Hello from me and my five tomato plants that were once 25, but are now a humble abode (uh hi can you tell I'm in a pride and prejudice mood? because in no other dimension would the word abode be in here otherwise) of 5 tomato plants.

No, I didn't put 20 tomato plants 6 feet under due to neglect.

I actually had to find neighbors and friends that would happily adopt my tomato plants so that I would have less of a tomato farm and more of a handful of tomato plants.

When did I start planting my tomato plants?

I started to plant them in March 13. During this time, my work-life had been taking my soul bit my bit and this was kind of an outlet to keep my brain afloat. I did try to plant tomatoes last year and lets just say lessons were learned from because that didn't go well and so I took the approach of: fail forward. So this was my second time trying to plant tomatoes from seeds. I am more of a creative person and well, patient person according to my family, so starting up my own lil garden seemed like fun - small steps of progress that led to the goal of actually having something to pick!

During March, there was a lot of long hours, 80+ hour work weeks including weekends, and slowly I didn't have time for any of my hobbies anymore because I was too exhausted to run regularly anymore - this was the first time I've ever experienced being too tired to run - play piano, read, crochet, blog (hi it's been a while since I've posted on here and this is actually the reason why - burnout came in swinging). With planting, at least all I really had to do was water it every morning after I ate my breakfast - just fill up my water pail and water it after I ate and then back to work again.

After a while, I'll explain in a bit how long a while is, I started to see new life in my small little garden. Although I was drowning in work, my little bit of greenery were my floaties helping me to the surface.

How do I start growing tomatoes from seeds?

What you'll need

- A small pot with a drainage hole

- Soil specifically for Seeds. [I personally used Miracle Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix and it worked *chefs kiss* wonders]

- Plastic Wrap / Saran Wrap

- Rubberbands

- Seeds of what you are planning to grow

My advice on pots:

I personally would recommend clay pots with drainage holes to start with.

The catch is that they absorb moisture more than other types of pots, but I will say I've had the most success with clay pots. I have also tried to plant seeds with rocks underneath, due to lack of drainage hole at the bottom, and then soil on top. Although I was able to see some growth to my carrots in there, in the end they didn't survive after a few raining days due to the water not being able to drain out.

With seeds though, you'll want a small pot to start with - unless we're talking about carrots, those you'll want in a larger one as they don't like being repotted - and as the plant grows you would keep upgrading it from larger pot to larger pot.

Another way to grow seeds -> plants:

A friend of mind used an egg carton, Pure Coconut Coir Netted Seed Starting Pellets, heat mat, and a grow light.  This worked amazingly for her. Instead of planting the seeds in a small pot, she used an egg carton and in each little egg spot she put a Seed Starting Pellet. Once she planted her seeds, she then put it under a heat mat and a grow light towering above. 

Here’s what my clay pot filled with tomato plants looked like before I repotted!

How to plant seeds in Pot

Step 1: Fill up your pot over half way, very nearly to the rim at the top. If your pot doesn't have a circular rim at the top, leave about an index finger height of space from the top to your soil amount. If that looks to be too much soil, put a bit less so you have the length of two index fingers from the top to your soil. 

Step 2:  In your pot, depending on how large your small pot is, make small holes into your soil with your finger - I would say make each hole at least 4ish inches apart. In each small hole you made, put two seeds. The idea is that if one seed is bad/doesn't grow then you still have hope for the other one to grow!

Side Bar: Personally I put three seeds in each hole and turns out all seeds were good and that's how I ended up with a tomato farm. So, I would say 2 seeds per each hole but also keep in mind the amount of tomato plants you want to have and what you'll do if all the seeds actually end up being good seeds. So say if you only want 3 tomato plants but you plant 2 for each hole (3 holes) and it turns out both seeds you planted per hole were good and started to spout so you now have 6 good plants instead of only 3. 

Questions to ask yourself: Do you have room for the extra three in your balcony/patio/garden when they grow and need a larger pot?

Step 3: After you place the two seeds per hole, put some soil over the holes to level it back to the rest of the pot of soil.

Step 4: Grab your water pail, and lightly water your newly planted seeds in the pot.

Step 5: Cut a piece of your cling film/plastic wrap/saran wrap to be the size of the top of your pot. Lay the plastic over your pot, and secure it in place by placing a rubberband around your pot keeping the plastic securely in place.

TA DA - you have just finished planting your first seed(s)!

How long until I start seeing a sprout/some greenery?

Every morning you'll remove the plastic wrap and pour some water into your pot. Then you'll place the same plastic wrap over it. The plastic wrap helps to keep the moisture in. Without the plastic wrap, the soil may become too dry to nurture the seed that is within it.

On my end I planted my tomato seeds on March 13, and started to see some sprouting on April 9.

At the very first sight of green in your pot, remove the plastic wrap immediately from your pot and do not cover it again. It is ready to continue growing without the added covering!

The first time I tried planting tomatoes - I didn't realize I was supposed to remove the plastic wrap after the first bit of green, and that's how I killed them that first time. Lessons were learned and I'm here to help you not make that same mistake!

Ariel view of my tomato plant! Look how pretty she is!

When do I need to repot?

You'll need to repot when the plant itself looks to be getting larger than the pot it's in. For example - I ended up planting 25 tomatoes in one single pot. So, it got super crowded, and I had to separate them all in in their own pots.

For tomatoes specifically - they will need a massive pot to continue their true growth in giving you tomatoes. I went to Home Depot, and they had such nice affordable prices for plastic pots - for tomatoes if you are growing in pots, get a massive plastic one and more soil.

How to move a tomato plant from one pot to the next?

Step 1: Lay out some newspaper for the area you will be repotting in - it'll get a bit messy!

Step 2: Pour water on your existing tomato plant in the pot - especially directly on the soil.

Step 3: Pour water on the soil of your new pot.

