February Reads

Posted on March 12, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Well I took it a little easier with February and decided on a fiction read that I knew was already streaming ;)

Little fires everywhere by Celeste Ng

Usually when I start a book, it takes me a few pages or at least a chapter before I start to connect the dots and actually start to “listen” (read: pay attention) to what’s going on. Which means I don’t always get the story line right away. I also didn’t follow the story until Moody was watching Pearl from afar after biking to her new home. What really drew me to the story initially was Mia’s story line. I loved that she is a mixed media artist and a photographer in the truest sense. This book was full of little twists and turns but in a way that wasn’t too abrupt or aggressive. Seeing the juxtaposition between privilege and humble family lives was both lovely and painful. I enjoyed how the author made little links between Mia and Elena’s life (as mothers, women creating careers/pursing their life’s work and as humans living a traditional and not so traditional North American life). Another small detail I love about this book – it’s set in the 90s!

In my head I imagined Mia/Pearl to be Asian (in the book their race is unspecified but not in the show adaptation). And it wasn’t until we learn that Lexie is in an interracial couple that I noticed that race was an underlying theme of the book. I really appreciated that the novel talks about race, biases and the way a community my think they are “doing better” than the rest of the world/country.

If you need a weekend read or a vacation read. Or just a break from the business/strategy/self development books (like me) I would definitely suggest picking this book up!

Find Little Fires Everywhere at Chapters Indigo (Canada)

Reading, Little Fires Everywhere, Chapters, Library Book, Book on Bed, Reader

January Reads

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Reading Routine, Habits, Brain Boosters, Rituals, Best Self, Higher Self, Reading for pleasure, Reading for Fun, Thriller, Suspense, GoodReads, Bookstagram

I’ve been trying to read 20+ pages a day which has really helped me to read more efficiently. And because of that I managed to finish 2 books in a little over a month! I’m trying to diversify what I read because I’ll normally read business/strategy/career books and get bored and not want to read for a while. Or read thriller/suspense/fiction one after another and then I feel like I’m consuming without learning anything. So to prevent that – I switch it up (ie: thriller, followed by business, followed by fiction, followed by self growth, followed by thriller etc). It’s a good way to stay motivated and the habit of reading a certain number of pages of day helps too! Read on to see my reviews :)

How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith

This book had me nodding in agreement throughout! The authors present 12 habits that women specifically do to serve them well earlier in their career – actually end up holding them back when they further their career. What I really like about this book is that they talk about women-specific behaviours that I’ve learned also learned from other sources (like women not speaking up for their accomplishments). The peer reviewed sense of it really made me feel like these things I do are common to all women and I shouldn’t feel bad. More specifically, the habits of building relationships and never leveraging them or try to be perfectionists – I was immediately able to see the habit in me and other women I knew. With each habit, the book provided an example and actions to overcome it. A great book and something I will reference and read again.

Find How Women Rise at Chapters Indigo (Canada)

Such a quiet place by Megan Miranda

This book is about a close knit community and the strange things they know about one another and the efforts they go to preserve what they believe to be the truth about their neighbours. The story reads well and although I wouldn’t say it’s a page-turner, it was definitely something that kept me engrossed. Harper’s roommate is sentenced to 20 years in prison for a crime. But her conviction is overturned which sends all of her accusing neighbours into a frenzy (and against Ruby). Including Harper, who although believed Ruby to be innocent, but now wants to remain on the inside with her community. There are twists, turns and random pieces of information that don’t necessarily add to the story but are still interesting info about the characters. Definitely a great vacation ready! *fingers crossed* we’ll be able to take vacations this year ;)

Find Such a quiet place at Chapters Indigo (Canada)

WildONE // 1st birthday party

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Bhanu Misra Marya

As you might now (or maybe you’ve been following along)…

Miss El turned ONE this month.

It took us a LONG time to figure out what kind of party to have for her in terms of theme and event. We went back and forth between a big hall party (typical desi style) and an intimate gathering at home. We finally went for the latter and I am so glad we did! As much as a I love the idea of a big event it was much more relaxing and engaging to do our own little thing :)

When the theme of a WILDONE popped up on one of my endless Google and Pinterest searches I was so obsessed! The words/phrase described Ellie to a T. With Miss S I had decided on a theme (Shabby-Chic) months in advance. I knew the colours for the party were pink, gold and off white. I knew the sweets I wanted to serve, the DIY burlap banners I was going to make and even the search for a perfect vendor cake started when she was 9 months old. I was a little late to DIYing for our little Lo, but I think the theme and the party came together perfectly in the end!

The colours were black, gold and green (with a little bit of pink thrown in for good measure). It was very easy to decorate the house: lots of toy animals and foliage!

For the banner:

Asked the Hubz to draw the word WILDONE in block letters
My father-in-law exactoknifed them out
I got some faux foliage (similar foliage) from Dollar Tree, cut off the leaves (in varying sizes) and hot glued them to the letters.
I felt that it was missing something so I added little white flowers (from the same said foliage) and then pops of dark or light green paint to add some more depth. I also used the left over branches on the ends.
Lastly I added the green daisies for a more feminine touch!

*This is something I saw online and then DIYed to make my one (here and here is some inspiration)

We knew that we HAD to do a cake smash (considering it didn’t really work at Miss S’s birthday). So I decorated her high chair with black and gold streamers (to match the invitation colours) and added a vine of flowers. To our sideboard we added a variety of stuffed animals and huge tropical leaves. It was a perfect set up for a WILDONE’s first sugar!

For the cake we wanted something cute and not the fondant cake that seems to be so popular these days. To be honest I am so confused by fondant! I grew up eating soft moist birthday cakes that have whip cream fillings (no custards, no butter cream and no fruit please and thanks!) and a plethora of whip cream slathered all over it! I know the more expensive cakes also have butter cream but because Miss S can’t eat that stuff (and I personally don’t like it) I was happy with whip cream :) I actually found this at Fortino’s. They do a variety of designs on cupcakes (with a count of 24 or 48) shaped into the number of your choice. I told them I wanted a nature scene (greenery and a water front) and then I added the toy animals myself!

Off the Shoulder Top | Mens Polo | Birthday Crown (ours is old, but this one is so cute!)

These cute dresses are from Marshalls (almost identical) but here is a similar option. This is our highchair and we LOVE it!

Whoa…that was picture heavy!

Outside of all this, we ordered/made Mediterranean food for lunch and had the cupcakes, fruit and ice cream for dessert. We also played 2 games. I know it’s very popular to post to social media your baby’s monthly pictures and even though I didn’t really do that I did send these update photos to my family. So one of our games was “Monthly mugshot match up” – and yep you had to guess which picture was taken in which month by solely looking at El’s face! It was surprisingly hard and everyone got majority of them wrong! The other game we played involved answering some trivia about El along with leaving her a sweet message. I kept all the trivia sheets (with the special messages) for her to read when she’s older :) I know kid’s birthday’s get a bad rep but gosh I love them!

#ItsBakingSeason Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Bhanu Misra Marya

So a few weeks ago, I finally made these bad boys.
They are so tasty (and filling – hello pumpkin). Buuuuuuuttttt kind of a pain to make….meaning I am definitely on the lookout for something easier for a baking novice like me.