A Bookworm's Version: Great Read while on holiday

Serendipity At Play

Remember how I mentioned in a previous post that quite often I don’t choose my books but they choose me? I know you think its nuts that I say that but it’s true. And I have found that whenever I let a book choose me, I am always pleasantly surprised by it. This time was no different.

My sister-in-law and I were at a craft shop in Colombo looking for gift items and the store had a little book section tucked away in one corner of their lowest floor. So naturally, I started looking and not much stuck out at first. But as I was walking away but looking back over my shoulder (because I really wanted to read a good book on my holiday), I caught the cover of a book on the ‘New Arrivals’ table.

‘The Gurkha’s Daughter’, by some author I had never heard of and in all honesty didn’t know if it was a girl’s name or guy’s. My mom is half Gurkha and half Rajput, which is said almost ‘tongue-in-cheek’ around our home because both Gurkha’s and Rajput’s are warriors and my mother can get passionate and a little confrontational from time to time!  So I immediately knew the book would have something to do with the Nepali experience and it did.

The Gurkha’s Daughter is a collection of short stories by Prajwal Parajuly (a man by the way) and is very reminiscent of Jhumpa Lahiri’s collection ‘The Interpreter of Maladies’ one of my very favourite books. I love short stories. If written well, they capture all the essential emotions and leave you longing for just a little bit more. This was one of those books.

The string throughout all the pieces was of course the lives of the Nepali people in India, Nepal and the U.S.A. The pieces were concise yet detailed and had the right combination of plot and character development. I didn’t just read the book, I devoured it. In one weekend I polished off almost 300 pages. Go Read it! You will thank me for it. I promise.

2 weeks, 2 kids, 2 oceans away

2 weeks with 2 kids 2 oceans away

 

 

I still remember planning for this trip 6 months ago and here I sit now in my mother-in-law’s flat on the last day of my holiday before heading back to Canada. Back to life. Back to reality. Aside from the typical south Asian vacation experience which included a lot of eating, shopping, sleeping and some time at the beach and pool as well as the extreme heat, mosquito bites and not drinking enough water on purpose to avoid using public washrooms, it was my first time being away with both kids, just Raj and I, so far from home.

To be honest, I was most anxious about this as I knew it would be a ‘test’ of some sort. My mom has always been around and both kids go to her as frequently (if not more often) as Raj and I. Here, it was just me. Don’t get me wrong, Raj’s family was more than happy to do whatever was necessary including feeding them and washing their clothes, but the kids’ natural inclination was to come to me if they wanted or needed something; anything.

The exhausting journey on the plane, explaining why the washrooms and life here is so different, ensuring they don’t drink the tap water, dealing with Ro’s illness. It wasn’t easy but it has brought us closer and left me feeling re-assured knowing that if push came to shove I can trust my instinct and deal with whatever is thrown at me; projectile vomit included.

I think testing yourself at various junctures in life is important if only to remind yourself that you aren’t totally worthless and that if 2 lives depend on you, you must deliver. This commitment itself to deliver expands your boundaries, pushes your limits and leaves you feeling quietly confident.

Day 4 & 5 - An end and a Beginning

Day 4 & 5 – An end and a beginning

 

 

The moral of this story is…Juicing/Cleansing is a one of the more certain ways in which one can practice the skill of delaying gratification. It was not easy. But with more than a little help from my friends at work and my encouraging and supportive husband, I made it through to the other side!

I think 3 day cleanses are completely doable. The last 2 days get a bit much. Especially when the last day is a Friday and everybody is eating delicious meals all around you. The taste buds in your mouth have died and you have zero appetite for the drinks in your fridge.

According to those around me, my skin looks radiant and my hair has shine. Subjective compliments maybe since the former was from other colleagues at work and the latter from my hairdresser. But one objective bona fide positive result is that I dropped 6 pounds!

Ok. Ok. Nothing earth shattering but it’s a great way to kick-start a healthier lifestyle….I hope.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to continue juicing or only eat raw vegetables. I’m a foodie. I love the taste of food, the textures, the biting into something scrumptious but I realised just how little our body needs as fuel.

I also realised that I don’t need to meat/fish/eggs every day. Eating vegetables and some fruit for a day or two is completely fine.

I bet you’re wondering, would I do this again? Sure, but probably for 3 days. 5 days if I really needed to fit into a dress for a wedding or other special event!

And as far as recommending this goes…Do it! But do it with a group so you can support each other, and save up for it, because it does get expensive.

