Navratri food

1. Kuttu ka Atta (Buckwheat flour): Puri
2. Singare ka atta(Chestnut flour): Halwa
3. Ragi ka atta(finger millet)
4. Vrat ke chawal: samai rice; barnyard millet: it is not a grain rather a seed
5. Sabudana(Casava or tara root): Khichdi or kheer
6. Makhane
7. Fruits
8. Curd
9. Milk
10. Yogurt
11. Tea/coffee
12. Aloo/Arbi/Lauki/Kadoo/Shakarkandi/Kachalu/Suran/Yam/Spinach/ Tomatoes/
13. Cucumber/Carrot
14. Paneer
15. Raw banana tikki
16. Sabudane ke papad
17. Dry fruits and nuts and raisin

Bollywood Jewels

1. Delhi in a day

Massage

Massage is an integral part of my well-being. Here, I am sharing my personal experience with massage. It helps to de-stress, increase immunity, improves blood circulation and releases good feeling hormones.

1. Drink lots of water after the massage because like a workout, muscles become dehydrated after the massage. So, you should replenish all that lost water by drinking more. Then there’s a metabolic waste, which is produced by muscles. When our muscles are tight or have a knot, it constricts blood circulation in those areas, which inhibits the body’s ability to flush out waste. Drinking water post-massage allows the kidneys to effectively eliminate the new waste.
2. Massage: it is the movement of muscles for better circulation.
3. Haptics
4. Muscles are stronger than bones.
5. There are two types of muscles: intrinsic(when you are reaching out to ceiling) and extrinsic
6. Muscles have two parts origin and insertion; so we should massage the whole muscles.
7. Meat is nothing but the muscle.
8. Purpose of massage is to unravel the muscles. 
9. Erector spinae muscle: While massage bump on erector muscles, which are along the spinal cord and vertebrae.
10. Dieting can lose your muscles, which is not good. Therefore, strength training is very important for dieters to rebuild muscles. 
11. Tension pain or headache: massage Trapezius and elevator muscles.
12. Pain: It comes from lack of oxygen and lack of oxygen comes from compression.
13. Lower Back pain: Massage the Lumber muscles.
14. Oxygen is the healer. Better circulation carries more oxygen.

Acupuncture: Meridian Theory: it means there are some pathways in blood and lymphatic vessels connected to internal organs and energy flows along with it. It improves blood stagnation. Acupuncture causes blood vessels to dilate i.e. become wider and increases the proper blood flow.

Acupressure: The theory of acupuncture and acupressure is the same; in acupuncture, we use the needles to clear the pathways of energy while in acupressure we use the hand to create pressure to clear the pathways.

What happens is that when we use needles or pressure, brain release endorphins i.e body's own healing and feel-good chemicals, pain recedes, muscles relax and blood flow increases.

Acupressure points.

1. Below the thumb: for thyroid
2. between the index and middle finger: for eyes
3. between middle and ring finger: lungs
4. between the ring and little finger: heart
5. below little finger: sugar

Muscular system: It is made up of muscles and it allows us to move. Because muscles can contract and release without breaking due to its elastic nature, they protect our organs. Muscles connect to bones through fibers called Tendons. There are over 600 muscles:

1. Biceps
2. Triceps
3. Quadriceps
4. Abs, 
5. Pectorals, etc.

There are two types of muscles: Voluntarily muscles e.g. biceps and involuntarily muscles, e.g. heart

Cardiac muscles: heart; make involuntarily muscles

Smooth muscles: stomach, bladder, intestine; involuntarily muscles

Skeletal muscles: voluntarily muscles

Muscles can loose their strength if we don't exercise them.
Types of massage:

1. Swedish Massage
2. Thai Massage
3. Deep tissue massage
4. Tharepeutic Massage
5. Hot Stone massage

Craft ideas for Ladies afternoon get together

Spring:

1. Paper flowers making

Buddhist Life Philosophy

I always wonder I devote so much time in religious practice, what exactly I am learning or benefiting from this.

How my religious philosophy is helping me to lead a better life.

Buddism says that one mistake we make is that we consider ourselves as independent entities. But the truth is that we have dependent origination. And whenever there is disharmony in the relationships of dependent origination, things will start to create problems.

