random Archives - My Inner Shakti

73 Questions

I love old school blogging. You know, day in the life of/chit chat/journal type posts. While I still loosely follow that format here on MIS, I honestly miss some of my favorite bloggers writing in that same way. I hear it’s making a come back though so stay tuned!

In the spirit of old school blogging, I decided to answer a 73-question survey I first saw on Julie’s blog. It’s super random, but because I love these kinds of posts, I decided to partake!

Note that most of my answers are exactly what came to mind in the moment. If you’ve been wanting to get to know me on an even deeper level, here’s your chance!

1. What’s the best thing that happened to you this month? Kaiden started sleeping in until 6-6:30 am (for the most part)!

2. What is something you’re tired of? How divided and caustic our country has become.

3. What is something that recently moved you? A text exchange with a good friend who is currently experiencing some hardship. Her strength is inspiring.

4. If you could teach one subject in school what would it be? Math

5. What’s your favorite beverage? Sparkling water

6. What’s your favorite cocktail? Moscow Mule

7. What is your favorite birthday cake? Anything with lots of chocolate!

8.What is one thing you still have from your childhood? My goofiness

9. What is your favorite movie? Now and Then

10. What is something you can’t do? A cartwheel

11. What is one habit you wish you could break? Picking at my skin

12. What makes you laugh no matter what? Vishnu (my hubby!)

13. What does creativity mean to you? Doing what you love

14. What are your favorite lyrics of all time? Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein…

15. What is something you’ve always wanted to try but you’ve been too scared to do? Bungee jumping

16. Best advice for your 19 year old self? Practice self-love every damn day – physically, mentally, emotionally. I don’t know much, but this much I do know – loving yourself for who you are is the key to a joyous and fulfilled life.

17. If you could raid one woman’s closet who would it be? Nasreen from HeyNasreen

18. Must have purse item? Wallet

19. What did you want to do with your life at age 12? I think at that age I wanted to be news reporter.

20. What is something you will not be doing in ten years? Working an 8-5 [insert prayer hands emoji!]

21. What is an important life lesson for someone to learn? Constantly thinking/worrying about what other people think is a surefire way to be miserable.

22. What is one goal you are determined to achieve in your lifetime? Start my own business.

23. Would you ever live anywhere besides Chicago? Yes, Atlanta. HAHA!

24. What is your favorite dessert? Chocolate chip cookie

25. Is there a dessert you don’t like? Anything made with mint and/or white chocolate

26. It’s brunch! What do you eat? Chilaquiles

27. Who is your favorite painter? Michelangelo

28. Favorite Disney animal? Baloo

29. What is a book you are planning on reading? Things You Save in a Fire (release date August 13)

30. What did you read most recently? I’ll Never Tell

31. Favorite solo artist? John Legend and Alicia Keys

32. What’s your Favorite board game? Taboo will always have my heart!

33. What’s a city you wish to visit? In the US – San Francisco. Internationally –Barcelona.

34. Heels or flats? Flats!

35. Where does one go on a perfect road trip? California

36. What do you do on a rainy day? Read, sleep (well, at least pre-baby me did this!)

37. What’s your favorite exercise? All time – running. Currently – TAP classes at my gym.

38. What was your worst subject in school? Physics

39. What is your spirit animal? Monkey

40. What do you usually eat for breakfast? Protein shake

42. Cooking or Baking? Love both, but if I had to choose, cooking.

41. What do you usually eat for dinner? Varies by the day!

43. Favorite baked good? Soft, warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies

44. What is something you wish you could be good at? Playing the piano.

45. Skiing or Surfing? Neither!

46. First celebrity crush? Mike Vitar from Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks.

47. Most recent celebrity crush? Matthew Rhys (you guessed it…from the Americans)

48. What color was your prom dress? I didn’t go to my junior or senior prom. Whoomp whoomp…

49. How do you manage stress? Deep breathing, making to do lists, and talking it out with someone I’m close to.

50. What do you do to relax? Read, write, or watch TV

51. Age when you were first kissed? 13 or 14

52. Place you were first kissed? My friend’s basement (we were playing spin the bottle)

53. Favorite fashion trend of all time? High-waisted EVERYTHING!

54. Best fashion advice you’ve ever received? Dress for your body.

55. Trend you would like to see disappear forever? Super duper short shorts

56. Shoes or Bags? Shoes!

57. How do you know if you’re in love? When you feel 100% yourself around the other person and don’t question every word, move, etc.

58. Television show you’ve binged on recently? Currently – the Americans. We’re hooked!

59. Who do you turn to when you’re sad? My husband or my sister.

60. Name one thing you’ve learned the hard way? Loving myself is the key to joyous existence.

61. If you could make a documentary about anything what would it be? The crisis at the border and the state of the detention centers. More people need to be made aware of what’s happening in our own country for things to change.

62. What is your Kryptonite? My son’s smile and laugh!

63. What are you most enchanted by? The way my son says ‘I love you!’ And sunrises/sunsets.

64. What is your biggest strength? Reading people – what they’re feeling, thinking, etc. Sometimes I’m wrong because I go a little too deep, but most of the time, I’m spot on!

