Tara

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Sep 192016

Cannot quite decide on what topic to write about today, so will go with some jumbles.

First, as promised, here is my dinner from Day 1 of the 21-day Sugar Detox. It ended up being quite tasty though it could have used a bit more flavoring. Still, not a bad recipe for Spinach-Cilantro Meatballs. I could not bake, so I did a quick fry in a pan to brown the meat and then boiled them in beef broth. Also, I used a mix of ‘greens’ other than just spinach. 🙂 There were plenty for dinner, some for lunch and I’ll be using the rest to add to tonight’s dinner. 😉

In other news, trying to transfer money from overseas – more specifically the US – is a pain in the posterior. It takes a week for money to transfer…even though they say it may transfer sooner. Now, I understand why and how Western Union came to be and why and how they can charge so much for the wire transfers because if you want money fast it is the ONLY way. So, despite optimism trying to prevail, we are at the whim again of timing waiting for the transfer to go through before my visa processing can commence…. <deep and long breaths> 😛

Somehow, I have become a socializing networking machine! This past weekend I met up with people whom were mostly new to us every day!!! Yep, me! I do feel a bit exhausted from it and perhaps my fever blister break out is a sign of that, but it is all for the good. I am making new friends, staying active AND getting potential new clients. Gotta keep at it!

So, this is my update for today. Tomorrow, I will start earlier when my mind is fresh to write on something more ‘interesting’. 😀

~T 😀

A New 21-Days Starting Today

Going Mental No Responses »

Sep 182016

Day 1:

Just a couple of months ago I finally wrote up about _The 21-day Sugar Detox…_ book that I read. Just about a year ago, I also did a light version of the detox with a friend, though we both had cheat days for alcohol since our husbands are British and well, the Brits do not like to give up their booze. 😛

When we moved into our apartment, we said that once we got settled we would do a juice detox and reboot our eating and health habits. Since the ‘settling’ bit has gone a little haywire, our detoxing and rebooting has been a bit haphazard. We are both getting to the gym regularly (me less so the past week or so…) and M is seeing some massive results from that alone.

Also due to limitations in our cooking facilities, our eating has been generally good, though if we eat out more we tend to eat less well. M still has a bit of a ‘beer belly’ and does not yet want to admit that diet is 80% of weight loss; thus, he has plateaued a bit even though the muscles are forming and he is still burning off his calories.

So, I have been toying with the idea of doing the sugar detox again since the beginning of the month, but with Eid hitting I put it off. However, now that we are all through the long holidays for a couple of months, I thought this was as good a day as any to begin at last.

Therefore, yesterday I planned out our dinners for the week to ensure that we have a sugar-free meal. While I cannot control what M eats during the days at work, I can encourage him to eat well and hopefully offer him some leftovers to take to the office if he has time to eat (which he often does not).

I am also going to try to return to intermittent fasting dinner-to-dinner, but will probably just do one day a week instead of two as I did before because I am exercising a lot more than I was.

Hopefully, we will do well – though it is going to be hard to stay off the sugary tasty drinks for the next three weeks…. Wish us luck!

Here is my lunch today…the peanut butter still has some sugar in it….

Will take pics of dinner to post up on tomorrow. 🙂

~T 😀

Cat Love

Going Mental No Responses »

Sep 172016

It has been a while since I have posted on the fur balls (okay, maybe only a month ago… 😛 ), so I thought it might be time to share a few recent pics.

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine here who is starting a pet photography business (Shim Photography) here came to do a photo shoot with the munsters to beef up her photo gallery. It was almost as if they knew that they were doing a photo shoot because they were amazingly sweet and calm while she was at the apartment taking photos. The black and white ones are from her photo shoot and the two colored ones are from this morning.

