My Inner Shakti

finding strength in everyday things

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You can find me in the A!!!

written by Parita Leave a Comment

You know what I just realized?  I never mentioned, until today, anything about how I’m going home to the A this week (tomorrow to be exact)!  My friend is getting engaged (if you don’t know what getting engaged means, read this)!!  I get in tomorrow night, and I’ll be there until Sunday afternoon.  So excited!  Besides getting dressed up in my new Indian garb (and making Vishnu match me), I plan to hang out with friends and Vishnu, shop with my mom (she has Coach on her mind this Mother’s Day!), and watch a movie or two with my dad.  Oh and there will be eating…lots of eating! Smile

But first, there’s a list of to dos that need to be crossed off…

Packing Blue 007

Oh and a bag that needs to be packed…

Packing Blue 009

Anyone want to come help!?  Pretty please!

Well, after tomorrow, “if you want me, you can find me in the AAAAAAAAA!!!!”

What are you looking forward to this coming weekend?!

Written on May 4, 2011 Related:Family, Friends, Travel, Uncategorized

Staying Current on Current Events

written by Parita Leave a Comment

My DC travels continue on, and today included a tour of the Pentagon…very cool!  In case you all are wondering, I am not a secret spy or anything like that.  Actually, it’s quite the opposite – I am a Human Resources professional.  LOL! 

We also had a networking event at Clyde’s Willow Creek in Dulles, VA today, which was also fun.  The hors d’oeurves  my manager ordered were delicious.  The veggie options included fresh-baked bread, nuts (candied pecans, almonds, hazelnuts), spicy black bean dip (I have to try to recreate this at home), fresh veggies, and brie.  Check out the good eats…

 

I love my coworkers!

Oh and for those of you who are wondering, I did go for a power walk this morning. 🙂  I am staying true to my committment!

Current Events

I feel like there has been a lot going on in the world for the past few weeks, and honestly, I know enough to carry on a short conversation but not enough to where I am 100% confident in what I am saying.  This is something I really want to change because the events that are occurring will affect me in the future, and I feel like its my responsiblity to be up to speed on the important issues.  I don’t hesitate for a second to check People.com and peruse the website for a few moments, so I think I need to apply that discipline to CNN.com a little more often than I do.  Don’t get me wrong, I check the CNN website everyday, but recently, I feel that it’s not enough to just read the headlines.  We need to know what the important issues are in the US and around the world.  We are so lucky to have access to hundreds of different news sources.  We have the freedom to form our own opinions, and if we so chose, to do something if we feel strongly about an issue.  Let’s take advantage of that right, educate ourselves, and take a stand.  You may think this is cliché, but we are the future leaders of this country (in some shape or form).  We owe it to the billions of people around the world who don’t have a voice or the freedom to learn about and research current events to take full advantage and learn as much as we can. 

Again, I am a full believer in pursuing your passion and interests, but I just feel that it wouldn’t hurt to stay current on the issues that affect us and will continue to affect future generations.

What are your thoughts on current events/issues?  Do you stay on top of the news?

Written on February 23, 2011 Related:Friends, Inspirational, Restaurant, Travel

Creature of Habit

written by Parita Leave a Comment

Today was a really fun day because our team had the opportunity to meet the Chief of Staff of a House member, visit the office of a House member, and go on a tour of the Capitol Building.  My favorite part was when our tour guide showed us a part of the building where if you walk to one end of the room and essentially whisper to the ground, people on the other side of the room can hear you.  She said it had something to do with how the sound hit the ground, got absorbed, and travelled to the other side.  It was bizarre!  Here are some pics of the things I was allowed to photograph.

View from the Congressman's balcony

Beautiful chandelier

Honest Abe!

