Symphonic Discord

noreply@blogger.com (Softly Spoken) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:52:00 +0000

Since I was a girl

You were my shining star

And when things got dark

You went very far

The place you hold in my heart

Can never be replaced

But sometimes the hurt you inflict

Won't leave without a trace

All my life I struggled to be heard

To find a voice of my own

Now I am flustered

Ugly unknowledgeable barely even grown

Every day I struggle to be someone

Who can one day be respected

But as I grow more and more

I only feel neglected

Who am I, I don't even know anymore

I have turned into something ugly

Once I had spirits high and beautiful

Now I feel unworthy

Who am I in this large picture of life

Once I was your daughter

Now I am a woman, a wife

Now I am a mother.

I have no idea how to take care of myself

I don't know why God held me so high

He lifted my wings

And told me to fly in stride

I'm losing this battle

Of constantly trying to win

To stay on the right path

Without falling into sin

step by step

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 17:09:00 +0000

We're already a month into the new year! Did anyone make any New Year's Resolutions? Are they already broken? If you're like me, they probably are long gone and forgotten. I don't take them seriously anyways and rarely make resolutions, but I do tend to set long term goals throughout the year that I don't follow through with.

One way to keep track of goals is to make small term ones that will help you make the necessary steps in the future, thus attaining long term goals. For example: write down the steps necessary to reach a big goal. Now, turn each step into a mini, short term goal. Do one step at a time. The path to the ultimate goal won't look too bad. Do things little by little until you get the hang of it.

If your goal is to organize the house and have a system going, it'll be hard to do right off the bat. Tackle each room at a time, create a binder, get rid of clutter, step by step.

If your goal is to become fit, start off small by walking and light weight exercise and work your way up. There is no way your house will become like Martha Stewarts or you'll look like a body builder over night. Small, consistent steps are the key.

Muhammad, Peace and Blessings be Upon him said, "The deeds most loved by God are those done regularly, even if they are small."*

This I can see apply to everyday life in the sense that you see a change in yourself when you do small things regularly, rather than a ton of good things a few times a year. Good habits are formed by repetition and consistency. So make small changes and move on after you have implemented that change into your everyday life.

I should use that advice for this blog. :) This is choppy, I had a thought in my head and wanted it get it out there before I forgot, but time isn't permitting me to go into details. I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget it later on. Have a good weekend!

*Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim

Frog Eggs {Chi Seeds}

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:15:00 +0000

Chia seeds are pretty popular in drinks in India. I always avoided them because I'd think of them as frog or fish eggs growing up. I imagine the texture to be slimy and thick as it goes down my throat. Eek! I don't even know how they taste. A few people I am subscribed to on YouTube have recently begun drinking chia drinks. I googled chia seeds a few minutes ago to find out that these are the same "fish eggs" my mom has been trying to get us to drink for years.

The photo on the left are the dry seeds. On the right is what they become after soaking in water. They seem to grow or develop a gelatinous membrane around them.

I think it's funny when healthy things become "trendy" when in many cultures, people have been doing the same things for centuries. Although I haven't taken advantage of chia seeds in the past, I did some research and don't mind giving it a try. However, I won't be running out to whole foods to buy the expensive drinks or seeds. They can be easily found at your local Indian/Pakistani store for cheaper. The Mamma Chia drinks on the left are pretty popular, I guess. Because that's what first came up when I googles "chia seeds". They're pretty pricey per bottle, too.

My mom has been trying to get us to try them for more than two decades. Now that I see people on YouTube getting into it, so will I. Lame, right? I can see my mom rolling her eyes already haha. I'm not one to jump on the bandwagon, but I only became interested after finding out that this is what I've seen growing up. And I didn't realize it had so many health benefits. So I will give it a shot. :)

I'm going to list some health benefits of Chia seeds I found on a website. Click here to read the details.

Lose weight without starving
Balance blood sugar levels
Prevent diverticulosis/diverticulitis, especially in the elderly
great source of Omega-3
great source of anti-oxidants
use as substitutes on baking and cooking
control food cravings

And HERE are other ways to incorporate Chia seeds into your life. You can even use it as an egg substitute for baking! Apparently this works like Tofu - it's pretty tasteless and takes on the flavor and even enhances the flavor of whatever you put it in.

Now, I'm not sure when or how I'll be using Chia seeds. But I thought it was interesting that things my Indian Culture has been using for centuries is only now becoming a trend. Same as Turmeric and other Indian spices and foods.

If any of you have tried Chia Seeds, leave a comment below and let me know how you like it. Maybe that'll get some courage in me to try it. :)

Product reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:05:00 +0000

I bought two body shop products the Saturday after Thanksgiving. They has a 3 for $30 sale, so I took that as an opportunity to try out their skin care products. I didn't want to spend a lot initially, since I've never tried it out before. So I saved $10 a product which is half off. Not bad at all. Actually, select body butters are now on sale for $8, if you're interested.

