Random Life Tips

Karwaan (2018) dir. Akarsh Khurana

Main akela hi chala tha janib-e-manzil magar Log saath aate gaye aur karwaan banta gaya.

I started all alone towards my destiny But people came along and it became a caravan. – Majhrooh Sultanpuri

میں اکیلا ہی چلا تھا جانبِ منزل مگر لوگ ساتھ آتے گئے اور کارواں بنتا گیا

MY health tips!!

You’ve been a lot to ask me about health and fitness tips so here are mine! 

Of course, I’m not a doctor (yet :P) nor a personal trainer but I’ve been working out for 3 straight years now and I’ve acquired a bit of knowledge about health and fitness. This article will only be about food and I’ll post soon another one about fitness!! 

Hope you enjoy :) 

Mental health first : food is good for your body. If you start being afraid of it, or if eating gives you anxiety or if you do anything that could make you think of an eating disorder, please seek help. I see tons of pro-ana blogs here on Tumblr and THIS IS NOT OK. I know, I’m not you but the only thing I can do is try to help and the only way for me to do so is to tell you that you’re not alone, you are loved, and it’s totally normal to need help. Please don’t stay in your dark thoughts. Feel free to message me if you want to talk. 

Try to stay away from refined sugar, processed and fatty foods. They’ll just make you feel bad and are just empty calories! You’ll end up by eating more and more because of your insulin spikes! 

You don’t really need oil. If you want to include healthy fats in your diet, -and you have to- make sure they come from nuts or avocados instead of liquid oils. Oil is basically fat juice with all the vitamins and fiber removed. Plus, you have no idea how quick you can transform your healthy salad into a super caloric one just by adding oil to it!

You don’t have to eat breakfast if you’re not hungry in the morning. But make sure you bring something healthy with you if you’re going to work / school so you don’t fall for the vending machine. 

Try to include protein at each meal, but remember that unless you’re a bodybuilder you don’t have to eat 200 grams of protein per day! 80g is more than sufficient. Also, try to add more vegetal sources of protein to your diet, like beans, whole grains, and nuts. The animals, the planet, and especially your body will thank you for that.

Fiber. Everyone seems super worried about their protein intake when an actual protein deficiency is really rare. What is more common instead is the lack of fiber in our diet. Fibers are so important to keep your gut and body healthy (lack of fiber is actually one of the main causes of colorectal cancer!!). Foods that contain more fiber are fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

If you want to lose weight, a simple trick is to put fewer fats and carbs a bit on your plate and add more veggies instead. Veggies will help you to feel fuller and are also the best source of fiber (you’ll poop more often and eat less so it’s a win-win situation :D ) 

However, don’t forget that carbs are important. Yes, ditching carbs from your diet will make you lose weight (especially because you also eliminate the water that was retained because of the carbs) but they are our main source of energy. Your body will crave carbs when you stop eating them!! Just try to eat more whole carbs like brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, etc.

Drink more water, but not too much. Just make sure that your urine is light yellow and not dark (but if your urine is almost transparent it means you’re drinking too much and losing precious minerals in your urine!!) Also remember that if you’re adding more fiber to your diet, make sure you drink more (hello constipation!!)

Snack on healthy foods like fruits or trail mix or hummus (I’ll post something about healthy snacks to eat whilst studying soon!)  

Simple tip, if you don’t want to eat unhealthy foods at your house, just don’t buy them

Eat slower so you’ll feel satisfied by eating less

Ditch sodas. They are really terrific in terms of hidden sugars. Even sugar-free sodas are evil. They make your teeth weaker, make you more hungry and most of the time the gas retained inside will make you feel bloated. If you don’t like drinking water, try to prepare a bottle of water with lemon, or berries in it and put it in the fridge! Or try drinking more tea (without sugar)!

For your own sanity, allow yourself cheat meals. Keep them for special occasions like when you’re out with your friends or in vacations, just don’t make it an everyday habit! It’s normal to crave ice cream and burgers, and of course, you can have them sometimes!

So just remember that these are my personal tips, and you may not approve them and it’s ok. In the end, the most important thing is to keep a balanced diet and lifestyle no matter what you prefer :) 

I hope these tips will actually help you! 

I’ll come back soon with an article about fitness and another with healthy and vegan snacks to try when studying :) 

STUDYGRAM

LET. ME. TALK. ABOUT. THIS.

“I think it’s suppose to be my romantic interest, but I’m too threatened by that concept so it never takes shape.”

First off, the possibility of Dewey being biromantic is STRONG as the romantic interest itself has a mix of a feminine and masculine voice all mixed into one, and this makes my bisexual heart cry, love that.

