It’s easy to get into a rut and struggle with being able to do anything due to the lack of motivation you’re feeling.
Whether it’s because you’re not feeling well, working hard 9-5 and have the burn out blues or just plain old lazy.
When lacking motivation I like to set up my desk area with things that will motivate me and give me that extra energy or push to get my mind back into full swing.
Smoothie for thought
Find ingredients that’ll give you a burst of energy. Here’s a recipe I came up with: Handful of blueberries
2 ice cubes
1 teaspoon of chia seeds
1 and half mango cut into cubes
half a cup of milk
Put everything into your blender (I used my magic bullet) and blend away! Instant energy booster.
I love staying up to date with Fashion and the most current trends. I’ve subscribed to some of my favourite magazines and when I have a chance I sit down and read them all. A lot of the times some of the articles spark ideas and I go on a photo and writing frenzy.
Scents can really wake you up! Whether it’s a fragrance or a scented candle. I love Guerlain! My Insolence isn’t everyone’s cup of tea because of its unique scent, but fresh flowers is a good alternative.
Writing down your ideas and starting a brainstorming session makes a huge difference. I have a few notebooks where I keep all of my ideas. One of my favourites is a moleskin notebook. I keep one in my purse at all times. It’s great for when you come up with an idea on the go. Writing it down vs typing it in your phone feels a lot safer, private and can trigger even more ideas. I’m pen happy, so it works for me.
What gives you instant energy and motivation?
I apologize in advance for this “after Friday” post. I had it ready to be posted but got really busy hosting a dinner last night. It’s been a busy week as usual. Between filming my next YouTube video, writing the post to go with it, Ramadan, preparing for my sisters upcoming wedding festivities and my full time job. This week I came across many images, posts and experiences that really made me think of the meaning of “Free Your Mind”.
Pause for a second and think about what that really means to you. What’s the first thing you think of? I don’t know about you, but my mind races to think of many things.
Free your mind of negativity, Free your mind of what the media says, Free your mind of worry… I can go on. Here are my faves that can help you free your mind and see things differently.
Fave strong message to spread awareness:
Don’t believe everything you hear in the news. It’s so hard to come by real news. I think since the peak of social media and so many varieties of it, like video, blogging and image databases it has been easier for people to seek the truth and seek the real news on their own. At least for those who want to find it. I’m all for research and spending hours trying to un-code from what is real and not real. With our time on this earth, we shouldn’t fill our minds with garbage and instead free our minds to have our own voice, our own opinions and do our part to spread awareness in every mean possible. This brings me to my fave strong message. Over the years I’ve seen a small group of people in my Facebook friends list who have been following the war genocide on Gaza with all of their hearts, minds and souls. One of them who even took a trip there and witnessed things that we will never get to see through media today. I watched, I listened, posted links on my Facebook wall, which sadly would get 2-3 likes compared to pictures of my cat Beep, that would get 100’s of likes.
I get it, some people feel helpless so they turn away and figure, “well we can’t do anything about it!”. That’s where you’re wrong. Free your mind from thinking that and you’ll see how much you can do. I appreciated seeing my Facebook news feed full of people voicing their opinions on what is happening in Gaza, with images, videos, blog posts and profile picture changes. Thank you to each and every one of you for taking the time to educate, direct and help people see the real heart wrenching media of the war genocide happening in Gaza.
There are a lot of variables within this conflict between Palestinians and the Israeli Government. I by no means wish to say the solution to this conflict resides with only the Palestinians goals achieved. The answer will undoubtedly consist of a two state solution with peace for both sides. However, on the road to this end goal, there should be absolutely no room for the collective punishment/genocide of either side.
I came across a post of empowering illustrations of women and everyday struggles they have of wanting to be free of what society says they should do with themselves. The illustrations are by Carol Rossetti. Confidence to be who you want to be, to be yourself, is something you should never lose sight of. Some can get caught up with what society thinks is cool or hot and start to mimic what others do or how others live their lives and totally lose sight of their own unique ways that made them special in the first place. What’s cool and hot is to be YOU. Your unique self shines brighter than being a carbon copy of someone else.
This illustration stood out to me because I can relate. I love heels! For the longest time I was self concious to wear heels around my girlfriends to events because I felt as if I was too tall. I was always told tall girls don’t wear heels, because heels are for those who want to be taller. I have freed my mind with what people use to tell me. I wear the highest of heels whenever I please. I won’t lie, it has made it easier to wear them with pride now that I have a partner for life who is 6’4.
Fave quote:
I experienced two situations this week that I hope no one has to witness. Nothing drastic or mind blowing to the average person. However, for me.. it definitely boggles my mind. One situation where I witnessed someone make hurtful remarks to another and another where their attitude and intentions were not in the right place. A place of negativity and hate. I handled both situations with peace and kind words. After all, if we did the same thing back then we wouldn’t be making the world a better place for ourselves and our future generations to come.