I bought the Macadamia nut deep Repair Masque at Ulta. I've heard great things about it and since my hair is pretty dry, I thought I'd give it a go. I've been using these for a while now and can safely say that I love them! Let's get started on the reviews.

Warning - like my Hunger Games book review earlier, I cannot talk about something for so long haha. I'll just give you my own opinion on the product. For details, please see the links provided. :)

Shea Body Butter
It's very thick and moisturizing. The consistency resembles cold butter. The first time I tried it I felt like I wasn't able to pick up enough of the body butter and get enough on my skin, but a little goes a long way. I chose the Shea butter, because this one was for extremely dry skin. It smells good. It doesn't feel greasy after putting it on. I usually apply this at night because I don't like how it feels under my clothes when I wear any sort of moisturizer during the day. My skin is soft the next day. I don't do it every night because I forget, but my skin stays moisturized for days after. It's great for dry areas like the elbows.

Hemp Hand Protector
This is by far my favorite! I love this product so much. Some people don't like the smell. I personally don't mind it at all. This is also for very dry to extremely dry skin. My hands don't feel greasy after applying this. Which is very important to me, because one of the reasons I avoid moisturizing is because my hands become slippery. This I can apply during the day and do whatever it is that I am doing.

Macadamia Natural Oil - Deep Repair Masque
This is nice and I did see an improvement in my dry hair. Actually, the top of my head is fine, but the ends tend to dry out and look damaged without serum. What I do is the day after I wash my hair I damp the ends in the sink and put this on. I wait a while, at least 7 minutes then shower, rinsing the product out without using any other hair products. The reason why I do this is because it says to apply it to clean, wet hair. Do you know how long I'd be in the shower for? A long time. Ain't nobody got time for that! And I must have the water running, so it would be a waste of so much water. That is my only "con". If anyone has any suggestions, please send them my way. Over all, it smells so good and my hair feels and looks better. It says to not use more than twice a week, which I have not. I feel like I don't need to. I don't think my hair feels greasy at all after. You might feel that if you put too much in, though. For which you might want to use a TINY amount of shampoo to get the excess out. Bon't don't do a full lather because it strips your hair of the oil. My beef with this product is that it says Macadamia Oil, but the first couple ingredients isn't it! Next time I am going to buy plain pure Macadamia Oil and see how it works out. If your scalp isn't dry, I don't suggest putting it all over. Just apply it where needed. My hair really does look shiny without extra serum, though so I'm happy with the results.

I'm in search of a face mask for dry skin that is NOT cucumber melon. I might have to try making my own. Again, if anyone knows of one for dry skin, let me know!

Sushi and Crepes

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:27:00 +0000

Banana Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:44:00 +0000

You will hate me because this is going to make you gain unnecessary weight and make you unhealthy, but happy. So maybe you won't hate me. I do not have a photo, because I forgot to take one and a few hours later, there wasn't much to take a picture of. It is that good. My mom gave me this recipe, I'm not sure where she got it from, but she's been making it since I was little. And she gets an A+ every time.

I have to hide my fresh Bananas in a brown bag in the pantry for about a week. Less, if I find some browning one's at the grocery store. Otherwise they finish before they can properly ripen for this bread. You want it to get to the point where the peel is mostly brown/black. but not too bad that it's ready to throw out. I'm not sure if that's safe, but definitely not appetizing. I wait until it's black on the outside, and the bananas still hold their shape but are soft. You don't want pretty, yellow bananas. As they ripen, they become sweeter and more delicious.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
2-3 ripe bananas, sliced
2 cups of all purpose flour
2 cups of brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup olive oil, you can probably use any vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 375 F
2. grease a loaf pan
3. Mix together dry ingredients, except walnuts
4. in another bowl mix together wet ingredients, inclusing bananas. You can mix this until the bananas get mashed, with chunks in it. But don't go as far as to make a puree.
5. mix the wet and dry ingredients. Mix until it is JUST mixed. Do not over mix.
6. fold in walnuts.
7. Pour batter in loaf pan. if you aren't going to sit around and lick the bowl, scrape of every bit. I hate how they leave so much mix in the bowl on cooking shows.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or when toothpick comes out clean.

note: my oven cooked the top quickly but the inside was still mush. What I did was cover the bread in foil at this point, to prevent further browning and possible burning. I lowered the temperature to 350 F and checked it every 10 minutes until the toothpick came out clean. If you like the center to be super soft, then you can take it out a little earlier. Next time I am going to try baking it at 350 F, since my oven seems to cook things in half the time, not allowing the inside to cook much.