Step 4: For your existing pot with the tomato plant, tilt the pot on its side, and move your hands to the edges of the pot in an effort to get the tomato plant out. Once your whole plant is out of the pot, you'll see a lot of the roots. Your job here is to take away the excess soil/roots that are away from the main roots of your tomato plant. Once you've cleaned it up a bit, using your hands to take away all excess, that's when you put it in your new pot, adding some additional soil if need be, and water your plant.

my long awaited tomato children!

When will I see tomato?

I personally saw a tomato in July - so about 5 months after I planted my seeds. As for when I saw a red tomato ready to be picked - that would be at the end of August!

And there we have it, all about tomatoes, and how to potentially grow a tomato farm.

The satisfaction of growing something really is the best feeling - it's indescribable. My motto here was to fail forward - I took my failures of my first attempt at growing tomatoes and applied what I learned to round 2 of growing tomatoes. As my plants began to bloom, I began to too - and found my own way out of the fog I was in for months. 

Have you ever planted tomato seeds before? Have you been planting anything on your end? Let's get chatting!

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So I've seen this book mentioned several times by one of my friends Rameela - or as you most likely already know her as https://starisallbookedup.wordpress.com/ or as her twitter @starshynebrite. (oh also if we're mutuals on any social media we're already friends in my mind hi Rameela if you're reading!). And after seeing her mention it last month on my Twitter timeline, I moved it up in my to-read list and made it my next book to jump into. 

One thing I love the most of books is the lessons I learn from the adventure between pages - and sometimes that lesson isn't really the lesson from the book but rather it's the way the characters carry themselves between the pages - whether it be the curious one who observes rather than speaks, or the one who handles stress by rolling a joke off their tongue being relaxed in the face of the storm. The thing with fictional characters that I think many readers can relate to is that sometimes the characteristics of characters become our own characteristics by the end of the book.

I know there's the saying that readers live a thousand lives, and it is true, really.

There's pre-reading-a-specific-book-us and then there's after-reading-specific-book-us. And personally, those two are completely different people. An example I can give would have to be The Hunger Games. After the series, there was increased interest in archery for young girls . And that's not me just handing a statistic on a silver platter, I was one of those young girls who took up archery because of The Hunger Games. Granted, I am not the best at it. Like if Katniss ever needed back up she should really never call me unless I am the last person on earth and there is no other option. The amount of focus needed to hit the bullseye is a lot - hi I would like to mention I hit a bullseye with a balloon and I'd like the applause - and as effortless as Katniss made it seem in the books and the movies, my arms weren't looking so cute after aiming at the target circle for an hour. But I will say it's also so gratifying to do something that a fictional character I admired did.

can we all appreciate how great my mustard hijab WORKS with the gold lettering, this photo is *chefs kiss* a diamond in the ashes. ashes being the 50 photos I took for this blog post

So let's get chatting about We Hunt the Flame.

This has to be the first time I actually went out of my way to order the physical book online after reading a library copy and pre-ordering the next book in the series. Hi yes you read right, this is the first time in my existence that I've ever preordered a book. I am team library till the end of my days but I knew this book had to be permanently mine. If you'd like to take a look at the summary before I get started here is the goodreads link for it!

The book itself is set in Arawiya which the author mentions is inspired by Ancient Arabia. What I loved most about this book was that there was no white European/American vibe for the protagonists, or even a side character. In one phrase: this book had flavor that not a lot of books I've read have. In a few more words beyond a phrase: the books I've previously read were bland tasteless bricks of bread compared to this tasty hearty loaf of a book that is We Hunt the Flame.

I don't think you understand how happy I was to not see some white savior entering stage left.

If me comparing books to bread is any indication, I very much welcomed this breath of fresh air. There are two protagonists that the book flips and flops between,  Zafira and Nasir. Zafira is the Hunter disguised as a man because of a misogynistic state that devalues anything a woman does. She feeds her village by going into the forest - The Arz - that no one ever comes back from. Meanwhile, Nasir is the son of the Sultan who lives in Sarasin and is a skilled assassin killing those who defy his father - in short: he's the Prince of Death. Most books that have dual point of views can get confusing if the characters don't have an independent voice to distinguish them, but this book did it well enough that I was able to tell which view I was reading in.

Zafira's very existence as a Huntress rather than a Hunter quite frankly threatens the misogynistic caliphate (state) at its core. And the only way for a misogynistic caliphate to be brought to its knees is for the women of that caliphate to no longer let men take the driving seat on the road of their lives. Throughout the book Zafira's strength in confidence in herself grows. By the time she crosses paths with the second protagonist and the yin to his yang, Nasir and Altair, she's already on her way to becoming more confident than when she left her native misogynistic state Demenhur. 

And here's the funny thing: all the men in this book need her.

She's the head of the table and as the book goes on, she knows it.  From Zafira, I'd say one of the many things I've taken from her character is to try and try again even if the odds seem impossible or people don't see things in the same way as you do. You don't need a guidebook to learn how to lead, be your own compass.

Most books that I've read with similar characteristics - fantasy genre, quest, we've-gotta-save-the-world-or-else-we're-all-gonna-die - the lead characters are always white. So it was refreshing for a change to see that it wasn't a white savior out to save the Kingdom. The first protagonist, Zafira, is noted to have pale skin due to the lack of sun in her Caliphate (state)- all snow in Demenhur - while our second protagonist Nasir from Sarasin - sun exists here -  is described as having deep olive skin. Also to note again - the characters live in a fantasy world inspired by Ancient Arabia. From the Goodreads QA section, the author mentions that the characters are Arab (not Muslim! just Arab! clear distinction here, Arab does not equal Muslim and vice versa).

