2014: Fight with me

2013 has been quite a challenge. I went into the year filled with doubts and fear, and I am ending year feeling like I've half won the battle.

This 2013 was filled with high ups and down lows. It felt like a definite war zone and I'm on the winning side. Though the year has been a battlefield, and the number of times I broke down, cried myself to sleep and scolded myself to do better, I've pulled through and survived.

I don't want to say the cliche "A New Year = New Beginnings" like the did last year and the year before that. I want to walk into the new year filled with hope. Hope that the "New Beginning" would end with smiles and warm hearts. Hope for happiness. Hope for success. Hope for love. Hope for courage. Hope for abundance. 

With 2013 ending. I want to list down the highlights of the year:

January: Started up my fitness routines

February: Officially started my driving lessons and started working at my Dads family business

March: Started going to scheduled workout classes (zumba, pilates, yoga) - It was haaaard but super fun! 

April: 

- Got my license on the morning of my birthday.

- Celebrated my birthday at The Sea Loft in Amwaj. Though the weather was crappy and we couldn't find the pool. There were fun memorable moments made.

May: Attended and actually "helped out" at a Toastmaster Area Competition. - It was fun and productive! I smiled, shook hands and held my head high with positivity! xD

 

 June: Attended my first beach party and got braces! O.O

 

July: Started Arabic classes but was unfortunately discontinued due to my sudden impatience and over thinking it's purpose in my life. But I did learn a little bit more arabic then I already knew. 

September: Saw an Elvis impersonator and took a selfie with him! xD

 

November: 

- Confirmed that I was going to be awarded Magna Cum Laude. 

- Graduation Practice 

- Graduation Day - I finally graduated from university. 

 

  

 

December: 

- Celebrated a local bloggers Blogoversary - It was super fun!

- Christmas Time - PRESENTS! SO MANY PRESENTS!

And those are my highlights for 2013. I now realized that I didn't do much xD Even if I didn't, I did have fun. 

Things have come and things have gone, but there are things that have come to stay, those are the things we have to cherish and be extremely grateful for. To those things and people, I want to say 'Thank you' for all the support you've given me through my time on the battlefield. You have bandaged my wounds and pushed me to fight until the very end. Though this battle is far from over, I can see it's future. Its future is victory. 

2014, come at me. I am ready for you! I will fight you with my sword of courage and gut-feelings and shield myself from your strikes with my shield of hope! I am ready! 

Have a great new year everyone! 

May you all carry the courage and hope throughout this 2014, and win this battle along side me. 

Love all, Love life 

xox

Thankful Thursday #2 - Christmas Time

I do hope you all had a pleasant Christmas time with you family and friends, going to christmas parties, exchanging gifts, and chugging down eggnog.

This week had been a blast, and here are the things I am grateful for:

Dec 20th - Dec 26th

1. I am grateful for my braces that has been doing really great so far. 

 - I received the news from my orthodontist that my braces would be coming off after 4 months, and I am extremely grateful for that.

2. I am grateful for everyone who joined my giveaway on my official book/fashion/food/beauty blog 

3. I am grateful for all the Christmas presents I received from my cousins and siblings. 

- I can't thank you enough for all you've literally given me. *hugs*

4. I am grateful for hot chocolate and tea for warming me up on this cold December.

- I've been literally shivering because of the cold lately

5. I am grateful for the Christmas scented candles that make my room smell deliciously Christmasy and as well as keeping my room a bit warmer.

6. I am grateful for the new glasses

- Although they give me head aches, they have made my eye sight clearer. 

7. I am also grateful that I only have to continue my "patching" for my amblyopia condition for one more month. 

You don't need to think really hard to be grateful for something. Look around you and you'll find things you're thankful you have with you. 

Be grateful, even for the small things. 

Thankful Thursdays #1 - The Start

Being grateful is an action that one must take every single day of their lives. It is a feeling or attitude of acknowledgment for the things and people around us that bring us joy and happiness. Saying "Thank You" is a form of politeness between us humans. Exchanging gratitude when one receives or will receive. It is a way into ones good soul.

