QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)


When it comes to friendship, I try my best to give it my 100%.  One part of friendship, to me, is being able to express my opinions to them whether it is in their favor or not. I feel obligated to, as their friend to look out for them even when they are not looking out for themselves. Sometimes people are not aware of the situation they are in, and a third person can see the whole issue better.  Which is when good friends come in.   I have been struggling with something in my head for the past few days and don't know how to let it out. When I see a good friend of mine doing something which I perceive will have a nasty outcome, I can't help myself but to express my honest opinion to them because I don't want to see them getting hurt again and again. Especially when you know all that they've been through and they're just making a stupid decision once again. Whether they will listen to me or not, is simply out of the question. Because I feel like one has to go through something on their own to learn from their mistakes, no matter how much you can tell them otherwise.  I would still take the chance and express myself, even if my friends would be upset with me. In the long run, I would hope for them to realize their mistake and see that I meant the best for them in my heart. 


How would you give advice to a friend who you know won't take it?  or how do you even address an issue to them, with them thinking you know nothing about it (or that you "won't understand")? 

Update on Contest 1200:
Only 74 more views to reach 1200!


Don't forget to participate! Here's what you have to do:


1-Subscribe to my blog
2-Comment on one QOTW blog post (Question of the week)
3-Comment on one other blog post from 2012


Prize: One handmade bracelet by me

CONTEST 1200

Here's an update on my latest handmade bracelets! I'd like some comments on this plz. Just to know which ones you guys like best. There's a reason for that =) 


As soon as I reach 1,200 views on my blog I will be doing a giveaway! Here are the rules:


1-Subscribe to my blog
2-Comment on one QOTW blog post (Question of the week)
3-Comment on one other blog post from 2012


PLEASE NOTE: 

• This contest is for U.S. participants only, sorry! (for now, I will think about this for future contests depending on the response) 
• The post must be with a valid name, cannot be anonymous!
• Any negative comments will be removed, and you will be immediately disqualified!
• The winner will be picked RANDOMLY (does not depend on the content or quantity of your comments, so feel free to express yourself)

PRIZE: One handmade bracelet by ME =D

Pet peeves

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)


I can go on and on about my pet peeves because i'm annoyed with just about everything! LOL joke!
On a real note, one of the things that really annoy me are when women don't wash their hands after they go the bathroom!
Disgusting much?! 
So everyday at work, whenever I head to the restroom its always the same person I bump into whenever I go there. That's annoying itself lol. but what annoys me more is when you clearly know the person used the bathroom and they either don't wash their hands, OR just rinse it with just water for literally 2 seconds and leave!!! 
I find that very very annoying and disgusting (and I thought men were like that lol) 
I mean, what the hell is the soap for?! and how hard is it for people to take a minute and wash their hands properly???
This is one of the things that are killing us, I tell you. Germs being spread like that. You never know where someones hands have been!
I'm not a germ-a-phobe freak but strictly believe in hand washing when it comes to certain things. Even if I go to the bathroom to check out the mirror, I'd still wash my hands! because of people like that, who don't wash their hands and touch all the handles and doorknobs ! 


So my question to you is, what is your biggest pet peeve?

Giving up soda is not as easy as I thought! Since my journey to quitting soda began, this would be the first time I had a whole can of soda! I couldn't resist! You know when you have that one meal, that you cannot have without soda, because it just "tastes right" all together? lol yea, that was the case. but i'm not really too upset about it because I feel like i've made progress since then.  It helped me realize how nasty it is lol. Even though I was craving it, while I was drinking it I really tasted the difference. It was extremely sweet, made me gassy and gave me heartburn as usual when I used to drink it before. I'm happy to say that it will certainly be much easier to quit for good now, unless I have withdrawal symptoms again =) but I will try my best to substitute it with water or my new addiction, Vitamin Water !

Colorful snack

AHHHH!!! So I was super excited to find these colorful snacks in my kitchen cabinet! I don't really know what they are called in English but in Urdu we call them "pappar" lol They come in different colors, shapes, and sizes and are meant to be fried.


These bring back a lot of childhood memories. I remember when I was younger I would eat these all the time with my sister.  My addiction to these started in Pakistan. Whenever someone comes and goes back home, my lovely uncles and aunts always send me these along with a whole bunch of other stuff =) I went grocery shopping with my mom just last week and was thinking about getting them, but couldn't remember why I didn't get them.  but today, when I was going through my kitchen to find something to eat I found these :D 

As weird as it may sound, I have this "thing" for pens that write nice! I have a whole collection of pens, that I not only keep at home, but have to carry specific pens with me in my bag everyday :P 

I don't like sharing them either! lol unless you are special !  

Weird?  I know! 

I love to write, if you didn't know already! sometimes I write just because I like how my handwriting looks, or simply because I found some good paper and an awesome pen!