Lesson here is, if you find yourself in a situation where you see someone is being hurt instead of rolling up your sleeves and hitting them, which by all means I can do with my kick boxing skills. Don’t. Kill them with kindness. Smile and proceed in a kind manner. Chances are, you may have left that person re-thinking what they did and hopefully in the future they would feel ridiculous and awful to repeat it again.
“Be in charge of your mind and feed it with good.” – Hum JK
My girl friends and I like to try and squeeze in a trip a year into our busy schedules so we can get some quality time with one another. This year we chose Bermuda. It was a short trip, but definitely worth it.
We’ve gone on so many trips in the past that doing research, buying tickets and organizing the entire trip has become a lot easier over the years. One of the things I’ve noticed as my typical keyword search to help us decide on a destination is “name of the place” girls trip itinerary. The search results for these keywords are weak. Either there isn’t much raw content out there in this category or I need to step up my keyword search game. Which ever it may be, I’m adding to the data pool!
Length of Trip: 3.5 Days
Day 1
Settle into your resort, villa or house : This could take up your entire morning depending on where you stay. The bermudans love to talk and they’re very kind. You have two options when deciding where to stay. You can stay near downtown, or what Bermudans call the suburbs, countryside. The distance from countryside to downtown is usually less than 30 mins. The south side of Bermuda, Hamilton to the Dockyards I think is where the prettier water is. Although surprisingly Horseshoe Bay Beach had a stunning view.
You’ll need to travel around Bermuda and I think the best way is by scooter. Bus transportation takes too long, from what I read in reviews and cabs can get pricey. If you haven’t ever rode a scooter before, please take it easy. I’ve heard and witnessed enough scooter accidents that lead to death or close to it. Be confident and stay within the speed limit. Or just ride behind someone like I did. I didn’t do so well on a scooter in Cuba so didn’t want to take any chances. Call a scooter rental place and have them meet you at your place of stay or a restaurant. The people at Oleander Cycles were very nice and patient. We’ve ridden scooters in Jamaica, Cuba and some of us in Goa but after a few months you still need some practice and direction before you head onto the road.
Everyone drives on the left side of the road in Bermuda and key thing to remember is if you’re being honked at, they’re just saying Hello! The speed limit is 35-40kph, so it’s not because you’re going too slow. From one point of the island to the other side takes about 45 mins to 1 hour.
Day 2
Rent your own boat and go out on the water and do some coral reef and island hopping!
We packed up a cooler for a whole day trip and rented our boat from H2O sports.
Although we were really tired we still made a trip Downtown and had dinner at Pearl, which is inside Port O Call. It was great sushi!
Day 3
We rode our scooters to the dockyards where cruise ships stop, where you can find cute shops and restaurants as well. After that we made a trip to the Horseshoe Bay beach which is known as the most popular beach in Bermuda. Make sure you climb the big rock beside the hidden cove near the entrance of the beach. The views are spectacular from up there.
Later that evening we went back downtown and enjoyed an evening at Cafe Cairo. For those of you who love hookah, you can order it there.
Check out my vlog I posted to my YouTube channel. Hit subscribe ;”) :
Waking up from a busy weekend, long weekend, tiring weekend.. you know what kind of weekend I’m talking about here. Those weekends that you haven’t recovered from and you barely get up for Monday.
If you’re having one of those Mondays, here are some quick lift me ups:
I asked my husband what would lift you up on a Monday, he replied “you would..” I laughed and asked again “Seriously! What?!” He replied with the same answer.
1. End of Monday plans.
At the end of your busy day, make plans with someone who will lift your spirits. Someone who will make you laugh and forget that it’s Monday.
2. Scents.
Certain scents can change your mood. Light a scented candle. Preferably soy or home made. The best scents to put you in a happy place are lemon, ginger, rose and jasmine. If you’re not a candle person or allergic, try burning oils.
3. Treat yourself!
It can be anything! Like your favourite food, new clothes, buying flowers or how about go for a manicure or a pedicure. What a great way to start your week!
4. Music for your soul.
Classy jazz puts me in a great mood. Everyone needs some “sha-ba doop-dah-dah doo-da” now and then. Whatever music you know would jog your memory of good times would do for Monday blues.
5. Make-up!
I am certain a bright lipstick, eye shadow or nails will pick you up instantly! Go for a bright red or fuchsia lip colour. For eyes, highlighting the inner rim of your eye with gold, yellow or turquoise does the trick.