Most of us forget to be grateful for the people and things around us, and Thankful Thursdays is a fun meme to remind us to be grateful. All you need to do is list down a bunch of things that you're grateful for this week. You can spice it up by adding photos, descriptions or you could keep it simple and just list them down.

What I'm grateful for this week (13th - 19th)

1. I am grateful for getting the opportunity to go to my first blog-related event.
2. I am grateful for getting the multiple opportunities to join blog hops and book blog tours.
3. I am grateful for how strong I've gotten despite my internal doubts about myself 
4. I am grateful for the scented candles that had surrounded me and kept me warm during this cold december
5. I am grateful that winter has finally arrived in Bahrain. 
6. I am grateful for my multiple blankets that keep me warm during the cold winter night.
7. I am grateful for the amount of gifts I was able to purchase for christmas
8. I am grateful the my family for supporting and understanding that I sometimes need my space. 
9. I am grateful for all that I have and all that I am. 

And those are the things I am grateful for this week. 

Join in yourself and list down the things you are grateful for. :)

Be Happy

Life - So it begins

For those of you who follow my Book/Fashion/Food blog, Interested in ALL, you may have seen a post of my graduation day. Yes, that's right, I have officially graduated from University with a Degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Informatics. But for those of you who missed it, here it is: Graduation Day.

From that day and onwards, I have had the constant pressure to get on with my life outside from working for my father and from sitting in front of the computer screen all day. I have felt the pressure of getting a job and living my life out in the real world. And I honestly thought I was ready for it.

I would imagine myself walking into the building where I "worked", dressed in the most fabulous corporate outfit and greeting everyone as I make my way up to my office. It was a life that I supposedly wanted. It was the image of a life my brain put in front of me, but there was this feeling at the back of my head that felt wrong about that particular image.

Whether it was fear or my spidy-senses telling me it's a bad idea that I should avoid, I am unsure.

From my observation from those around me who have explained their situations after they graduated from university or as some of you may call it; undergrad school, and the majority of them has been in a very similar situation as me. They graduated, and then what? What do they do next? They go ahead and try working and jumping into different industries that are related and/or unrelated to the major they took. They would go at it for years upon years, and suddenly while they're working it hits them, "This is what I want to do" they say.

They've spent and wasted their precious years doing things that makes them miserable and will most probably add to the wrinkles that are bound to appear on their faces when they get older. I cannot seem to wrap my head around the idea of when one finishes college they have to go through multiple jobs before they settle down in one.

I believe in happiness. 

Happiness is the only way to live.

Whether you're happy doing nothing or happy being productive. 

Why can't we have all find our way the moment we get out of the constant cycle of finding jobs that we don't really want, and find something we do want.

Looking for the perfect career? Find something that makes you feel good and excited when you image yourself working there, not something that makes you feel scared and doubtful. Feeling feelings of doubt always seem to find it's way to things that are bad and dark.

And if you are currently working in a position you dislike completely and want to leave. Then leave, but only if you have a back up plan. No one wants to quit their job and end up getting kicked out of your apartment a month later because they didn't pay rent. Even if you've only been there for a month, I encourage you to go towards the things that make you excited and happy, then quit. It's okay.

You're going after what you want, so don't consider yourself as a quitter because you quit something you don't want to do. You are strong for pushing away the obstacles leading to where you want to be.

You are strong, and you are happy.

Lemon & Lime Water

It's a very simple concoction that helps with cleansing all the toxins in your body.

Ingredients
1 lemon
1-2 limes
Water :)

Procedure
Cut both lemon and lime into 1 mm or half a milimeter slices.
Take out the seeds (we don't want those seeds floating around do we)
Drop the lemon and lime into a bottle or jar that you wouldn't mind using for 48 hours.
Add in the water
Stir it around a bit, and you're done!

