CRASH!

Every so often, we experience something that breaks us down, and then we pick up the pieces, and figure out how to put ourselves together. I call this growth. I build a stronger and matured ME, until the next time I am forced to regroup and rethink my personal life strategy, goals, approach, and self.

Every single time I have had a car accident in my life, my sister has always been with me. When we were children my sister and I were in a car and playing a game in the back seat, when our car was smashed between two buses. Then again we were together, returning from college, in my little Toyota Passeo '92, when a guy rear ended us at a stop sign. The Toyota Passeo came to it's end when she was driving it, and I was following in a different car, at a distance, and someone T-boned the car. It was the scarey, for I heard it all on the phone. The car saved her life, and the lives of friends. Then this past Tuesday we were heading up to Cleveland to install some art, protesting against gun violence in the US, with friends, when I drove into a construction cone, the speed and angle was enough to do damage to the car, but we were safe. And we were there for each other once again.

We proceeded to install the art, and driving through Cleveland, without one functional mirror was difficult, and after traveling and working all day, I was about done. I experienced a catharctic moment and all this vile negativity, and darkness was purged from my system, and my sister had to witness it. We forgave each other, ourselves, and I was able to slowly recuperate.

It is only by passing through the darkest night, and the darkest hour, will we ever see a shimmer of light, a twinkle of hope, and smell the magic, of life. My sister and I, like all siblings, argue, fight, don't see eye to eye and have to come to an understanding. We have a lot of healing to go through together, and the journey so far is, although turbulent, lovely. I would not want to go through it with anyone else. I am glad to be there for her.

One day we will be able to look back at our darkest hours together and laugh at it. We will use our love to change the world into a better place, because that is just who we are. We go through touch periods, but we are mindful to focus on love, light, learning, and laughter. We wish to help others and teach this to them too.

The needed $300 worth of fixing, but I will work hard to pay that bill. My sister and I were safe, and material things come and go, but life does not. We mean more to each other, even with out whining, bitching, crabbiness, than without each other, and all the light in the world. After all the crashes, after all the break downs, we have grown so much, and been there for each other, and that's what counts the most.

Breathe!

shattered glass, only to be rebuilt a new

we do love each other dearly!

Kale! : Your New Best Friend

 

 

Crispy Kale Chips Recipe

What you need:

• 1 bunch of Kale (but from this you only need 2-3 leaves. This lasts for a good week- Chips everyday!)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil ( I like to use Kalamata olive oil)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon-ish pepper (freshly ground if possible)
• 1 lemon or lime (they taste the same to me - delicious!)
 

What you gotta do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet (the holey kind) with aluminum foil. I use my holey pizza pan! :-P
2. Wash and thoroughly dry kale. Then with your hands (or with a knife) tear the kale into bite size pieces. Sprinkle the olive oil onto the Kale, then distribute sparsely the salt and then the pepper. Drip a little bit of lemon juice onto all the pieces. Mmm!
3. Bake up to 10 to 15 minutes. It should not look burnt.
4. Ready to eat! 

What you gotta know about amazing Kale:

Truth about Kale

Cooked Kale - Nutrition

Raw Kale Nutrition

Kale and you!

Kale cooked, raw, broiled - nutrition

Kale Vs. Spinach (I'd still eat spinach though!)

Challenge Yourself

Throughout our lives our body, the body chemistry, changes- for a handful, it just stays the same. Anyway these changes affect our shape, size, etc. Exercise is the best way to maintain a healthy body with a balanced healthy diet.

I lost my consistency of going to the gym since November last year when I began traveling. Then when I got back, moved and had easy access to a small gym I was not motivated enough. I made sure I did something physically active every week, but that was not enough, some fat had just latched itself onto my sexy body. I began running outside with my uncle, sustained a small injury to my plantar's fascia, climbed every now and then, biked and walked with Ryan. It kept me at a stable size. However that wasn't who, or what I wanted to be. not enough endorphins, and too much fat (for my height, and age). So I put myself to a 90 day challenge of working out for atleast an hour a day, with a 24 hour break every 7 days (everyone is coming up with a version of a 90 day challenge!). I want to push myself, but not push myself to death.

