Category Archives: Happiness Project

#WeVerb12: Chronicle

Posted by Ayesha in Family, Friends, Happiness Project

Did you have a perfect day this year? Describe it.

I feel that this is a no-brainer question. My perfect day this year was the day we got married. I know that everyone says that something always goes wrong on your wedding day. But when I look back at the day, I really can’t think of anything going wrong enough to throw me at all. Really. If you don’t know me, you should know that I am a complete planner. I pored over timeline templates, websites, and consulted the photographer and our day-of-coordinator to make sure that everything would go smoothly. 

And it really went so smoothly. It was perfect. And the day was just joyous. We were surrounded by our closest friends and family. We promised ourselves to each other. I felt no stress (a rarity for me), only giddy nervousness. I remember joy. 

And after eating a few bites of a yummy meal, we danced the night away. 

Personal photo; Feel free to caption this below

Personal photo; Feel free to caption this below

It was honestly the perfect day from the morning bagel run to the first look to the “I will”s to the cheesecake dessert.

Perfect.

weverblogo

#WeVerb12: Delight

Posted by Ayesha in Happiness Project, Life

How can you bring more joy into your life in 2013?

2012 was pretty joyous. So much of it was filled with merriment and all of our favorite people. But I think I spent a lot of time going out and being social, so I didn’t give myself enough time at home for relaxation.

For 2013, we have agreed to have one completely unscheduled weekend a month just to ourselves. There may be times when we have to clean or run some errands, but for the most part, it will be for us. We can either stay home, or go away for a small trip. And I think it’s going to be great for our moods. I’m also hoping to spend more time outdoors, more time reading, and more time writing. Beyond that, I think 2013 has a lot of great things in store, and I really hope for as much joy as we have experienced this year, if not more.

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#WeVerb12: Recharge

Posted by Ayesha in Happiness Project, Life

I hope you all had a merry merry Christmas! I fell a little behind on posting with all the holiday festivities. You’ll see a few more posts daily until I catch up. 

What did you do to recharge your batteries in 2012?

Our big recharge came mid-year right after our wedding, when we honeymooned in Costa Rica. We soaked in the beauty of the rain forest, lounged in pools, ate great food and even did some adventuring!

P1020941

Of course, we can’t just run away to Costa Rica every time we need recharging. When I can carve out alone time, I like to paint my nails, go window shopping, and of course, read with a cup of tea. I hope to add exercise to that, too.

How do you recharge?

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#WeVerb12: Enliven

Posted by Ayesha in Happiness Project, Inspiration, Life

Was there a book or article that inspired you to make a change in your life this year? What was the source and what did you change?

The book that helped me shape my year and gave me a new perspective on life was something I finished right at the end of last year. It was the first book I reviewed this year as well. It may seem cliche, but The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin really made an impact on my life this year.

image via bn.com

image via bn.com

I will admit that I didn’t love this book, but I loved the mantra I took away from it, which is “Be Ayesha.” It seems pretty obvious to be true to yourself. But, up until this year, I spent so much time focused on what I should be doing, rather than what I could be doing for a happier me. I had to realize that it’s ok that I don’t want to go out dancing every weekend because then I wouldn’t be me. I had to realize that it’s ok to not be a foodie, because you wouldn’t know whose fridge you were in if you didn’t find cheese, rice, and possibly a Hot Pocket or two in mine. I had to realize that I shouldn’t waste money on a Groupon activity that I would never do so that I could buy books and shoes.

I’m glad that I applied the mantra this year when Pinterest would tell me what the latest and greatest crafts were, and wedding world made me feel like our wedding wasn’t pretty enough or stylish enough or unique enough. I wouldn’t be me if I said yes to everything. “Be Ayesha” helped me maintain my sanity, and I’m confident that I will be able to carry that with me in years to come.

Have you ever found great advice from something you didn’t entirely love?

weverblogo

Sundays

Posted by Ayesha in Happiness Project, Life

I love Sunday.

Sunday is me time. Saturday is usually very busy, either with a work event, or something social that has been planned months in advance. But Sunday is my day to do whatever I want. It usually starts off fairly quiet. I wake up at least a couple of hours before E. So, I make a cup of tea, read, or peruse the blogs. That is the extreme of me time. It’s so quiet and I love the thinking time.

Recently, every Sunday, we have had a full breakfast together. We don’t usually get to eat breakfast together because I’m rushing out the door to work and he’s trying to stay asleep while I clatter around. But every Sunday, we have this time together. And I love it. It’s definitely something I want to keep going enough that it becomes one of our “things.”

The rest of the day is usually very flexible. Sometimes, I have Disneyland plans, like I do today. And sometimes, I go out window shopping, grocery shop, or we go see a movie. I like that it’s mostly open and I have that day to decompress and prepare myself for Monday, although Monday is never easy.

Do you get a day for you? What day is it? And what do you like to do?

Part of My Happiness Project Fulfilled

Posted by Ayesha in Blog Life, Happiness Project, Inspiration, Life, On Writing and tagged with

Hey everyone. I know I have been a very absent blogger in the past few weeks. It’s been a whirlwind of wedding joy.

But I just needed to check in and let you know that I fulfilled a goal that I set out for myself in 2011 and in 2012. And that was to become a Weddingbee! I was just accepted yesterday, and I’m on Cloud Nine about it. I know this blog suffered a lot to become a bee, and I just want to let you all know that it was not in vain.

I will be posting more regularly on this blog once we get back from Costa Rica. I will be sharing our travel adventures and the books I have read recently. Blogging has been such a great experience thus far, and I want to continue to write as much as I can.

