Christmas in a hurry

My dear followers!

I know I know, I've been slacking. Big time! But I really do have a good excuse. You may remember that I was stressing about all the studying I was doing lately. Guess what, I still am :( Next week I have three exams and a huge paper that's due. No Christmas vacation for me...

That's not really true though. Being the huge Christmas fan I am, I did take a little time off from studying to spend some quality time with family and friends of course! Mostly with my mom who is visiting :) Hence, my lack in blogging. She's staying at my grandmother’s house and I decided to stay over there too. The thing is that my sweet sweet grandma does not have access to internet. The first few days it really felt like a rehab centre for internet-addicts. Luckily I still had all my Christmas shopping left to do and we still had to figure the entire Christmas-dinner menu.

I have a huge passion for cooking and baking. I think it's genetic in my case. Both my grandmothers are Surinam and bake cakes and make the most delicious Surinam dishes. They even have a few customers, just like my mother and some of my aunts. My mother also bakes the best Surinam cakes and has a few signature dishes she makes on delivery. I grew up sitting on the kitchen counter, watching and helping my mother and in my spare time I always watched Foodnetwork on television. When I got older, I always took in upon myself to cook dinner for the family in the weekends. I am used to eating a home-cooked meal everyday.

Even though I love all of my families cooking, most of the dishes include meat... At family occasions, like Christmas, it really makes being a vegetarian complicated sometimes. Luckily I found a way to make it so much easier. I just make my own vegetarian dishes for the entire family! This way I can also introduce them to some of my favourite (healthier) recipes. This year my family decided to have a Christmas brunch, which means we would be eating the entire day. Knowing not all of the dishes would be figure-friendly I decided to make two super-food dishes: cauliflower-soup and a quinoa salad with cranberries and spinach. Sooo ridiculously good!!!! (Almost everybody agreed, even the biggest meat lovers! ;) ) I got these recipes from some food bloggers and I will be sharing them with you in my next blog. In my opinion blogs are really the best way to get the most delicious recipes, because unlike recipe-books these dishes have actually been tested, sometimes modified, and tested again by actual people who have a bigger passion for food than me. 

I didn't spend all my free time with family, but also with my very best friends! I even got to play cupid! (I know, not really appropriate this time of year with Santa and all, but in the end it all evolves around love right??).

Two of my friends celebrated their 4-year anniversary and without them knowing I played a crucial role for them to have a wonderful evening and it worked out perfectly! I love it when a plan comes together. They had a romantic dinner for two and then some. 

The week before Christmas I also had dinner with some friends. We all had to bring our favourite dish we would like to share others. It was a absolutely delicious, though there were more cakes and sweets then actual food. I didn't mind AT ALL ;) I even celebrated winter-solstice! Come to think of it. I’ve been eating A LOT this past week. It’s obviously time to make some new years resolutions…

After all this fun I packed up all my Christmas outfits, gifts and study books. I even packed my yoga-mat and of course my two little birds (Mido and Mickey) and moved to grandma’s house for the next couple of weeks. I have to say, nothing beats being in the company of the ones you love most! I really had a wonderful Christmas.

I’d love to share more stories, I forgot to mention that I’m in a bit of a hurry. I recently became a blood donor and I have an appointment to make my first donation! I promise my next blog will follow really soon, including the recipes mentioned earlier, new years resolutions and even some pictures

Stacey

This crazy little thing called balance

This has been a really good week for me. Except for the fact I feel a cold trying to sneak into my body. No-way I’m going to let it in! Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a little health nut, eating as much fruit and vegetables I can year round. The past few weeks, though, avoiding a cold or the flu keeps getting trickier with this cold weather and the long-days-short-nights-rhythm I’ve had due to exams! Time to get out my secret weapon: one tablespoon echinaforce drops with some water each morning, for the next couple of days.  It’s really gross, but it works! And of course eat even more fruits and veggies :).


