Whimsical Avocados

Avocados are the most capricious fruits around. In addition to being pricey, of course. I find it hard to judge when they are really ripe. I press on this side, it feels ripe. I prick the other side, it does not feel ripe! And sometimes, they turn bad so quickly!

I usually leave them to ripen in the following two ways.

1. Wrap in newspaper and to place in a drawer. I tried this a few days ago. It works well. I left two medium sized avocados in the drawer this way. When I took them out, they were just rightly ripe. The skin was greenish-brown. The skin peels off easily. The flesh was greenish yellow. And yes, heavenly smell! After that, I kept them in the fridge to try and keep the freshness.

2. Place in a sack of raw rice. This trick works really well. All too well for me. If you let it pass by just one day, you will find your avocados in a sad sluggish state.

Anyway, I think the main thing is not to forget about them. Which ever method is used, if you do not check the avocados every now and then, you will miss the right time to eat them. They are such delicious fruits, and the effort is so much worth it.

And the best way to eat them is the simplest way: Lightly sprinkle some sugar on them. *Yum*

Eight Months After

I am reading my own blog after eight months! Writing has not been on my mind at all lately. It goes to show that I am having more of a real life, that spending time online, reading blogs, and writing my own posts. Isn’t it?

I used to write so much. Online and offline. I actually had time for it, and enjoyed it immensely. Where did that time go? <Sigh>

So I am actually promising to myself to jot a few thoughts here now and again. To get the flow going once again. 🙂 Let’s see how it turns out.

^^

2014

It has been months since I last wrote anything here. Already a month through 2014. Time does seem to fly. ^^

2013 has changed some important aspects of my life. The best part is, none of this was planned as such. Things just happened, and fell into place, in ways I least expected it. God willing, I’ll be seeing some other major changes in 2014 as well. Major changes, but good changes.

 

One thing I have learnt the past year is that you should never lose faith and trust in God. Everything happens for a reason. The reason may or may not be obvious. If you hold on tight on your faith and trust in God, you can get through any obstacle. Faith and trust give you patience. A beautiful patience. And God is with those who are patient. 🙂

We all have read or heard of some sayings on never losing hope, faith, trust, to always keep believing and having positive thoughts and some of us may have discarded those sayings as just ‘beautiful words with no meanings.’ Sometimes, you just have to go through some ‘experiences’ to really grasp or appreciate the meaning behind those sayings. Really. 2013 has been just that for me.

11 more months to go in 2014. I pray that they go smoothly for everyone. Cheers!

 

Back to Normal

Back to work today felt like it was first day of school. Excited for new things to do but a unwillingness to leave the holidays behind. Yes, three days felt like holidays! I rarely thought about work. I opened my mailbox this morning, knowing full well the chaotic state of the messages. Some were opened, some not. Some have already been replied to by others. I sat at my desk for ten minutes, to set the chaos in my own head in order 🙂 It felt like my brain cells were raising themselves up from some sort of slumber. I kind of went on automatic. Adrenaline kicked in: Wooah Girl! You are back!
Not that fasting impeded on my performance. It is just that one is in another state of mind during that period. There are other things one focuses on, and this, slows down, say, ‘the usual trend of life’.
So yeah, I know I’m back to normal, when work starts at 9 and finishes at 9.

Have a wonderful week ahead. 🙂

 

 

27/27

On this beautiful 27th of May, In My World, We celebrate my 27th birthday. 🙂 
I so grateful to be surrounded by such amazing people. I love you! And Thank You!

Happy Earth Day

This beautiful Earth we have long taken for granted, and still do. It does not matter how many environmental campaigns are launched, people around the world are still the same. We still litter. We still pollute. And in the last decade, violence. The latter also ruins our planet, our home. Killing of innocents. All in the name of terrorism or religion. Are we also on the eve of nuclear war? Only time will tell.

Small island Mauritius. A few years ago, we would have thought it nearly impossible to have floods or other environmental calamities of such ‘intensity’ here. Just a month ago we have been proven wrong. Lives were lost. The whole country was shaken. Our region’s environment conditions are changing. We recently had a cyclone which acted in a real bizarre way. The Mauritian Meteo experts have never seen the likes of it before. <Sigh>

We all know that there is no going back. The damage has been done. We just have to bear the consequences. And pray that God has mercy on us all.

Anyway, In My World wishes you a Happy Earth Day! Make the most of it, while it still lasts. 🙂

Marriage and I

No, I am not married. Neither am I getting married. At least not yet. But I am in that phase in my life where people keep asking me when the ‘big’ event will happen. It is crazy sometimes. The ‘M’ word has to pop up in almost every conversation: family, friends, neighbours, colleagues. It is as if there’s a sign written on my forehead, and as soon as you see my face, that is the first thing you notice! 😦

I know it seems like it is high time it happens to me. I am 26 years old. I have a job I like. I am pretty responsible. I manage OK in the kitchen. I can handle my own. But if it isn’t happening, it just is not! And even if it never happens, it is no big a deal!