Running/cardio for at least 40 minutes every morning at the ungodly hour of 5:30 - 6:30am. Then I do arms. I go to the assisted pull up machine thing, and set the assist to 14 (lbs? I honestly don't know, I should read it next time). I learnt this awful work out from my climbing buddies Munn and Damien. Hold up for 30 seconds (sometimes 20), then arms at 90* angle and hold (30-20 secs), then little more than 90* - hold (30-20secs), Hang with no assist (30 seconds). Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do 10-5 pull ups, if you can not, then do negative pull ups. Next repeat the previous routine of chin up, 90*, >90*, and hang again (I repeat it because I forgot what the actual thing was). Will take a picture next time and post  the entire climbing / hangboard work out.

Then sometimes I use some of the fancy machines for arms, back, and legs, but I mix it up for now. I will change this as the weeks progress. Also I will begin spinning classes, yoga, and some sort of major cardio work out in week 4. This is currently week 2 and day 8! Woot woot!

Bicycling to work every now and then (or to wherever), and walking up and down the stairs at work, hikes, dancing, I just remember to engage my core muscles, since I can feel them again! Crunches! I go to this other hanging machine, and do leg lifts, straight, to crunching my knees up. Also some legs straight up. your arms are working, core is engaging and crunching! Yay!

Food, I have been putting chia seeds in my shredded frosted wheat cereal which I have with almond milk (which froze - so its more like a slushy breakfast). Then kale is my new mate, and I bake it with a little bit of olive oil, pinch of salt, pepper, and drop of lemon juice. Apples great for women and provide fiber. lots and lots of water. Fish grilled, and chicken - protein of choice. Fish helps hair grow, and I have to have it atleast once a week. Salads, and Subway sandwiches (flat bread- toasted), say no to cheese, yes to guac/avacado, no to any sauce stuff, mustard is an OK. Sandwich at home- whole wheat 12 grain bread (so gross but so healthy), turkey, mustard, ultra thin sliced swiss, colby jack(?), Enjoy!

After a week of working out - I feel a definite change, pulling up my pants was way easier. I doubt anyone can visibly see a change except me. I read somewhere - 1 week you can see the change; 1 month you family can see the change; 2 months you friends can see the change; 3 months (90 days) and public can see a change!

The kale stuff is great and awesome crunchy snack, highly recommend it. Will post the recipe.

Till next time!

Breathe!

Let's work out! Get stronger fingers!

kind of like what Munn was following... this is "easy"

I forgot burpees - jump, squat, plank, pushup, plank, squat, jump! x 10! :-)

Breathe! and cursing is allowed, but DO IT!

do this too! you can also use a paper plate instead of a ball, if the angle scares you. 

Or do it like this!

Crunching the abs

the hanging leg lift!

Breathe!

From Blogging to Writing: Transformations

The transformation occurs:
from blogger to writer.

From singing in the shower to composing on the piano and guitar!

Dreaming of the dress, to being able to fit in the dress comfortably so!

From wanting to be fit, to feeling the muscles build and the fat burn.

Thinking healthy to being healthy - 1 french fry is yummy, 2 french fries reminds you of how gross that made you feel!

Planning trips and finally making them happen... even if it is just you, travel solo, the adventure is more amazing.

From accepting advice, and actually acting on it and learning from it.

This power to transform in a positive manner, is all yours.
You control it.
Find out how to do it, and do it!


Breathe!

Falling Water - PA, Frank Lloyd Wright

Creating: Music, Lyrics, Writing

Once the fire of creativity makes its way through your veins and nerves and senses...
it's hard to make it stop. It is hard to go back to being a machine.
You're on bursting with ideas, potential, and it flows through you.

You can feel more, hear more, sense more, taste more...
Appreciate more
And then you meet the brick in the wall.

You can't make them see your light, your spirit; they are stuck.
Once you set a spark of creativity and imagination on to them, however you do it might be tricky...
It will slowly carve it's way through them... if left un-nourished it may diminish once again. So keep the fire of life, imagination, creativity burning.

Some of us get jaded, and like a smoothed rock we sit. We have become passive and complacent. We forget how to fight. Life threw too many difficult hurdles our way, too many loses, too many defeats. The bar was set too high, or the road was too long and winded. The task was too complex and difficult, we lost the battle of the wits. We gave up. Where did the fire go?

