In Defense of a Slower Life

I read a lot of books and blogs and websites and articles and research papers. I love learning new things. I don't always apply/implement those things in my life. Isn't knowledge enough, sometimes? The world is getting faster every day. It's about doing and moving and hustling. I don't want to hustle. I want to live my life.

I want to do the things I enjoy, not things that people say you're supposed to do. Yes, I want success. I want financial independence. But more than anything I want to be happy; to give myself permission to be happy.


I don't see why the world is about doing more and running, running, running, just running. Slow down. Breathe. Love yourself a little. Give yourself some credit. Give yourself some time to just be.

There's no set path in life. I think we 20-somethings are at the stage in our life where we're kinda starting to figure that out now. Everything is uncertain and unstable. And we're young, let's give ourselves a break. Let's understand that we don't have to know everything right now. We're allowed to make mistakes. We're allowed to take time off if we have to. We're allowed to have off days. We're allowed whatever we want to do.

If you want to hustle, sure go ahead. But you don't have to just because everyone around you supposedly is. It's not a competition. It's your life and your path and your time.

Take your time.  I don't think we should feel guilty for wanting to spend an evening curled up in bed with some hot chocolate, just reading a book. We don't have to work on our side hustle all the time. If you do want to stay in and work on your side gig, you don't have to feel guilty about not going out to hang out with your friends.

It's about what we want - at the end of the day, what's going to make us feel content. It's not about what I say or your friends say or what anyone else says.

It's about what your heart says. If that's doing 20 things off your to-do list, good. If it's doing absolutely nothing all day, good. It should be good according to what your heart says is good, not what you think you're supposed to feel.

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Review: Izu Brasserie and Bakery, City Walk

Food: 5/5
VFM: 4/5
Ambience: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Veg Friendly: 4/5

An extremely delightful restaurant that I was glad to have experienced. Everything here was so delicious, I can't wait to tell you about it!

Mocha Coffee - It was so cute, with teddy bear latte art. It tasted pretty good too - strong and not too sweet, just the way I like it. Great to laze over, sitting in the shade, on slow afternoons.

Raspberry Iced Tea - With bits of fresh raspberry, this was uniquely refreshing. I love trying out different kinds of iced tea and trust me this was one of the better ones. Writing this is making me think about it again.

Burrata with Peppers and Pesto Sauce - This was served with a generous drizzle of olive oil over the whole dish, and freshly baked bread on the side. The fresh greens made it better, as did the pesto sauce. And the burrata. So creamy and delish. I think I will always fall in love with burrata a little more, everytime I try it.

French Toast - with fresh berries, berry compote and chocolate cream. Hands down the most delicious French toast I've had the pleasure of trying. On some days, it still comes back to me in my dreams.This was delightfully soft, enchantingly chocolatey, and all round delicious.

Eggs Benedict with Spinach - Beautiful runny yolk, which we mopped up with aforementioned fresh bread. The presentation was delightful as well, and I love that they added spinach so generously. Adding greens and herbs to any dish will always do the trick for me.

Izu Burger -An amazing, meaty burger that was delicious and filling and the only thing on the table I refrained from, being a vegetarian. But I am told it was absolutely amazing with great sauces, too.

Rigatoni with Cream Sauce and Truffle Paste - Rigatoni isn't my favorite type of pasta (hello, Tagliatelle!) but it worked here because it had so much space for sauce - and the sauce was kickass. The sauce was super creamy, and the truffle was just right.

Tiramisu - Soft, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth tiramisu! They made this fresh too! The ladyfingers were soaked in very strong coffee, and the combination was just beautiful.

VFM: The ingredients were so good and fresh that I believe it was absolutely worth the price.

Ambience: A beautiful place with great decor and cozy, homely elements. We didn't even realize how we spent so much time there!

Service: Attentive staff, and very helpful with suggestions and recommendations.

Veg Friendly: More than enough vegetarian and vegan options, I did not find it lacking in the slightest.

In this world of processed food and fake ingredients, Izu stands out by their commitment to real food, made fresh.

*This review was on invite, and the meal on the house. However, all views are unbiased.*

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Nine Healthy Foods for Sugar Cravings

Who doesn't love sugar? It's a very common craving and a lot of us deal with it on a pretty regular basis.

However, as we are well aware, sugar isn't good for our bodies. It's okay to give in sometimes (we are human, after all) but if you're going overboard with your sugar intake, it's wise to look for healthy substitutes that will satiate your need for the white stuff without affecting your health too badly.

Here's a list of nine healthy foods that'll help you beat your sugar cravings!