I believe in destiny: whatever has been preordained for me will happen, whether I want it or not. I still need to point out that I have nothing against marriage. It is an institution that I respect. It is something that I want to experience for myself. I want the experience to be a beautiful and fulfilling adventure. 🙂 I do not wish to get married just for the sake of getting married, just so people will stop pestering me, just because my age is right or whatever.

Writing this takes me back to when I was 16/17. I used to keep a personal diary then. In case you are wondering, I have burnt it a long time ago. 🙂 Anyway, back then, I wrote in that diary the stuffs I would do when my studies will be over. Marriage was among those stuffs. Admittedly, I had crazy romantic notions then that I do not harbor anymore. It remains though that it is something that I do want. In the years that have passed since, I have learnt and seen for myself that I may sit and spend hours planning my life away, but God has a plan of his own as well. I pray with all my heart that what He has in store for me is far better than I expect. 🙂 {Ameen}

Actually, I honestly believe that when the time is really right, everything else will fall into place. The right guy. The right place. The right situation. Everything will feel just that. Right. It will not matter that I prefer someone who is tall or who works in that particular field. It will not matter where he lives or if he talks funny. 🙂 I do not however have the capacity to say when the time will be right. Only God holds that information and until He decides to let me know about it, I request everyone to just be patient. 😉 Myself included.

Besides, marriage is not everything. There are so many single women out there who lead a perfectly good and happy life. So what if I end up being one of them? I will be fine. 🙂 I do not need a ring around my finger to complete the person I am. I absolutely will not be like those women who need a man to be happy. If being unmarried is the best state for me to be, so be it. I will certainly not let myself be disheartened or be depressed. Last I heard, being single is not a deadly disease now, is it? Better be single and happy, than being unhappy ever after!

Success comes with Hard Work

I find it baffling how some people forget, or choose not to acknowledge, that success comes with hard work. Some of the reasons for that forgetfulness are perhaps envy, jealousy, wanting more than the other person or not wishing that the other person has more.

It has been said over and over again that when a person has a goal they want to reach, or a dream they wish to come true, all they need are motivation, discipline, hard work, a little bit of luck and the will not to give up when faced with failure and to keep going until the end result is to satisfaction.

All I want to say to those people is that whoever they see building a big, beautiful and cozy home, or driving an Italian car, or wearing designer clothes, remember that they are able to do  all these things because they have worked hard for it! Remember some of those successful people spent 18 to 20 years of their life studying: late nights, tests, exams, stress. Remember that those people invested and took risks. Remember those parents who give everything to their children so the latter can achieve what they themselves only dreamed of. Nothing happened by magic.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, wake up and at least try to make something for yourself. Instead of envying others for their success, be thankful for what you have and always wish the best for yourself and others!

Dream Big. Work Hard.

What’s In My Handbag

Are guys really all that puzzled about what could be present in a girl’s handbag? Why do girls have to carry around a handbag when they go out? And why, the big handbag just to go to work or the mall?

It is not all that mysterious actually. We carry the Essentials, which include: wallet (money, debit cards, tons of contact cards, passport-size photos), Mobile phone, Perfume, Tissues (wet and dry ones), Comb/Hairbrush, Make-up kit (which may comprise of the face powder, Kohl, mascara, lipstick), moisturising cream (for dry hands), sanitary pad (at least one), an umbrella, sunglasses, reading glasses, a little notepad and some pens. If the handbag is big enough, maybe a book or a magazine can also find its place in there. 😉

It is perhaps not necessary to bring along all these stuffs with us when going out, but girls/women like to be prepared. She could spill some soda on her clothes or need pen and paper to note down something important! and everything she needs is just hanging there on her shoulder. 🙂

 

 

No Man is an Island

We all come into this world alone and we will leave it alone as well. But in between, we need others to accompany us along the way. Not everything in life is easy. Obstacles come in various forms and can sometimes knock us off. How can we manage all this alone? No human being is self-sufficient. We all rely onto one another.

There are times that I find it hard to ask for help or assistance in something that I want to achieve/do. Even small things. So much so, that if I really cannot do it on my own, I give up. I do that even knowing that I am the only one at loss. Why is it hard to reach out to others and ask for help or advice? Ego? Is that goal too personal that I do not want to share? Afraid of what the other person will think or say? I do not want to hear ‘you got there or did that cause I ‘helped’? May be it is a little bit of all that.

But yeah, no man is an island. It is all right to ask or accept a helping hand de temps en temps. If you cannot do something, surely someone else out there can. 🙂

One more point for me to work on. So I hope I will remember this post when I find myself in a situation and wants to give up. 😉