Why it's OK to stay in Tonight

Because Thursday was your Friday. And you’ve spent the first half of the day trying to recover from your hangover. It’s fine to spend the next half of your day acting like you’re working — getting the minimal amount done — then take off at 4:15 with blankets in mind. Your couch will be waiting for you.

Because mehhhh. Whatever. Your friends are great but tonight they’re going to the same bar with the same people and it honestly doesn’t even seem that fun to you. And all your clothes are dirty anyways, and you don’t feel like trying to concoct some random yet stunning outfit, and your hair’s doing that weird puffy thing, and your cell phone ran out of batteries at noon today and you haven’t bothered to plug it in or turn it on, and there are three beers left from the six-pack you bought earlier this week, and it’s too cold outside anyways. It’s fine.

Because an inner voice is urging you to drink an entire bottle of wine by yourself tonight. Listen to that persistent feeling that you must be alone and consume a bottle of wine, YouTube, and 80s epic fantasy films all night. It’s NBD. Grab the blankets, space heater, cigarettes, and throw pillows. Dive in.

Because you accidentally started drinking at 3. Oops. One Casual Friday beer at 3 p.m. might lead to an early departure for happy hour with your co-workers at 4:30. It’s 7:30 now and you’ve already revealed way too much personal stuff to the intern. You’re supposed to be his boss! When you get home at 8:30 you realize you’re wasted, and by 9:15 you’ve fallen asleep on the couch with a half-eaten, poorly prepared quesadilla on the coffee table in front of you. It’s better this way, though, otherwise you’d be blacked out by now and all sorts of other embarrassing stuff.

Because you have someone warm. It’s totally acceptable to stay in on a Friday night when you have someone warm. Isn’t that like, half the point of going out anyways?

Because you forgot. It’s good on your bank account and your body. Immerse yourself in whatever creative project you’re working on, or in a good book you just bought, and forget to go out entirely. Turn off your cell phone while you’re at it. Dedicating your night to something other than binge drinking is a good change of pace every once in awhile.

Because you have a full day ahead of you tomorrow. You can either stumble through your full day tomorrow drunk from the night before and holding back projectile vomit, or you can wake up early and like, not feel like death. Your choice.

Because not tonight. It may be that you don’t need all that sh-t tonight. All the posturing, makeup, sidelong glances, forced small-talk with random people. It’s easy to be tired of that sometimes. Sometimes it’s better just to hang out with a good friend and play Yahtzee or whatever.

Because sleeping just seems like a much better option. Who needs alcohol, loud music, long bar lines and dickhead bartenders when you have a comfortable mattress, pillows, and a DVD player?

4/20

Back in the day, a group of kids used the code “420″ to signal a meetup along the wall outside their San Rafael High School in California. Their goal was to get high at 4:20 pm. In the following 40 years, 4/20 has come to be known as a holiday for stoners. Activists stage rallies in cities across the country to advocate for responsible use of the herb and medical rights. Also, a lot of kids cut class, get high, and listen to music. It’s in this spirit, I present to you, on this finest of holidaze – a playlist that pays homage to the horticultural miracle that is marijuana.

Happy 4/20 to all those pot smokers out there. Please note that I do not do drugs (there was no sarcasm in that sentence).

Celebs who look amazing without makeup

For the past 2 years, I have taken an "un-liking" to makeup. I wear the bare minimal, eye liner and mascara. Wearing mascara is pushing it too but sometimes I feel that flattery eyes can complete an outfit. Also, when I go out to certain occasions (weddings, receptions, parties) I will brush a little blush to get cheeky. While reading the Cosmopolitan online I came across this page and wanted to share with you how fab these celebrities look without pounds of makeup on. Oh so natural, true beauty!