The reason I mention how refreshing it is is because how often do we see a lead that's meant to ~save the world~ that is not a white American/European vibe? It's important that the protagonists aren't white people. Or even the side characters. What a person reads is what they ingest, and a topic that I am sure you may have heard of is the lack of diversity in most popular books. We readers are diverse, but are the books we read diverse too? Not really. Which was why when I started this book I was just like wait a minute! there's some flavor in here! I was not expecting that! Because since I was 12 years old the only protagonists I've read from The Hunger Games to Looking for Alaska were white.

In the same way that movies don't really represent Arabs accurately at all, we are also lacking in representation in the books we read.

And I know we are not the only ones lacking in representation. How often do we see Black leads in books? Those very same books where a character needs to ~save the world~? And why are they so hard to find - most books I get in the recommended section on Goodreads are by white authors, and books that are by Black authors I actually hear about from people on Twitter sharing what they're currently reading. 

So yes, first book I've ever ordered and bought since High School. As I was reading, I noticed that I actually could see myself in these characters, from the way they speak with english and some arabic sprinkled in, to the characters themselves which doesn't happen often.  I will mention that the arabic sprinkled in does include context to know what the word/phrases mean for non-arabic speakers!

I call this photo: as moody as our second protagonist, Nasir

Let's talk about Nasir, our second protagonist.

Nasir gives off looks hard as a rock but is actually a must be protected at all costs cupcake vibes. Throughout the book he struggles with being an individual from his father, especially since the safety of those he cares for is on a very thin thread if he doesn't do what his father asks of him. Throughout the book we watch as he struggles with trying to think for himself on what he wants to do rather than what his father tells him/orders him to do. 

The way I think of him is that his heart had a steel cage around it, but on the journey away from his father, the cage begins to weaken until it no longer exits and he is forced with the realization that he doesn't know who he is if not for his father's orders. The longer he is away from his father the more he begins to have his own thoughts clouding his mind, not his father's.

From Nasir, I'd say the one of the many things I took away from his character is that your strength lies in your kind heart - don't allow it to harden, let it bloom. 

You've heard of Katniss Everdeen and Peta Mellark from The Hunger Games, now it's time for you to dive in to learn all about Zafira bint Iskandar and Nasir bin Ghameq bin Talib min Sarasin in We Hunt the Flame - oh and the second book in the series We Free the Stars comes out on January 19 - time for you to get reading!

Add We Hunt the Flame to your Goodreads here.

What books are you starting the new year with? Any recommendations? Let's get chatting!

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If there's one thing I for sure haven't been doing, it's setting month work-related-improving-skill-set-goals. I'm not really sure how I fell of that wagon of doing that - I used to always create side projects to level up on my skillset to make myself marketable for jobs while I was searching. Well, I guess that's the answer to the how I feel off the wagon question. 

I would have to say my tech goals related to improving my skills are in two categories - the things I should be improving on related to what I do in my day to day and the things that I want to explore for the first time within my field. There is a feeling of wonder with the latter option - from Augmented Reality to Machine Learning, there's a lot I want to dip my toes into, it's like the tech field is an ocean and I am only currently just brushing against it from the shore.

When it comes to what I work in day to day - I know I have some things I need to get better at, in all honesty when I think about how many things I need to do I honestly feel imposter syndrome beckoning me like a grim reaper - it's not that I'm without a brain, even though it does sometimes feel that way, it's that there's a lot that I know I have to level up in.

The first step of leveling up though is acknowledging the level I am at now.

This is the hard part. I know a lot, but I sometimes feel I don't know anything at all. I have a Computer Science Degree, and two certifications to my name and still feel like I am without any of them. I don't know everything, and that's okay - I'm not Google. It's the embracing where I am that I have some difficulty with because I don't like that feeling of 'you're at X spot when you should realistically be at Y'. At the end of the day though, the sooner I embrace where I am, the sooner I can take that next stepping stone of getting to where I want to be.

So, this is where this blog post comes in. I wanted to set list of things I wanted to accomplish this November wise - yes it is the middle of November, the 15th to be exact, but that doesn't mean it's too late to make a goal list.

I know a lot, but there's so much I am in the dark of in my field - it's time to bring the light.

Work Related Skillset Improvement List

1. Get to middle of Bootstrap Course

Bootstrap is an Open Source Cascading Style Sheet framework that is focused in responsive Front End Web Development. I know what Bootstrap is, and I've done the section on Bootstrap on FreeCodeCamp, but there's still a lot that I don't know so this is where the course comes in. The issue I have with courses is more-so stemming from the way I learn. I don't want to get stuck in tutorial land, which sometimes feels like the vibe from courses. I was doing a React Course and that's exactly how it felt. 

My learning style is Kinesthetic (learn by doing) and Visual (learn by seeing). So a tutorial is great for me to visually learn, but things won't lock into place in my mind unless I do something on my own with it without the guidance of a tutorial.

2. Complete 1 side project

I want to create side projects related to the course to solidify what I'm learning but also, not related to the course because that's not fun. I want to learn in public, and share projects I'm working on every week with you all like I did in the past - from my Cryptography Project to my Augmented Realty Snowman. I haven't been doing a lot of side projects, but I want to. I miss it. 

3. Finish a few chapters from Eloquent JavaScript

I've seen this book in passing and feel I can learn a lot from it - I do know JavaScript, and have a certification in Data Structures and Algorithms - but that doesn't mean I know everything. There's some gap in my knowledge, and I aim to make this missing puzzle piece.

Fun things I want to do just because I can List

1. Make something in Unity

Unity is something I have downloaded on my computer but haven't nudged myself along to actually take a deep dive in just yet - and I want to change that. If you aren't subscribed to Jennifer Opal's newsletter and are in tech yourself, you should really consider subscribing! I was inspired by her watch project she created in Unity to give it a try, finally.

I just want to make something in it, and I welcome that learning curve.