My recent addition to this collection is the "B2P"pen from Staples and my monkey pen. The "B2P" pen is pretty cool. It's a recycled bottle made into a pen and best of all, it comes in different colors (of course I got the purple one :D ) My other favorite/recent add is my monkey pen! It has this monkey head in a globe and when you push a button it spins and lights up! (oh, the awkward excitement I have while blogging about it! lol ) 

Do You guys have any weird fetishes? I know I'm not the only one :)

Thirst quencher

I've been trying hard for the past few months to keep up with my health.  I've been starting with little things (like quitting soda from my diet, eating more veggies, and actually looking at food labels-something I NEVER EVER used to do before) 

One of the things I realized is that I barely drink water, I would go a few days without drinking even one glass because I never felt "thirsty". An average person should drink 8-10 fl oz. A DAY! The tiny 8 fl oz. (in the pic below) I would drink probably less than half of that a day :/

Water is essential for our good health and a prolonged absence of it can have profound effects over time. Some of them include weakening of the heart and shutting down of the kidneys.  Its a major component of blood and due to water loss from urination, perspiration, and stool, the body needs to be replenished daily to function at its best!

 I never noticed that all the minor issues I experienced (headaches, muscle weakness, nausea, dizziness) could be due to dehydration. So it became my goal to drink as much water as I can daily, I owe my body at least that! I'm happy to say that just yesterday I didn't realize how fast I had finished that little bottle, and was still thirsty (as opposed to before-when I would drink just a few sips and be fine) 

So this is another tiny goal I set for myself, and you can do it too!

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)


Stressful situations are a part of everyday life.  We each have different coping mechanisms that help us get through those feelings.  There is a sequence of  things that I do to get over something, depending on how extreme they are. 


 Of course I begin with shedding a few tears, if it's that hurtful/stressful. I'm not afraid to admit that there's times when I curl up into a ball and cry my eyes out, throw things around, etc...(oh ya, I have that temper although it might not seem like it)
Another thing that helps me is FOOD.  It is my best friend, one that will never let me down when I need it most ! Sometimes the cravings are for something spicy and sometimes sweet !
Lastly, Shopping! who can forget about that? As funny as it might sound, it actually does help me a lot. Whenever i'm feeling down  and have that $, my hands itch to spend! It distracts my mind, for that day at least until I cool down =)


So my question to you is, 
What is your coping mechanism during stressful situations you come across in life?


 I'm curious to know your responses! so plz don't be afraid to answer, even if you choose to do so anonymously!  

Feelin lucky :D

So a few wks ago, while I was jus doing my daily fb-ing I came across a few contests. I entered the contests, but never thought I would actually win,with my luck.

I was wrong! I actually got lucky this time and more than once! I won 2 contests, one from a jewelry company based in India "Chudiyan Bangles 'n More", and one from my lovely friend cici :)

Just wanna say thank you again and show you guys the prizes I received :D

                                           

So I had this $2 bill collection for quite a few yrs now. I thought I had lost them or probably spent it. But last night I found them in my old dresser :D

To spend or not to spend? What would U do ? :)

:(

As excited as I was getting back to my craftiness, I think I might need to give it a rest for a few weeks!

I started getting achy in my right wrist for about 2 weeks now, and didn't pay much attention. Only until the past 2 days, when the pain became unbearable.  It was SO painful to even shower this morning and get dressed.

It's weird, sometimes the pain is so extreme that I wanna scream and other times its only painful when trying I put pressure on it.

Hopefully I will pay a visit to the doc if it gets more worse.. and yes, I'm the type of person that won't go doc unless its absolutely necessary, or if I wait out a problem and it doesn't get better :P

Here's more bracelets for ya :

Reaching small goals

We all have some bad habits that are hard to get rid of, soda is mine!  We've known for a while now that sugary drinks are extremely bad for you because of all the high fructose corn syrup and all the other crap that it has in it. I could never get myself to stop drinking it until a few weeks ago, finally!  

It started with my A&P2 class. We were discussing how diseases are growing rapidly and how the newer generations are growing sicker, and their bodies are basically getting destroyed quicker.  It all starts from our diet. I wont get into details because I can go on forever talking about how bad fast food is and how our society is driven by it. That's a blog for another day =) 

Anywho, my professor and classmates were talking about how much acidity soda has. Some students mentioned how in third world countries, people would use soda to clean out their cars, and pipes, etc. Some even said they tried pouring soda down the kitchen sink and saw how fast it got rid of the gooey gunk(that gets stuck). So of course I had to try it to believe it. and I did! I was disgusted and concerned at the same time. If soda can "clean" car and pipe junk, then I cant even imagine what it would be doing inside my own body! 

Just a thought: we would never drink/prefer hot soda because we can actually taste how damn sweet and nasty it is. Also, mostly all things that are not that good for you go on sale more often! why??!! Oh, you smart smart advertising agencies and media ! (especially targeting the youth and making it harder to keep them away, than in previous years!)

Well, i'm happy to say that this is one bad eating(drinking) habit i'm trying hard to get rid of! (promise, I only had a few sips just this Tuesday-after a whole 2 weeks since I started this). So i'm definitely proud of myself, because *whew* you might/might not know how hooked I was! 

