finding strength in everyday things
I know I still have some wedding posts to share, but since there’s a lot to say about the garba, I want to spend some good quality time writing about it. And time is something I don’t have today.
Instead, I thought I’d share some funny things I’ve come across on the internet that are…so me. Just don’t judge, ok!?
HAPPY FRIDAY!
Even if you’re not a Bollywood fanatic, chances are you’ve heard of Aishwariya Rai. She’s a former Miss World title holder, she’s been cited as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” and she’s appeared in a number of Bollywood blockbusters. Aishwariya gained even more celebrity when she married into the Bachchan family. Her father in-law, Amitabh Bachchan, is probably the most famous Bollywood actor…ever.
Her newest role is being a mother to a six month old baby girl. And here’s where the controversy (or so called controversy) comes into play. The Indian media has been passing a lot of judgment her way because – gasp – she’s in no rush to lose the baby weight! Many claim she’s letting herself go, and that this is just not acceptable. She’s an idol in the eyes of young girls, and she needs to set the right example. Umm, what!?
Based on some of the comments that have been made, you would think she committed treason or something. People don’t understand how she’s not in top shape after six months of giving birth. Supposedly, she owes it to the people of the world to lose all of her pregnancy weight in record time.
Honestly, I was surprised to read that she didn’t hire a personal trainer right away. It seems that celebrity moms (from all parts of the world) are in a rush to lose the baby weight plus some and are able to do so easily. It’s hard to believe that someone with the means to do so chooses to take her time with the process.
After thinking about this for a few days, I’m actually happy that she’s doing what makes her and her body happy, as she’s the only one who knows what it needs. If it doesn’t bother her, why is it making so many people angry?
Maybe it’s because of cultural norms, maybe it’s because she chooses not to do something even though she can, or maybe it’s because people aren’t ready to accept that Ms. Rai has gained some weight. In any case, I think these people are sick.
The sad part is that all women, celebrity or not, go through this. Personally, I’ve seen close friends and family members work their asses off to lose pregnancy weight because that is now the norm. One could even call it a competition. The women I know literally felt pressured to shrink back to their previous sizes as quickly as possible. I’ve never been pregnant, so I honestly don’t know what it’s like to try to lose that kind of weight, but I imagine it’s hard…really really hard.
It’s just sad to me that on top of all the internal pressure new mothers face, people pass judgment when the weight doesn’t come off that easily, new mothers feel like ugly whales when the scale doesn’t budge, and society still defines beauty by what’s on the outside. 
Something I try to remind myself on a daily basis (because sometimes I fall prey to thinking thin) is that…
“Beauty is not in the face (or the body); beauty is a light in the heart.” – Khalil Gibran
Thoughts on the Aishwariya “controversy?” Do you think the [global] cultural norm is for woman to be as thin as possible?
Life lately has been full of a lot of excitement. One of my best friends just got engaged on Sunday, and I’m so over-the-top happy for her! I honestly felt like I was reliving my own engagement when I found out about hers. I love love!
Me and Rosh hiking in AZ!
Life lately has been full of packing. Lots and lots of packing. My dad is flying in on Thursday night, and we’re driving down to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday – me in my car and my dad in a U-Haul. Thank God for my dad!
Life lately has been full of omelets. My sister called today just as I was finishing dinner, and when I told her what I ate, she laughed. I’ve been eating an egg white omelet with black beans, goat cheese, and salsa for dinner every other night for the past week and a half. What can I say – it’s easy and filling. And anyway, it’s hard to cook when most of your pots, pans, and kitchen gadgets are packed away.
Life lately has been full of funny ideas. The particular incident I’m thinking about has to do with our new apartment and Vishnu’s inspection. After getting the keys, he went in to take a look and then called me to let me know everything was good to go. Almost. He told me that we would most likely have to put our dresser in the closet because there was no way everything was going to fit in our bedroom. My initial response was, “You want to put the dresser in the closet?! What are you talking about!?” He told me there’s no space for all of our furniture. I then proceeded to go online and take a closer look at the layout and dimensions for our apartment. I didn’t know what he was talking about – the master bedroom is huge. I laughed at his ridiculous comment, but he was still convinced that the dresser was going in the closet. When he got back to his apartment, he decided to measure all of the furniture to see if it would indeed fit [like I believed]. I got a phone call afterwards, and lo and behold, the dresser will not be going in the closet.