2. Finish the Blendr tutorial on a Donut

Blendr is a 3D modeling software - this comes into play for Augmented Reality whether that be for games or for Instagram Filters.  The tutorial that I'm doing is from Blendr Guru - making a realistic donut. So this is more of a two prong thing: Once I finish the tutorial, then I will know enough to create my own 3D modeling object for an Instagram filter I've been sketching out.

I've never really made a list relating to my tech journey on things to tick off a list and I actually wouldn't have unless a friend mentioned it to me over on Twitter as a way to keep leveling up my skills. I think the importance of having a list of things to check off is to make sure that you're always increasing your knowledge and aren't just ~floating~ where you are. I'm hoping it helps with setting concrete things for me to accomplish. Yes, it's mid-novemeber, but that doesn't mean I can't get started on ticking these off my list. To be fair, nothing is as satisfying as crossing something off a list.

Anyone else set goals for November? Let's get chatting!

ps. I did take completely different photos for this but didn't like any of them, gotta love that natural lighting is now in very small windows of time with Daylight Savings!

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Towards the end of August, I was chatting with a friend about hiking and asked if they had any recommendations on where to explore. With several months behind us in the work from home life, I can honestly say the only outside I see is my house street - I run miles back and forth on my street. My neighbors are pretty much very in tune to my weekly mileage as they see me every morning around 7AM back and forth on my street from their windows/balconies. So you can say I wanted something new to see that wasn't the outside of my house. My friend mentioned a few trails that linked to the AllTrails app/website, I've never heard of the app before as usually when I wanted to explore nature I'd always just google hiking trails near me and see what came up. Guess who'll never be typing that into a google search engine?

This app is the gift that keeps on giving.

I really wonder how I haven't come across this app sooner. Google really failed me and my google searching when searching for hiking trails near me. When you make your account, in the app the homepage shows Top Trails nearby, Best views nearby, Trails less traveled, Dog friendly trails nearby, Weekend worthy, Best waterfalls, Top moderate trails nearby, and Best lakes nearby.

The best part is that there's also a scrolling toggle for you to choose based on suitability for Dogs, kid friend, stroller friendly, Wheelchair Friendly, Paved and Partially Paved. I really loved to see that because that means that families can choose a trail without worrying about edges, strollers won't be a hassle to roll, and Wheelchair users can equally find a trail that they are able to go through to enjoy hiking in nature.

There's also a section to browse by activity - Hiking, Mountain Biking, Trail Running, Backpacking, Walking, Road Biking, Off Road Driving, Camping, Bird Watching, Horseback riding, Nature Trips, Fishing, snowshoeing, Scenic Driving, Rock Climbing, Paddle Sports, Cross Country Skiing, Skiing, Bike Touring, Via Ferrata. Okay yes I sound like an infomercial but I literally couldn't leave anything out - this has been the only app I've been recommending left and right since I've heard of it - this also made me realize how powerful word of mouth was, my friend told me about this app, and then I in turn have told a handful of friends and then it carries on like a domino effect of people recommending the app which wouldn't have happened if I didn't ask my friend if he had any hiking recommendations. ANYWAYS.

One thing I really want to do is learn how to properly ride a horse, I do know how to ride a horse like I won't just tumble off it - yes I know how to ride a horse but I really would love to take lessons and this app was like a golden buzzer to show me where I could potentially live up my equestrian life. And Bike riding! I've been riding a bike since I was a kid, but haven't been riding it as of late. Yes, yes I know - HOW. I guess that would have to be because the bike lane by me is shared by cars so not a specific lane for Bikers so uh hello fear number 23457. But! With a place designated for bike riding, no chance of a car coming in swinging! Just a path and helmet protected bike rider waiting to ride.

I've also never done trail running before per se, more so just hiking. I think the first time I went on an actual hike was a 6th Grade field trip where I had to bear crawl down a steep decline. After reading Born to Run I have to say I am definitely considering going on potential trail runs - even if I do have a fear of like a misstep and my ankle doing that ankle thing randomly and suddenly falling.

annnnd let's get our explore on - there weren't cars on the road for like 5 minutes so took this and then a car came a minute after so good timing on my end!

A few other sports that I would love to focus on are basically everything on that list because clearly sports make my world go round.

As I have settled into the normal of Working From Home life, spending time outside has shrunk - time for commute back and forth aka time spent outside went poof. Although I personally run and exercise outside my house I feel like I just needed a change of scenery. Obviously the summer was spent indoors without the usual summer fun, which can kind of feel like we're sort of trapped in our homes until Carona decides to pack up and go - well technically speaking, we are.

One creator that I've really been enjoying on Instagram is HelloMissJordan. If you don't follow her, hi you should probably fix that here is her account linked again. She's a travel, fashion, and lifestyle blogger - as COVID has meant a halt on traveling, that's meant she had to get creative and explore where she currently is. Although she hasn't been hopping on planes, she has been putting out amazing content - all exploring the places around her that she hasn't explored before as her priority previously was outside of the U.K not in it. There's everything from castles, lakes, and viaducts near her that she previously hadn't sought out before.

So rather than the travel bug, I guess you can say I got the explore bug.

I want to see more of where I lived. There are so many places I haven't been and that's mainly because I've never sought them out before. I spend majority of my 9-5 staring at a screen so any time spent away from a screen and in nature, you can sign me right up for that. So this is where the AllTrails app/website comes into action. For my first adventure, instead of living up my equestrian life or Mountain Biking, I decided to do one thing I've always done from time to time - hiking. 

Choosing one place out of all the ones I saw was the tricky part - if I could I would be heading out to a place every day after work and through the weekend but realitically speaking wow that sounds like a lot of driving so guess I'll settle for weekend hiking adventures. I ended up choosing a hiking area that led up to a lake and continued on through the trails. There's just something about walking on a trail through trees that really is a spell for calmness and also excitement. Obviously since it was a trail I've never been on I was curious to see how many twists and turns it took to get to the end goal of the lake - and also how many times my ankle did that twisty thing was actually interesting. And by that I mean I was saying a silent prayer that this hike won't twist my ankle and put me out of running.

