Hello everyone!

Hope you've all been well. I'm writing to you after the longest time. I'm slowly starting to come out from my self-imposed time-out. 

What better way to get back to writing and blogging than by reflecting on my 24 years of life. 

I will be 24 in another week. Can you believe it?

To commemorate the occasion (well before it happens), I thought I will share with all of you 24 things I've learned in my 24 years of life, in the form of a note to myself.

1. Mom and Dad are alarmingly right about many, many things. Always hear out their perspective on things.

2.  It's okay to stand up for yourself even if it is difficult at times because you're not used to doing it often.

3. Try your best to make at least one person smile through a kind gesture. 

4. Take time for yourself off social media. While SM is amazing, it can also cloud your judgment about your life because you're constantly drawing comparisons with others.

5. Speaking of...try not to compare your life with that of anyone else. Instead focus on what you do and what you want out of life.

6. You don't have to live your life according to anyone else, even if they have good intentions.

7. Do things at your own pace. Even if it means you're 'getting there' slower than the rest.

8. There will be days where you "just can't", but those days will pass. 

9. Accept your emotions.

 10. Anxiety is controllable.

11. Know when to push yourself out of your comfort zone, because the rewards are so worth it!

12. Always be open for new adventures.

13. Accept that you can't make time for everything and everyone. This doesn't mean you have to let go of people or opportunities, but rather it concerns with prioritising. 

14. Don't beat yourself up for saying 'no'. 

15. Learn how to manage your time, so you can make time for most if not everything and everyone. 

16. Recognise the people who are ready to support you and accept that support.

17. Surround yourself with people who are inspiring.

18. Know your worth and know the difference between what you do and don't deserve.

19. Be honest to yourself and know your limits. You don't have to pretend like you're not affected by what happens around you.

20. Forgive yourself for your mistakes, because you cannot be both perfect and human.

21. Re-evaluate how you talk to yourself. Remember how you learned this in psych class?

22. Self-care is a priority, don't let yourself forget that. So take time for yourself, bake, listen to your oldies records, colour in on that book you got from TBBW. Whatever it takes to make yourself content and at peace.

23. Know that it's the little things that count.

24. Believe in the power of a good cup of tea.

Let me know what you think, and if there are any lessons you've learnt from your life that you would like to share with me, please feel free to leave a comment down below.

Thank you so much for reading,

Much Love,

Hello everyone! 

How have you been?

I know it's been a while since I posted here on my blog. To be clear, I've missed two makeup reviews I planned on posting, apart from the usual lifestyle posts I do on week days. As I'm writing this there are 22 drafts sitting on my folder which I haven't touched, and photos on my SD card which remains unedited. 

I know what you're thinking.

 'Where in the world have you been?'

Well I've kind of been in hiding from the blogosphere. Allow me to explain.

The first and foremost reason why I haven't been active on my blog or social media would be because I am feeling uninspired, period. The beauty community has moved on to 'spilling of tea', and being 'shady' as opposed to sharing what each one of us are truly passionate about. Whether it be our favourite brand, the lipstick we wear all the time, or that one body wash we want everyone else to try out because it's just THAT good. Simply stated, I wanted to stay away from the drama, and distance myself from the community. At one point, I was contemplating turning my Instagram into a lifestyle/ mental health-only profile. I figured that then I would be a part of a community that serves to uplift people and make a positive impact. Anyway, I wanted to take a break, a) for a reality check, and b) to get inspired by daily life. Thanks to the degrees I've earned, the need to reflect and review is drilled into my brain.

The second reason is being overloaded with work. The past few days have encompassed early mornings and late nights (not partying, FYI). I am a meticulous list-maker, and organised person (when it comes to my agenda and not my room). So my immediate response to being overwhelmed and life not going according to plan is to run and hide. No, I do not know where I learned that from and yes, I know it sounds very dramatic. The past few weeks have brought on many changes. I will share these with you soon and hopefully you'll be able to understand (and empathise) better. 

So to answer the question, I've been holed up in my room, reading the books I bought from the big bad wolf sale, with a cup of tea. You know, just in my own bubble.