Like the Olympic flame, like the Olympians, we can not let that hope fade away.... If we fall, we get up, in time. We must learn from these creatures... and keep trying till we perfect ourselves. Not get distracted by the shiny objects that are there to throw us off the balance beam, not slow down to give into some temptation, not err just because we made a small mistake previously.

We can get back up. We can feel renewed, stand up, and start imagining; then creating.... then actualizing, achieving.




I once asked a very famous Indian music composer and a very famous Indian lyricist, "how do you know which song to put to this tune or that tune?" It is the strangest stupidest question ever however I now know the answer. And to those of you who didn't understand my question, I meant to ask when writing lyrics, how do you figure out what tune to put it to? And when writing a piece of music how do you know what lyrics to put to it. That is for the artist to decide. I know now the secret to this special ability. I won't forget their quizzical faces, or the music producer's reaction!


Breathe!

The Joys of Reading Blyton

The Famous Five, Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, The Adventure Series, The Secret Series, The Adventurous Four, The Barney Mystery Series, St Claire, Mallory Towers, The Wishing -Chair, The Naughtiest Girl, Noddie, The Mistletoe Farm, The Magic Faraway Tree, Book of Brownies... Did this British author brighten our childhood or what!

I don't know which of her books i read first, but I do think it was The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor and the Wishing Chair. My sister got a few Noddy, the "Book of Brownies", which she got incredibly attached to, Billy-bob Tales, Mister Meddle, Shadow the Sheep Dog, Six O' Clock Tales, The adventures of Scamp, Bimbo and Topsy, The Put-em-Rights, The Train that lost its Way, Snowbell the Pony, Bimbo the Kitten (etc)., and The Mystery that Never Was (and many more). I remember sticking more the adventure and mystery books, along with the school series. However my sis, read all these other magical stories, strangely she never let me read the Magic Faraway Tree, or the Book of Brownies. She did lend me the others, and Bimbo and Topsy led me to name the school cat, "Bimbo-Lion". We would have adventures in school with our school dogs, and plant fake mysteries for us to solve later. It never worked out as Enid did in the book, but we always sought to have such experiences as the Famous Five did!

The first famous five book I read was read out to the class by Chitra Akka. It was the most delightful experience. It was in fact The Famous Five have a Wonderful Time. Where they travel to the countryside, and happen to be camping out on the same field that the circus was camping out on with their caravans. The circus folk were strange but they made friends. Then there was a mystery to solve, a big mystery, obviously involving very important physicists or scientists. The best feeling of the adventure books, was as reading as a child, we would get involved, and the climax would prevent us from putting the book down. After we experience the adventure with the characters, they would settle down for tea and crumpets in the safety of home. The reader as well would be eased out of it, to the safe surroundings, with the sudden taste for tea and crumpets!

Most of all I loved her descriptions. They made everything seem so much more vivid in my imagination. George and Timmy of the Famous five came to life. The Secret Seven club were all well described, and seemed like a group I would be in. I would love to have been friends with Jack from the adventure series, his love for animals always inspired me to adventure and be with animals like he was. St. Claire and Mallory towers made me wish I went to boarding school, and made sleep overs, and school trips so much more fun!

Harry Potter seems to have been this great mix of Magic and these books. The warmth of these books is felt to some extent in the Harry Potter books. Enid Blyton and authors such as her, always made me wish to cozy up in a ball by the fireplace with a rug, hot chocolate in hand on cold an rainy day, to read these books. Maybe I will write such books in the future.

Now as I finally grow up I find out more about my favorite childhood author and her life, books, controversies around the time she wrote them, but these facts don't sway my adoration for her work. My love and lust for adventure, travel, and encouragement to be myself comes from her writing, her characters! I always pictured myself as George, but now I know, there's a Georgina in many of us girls!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enid_Blyton

Enid Blyton

The Adventure Series

A rather nice TV show created out of Famous Five... i love the people that played the characters, i thought they did so well! Also the theme song was great-  "We are the famous five - Julian, Dick, and Ann, George and Timmy the Dog."

Cover art for the Famous Five

The Books!

Old cover art

Julian, Anne and Dick, the three siblings. George is the cousin and she owns Timmy (the dog).

Here they all are, and some other kid. On their many adventures they would often make friends with locals!