I know that not all of you are interested in wedding talk, which is why I try to keep them separate, but if you are interested in following an abbreviated version of my wedding planning journey on the Bee, I will be introduced today as Miss Genie! Every time I think about my intro to the Hive tomorrow, I want to pinch myself.

 

Slow and Steady Fitness Progress

Posted by Ayesha in Happiness Project

In the month of April, with the pressure of dress fittings and a general unhappiness with my body, I decided to kick one of my 2012 goals into gear. That goal was to be mindful of my fitness and my diet.

I virtually ignored it after being sidelined with a nearly fractured foot and asthma in January. I started mindlessly snacking, stopped working out, and became more and more frustrated with myself, with my ill-fitting wardrobe, and myself again. So, with June not so far away, I decided that if it was ever going to happen, it had to happen now. And I’m so glad I gave myself the time. These are non-extreme things that have helped me feel a little better everyday. It’s not an extreme weight loss plan, but it’s more of a regular routine to shed a few pounds, improve tone, and boost energy. And it’s specific to me. I am not a fitness guru like some of my friends.

1. Monitor daily calorie intake- I use the app My Fitness Pal to keep on target. It has a huge listing of nutritional facts for different foods and you can add foods in that you have information for.

2. Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30- almost every morning, I have been waking up to do this workout. For me, it is pretty challenging. I always have to work my way up from the modified easier version to the regular version within the week. The workout is not fast paced and not boring. I turn down the volume once I know the workouts because Jillian’s voice can be a little unnerving. This has definitely helped me wake up better in the mornings and sleep more soundly at night. It also helps me figure out how many calories I need to eat to reach my calorie goal because working out helps bank calories in your day.

3. Less snacking- My relationship to food is really weird. I’m a shopaholic so food that I buy always seems more appealing than food I bring. But if I have something in my lunch bag, I won’t buy anything because that is silly and wasteful. So what does this mean? I stuff my bag full of snacks, two different fruits, one veggie, one 100 cal sweet thing, and a small portion of tortilla chips for salt. When someone offers something like Oreos, I think, “I have something sweet in my bag, so no, thanks!” and then, the craving goes away. Weird, huh? Having something available makes me crave it less and then I don’t end up eating anything unnecessary at at all. I always eat the fruit though.

4. Portion control at dinner- I have no trouble eating the correct portions at lunch. Plus I still have time to burn some calories, in case I do go over. But eating at home has always been a challenge for me. I am usually hungry when I get home and I want to snack while making dinner. I have decided, to avoid a long dinner making process, to have closer to ready made things from Costco and Trader Joe’s around to speed up the dinner prep process. I eat more slowly when I do eat and only serve myself the portion I know is appropriate. If I am still hungry, I’ll wait 10 minutes to let the food settle and see if I still want more. Sometimes I do, but mostly, I don’t.

5. Drink more water- Siting at my desk all day, I forget to do this, especially if I have had my morning tea already. I now drink water when I wake up to start my day’s hydration, after I work out of course, and before I have tea in my office. It gets me mindful of drinking water all day long, and helps me curb cravings for other drinks (like Coke which I have reduced to once a week, if ever).

Taking the train also helps me be more active and mindful of the hours in my day. I am looking forward to a shorter commute in my near future, but all of these little things have helped me feel generally better about myself and my body. I’m seeing little changes and the scale is slowly telling me I’m doing the right things. My plan is to keep this up all year long! Or forever.

Thanks for reading my overwhelmingly long fitness post. Do you have any tricks that help you out in your fitness? Care to share?

Recipe Time: It Tastes Like Home!

Posted by Ayesha in Food, Happiness Project and tagged with ,

In the time since moving out of my parents’ house, I have only had a few opportunities to cook Filipino or Bengali dishes. Even white jasmine rice seems like a luxury sometimes. E doesn’t really like to eat the things I grew up eating, mostly because of the smells they create when cooking. So, I usually try to choose opportune moments to have these special dishes. E is gone for a few days, so I am taking advantage of me time, and making my favorite home cooked meals. My most favorite is sinigang, a tamarind based soup from the Philippines. It’s like the Filipino version of hot and sour soup. I have recently started making this soup in a Crock Pot while I am away at work. And the best part about this soup is that you can’t overcook it! Want the recipe?

Indgredients:

1 lb cubed stew meat

2 serrano chiles slit

1 daikon peeled and sliced

1 medium tomato sliced

1 medium onion diced

1 eggplant cubed (or 2 Japanese eggplants cubed)

1 or 2 handfuls of green or string beans (however many fit in your pot)

2 handfuls of spinach (whatever fits in your crock pot)

1 packet of Knorr Sinigang sa Sampalok mix (the magic of this dish)

6 cups of water

image via pinoyoutlet.com

Place the beef at the bottom of the crock pot with the two chiles. Pour the soup mix on top. Then add the onions, tomatoes, daikon and eggplant. Add the water, and see how much space you have in the pot for the green beans. Add what fits, leaving a little bit of room for the spinach later. Set it on low for 7 to 8 hours. (I have left it on longer, and it is still wonderful!) In the last hour, add the spinach. Mix it in to the soup so that it cooks properly.

Not the prettiest dish, but oh so tasty! personal photo

Serve over white or brown rice.

Tips:

I like mine a bit more sour, so I add a little (just a little!) more powder. In my house, we would each add powder to our bowls to flavor it to our own tastes.

If it all doesn’t fit in your Crock Pot, and you are at home, go ahead and put it in a stock pot on simmer for a few hours. My coworker did this and it worked out perfectly!

This dish makes me feel all warm inside, and it tastes even better the next day! What are your special meals from home? Are they for special occasions? Or do you get to eat them whenever you want?