On that note, just saying that we should be more aware of what we are consuming.  There's enough other things around us that are doing us harm. Start with something small, and work your way up. It makes a big difference!

Here goes some of my new bracelets for sale: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93434174/handmade-gold-and-purple-beaded-bracelet

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93432885/engraved-silver-and-teal-bracelet

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)

For several weeks now, I've been thinking about the concept of forgiveness.  Im definitely not the type of person who holds grudges, intentionally at least. But when you forgive someone, I feel like its not necessary to keep them around.  My mom has been tellling me otherwise. Ive been arguing with her recently to prove my point .  

Allow me to explain:  Lets jus say I have known friend A for just a little over a year. Have treated him/her like a sibling and was always there for everything they needed.  They came to me only when they needed to get things done, but i was ok with that. Until one day,they just crossed the line. Starting to say things about me and taking advantage of how nice my parents are with "them".One thing that I cannot stand, is when someone is "FAKE", we all have come across close friends even who turn out to be something they never were.   And friend  A got into arguments with my parents because of things other people said about them. Then the ugliness came out. Friend A started being rude, saying hurtful things about me, about my life, the way I am, when they know not even 1/4 of my personality. blah..anywho, long story short, they realized what they had said and done and wanted to apologize to me about it.  I accepted the apology, with some hesitation in the beginning due to the anger I had inside. (anger for just that moment, doesnt mean I would or did lose sleep over what they had said).  

I fully forgave that person, but am I wrong to not want to bump into them again? to have an, even short convo with them?  IDK. I dont feel that its necessary to keep them around because it will just cause me to feel negativity  towards them unintentionally. 

The thing im fussing over, is the fact that my mom is the type of person who will forgive and forget and will be the same with that person, even after continuously being disappointed by them. She is pushing that on me and telling me that its ok to meet that person and be "normal" with them just because they asked for forgiveness.  I honestly feel at peace once I forgive them and dont feel like its necessary to keep them around. It reminds me of a quote I once read, "Always forgive, but never forget their names". ONLY to the extent where ur only protecting urself from getting hurt again. Not  to the point where u have a payback list of names lol . What do you guys think?

Do you feel like its necessary to forgive and really forget? Or forgive and turn the other way, and live ur life?

Valentines Day inspired nails 

So even though I don't like pink so much, I fell in love with this shade. 

So I decided to do it for Valentines day <3 

Just with a little extra 'text'

Fell in love with this idea, since I love writing and its been my New Years resolution for this year! 

Happy Valentines Day !

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)

How would you define/describe 

Love?

UMMM

So, Um I'm fixing my next YouTube vid and UM its not quite working out! Um I realized I say UMM way too much and it annoys me! and UM while I was editing, somehow it was public and already got 3 views the second I put it up! Yikes! well its not too bad :/ 

Any YouTube,video editing savvy people wanna help :D 

Please.....

Pretty please :/ 

Id greatly appreciate it! :)

Something to keep me busy!

Along with many of my other passions (photography, henna, sewing, painting, drawing, scrap-booking) , jewelry making is one of them! I keep jumping back and fourth from all of these and always love to stay busy. For as long as I can remember, I've been a crafty person. Sadly, I've been slacking due to my busy schedule and trying to focus a little more on my BSN. 

Although my career goals are heading towards the Medical field, I cant imagine myself doing JUST that.  My long term goals are to be an awesome photographer and henna artist  and to do it professionally for parties, weddings, etc. and also to open up a shop and teach people! It wouldn't be bad to make money along the way (: 

One of my resolutions for this year is to get back to crafting, and I've been doing a pretty good job so far! 

I can honestly admit, that after last night while making some of the bracelets below, I had such a GOOD sleep.  It really made me feel relaxed and more passionate about my work. 

P.S. Don't forget to check it out on fb: 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002444010201&ref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/smhennadesigns

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)

Let's face it. No matter how much you want to keep the young ones young, u can't keep them protected from the "rest of the world" for too long. It just hit me today what my mother says, " you'll know how it feels once u have ur own kids". Although I kinda grasped the concept without getting married or  having any kids yet. Lol.

I've been observing life closely for quite a while now and it has definitely opened my eyes, and changed me from within. For the most part, this change feels good. No disappointments, as of yet and I'm planning on keeping it that way!  

Back to my initial thought: it scares me how fast the young ones around me,mostly family/friends are growing. From babysitting them as kids,to playing with them,celebrating birthdays after birthdays (and many more to come IA), fighting,lecturing, being there for them, time seems to be slipping through like an hourglass.   You see the other half of the sand, going down slowly and u start panicking but there's ntn you can do to stop it. (Just turn the hourglass around again, lol don't we wish!) I just feel extremely concerned about where these kids are heading. They can't stay in the nest any longer, they must face "life". Because that's what life is about, isn't it?  (Makes me think about how crazy I would get once I have some kids of my own, lol). 

On that note, 
When is it too late to try and protect them? or is it ever?