Book Review Fridays- Blink

Malcolm Gladwell writes a poignant book on decision-making and self-awareness. I read Blink, and couldn't put it down until I was finished. I can't tell you how helpful this makes understanding our intrinsic know how. It teaches you to hone in on your instincts, and ultimately trust them. These are concepts that we generally already know, but sometimes lack the understanding behind. It encourages using our powers of rapid cognition other wise known as our subconscious.

Gladwell gives anecdotal stories, and examples to illustrate his points which makes grasping concepts that seem complicated a lot easier. The stories are completely relatable. The words flow easily, making a somewhat "heavy" topic  a breeze to read.

 It seems repetitive at times, but not to its detriment. I find that the repetition of the message after the end of every example drives home the lessons to be learned. Often times you finish a book and wonder what the lesson or purpose was; this is not the case with Blink.

The most important take-away is learning to rely on snap judgments. This was described as first impressions. Apparently they really are crucial in our assessments. Gladwell emphasizes that focusing on this can reduce mistakes in organizations, improve test taking, and help decision making.

Overall, it's a good read in the non-fiction world. There are useful tools to improve thinking "without thinking." I would definitely recommend this not only to read, but have around to go back to for a refresher.

If you'd like to read it, you can follow this link to buy it here


Score- 4 out of 5

Baby Showers bring May flowers!

I was due in July, and the baby shower was held mid-may.  It was a little too close to my due date for my taste, but we had to push it back to accommodate everyone's schedules. 
I remember it being really hot, and my feet were swelling up like little puffer fish.

Even though we knew we were expecting a girl, we kept the theme neutral for the baby shower. There were just too many pink options. I have nothing against pink, I just wanted something different. Turns out the yellow and gray combination looks really great too!

 I got a lot of the ideas from Pinterest, and relayed them on to my sister, (she set it all up!) 

Here is how everything turned out!

These were our party lanterns. You can purchase them from the link. They were a bit of a pain to hang, but the overall look was great. 
They are so inexpensive, and look so chic! Double win!

The cake was everything I had ever wanted. I was lucky to have an experienced french baker make our baby shower cake. It was mocha flavored, with a chocolate cream filling. The cake topper was the cutest thing ever! Although, my husband and I thought the topper looks more like a boy than a girl. What do you think? 

I was gifted these little babies to offer as party favors from a friend. I didn't use them as party favors, but added pins to them to use for a game! 

These are the gift bags for those winning prizes in the games. They were filled with candles, picture frames, nail polish sets, etc. You can make these simple party favors by using party bags, and wrapping with colorful ribbon and filling with treats your guest will love!

Book Review Fridays- Three Cups of Tea

I really, really wanted to love this book. The idea, and the message just seemed very noble in its own right. Who doesn't love the idea of a man coming to climb a mountain, getting inspired, and then spending the next years of his life building schools for underprivileged children in a third-world country? That was the draw for me. I wish I was Greg Mortenson. I wish I could have built schools for children, especially for girls that didn't have access to public education. This was my chance to be a vicarious altruist. 

Sadly, that didn't happen.

The writing style is more like an essay than a story. I never felt swept away at any part of this book. I kept waiting for that moment when I would connect, it never came. The content is rich, the descriptions are thorough, but I feel the heart is not there. The story-telling is very vanilla. The focus was very much on Mortenson rather than the work that he was doing. His pretentiousness overshadowed most of his interactions with the townspeople.

So is there anything good about this book? Yes, there are some redeeming qualities in the book. One of my favorite parts is when Greg is sharing the yak tea with Haji Ali.  That chapter brought to life deep characters with thoughtful reflections.

The scandal that has overcome this book was also something that was in the back of my mind while I was reading. I kept wondering if I was reading a fictional story. Whether or not Mortenson truly helped those girls, we will never know for sure.

Overall, the message is positive, but execution was off-point.

Score- 2.5 out of 5

Thai Red Curry

Thai curries are just delightfully delicious! Green, red, yellow, Panang, I love them all. The calories? those I do NOT love. This is a healthified version of my beloved red curry. Feel free to use any protein of choice.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast- slit horizontally, and sliced

2 teaspoons red curry paste ( I used Mae Ploy )

1 tablespoon rice-bran oil

1 tablespoon  organic coconut sugar

1 cup light coconut milk ( I used Trader Joe's)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper

1/2 cup asparagus or eggplant ( I used eggplant)

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves- whole with trimmed stems (Thai basil is preferred)

 Salt (per taste)

Directions:

Heat deep fry pan to medium high heat. Stir-fry the curry paste with rice-bran oil for a few seconds, until fragrant.  Add in the coconut milk, and stir until well-blended.  Now, add in chicken and let cook for about a minute. Add in water, vegetables, sugar, and salt. Let all the flavors meld together as it comes to a boil. Remove from flame. Serve over rice, or enjoy as soup!