On the way going, I did pass a few people making their way back to the start and funnily enough my sister and I were asked how far until back to the start. At that point we were maybe 20 minutes in so hearing that meant we had to buckle up for the long ride that was this trail. We finally managed to get to the lake we saw in the photos and I'm not even joking when I say that water was clearer than my skin ever will be. You could quite literally see the sand underneath - it was clear blue like I've never seen before. And there's reason for that - it's a protected lake. That means no motor boat or swimming is allowed which then meant that there's no pollution entering the water which means hi crystal blue water that is shinning bright like a diamond.

no filter! can we talk about how clear this looks!!

We were able to touch the water and it was actually pretty lukewarm - and while we were standing looking at the water some people actually had one of those filter things where they could dunk the bottle/bag inside the lake and then when they take it out, the filter cleans the water for people to drink from it. Basically do I need that in my life? Yes, Yes I do. To be fair one thing I want that when I googled found was a bottle that takes moisture from the air and converts that into drinkable water. Now basically the magical lake filter and magical moisuture-to-drinkable-water-filter are on my wants list.

We always speak of hidden gems when traveling to a new country or town, but do we know of the hidden gems of where we live?

I used to think I knew my area inside and out but based on scrolling through this app there's a lot I didn't know- starting with the amount of waterfalls by me. When I clicked through the app I discovered so many beautiful places that I've never heard of before - all about an hour or 2 drive. Some were as low as even a 30 minute drive. I personally just love being in nature in general - so this hike was really what I needed after spending so long inside. 

The best part is just seeing the shift in trees from vibrant green to warm toned leaves, like an ombre effect on the trees while driving to the hiking area. It often feels like the road goes on forever with trees at either side. If anything, exploring nature definitely increases the quality of air I'm breathing - I once went to a greenhouse and I am 90% convinced the air we breathe is a cheap knock off version of actual oxygen.

If there's one thing I felt like doing when I hiked up to a protected lake a few weeks back it's curling up on a log, and reading a book - it was just such a peaceful hike and exciting too because wow! a new place to explore! after several long months of nothing! While hiking avoiding bumping into people wasn't too difficult, for the most part if I saw someone up ahead I'd move out of the trail path to let them pass and we'd exchange hello's as we passed one another.

ah yes, me in my natural habitat - peace sign at the ready

There's a lot more to discover near me, so I guess you can say I'll just be here in my corner being the Sherlock Holmes of hidden pockets of peace. Or should I say Enola Holmes?

Now I turn it over to you - hidden gems everywhere, do you really know the place you live? Have you heard of the AllTrails App? Planning to download it? Let's get chatting!

ps: 

Alltrails website: https://www.alltrails.com/

AllTrails App Store: https://alltrails.io/QIH5RaBfOP

AllTrails Google Play: https://alltrails.io/mtsb5iMfOP

AND no - I was not paid to promote this app/website, I literally just wanted to share the app because I love it and it's a great way to explore where you live KK THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

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dreams as puffy and fluffy as my sleeves

I've actually tried writing this post 3 times. This is the third time, so I'm really hoping third time's the charm. I've been gone from blogging since January so I guess you can say I'm a little rusty. It's been a pretty zigged-zagged rollercoaster on my end. At the very end of January, I was offered a freelance role at a company that later on in July took me on Full Time. It was a long sought full time role for 2 years -  the constant jumping over hurdles and just wanting a hiring manger to believe in me as much as I did in myself and finally catching the wave that was meant for me to ride.

You know in track when hurdler's hit the hurdle instead of jumping over it? Yeah, that is the best way I can describe the two years of searching for a full time role. But the thing is the more you keep trying to jump and keep hitting that hurdle, one day you're going to jump that hurdle, and then the next one that follows, even if while you're hitting that hurdle you're thinking the exact opposite.

About a month into freelancing for the company, Covid-19 entered the chat.

I went remote after about a month into freelancing, and as much as I used to think I was all about that ~office life~ I genuinely don't think I want to go back to the office - the amount of time saved from no commute, not having to wake up extra early to catch the morning bus. I now use that time for my morning runs. Of course, there's the one small tiny thing of not chatting to people, I wouldn't say I'm a complete social butterfly but I do like chatting to people throughout the day. So 50% social butterfly? And the other small thing is not knowing when to turn off from work and actually separate my work self from like my actual life.

And this is where the burning question from your end is: Why did you stop blogging?

I didn't do that intentionally - if there was one thing I was adamant about it was that I didn't want to chip away parts of me until the only thing that had roots in the ground was my profession. But, I guess as I am typing this in September 2020  - a full 8 months since my last post - that is what happened. 

I knew I had to get used to the work environment  - up until this point most of my freelance clients were either 1-3 months or several weeks with no indication of possible full time role. This was the first one where it was freelance and possibility to hire. So I had a lot to learn and catch up on to make sure that I did everything I could from my end to cement that full time role into my future. 

Blogging took a backseat mainly because I wanted to be sure that I was 100% focused - I didn't want to lose an opportunity I sought for so long because I didn't give it my all. So that's what I did - I gave it my all and even stopped running and exercising for a solid couple of months to focus (hi this was singlehandedly the worst decision I could ever make in my entire life) and in July the full time offer came like a Christmas wrapped gift with a sparkly bow in my email inbox.

you can't tell but I'm smiling under my mask

It's September now.

And it's been a hectic couple of months. I ended August pretty much up to the brim with work and deadlines met, and in all honesty I missed me. I missed actual me.