1. Dark Chocolate

This is one of my favorite options so I've put it at the top of the list! It's naturally delicious (it is chocolate after all!) and is full of antioxidants. Dark chocolate does get slightly bitter for some people, and some find love at first bite. If you are in the first group, I'd suggest starting at a lower percentage and work your way up. Choose a bar that's at least 70 percent cacao, eventually. That is your best bet of optimum nutritional value. Raw, dark chocolate provides magnesium, vitamin B, and essential fibers.
We've all read about the studies showing chocolate is good for you. So go on, indulge in a square or two! Just don't eat the whole bar.

2. Fruits
Self explanatory, really! Fruits are a great source of natural sugar. But honestly, fruits today are very much sweeter and lower in fiber because the fruits have been domesticated so much. Check out this article about what fruits really were like in their wild forms. So, too much fruit isn't great for you, either. This is not to say you shouldn't eat fruits. Just to say you mustn't binge. Snack on them with nut butters or add them to a fruit-and-vegetable smoothie.

3. Dates
Plant based and high in fiber, there's no way you can go wrong with this. Dates are also a good source of potassium - which can prevent osteoporosis, stroke, kidney stones and high blood pressure. Dates also contain high levels of soluble fiber, which helps fight off sugar cravings and even stimulates the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
You can add it to a smoothie, have them with some nut butters, or much on them straight out of the bag.
An old Indian snack that a lot of Indian kids have been having for a long long time - dates with a dollop of plain ghee on top. It tastes wonderful and it's great for your health. Something we have gotten used to eating in winters. I don't know if this is something that people around the world also do, but I'm sure Indians know of it.

4. Bliss Balls
A quick healthy snack made of dates as a base - to which you can add any combination of things such as pecans, tahini, cimmanon, flax seeds, chia seeds, cinnamon, maca, spirulina, cacao powder, cacao nibs, turmeric. Add coconut oil for a creamy consistency. You can switch up the ingredients and make it suited to your cravings at the time. This is a great on the go snack and stays firm when refrigerated.
You can find my favorite recipe here.

5. Nut Butters
Nut butter provide proteins + healthy fats. You should make sure you're buying healthy nut butters because some nut butters are available with added sugar. Make sure you buy the ones without any added sugar! Your body does require healthy fats. And proteins are a great way to reduce sugar cravings. Nut butters also contain sulfur - a mineral found throughout your body - muscles, bones, skin - you name it. It contributes to keeping your skin, muscles and joints healthy. A lack of sulfur can lead to stiff joints and sagging skin.
Combine nut butters with bananas, toast, berries, celery sticks, apples, etc. Get creative with the dipping!
 
6. Organic Honey

 Honey is a natural sweetener and makes for an excellent sugar substitute. It is packed with health benefits - from supporting the immune system to treating everything from a hangover to a sore throat. You can add it to tea, drizzle it onto smoothies, yogurt, nice cream, or toast. Or just eat a spoonful!

7. Green/Herbal/Fruit Teas
Green tea has widely touted benefits, but herbal and fruit teas are no less! A lot of them have specific effects on the body and can really be used to provide situational benefits. In this case, to curb sugar cravings. For example, hibiscus tea is naturally sweet. Take it up a notch with some cinnamon. Chocolate teas are great because they're sweet but also full of antioxidants and nutrients. Licorice tea is another oft recommended tea because it's naturally sweet - plus it fills you up, and satiates thirst as well. Check out this link for more tea options.

8. Yogurt
Sometimes  a sugar craving is often actually your bod requesting other vital minerals that it lacks. Yogurt is a great way to provide your body with phosphorus, calcium, and probiotics. And this is just from plain yogurt. You can add berries, granola, or (healthy) trail mix for a creamy satisfying dessert. Alternatively, you can also blend it into a smoothie.

9. Cinnamon
Yes, a spice can help too! Cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar levels, which in turn reduces sugar cravings. Cinnamon minimizes insulin spikes after you’ve eaten, which means your blood sugar stays relatively stable, keeping the sugar cravings at bay.

I must say, this list is in no way comprehensive and there are a lot of other different combinations of foods you can try. Plus, I am also a major sugar craver, and you know what? Sometimes it's okay to give in. We're only human. Sometimes we want that doughnut or cupcake. Don't beat yourself up if you give in once in a while. It just shouldn't be on a daily/regular basis.
In those cases, pick one of the substitutes above. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Photo Credits:
shape.com
glamour.com
womenshealthmag.com

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I moved to Dubai!

Hi guys,

Once again I start with an apology for my lack of posts! I have a reason though. A very legitimate reason. I moved to Dubai!

I moved here around a week and a half ago and I'm excited and scared in equal measure!