We've all traveled and adventured through caves, tunnels, secret passages with them!

Magic Faraway Tree

this is not the cover which my sister had... but still!

Right, George has her own Island!

The Five Find-Outers ... Everyone loved fatty, I just found him annoying!

Oh Yes! It's a great book!

This was not the cover I had, but Scamp was fun!

Noddy

Love how Snowball is such an ironic name!

I had this very book!

Malory towers

I had this one!

:-)

Breathe

NOLA...

Last year (2011) in July I visited my sister in New Orleans.... I needed to go see her, and go somewhere different.
She was doing an internship there and living in a historic french plantation. This was a perfect opportunity to go see a new place and discover myself. I was not prepared for what happened.

This trip was going to happen. So I flew from CLE to Atlanta to New Orleans. It was very late at night Wed when I reached. The taxi driver I got was Indian (I guess taxi drivers in most major American cities are Indian), he took me straight to my sister's place which was on a strange sounding, lesser street (Kerlerec St) in the French Quarter (between Treme and French Quarter) so it was hard to find. He dropped me off, and I got his number for my ride back to the airport on Sunday, because my flight was at 6 so had to be there by 5 latest.

My sister came out and greeted me warmly, and she took me in to show me the place, and introduce me to all her room mates, the puppies, the roaches and the spirits that resided there. This was the just beginning. There was a man who lived upstairs, rather curious guy, she had two male room mates, and a Deens her classmate from her program in NYC. The set up was strange. She had a huge, high cielinged room to herself, with a make shift kitchen with mini fridge, a dining table with 3 folding chairs, and attached bathroom with a bathtub, but no shower, but a hand-shower. Her room/living quarters were down stairs, while upstairs there was a living room, and a kitchen, and small dining area, and three interconnected bedrooms and one bathroom. It was a strange set up, but it was a very old, well kept place. They were all taking care of a puppy altogether, which my sister had rescued. This was an interesting but warm family they had come to be, just for a summer.

In the morning I awoke and saw the garden for the first time. The garden was lovely, with banana trees, and all sorts of tropical type fauna I enjoyed it for a bit. My sister made breakfast and coffee for everyone and we headed to her work. I was to accompany her and work with her that day. She was interning for Green Light New Orleans (which is a non-profit organization which supplies CFL lights to people who can not afford it, to help them reduce their electricity bills). I was going to go with a few volunteers to help change out a few light bulbs in some houses. The building for Green Light NOLA was amazing, and the director of the organization is a musician. He was very friendly and interesting, also a musician.

I went out to do the volunteer work with Michelle and another girl. They were experts at light fixtures, and changing out all sorts of bulbs. When Katrina was threatening NOLA, Michelle and her family had to evacuate. She was very young, but she remembers she had these new bedsheets that she loved, and had to leave them behind. Everything, their family pictures all had to be left behind. When they came back, their house was destroyed, they weren't covered by insurance, and had no assistance from the government for some reason (I forgot). Some people were just left out, due to loopholes in the law. She helped her father rebuild the house which is why she know knew a lot about light fixtures and house building. She was lovely, smiley young girl! A lot of the houses we went to were in the projects/ ghetto. We got to meet and talk to a lot of locals. They were so nice to us, and it was the best experience I had as a traveler/tourist - to go into peoples homes, help them and talk to them. It was real, and heart wrenching, to see and

That night there was a party at her place and friends from all over were present. Also the lady downstairs was having a party as well. My sister, interned for the lady that lived downstairs in the main part of the house and who also owned the property. So there was a lot of new and interesting people who I met that night. The area that she lived in was not safe at all at night (or even in the day time), so we did not go out that night at all.

The next morning we went to work as well, and this time a whole bunch of us went to help the New Orleans Hornets (the basketball team), and was in a place with affordable living, for senior citizens. It was nice to be able to help the Hornets help people! They were all sincere and got the work done despite a very heavy rainstorm, which got everyone soaking wet.

My sister and I got home and dried up. We were soaking wet and freezing. We had a little fight that evening and she left me in her room. There I sat pitying myself, until I heard a noise. It was then that I remembered there were "spirits" that my sister had experienced, and I was skeptical of, in that house. I was nervous and sat on the bed really wishing she would come back soon and sorry that we ever fought. I don't even remember what the fight was about.

