Thursday, September 12, 2013

11 ways to motivate yourself

After struggling with this myself for the past couple days, I've decided to explore my internal world to find the answer.  I had been so busy with school and work last week that this week suddenly I have found myself with empty time.  Within those empty moments, my mind has been racing of all the things I need to catch up with.  Yet, I don't seem to have motivation for any of it.  Maybe I just need to allow myself to rest, or maybe it's an opportunity to explore what get's me motivated.  Maybe it's a little of both.

1.  Clear your mind.  Watch what the emotions are inside, open a window, listen to the wind, the rain, traffic, birds, whatever it is.  Allow to be in a state of observation for 10 minutes.  Start with a deep breathe and end with one.  Allow yourself to become a blank canvas.

2.Write a list of 100 ways to motivate yourself!

3. Get straight about your goals.  What is it that you see yourself doing in 10 years?  How will this help you on your journey there?  Does this track help benefit yourself and those around you?  Does it benefit the world as a whole? 

4. Allow yourself a break.  Take an hour.  Cook, read, relax, do what you've been wanting to but have been holding back because you are too stressed about whatever, 'it' is.  Motivation will come, but maybe now isn't the time.  Don't be so hard on yourself.

5. Turn on Pandora.  Type in your favorite artist.  Or grab your favorite soundtrack, even better, make your own soundtrack of uplifting inspiring music.  Unless you happen to be a musician and you can actually make music yourself.  Let your emotions come out.  Make up a song. 

6.  Take out your old .. or current drawing supplies.  Whether you are actually an artist or not, most people have at least a pen and some paper at home.  Or if you are on the computer, you can always use , Paint :)  Take it outside, or grab something in the vicinity to draw.  Don't focus too much what it looks like or how 'good' it should be or could be or would be.  Just focus on the lines, the angles and the shades of light on the 'object'.  Allow the pen and the eyes to move across the object and the paper with no judgment, just allowing it to flow.

7. Call a friend.  Ask them what their most inspired days have been in their life.  Ask them where they seemed to get the energy to accomplish what they did.  If this seems too serious of a question, tone it down, ask about their day, just allow yourself to connect. 

8.  Imagine the worst case scenario.  The image that you never get this project/ or whatever it is  done.  Hold this image in your mind for 5 minutes.  How does it feel... Just notice.

9.  Listen to the Traveling Wilbury's, "End of the Line"  :)  It's perfect. 

10.  Get out of your comfort zone, your personal space.  Maybe you brain needs a switch of scenery.  Go enjoy the fresh air, go on a hike, take a bike-ride, volunteer at your local children's hospital.

 11.  Just do it.  Don't think about it.  Don't give yourself the opportunity to question it or think about what it is you are doing or the implications that it may entail.  Forget it.  Just dive in. 

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

statistics, why are you important?

So I did get into 2 classes this semester, statistics and organic chemistry.

Statistics seems so simple.  Really. The questions seem straightforward, it seems like it should be workable, but I sit down with them, and all I have is a series of mushy numbers.   And it's possible that I'm being hard on myself, and I am understanding a fair amount. But overall.  It's hard for me to connect these computations with my bigger visions for myself and whatever goals that involves.  I guess that is what being a soil scientist is... ??? computing numbers?

Of course there will be good days and there will be not so good days.  This just so happens to fall on a not so good day.

I basically just want my brain to understand this stuff.

On a side note.

I mentioned in a previous blog about peaches, which by the way I still have two boxes in my fridge!  I mentioned making peach pickle-- a spin off of indian mango pickle.  And me and my husband have decided that it is the best pickle that we have ever eaten.

The peaches absorb the flavor soooo nicely and unlike mango pickle they are so soft and you never have to worry about getting something hard or weird to chew in your mouth.

It's a shame I didn't make more, but I was totally unsure how they would turn out.

Happy Fall.  :)

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

second week of classes...

So after a very hectic 2 weeks of running from the registrar to the admissions to math placement exams to grad admissions back to admissions to various professors and department heads, I'm finally enrolled in organic chemistry and an online statistics class.  I have no idea, why it was so complicated, but it took me 1.5 weeks to sort it all out.

Anyway, finally its done.  Even though its not completely over yet, since I need to figure out how the online class works, I have received no information, and no information is available on any login sites through the university.  I guess I will be patient and enjoy the as of now.. empty time.

I brought home another 7 boxes of peaches from the farm last week.  Saturday I was able to freeze over 30 bags, fill my dehydrator with em and I managed to make some peach pickle!

The peach pickle is actually a twist on mango pickle which is popular in India.  Actually there are many varieties of mango pickle in India, and it wasn't easy finding a recipe that I wanted to use online.  I ended up with this one, found from http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2013/05/27/mango-pickle-aam-ka-achar/ :


Ingredients:
  • 1 large green mango raw pickling mango/about 2-1/2 cup cubed mango (they are available at Indian and Asian grocery store)
  • 1 tablespoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder, adjust to taste (lal mirch)
  • 1/4 teaspoons turmeric (haldi)
  • 1 tablespoons coriander seeds crushed(dhania)
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds crushed(Saunf)
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (sabut mathi)
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds/kalonji
  • 2 tablespoons mustard oil or olive oil
Method
  1. Wash and dry the mango, cut in small cubes with skin.
  2. In a glass bowl put the mango with salt and mix it well.
  3. Set aside for about 3-4 hour. Mix and by this time there will be some salt water. Squeeze the mango, and save the water, as we will use later.
  4. Spread the mango slices over dry surface and let it dry out preferably in sun light for 4-5 hours. Mango slices should be little dry but still moist. Note: Mangoes will reduce in volume.
  5. Add all the spices to salt water and keep it aside.
  6. Mix spices, water and oil to mango slices.
  7. Keep the Mango pickle in glass jar with lid on. Pickle should be ready in 4-7 days. Mango slices are nicely marinated with spices.




I ended up only using half the amount of oil the recipe asked for... hopefully it doesn't spoil the final product? I shall find out in a couple of days!!! Intense. Lol.


So I just replaced the mango with peaches.
I made 3 bottles of it.  we will see how it goes.


I was also given several cucumbers, I would love love to make sweet cucumber pickles.  I have never made them before, and I need to figure out exactly how it all works!  If any of you all have any favorite recipes I am definitely interested :):)  Or advice on mango pickle.... this is a whole new world for me .. in a good way!