Dinner

I’m not exactly what you would call a creature of habit when it comes to food, but today was different.  I usually jump at the opportunity to try something new, but today I was craving sushi, so back to Cafe Asia I went!  This time I started with a coconut soup with mushrooms.  I love coconut soup, and I think it’s a hard item to mess up, so it was delicious…as expected!  And then, being a creature of habit for today, I ordered the same sushi for my entrée – the veggie roll and the avocado roll with cream cheese.  SO DELISH!  Have I told you guys that I love sushi?!

Refreshing iced tea 🙂

Coconut soup

 
Sushi galore!

Side note:

Fitting in workouts while traveling (especially for work) is really hard for me…usually.  This week my plan is to get in at least 4 runs in the AM, so that way I don’t have to worry about fitting them in later in the evening.  Before I go to bed I give myself little pep talks that go something like this, “You will get up and go run, even if it’s for 30 minutes because it will give you energy and make you feel good about the rest of the day.”  Let’s see how successful my self talks really are!  I am happy to report that I ran 4 miles this morning.  🙂  My goal is to switch from PM workouts to AM workouts moving forward, so this week is my transitionary period. 

Do you find it hard to workout when travelling for work or pleasure?  What do you do to motivate yourself?

Written on February 22, 2011 Related:Food, Restaurant, Travel, Workout

Positive Thoughts

written by Parita Leave a Comment

I’m baaackkk!!!  I want to be consistent (as much as I can be) with my blog posts this week so that I can keep y’all up to date with my DC adventures. 🙂

As I mentioned in my last post, my co-workers and I headed to Old Ebbitt Grill for dinner.  The restaurant is close to the White House, so I think it’s pretty busy most of the time.  The inside is gorgeous and HUGE!  The food was really good, and surprisingly there were plenty of veggie options.  Our table ordered the hummus plate as one of the appetizers, and it came with soft pita bread and fresh veggies on the side.

I ordered the Falafel Salad as my entrée.  The salad was pretty average (and colorful), but the dressing was really unique.  It was a cool, creamy yogurt dressing that had a spicy bite.  It was very refreshing!

Positive Thoughts Yield…

So, I have a question for y’all.  Do you think that positive thoughts yield positive results? 

I was reading the chapter in the “Discover Your Inner Strength” book by my co-worker, and it addressed the different inner strengths within all of us.  For example, she talks about the Path of Purpose, the Path of Possibility, and the Path of Power just to name a few.  As I was reading the chapter, I thought about a new path…the Path of Positivity.  I am really starting to believe that the energy you put out into the world is the same energy that comes back to you at some point in time.  I know this sounds very much like “The Secret,” but I guess what I’m talking about is much simpler.  When faced with a challenging situation, we should take a few deep breaths, not freak out, and put some positive thoughts out into the world, such as “It’s going to be ok.  Everything will work out somehow.”  I guess this chapter has me thinking because I usually do the complete opposite.  I tend to freak out when I can’t find my keys that are sitting at the bottom of my purse.  Haha!  Positivity is an inner strength I am trying to grow and develop because I think the world has enough pessimists.  Hey, maybe if the rest of us put enough positive thoughts out into the universe it will cancel out the negative energy of those who want nothing to do with positivity.  Something to think about… 🙂

Written on February 21, 2011 Related:Inspirational, Restaurant, Travel

DC Lovin!

written by Parita Leave a Comment

So, I recognize that I am a day behind on my posts. 🙁  This one was supposed to go up last night, but because of slow internet and a tired me, it didn’t…my apologies!  But, boy do I have a fun day to tell you about!  Let me start from the beginning though. 

I got in around 4 PM on Saturday.  I was so excited because my flight from Atlanta to DC was so empty that everyone got their own row.  When was the last time you saw that happen?!

My friend Jiggy (isn’t that a cool nickname?!) picked me up, and we headed back to her place.  We relaxed for a bit while deciding where to go for dinner.  She told me about how she is making better food and exercise choices, and she showed me her latest purchase from Trader Joe’s.

Dark chocolate covered edamame…these little suckers are really good!  If you haven’t tried them yet and are a fan of dark chocolate, try them out (and let me know what you think)!