It's not going to be forever, but I'll be taking some time off until I am in a place when I can finally write to all of you with all my heart. I don't want to do anything in a mediocre and below-par manner. I hope you all are healthy and happy, and had a great past few weeks.

I'll write to you soon,

Much Love,

Hey everyone! Hope you've all been well. Today, I thought I will share with you my reflections and experiences from the month of May.

Birthday Celebrations

Rain and Thesis Presentations

We usually expect downpours during the months of April/ May, and we certainly experienced it (on another level) this year. This is my favourite kind of weather. The kind where I could just disappear into my room, with a book in hand, and cup mug of tea by my bedside. Ah bliss! I also managed to present my Master's Thesis which was overwhelming, and also engage in the Final VIVA (what I dreaded most as an undergrad). 

The #MeInArienti Campaign

Something very exciting came up in the last week of May, which was the #MeInArienti campaign. As you may know if you've followed me on social media, I've been a huge fan of Arienti. They have a generous variety of styles, and their clothes are of great quality for such affordable prices. When they reached out to me about spreading the message about the campaign, I was more than happy to do so. I also managed to capture this shot in line with their theme of 'Arienti and a Meal'. The struggle was real when it came to getting good shots of outfits especially when you are both in front of the camera, as well as the photographer- all the while holding a plate with a single donut doused in chocolate. All I can say is, it takes a lot of patience! 

Reflections

Upon reflecting on the happenings of this month, I wanted to share with you a message, or a tip really.
If your friend is distancing from you or other friends, losing interest in daily activities and things he/ she used to enjoy, looking upset for more days than not, please make sure to let them know that you are there for them. They might push you away, and respond with a 'I'm fine', but they might not be. Notice the little changes, and make sure they know they can rely on you.

That's pretty much what happened in the month of May. 

I was reading through a few posts on gratitude, and came across some comments in which I began to notice a certain ideology behind why gratitude hasn't worked out for some people. Admittedly not all things work exceptionally well for every single person. However one of the underlying ideas seemed to be that merely writing down lists of things someone is grateful for ought to bring happiness, success, money and love, etc. This is perpetrated when there is no explanation as to how gratitude works, so I thought I will share with you how it worked for me. 

No, it was not by mindlessly writing down lists of things I was grateful for. Every morning I took time to think and reflect, upon doing so I was able to list down specifically what I was grateful for. As I mentioned in my previous post, I found that pin-pointing what I was grateful for, such as support from my family, helped me more than writing something in general like, 'I'm grateful for my family'. 

While it almost seems miraculous, the way gratitude works; I assure you it is not a miracle. What it promotes is a shift in the mindset. Being grateful allows you to think about what you have, instead of what you haven't got. 

Imagine someone who experiences a minor blip like in his/ her relationship. It's very easy in this case for that person to look at themselves negatively, engage in self-blaming, and be preoccupied with the classic,  'Where have I gone wrong?', or 'What is wrong with me?' thoughts. 

This person would then nit-pick everything that's wrong with the relationship, everything that's wrong with the other person in the relationship, and with emotions running high, they will engage in distancing or reacting negatively towards the other person. They would soon realise that the world is against them leading to the 'Why me?', 'Why is the world keeping us apart?' thought process. Notice the domino effect that takes place.

Imagine instead, someone appreciating the fact that they have someone to share their life with or someone who is grateful for having a continuous source of support and strength.

In being grateful, we open our eyes and widen our perspective. We look for solutions or work around the problem. Whereas in the earlier situation, a person will continually consume time to think about everything that is going wrong, in this situation a person who is grateful will immediately pick up the phone to call or drop a message to their S/O or schedule a time to talk through what's going right and what's going wrong. The other person too will begin to notice how much more effort you are putting into the relationship, and will value the commitment. 

Do you think this person will now experience more love in their life, more success in their relationship, and feel more happy about the place they are in at the moment?

It's not all that magical or miraculous now is it?

Gratitude is a shift in perspective which logically explains why people who engage in the practice of gratitude experience love, success and happiness in a wholesome manner.

So there you go, the thought that merely listing things you're grateful for will enable you to lead a more fulfilling life is a common misconception.