Although they do drive me crazy, or rather Pippi drives us mad with her crazy cat howls, they are also a sweet addition to the house. Sometimes I miss not having cat hair all over the furniture and my clothes, or being able to put out nice things on counters, or to leave dirty dishes in the sink (nah, who am I kidding on that one?), etc. However, when I come home in the afternoons and little Mia comes to greet me at the door or as I sit on the sofa reading a book or taking a quick afternoon nap, I realize just how much I do love my kitties.

I think because I am married I cannot technically be called a “crazy cat lady”, but I might be somewhat close! 😛 M says I am funny about the cats, but it is more that I have ‘rules’ for them – like no giving them water from our bathtub or no people food! Isn’t that just normal? Maybe not. In any case, I do try to have some boundaries for them. 🙂

So, there it is – my cat love. What’s not to love after all?

~T 😀

_The Night Counter_ by Alia Yunis

Literary Escapes No Responses »

Sep 162016

_The Night Counter_ by Alia Yunis

Shortly after I arrived in the UAE, I discovered that one of my colleagues and acquaintances had written a novel. She even did a book tour and many people raved about this novel. Me being me put off reading it for a while as I dislike band wagons – issue for another post, no doubt. 😛

Upon going through my Amazon wishlist of books to read, I finally decided to buy this and give it a read. I am very glad that I did. Having just finished reading _Outlander_, I now feel a similar voice to that, but it also has elements of the Latin American literature magic realism. Not knowing enough about Arab culture, I do not know if these elements are influences from these other kinds of pieces, or if Arabic literature and culture share it (or even influenced the other!). In any case, I did enjoy the read.

In the line of 1,001 Arabian nights with a common character of Scheherazade, the novel’s heroine – Fatima – tells her own stories before she passes on. By interweaving stories of the past with contrasts of the present we are shown the changes of life for an Arab-American family from Lebanon. There are themes of lost culture, lost appreciation for the past, lost in life, lost love and presence. In a way, it is a very very sad story.

Overall, I am glad I waited for the hype to die down before reading it as I think I enjoyed it more. It is well-written and engaging. Although a seemingly different kind of book for me to read, it does have common themes of others I had been reading. I guess my contemporary literature profile is growing! 😛

~T 😀

_The Signature of All Things_ by Elizabeth Gilbert

Literary Escapes No Responses »

Sep 152016

_The Signature of All Things_ by Elizabeth Gilbert

Just a couple more books to go before I am just about caught up on past readings. I have been working my way through some more books (more yoga) recently, but want to be sure to get the final books from the past year updated here.

The author of _Eat Pray Love_, which I read in 2010 and wrote about has not written that many books. After I finished this book that won a lot of fame and attention, I read her next book _Committed_, which got less attention, but I also enjoyed.

Therefore, when I saw this title come up a while back and that it was a piece of fiction, I wanted to give it a go. I cannot remember how it was received initially, but I must say that I did enjoy this read. Even though it has been a while since I read it, I can remember the storyline enough to remain fascinated by the scientific world of ants and moss. Her strong female character who dives into the ‘man’s world’ in an age when women should have been different remains a poignant theme in our time now. The heroine’s struggle with love and dedication to her ‘career’ is also a familiar dilemma these days. Gilbert writes an engaging story that intertwines current themes with a past time period for a modern, intelligent woman. Thus, I recommend it as a read – in fact, it reminds me a lot of reading _Greenlanders_ by Jane Smiley or Barbara Kingsolver’s _Prodigal Summer_, both also fascinating reads. 😀

I recently saw that Gilbert has a new non-fiction book out that I may have to put on my winter reading list. 😛

~T 😀

Discipline

Going Mental No Responses »

Sep 142016

Recently, a friend asked me how it is going with the discipline. At first I thought he meant my cats or my husband! 😀 (hahah)

He meant my new ‘work’ life as a self-employed person. It brought forth a common theme that I revisit regularly in my posts and my life – maintaining some kind of schedule or ‘discipline’.