Though I actually should be studying, I really felt the urge to share one story. After my first post, I got so many positive reactions and some great feedback. Of course I really appreciate all of it, but there was one reaction in particular I wanted to write about. I have this friend, who I think is pretty awesome. Always doing exactly what he wants, letting nothing get in his way. It's very inspiring! I don't think he knows, but in a twisted way he really motivates me to reach for my goals and make my dreams a reality. How great is that?! Everything he does is extreme and big, brilliant and expensive. Don’t bother telling him he can't or won’t make it. He'll prove you otherwise. Every. Single. Time. So far at least. I told him about my blog and that he had read it of course, because I’m all cool like that now. Well, actually, I wanted him to read it because he can be quite critical. He told me he liked it, but that my opinion about the importance of balance does not apply to him. …Wait. What?! Actually, it was not that big of surprise hearing that from him. Obviously I didn't agree, but I couldn't prove my point right away. He has this annoying ability to really make you question what you believe! So, instead of starting a huge discussion, which I probably wouldn’t win at that exact moment anyways, I decided to think about it. ;)


Being the good psychology-student that I am, I asked him why he felt that way. He said that he only lives by extremes. “And that being extreme is the opposite of being balanced”. Right?
WRONG! Well, at least in my opinion. I have my own little theory of the meaning of “balance”. And in my theory balance applies to EVERYBODY.  My fiend’s comment made me realize that the whole concept of balance needs to be clarified. Immediately. So, here it goes!


I believe that “balance” is... happiness. I explicitly use this term, because happiness is something absolutely personal. Everyone can find their happiness in their own unique way. Each individual had their own definition of what happiness means. To some it’s money, fame, family, food, a job, a child, a pet... oh for all I care could be smell of roses. My point is that it’s personal. Just like balance. It doesn't matter whether you live by the rules or on the edge, as long as there is some kind of counterweight. So being balanced equals being happy, and vice versa. I also believe there are different degrees of happiness, but that it always starts and ends with love. There, I said it. The infamous four-letter word: LOVE. L-O-V-E.  


Lets think about it. Picture this: you have absolutely nothing. You are a lost and lonely soul. All alone, in the world. And sad (but not starving so you’re not thinking about food or water). I think all you want at that moment is company. You want someone around. Someone that cares about you and that you can care about. Somebody who makes sticking around worth while. Life is just better that way, let’s face it.


Now (stick with me a little while longer) you’re not completely alone anymore. You have friends and family. You want more, the material stuff basically.  Education, the dream-job, -house, -cars, the big title. Money! We all want money, never having enough, always wanting more. Right?


Okay, last step.


After working your butt off for countless years, you finally have all the money in the world. You can do whatever you want, there are no limits anymore. Still not happy, right? I think you already know what’s missing… It’s love. You’d give anything for some real, authentic, good old love. Just like when you had absolutely nothing. So this is what I mean with the degrees of happiness. Right now we could be pretty happy and most days we probably are. But being merely human, we always want more. We think we can always become happier. To make this whole story a little bit more philosophical: We have the tendency to think the grass is always greener on the other side.


Now this is where balance comes in. I believe you’ve reached that peak of absolutely happiness, once you lose that unsatisfied feeling. The moment you realise it’s enough, right now. This doesn’t mean you can’t be balanced if you still have dreams or goals and the desire to work hard for them. My point is that the counterweight of all your desires is being able to appreciate what you have right now. Love every single thing you have. Be grateful for what you already have and even more grateful for everything that could still happen.


I know this sounds a little confusing, but just think about it! You're balanced once you realise the grass isn’t greener on the other side. Both sides are just as green. This doesn’t mean you should stop caring for it. It still needs water and soil and stuff. You can even pimp it up with some flower. Or a tree. Or a FOREST for those who want to be extreme!!! ;) 


So to sum it all up: to me balance is once you realise you’re allowed and are able to accept yourself and everything you’ve got this very moment. For me personally, this is where yoga comes in pretty darn handy. All forms of yoga evolve around balance. It doesn’t matter whether you practice a super intense version, like Bikram-yoga, or a calmer version, like Hatha-yoga. In all the different types of yoga, it’s about finding balance within you, mentally and physically. If you're not balanced in a pose, you'll notice it immediately because you fall down. It's that simple!! While practicing yoga, you learn to become balanced. Getting there isn’t always easy, but it’s possible. And absolutely worth it!


The good news is that if you try, and practice, you can become more balanced. We all have moments when we are truly happy. Can you think of the last time that was? Were you with someone? It could be with a friend, a family member or a significant other. I bet you, you were! (At least I was!). I think that in these moments it becomes clear to us that we only have one true desire, which is to love and being loved in return. Now those are moments of complete balance. Happiness at it's best.


Want more of those moments? Guess what!? You can! By practicing to become more appreciative! In anyway that works for you. Challenge yourself and be proud of what you accomplish. It could be trough art, dance, music, sports or maybe even by giving yoga a try. I think it should be relaxing, being able to put your mind at ease.  I bet you'll notice that once you’re balanced, all your goals and dreams are within your reach!