Check out the photos:

Lady Gaga

Beyonce

Kim Kardhasian

Snooki

Rihanna

Jessica Biel

Olivia Wilde

Kristen Stewart

Nicole Richie

What I learned today.. 03/19/12

Camel's are desert animals and are able to retain water longer than other animals. In my Bikram hot yoga class I always took a sip of water before going into this posture. It turns out, like a camel you are not supposed to drink water before or after this posture to ease the stretch. I also dreaded this posture because when you come out of it, you feel all weird and it seems as if you just saw the stars (this is how you know you did it right). It provides an amazing feeling in your lower back.

Camel Pose, Ustrasana

Benefits :

• Camel Pose creates maximum compression of the spine, which stimulates the nervous system.
• It also improves flexibility of the neck and spine, relieves backache, and helps degenerative spinal problems such as kyphoscoliotic deformities and cervical spondylosis.
• By stretching the abdominal organs, Camel helps constipation, and it also stretches the throat and thyroid and parathyroid glands.

Why taking a water bottle to an exam could turn your B into an A

I just read this article that I received via email on the Toronto Star about those who bring water bottles to exams out perform those who do not.

I absolutely agree with the article. Water plays a great role in the human body and a lot of people do not drink nearly enough water in a day - 8 glasses is the recommended. I have always loved ice cold plain tap water which I regularly consumed but not how much I should have been. With my regular  hot yoga practice deepening, I appreciate water to a new level. I drink, I would say about 10-12 glasses a day. Being hydrated is an amazing feeling and most of the times we mistake hunger for thirst. Also, any other beverage does not satisfy my dehydration the way water does.

All in all, drink water peoples! & bring water bottles to your exams.

Psychologically disturbed

I have a girlfriend whose baby caught lice while away on vacation, which in turn got transferred to her. I have been doing extensive research on these pesky little critters (head lice) about home remedies, their life span, life cycle, how long the nits (eggs) take to hatch, etc. and I have literally traumatized myself. (Google tends to do this to me on a regular basis).

My head and body is consistently itching, I have nightmares about them, during my hot yoga class; as the sweat drips down my scalp I feel as if it is crawling lice. Today when I got home from work, I anxiously sat on my couch for about 15 minutes as I awaited my mom to come home from work. I told her to search my head, which she carefully did and then so did my dad and to of course... I don't have head lice. They found it hilarious that I thought I had lice and literally made fun of me for the rest of the night. Apparently, it is normal back in India for majority of the people to have lice so my parents did not even take the matter serious.

I don't know what is wrong with me but I am psychologically scarred and for some reason am convincing myself that I have head lice. I need counseling... I am being serious, you may be laughing and thinking I am a crazy but this has actually affected my life. I have issues!

I was going to attach a picture however, I was unable to build up the courage to look at it - just sitting here typing about it is making my scalp itchy! Help!

What I learned today.. 03/18/12

It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open!

I wouldn't recommend trying this...
http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/db/human-body/sneezing-eyeballs-pop-out.html

Found: One 500-pound Ganesh Statue

I just read this article and find it amazing how such things happen. God works in mysterious ways but when you actually hear about or see things that are happening it really puts you in a state of awe. Apparently this 500lb; 3 foot statue just appeared in the parking lot but someone could have possibly put it there without being seen. I remember years back when the Ganesh statue was actually drinking milk. I actually visited the temple to witness this phenomena with my bare eyes.

Click here to read the article on the Toronto news about this statue miraculously appearing in the Oakville Museum parking lot.

What I learned today...03/17/12

YOLO = you only live once

Ya ya.. I know I am a bit, well maybe very delayed but am trying real hard to keep up with the lingo in today's day. Thanks Drake!!!

Beauty & Olive Oil

I had bad acne growing up as a teenager and kind of just went through the whole ugly ordeal. Eventually, it got so out of control I had to start taking birth control pills to maintain my outbreaks which in turn made me fat. Not a big fan of birth control pills but let me assure you that it worked wonders on my face - acne free, zit free, scar free. When my face finally cleared up, I came off the pill and was able to sustain being pimple free for maybe 5-6 years now, which allows my face to be make-up free (foundation and powder). I remember packing on that gunk on my face to hide skin imperfections and scars, so gross and it doesn't let your face breathe. I do get the random pimple from hell here and there, which I guess I can live with but nevertheless I have a freak attack every time.