Gratitude is a thought, a feeling, and an action. So make sure you experience it wholly.

Let me know what your thoughts are on practicing gratitude.

Thank you so much for reading,
Much Love,

Getting a planner has been the best decision I've made in 2018. In the past I've resorted to making to-do lists on scraps of paper, which unsurprisingly go missing; leaving me lost as to what I ought to do. Having a planner has allowed me to allocate slots of time to what I ought to get done within a month, a respective week, and during a particular day. 

While I do my monthly planning before the beginning of the month, I usually go through my weekly plans every Sunday evening. I feel that this process of planning out my week on Sundays with a clear head enables me to focus on my priorities and visualize the week ahead. Furthermore it helps build up momentum for the rest of the week. 

I usually grab myself a cup of green tea with lemon and settle down on my work desk. I begin by writing down everything I ought to do on a piece of paper to draw up a rough sketch for the week. In here, I would usually list down things of top priority, things that could be delegated to others, and other goals I could push away for a later date.

I often write down little ideas for blog posts on post-its, and in the notes on my phone. To add to these creative interests, I use my time on Sundays to brainstorm new ideas, topics for articles, and blog posts, and just generally take a brain dump. Usually in moments of extreme enthusiasm, I tend to aspire for larger than life goals. So during my time on Sundays, I think of whether they are worth pursuing, and if so deliberate on the means of achieving them by breaking them down into smaller goals. For example, one of my goals was to improve my health in whichever ways I can. So one of the steps I've taken is to swap my mid-day tea or coffee to a green tea. It's a baby step, but a step nevertheless, in the right direction.

After having gathered all this information, I start by putting each of the tasks into my planner. I allocate time slots for the tasks I can do daily, weekly, biweekly, and compare with what I ought to have achieved over a month. I also ensure that I have time for myself, which is how an introvert like me, recharges and refuels. That's pretty much a Sunday evening for me.

If you feel flustered with the pace of your life, and feel like you're constantly finding yourself lost amidst the numerous tasks you ought to achieve, I highly recommend getting a planner and scheduling some time on a Sunday to do your weekly planning. Even though for me my plans circulate on work, blogging, writing, and the like, you could also take time to plan out your meals for the rest of the week, plan your cleaning schedules for the week, or if you're a mom, decide on the chores your kids ought to do within that week.

Shop This Post:

Ban.do Agenda

Let me know how you plan your week, and if you have any tips, please leave them in a comment down below.

Thank you so much for reading,

Much Love,

Hey everyone! Hope you've all been well. Today, I thought I will share with you my reflections and experiences from the month of April.

Avurudhu Celebrations

Kolam

 Vesak Celebrations

#Breathe
Reaching Goals

Thank you for reading!

Much love,

This is a rather personal topic to talk about and there was so much back and forth whether to publish this but I figured I will write about it nevertheless.

I've been blogging for the past three years now and I've loved everything about it. It started out as a creative venture, and it still is one of my biggest passions. From writing posts, to taking photographs to testing out new products, every single aspect of it is enjoyable. If there was one aspect that was and still is challenging for me, it is being present at social events. 

I love meeting people one-on-one and having deep conversations. However when there are large numbers such as crowds coming for events, I almost always tend to avoid those events. This is a typical response to feelings of anxiety. 

I still can replay so clearly in my head, the first event I attended which happened to be the opening of The Body Shop store in Colpetty. Would you believe it if I said I almost didn't go? I distinctly remember wanting a friend with me there, but it was an invite-only event for obvious reasons. I remember telling my friend that I might not go because it was too overwhelming, and her reminding me what a fantastic opportunity that was. As the car drew closer to the building I remember the moment of hesitation before stepping out. I reminded myself to take deep breaths, that everything was going to be okay. Yes, I actually needed reminders. I think I started sweating the moment I stepped foot into the store, partly because it was packed with reporters which I mentioned on my blog before. However the part I left out of that post, were the feeling of anxiety and how challenging it was for me to be there.