Another thing is that we believe in the concept of duality i.e. either/or. While Nichiren Buddhism is fundamentally a teaching of transformation. It means that when we chant Nam myo ho renge gyo, things start to transform, poison turns into medicine. Through chanting, we are able to see through beyond the surface appearance. And, only seeing through is not enough, it is a practice of action i.e. cause and effect. Based on the wisdom developed during chanting, we need to take the action, without action there is no use of wisdom.

And, it is expedient means who developed the concept of god, we, the positive forces, are the god. It means that when we chant, we bring forth our Buddha nature and upgrade ourselves from the lower state of life to the upper. This positive life force motivates us to take action.

खुद्दार

थोड़ा ही सही मन में अपने जगह दो ।

थोड़ा ही सही मन में अपने जगह दो ।

क्षणभर को ही सही, लम्हों में अपनी पनाह दो ॥

ये चाहत है हमारी, जो तुमको तवज्जो देती है ।

ये चाहत है हमारी, जो तुमको तवज्जो देती है ।

नहीं तो वक़्त मेरा भी कीमती बहुत है ॥

हम व्यापार करते नहीं जज़्बातों का ।

हम व्यापार करते नहीं जज़्बातों का ।

नहीं तो खरीदार बहुत हैं ॥

साथ हैं एक छत के नीचे, सिर्फ अपनेपन की चाहत को । 

साथ हैं एक छत के नीचे, सिर्फ अपनेपन की चाहत को ।

नहीं तो रात गुज़ारने को मिलते आशियानें बहुत हैं ॥

रिश्तों को सींचा जाता है, प्यार और विश्वस की बरसात से ।

रिश्तों को सींचा जाता है, प्यार और विश्वस की बरसात से ।

सिर्फ पैसों  के दम पर, घर बसते नहीं ॥

ये ज़िद्द है हमारी घर-संसार अपना बचाने की, 

तभी तो इतना गिड़गिड़ाते हैं । 

लातमार कर ठुकराने में वरना कौन सी ताकत है ॥

रिश्तों में हम अहंकार लाते नहीं,
रिश्तों में हम अहंकार लाते नहीं,  

नहीं तो खुद्दार हम भी बहुत हैं ॥

Diamonds are for life

There are many varieties of diamonds:

1. Usual white diamond
2. colored diamonds:
1. Blue
2. Red
3. Pink

Cuts of diamonds:

1. Round Cut
2. Radiant Cut
3. 
   

A typical Bengali Girl

Here, I will share the story of a typical Bengali girl.
Restaurants:
She loves to eat out in the restaurants:

1. Peter Cat: Chelo Kabab(literal meaning rice kabab, Iran's national dish)

She loves to celebrate festivals:

1. Makar Sankranti pujo
2. Saraswati Pooja: some keep the Thakur for 1 year, so do the bisorjon at Ganga ghat; only Kartik Thakur bisorjon does not happen.
3. Magh Purnima: Baba Loknath pooja
4. Shahi snan at Poornima on Ganga Sagar
5. Shivratri Pooja
6. Holi
7. Durga Pooja
8. Christmas

Iscon's Hindu festivals:

1. Varaha Jayanti or Appearance of Lord Varahadeva: Varahadeva is Krishna's boar incarnation. He assumed the form of a boar to lift the drowning planet Earth from the Garbhodaka Ocean with His tusks. The demon Hiryanyaksha had thrown the planet Earth into this ocean, but the Lord stabbed the demon with His tusks and saved the Earth.
2. The appearance of Lord Nityananda - Lord Nityananda Jayanti

She loves to listen to songs and attending musical concerts:

She loves to go out to attend the family and club events:

1. Rice ceremony
2. Marriage reception.
3. Birthdays
4. Anniversaries
5. Picnics
6. Weekend Cinema
7. Weekend outings:
1. Heritage Rajbari (Itachuna) in Hooghly

She loves to take selfies.

She loves to get gifts.
Every Bengali girl loves traveling, and she is no exception:

1. Darjeeling
2. Digha
3. Puri
4. Asaam

Explore Zurich

Zurich is a must visit city when it comes to the Europe tour. It is a very diverse city enclosed between mountains and lake.

