Another day in my life

Hello fellow humans, first of all thank you all for all of your amazing vibes. Many good things are happening, also I spent 8/20 with my dad as it was his birthday. I am moving into an apartment with another person, this is exciting as I can finally rest easy knowing I’m not putting my faiji and fuaji’s (aunt and uncle) life in danger. Many of you are probably wondering what Smi means, it’s my nickname that my family has given me. My nanima (maternal grandma) used to call me Asmini which means Jasmine. And my lovely cousins used to call me Asmi, as a tender term. Somehow it got even more shortened to Smi, my friend Alkesh was the first to call me that. I have been so extraordinarily blessed that I feel overwhelmed by the love from everyone. You have my utmost gratitude, and I can only hope you feel the same love from me. Here’s a motivational photo I found hope it helps 

What makes food taste good?

 I remember being very particular about what I ate, I really disliked boring and mundane food. I used to complain to my mother about the food that was made. Some of the everyday items she made were flavorless, while others may argue that my mother made good food. Yes in most food she made really flavorful items, but others were not worthy. In fact I remember when my nanima (maternal grandmother) came to stay with us for a few days, usually I disliked my mother's yellow dal, but when my nanima made it, it was amazing. I think my mother was very offended and jealous that I liked nanima's cooking better. So what made it taste better? My nani added smoke (by added a coal on top), and a little bit spicer. One of my favorite food is Carne Asada (grilled beef/steak) taco, it has all the elements I love salt, fat, heat and acid that's what makes an exceptional taco. When Netflix came out with the show Salt Fat Heat Acid, I felt as though I found my guru in cooking. I really enjoyed Samin's sense of humor and her authenticity, check out her cookbook https://amzn.to/2Y8gnPR Think about your favorite food, does it have all these elements? If not what if you added it? Take something as simple as plain yogurt, I added sambal olek (a red chili paste) to it and it made it taste amazing, the chili added heat and acid to it. Try it and let me know what you have done to improve any regular food

The Search for truth

 Ever since I was young, I did not believe in the religion I was born into. There were so many inconsistencies that I couldn't fathom why I did not believe in it. I tried my best to fit in and listen to my mother's wishes, but I was beyond miserable. Lately the pandemic has been helping seek our truth within via meditation and reading books. Resources like books, podcasts, and youtube channels. A great motivational coach is Jay Shetty https://jayshetty.me/ his videos are really good, another good one is Dhar Mann https://www.dharmann.com/ I am listing resources for everyone so it's easier to access. I do not get paid for listing these but please leave any suggestions to improve upon or if you want me to cover any additional topics. I am still learning to be better but what works is asking yourself what is that you want via meditation. Call upon who you connect with, whether it Jesus, Moses, Vishnu, Ram, Krishna, Mohammad, Hazarat Ali, Buddha, etc. 

A New Day

 I have always been a rather quiet child and naive too. Ever since I can remember I was bullied starting with my own cousins this was when I was younger but then we all became best friends later, to 1st grade and then again in 2nd (in a new school), then in high school (my other cousin who left for Colombo later and her friends). I don't know why I didn't stand up for myself, perhaps I was used to it or maybe I was trying to be nice. All I know is that someone else always stood up for me or helped me, in 1st grade it was my dad when he found out that a classmate was taking my lunch money, thus I changed schools. Then in 2nd a classmate used to punish me for no reason (she was what was called a class monitor), my other classmates stood up for me (they told the teacher that I didn't do anything). This is also where I met my best friend Sheliza, she too stood up for me against other bullies. In high school, again when my dad found out, he got very angry and told me to stand up for myself. I have just been going through life trying to please everyone else and not helping myself in any way, I was so used to being a doormat that I felt lost. It's only after so many episodes that I have learned to undo those ill habits and be a voice for myself. When I look back, I have already forgiven all my bullies, as they have made me learn to be better and learn empathy. I do wish I had someone to talk to back then and I could tell them what was going on, but I cannot change what has happened. Many books have helped me with my journey, my favorite is Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramansha Yogananda. https://amzn.to/3fBqwuh

Another one is Passage through Eternity by Azmina Suleman https://amzn.to/3fDzneX

these books have really changed my view on life, there are countless others too that have contributed to who I am today, if you want a list feel free to comment below and I will be happy to recommend more. I am always looking to expand my knowledge on metaphysical topics, but of course I enjoy fiction and other books too.

Instapot!

Hello Everyone, there are so many recipes I want to make, however most Indian cooking requires soaking the lentils or beans overnight and then cooking it for a long time. We (modern people) do not have time for that... cue fanfare so Instapot to the rescue! Yay! I highly recommend using Instapots for all your cooking adventures! Also for any cooking tips and tricks please visit https://www.youtube.com/user/RaihanasCuisines she breaks down all the steps for cooking and she's very well versed in Indian cooking, especially the type of food I like to make which is a fusion of Indian and E. African! My future posts will include pictures of what I make for now readers, stay tuned and thank you for your support! Please click below to check it out.

https://amzn.to/3klPZvr

Pandemic in S.California

Hello everyone! As you can tell I have been busy with life, and neglecting my blog. For that I am sorry to you and to myself. Life is funny, knowledge will always find its way to you, should you seek it. Ever since I was young, I have this thirst to know who is Allah? What does He do? Why and the purpose, for that is another topic which I shall post another time. For now, it has been a hectic year, a lot of changes with everyone, especially those who are immunocompromised. If you are one of them, my prayers are with you, and please know this too shall pass. So what has happened so far? 

1. Social distancing (6 feet apart from each other)
2. Mandatory wearing of masks (some States and Cities are against it, believe it or not)
3. No social gatherings (or limited social gathering i.e. only 10 people maximum)
4. Sanitization of grocery store carts, the checkout belt and other places
5. Lockdown of most businesses only essential businesses open (Grocery, Healthcare, Convenience store to name a few)

Those are some of the few I can think of, please feel free to add your comments. Life has changed, made us more aware of how precious our health is and how important it is to maintain it. We all miss our friends and family but at least we have our homes. There's both good and bad things happening, but like Mr. Rogers always says "Look for the helpers." I choose to look at all the good things happening, not focus on the bad, there's all sort of help available financial, emotional, and health too. If you are in need of any resources please visit your local government website for assistance, there are many projects available to help you. For California, visit www.covid19.ca.gov or google any state and it will show up. Visit your local Church, Mosque, Temple to see if there's any assistance available, we are all in this together!