I was so glad when Nethmi from Style Folder, and Sachini (@sach_nathali) on Instagram) spoke with me and the conversations put me at ease with the surroundings. Come to think of it, had I not gone to this event I would not have met these amazing people. This event was also a turning-point for me, as this was a moment when I realised I could manage those feelings of being overwhelmed and anxious. It was rewarding to push myself, which is the morale of the story if you will. For these reasons I am so grateful.

The reason why I am even delving into a personal topic is because I want you to know that if you do have feelings of anxiety and nervousness, you can manage them. It requires effort and constant rephrasing of internal conversations that say 'you can't' or 'it's all too much'. 

You can get through this!

 From experience I could say that it's not a smooth ride up and there may be bumps on the road, but you would never know what you're capable of until you try.

So here's to us pushing ourselves to be our best.

If you have gone through similar experiences, and you have any tips you would like to share on managing anxiety, do leave them in a comment down below. 

Thank you so much for reading,

Much Love,

Hey everyone! Hope you've all been well. Today, I thought I will share with you my reflections and experiences from the month of March.

Discovering My New Favourite Drink



Does anyone remember the time when I was obsessed with virgin mojitos? Well guess what, I've found a new obsession since the first day of March: Ginger beer mixed with orange juice. Yup, that's my new favourite drink and it is perfect for hot sunny days.

Kiri Daney

One of the best moments of March was having a kiri daney at our house. While we had one at our old house, I was a little too young to recall the events of the almsgiving. So this was a new experience, and I appreciated the cultural elements of it. What I did not appreciate was waking up at 3 a.m., because nobody told me that the almsgiving takes place before dawn. We made traditional sweet treats like hendi kevum, mung kevum, and aggala, which was a treat in itself to watch. 

Submitting Masters Thesis

Another significant event of March was the submission of my masters thesis. It was an exhausting and lengthy, but rewarding procedure. Reflecting on this experience, I've learned a few important lessons.

I also wanted to thank all of you who supported me, especially by submitting your data. I really do appreciate it. 😊

Reflections



One thing I loved about the month of March was being productive. I was able to set and achieve the goals I set for the month. I was able to publish 13 blog posts in one month which exceeded my expectations. It all comes down to managing time better, and using my agenda appropriately among other things which I will share with you in the future. I was able to regain stability which I really appreciated, because 2017 was a little tough on me. So I'm actually very very pleased with the momentum I gained in March.

That's pretty much what happened in the month of March.

 

I thought I will write a post that's more personal than the rest. As I look back on the month of February, I hope this will give you a glimpse of what I've been up to.

The Pox

Yes, you heard that right. At the age of 23, my body thought 'okay it's time to give in to the pox', and there I was a miserable wreck for an entire week. I didn't quite realise the magnitude of the illness, and especially the cultural beliefs associated with it. The first few days were particularly difficult because my body temperature soared and the aches began. Interestingly, I thought I would be scratching and itching more, you know like Phoebe from FRIENDS when she caught the pox, but I didn't experience it on the same level (thankful for this). The room service during that week was quite nice though, so no complaints there. 

Travel

Somehow I managed to travel to Kataragama for the Shiva Pooja. It's a religious festival where a lot of devotees come together in worshiping the deity, Shiva, by engaging in traditional rituals and reciting mantras at midnight.  We spent one night at Sun sung Chiththa Holiday Resort which was a quiet and decent stay. One of my favourite things about the journey back to Colombo, is seeing the beach at one spot between Dickwella and Matara where the water is the most perfect aqua blue I've ever seen. Now that I'm writing this post, I wish I knew the exact location. 

University and Blogging

Time Management is one of the most difficult tasks for a university student. Since I completed my internship towards the latter portion of January, I had more time to dedicate to blogging and hence was able to write, photograph, edit six posts for the month of  February. Besides that I've been spending time writing articles for YOUth (a feature of Sunday Island), and engaging in my research work and assignments. Can I just say, I was proud of myself for stretching my capacity to incorporate all of this into the shortest month of the year. 

Reflections

Anyway, that's it for this month!

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you'd like to see more posts like this or if you'd like to see any other types of posts, please let me know in a comment down below.

Thank you for reading!

Much love,