What a beautiful Friday! The weather is amazing. It’s sweltering hot outside and I’m 5 days away from being in Bermuda! I have some pretty awesome videos and posts coming up, so don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and Like my Facebook page to be the first to know. ;”)
Here are my Friday Faves that really made me feel the love for education, fashion, life and Coca-Cola.
Fave App & Website:
How many of you remember Reading Rainbow? It went off air a few years ago but now it’s back in a new way! Now there’s a Reading Rainbow application that you can download to your phone and tablet. Levar Burton is advancing with the new generation and bringing his love of books to life through technology today.
Watching some YouTube videos and I found this one! Who doesn’t love parody videos? The babies are so cute and kudos to the parents for putting all of this together. After watching this one, I went over to the comments and saw RIP Connie and found a video about one of the mom’s in the parody video passed away due to giving birth to her second child. My heart and prayers go out to that family.
Fave pin:
I love Denis Gagnon’s designs.
One of my favourite Canadian designers, Denis Gagnon.
Fave Movie:
Found out about this movie this week and I can’t wait to watch it! The story of YSL.
Fave Marketing Strategy:
I love what Coca-Cola did here. They’re filling a want by helping people connect with their loved ones. In return they’re affiliating that love and gratitude for their service into a long term love for the Coca-Cola brand. You know they’ll be reaching for a Coca-cola as opposed to Pepsi because of this added on benefit.
This was a great opportunity for tech fanatics like myself to try out some of the most awesome latest technology on the market.
On Thursday May 22nd, The ADCC (The Advertising & Design Club of Canada) brought us closer to technology that we don’t commonly see here. When I was in New York for Social Media week, which the venue happened to be around the corner to the Google head quarters, I saw Google glasses on people everywhere. Here in Toronto, never.
Here’s the list of what we got to try:
Oculus Rift
Google Glass
Leap Motion
Kinect
Bubl
Makerbot
Some of these toys you may never have heard of, so let me break it down for you.
Oculus Rift
This I thought was pretty cool. I know this technology has been in the works for quite a while now. But now it’s ready for pre-order! On their site, the Oculus Rift is best known as the next-generation of virtual reality technology.
So I didn’t try this one on, because I was one of the last people to do so. Those of you who know me, I’m a bit of a germaphobe. It’s the end of the day, a hot day, people sweat, break out… you know where I’m going with this. Anyways, they had a tv screen set up to show people waiting to try the Oculus Rift what the viewer was experiencing. I’m impressed. I wonder if xbox, playstation and other consoles are looking into adapting such technology into their future upgrades? Hmmm.. or will Oculus Rift bypass them all with their very own console?
Google Glass
Some people hate it, some people love it and then some are just disappointed. I was disappointed. This technology I was really hyped up to try because of all the buzz that was going around about it, ever since the designs first leaked and it launched for sale.
One of the things I noticed was how many times the person managing the Google glass area had to charge its battery. Hmm.. if the Google glass has battery issues, what an epic fail at being able to wear them for long periods of time.
When I finally tried it on, it took awhile getting use to figuring out how to navigate through the glass. So you swipe the side arm of the glasses left to right to scroll through different apps like games, camera, calendar etc. I thought there would be touch sensor buttons. Okay, swipe it is.
I was wearing the glasses for 5 mins. I played badminton and scrolled through the main screen. When I took them off I felt dizzy and off balance. Which made me realize, this entire time my one eye was dormant, while the other looking at the glass worked super hard to play that game of badminton. This technology scares me when I think about the future of eye health or how ridiculous I looked, looking at something that other people couldn’t see.
It’s one thing if you’re at home, playing a video game on your Oculus Rift, but can you imagine outdoors, when you’re with friends or while you’re out and about.
It’s bad enough we are addicted to our smartphones and look away from the person whose talking to us to sneak a peek, now we’ll have that distraction on our heads. I’m not sure about my love for Google glass all of a sudden.
Check out Engadget’s review on Google Glass:
Leap Motion
Many products already have leap motion installed into them. With a wave of a hand, you can use your Mac or PC in a whole new way for games, design, and more. The Leap Motion 3D Controller senses your hands moving naturally.
Sharadha Ramjit trying out Leap Motion
Kinect
This technology is old news for me. You can find this with xbox 360 consoles and probably own it or have seen it at your friends place. Kinect brings games and entertainment to life without using a controller.
Old news, but still pretty awesome that we are now forced to get up off our feet and really get into video games. Moving items in the games with our motions and getting a great workout too!
Bubl
Newest technology for taking pictures and videos. The design allows the 4, 190º lenses to overlap capturing everything inside a digital bubl. It’s even small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. I’m excited about this one! Bubl, I can’t wait to own you!
Makerbot
Say hello to the new standard in desktop 3D printing, engineered with the professional designer in mind.