Recently, I rubbed a live aloe plant on my face (for no apparent reason) and I guess it reacted with my face and I woke up in the morning with a rash (pimple like) all over my cheeks and my forehead. It was probably the worst morning of my life when I looked in the mirror. My daily skin care regimen simply consisted of washing my wash every morning in the shower with Apricot Scrub and that was it. I now wash twice a day due to the hot yoga classes I attend nightly. I had to scrummage out my concealer which, barely matches my current skin color in attempts to conceal the red swollen bumps. I used the old toothpaste trick at night to dry them out and then attempted something I never would have even considered... OLIVE OIL.

Lately, I been on that, when it doubt.... Google it tip. A lot of people were talking about the natural beauty and effects of olive oil. It doesn't clog pores, it makes your skin shiny and radiant, moisturizes it and since it has so many nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins it can be greatly beneficial. "Another nutrient that exists in olive oil is chlorophyll. This helps a great deal in healing wounds and other scars. Acne blemishes will be nothing but a bad dream, after you apply plenty of olive oil on your skin".

Now my nightly regimen consists of washing my face with soap and then dabbing olive oil on my face, focusing more on the mildly scarred areas. I have been doing this for about a week now and have already seen great results and major fading in scarring.

I am unsure if this will work for everybody and anybody but I ensure, this cost efficient, natural home remedy is amazing.

The Oil Cleansing Method

Island Time

With a forced 1 week vacation approaching, its either I take it or lose it... I think I want to get my island vibes on. After our dry and non-existent winter, my skin could use some vibrant color and major exfoliation. Sun, blue water, palm trees and white sand is my place of haven - simply laying there in a lawn chair as the scorching sun fries your skin (I love this feeling). As the envious light skinned people look at me and think... why is this brown girl even tanning, she is already colored? (I've seen it and heard this comment.. LOL) I think a last minute Caribbean booking is in the works.



Happy Friday the 13th

As everybody already knows... Friday the 13th is supposed to be a day of pure bad luck, well that is if you are superstitious. To me, it's just another day - nothing special. The last Friday the 13th we had, I was unnecessarily ranting and raving about how Friday the 13th was a day of good luck for me (for no apparent reason, nor can I recall a spectacular event that has occurred on this day). Well let me tell you, the last Friday the 13th I was on Creditview Rd. yielding to make a right turn onto Brittania Rd and there was 1 other car in front of me. I was looking to my left to see if it was clear to proceed (which it was), but without looking in front of me to see if that idiot had already turned (which he could and should of), I accelerated and rear-ended him.

This was the first time in my 7 year driving history I have hit someone - I was so terrified and in a state of shock, I was literally trembling. After causing a blockage in that right turn intersection, we both came out of our cars and to my luck there was not a single dent, scratch or marking on his vehicle (I probably hit him at a speed of 10-15km), On the other hand, my vehicle's license plate was bent.

Talk about BAD LUCK! but now that I think of it, a minor rear-ending is preferred as opposed to writing off my entire car + paying for damages on someones car. The worst part of this all, is that I was at a full stop and then accelerated to hit him.. It's almost like hitting a parked car. What a shame! How embarrassing! He was also losing his kanip shit on me because the car he was driving was a rental (haha). The article below states that there is a higher # than usual of automotive accidents on Friday the 13th - maybe I'll ride my bike in my 4inch heels today?

Let's see what this Friday the 13th has in store for me.

Check out this article I just read by clicking on this linking or reading it below:

If you are one of the estimated 21 million Americans suffering from paraskevidekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th), here’s a tidbit that might be disturbing.  A British study from 1993 determined that at least in terms of car accidents, there may be something to the fear.  Even though fewer people drove on Friday the 13th, there were significantly more people admitted to hospitals with injuries from auto accidents.

For whatever reason, fear of the number 13 is widespread.  But it was not always so.  In fact, there is good evidence that the same people who brought you fear of hell, ownership of women, and witch burnings also gave you the Friday the 13th myth as well.