The lifestyle, fitness, and history crash course blogger, the crocheter who gets too excited about projects and ends up having 253498 unfinished projects and wants to start a new one anyway, the avid reader who lives through numerous adventures on a page monthly, the duolingo novice trying to learn Danish when in reality I should be attempting to learn to speak Arabic more fluently or maybe dabble into Spanish, the piano player who's trying to reteach herself the notes, and most importantly - the athlete who loved to move.

I started running after taking 2 months off so although when written ~short time off~ it felt like a millennium.  For reference, I've been training 6 days a week for the 2 years of my funemployment. Currently - I've been running consistently back and forth in front of my house to minimize bumping into anyone while running, so that's my new normal in my running life. I did actually take a week and a half off in August due to not getting a lot of sleep and having a bit of discomfort in my shoulder, but I'm back up and running. Literally.

But still I feel in terms of movement I could be doing more.

I sit down all day and stare at a laptop + monitor for more than 8 hours per day (you honestly don't want to know how many hours a day I spend on my laptop) and worry about eyesight. A week ago, I was sitting in my kitchen after a long working day and my eyes were just in one phrase: tired of focusing. The time on a my stove was blurry to me - it was 5 feet away from me. 

That's also one reason why I stopped blogging - I couldn't stand a computer screen in my ~free time~ because I was spending so many hours staring at a screen for work, my eyes couldn't handle screen on both my work time and free time.

that moment when you don't know if a random small child will interrupt your photo shoot

Getting back to the sitting down all day - In the beginning of remote work everything hurt.

My hips hurt. My thighs hurt. All from sitting for so long without getting up. That continued for at least 2 months, and then my body adapted to my sedentary lifestyle of sitting in one spot for 10 hours. And this worries me. My body adapted to no movement although I am well and able to move throughout the day - in office life there's the walk for lunch or coffee/tea, but at home there is none of that walking. I sometimes don't even take a break for lunch because I prefer to just keep working instead taking a break to recharge my energy. 

When someone says 'tell me about yourself' I do not want the only thing to leave my lips to be my profession.

I've been here before though. The not blogging and slicing my hobbies away part. If you've been here long enough, you'll remember my internship 2 years ago where I tossed everything about myself away and made my work my life. I swore I'd never do that to myself. And I want to keep that promise to myself even if it is late. 8 months too late. 

There's something a coach says on the Nike app during a speed run I do - when doing a mountain workout where I would be doing mile pace, 5K pace, 10K pace, and then make my way back down the mountain with 5k, mile pace: 

You've been here before, you've just got a little more running in your legs.

And that's true. I have been here before. But now, rather than me turning to an advisor to see what I should do I (and also my family pitching in) am making the decision to not allow my work to continue to consume me like it has been. My runs don't run themselves in the same way my blog posts don't write themselves. 

I don't know if it's a ~junior~ thing but the feeling like I need to be working all hours of the day in order to prove that I am worthy of a position that I already have is a mindset I have to break. Is it a junior thing to constantly feel like I have something to prove? I love to learn new things, whether that be a new coding environment, or improving on a coding language I already know.  I love that feeling of learning. But I also don't have to be learning/working all hours of the day as much as one half of my brain likes to try to convince me otherwise. That's the quickest way to burnout and I very much want to veer as far away from the path of burnout. 

I do have a lot to learn but that does not discount what I already know. Even if at times I feel it does. I have courses that I want to do and technologies I want to improve on, but that doesn't mean I spend night and day burying myself in knowledge because I've managed to convince myself that every waking moment must be spent working towards something, and anything not meant to further me in my profession must go.

What I am hoping to ingrain in myself in the next few months is that I don't always have to be attached to my computer whether that be for work or for courses/tutorials to be better at what I do at work.

There will always be more to learn, months from now I'll be telling myself the same thing even if I learned XYZ new technologies, there will always be that feeling of I could do more. I just don't want my life to be consumed of I could be doing more rather than appreciating where I am now. 

I guess, the end of my ramble of a post is to say: Your life is yours, not your employer's. Own it.

How has quarantine been for everyone? Going on runs/exercise or learn a new hobby? Working from home? Let's get chatting!

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Starting to make something a habit is always the hardest part of actually doing said habit. I'm pretty sure we all know the saying it takes 30 days to make a habit and it's most likely something we all think of once the new year comes around. Last week, I managed to convince a friend of mine to do a 10 Day Ab Workout Challenge with Chari Hawkins (Team USA Heptathlete) with me, she noticed I posted it on my Instagram Story and wanted to know what it was all about. Today is Day 8 of the challenge where every day Chari Hawkins uploads a new video with the ab workout for the day and we're both still going strong - last home stretch!

Working out is something that's been ingrained in my own routine for a few years now.

I've been consistently working out more seriously these past few years and so doing a workout is quite literally like clock work each day that's not my rest day. I mentioned in previous posts that I've been running track since I was 13/14 and prior to that I was always active in Basketball, Soccer and Karate. No matter what my schedule is, getting a workout is always apart of it.  I used to run in the mornings but when I had a temp job months ago I moved all my workouts to the evening. They're still in the evenings as I use my 9-5 for applying, blog work and coding challenges. Working out is so ingrained in my schedule, that a day without working out on a day not designated as a rest day is the equivalent to question marks. If the workout doesn't fit where it always was, then it's time to shift it around not shift it out of your life. Even if it means working out at 1AM.

evening photos = quality needs saving

Quite literally, the track, my yoga mat for floor ab workouts, my jump rope to work on coordination and stability etc. is kind of what I describe as being home. I had a stiff neck and shoulder for 2 weeks and couldn't run because recovery™is the queen in this house and if I'm not 100% it's heat pads and ice on loop. To be honest the illogical side of my brain wanted to go running after 2 days even though I was still using head pads on my neck and shoulder but the logical stopped my brain stopped that plan from going into motion. And by that I mean my mom gave me the look and I was back on my ice for my neck.