This lasts for 48 hours and can be refilled.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My uncle was the one who introduced this to my mother, who then introduced this to me. Honestly, I wanted to try it out because I thought it looked pretty. With all that yellow and lime green color... (Bright colors.. O.O)

This is what I found when I did some research on it.

The Ten Reasons Why

1) The warm lemon water helps purify and stimulate the liver. (Yay liver!) Lemon/lime water liquefies bile while inhibiting excess bile flow.

2) Warm lemon/lime water aids digestion. It's atomic composition is similar to saliva and the hydrochloric acid of digestive juices.

3) The liver produces more enzymes from lemon/lime water than any other food.

4) The lemon/lime water helps bowels eliminate naturally and easily. (I am currently waiting for this to happen)

5) Lemons and limes are high in potassium. Potassium is an important mineral that works with sodium for smooth electrical transmission in the brain and nervous system. Depression, anxiety, fogginess, and forgetfulness can often be traced to low potassium blood levels. (Negativity BE GONE!) That same nervous system needs potassium to assure steady signals to the heart. So your heart health is improved from the lemon water's potassium.

6) Calcium and magnesium are plentiful in good ratio to each other in lemon/lime water. Magnesium is important for heart health and calcium prevents rickets.

7) Lemon/lime water can help lower blood pressure.

8) Lemon/lime water has an alkalizing effect in the body as it is buffered. Even if you drink it just before any meal, it will help your body maintain a higher pH than if you didn't drink it. The higher or more alkaline your pH, the more your inner terrain is resistant to minor and major disease.

9) Helps dilute uric acid, which if it accumulates it creates arthritic pain or gout.

10) Helps reduce phlegm in the body. (Ew...phlegm)