There are 13 cycles of 28 days — lunar cycles — in a year.  And if you didn’t know, the lunar cycle was ancient society’s way of keeping time.  The same cultures that observed the lunar cycle may well have worshipped goddesses.  This is not surprising, considering the fact that life comes from women, and women menstruate in time with the lunar cycle.  (Both cycles are actually 29.5 days, but 13×28 worked well enough for the ancients.)  To these cultures — and indeed to many ancient cultures — thirteen was a lucky omen.  For example, the Egyptians believed there were 13 phases to life:  Twelve on this earth, and then the thirteenth, which was the glorious and triumphant transformation to the next life.

Where me keys, where me phone?

My girlfriend, Nav had send me this hilarious YouTube video which I cannot get over. This episode was featured on Britain's Got Talent 2012 where Zipparah, aka Mr. Zip / Tafari "raps" about losing his keys and phone. I know, I know... it sounds odd and pretty stupid right?

I highly recommend that you watch this short clip of his audition to where he even manages to get Simon Cowell's vote. You will not regret it! It is absolutely hilarious and extremely catchy. I even randomly sing it in my head or in the shower.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

Starbucks - Chai Tea Latte

I been caffeine free for about 2 months now and for some odd reason I was really craving a Starbucks Chai Tea Latte. Since I dropped my sister to work this morning, I had a little extra time before I started work to drive to Starbucks to pick up my beverage.

I, of course, got my favorite drink, Grande Tazo Chai Tea Latte and boy did it hit the spot. You can read the nutritional information on this Chai Tea Latte here. This one drink contains about 300 calories and is high in sugar and probably not the greatest thing to drink but it was well worth it. Yum!

It was good to get a 100mg caffeine boost today however, I will continue to avoid caffeine and sugary products because I do not want to become dependant on it. Majority of people have coffees, teas or espressos to begin their day and keep them going throughout the day but I stick to consuming endless glasses of water during the course of the day. This way there is no crashing and no dependencies formed. I was once a hardcore caffeine addict and while detoxing, I experienced the worst side effects from withdrawal - the headaches were indescribable (I wouldn't even wish this upon someone I absolutely despised).

A cheat, here and there does not hurt - the craving needed to be crushed!

Bikram Yoga - 2 month update

So, I have officially been attending Bikram's hot yoga classes for 2 entire months. I attend class at least a minimum of 5 times a week.

My flexibility and strength has improved so drastically that I am now able to lay my mat in the front row of class right smack in front of the mirror. The tremendous focus and dedication I have acquired is mind blowing. You can accomplish virtually anything if you put your mind to it and its never too late to begin anything.

I have seen a lot of excessively over weight people attending these classes, but their drive, motivation and will power to get through the class (which they do) inspires me. 

I have injured both of my knees, but my left knee in particular gives me a lot of pain and problems due to a partial tear in a certain ligament (which I can not remember - ACL or MCL). I also have issues with fully locking out my left knee in class because it feels like my leg is just going to collapse. The posture that gets me the most, is the standing head to knee "dandayamana janushirasana"- for some reason, I ever so desperately want to master this posture by being able to hold it for 1 minute. I can say, I have come a long way in this posture, it actually amazes me.

Also, I have always had stomach issues all my life. My digestive system has always given me problems, no matter how healthy or strict my diet is - nothing helped. I have stocks of Pepto Bismol, Metamucil, Gas-X, Imodium laying around in my drawers because I never know what's going on. I can honestly say, that my digestive system has improved so greatly, it has reduced bloating and I feel great. I have not been doing anything different from day 1 of class until today (diet or exercise wise) and that is how I know it works.

The awkward pose, is a 3 step posture also known as "utkatasana" which is very similar to the squat but in slightly different ways. How did this posture help me? Well, I was at a baby shower at a recreational center and really had to go to the bathroom. The bathroom was packed and the stall I went into, had pee all over the toilet seat (women, I know) so I had to pop a squat. Normally, in this situation within seconds my legs and thighs are trembling and I am struggling to stay above the seat, hoping and praying I don't fall onto someone's pee (Ewww).  Now, I am successfully able to hold my squat with absolutely no hesitation. Hooray!