You really don't realize how important your shoulder girdle and your neck are for running until you suddenly can't tilt your neck and your shoulder is the equivalent to question marks - your daily reminder to pls upgrade your pillow. When I finally got back to running I swear it's like I finally found my way back to my home™.

Now I wouldn't be me if I didn't go on a random tangent. Let's get back on topic.

Making a habit stick is the hard part, but the hardest part is trying to jump over the hurdle of 'there's always tomorrow'.

The most important thing is to take that first step to start.

Taking the first step is always the hardest one. The reason for that is because whatever it is you choose to do, it's something that isn't a set part of routine yet so it's not like clock work that you return to it each day. Take the 10 day challenge for example, you're doing something everyday for 10 days and by the end of it on Day 11 you may still want to get some sort of workout in because you've already gotten used to it being in your schedule. If we diverge away from running for a bit, let's talk about blogging. So you may or may not have noticed that this is my first blog post with my official domain. I actually started blogging three years ago with a friend and in the end my friend didn't want to continue but I decided to keep going with it - uploading once a week- and here we are three years later, me typing this post.

the more I look at this photo the more I realize taking evening track photos precisely 5 minutes before sunset was not the greatest idea

I've had my fair amount of breaks in between from when I was finishing up my degree to taking breaks for inspiration but I've always come back to my blog because I genuinely enjoy writing my tangents of thoughts to actual sentences. If there's something you enjoy doing, you'll always find your way back to it.

Whenever you're starting something new there's always that feeling of trying to start at your level 23 rather than at your level 1 because you feel you have to be ~perfect~ at everything from the start. One thing I will say is to enjoy your progress to get to where you want to be rather than saving your enjoyment for the destination. The whole process of learning and becoming better at whatever it is you've chosen to add to your day-to-day is the best part of the journey because that's where your self-motivation to what you want to bring into your life starts to thrive.

The only limit is yourself.

Perhaps the most cliche line you'll ever find written on my blog, but it's true. I was recently watching a YouTube video of Sydney McLaughlin and she mentioned that the only limit was herself. So much of what we choose not to do - regarding something that can contribute to our growth - is inner us pulling us back from our potential. Making something a habit is more down to how much you are able to mute the inner voice trying to take you away from something that is a stepping stone for your personal growth.

I've ben toying with the idea of writing an 'I Will' list for the start of every week or maybe even everyday similar to a To-Do list - something about I will do XYZ rather than I want to do XYZ sounds more definite to me. A lot of making something a habit comes from within you and your own personal drive to always be better than you were the day before.

we love a good blur, this is what happens when you move your hand the same moment as you click the button on your tripod remote

When I was doing ab workout Day 7, Chari Hawkins mentioned that although she posted the videos for the workouts, it was us who made the active decision to set aside time to include the workout in our day. And she's right. We didn't have to do the workout, but we made the conscious effort to make sure we got it done. It's just us holding ourselves accountable. Well, she did say we'd have abs at the end of it so I guess that's a good incentive to keep showing up with my yoga mat because my abs are now holding me accountable for their existence.

You don't have to wait for tomorrow or the beginning of a month to start something.

Although I've definitely waited to start something at the beginning of the month in the past, it does make more sense to start the very same day (or if you're a night owl reading this, this is the only acceptable reason to think tomorrow is a good idea too) to start that blog, workout schedule or even start learning how to play the piano. The more we push it off, the more inner us starts getting comfortable with the idea of 'tomorrow' until 3 months pass and we're still saying we'll start it tomorrow. 

Start by putting one foot on either side of your bike and suddenly you're in motion with something new as your pedals and your hands on the handle bars holding on for dear life as you direct through this starting period. But soon your hands won't grip so tight on the handle bars, and you won't be as tense pushing forward because starting's the hard part. Keeping going on the other hand, once you made it a habit to continue coming back to it, is the easy part.

So let's talk about starting something new and making habits - what's something you want to start and make a habit of?

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I still have no idea what to do with my hands

I'm going to preface this post by mentioning I never really counted my calories before. Minus my high school years where I would look to see how many calories was in something in the supermarket, I never really tallied them up at the end of the day. As I spend more time scrolling through social media than most (hi unemployment/freelance-and-temp-work-is-kinda-slow-at-the-moment) one thing I did see a lot of was Instagram banning photos of products that promote weight loss this past week. Instagram is an app I have a love/hate relationship with, but this was a massive step in the right direction. Something that I think that the media pushes into our point of view a lot in the form of advertisements is dieting and the idea that all calories are bad for you.

Most of my friends have in one way or another attempted to convince me to diet or I've seen several people on Instagram announce they are going on a diet. But the thing about diets is that it's not something long term technically speaking. If it was, the diet industry wouldn't be worth $72.7 billion in the US. 

This kind of reminds me of the movie Joy.

Joy created a mop that had the tag-line "The only mop you'll ever need".  Most companies didn't want to bring her mop to their customer base because if that's the only mop they'll ever need then the company itself will be decreasing their current profit. The companies thrived on people always buying new mops because the mops weren't meant to last - Joy's mop on the other hand was meant to last.

How does this relate to the diet industry?

Well, if diets truly worked wouldn't consumers (us) be the winners in the equation, not the diet industry? The only diet you'll ever need is a tagline to most diets. When people do one diet,  find that it's not working for them, then they try another, and another, and so on.  The diet industry profit increases because they are constantly telling consumers that they need to lose XYZ to be healthy and in order to lose XYZ you have to follow this strict diet that is so strict that you will give it up in a week or so but then pick up a different diet and the cycle continues. 

Personally, I've tried taking out an entire food group once. For one day. That lead to me feeling extremely weak and near the point of fainting while on public transportation. The food group I decided to take out? Sugar/Fruits.