She came back eventually and said we would be going out with one of her friends from new york, who was in New Orleans for a bachelor party. At this point I didn't care, we just had to go have fun. We got ready and began walking down the dark road to the main part of the French Quarter. Before leaving my sister put on her Southern "Nawrlins" accent, for protection! ;-) It worked! We blended in as locals, although our faces were painted all fancy (she does fancy face painting and it is absolutely stunning).

As we approached the meeting point, she warned me her friend was "interesting", and she hadn't met his friends before, but she assured me it would be fun. So I thought, OK here I go, I must OPEN my mind, (also sometimes social situations make me nervous, anxious and shy. Surprising isn't it?). We met "Sting" as I later nicknamed him, in the middle of some street, he had a large cup of some alcohol with him. Yes the freedom of drinking in public is awesome! Now the REAL adventure begins.

We met Sting and his friends at an apartment they were renting for the bachelor party, which was above an awesome bar, right by the Treme and not too far from the French Quarter and Bourbon street (we later felt the bourbon street was fun, but very touristy and boring). We began getting drunk (my sister has been sober for a year, and stayed sober the whole night, but was the life of the party), and decided to head to some bars, get some food, and go to the infamous The House of the Rising Sun. Yes it does exist, you just need to ask the right people! This House of the Rising Sun, is a artist/ tree-house community. Just like the Ewok community, they live in trees. It was very amazing climbing up tall trees in the middle of the night. There were, no roaches, and no bathrooms, so you kind of had to pee from up there. We eventually left because there was no beer. Sting and his buddies were awesome, and we had wonderful, inspiring conversations all night.

Somehow we ended up going home, in the almost morning hours. The bar we were at were all pet friendly. How awesome is that!?! Friendly pets, friendly drunk owners, walking around the streets! We woke up and I sobered up. My sister wanted to show me Jackson Square, the heart of the French Quarter. We ate some craw-fish, and I got a few Hurricanes. We wandered around, and bumped into her friend who was a street artist, and we helped him get his art work together. Who also stated that I was so drunk that I was cross-eyed!

Later that day we met a man who read palms, and had some good philosophy to share, and claimed to have traveled the world. We saw a few NOLA weddings pass by, and danced and joined in with some of them! Then headed to dinner - Gumbo and Jambalaya, delicious desserts and more Hurricanes!! Hung out with one of her room mates in a cigar shop, and met up with Sting and the guys. We headed to dinner downtown, and then to the strip clubs. Yes. We went there and hung out with no show strippers = Crystal Clear, invisible Sybil, transparent Patty, see through Sally, imaginary Mary. So then we went and found a real classy-crappy strip club on Bourbon St., and that was went really wild, now all I can say is what happens in NOLA, stays in NOLA!

After this experience we went to a few bars, and ended up talking on the rooftop listening to classics. We had a seemingly non stop supply of alcohol, I have no idea where it came from. Sting and his guys performed a song for the bachelor! I think I was drunk and sang in the performance too! :-P My Bad! Then we headed to Jazz clubs on Frenchmen St. and the live music there, so much to choose from. So much music, so much booze! Wow!

My sis and I ended up home in the wee hours and I had to get some sleep before leaving. I was showering to wash up, but there just happened to be a roach chirping in the bathroom, and flying around! My sister went over board with the spraying and fumigation, and we had to conduct a detour on whatever bathroom activities had to be done, my sister, my mom and I have an irrational fear of roaches. We made it to bed, and in the morning my taxi driver was there! I said good-bye and cried a little, for as of then I emerged as a Tiger. I lose the tigress in me ever so often, but she is there, slumbering.

Pet Friendly Bar, great hotel/apartment to rent, upstairs

One of the jazz bars on Frenchman St.

Yummy food by Jackson Sqr

Message!

Green Light NOLA Logo!

Frenchman St

Realizations... and fun with sister!

Sister making breakfast

Puppy

Face painting!

One of the Jazz clubs...

Bourbon or some street or the other!

This guy was selling brownies... special brownies? ;-)
My sis enjoys talking to everyone!

Crawfish and hurricanes!

NOLA Down Town

hanging at the cigar store!

Sting and the guys hanging in the tree house. You can kind of see P in the back.

A meditating frog in NOLA