And so I continue my Bikram yoga practice into month 3.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter & Kudos to those who survived their 46 day journey of sacrificing something for Lent.

My very 1st watch purchase

I have been wanting a watch for the longest time but never really found one that I loved. I been checking the Michael Kors website occasionally and came across this particular style - the picture did not do it justice because I was still hesitant. While at the Fashion Outlets in Niagara's ; Michael Kors When I put this particular watch around my wrist, I fell in love. The oversized runway watch was perfect. I also did not realize what skinny wrists I had for they needed to removed 4 links and because I have abnormally fat, long fingers.

Also, due to the price difference and lesser tax, how could I have not made this purchase? A savings of almost $50. This silver watch will look great, stacked with my Tiffany & Co. bracelets. Hooray! Thank god -  I was able to spend some sort of monies.

How dare they taint her name..

While shopping at the Walden Galleria mall we had ventured into a store called Spencer's Gift and I had encountered the most traumatizing shot glass ever. Everyone knows how much I love Hello Kitty and how innocent and cute this fictional character is. When I first laid eyes on this shot glass, I was thinking in my head how cute and when I read the caption and really looked at the picture... I was like O-M-G.

Check out this inappropriate shot glass..

Lulus.com purchase - SHOES

Rebecca and I just received our at lulus.com order on Thursday evening. It has been sitting at the post office for almost a week but since Rebecca has been soaking up the sun in Peurto Rico we were unable to pick it up until just recently. We visited the post office, not a minute past 5pm (after work) and upon picking up our parcel we annihilated the box in the open parking lot. I even had a random lady ask me if we were selling the shoes because we had 6 pairs come out of the box which we were putting in my trunk (haha). We then disposed the box beside a small garbage can and made a run for it. During this process, we realized we wouldn't make a good getaway team. LOL!

Check out my at Lulus shoes for all under $60 (not including shipping)...

My day trip to Buffalo

Yesterday we had left at 5:40am on our day trip to Buffalo, NY hoping not to get stuck for endless hours at the the U.S. border. We arrived at the border around 7am and thankfully only waited for 10-15 minutes to cross over hassle free. Since the outlets and malls did not open until 10am we had hit up Wal-mart and a grocery store called Tops. I had a blast at Wal-mart especially because they had a huge variety of flavors and snack items Canada does not have and also because it was 7am and not congested.

Check out our shopping cart.. please note that when this picture was taken only 1 item in that cart belongs to me.

We then visited the Walden Galleria Mall where I did not really see anything I haven't seen in Canada and the prices were exactly the same. The only I would have saved was a couple bucks on their reduced tax rate. Even Macy's, JC Penny and DSW did not really have anything outrageous which was sad. To top it off, their food court sucks and virtually has nothing good to offer - whomp whomp. Next stop, the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. There were so many fellow Canadians present at this mall, when we got there it felt like they had cleared and bought out all the goods things because there wasn't much left. However, I did make 1 purchase which is worthy of it's own blog post. Overall, the shopping; right across the border sucks and is a waste of time if you are looking for deals.

Coming back we were stuck at the border for an excess of 20-30 minutes which was not so bad, all the Canadians happen to be migrating home at the same time. We also declared over $500 worth of groceries and goods after spending only 8hrs across the border and the customs officer let us pass on by without any custom, duties or taxes - what a nice man. I guess honesty pays after all.

Hipster Floral Print Shoes

I purchased a pair of floral hipster shoes from ShoeDazzle which was outside my normal style. I absolutely fell in love with them when I saw them  online however, when I received them in the mail I was a bit hesitant on what I would wear them with. They have been sitting around since February 2012 on my drawer at work. On Thursday I had wore a pair of super high wedges that were a bit uncomfortable and that still need some breaking in.

