World Water Day is held annually on 22 March worldwide to celebrate the importance of water. Each country would have got their awareness programs. World Water Day (https://www.worldwaterday.org/) “is about what water means to people, its true value and how we can better protect this vital resource.”
Usually, in developed nations, we take water for granted. Being a small nation, Singapore has plenty of awareness programs for water-saving for schools, homes and work areas.
Individually, each one of us needs to think about the importance and role of water in our life. I am more of a water person. I drink water throughout the day. All of us use water daily. We need water for activities such as cleaning, cooking, food preparation, religious rites and more.
Our human body is at least 60% of water. Our body is dependent on water. We can be in any part of the world. All of us need to play our role to conserve and protect water. We can start at home on small things, such as washing the car, brushing the teeth using a mug, showering and more. But the most important thing is to start protecting our water resources not only for us but for future generations too.
Appreciate our water resources and give gratitude daily for our simple element, water.
Articles & Video for more information by Singapore Agencies and Ministry:
We are still in the season of Chinese New Year (CNY). Though things are very different and quieter this year, much has not changed in terms of food and snacks for the festive. Each one of us will have our favourites of the various snacks from the festival. At the same time, it is also good to look at the calories in the cookies.
Each of us must try to get active for 30-45 minutes each day. There are many ways to get active indoors. Some of the ways will be through qigong, tai chi, yoga, meditation, home exercise types of equipment such as the treadmill, etc.
The lesser things you have, the more positive energy flows in. Are there things that need cleaning/clearing at your surroundings, closets, kitchen cabinets, etc.? When you are focused on cleaning/clearing, it will relieve you from the stress.
Focus on hobbies that increase your creativity. When your creativity levels are high, there is no place for stress and negativity. There are many online options available.
Spend more time with the plants and feel connected and grounded to nature. Some things you can consider is to grow a new type of plant, repot an existing plant or redecorating your garden space.
Are you feeling angry and stressed? You can always write out your thoughts and feelings in a journal. By doing that, not only you are releasing all anxiety to the paper, you are lightening the load from yourself.
With all the panic buying and stockpiling, this can be a bit challenging. Let’s be creative and create simple dishes or bake new items to try.
9. House Improvement Works
You can consider repainting your home or doing some simple home improvement works. And if you are intending to paint walls, why not use the stencils and get creative?
Do you still have old books stored away? It will be a good time to get them to re-read. If your nearby library is closed, you can also consider reading the electronic version of books.
12. Origami
A standard size paper of 75 x 75mm and you can make amazing crafts. It is a fantastic activity for the whole family. But do take note that origami paper comes in several sizes.
It has been a long while since I posted in my blog…I am back again! What a better day than to be back on this meaningful day for all – Happy Women’s Day to all!
Each of us has both feminine and masculine qualities – we should strive to balance it all…Even though today is purely dedicated to females, I also want to take this opportunity to include the men who are actively taking up roles as a mother, daughter, etc in a family.
If you are looking for a different way to motivate and inspire yourself on a monthly basis, you can see whether monthly downloadable calendars will do the work for you. I have found the monthly calendars recently and am sharing with all. I do like it as each month there is a different theme.
It has been a long time since I posted something. Today I want to share on my favourite after lunch tea, Earl Grey. I know not all are tea fanatics or have special love for tea only. I do not drink coffee. I love tea. Not all teas are my favourite. Among the teas I consume, Earl Grey is one of my favourite, stress-reliever tea. It works well for me as “pick-me up” after a tired day or “wake-me up” while drowsy in sleep…
My first love with Earl Grey happened when I went to dine in at a restaurant and requested them for Green Tea. The restaurant did not have any green tea tea and they offered me as a substitute Earl Grey tea. I took it, as it was my habit to take tea after my lunch. What they offered me was Sir Thomas Lipton Earl Grey Tea. The first sip and I was in love with the tea. I started hunting for the same brand but it was hard to get that as usually that brand is sold to F&B outlets in bulk (I was told by one supermarket retail person). I bought Dilmah Earl Grey instead. It is serving me well. Lately, I wanted to try another brand Earl Grey and I bought Taylors of Harrogate. Taylors of Harrogate tea is fantastic too!
Quite some time back, I made my Taylors Dilmah Tea at work and one of my colleagues came around looking for the person who is drinking Earl Grey. The fragrance has floated quite a distance and she found me and asked me of the brand. Now, she loves Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey.
There are plenty of articles and blog posts on Earl Grey benefits. I am just listing two posts on Earl Grey.