Life lately has been full of nerds. I’m done with the first five seasons of The Big Bang Theory. LOVE THIS SHOW! I can’t wait for season six to start in September!
Life lately has been full of sleepless nights. And this is frustrating. There is nothing better then getting into bed, closing your eyes, letting your body relax, and falling fast asleep. But no. I get into bed, toss and turn, and get up at least twice throughout the night. I would be surprised if I was getting a full six hours a night. This has got to change…ASAP. I’m really hoping being back at home for a while will help remedy the situation. *Fingers crossed*
Life lately has been hectic but fun. Lots of fun. 
What has life been for you lately?
Saying goodbye is not easy for me. In fact, for me, farewells usually involve tears. It’s been that way ever since I was a little girl. I remember crying when my cousins moved to North Carolina (I was five years old). I cried a lot when my best friend Megan moved away. There were lots and lots of tears when we made our move from RI to GA. And it’s pretty much the same story with every other goodbye since.
What can I say, I’m an emotional person!
Times may be changing though because I didn’t shed a single tear at my goodbye lunch today at Olive Garden. That’s not to say I wasn’t on the brink of tears.
Before I go on about my emotional self, can we just talk about how much Olive Garden has improved over the years?! My friends and I used to go a lot in high school, but since then, I‘ve only been a handful of times. The quality of the food has vastly improved over the past 10 years. I was impressed by the Minestrone soup, fresh salad (four bowls worth), and warm breadstick that was my lunch. And everyone else’s meals looked equally as delicious. Next time, I definitely want to try one of the desserts.
YUM.
Ok, so back to me. I’ve been with my current company for almost two years. And because of the leadership program I’m a part of, I’ve had the opportunity to live and work in three different geographic locations (AZ –> MA –> and now FL). I’ve learned a lot along the way, but honestly, the people I’ve met and gotten to know are what have made the past two years so special.
I remember my last team meeting in Tucson. I was an emotional wreck. As soon as I started tearing up, about 2/3 of the team joined me. And right before I left Marlborough, I hugged one of my coworkers for two minutes (while crying).
So as you can imagine, I was super impressed by my sense of composure today. The team in Florida has been awesome to work with. I seriously have had the best luck with coworkers. It’s just that there are so many fun things happening in the next two months…I’m honestly just too excited to cry. Also, I know that I can always visit since St. Pete is only 3.5 hours from Fort Lauderdale.
I like to call these bittersweet times. I’m leaving a company that has provided me with some amazing opportunities over the past couple of years and coworkers that have made the journey worthwhile. However, I know that keeping in touch with everyone will be easy with all the technology that’s available.
And anyway, there’s no reason to get sappy just yet…I still have 1.5 weeks left. They can’t get rid of me that easily! We’ll see how I fare next Friday (my last official day). Will Parita’s tears make an appearance?? Only time will tell!
Are you an emotional person? Do you cry easily? If not, how do you show your sadness?
Don’t ask why, but the other day, Vishnu and I talked about maintaining perspective. I honestly have no clue how we stumbled on to this topic, but I thought I’d share some of what we discussed because it was interesting, and I think it opened both of our eyes to what’s important to us. And life is something I can talk on and on about!
What I really walked away with is a new”ish” way of thinking about perspective. I say new”ish” because I’ve thought a lot about this topic, but I’ve always found it hard to implement a calm, focused way of thinking when obstacles appear.
I think we can all agree that life can be a B**** sometimes. Every now and then, the plans we make for ourselves change for reasons beyond our control. It’s almost like getting a “go to jail” card…you can’t do anything about it. You feel stuck. And trust me, I totally get that some situations warrant anger, frustration, sadness, etc. Been there, done that. However, when I think about 95% of the things that didn’t go my way over the past few yeas, I know that my perspective and attitude were quite honestly…messed up. My automatic response was to freak out, cry, get angry, etc…always. Thinking back on these moments, I’m embarrassed.
Another way Vishnu and I thought about this was to analyze how we react when people are nasty to us. It’s so easy to get pissed off and be nasty right back. In fact, in the past, that’s always been our response. Tit for tat. Without some perspective, every unfriendly encounter brings negative energy to your life.
While a little bit of venting and anger is absolutely necessary, holding on to it is not.
I once read in a magazine that the best way to maintain perspective is to ask yourself the following questions:
– Will this matter an hour from now?
– Will this matter a day from now?