On Facebook and Cell Phones

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:40:00 +0000

Photo Credit

I deactivated my facebook about two months ago. I had a little over 600 friends and, surprisingly, I knew every one of them. I also am using my phone less. I still keep in touch with friends, but I'd rather do it in a phone call or meet up. Texting is so impersonal. I still have my twitter, which I like because I feel like I'm talking to a wall. And I like my instagram because I can see outfits and food ideas.

But how do I keep in touch with people!? There was life before Facebook. Just like there was life before cell phones. Sometimes I wonder how people functioned before cell phones. But it was so simple. You're going out, you tell your parents, call via pay phone when you get there saying you're ok. In my case I had to get dropped off because I was young. If I needed a ride home they would call my friends house or I'd call them and they'd come get me. The end.

These days, if I don't pick up my phone my mom gets worried and thinks something's wrong. We're just so used to being able to contact people at our disposal. It makes us impatient and go crazy inside. When we had to meet up with someone back in the day, we'd mention the place and time. Wait 15 minutes and be ok. Now, I {and I am guessing many people out there} can not wait 5 minutes without sending a text saying, "I'm here." or "Where are you?"

I ~~think~~ know this is where cell phones have made me lazy. If I'm running late I can shoot someone a text and take my time, because they KNOW I'm running late. If I couldn't tell a person that before I met them I'd sure as heck do whatever it takes to be on time!

My close friends are not on Facebook or are extremely inactive. But they have as much fun in their lives as people on facebook appear to have. I do, too! I take photos of my food and trips I have taken. I Just don't put them up for everyone to see. If I would like to share things, I share it with my friends and family who I'd want to see anyways, most of whom are not on facebook. Or who I'd contact through, phone, text or email anyways.

I have to admit, although I was not active on Facebook I still went on multiple times per ~~day~~ hour to see if anyone posted anything new. When I deactivated it it was a habit to get on my laptop and go straight to facebook, even though that was not what I was going on my laptop in the first place. It took about a week to get out of that habit. And I didn't have major withdrawals. I think it was easier for me because I was blessed with many friends and family who don't care for updating their timelines.

This applies to social media as a whole. But it isn't limited to only social media, either. Anything that will consume all of your time like fire consumes dry wood will obviously not be good for you. The key is balance. I am not a good at that, so it's more damaging that I continue to use it, rather than deactivate it altogether.

Photo Credit

Since I've made these minor changes, I don't use my laptop as often. I don't feel "busy" all the time, or that I have so much to do I don't know how I'm going to do it. Those few minutes on facebook and social networking sites at a time really add up and one can easily waste hours every day. In fact, I feel as though I have a lot of extra time on my hands. I feel like I enjoy things more now that I'm not thinking of "putting it up on Facebook".

Photo Cred

PS - These are my two cents. I am not condemning or looking down on anyone who uses facebook, as I do know it is a great, easy and quick way to share and keep in touch with important people in your life. It's so useful for quickly spreading news and information about events and businesses. I am merely stating how it was a waste in my life as the important people in my life were not on it, or inactive. Anything can be used positively or negatively, and in my case, it was just a waste of time.

Don't let yourself go

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 17:50:00 +0000

Once in a while I will receive a comment about already having a man and there's no point in dressing up. I'm not a fashionista, but I like to dress up/look nice/decent when I go out or even stay in. I think it's just as important to make an attempt at keeping fit, healthy and nice after marriage as it is before.

The first thing a person notices about someone is their appearance. That's all it takes for anyone to form an opinion about anything or anyone. In most cases physical attraction makes people want to get to know them better. That's what they found beautiful. And now that you're married, it's okay to put on weight, wear scrubs all the time and tie your hair up in a bun because you're too lazy to brush it {ladies} or put on a clean shirt {men}?

Dress in a manner your spouse likes to see you. It softens the heart, is easy on their eyes and pay off. It allows that feeling they initially felt when they first saw you last longer. :)

It's Wedding Season; revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:21:00 +0000

I wrote a post on weddings in Hyderabad, India a while ago. While I was writing it I felt like I was doing it half-heartedly and in a hurry. That post haunts me to this day. I literally shudder when I think about it. So I'd like to rewrite this post, give it another shot and hopefully be satisfied with this one. Since wedding season is here {summer and winter}, I thought this would be a good time to do it. Indian weddings have a LOT of parties leading up to the wedding and after the wedding. I'm covering the actual wedding reception itself. The Nikah, or wedding ceremony is simply. There is a small speech about marriage followed by agreement of the bride and groom.

I used to be a punctual person. Until I moved to India. When there was a wedding I'd force my sister to rush getting ready and scramble into the car. Traffic in Hyderabad was never light, except for the odd hours of the night. It would take at least an hour to get to the wedding hall with traffic, fifteen minutes without. After arriving to the venue, we'd find that we are extremely early, despite being half and hour to 45 minutes later than the time given on the invitation.