Of course, not all might feel the same way as I do about Earl Grey Tea. But if you do have a special love for Earl Grey Tea, welcome to my club! Even if you are not a tea lover, thank you for taking time to read this post. For those who have not tried Earl Grey before, perhaps you should make an effort to do so. Who knows you too might find a new love with Earl Grey tea?
You will know the benefits of copper vessels if you happen to be in the Yoga and / or Ayurveda line. Alternatively, if you have had Indian traditional upbringing, you will also be aware that drinking water from copper vessels is important.
I spent my younger days with my great grandmother, grandmother and all the elders. In those days (that is in late 1970s), silver ware and copper ware were the most used by Indian families. The elders in my family taught me the benefits of drinking water from copper vessels and eating from either copper or silver wares. Come to think about it right now, those days glass wares were not common and so was plastic wares too. The most common types of plates and utensils were usually made of copper, silver or wood.
As days passed and modernization took place, Pyrex glassware were the trend and so was forgotten the copper and silver wares. Nowadays, I try to make changes to my daily life based on what I learnt in my younger days. One of the many things that my elders taught was to drink water early in the morning out of a copper cup/mug. I re-started with that practice and I should say it rather makes a slight difference to my body systems. Benefits are not major and visible immediately. As with any healthy changes to food and lifestyle, the results will be visible or experienced slowly. The results I experienced was a better “feel” of the inner systems mainly in the digestive system. Other results are not visible to me, but I do believe it does well for my body systems one way or another.
While Indian elders and traditions tells of benefits of drinking water from copper, there are always reports contradicting that. I am not here to debate which theory is correct. I am sharing what I have learnt in my younger days and a practice I am putting back into my life and influencing my family members at the same time too. Moreover, drinking water once in the morning from a copper cup is not much work or something to debate about. It all comes down to how much you believe and trust what has been said (or learnt) or passed down from generations.
Below are some articles on drinking water from copper cups:
One my favourite “light” dishes to fill tummy will be Dim Sum. For those who are not familiar with Dim Sum – it is actually “small bites” of dumplings, pao (steamed buns), spring rolls and more.
While some Dim Sum items tends to be steamed, some will be deep fried. As with any food, over indulgence is not advisable. Always eat light…not eat till you are full!
Check out some articles that can open your eyes to the world of Dim Sum:
From where I am now (that is in Singapore) it is always possible to get all kinds of tropical fruits all year round. But today, I will post on bananas.
In Singapore, bananas are imported from various countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Ecuador, Vietnam and India.
Bananas need to be consumed at a certain time. If not they become overripe and not so pleasant for some to consume. Well, there are other ways which we can use ripe or overripe bananas for cakes, kuehs (local delicacy) and more…below are some links to the benefits of our tropical fruit, bananas and some recipes for trying…
Most of the times, we want to be safe and doing the usual, familiar things – that is being in our comfort zone. What about the time when we need to be in the “unknown” zone? What about the time when we need to try something that is different from what we have done in the past and what we are already familiar with? That is when fear, helplessness, and doubt creeps in. We tend to lose confidence in ourselves and in our ability. To overcome all of that, we need courage.
As Osho once said,
“The new is unfamiliar. It may be the friend, it may be the enemy, who knows? There is no way to know! The only way to know is to allow it; hence the apprehension, the fear.”
Each of our life will definitely present to us situations when we have to bring out the attribute of courage out. When we open ourselves up to new adventures, the end result might be success or failure. We will never know that until we try. But our focus should not be on results only. The fact that we have already stepped out of our comfort zone to do a work, is something to be appreciated.
If life presents to you an occasion when you had to step out of your comfort zone, always say “Yes!” Do not worry about the results yet. Just be in the present moment and live your life fully…
Who knows? The situation/occasion that calls you to be in might bring you new opportunities…
Have confidence in yourself that you are capable to handle anything that comes along your way. Have faith in yourself.
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that?
We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves.
We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing,
Today, let us be thankful for family and friends around us. There is no need to think about tomorrow and the future.…just for now be in gratitude that you have some company.
What if you are alone? No one is alone. We are always surrounded by nature and her elements. And depending on what you believe, you also have angels, Saints and God.
Spend some quiet moments connecting to them in positive ways.
A gentle reminder: Live life fully in your own way and always be in the present moment…..
“You have an appointment with life, and that appointment is in the present moment. If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. That is very serious!”
Blog by Esther Neela M. 