1. A boat cruise of Lake Zurich is worth, and you can also enjoy a nice stroll at the lake.
2. Museums: If you are a museum lover, this city offers over 50 museums. As Swiss watches are world renowned for its perfection, so you can visit the Beyer watch museum.
3. Restaurants: Spitz
4. Hiking
5. Old town and city tours: You can also book a guided city tour or food tour.
6. Shopping at the Bahnhofstrasse: very high-end restaurants.
7. Nightlife: Bars and clubs, you can also take a bar tour.
8. Wellness: Hamam and saunas
9. Family offers: Visit to interactive, multimedia-based museums and wildlife parks

Source: zuerich.com

All the hype about toothpaste

When you start living in developed countries, you automatically start getting influenced with many things which never crossed your mind before like a toothpaste. These days it is so much hype that whether to use a fluoride-based toothpaste or not. Thing is that fluoride is very good for protecting against the cavity but recently it has been found neurotoxic.

When we buy the toothpaste, it should not only clean the teeth but it should be compatible with the gums. It should not be harsh on our gum tissues. As it is found that some teeth whitening toothpaste may irritate the gum tissues.

Enamel protection: Don't use too much abrasive toothpaste.

Plaque, if not treated on time, can turn into Tartar. It damages the enamel and forms the cavities and if left untreated may lead to gum diseases.

It is very important to see the contents like recently I bought the Ratanhia-Zahncreme from the Waleda. Ratanhia is a natural medicinal plant, which is rich in tannins, and can help in reducing inflammation and pus.

Antiseptic mouthwashes

Health System in Foreign Countries

One thing that I have feared the most while living in Europe and North America is getting sick on weekends. As all the walk-in clinics and drug stores are closed on weekends and in the evenings. So, it is always better to keep some common medicines at home all the time:

1. Paracetamol(Acetaminophen) 500 mg: For pain and fever
2. Analgesic(drug to relieve pain): Ibuprofen(Advil);acetaminophen(brand name Tylenol);aspirin
3. Cough syrups
4. Ibrufen 200 MG : For pain, fever, and inflammation
5. Crocin: for cold and flu
6. Anti-acid: omee
7. Band-aid
8. Skin plaster: Micropore company

Though it does not mean that no health care is available on weekend, surely it is, but pretty expensive as you need to go to the emergency. Also, countries like Canada, in an emergency, you may need to wait for many hours before you get to see the doctor and it becomes a frustrating experience sometime. 

I also get to know about Spagyric tinctures in Europe.

Trailing spouse

Today's society is all about coining terms and terminology, I wonder that being specific has become so important. Since I got married, I not only moved to a new home rather to a new country. And, a few years later to another country. It has been over 7 years I have been living the life of a trailing spouse. Though no one forced me, it comes naturally to an Indian girl, to be with her husband in all situations, so I did the same.
Before marriage, I was an independent, modern girl, having aspirations of living my life at my own terms. Just after marriage, I moved to a distant land for the first time. Life moved at such a quick pace, I hardly could understand anything. It seems exciting to get exposure to the other side of the world but it comes at a price as well.
It is not only about that I have to make adjustments with many things, but it also takes lots of patience and understanding. And, everyone is not the same and also in the same situation. Therefore, outcomes vary a lot. Many times, I challenged with self-worth or loss of identity, which is quite to feel in such situations. No one in my both families has stayed abroad before, so discussing all these things with them was not very helpful.
Identity crisis is very crucial and makes everything questionable. One thing that kept me going through all this was Volunteering. Though I was not being paid in money, I got benefited from it in other ways. 

Financial Literacy

In today's digital world and with the advancement of technology, using the plastic currency is no longer a choice rather it has become mandatory to use the plastic currency. Credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, credit history, online bank account, and online money transfer, mobile payments have become a part of our routine life. We should be very informed and careful while doing any transaction with the plastic currency whether online or using ATM or mobile as we would be with our paper currency. Sometimes, I wonder that plastic currency is more vulnerable than the cash, do you think the same.

Financial Planning:

1. Retirement Planning: 
1. New Pension Plan(NPS): It is open to all. INR 6000 per year or INR 500 per month. Tax-free
2. Fixed deposit for 10-years (FD)
3. Post office saving scheme (POSS)
1. National Saving Certificate(NSC)
2. Recurring Deposit Account
4. Small Saving Scheme: Like PPF, EPF, they also give you the facility of compounding the money.

Assets: Home, land, gold, car