August Reset and Monthly Goals

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I’m back with another tiktok inspired trend: monthly goals!

Well technically I’ve always been making monthly goals. But even more so, I just back from a vacation… vacations have a way and making me more inspired to review my habits & goals. And sometimes you need to write down your intentions and get re-acclimatized to your dreams.

Here are my August Goals & my current status as of the first full week of the month.

Drink 3L of water: I added a habit tracker (little water drops to track every water bottle of 500mL) to my planner for every day. So far I’ve gotten to 2.L a few days.

Make art daily: not hitting this one yet. The plan was to either paint, photograph, use procreate or blog. And so far all I have excuses. Will try again this week.

Forrest walks: again not there yet. My workday is a little crazy (side note: talking to my leadership about that this week to make sure I’m putting my career goals and professional brand first – and to have more space in my day to take walks in a forrest)

Daily Journaling & Mediation: 7 for 8 so far!

Read 2 books: I recently finished Verity and I’m now reading The Secret.

Share my art weekly: Promising myself that I will share a procreate piece this week!

Camera Settings Explained!

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I’ve had my DSLR for about 10-11 years. And although you’ll find me with my “big camera” glued to my face – I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t always [insert: *G A S P*] shoot in manual.

I did take a photography 101 course around the time I bought the camera, and the settings I learned about in that course are the most important and particularly the only ones I will use to this day.

So in the spirit of “sharing is caring” I’m sharing – here are the TOP TWO camera settings explained.

ISO – let there be light!

This setting is so great to create drama (less light) or to add more calm to a photo (more light). The ISO is a number, if you need more light select a higher number, when you lead less light, turn the number down.

Photography, Camera Settings, Artist, Creative, Creator, Camera Hacks, Camera Tips, ISO, Shutter Speed

Shutter: The thrill of speed

This is probably my favourite setting. I use it (with a tripod or steady hand) to capture motion (like water or fast lights) or even the craters of the moon. Here we are working with fractions of a number to large whole numbers (ie seconds). The higher the shutter speed (ie: a whole number) the more crisp the photo. The lower the number (ie: a small fraction) the more crisp the picture will be. You have to play around the ISO here, meaning if you want to keep the shutter open for longer, you may want to reduce the ISO to prevent overexposure.

Feb Mini Goals

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Loving the TikTok trends of monthly mini goals and Taylor’s Swifts new $hit. Had to make my own!

Have you tried this trend?

Feb Mini Goals, Goal Setting, TikTok Trend, Stay Focused, That Girl Goals

5 Ways to beat the winter blues & a trip to TO Christmas Market

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

When the whether dips, it’s not uncommon to feel seasonal depression. With the sun no longer shining as much, the need to bundle up all.the.time and the persistent search of a warm getaway – it’s easy to lose perspective. I am learning to give in a little bit. Enjoy the warm soups, choose sautéed veggies over cold salads and drink as much tea as I want.

Here are a few other ways to enjoy the colder months…

Get cozy: fleece PJs (matching with family members? even better), fuzzy house coat, warm slippers and turning on the fireplace…!

A mug of your favourite warm beverage: Tea, coffee multiple times a day. Better enjoyed with a friend.

Watch all the best movies or series: Ok so it’s true, Friends is leaving Netflix but there are tons of Holiday movies to enjoy this time of year.

A warm cozy bed: I love love love the feeling of getting into bed with clean sheets after a hot shower. Switching to a duvet at this time of year can be wonderful.

Being grateful: Every morning and every night or really any time of day when you feel your mood slip. Take a moment to breath and give thanks.

Another important thing to do in winter? Get out of your house. For a walk around the block, to an seasonal event or a winter activity. Take a little more planning but you really won’t regret it.

Dear tomato “plant”

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I am sad to report that my tomato plant called it quits over the weekend. I came home on Saturday afternoon to see that the plant stalks had fallen over. To be honest I knew that maybe the plant was not doing so well as it started looking more like weeds than the large leaves I was hoping to see.

I didn’t bother stalking it as the instructions didn’t say to but I do regret not moving it to a larger pot and updating the soil. I’ll definitely needed some more love and planning. And I probably should’ve have watered it more often #BadPlantMom

I’ve definitely picked up a few tricks for next year, such as spacing the seeds, using more than one planter, starting from a seedling and maybe trying a few varieties.

My gardening goals are on hold until next year – time to start pinning and planning for next spring!

Planting Tomatoes & Gardening Next Steps

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I FINALLLLYY got around to planting some tomato seeds. I picked up some ‘initial’ potting mix from Lowes and made a container with a pretty decent drainage system using a tin can and a plate (making the drain holes with a good ol hammer and nail).

I started the process on Wednesday Afternoon after running some errands and during what I thought would be a nice car seat nap for Miss El. Unfortunately she woke up crying because of the hammering. So I had to finish planting the seeds the next day (after the girls’ bedtime) in the garage. I followed the directions on both the potting mix bag and the seeds envelope.

So within a few days, the tomato seeds sprouted. I was actually kind of shocked.

And with the basil I’ve harvested 5 times: 2 batches given to both sets of parents and twice I’ve eaten a caprese salad :) The last harvest is in the fridge most likely to be eaten in a caprese salad also.

To be completely honest I am petrified and exhilarated by this whole process. Here are my next steps

Buy a real plant container
Research how to transplant tomato seedlings and basil plants
Re-research how to harvest basil
Buy the “next level” of nutrient rich soil
Transplant the plants to the new containers
Get on a better schedule for watering
Teach Miss S about the plants (mainly so she doesn’t accidentally destroy them)