the people involved in Mahabarath as I read Bhagavad Gita.

After a couple of hours of hard work, I did come up with a family tree for six generations of Kuru dynasty. It is still a draft though. It will be a long while before I come up with the final family chart.

I spent so many hours today to make this draft chart which I know is not of any worth. :-/

I did not sleep well last night, so I am going to sleep early tonight and hope tomorrow will be better than today.

Love,
Archana

Ps: I need a job. I want financial independence and the freedom to live life my way. :-(

Day 3 of Lent!

Hi,

My day 3 of Lent went great. 

Today being Friday, I did fast (not absolute fast though). I ate an energy bar, pineapple, drank lots of water

through out the day, had a cup of coffee and ended the fast in the evening with spring green salad & a glass of Raagi Malt. I never felt hungry or took a nap during the day, which is kind of surprising. Probably having a good night sleep last night and keeping myself hydrated through out the day helped.  

I started reading Bhagavad Gita today (finally), well just the first verse of first chapter (see below). I actually wanted to read more than just a verse today, but I realised that reading Gita is going to be a long and strenuous process. Reading and comprehending Sanskrit, is not as easy I thought it could be. I need to be patient and take as much time as needed, so as to understand every word of every verse of Gita apart from the significance it holds. It's actually fun, trying to correctly pronounce and learn the verses, as it is quiet challenging. 

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre
samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
kim akurvata sañjaya

As, I read the Gita and (or) the Bible, the next few days (or months or years), I have to keep reminding myself to have a neutral state of mind instead of judging the holy writings to be biased. I hope to interpret both the books in a way that I can learn to live life in a much meaningful and peaceful way.

On another note, the weather is warming up lately and the snow is melting.The tree in our front yard seems to be ready for spring, as I have spotted leaves Or maybe flower buds growing! I am excited to see this tree grow back to life!! Shall keep posting pictures of the this tree for you to see it.

Spring is almost here!

 Enjoy your time!

Love,

Archana

Day 1 & 2 of Lent!

 Last night, I happened to discover that Lent for the year 2014 has begun. I decided I shall as well use the 40 days of Lent to further improve my life style. I do not know all the rules that people usually follow during Lent but with a little bit of Internet search and introspection I came up with the following list of rules for myself to follow until Easter. 

• Eat in moderation.
• No meat on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
• Fast on Wednesday, Friday and Monday.
• Pray everyday.
• Read bible and Bhagavad Gita. 
• Exercise at least for an hour.
• No Facebook.
• Blog everyday about something positive.  
• Stay calm & positive, do not argue and learn to forgive others and yourself.
• Sleep early and wake up early.

Probably I might keep adding or modifying the above list! 

Have a good rest of the day!

Love,

Archana

Egg scrambled veggies & garlic bread sticks

Egg scrambled veggies:

Sauté carrots, onions, corn, chillies, cilantro and coconut flakes for five minutes in olive oil or butter. Add egg white and sauté for few more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste! I am going to try this recipe again! It tasted great and is healthy too!!

Garlic bread sticks:

Toast two breads. Cut them into 3-4 inch long slices and sprinkle garlic dipping sauce (or make your own flavored butter).

Have a great week ahead!
Love,
Archana

Sent from my IPhone