Here is the link to rest of the article:- http://www.naturalnews.com/033383_lemon_juice_digestion.html#ixzz2YkZsfwS9

~~~

I drink this while I'm working out - I don't really know how relevant that was to this entire blog post but yeaah... xD

It's good for ya! Try it out! xD

It'll keep you healthy! 

Perfect Teeth, Loosing 4 kg, and everything else.

Last week, I got my braces. I got my bottom ones first then a few days later I got my top ones put in. I personally hate going to the dentist. I pulled out all of my baby teeth on my own, except one, when my mom forced me to go to the dentist and let the orthodontist pull it out of me. She didn't even give me a shot and I ready started crying my eyes out. I'm scared of needles in my mouth.

Due to terrible past events or occurrences during my childhood, I was left growing up with something called "Tongue Thrust". Where my tongue is just...I can't explain it. Google it.

Due to my Tongue Thrust, the orthodontist put in a barrier that will stop my tongue from pushing my front teeth out.

The first few days, my tongue was confused, swollen, my teeth hurt like hell, and I could barely eat anything solid. So I ended up eating all things squishy and liquid. Which meant; Oatmeal, Soup, Noodles, Yogurt, and Ice Cream.

That is the reason why I lost 4 kg in a such a short period. I could only eat things that are liquid and squishy. It was a pain. I was depressed for the entire week.

But things did turn out okay. I'm used to my braces, and I can see a big change in my teeth just in a week. Soon I'll have the perfect teeth I've been dreaming about.

At the beginning of the month, I was 72kg. I've been 72kg since the beginning for the year, and honestly I didn't think about it. I didn't really think about my weight as much as I did last year, and the year before that. I just let things flow. I went to the gym. I eat how I thought I was eat if I were my perfect weight. And I accepted who I was.

But loosing 4 kg in less than a month. It was just exciting and scary at the same time. After finally accepting that I am now 68kg, I have to be honest and say that I am terrified for gaining weight again. I haven't been 68kg in years. I try to focus on the good things.

Tip: If you've recently lost a lot of weight, and you're terrified to gain all that weight back, think of the good outcomes of it.
 - You look fabulous
 - You're lighter
 - Most clothes fit you perfectly
 - You feel great
 - You feel a lot more confident about yourself and your looks.

That's what I'm trying to focus on.

Everyone says that I've lost a lot. They actually see it - and that is what triggered my fear of gaining weight. But I am going to keep going, and I'm going to push through my fear. This is my body, and I can do what I want with it.

So determined... ahahaha

I'm going to a party later and I'm nervous, excited, and doubting whether I should go or not. But again, I am going to push through my fears and go. I need to get out of my comfort zone and go to a party with out the sister who is always looking out for me. I've decided to be the responsible one and the majorly confident one, and try to be shameless. Like Shameless Maya on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/user/shamelessmaya

Y'all should check her out. She is my inspiration to be confident in myself and to be shameless.

Okay this is getting too long.

My most precious advice I could give anyone, when they're going through hard times or not so hard times is to "Always think about the good things, before & after".

And one more thing I forgot to mention, I've started meditating before I sleep, and it helps me a lot. It calms my mind and my emotions. I keeps me still and really helps. I meditate using the mantra from Eat, Pray, Love "Om Namah Shivaya" which means "I honor the divinity within me". It's a great mantra.

Meditating before bed or in the morning is a great habit. It really helps when you're depressed, angry, scared or stressed. 

Love yourself, Love all!
Thank you!
Have a great day everyone! <3 br="">

My days

Hello my dearest readers!
What's up?

I thought I'd update y'all on the recent events that have occurred in my dull life lately.

Well since I've been done with university (with the classes and such) I have been doing absolutely nothing for the entire January besides going out occasionally in the weekends. I basically have been sitting home watching TV Series; most specifically Merlin, for the entire month.

Other than that I've been attending Toastmaster meeting twice every month.

I thought I'd share a picture. I'm over there on the far left corner with the chopsticks in the hair. 

This was taken during our latest meeting and the theme was "Chinese New Year"

Check out our website! Young Adult Toastmasters

So yea. Now I am somewhat temporarily working for my dad. While I'm unsure of what I want to do next, I'm working for him. Helping out with managing the business and other stuff. 

I've been meaning to write a Valentines Day post but I somehow couldn't put myself up to writing it, I just wasn't feeling it. But I want to write something about Relationships and Love and all that. 

I can say that I somewhat have my ideal body. I'm alright with my body right now. There are some parts of it that I treasure and some that I wish that weren't there but I learn to love them through time. Like my tummy. xD

One thing I learned about getting to your ideal body is to find what you love about yourself, cherish it and love it to death, and you'll find more things that you love about yourself through time. I loved how my hands looked and from there I started loving other stuff on my body, and gradually I noticed my body changing to how I want it to be. 

I am and will forever be grateful for losing 18 kilograms in 3 years. 

When you're lost in life, just stay put and relax a bit. Love what you have now, and enjoy it. Soon you'll find the way. It may take time to reveal itself to you but it will come. Ideas will start popping up in your head, opportunities will start coming up, more people will acknowledge how good you are, and you will get there. Just keep on believing that there will always be a way

A New Year means New Beginnings

I think it's time I should write, it's been a week since the year started.

I started this year off doing nothing. I just finished university on the beginning of December 2012, and since then I've been lost. I haven't really admitted to myself that I've finished university because I haven't thought of what happens next like I usually do.

SO!
For this year, 2013, I am going to do things as they come along. If there is an opportunity that I think I'll enjoy, I'll take it. Whenever my gut tells me I should do something, then I'll do it!

I am going to let things flow like a river this year. YES!
And I encourage you to join me.

If you feel lost with your life and you feel like you have no purpose. Take a deep breath, and count to three. Let everything flow and take its place where its meant to be. 

As for my weight loss. I have not weighed myself since June, and there is a reason to that. I don't have a weighing scale. My aunt took it and I have no idea where it is. So basically, I lost it. ahahahahaha
I need to buy a new one.

I have one thing though, for those of you who are struggling weight. Stop and think of your actions and think "Would I do this if I were thin?". Think of what you would do when you're already thin.

That's all for now!

Love everyone! and Be grateful!
Love you all!
xoxo