The stage is beautifully decorated with flowers hanging on string to create a backdrop, as well as large flower arrangements near the area the bride is to sit. It's either a velvet chair or couch, or the traditional way is to sit on the floor on a velvet cloth with gold thread in an uncomfortable pose. In front of the stage are chairs arranged facing the stage. Usually the first few rows are fancy chairs or benches that closer members of the bride and grooms family sit. Behind them are plastic chairs everybody else sits on. This I have seen at the most extravagant weddings as well. Now that I think of it, it might be due to lack of storage space, or low maintenance, as Indian weddings are pretty big. I've been to a wedding where a couple thousand people have been invited! Oh, and men and women are seated in separate areas, as per religious requirements.

In India, the stages look something along the lines of this:

This is the more traditional way of sitting. The bride is supposed to be "shy" and look down, not speak. Meh. WHO CARES? A lot of older people do. It's the happiest day of your life, but you can't look it! Culture is weird.

In America, stages look more like this:

After what seems hours of waiting or so, the hall fills up with many, many people. Everyone is invited to weddings in India. Sometimes you never even met the bride or the family, you just are a coworker or friend of someone related to the wedding party. The mailman, the tailor, the neighbors, drivers, maids. Teachers, classmates, co-workers. Parents' friends, co-workers. The jeweler. The bride and grooms friends' cousins, siblings families and friends. The list is pretty exhausting.

If we're lucky dinner will be served by 10:30 PM. There is a separate area where dinner is served. Usually, they have rounds for eating, as not everyone can fit into the hall. There are tons of people, after all. You're best bet, and in my case, my only chance of having a shot at dinner is at the first sitting. During the second sitting, drinking glasses and napkins are not provided. The plates are rewashed and wet, sometimes dirty. The serving spoons have oil on them, as Indians eat with their hands. And the food is not brand new. Meaning that they will take the left overs from the first sitting and serve them in the next rounds. Which is OK, I mean don't waste food. But I'd like clean serving spoons.

Because of the advantages of the first round, there is a mad dash when dinner is served. I probably was unlucky one or two times. I sit near the entrance to the dining hall, I walk fast, but don't run. I am a lady, after all. I know it does seem rather barbaric, but once you sit in the second or third round, you do not want to make that mistake again. Another reason for the rush is that Indian weddings are so late! They start as late as 10 pm, sometimes the bride doesn't show up until 10:30. It's kind of ridiculous if you ask me. I learned to eat a light meal or snack before the wedding.

The food usually does not disappoint. Because I am a girly girl, I love it when they serve naan - an Indian flat bread - in the shape of a HEART. So romantic. Usually there is soup with meat in it to start with along with shrimp, lamb kabobs, chicken kabobs, fish. At a Muslim wedding there will definitely be a meat overload. This is served with different types of bread, the naan, as I've mentioned as well as some more oily or buttery breads. Following this huge amount of appetizers come the star of the meal, the biryani (rice) along with the accompanying gravies and yogurt. Followed by dessert which is Indian or ice cream served on cake with dried fruit and nuts.

This is dessert served in a clay pot. It's like full fat ice cream. So delicious. I put so many pictures of food, the best part!

Here, Muslim brides wear something called a Khada Dupatta. It's pretty much worn specifically in the region/city of India I am from. It's basically wearing a long top and pants and then being wrapped up in 6 meters of fabric. I used to hate it but now I love it. Even though I find it difficult to walk in. Only royalty used to wear these dresses, and I like to think of myself as such. Seriously, though, with jewelry, and if you wear it right, it looks grand. The first photos is a really simple, non-bridal one. The second is a bridal one. But the brides here wear heavier ones this is also pretty simple in comparison and I can't find a heavier one online and I don't want to post photos of my friends up here for religious reasons as they aren't covered up properly.

The bride also has henna on her hands and feet. Usually up to the elbows and a mid-calf. It costs about 100-200 dollars when you convert the currency. Which is nothing! In America, I got a quote for $1000. But I got lucky and found a super skilled Henna Artist who did it for much less.

After or during dinner the bride will her her photo shoot with the groom. And since it's so late, the guests will get ready to go. There is no dancing at the Muslim weddings. The dancing is done on the days leading up to the wedding. Sometimes there is entertainment. But I don't find it entertaining. Mostly it's old guys singing old school songs. haha. In America, there are dances, speeches, slideshows, entertainment, etc. But I'm mostly discussing how it's done "back home".

Anyways, when it's finally time for the bride and groom to leave, the bride and her parents and family cry because she is leaving the nest. So emotional. Waah waah waah.

I tried to cry. But I didn't. My parents were like, "Peace out!" haha. Good thing, or else my makeup would have been all over the place. It was kind of like this. "Bye, girl, see you tomorrow!"