Now back to my friend. I would say that he the concept of balance does apply to him. And he has it too, though not yet as perfect as he would like it to be. I bet he has those happy moments when he’s sharing his success with family and friends. And I am pretty sure he wants more happy moments, just like the rest of us. 


I think it all comes down to love. Love for yourself, love for others, love for the world. 
Okay, now I sound like a hippy. So ehm... PEACE! ^^


That was my little balance-theory. Hope you'll find your balance. I know you can :)


Stacey

Why write a blog..?!

So this is my first blog! I bet a whole lot of people are wondering why I would start writing a blog. The thing is, I'm known for my impulsive decisions when it comes to random stuff. Though, they're not that random to me! You see, I think a lot. And I mean really: A LOT.  I've had people telling me before that I should quit that habit. But that's just me. And most of the time I figure out what I want that way. I say most of the time, because sometimes I can use the help (or push) of a family member or  friend to take the next step into the right direction. By the way, I would be absolutely nowhere without my family and friends!


Anyway, back to my thinking problem. The thing is that, very often, I don't include others in my thinking-process, (the beginning of it anyways). Whenever I get stuck though, I'm not afraid to share my problem with the world. Maybe thats a bad habit, I don't really know (yet). For example, last year, around this time actually I decided to become a vegetarian. People called me nuts, told me it wouldn't last. They just didn't understand why! So I had to explain to them that it was something I always wanted, and that I thought about it. A LOT. I didn't mind explaining though, because I had a reason (shared in next blog!). With this particular decision, I got a little push from a dear friend of mine. I just met her  in October at ballet class and we decided to have dinner. She told me, and another friend who joined us, that she was a vegetarian. Or at least, didn't eat meat. Once she said that, it was like my mind or body or I don't know what told me: now it's your time to start. So I did. And the entire world was in shock. Okay, now I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea.


The same thing happened (less extreme though) when I started to tell my friends and family that I was getting into yoga (Thanks to Tara Stiles' v-logs on Youtube). Falling madly in love with it. This happened around the same period I officially decided to stop eating meat. It just made sense to me! Why? Well, I was in my last year of getting my Bachelors-degree for Child and Family studies, I was stressed, I was tired, I wasn't very happy anymore (you know, life can get to you sometimes). And to me vegetarianism + yoga = energy, happiness, balance and even more energy. That was exactly what I needed. And it worked! I finished my bachelors-degree with an 8+! And besides all that, I was getting happier again! People were noticing :)


Now, after being pretty happy with my silly life, somethings about it were still bothering me. Like, lets see, the fact that I didn't really know what to do with it!! I decided to get a masters-degree in Social and Organizational Psychology (again, so many 'WHY'S?!'). I kept practicing yoga and avoiding meat-stuff. After months and months of thinking, I still didn't know, and it was getting absolutely frustrating. The reason: I didn't really tell people what was going on. Not because I didn't wanted to share, but because I really didn't know! I still had to think about it ;)


Then I remembered something. I'm a yogi and absolute health-nut in the making, I'm a social and organizational psychology student. I'm a friend, a listener, an adviser to those who ask... Well duh, why didn't I think of this before?  I want to become a Public Health Advisor! 
And then I remembered something else. Ever since I was little I loved books. I loved everything about them. In my head I always had many stories to tell (mostly about my ridiculous love, but also about health, yoga, mindfulness and my road to vegetarianism) and I wanted to write them down. When I'm with my friends and tell them about my absolutely crazy (but great!) life of mine, I keep mentioning that I should write a book. I actually tried many times, but once I start writing, I always got stuck so I just quit and forget about it. Till the next story starts screaming in my head:  WRITE ME DOWN!!... It never really worked out. I think it was because I thought it was silly. I mean, why would I write a book!? 


But this weekend I had an epiphany, with a little help of course! (Thank you friends, you know who you are!!). Like I said, I figured out what I want to do for this beautiful planet and I also figured out what I wanted to do for myself (actually I just said it out loud and really meant it).... Start writing that damn book. 
And what better way to start, then to write a blog?? Perfect way to practice! So that's my reason. (I already got a text from my brother: Why do you want to write a blog?!... see what I mean! I'm expecting more, but I have my answer ready! ;))


So this is it. The beginning of a book, written by me. Sharing my stories, and telling others about the lessons I learned. The good, the bad and the ugly. In this blog I will also give advise and share my experiences about yoga, vegetarianism, health, and love. It's about finding balance in life, balance within yourself, balance in everything you do. 


Hope you'll stick with me through this! I can always use a little push in the right direction :)


Stacey