Second off, Dewey explicitly stating he’s “threatened” by the concept of a romantic interest highlights the fact he’s legit a 10 year old kid, so love and romance isn’t something that’s entered his brain that often and he hasn’t given it much thought. Which makes complete sense, most young boys don’t look into the concept of love.

Third off, going back to the mixed voice of the romantic interest, this can hint at the idea of Dewey himself not even knowing what he likes yet. Dewey clearly hasn’t given love much thought. He knows that it exists. He makes fun of it (along with Huey and Louie) when it comes to the relationship Scrooge has with Goldie. But when it comes to himself having an interest in another person, he doesn’t know what to think because he’s still growing up and doesn’t quite understand it yet. This hints that Dewey is still figuring that part of himself out, so the concept of a romantic interest “threatens” him because he doesn’t understand the concept. And this is realistic and totally understandable. He’s a kid. Kids don’t know these things. They’re learning.

He has plenty of time to figure out this part of him. He has time to figure out if he has interest in anyone. He has time to figure out if he doesn’t have any interest in anyone. He has time to figure out what kind of attraction he has. He has time.

It’s incredible this idea is being hinted at. I’ve always been a fan of the bisexual and ace Dewey headcanons, and this scene really hints at it hard, and as a bisexual myself, who struggled with this concept as well, I absolutely love it.

I love everything about Dewey’s character and this just adds to my love for him.

Liz Berube’s “Beauty on a Budget” feature that appeared in romance comics. 1960s-70s.

August 26, 2029

“The kettle waits for me. I open all the old windows. I am a young woman still. I have cropped my hair to my jaw. I am not taking anymore nonsense.”

-Little Weirds, Jenny Slate

someday i will live in a home where there are no sad stories within the walls. i can leave my door open and never worry about who may wander in. pieces of me will be everywhere, not just my bedroom. my books in the living room and my candle on the bathroom counter. a table where everyone is fed and loved and no one has to hold their tongue. if i open the windows there is no chance of all the peace escaping with the breeze because there is peace to spare. the war is left on the welcome mat. i will not need to lock my door because i can trust that anyone who comes knocking just wants to know what we should eat for dinner, just wants to show me something on the tv, just wants to say hi and see my face and hear my voice. maybe the fear will never leave. some things you simply can’t put down so long as your body remembers. but there is peace to spare. i will light the candle and read the book and leave my door open, and someone will stop by just to see my face and hear my voice.

university studying tips

i’m returning to university after taking a year hiatus, so here are some study/uni tips that i discovered the first 2 years of uni/wish i had implemented more often

study every day for at least an hour

write down study notes + lecture notes

rewrite these - both by hand and typing - as often as possible

seriously. rewrite your notes. have them down somewhere so that they’re legible, but then handwrite your notes as many times as you can, even if it isn’t legible

repetition helps with not only memorization, but comprehension as well

say notes aloud as often as possible

if you’ve safe access to a library, take yourself out on a date

make it a habit 2x-4x a week at specific times going to your library and finding a spot and just studying for 3-4 hours

i would always go tuesday, wednesday and thursday nights from 2pm-8pm. this is when i would get my homework assignments and reading done for most of the week/get ahead where i could

grab yourself a coffee and a snack and remember to take breaks in between!!! every 45 minutes, take a 5 minute break <3

use gum, perfume, or [**diluted**] essential oils as aids during studying, and remember to repeat when taking exams 

if you’re studying for an exam and chewing peppermint gum, by chewing the peppermint gum during the exam, it can help trigger the memories of what you were studying 

plan ahead

mark out in a planner or calendar when all of your weekly assignments are due, quizzes, exams, and papers

set time aside each day of the week where you are able to work on upcoming projects

for papers that are due in, say, a month

as soon as you have the topic picked out, spend a few moments each day finding academic sources 

when reading the material that will be pertinent, highlight/bookmark as you go along. this will help you in the long run (especially if you are using secondary sources and need a quick quote or citation)

send rough drafts to your professor or your schools writing services for thoughts and additions; it can be super nerve-wracking at first, but i promise it helps a lot

you don’t need to color coordinate, but it can help

keep it simple, too much color can and will distract you. but highlighting vocab words, dates and other important things like that can help a lot if you’re trying to find something specific in your study notes

take breaks often, but don’t procrastinate or get distracted (i’ll write another post soon on how to specifically avoid distraction and burn out)

know that grades do not define you. i promise, they don’t.

speak to your professor or advisor if you are falling behind in a class or multiple classes and need aid or extensions. they are there to help you and to teach you. they are your biggest resource. use it. 

if you need someone to talk to, i’m here <3