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:00:00 +0000

I came across this tweet and took this screen shot. Although technology definitely has it's perks, I think it's sad the effect it has on relationships. Friends, families, spouses; many prefer communicating through screen, rather than face to face.

My husband and I decided to put our phones away when we are together. If the hospital needs him, they page him. It works out, no harm done and, I'm glad we decided to do this before it turned into a problem where we wouldn't be able to speak to one another without pressing buttons on a device. Before it became awkward. I also hope we can carry this on to our children and be one of those families that actually enjoys spending times with each other and not with each others' mobile devices and iPads.

Think about the last time you met up with someone face-to-face. Were you able to give them your undivided attention? Or were you always checking your facebook, twitter, instagram, twitter, etc? Multitasking isn't always a good thing.

I feel that it's leading to a lot of people developing something along the lines of Attention Deficit Syndrome. I have a longer post post dedicated to this written up, I'll be posting more about that later.

The Hunger Games books and movie reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 05:25:00 +0000

Warning: this is not a proper book review, mostly my own thoughts. I also am not organized here, because I hate when people ruin books/movies/tv shows for me before I get a chance to read or watch them. So in my effort to minimize giving away too much information, I became pretty choppy. But it's a decent review, in my opinion, given that the last book review I did was in elementary school.

I took it a bit slowly reading The Hunger Games, mainly because I was not used to sitting around reading all day. Every now and then I'd get up, thinking I had something to do, but realize that I don't. But then I would remember that I have a husband who I haven't seen in a while and probably should hang out with. Just kidding! He is my number one superstar. So husband > books any day. We had fun. We ate Mexican food, and talked, studied, walked and got fat together. Beautiful, really.

Oh, the book! Right, well I cried in the beginning when Katniss volunteered in place of her sister. I am not going to be giving away much, don't worry. But I get emotional during these family moments. I think that's all I felt bad about. I'm not really emotional otherwise.

Okay, so this book takes place somewhere in the future, in my mind it's in the United States, but it could very well be the whole world. There are 12 districts. Each year one male and one female from each district is selected at random to participate in the Hunger Games. The game is a fight to death, with only one victor left standing. It sounds gory and full of action, but it isn't too bad, promise. The Hunger Games is a way the government reminds the districts who is in charge. That they can and will take your children to fight to the death each year, and celebrate it.

Katniss, the main character, goes with her male counterpart, Peeta. Peeta confesses his love for Katniss in front of the country during the interview before the games. And now they have to fight to the death, basically. She encounters a little girl from district 11, Rue, with whom she becomes allies with. The story goes into how she survives in terms of hunting and gathering food, escaping death a few times, and killing a few people.

That's all I am going to say. But it was a good read. The problem with me is that I don't like endings very much. I always predict the end and end up right. Or the ending is dumb. Well I thought it was fabulous up until the end. I felt it was too unfinished.

Which is why there is a sequel, duh.
Then I felt the same way about the second book, Catching Fire. Which is why there's another book, duh again.

All I have to say about Catching Fire, without giving away too much of the first is that IT IS SO GOOD. *POSSIBLE SPOILER BUT NOT REALLY* There's a sequel so obviously Katniss survives in the first book. But the president is not happy with her and there's a lot of drama and she has to play in the Hunger Games AGAIN. *END OF POSSIBLE SPOILER* And the ending was amazing and it just ends...leaving me begging to know what happens next. unfortunately my sister has the third book with her and I'll have to wait like a patient princess. Except I am not patient and not a princess.

I cannot wait to read the third. I don't even know what it's called...Mocking Jay?

As far as the movie goes, I will say this. I am weird. I always read the book first then watch the movie. Then get disappointed in the movie. It's a vicious cycle. I did this with Harry Potter and the first movie and didn't watch another until the 7th book.I did this with My Sister's Keeper. But the movie was dumb all on it's own, even if I didn't read the book. Everything looks so perfect and awesome in my head. The movie ruins it. So from now on I'll do the opposite. A lot of people who read the book also loved the movie. To be honest with you, I don't watch TV and movies much, so to sit there for 2 hours and do nothing but watch it made me a little apprehensive. It did pretty much follow the book, with minor changes here and there. And the time frame seemed much longer in the book than it did the movie. Over all, it was pretty accurate.

Outfit Of The Day

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 05:16:00 +0000

To show you more of my lifestyle, I guess I'll be posting more outfits and food and everyday photos here as well. Maybe not of my face, but little tidbits of my life here and there. :) The above photo is what I wore to a dinner a few weeks ago.

If you are new o this blog, you may not recall the post regarding the Muslim women's dress code. If you are interested in the requirements and how we stay stylish while covered up, click here to read all about it!

Jiggly Puff

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 03:46:00 +0000

Muslims don't celebrate Christmas, but it's hard to avoid holiday parties and dinners. And the fact that many out there get a break from work to gather with friends and family usually means heavy, comfort food. It's hard walking by a bakery or the bakery section of the grocery store and not be tempted to buy the many cakes and goodies.