– Will this matter a week from now?
– Will this matter a month from now?
– Will this matter a year from now?
– Will this matter 10 years from now?
If you were to pick a situation from your past that really bothered you at the time and ask yourself these questions, what would the responses be? Does that situation/issue still matter today? Was the intense emotion worth it?
Something to think about!
While watching TV at the gym the other day, I heard something in one of the commercials that also got me thinking about perspective and life. I can’t remember what the commercial was about, but I do recall the premise behind it – life is short. The announcer person was saying things like you only have so many vacations left in life, you only have so many hugs to be received, you only have so many sunrises left to witness, etc. As morbid and sad as it sounds, it’s true. Life is short. Perspective is important.
But really, I always say that “going forward I want to focus on what’s important.” But as soon as something goes wrong, my good intentions go out the window. Well, it’s time to walk the walk and try to maintain perspective because most things will not matter for long and life is short.
And if my wordy post wasn’t enough, how’s this for perspective…
Please be sure to enjoy your weekend by doing things that make you happy and spending time with those that matter. 
1. Buxom Lip Gloss
This lip gloss is pretty much the best thing ever. It delivers the perfect amount of shine, creates the illusion of fuller lips, and keeps lips soft and smooth for hours. And the best part is the slight tingle you feel upon applying the gloss.
I was actually able to try this via a free gift at Sephora, and the color I got was called Sugar. Unfortunately, I lost my little sample while out in Atlanta with my cousins but plan on picking up a full size gloss soon. You won’t regret this purchase. Promise!
2. Zac Efron in The Lucky One
Anyone else? After catching 17 Again on TV this Sunday, I was even more excited for The Lucky One to hit theaters. The movie is based on the Nicholas Sparks’ novel and is set to be released next Friday! When I first heard that Zac Efron was playing the male lead, I didn’t think too much about it, but after seeing the trailer, I’m kinda in love…with him. And yes, Vishnu knows. I don’t care what anyone says, he’s dreamy!
3. The Big Bang Theory
I can’t get enough of this show lately. Every episode cracks me up. And I have to admit, Sheldon Cooper is my favorite. His inability to comprehend basic human emotions is endearing….most of the time. Oh and “bazinga!” Ha ha!
4. Knowing that in 48 hours I will be in Miami with my girls!
Oh, South Beach, we meet again!!!
So tell me, what are you loving right now? Any new products I should check out?
Thank you all so much for the sweet comments on my last post. It’s nice to know I’m not crazy!
I think this weekend validated that I worry too much because Vishnu and I found an apartment! It took a whole day of searching, but we did it. I didn’t take any pictures, but I’ll be sure to once we set it up in a few months. The place we decided on was actually the second to last one we visited, and we both loved it the minute we stepped inside. AND it’s in our price range, which after six hours of searching, I thought was going to be impossible to make happen. Woo hoo!
Since we knew Saturday was going to be dedicated to apartment hunting, we decided to make Friday evening a date night. Pizza, fro-yo, and a movie were on the agenda.
First, we headed to Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza for dinner. Vishnu’s been a few times and has only had great things to say, so I knew I’d love it too. We decided on the Eggplant Marino pie. The crust, the sauce, and the tender eggplant were all wonderful. However, an important ingredient was missing – the cheese. I think this particular pie could’ve used a few slices of fresh mozzarella. Regardless, we’ll be back again to try the Roasted Cauliflower pizza!
It just so happened a fro-yo place was next door. And since I’ve been craving frozen yogurt for months now, we had to make a quick pit stop. Check out our cup of goodies…
That, my friends, would be a cup of peanut butter, Oreo, and cappuccino frozen yogurts topped with crushed Oreos, almonds, and Snickers. Vishnu said he only wanted a “few” bites, so we shared. Bad idea. This cup was pretty much split 50/50. Next time, I’m getting my own!
Our night ended with a late show of The Hunger Games. Vishnu and I both read the book, so our expectations were set super high. I think for the level of detail in the book, the movie was well-made. It was good – the set, the cast, the story. I did, however, leave craving more. More depth, more emotion…I don’t know. But in order for that to happen, the movie would have to be another hour or two longer, so I get it. It was good, and I’m truly looking forward to the next two movies!
I can’t wait for regular date nights!
Before I peace out, a quick reminder – the next time I blog about my silly worries, please feel free to tell me to chill out! Please.
Happy Monday, everyone!