This is a new chapter in the journey of my life and I am looking forward to it. Moving here was a leap of faith. I am not someone who takes risks easily so for me this was a big deal. I am looking forward to a new life here and hoping that destiny has good things in store.

This is a little something I wrote about it.

I believe that every little change is meaningful, but something this big is definitely going to have major effects. Looking forward to unraveling them in the future!

This blog will continue and I have promised myself I will be more regular here. However, location specific posts will probably be at a minimum, unless its something I really love and want to show to the world at large. My readership and audience is global and I think it's time to start giving them something that is relevant and useful, too.

I'm still going to be writing about food, but it'll take on a different aspect that I am excited to share with you in the coming days!

Because who doesn't love Cinnabon!

Apart from this, I am finally finally starting to focus on the skincare and wellness posts that I speak about writing but never get around to.

I have a list of topics and I want to get around to covering them asap. I big part of this decision has been the realization that I love my blog and somewhere along the way I kind of lost ownership. I started to post what I thought people wanted to read. But you know what? My best and most read posts are the ones I wrote because they were posts that I wanted to read. Turns out that's exactly what resonated with you guys too.

So I'm going to continue doing that and this time I'm going to create the best content I ever have!

Cheers to many more posts and I hope this blog becomes better and better every day.

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Passion Isn't Everything

It definitely isn't. Passion is just a part of it. I almost did believe that passion is everything, and in the process I almost let my passion handicap me.

It is about passion, yes. But it is more about consistency.
You may have that one thing you are passionate about. Music, books, movies, art, writing, painting, photography, dance, programming, creating websites, training animals - I don't know what you like most. But whatever the case may be, just passion doesn't cut it.

The secret to success in any field, creative or otherwise, is consistency. You just gotta show up.
And you gotta show up every single day.

Add something to your treasure trove every single day. Even if it's just a small dust particle of shimmer. It's still shimmer. And all those little particles of shimmer will add together one day into a huge dazzling stone, and that stone will just keep getting bigger and better and shinier.

It is then, when your shine gets bigger and better than most, is when people start noticing. Hey that's one shiny rock!, they'll say. Wonder how they got that!

But you don't get gems like these. You make them.

You make them with showing up everyday and adding a bit of glimmer everyday.

Passion helps you discover the glimmer. It makes you want to find the shine. But consistency is the one that makes you find it. Consistency is what pushes you to get that damn glitter particle every single day.

If passion is what keeps you up at night dreaming, consistency is what will not let you sleep till that dream has become tangible.

There are no overnight successes, but consistency ensures that there will definitely be success some day, irrespective of how long it takes.

And time taken is okay, because there is belief and faith. Because when you show up every day, there is no chance of not winning.

You are winning. A little every day.

And major wins, whatever those wins are to you, will also be a part of it. They'll come before you know it, and make you even more excited for the next milestone.

And that's why passion isn't everything. Passion is what ignites everything that comes after. What comes after is what determines your success.

Photo Credit: pinterest

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Start Before You're Ready

 
I am guilty of this. Of waiting for things to be perfect. So many times that I have not published blog posts because I felt they weren't perfect. I needed it to be perfect before I hit that 'Publish' button. That drove me to my misery for a long time.

But then I realised that I was giving in to something that a lot of us fall prey to. And then I went back and thought about it.

Let's rewind a little.

I have been writing since I was a kid. I never really cared about how good or bad it was, I just wrote. That is how I got better; at the stage where today I am proud of myself in terms of how much I have grown as a poet. I can write a multiple page poem, haiku, quartets, and slam poetry too. I have done well, even though not many people have witnessed the growth. That did not come about with ceaseless editing and harsh self criticism. It came about because I gave myself the freedom to write all sorts of rhymes. And then those rhymes got better.

However, I did not give myself the same freedom when it came to blogposts.
Why?
After much introspection, I have realised that it is in large part due to my poetry being for my eyes only. This blog, as Google tells me, is read by people all over the world. On an average, over 10,000 unique visitors read this blog on a monthly basis. That froze me up. I started thinking I was accountable to those people. But why? Those people came because of what I wrote to begin with. If they didn't like it, they wouldn't have come, they wouldn't have read this, they wouldn't have stayed and come back for more.
But they did. They did for a reason. I was adding value in some way that appealed to them. SO I have no reason to be afraid. I know I can only get better with time. I can only get better with practice. Constant practice.
And if I procrastinate and if I hold myself back from putting up a new blog post, how will I achieve
that constant practice?