Creamy-Dreamy Vegetable Soup

Lately, I have been making this soup a lot, almost every week. It's so easy to make! I just play around with the ingredients to keep it fresh. I get bored easily. When I first started my diet, I got hungry between lunches, and dinners. I would go rummaging through my pantry, and munch on granola bars, crackers, or other goodies. However, that was counter-intuitive to my weight loss journey because I would still feel unsatisfied, and continue to eat. This fit the bill. It is the perfect snack for in-between meals, or even as meal when paired with a protein, or salad. 

This recipe makes a delicious bowl of rich, guilt-free soup, that warms you to the core.

Ingredients:

1/2 white onion chopped 

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 cups cut cauliflower

1/2 cup chopped celery 

1/2 cup peeled and chopped potatoes 

4 cups water or broth

Salt and pepper taste 

Directions:

In a large sized pan, melt the coconut oil on medium heat. Saute the onions on medium heat until clear about 3-4 minutes. Now, add chopped potatoes, cauliflower. and celery. Let those cook for a few minutes. When the vegetables have wilted a little bit, pour in the water or broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup come to a boil. Cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender, or let cool, and use a blender until smooth. 

Enjoy!

Serves 4 - 1 cup each

Calories: 153 per serving

No pain, no gain?

I was determined to have a medicine-free, all-natrural birth. Why? I felt I could handle it, and was scared of the idea of the epidural. I spent some time researching natural birthing, styles, hypno-birth, at-home births, etc. Part of my research included labor and delivery documentaries on Netflix.

Even the Duchess of Cambridge (a woman whom I respect, and we were pregnant at the same time) was rumored to be taking hypno-birth classes, aka, natural birth aka no medicine birth.

One of the documentaries on natural-birthing got me really nervous. I seriously lost a few nights of sleep. I shan't even name it. I am that terrified.

Lesson learned: Don't stay up watching birthing documentaries during your last trimester.

 It was about how the current system in hospitals about giving birth is flawed. Apparently, we're not meant to lay on our backs to give birth. It touted the current labor and delivery processes in hospitals as means to line the pockets of pharmaceutical companies. Scary stuff.

It gave me all sorts of anxiety. I turned to many moms to seek their opinions, asking a simple question: Epidural or not?

I got varied responses. Some said it makes child birth bearable, others favored the feeling of the whole event. Although, more favored epidural.

 My mom wasn't too helpful since the last baby she had was me. So, her advice was a bit dated. She kept saying that she had all of her kids (the three of us) naturally, and if she could do it I could do it. Really though, I don't think she had the options available that we do now. Plus, it was in a third-world country, so definitely epidurals were not offered in the mid-80's.

Mainly, the idea of the needle going in my spine scared me. It just irked me to no end. Plus, now my mom had stepped in and offered a challenge of "if I can, you can."
 Who cares right? I do.  I wanted to make my mom proud of me. I wanted to show her I am equally as strong. I have an innate need to please.

Of course, those five words put more stress on my mind, because I turned it into a competition. I began to think that if I wasn't strong enough to endure the pain, than maybe I wasn't woman enough. I can't say why it was a feeling so intense. It might have been those pesky pregnancy hormones. This really began to weigh me down.  Could I endure the pain millions of women have endured before me? Did I have it in me?

Fast forward to labor room around delivery time. The pain was unlike I have ever felt before. My training fell by the wayside. I was shaking, gripping my bed rails, wailing like a banshee. I tried breathing techniques. I tried listening to calming music. I did everything to relieve the searing pain in my abdomen. But to no avail. This went on until I was ready for delivery. I was so close, but had been having contractions for 8 hours straight!  I began to cry, and looked to my husband. He said, "you don't have to endure this. Modern medicine has come a long way to ease the pain of child-birth. You are not proving yourself to anyone, but yourself. Do what you feel is right."
I was mentally and physically exhausted. I couldn't go on. I could not push without the assistance of medicine.

And you know what?
I have no one to prove myself to, just myself. At that time, that was the right decision for me. It didn't affect woman-kind. Just me.

Less than 15 minutes after,  more than half of the pain melted away. I felt muted versions of gargantuan contractions. My insides rejoiced, and my courage was renewed.  I delivered my baby girl within 2 hours of that time.

Apparently, my mom didn't even flinch when I told her, she was just too excited to meet her granddaughter.

At the end of the day,

I am still a mother, and  I am still a woman regardless of getting an epidural or not. I made the silly mistake to compare the two.

Since then, I have relied on these beautiful words:

"A flower does not think of competing  to the flower next to it, it just blooms" Anon