There are so many 3D printers out there now, but now you have one that is small and can sit right on top of your desk.
It’s been an incredible week of appointments, photo shoots and filming! I’m happy to say I’ll be uploading one of my YouTube videos this weekend. Okay, don’t expect something totally amazing. My videos are just me, being me. Hope you’ll enjoy them and subscribe! Hehe. Have a great long weekend everyone!
So here are my friday faves from this week to take you through the weekend:
Fave Quote
As soon as I saw this I thought of my hubby. In my eyes he is perfection. He is my rock on days when I’m ornery and my partner in laugher when I’m silly. Also it helps to shed light on things that parents, brothers, significant others do for us that show they love and care. Often overlooked or taken for granted.
Fave Video
This is incredible!
Fave Tweet
The courage that went into this selfie!
There is so much happening right now and I can’t wait to share! Smile, it’s Friday! Here are some of my faves from this week. Enjoy :”)
Fave video: Well done Nike. My favourite part was slipping Hulk into this video!
Fave App: Okay ladies, or gentlemen. This app can potentially save your life! In a nut shell, you know those nights when you need to go down a creepy dark alley to get somewhere and you start clanking your keys to warn any evil that lurks in the darkness that you’re armed? Well, now you can do that AND have a virtual life saver. I don’t think I did a great job explaining this app so just click here.
Fave Facebook Post:
[Tweet “In Shaq’s own words, “It is not about how much money you make. The question is are you educated enough to KEEP it.” #Quotes”]
This is bound to make you smile.
Fave Fashion News:
Disney is celebrating Mickey Mouse’s film debut, Steamboat Willie by creating a cute collection of clothes for men and women. The collection is inspired by the movie which came out in 1928. Did you know this is the same year Mickey Mouse was born? Check out the collection here.
Robots were invented to make our lives easier in some way or to do things that we cannot do, like exploring Mars.
Although robots fascinate people, they have not yet made much of a mark on the world. Especially compared to the make believe ones we’ve seen in movies like iRobot and The Terminator. However, we’re very close to this changing.
More companies are investing in the future of robots. The New York Times reported that in 2013, Google bought eight promising robot start-ups in the United States and Japan to help build a “new generation” of robots. These robots will make the electronics assembly process easier and possibly help with Google’s same-day delivery efforts. Andy Rubin, who was the mastermind behind the Android operating system, is working on this top secret Robots project.
Amazon.com, which is Google’s competitor in the Robots category, stated that one day they want Amazon’s books and DVDs delivered to customers via miniature helicopters. Deliveries by drones? Now that will be something to see. Or will it be a robot stepping out of a self-driving car to deliver your package? These are just some of the assumptions or ideas that could easily become reality.
Another industry where robots will come in handy will be mining. By 2030 we might see robots that can map underground chambers to within a millimeter of detail with lasers or automated drills to separate waste from valuable. And at waste dumps, robots will be used to extract every last metal particle.
Some interesting robots to watch out for that were introduced to the market this year:
– The Grillbot $120, cleans your bbq grill like a vacuum
– AIMe is a small camera that detects motion up to 150 feet with special sensors. This robot
will be available in June of 2014 with a price tag of $299.99
– Keecker is a lifestyle robot, working in your home to provide entertainment and
communications. You can use its built-in projector to watch a movie or surf the web on any
nearby wall, or listen to music.
Check out this video of some pretty cool robots. Not sure why they would be terrifying though:
I am actually sick with a fever. Toronto’s winter weather hasn’t been nice to us this time around.-30 weather, snow in March and Leafs keep losing. Irrelevant to the weather, but I thought I’d throw that in there. Regardless of all that, throughout the week there were some things that made me laugh, motivated or sparked an idea!
Fave Video: I uploaded this video back in 2006 and totally forgot about it. This was my cat Maya’s first day at the house and I placed her for a second on my desk and wanted to record a video to send to a friend of mine, when something unexpectedly happens…to this day when I watch this video, it still makes me go “OU!”
Fave Pin:
I am in love with these John Galliano – Resort Shoes for 2014. The pop of yellow and the design is just impeccable.
Fave Quote:
Last year was a busy year but didn’t have too much time to create my brand and work on my projects. I have been very goals oriented this year and have so many things I’d love to accomplish very soon. Stumbling upon this quote was perfect timing.
Fave Purchase:
I was at the mall looking for something unique to add to the gifts I was getting for a special baby’s birthday, when I found this at Indigo. It is perfect! I love things that make a child’s imagination go wild, makes them excited and of course puts them into giggles. A tickle monster book box with tickle monster gloves included! It’s actually cheaper to purchase it online.
Happy Friday everyone and have a wonderful weekend!