So this post is as much for me as it is for you, if you ever feel like you are not good enough, just put yourself out there.
For me, it is this blog, which I adore, and people seem to like. For you, it could be a new venture, a job search, a new relationship, an ambitious project - anything that you know will make your life better, but you keep putting it off because you're afraid that you're not ready. Because you think you should wait till the situation is perfect.

Nothing ever is perfect. So just try.
You are already better than the millions who didn't even try.
You are strong, you are talented, you are passionate.
All we need is to believe that we can do it.
All we need is to have faith in ourselves.
All we need is to stop hesitating before we push that 'Publish' button in our lives.
Start before you're ready.
That's the only way to be ready.

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Your Priority Should Be You

Prioritize yourself.

Often, we are too caught up in completing all the tasks on our list that we forget to make time for ourselves. But we must do things for ourselves before we try to do things for other people. There are two reasons why this is so important.

Firstly, the fact that you need to make yourself happy because you deserve to be prioritized.
You deserve everything and more. 
You deserve the big successes and the little joys. 
You deserve the struggle required to get there, because if success comes too easy, it doesn't last very long. 
You deserve experiences, good and bad, because that's what shapes you as a person. 
You deserve everything and more. 
Because you're worth it.


The fact is, trial by fire is a real thing, and it allows you to rise stronger. and it is only by giving yourself time that you can be stronger. Time to reflect, time to learn, time to experience, time to learn and imbibe from those experiences.
Time to love yourself.

Secondly, and equally importantly, the fact that you do want to take on those responsibilities and help out the people in your life. You need to sort out yourself before you can sort other people out.

When you can make yourself happy, you will have more joy to spread.
When you love yourself, you will have more love to give.
When you can go out of your way for yourself, you will be able to make an effort for your loved ones too.

It is not about other people, however important they are to you. It is about prioritizing yourself and loving yourself. It is when you treat yourself positively, will it become natural for you to get positive vibes from the universe as well.

The change must be a conscious decision. You need to love yourself first.

In conclusion, I'd like to leave you with this. Maybe print it out and put it on your wall. 

Remind yourself everyday how awesome you are.

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Life Update + Things to Do

Hi darlings!


I've had such a crazy time these past few months.

Yes, I have not updated my blog. I apologize wholeheartedly to each and every one of you. You guys have been so sweet, sending me mails, DMs on Instagram and Facebook - thank you all.

For those of you who have been with me on Instagram (FB and Twitter too), you'd know about my #project50. Just like how I hadn't been posting on my blog, I had also been ignoring my social media. I felt like giving myself a little challenge about posting regularly. So my #project50 was essentially about posting 50 pictures in 50 days. Maybe it was just that I had gotten lazy, or maybe it was something deeper. After a few months of inactivity, I felt it was high time I tried to figure it out.

Hence, my project commenced. Mind you, I was only thinking of Instagram that time. I wasn't even thinking of posting on my blog, even though I had a list of topics to write on. Baby steps. Plus, I wanted to get to the root cause of my reluctance to post anywhere.

Making myself post everyday was pretty difficult at first, for two reasons. First, I was not used to posting so often, and secondly, I didn't know what to post about. Providence decided to format my phone a week into the experiment. So all my fallback options disappeared. I HAD to go find nice things to take pictures of. Which I did try to do, and some of you liked it.

After a point, I got a few requests to write longer captions as people enjoyed reading those snippets. So I did. I wrote, and very soon veered off into inspirational/productivity/positivity based writings. Which, surprisingly, really struck a chord! So I decided to do more of those, and soon my Insta feed started to look different.

By the end of 50 days, I learnt:
1. People love reading about positivity.
2. People appreciate genuine encouragement.
3. People are super supportive of new ideas.

Apart from this, I realised it wasn't just laziness holding me back. I was unsure of what to post, but I realised that as long as you are true to yourself and honest about what you write, there is nothing wrong. You can do no wrong, in fact. All you have to do is stay true to yourself and write.

I found out that posting, be it a blog post, or just a picture + caption on social media, is not a big deal. It's just that social media was never something I enjoyed - I am a total homebody and introvert. That's why I took up this #project50 challenge in the first place. My blog is my baby and if my reluctance to deal with social media was hurting my baby, well I was gonna do social media for sure! And once my 50 days were over, I didn't stop! Yes, I am not posting every single day, but I am definitely more relaxed and having more fun with it. Which was more than I hoped for while doing this project.

That is what compelled me to pen down this post. I need to break the inactivity curse, and what better way to do it than to accept, and, in the process of accepting, banish the negative?

Also, I learnt I should add productivity/mindfulness/positivity as a section to my blog. People seem to really appreciate reading it and I love that I can make a difference to someone by what I write.