 

 

Day 3 - Reflecting on Day 2

Day 3 – Reflecting on Day 2

 

 

Day 2 was the worst day and yet the best day so far. My head was throbbing and I was grumpy and hungry. I had no plans in the evening so I forced myself to go to hot yoga pilates! I knew if I stayed home I would end up eating, so off I went and I learned two LIFE lessons that I think are worth sharing.

1)      Success is found at the precipice of failure.

Yes, this statement that I have coined came to me at the bitter end of my hot yoga class as I was in the ‘meditative phase’. In reality, I was praying with all my might that I make it out of the class and home without passing out. And the reason that line came into my head is because I was quite literally at the precipice of passing out and barely making it. So I gathered every bit of energy my body muster up and finished the class in a composed manner and drove myself home safe. Once I turned the car engine off, I sighed and smiled.

2)      Give thanks to your body.

This too came to me during my meditative segment. In yoga at the end of each class you are reminded to give thanks to your body and again, for the first time, I was very grateful to my body. Typically, as humans (and especially as women) we are not a fan of our own bodies. We either loathe it, or consider it a ‘work-in-progress’ like at a construction site. Very few of us actually love our bodies and even the ones who do, would never say it out loud because we don’t want to come across as being self-absorbed or an egoist. But here’s the thing, see.  It’s the only one we’ve got and as much as we abuse it through lack of healthy eating, sleeping or exercise it still performs so well for us, doesn’t it? Is there any other machine that could go 2 days without fuel it’s taken for the last 30 years and then shock itself through 40 degree temperatures and strength training and still make it out fine on the other end?  So again, I was happy. Extremely happy.  She performed so well under pressure and didn’t let me down.

 

Day 2 - An affair to remember

Day 2 - An affair to remember

 

 

Tougher but I managed. This has been way harder than I thought it would be. I don’t know why I thought that, but I did. I deluded myself into thinking I could think of food as fuel for my body and not something delectable and satiating for my palette. Food was fun. Now, it’s just assorted coloured liquid in a jar. No thanks.

There was a study that said that women who are slightly overweight are happier than underweight or ‘normal weighted’ women. I get it.

My love affair with food has come to an abrupt and screeching halt. I am dismayed. I feel foggy and I’m functioning at sub-optimal level right now. My head is heavy and I am super sleepy all the time.

Can I do this for 3 more days?

 

5 Day All Raw Juice Cleanse - Day 1

Day 1  A few brave souls and I (and by brave I mean crazy) decided to take on a 5 day all raw juice challenge. Starting today, for five days (end of day Friday), the four of us are going to be consuming a variety of juice and juice-type beverages to help us kick-start our health. It’s supposed to be a cleanse and give me tons of energy. Oh and did I mention everyone who has gone on this cleanse has lost about 10 pounds. Truth be told, I will magically have a ton of energy if I lose 10 pounds! So we decided to give it a go and I will chronicle the roller coaster ride that this journey will bring.

Today has been tough but doable. I am super tired (since we have to cut caffeine) and I do miss the taste of say toast and eggs but nothing crazy if I don’t think about the food too much. Lunch time was tough as I could smell the delicious aroma of various lunches wafting through the air and finding its way to my nostrils. From chicken and fries to ginger beef and green curry, my stomach growled and my mouth salivated. But all I could do was reach for my Cashew and Vanilla Mylk and chug a swig of chalky, white liquid.

No really, it hasn’t been that bad. Apparently day 2 and day 3 are supposed to be the worst. I will tell you first hand if that is the case.

Ashtanga Yoga - The real deal

Ashtanga Yoga – Low Heat

I’ve taken this class for 3 weeks now and I am slightly addicted to it. It’s a low heat class which I prefer over the intensity of the real hot yoga class and it is an hour and 15 minutes which makes me feel like each workout is worth it.

Since I’m a checklist kind of girl there are a few good and bad things on my Journey to Yoga checklist:

Good :

Increased vocabulary (chaturanga, vinyassa, drishti) which makes me feel not as alien when the instructor starts talking

Always break out in a sweat

Light is dim (makes me more willing to try poses without inciting too much laughter)

I haven’t passed out yet

Noticed improvement in my abilities from first class to now, which is encouraging.

Bad:

I can’t do ANY of the intermediate or advanced moves. I’m as basic as they allow it to be, probably to the point of embarrassment

My right wrist hurts…probably one too many chaturangas (notice how I aptly put that into my writing)

After one of these classes I can’t exercise for the next 48 hours as I’m sore and not very mobile

In conclusion, I still suck but I really enjoy it. Is that even possible?