This past week has been the second Eid (Eid-al-adha) holidays that finally marks the end of the Ramadan season for this year. We will have almost 10 weeks now without any further interruptions in work routines (perhaps a day here or there), but for the most part, everyone – including myself – can rely on a more regular pattern of life. Although we are still waiting for ‘normal’ life to return, we have fallen into a pattern of sorts for the time being. However, as you can see from my posting calendar, I have not been able to stay ‘on-schedule’ this week with hubby home and making plans to see people while they are still free.

As I wrote before, it is a bit difficult for me to find the right balance still between allowing my new freedom to be just that and my habitual inclination to need to feel ‘busy’ or ‘working’. Of course, I do need to work on my business, promote a new course for my yoga teacher as part of an agreement/venture, blog, write, and so on. There is always something to do, no doubt.

Perhaps once I can do my writing and office work at home, I will find myself more disciplined. For now, I am working on preparing myself for an influx of clients and being open to their potential timings, which means more flexibility in my sleep hours, etc. 😛 So, baby steps, but every moment and every change contributes to where our future is heading; therefore, I am confident that it will not be a matter of discipline, but rather a contented new way of life. 🙂

~T 😀

Optimism

Going Mental No Responses »

Sep 132016

I have always thought of myself as a fairly optimistic person with a lot of realism and idealism mixed in. Being blindly optimistic has not been my style, but I do tend to always hope for the best in life and even in people.

It has been said that humans are the most amazing and also most disappointing creatures on earth. I agree to a point. I do believe in the power of man to rise above and beyond despite the current mess that mankind has made of the earth and civilization. This is how I also define optimism.

There are times when it can be easy to let life and people get me down. Being dependent on others or a victim of circumstances can definitely cause one to pause at the idea of optimism. However, if we take away the belief that I am 100% dependent or a victim at all, then that leaves the consideration for what is in my control – my attitude.

My attitude can affect every aspect of my life including other people. Thus, I work hard to ensure that I stay upbeat, positive and believe that no matter the circumstances all will be well. Now, I know this does not come easy and it is a daily decision to be this way, but it is well worth the effort.

When we finally get through our current situation, I will post about all of it and perhaps give a new appreciation of what this means. At the moment, it is this optimism that is keeping us going and a belief that while today is not bad, tomorrow can only get better. 😛

~T 😀

_Hatha Yoga Pradipika_ by Swami Muktibodhananda

Literary Escapes No Responses »

Sep 092016

_Hatha Yoga Pradipika_ by Swami Muktibodhananda

Another one of our required reading texts for my yoga teacher training course was this rather thick text. Most of my yogi-mates have avoided reading these more historical/ancient books, but the nerdy literature academic in me loves these readings the most. 😛 As per my usual routine of breaking down the reading of books, I decided I would finish this book in a month over the summer and so read about 20 pages a day, which was just enough.

This text discusses the root of hatha yoga and how the breath (pranayama) should be done in practice. Hatha yoga is a “type” of yoga that people can do in studio classes. It mostly means there is more focus on breath as opposed to a Vinyasa yoga class, which focuses on the flow of poses or Bikram yoga, which is just really about sweating as much as possible. 😉 Hatha yoga may be generally be considered as an older style like Iyengar.

I really enjoyed reading this despite its length as I gained a better understanding of how to do some of our breathing exercises and sitting positions for meditation. Plus, classical pieces of literature just work for me. I do not think I would recommend it for just anyone to pick up for a quick read; however, if you have an interest in philosophy and learning more about the foundations of yoga, then read away! 😀

~T 😀

Getting Back on the Writing Wagon

Going Mental No Responses »

Sep 082016

I found this empty but titled post in my drafts folder as I was contemplating what to post about today, so thought it was an appropriate one to write on. Sometimes I create a title for a post to remind myself of a topic that I might want to write about later. This one has been in the drafts folder for a few years it seems…strange how things can seem to come full circle at times. Or rather, the truth is that everything happens in due time and for a reason that we may or may not ever understand when we are ready for it.