So what it comes down to it - wether you have a special holiday or occasion to celebrate or not, the end of the year is always a danger zone for feasting on unhealthy things and slacking on exercise. I need a motivational boost every now and then.

So I'm posting here, and letting you know it's not easy! But I'm still trying. If I can't run, I walk. I'll try to go for herbal tea instead of coffee with creamer and sugar or tea with evaporated milk and sugar. Something healthy is always better than nothing.

If you start your day with unhealthy food, don't let that discourage you and allow yourself a full fat day. One unhealthy thing won't kill you, but one day can turn into one week and so on. So if anyone out there reads this and is struggling, I just want to let you know you're not alone. I'm trying, too :)

Living out of a suitcase

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:18:00 +0000

I'm sitting in a hotel after a not so hot "hot" breakfast. The eggs contained bacon residue because I think they cooked it on the same stove. Muslims can not eat pig or pig products, in case you were wondering. The potatoes were cold and hard, my plastic fork could not stab them. My toast popped out of the toaster and landed on some spilled juice on the counter. #firstworldproblems But at least I have food. So I will stop complaining...now.

I have been doing a bit of traveling lately. While I do like going to various places, I have not had a chance to relax and do my own thing. I want to spend a quiet day or two at home. One thing I don't enjoy about traveling is living out of a suitcase. Packing light hasn't been one of my strong points. Unpacking after returning is an even bigger hurdle.

Packing for a wedding is much worse! Fancy Indian clothes are not light. Then there's the jewelry, shoes and makeup. It is impossible to go for a weekend with a carry on bag. Indians have parties the days before and days after the actual wedding. So we have to pack clothes, shoes jewelry and makeup for all those events. It's ridiculous, if you ask me. But it's also fun and tiring. But if I could ever travel without going to an Indian event, count me in!

I haven't been going to any weddings or events lately. These trips are strictly for business. It's been pretty relaxed and care free. But there's no place like home. I want to spend a day curled up in bed with a good book and periodic naps in between. Like a cat, maybe with more reading than napping. But knowing me, only one of those days is enough! I start to feel unproductive and need to do something that makes me feel accomplished. I guess it's good that I chose the profession that I did. :)

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:30:00 +0000

I've been sick for the past few days. I am down with something viral and it's not just the 24 hour bug. I don't mind, only because I don't have deadlines or anything crazy coming up. I'm just glad I wasn't feeling well enough to hold all the babies I've been around the past few days.

Stay safe, get your flu shot if you haven't already and are okay with he idea of vaccines - it's not too late in the season. :) I hope everyone out there is doing well!

The Grass is Greener on the Other Side

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:59:00 +0000

Since I've had more free time these past few days I have been busy reading. And running. And reading. And sleeping. And reading and reading. Oh, and more reading. The result? I've been staying up too late reading, getting up too late, my run is about 4 hours later than it should be. Everything is later. The days are ending sooner so by 5 pm it feels as though I have done nothing all day, which I have not.

The problem with me is that everything looked so tempting to me before I had all this time on my hands. I made a list of things I wanted to do. I had a plan and it was to be awesome. Now that I found my books, aka my friends, I am holed up in my bedroom reading until the book's finished. I do not care for TV or movies, I do not care to eat out or cook. I'm not depressed, I just don't see the hype anymore. All these things I have been itching to do when I could not, do not look like they're worth the scratch. What does look tempting is studying. I am crazy. I know.

I've been reading The Hunger Games. I'm not good at book reviews, but I'll give you guys my opinion of the books and the movie in a post soon. Once I finished The Hunger Games I moved on to Catching Fire. I finished it in a day. I let it consume me until I finished it.

Reading is good. Everything can be good in moderation. But in excess it can be not so good. I guess that's my nature. I obsess over things until they are done. I obsessed over studying until I was completely done. I didn't go out and enjoy myself. I didn't enjoy life. I obsess over reading, until there's nothing left to read. I like to completely immerse myself in projects until they are completed. I clean until there's nothing else to clean. I seem to have an obsessive personality.

Despite me plowing forward until completion, I do not feel productive. To me, the way to feel so is to check things off my to-do list. This is also wrong. I jump from one extreme to the other. I guess I am going to be a workaholic when I get a job. But I don't want to be. I want to be able to enjoy my life at the same time. I need to step back, take in a breath of fresh air and enjoy the view, the big picture.

Maybe I should make a to-do list of things like "relax", "Call a friend", "bake something" and "take a walk outside". Things that feed my soul more than my mind. That way I can relax my obsessive mind by checking off things as well as nourishing my soul.

Easy Italian Chicken with Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:30:00 +0000

You cannot fail with this recipe. Cannot. Cannot. Even if you wanted to.