Since my little floral booties were already readily available to me, I had put them on. They are super comfy, tres chic and simply so unique. To my surprise, they also happened to match with my outfit which was just, black skinny leg pants and a coral/peachy cardigan I buttoned all the way up as a shirt. All I needed to do was put my hair into a hipster bun to complete the look.

 These would also look great with jeans, denim shorts, a flowy skirt with an over-sized shirt/sweater. 

Easter Long Weekend

So here it is, all the bunnies are out in full effect. Raised gas prices, excess traffic, raging drivers, cops everywhere and this is what the long weekend has brought. Enough with the downsides, we get a long weekend and get to see and spend quality time with those dearest to us; whether it be family, friends or pets.

I am looking forward to indulge in a white chocolate Easter bunny. Yum! It can be my little Easter cheat treat. I don't really have anything planned for the weekend but I'm sure that won't be a problem. As a matter of fact, I am on the road to Buffalo, NY right now to swipe my plastic cards (did you notice cards was plural?) to purchase things that I do not need. What more could I ask for? Kind of a great way to begin my long weekend...

Happy Easter Friday!

Anyone have any exciting Easter long weekend plans?

I Love Curry!!

To be honest, I don't think I could live without eating curry, the flavor and the spices are so tasty. I can barely eat any other type of food without hot sauce because I have became so accustomed to these flavors and spices that when I eat food without spices; it tastes so bland. For example, I used to be an Alfredo linguine eating freak however, no matter how much I loved it I would still empty 1/4 of the bottle of chili flakes into my bowl.

A lot of my relatives and friends think I'm odd for taking curry to work - they call me a FOB (fresh off the boat) and find it really shocking and surprising. Like come on, sandwiches everyday for lunch is boring! I don't really get it... well maybe I do. Years back, when my mom would want to pack me curry for lunch, I was always embarrassed to take it to school or work because of the smell, especially when warmed up in the microwave. I don't know what was wrong with me because the smell is just amazing. I now take curry to work everyday! The most awesome part of it all, is that I work with 5 white girls who also love it (this saves me from the judgments and unnecessary comments, un-multi cultured ignorant people make). Also, I'm pretty clean about the whole eating process - I do use a spoon and don't get down and dirty with my hands when eating Roti or Rice. I think I've mastered eating curry with roti in a proper manner.

I've tried a lot of different types of curry's but my all time favorite curry cooking chef award goes to my very own mother. No, I'm not only saying this because she's my mother but because I believe that her cooking is pretty dang amazing. For those, who have tried my moms shrimp, chicken and goat curry could definitely back me on this point. She even makes vegetables taste good and will improvise a simple recipe with some of her homemade, home blended spices to taste yummers!!

Because my mom's food is so good, I don't even believe in having to pay someone to eat Indian food at a restaurant when I can have it in the comfort of my very own home.

I am the ultimate curry monster! nom, nom, nom...

NEON effect!

Along with this years Spring/Summer color blocking trend the neon colors are also back. I just painted my nails an electric pink color by China Glaze and am looking forward to the warmer weather so I can move onto more outrageous colors like pylon orange and yellow. A splash of color can really bring out your fun personality and adds that extra umph to your overall look.

My favorite neon colors this Spring/Summer are pink, yellow and orange.

Check out some of these outrageous and chic neon trends:

Tis the season to be BOLD, BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL!!!

Baby Lips

Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Lip Shine, Lip Liner, Lip Pumper, whatever other lip products that are out there... they can be good at times but I personally find that they all tend to leave that gross looking white residue that I have to scrape off my lips within hours. 

For Christmas, I was gifted Baby Lips by Maybelline and this by far is my most favorite-st lip product ever!! Yes, it does indeed give you baby soft lips while re-hydrating your lips. This product is a must try! Prior to using Baby Lips, I was using Blistex Medicated Formula (the blue container) which I still stand by 100% especially in the winter time but I find that sometimes it is little much on my lips. 

They come in 6 different varieties of shades and flavors - I prefer no color and peppermint.

 

Get your lips soft and hydrated now!