Actually, this week I met a lovely woman who is looking for English tutoring. Honestly, she really does not need help with her English, but she is interested in exploring the world of writing (in English) which I hope that I can help her with. In speaking with her I felt refreshed with my own passion for writing. 🙂

These past couple of weeks have been more centered on getting my business site up and running rather than on my creative writing, but that has paid off as now the site is ready to go and hopefully the clients will start pouring in. Now, I can return to my regularly scheduled writing program. 😛

I have been proud of the fact that I have developed such a habit that at least I have been able to keep up with this blog posting almost daily, which is an accomplishment all in itself. 😛 So, now I will try to balance posting here as well as regular posts on the business site to keep generating an audience there.

Even better, now, I can also go back to working on my own novel as well as my “column” (if I can call it that with only one published article so far…:P ).

By the way, one thing I have noticed since quitting work is that my English skills have actually increased! I am finding more ‘big’ words to explain my thoughts more accurately. Maybe you have noticed in reading my posts…maybe not. I do feel as if my brain has expanded since leaving the limited world of English teaching where I had to simplify my speech to be understood and used the same set of vocabulary even amongst my native-speaking colleagues. Also, I am reading a larger variety of books (more at once as well), which definitely affects what I can then produce. Therefore, there is this new sense of freedom in my writing. 🙂

It feels good, even amongst the stress and chaos of my life lately, to have this expansion in expressing myself by being on the writing wagon again. Who knows where this ride will take me, but if my visualizations and mantras have anything to do with it, you will be seeing my pen name more and more! 😛

~T 😀

Fashion Crisis

Going Mental No Responses »

Sep 072016

Since I was old enough to understand the art of dressing myself, I have struggled to find my own style whilst also staying current with some trends. In Japan, it was a struggle to fit in as people’s fashion represents their role of the day. For example, if one is a housewife, then usually some kind of long khaki dress covered by a flowery apron would best represent this role. Or, if one is going on a hike, then it is important to have the correct hiking pants, shirt, shoes and backpack to show that one is part of the hiking group.

As someone who has never been the ‘go with the crowd’ or conformist-type, this was something akin to a nightmare. Throughout life, anywhere in the world, people like to dress according to their role or peers in similar roles. Let’s look at the typical teacher outfit where I live now. Most people wear long skirts to meet the dress code requirement of covering the knees. To see a woman in a pencil skirt would be rare, though it might be more flattering. The long skirts are covered by a some kind of shirt that covers the arms to the elbows and any other shape that might be misconstrued (maybe a slight exaggeration), but you get the idea. While I did conform for rules-sake, I tried hard to avoid the typical teacher-look.

My closet was built over the years carefully. I spent more money for quality items and although one might say I have too many clothes, I retort with the fact that I wear every item that I own regularly – not just when the mood suits.

With that said, I now am in a new fashion crisis. What do I wear now that I do not work?

I refuse to walk around all day in my yoga leggings to prove that I am a yogi, besides in this country I think it is inappropriate – yes, I may have lived here too long. But, seriously, do I really want to see women’s bums in the tight and only occasionally flattering leggings all the time? No! 😛

Many years ago I read that one should not succumb to wear sweatpants or pajamas all day even when staying around the house because it creates an energy of laziness and not caring or respecting the self enough to show pride in getting ‘ready’ each day. What exactly one needs to be ready for, I’m not sure, and it is possible this was an old housewife handbook. 😀 However, this still stuck with me. I do tend to agree.

If I allow myself to wear ‘comfy’ clothes all day, I generally feel as if my day never fully started. Although this is totally needed once in a while, I definitely do not want to make it a habit as a self-employed housewife. So…what to do?

comfy look

nice look

I have a closet full of work clothes that I cannot quite yet part with as one never knows if I will end up going back to full-time work in a university/office. I also have a shelf full of comfortable pants…. At the moment, I alternate or just go with a mood. However, it is a bit of a crisis (dramatic effect!) in my fashion world to match my new life role… 😛

~T 😀

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