My husband wanted to start eating baked or grilled chicken for lunch, rather than eating something fried, oily and unhealthy from the cafeteria at his workplace. So I needed something with a lot of flavor, that wasn't fattening and easy to eat. Something healthy and filling.

I found this Italian chicken recipe and it was like child's play. And delicious, too! I cooked it the night before and stuck it in a storage container in the fridge along with the marinade I cooked it in, so it could absorb more moisture while it sat in the fridge overnight. The result? Very juicy chicken, despite baking for an hour in the oven. I also spooned the marinade over the chicken halfway through baking time.

But a chicken breast was not enough. Instead of adding pasta or turning it into a sandwich I paired this with this Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad. I messed with the measurements a little but it turned out great. And since the flavors were similar, I sliced up the chicken and stuck all of it in one box.

If you decide to make this, enjoy!

ps - I apologize for the quality of the photos, I took them with my phone.

The Housewife Life - episode 1 "Dryer Woes"

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:30:00 +0000

I've picked a few fights with my laundry dryer in the past few months. I end up feeding it the wrong things. And I'm not a ditz that I don't know how to work a dryer. One occurred out of 100% pure laziness and the other was unintentional. Either way, the dryer decided to fight back.

My husband has a habit of not emptying his pockets. Ever. So anytime I have to put his pants or jeans in the washing machine I stand over the garbage can throwing away handfuls of tissues and receipts or putting dollar bills and coins on the night stand.

I do this pretty religiously, because I don't like the rest of the laundry to go bad or an important receipt to get destroyed. One time I was so unfortunate to miss an inky pen. A pen! Who misses a pen? I do. I've found a pen or two in the past. But usually no damage has been done. But this time there was ink all over the dryer. Surprisingly and thankfully, none of the clothes got stained, despite it being a load of whites.

Since the clothes were not affected, I didn't learn my lesson. Of course not.

Another item that frequently gets missed is a stick of chewing gum. Normally nothing happens, except the gum comes out really soft. My husband sometimes eats only half. I noticed a lot of people do this and my question is why? It's so little it's hard to chew it, let alone find it in your mouth. I tried it once and I kept thinking that I'd miss the gum and bite down on my cheek or tongue instead.

This time I knew there was gum in his pants. I could smell the stick of Juicy Fruit all the way across the room. I was lazy and in a hurry to get the laundry done. Thinking that it's no big deal I tossed it into the washing machine. Then the dryer. As I was removing the clothes I noticed white junk all over the dark shirts and pants. This can't be good. I also noticed the strong smell of Juicy Fruit all over the clothes. I looked inside the walls of the dryer and there was sticky gum all over it, all over the clothes. I guess it was half a stick of gum, so it would be easier for the gum to escape onto everything. It didn't look pretty there with all the black ink from the previous incident.

At least the clothes smelled fruity.

I had to scrub the gum off with a metal sponge and goo gone, which worked like a charm. If you haven't heard of it, buy it! It's amazing and a life saver. Only I was scared the goo gone would catch flame the next time I tried to dry something because of the warning label, which is on everything, really, on the back. So I had to wipe it down really good to make sure it would be ok. And that it wouldn't ruin the next load going in.

Did I learn my lesson? Probably not.

Mid-week pick me up

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:50:00 +0000

Giving and thanking

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:17:00 +0000

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, and I do hope everyone has a happy holiday. I'd like everyone out there, who is feasting or not, to remember that there are many without food, shelter or water. Remember that there are many without families, love and happiness. Remember that they don't know when their next meal will be.

So please don't waste the food. And if your budget will allow, please donate money to feed a child or family for a day, few days, whatever you can. I have been blessed with too much. I'd say I have been spoiled rotten. And I am not thankful enough for the clothes on my back & food in my stomach. Only now am I realizing that it is God who has given me this. But I also have a responsibility to make sure my neighbor doesn't go hungry. That I give a party of myself and time helping those in need. And it's our job to remind each other of our many many blessings we have been gifted and to help those who are less fortunate.

Muffin Top

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:52:00 +0000

You know how I got pumped up a few weeks ago and decided to work towards a healthier lifestyle?

Complete. Fail.

Well, not completely. I was good for a few weeks. But I have completely stopped everything and have been doing the exact opposite of what I was supposed to do. Stress makes me do crazy things. And makes me gain weight and eat more red velvet cake complete with cream cheese frosting, resulting in more weight gain. It's a vicious cycle and I'm the only one suffering. I now have a certified muffin top. In case you're not familiar with the term, a muffin top is when one's abdominal fat hangs over one's jeans. Either because there is too much fat or the jeans are too tight. People who aren't fat can also have a muffin top if their jeans are too small for them.