Fruits are naturally high in sugar and surprisingly one year ago a lot of runners were preaching to take out fruits from your day-to-day because of their naturally high sugar. I don't think anyone is immune to falling for some sort of fitness/health fad diet, if it's all we are being shown we'll fall down the rabbit hole at least once. Even a lot of diets promote the idea of taking out fruits, and it's something that, although I fell into the fad for precisely less than 24 hours, never made much sense to me.

After that fainting scare one year ago, I began to think differently on what I decide to put in my body (and what I decide to not put in my body). Fruits are naturally high in sugar, not processed, N A T U R A L. The more I thought of the idea that nature's candy had to make its way out of my life because of what diet trend was on the rise, the more I began to wonder how we went from an apple a day keeps the doctor away to every fruit must be taken out of your diet. I love munching on grapes, apples, blueberries, strawberries raspberries, mangoes, cherries, watermelon - fruit salads are basically my go-to snack. 

So I decided to chuck every diet trend into the wind and eat.

Overall, I'd say since not paying attention to diet trends was perhaps the best step forward I could have ever taken. I focus on what I know my body needs: Eat my fruits and vegetables, and protein in the from of grains or meat. Generally speaking I don't eat processed foods, I was never the snacker of Doritos, Oreos or Potato chips*.

* = hi if you eat any of these or all three, I'm not a dietitian or certified nutritionist, I'm just a runner who likes fruits and feels more energized after munching on a fruit salad. Do I have the odd Oreo? Yes. Do I eat chocolate chip cookies? Yes - especially if they're homemade! This is just a disclaimer that I know what works for me and my body, and that I loosely live by the 80/20 rule. 80% good 20% freestyle. please live your best eating life not by following how everyone else approaches food but by what's best for you and your body.

Diet culture is pretty much everywhere on social media, especially the idea that you should be counting your calories.

As I mentioned above, I have several friends who did try to get me to either go on Keto or Military Diet. Both of those diets promote cutting out entire food groups. The Keto diet basically kung-fu's its way through carbs - by that I mean the idea is to minimize any carbs you eat: Cut out fruits and smoothies, regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils, pasta, beans, bread etc. I can't be the only one wondering what's left for there to shop for for food? A friend of mine tried to get me into it but my issue always came down to: sweet potatoes are great for you, what did lentils ever do to deserve this treatment, you do know that beans are high in protein, and that fruits are from the literal soil.

Okay while we're on the topic of sweet potatoes: Did you know sweet potatoes have a lot of nutrients that are good for your body, such as vitamin B6, potassium, and IRON which your body NEEDS to help you grow strong?

Anyways - I've pretty much been solid on never cutting out foods out if we don't count my short lived one day of cutting out fruits.

me as I have no idea what to do with my right hand so I guess I'll just hold the bag

A few months back, a friend of mine was trying to get me to count my calories using the MyFitnessPal app. In the beginning, my initial reaction was to mention I wasn't interested in counting my calories because I didn't want to become calorie obsessed. As long as I am eating all nutritious foods, why should I be counting my calories?

And then I kept getting advertisements for supplements for athletes on every. social. media. platform.

At the moment, I'm not deficient in anything and I'm a-okay health wise so I tend to rely only on nutritional benefits from foods that I eat. As an athlete, one thing I see a lot of are supplements and how I should be taking them. At the moment, I don't take any supplements mainly because I personally try to get as much nutritional benefits from the foods + snacks that I eat. I try to eat as much protein. Drink Fresh juice. Literally anything and everything except taking supplements is my life. As the promotion of supplements on every platform I scrolled through increased, I began to wonder: Am I eating enough? Am I eating the calories someone my height, weight, training should be? Should I be taking supplements?

One month ago, I decided to try the MyFitnessPal app for 2 days.

How did the short-lived calorie count go?

Well, it turns out I'm not eating enough. On the MyFitnessPal, it said that I should be having 1990 calories a day (technically speaking based on Calorie Calculator I should be having 2,321 calories a day) On two of those days, I didn't even reach it. On day one, I fell short by 283 calories and on Day 2 I fell short by 1,000 calories. What I noticed was that although I say I get all I need from the foods that I eat, I'm not eating enough to match my height, weight and training at all which means my workouts (although going great!) could be better if I ate more. 

I don't plan to count my calories (at the time of writing this) in the very near future.

My life isn't about calories, it's about am I eating enough to feel energized, feel good, and put in the work needed in my workouts. I personally don't like the idea of counting calories (I don't have anything against anyone who does) I just prefer to focus on is this something that has nutritional benefit or not. Although I don't plan to count my calories in the near future, I do think 6 months from now it'd be a good idea to see if I've changed at all.

What are my thoughts on taking supplements?

Long term athletic wise not health-am-I-deficient-in-this-wise? I have to do a lot more research to make a well-informed decision. Yes I see the benefit of having supplements for athletes, but there's always the nagging thought of natural natural natural. 

Before even thinking of supplements though (athletic wise not health-am-I-deficient-in-this-wise) I think the most important thing is to make sure you are eating enough on your own which is the step I'm currently at.

Calories aren't all that bad for you, and bread really isn't the end of the world. I almost talked myself out of making an avocado bagel one day for lunch because oh no bread but then I was watching a video of a day in the life of an olympian and she was having an avocado bagel and you can best believe I paused the video to make one myself. Also, pasta is not the end of the world, eat a full bowl. 

There's so many foods that we either subconsciously cancel out or intentionally avoid and I think a lot of that comes from misinformation being spread. The best advice I can give is do your own research from non-biased verified™ sources to come to your own conclusions.  Also, take everything an Instagram "Nutritionist" says with a massive grain of salt. Unless they have a degree and or are certified: Run, and run far.

Have you ever gone on a diet and then gave up soon after? Do you count your calories or live semi-free-style like I do?

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