We headed out to Cafe Asia for dinner because I was craving sushi.  I really liked the ambiance of the restaurant.  It was really modern and fun.  We started with two appetizers – edamame (can’t get enough!) and steamed tofu in a sweet soy sauce.

For my main meal of the night, I ordered a vegetarian roll with asparagus, avocado, tofu, and other Asian veggies and an avocado roll with cream cheese.  Both rolls satisfied my sushi craving. 🙂  Jiggy ordered the drunken noodles, which she loved as well.

We started off Sunday morning with a quick 30 minute workout.  Then we headed out to a crepe place near Jiggy’s apartment called La Creperie.  This was my first time eating at a completely French restaurant.  The menu was full of fun sandwiches, soups, and of course, crepes.  Jiggy and I shared the ratatouille crepe with fresh veggies and a creamy tomato sauce and the nutella crepe with bananas and almonds.  This weekend was full of good eats!

Next, we took the train to the Eastern Market stop and walked to the Sunday “flea market.”  It’s not so much a flea market as it is a venue for local vendors to showcase and sell their goods.  There were all kinds of booths – handbags, jewelry, paintings, furniture, food, etc.  I bought a beautiful necklace and a fun ring.  🙂

Beautiful collection of rings!

Our walking tour of the city took us past the Library of Congress, the Capitol Building, the National Archives, and a few other fun places.  We had no time to dillydally though because our next stop was Georgetown Cupcakes.  If you ever have the opportunity and time to visit this bakery, please do so!  BEST.CUPCAKES.EVER.

Sad faces because we were stading in a LONG line...

…in fact, it was an 1.5 hour wait before we got our cupcakes.  Call us crazy if you will, but it was TOTALLY worth it!   And now, you’re about to see why…

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge on the left and Red Velvet on the right...they tasted as good as they look!

Up close and personal!

The cupcakes were SO moist and soft and not crumbly at all.  The frosting was to die for!  It was smooth, fluffy, rich, and SO flavorful!  The sweetness wasn’t overpowering at all, and I could actually taste the cream cheese and peanut butter.  You MUST visit this place next time you are in DC!

After devouring the cupcakes and going into sugar comas, we headed back to Dupont Circle to walk around for a bit.  Jiggy found a 100% organic and vegan restaurant in Dupont that we both wanted to try called Cafe Green, so we headed there once we started getting hungry again.  This restaurant had a great menu and everything looked delicious.  I wasn’t too hungry so I went with the Mandu soup, which consisted of a clear broth, carrots, scallions, seaweed, rice cakes, and dumplings.  It was super yummy and surprisingly filling!  Jiggy opted for the club sandwich, which reminded me Lovin Spoonfuls, but this one had cheese and avacado…great additions!

So, that was pretty much my Saturday and Sunday in DC!  I had so much fun hanging out with Jiggy and exploring new parts of DC that I had never seen before. 

I just finished my first day of training, and we are about to head to the Old Ebbitt Grill for dinner. 🙂  I’ve heard good things, so I am excited!

Written on February 21, 2011 Related:Family, Food, Friends, Restaurant, Travel

Where in the World is Pa-ri-ta?!

written by Parita Leave a Comment

For those of you who guessed Washington DC, you are correct!!!  I’m in the nation’s capital for the week! 

I absolutely love DC!  It’s such a fun place to be…there’s always something going on.  I am staying with one of my best friends from college tonight and then will be at training for the rest of the week.  It’s going to be busy, but I’m really looking forward to it. 🙂  I’ll be sure to keep y’all posted as I already have fun stories to share.

We are heading to Cafe Asia for dinner tonight.  Chelsey’s post the other day gave me sushi cravings, so hopefully this place delivers!  I’ll have full report out tomorrow. 🙂  Have a great night!

What are your plans for the weekend?  Anything fun coming up?

Written on February 19, 2011 Related:Friends, Restaurant, Travel

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