65. What is your biggest weakness? My ability to overthink everything and then blame myself no matter what.

66. What are 3 words to describe living in Chicago? Cold, walkable, food [lover’s paradise]

67. Cutest thing on planet earth? Babies interacting with each other

68. Most important advice you’d give your future children? Be kind…always.

69. Best first date idea? Walking and eating your way through your city!

70. Favorite type of flower? Lilies or roses

71. What do you first notice about someone when you meet them? Smile and sense of humor

72. What’s your guilty pleasure? Currently – binge watching the Americans.

73. Plans for the weekend? My BIL and his girlfriend are visiting from Atlanta, so hanging out with them!

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Thank You Cards – Yay or Nay?

written by Parita 17 Comments

On our long drive back from St. Louis to Chicago, my sister and I discussed a very important topic – thank you cards!

My opinion on thank you cards is based on two things – 1. the agony of writing 200 or so messages (minus the 5 that Vishnu wrote :P) after our wedding and 2. what I do with the thank you cards I receive in the mail (I don’t have a box filled with them anywhere).

Aekta’s perspective stems from knowing that she has hundreds of thank you cards to write in the coming weeks. And the hand cramps that come with task!

As you can probably tell, we border on the ‘nay’ side of the debate…kind of. We both agreed that saying thank you is an absolute must. However, is a snail mail thank you card the answer? We don’t think so. There are so many more personal, environmentally friendly, and time saving options out there – phone calls and emails being two of them. Tangible thank you cards just feel outdated.

thank you card

I mean think about it. You get married, settle into a new home, have a million important things to do, etc. Oh and don’t forget, you have to write a bajillion thank you cards. Or think about this. You have a baby, you come home to absolute chaos, etc. Oh and don’t forget, you have to write a bajillion thank you cards. Ummm…does anyone else see something wrong with this?

In both of those situations, imagine how much easier it would have been to sit down, pound out 10-20 personalized emails, attach a fun picture or two, and hit send. And don’t forget, emails can last forever, AND they can start a conversation (thank you cards = one way communication)!

As far as phone calls are concerned, calling all 200+ guests/families doesn’t make much sense (especially if you’re trying to save time), but imagine how nice it would be to call and personally thank your very closest friends and relatives. Super nice!

I know my mom will likely disagree with mine and Aekta’s perspective. She still values the handwritten thank you card, as I’m sure a lot of people do. And I see where she’s coming from, but given that most thank you notes are automatically disposed of, I just don’t see the point.

I’m curious – what do you think? Thank you cards – yay or nay?

Weekend Recap – Six Things

written by Parita 11 Comments

Another weekend, another recap. And this time around I have six things to share!

One — match day

Match day, the day where fourth year medical students learn where they matched for residency, was on Friday. I so wish I could have been with my sister and parents when Aekta found out where she matched. But we did the next best thing and FaceTimed so I could watch her open her letter.

And…

…she matched in Chicago at her #1 choice!!! Woo hoo! Aekta’s rank list consisted of mostly Chicago programs, but because she also had two non-Chicago programs on her list, we were all a little nervous. I could not be more proud of my little sissy! She’s worked so hard to get to this point, and I know she’s going to be an amazing doctor!

Personally, it all feels real now. I’m going to be living in the same city as my sister! WOO HOO!

Two — celebratory date night

Vishnu and I wanted to celebrate Aekta matching so we headed to a local Thai restaurant for dinner. And to be 100% honest, I also didn’t feel like cooking. Win, win!

I was in a sushi kind of mood so I ordered a couple of vegetarian rolls (tofu + avocado and sweet potato + avocado), and Vishnu ordered a Panang Curry with duck. The food was good but not great, so we decided that this would be our last time dining here.

Three — highlights

After a lot of back and forth, I decided to highlight my hair again! My colorist was awesome and did a great job. We decided to go a little lighter this time while still keeping it natural. She ended up using two different colors to give my hair some dimension. I know coloring your hair isn’t the best thing, but it really is so much fun! I love the new look!

I also ended up getting a little trim while I was there. Nothing dramatic at all since I’m trying to grow out my hair for the wedding. However, I’m 99% sure I’m going to chop it all off come June!

Four — wine and cheese night

Vishnu’s talked about doing a wine and cheese night for the past few weeks. Well, his wish is my command! I picked up some mozzarella (not typical for this kind of thing but I needed it for another dish as well), Gruyere, and Iberico cheese at Trader Joe’s. We already had a few pieces of sourdough bread at home. We also had a few avocados that needed to be used up pronto, so I suggested Vishnu make his famous Doc Guac. And that, my friends, was dinner on Saturday night.

Five — What Alice Forgot

I FINALLY finished What Alice Forgot…finally! Like Liane Moriarty’s other books, this one was interesting and full of little twists and turns. However, it didn’t become a I-can’t-put-this-down kind of book until about 80% of the way through. Even though it wasn’t my favorite read of all time, I still highly recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining/fun book to add to their reading list. You won’t be disappointed!

Six — getting ready for my work trip to Chicago

In Parita’s world, week long trips require a lot of pre-work. Or maybe I create the work for myself. Either way, I spent most of Sunday making my way through my to-do list. I cleaned the apartment and got my workout out of the way before doing three loads of laundry, packing, painting my nails, and making Vishnu a week’s worth of lasagna.

And now I’m ready for Chicago!

Tell me about your weekend!

73 Questions

Thank You Cards – Yay or Nay?

Weekend Recap – Six Things

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