Well, this has become quite a long post. For those of you who read till here, thanks for staying! Drop me a comment below, if you'd like :)

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3 Ways to Give Yourself Some Love in the Morning

It’s really not too hard. Why do we make it so hard? The pressure of everyday life gets to you and in all the rush you have no time for yourself. It is very easy to forget ourselves while running around trying to get everything done. We are caught up in a whirlwind of activity where we don’t even have any time to think anymore. It gets to us. And what’s even more surprising is that we CHOOSE this. This kind of life is actually a conscious decision. We choose to put ourselves through this strain.

It would be really nice to say ‘make radical changes in your life and lead a life of calm’. But that isn’t really possible. Changes cannot be made overnight. Here are a few ways to love yourself that you can squeeze into a hectic morning:

Wake up 10 Minutes Earlier than Usual

The sun activates your natural circadian rhythm, which in turn affects your endocrine system. Put an alarm for 10 minutes before the time you regularly wake up. Once the alarm rings, get out of bed, go to the window, and open the curtains wide. Stand there, and bask in the warmth of a new day. Breathe deeply and let it wash over you. Even 5 minutes of this is enough. It activates your body, waking you up and ensuring that your drowsiness disappears, keeping you upbeat for the day.

Pick Flavoured Water instead of Morning Coffee

Since you spent those 5 minutes in the lovely sunlight warming up your body, you can skip the coffee this morning. Caffeine won’t be required for the kickstart since you’ve already done that for yourself. Isn’t that neat? But...water is a necessity, everyone knows that. However, if you actually sit down and check how many people drink the requisite amount of water as per their body weight on a daily basis, you will find a comparatively much lower number. Flavored water is easy to make, just slice and add any fruits of your liking to the water! This adds flavour and makes it more palatable, while ensuring that you increase your intake.

Spend a Gadget - Free Hour

This one might be a little hard to do for most of us, but trust me, if you can manage this, it will be totally worth it. Once you turn off your alarm, and spend your five minutes of sunshine time, you’ll be awake enough. Quickly check your phone to see if there are any changes in your schedule for the day. Either way, unless it’s an emergency, put it away. An emergency means something unavoidably important. Your manicure appointment slot being changed does NOT constitute an emergency. So, put away your phone, and do the rest of your morning activities. You will get done a lot faster too, without the continuous distraction of your smartphone or tablet – I can go on with the list, but I’m sure you get what I mean. You can have the radio on though. It would be a nice change.

Try these for atleast a week, and comment below when you see the changes!

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Picture credits:

plus.google.com

hdwallpapersrocks.com

pinterest,com

popsugar.org

This is Why We Love Comfort Food

What is it about comfort food that really appeals to us? We just love the whole idea of it. It appeals to our sentiments and makes us soft and nostalgic. 

Sometimes it reminds us of home. Sometimes it makes us feel like a child again. And sometimes it makes us feel better on a bad day. The thing is, humans build powerful relationships between sights, smells, sounds, textures… and memories. We build mental relationships, connecting things that we relate in ways that are meaningful to us.

That scent of aam panna that takes us back to summery childhood days. We can actually scrunch up our eyes, taste it so vividly; a melange of flavours that reminds us of leafy verandas and vacation time.

Or maybe a warm bowl of mac and cheese. A simple meal, but it is one that sends our senses into overdrive. The gooey yellow cheese, the perfectly baked macaroni, the simple homely flavours! Just writing about it reminds me of the hearty meal that makes you feel so happy and warm, and cheers you up a little bit.

A warm meal on a cold night, curled up in a cozy sweater with a favourite book – can you think of anything nicer than that?

 

Or a bowl of piping hot sambar? Not as a accompaniment, but just that. You can just drink up a bowl or two; and when you’re sniffling from cold, the sambar makes it disappear right away. With its potent combination of herbs, spices, and hot peppercorns; this is something that warms up not just your body, but your soul as well.

Or maybe mom-made rajma chawal. Isn’t that the best? Immediate hunger pang relief. You know you’ve searched for the best rajma everywhere, but nothing is as good as the secret recipe that your granny passed on to you. It’s a combination of spices and love, and nothing can beat that.

 

Talking about home food, how about pickle? Imagine you are in a new city, adjusting to the life and pace and food and habits. You come back to the lonely rented flat you call home now. Open up a cupboard in the kitchen that has a jar of pickle and nothing else. Mom lovingly packed up a couple of jars for you to take. You open the jar, scoop out some pickle, eat it with some leftover roti, and somehow, surprisingly, you are strangely content. It feels like home, or mom’s warm hug. You go to sleep happy.

Originally appeared on Foodbahn. You can read it here.

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Image Courtesy: Google Images