The only reason why I did stop was because I became stressed and felt that I had to dedicate all my time towards academia. Within a few days I felt to unhealthy and sad. I felt like a muddy, gray colored blob. That's a pretty weird yet accurate description of my feelings regards to my health. When I run it makes me feel good. I feel too heathy and happy to eat heavy, high calorie foods. I'm ready to start feeling like that again. It's time to dust myself off and try again. Third times a charm. It'll be the Same routine, since I was able to stick to it for so long without falling apart. Wish me luck!!

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I guess I am back a lot quicker than I thought. I am sitting here wondering what I should do with myself now. I need a hobby. I want to try my hand at knitting and want to make myself a few scarves for winter. But I'll shut up about that because lately I don't follow through with what I want to do because of other priorities like school, family events and the fact that I want to do all of them at once. So I end up with a bunch of half finished projects. I had compiled a list of things I wanted to do after my exams were over. Now that they are, I don't know where to start. I am so fickle and indecisive. Well, a few things have to wait because now that I am free, my husband has to study. I told ya, it happens. It's okay, it's life.

Anyways, I was looking through my bookmarks and blogs I follow and was pretty sad to see many deleted or haven't been updated in a while - like this one. And now I need to go out and find blogs to read since I love reading blogs as much as I love reading books.

If you have any suggestions or want to list your favorite blogs, please do. Actually, I am begging you to! You can even self promote your own blog here. There's no shame in that. ;)

Out with the Old

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:25:00 +0000

I am a changed woman! I love to throw things away. I used to be sentimental about stuff, but over the years I have learned to toss out unnecessary items that I know I will never look at again and won't care to. For example, things my classmates signed for me back in middle school. We had this phase where we had everyone sign everything. I had poster boards, Tshirts, caps, notebooks, etc. All signed by the same people, half of whom I no longer am in touch with either. I threw out everything except a small baseball cap. Which I think I ended up tossing out because I can't find it anywhere. There weren't any personal messages on there, just generic "Keep in touch!" Stuff. So that went away.

I do hang on to cards and letters. I think they are a little more personal to me, so I keep those. Old shirts, socks, binders from my classes, notebooks, gone! I attribute this to having lived in India. That was the first time in my life I moved anywhere and I couldn't take everything with me. While in India we moved house 4 times! It was so annoying and even more annoying with so much stuff. It was amazing how much junk one can collect over the years.

A year and a half of moving back to America I got married and had to move again. So all this moving in such a short amount of time definitely did me some good in the clutter department! It wasn't easy to part with things people would find sentimental, but I got over it. Now I can't wait to throw things out. I've crated a list of things that help me get my life organized.

1. If I didn't look at it on over a year {in my case, many many years}, I shouldn't keep it. It's not worth it. Yes, some of my stuff is from my childhood, but I have memories and photos and that's enough for me. Everything else just makes my space look unorganized.

2. Clothes, shoes and accessories: Torn, discolored, or worn out items need to be tossed out. If you were to - God forbid - be in a car accident and needed strangers to help you get out, would you be embarrassed by what you were wearing? If the answer is yes, then get rid of it. Clothes that don't fit right and have not over the past year should go. Anything you can't style in a way that you like should also go. If you MUST keep old clothing, store it in a box or suitcase, throw a box of mothballs in there and put it in the basement or other storage area. Ideally, give it away. Accessories and shoes you would not be caught dead in should also go. If it STILL has the receipt on it, you haven't worn it because you love it but it doesn't look right on you yet, just return it. Places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls will give you store credit, no matter how old the item. Buy something else that fits well and flatters your body and chances are you'll wear it a lot more.

3. Minimalism is key. Why do I need 3 deodorant sticks? I don't. I also don't need 298 pens and highlighters cluttering my desk. Yes, I am a student but I don't need that much. Give them to a doctor friend. Do you know how quickly some of them lose pens on a daily basis? A lot.

4. Think about how nice and organized everything will look once all the junk it gone. Every few months I de-clutter and I go through at least one large garbage bag every time. Stuff adds up. For receipts, bills, etc buy an accordion folder with tabs in it. That way you can keep all your important papers in one place and know exactly where it is when you need it.

5. That's all I can think of that works for me. When I'm bored I like to look up organization tips or watch videos on YouTube. That really gets me inspired to make a move. After all the stuff is gone, you can work on the best part. For me, at least. Decorating!! Making it all pretty/fun/pleasing to the eyes.

Mini Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Hi, guys,

I just wanted to let you know that I'll be MIA over the next week. I will be back and probably more involved in the blogging world than I am now when I do return. But before I can do that, I need to go away for a while. :) I'm not sure how long, but probably not more that a week. If I can I'll be schedule some blog posts in advance. Actually, this post is a scheduled post, to be honest. And if I don't post, you'll know why. :)

Peace,
Falling Up

Election Day 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Falling Up) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:02:00 +0000

If you planned on voting, don't forget to do so today!