Day #35: 100 Happy Days (Pack up!) — I started the 100 happy days challenge as an experiment to notice and write about simple things in life that bring me happiness and joy. It was an attempt to be more reflective and cultivate a strong relationship with self. In these days I indeed actively looked for more happy…

My Journey of Moving Past It (Day #34: 100 Happy Days) — My First Experience with Imposter Syndrome I met Emma for the first time in an upscale and bustling café of New York City two years ago. My fiancé, Sid, arranged a meeting with her to get guidance on his job search, and I gladly accompanied him since we planned to go to watch Broadway right after…

Day #33: 100 Happy Days — It is hard to single out a happy day to celebrate the most important women in our lives, mothers — the real creators, the quintessential gifts. Since it is a special day, I would like to share excerpts of the two pieces I have written on mothers. And, as a…

Day #32: 100 Happy Days — A little over two years ago, my husband proposed to me for marriage in Roosevelt Park — a beautiful lush green park with a pond, ducks, flowers, and lots of serenity. …

Day #31: 100 Happy Days — Last spring, my kindergartner niece took me to her backyard to pick flowers. She meticulously collected freshly fallen flowers in her basket and came back home to press them in her little flower press. She was so absorbed in placing the pressing plank, the wax paper, the flowers, the wax…

Day #30: 100 Happy Days — “Wisdom begins in wonder” — Socrates. Fri*yay* indeed. This very eventful day today started with some news regarding a fabulous plan for an upcoming vacation. Later, I centered myself to get to work. It was easy since I love my job — it is like painting to me. There were…

Day #29: 100 Happy Days — It has been almost been two months since I started to curate events in the form of 100 consecutive days that make me happy. Many days go by in routine and there’s always something that is small and happy. Days are also so busy and one doesn’t always feel inspired…

Day #28: 100 Happy Days — When I first visited the US, my sister encouraged me to visit the Museum of Modern Arts (MoMA) in New York City. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. It was a tightly packed trip and I was too hesitant of traveling alone. I couldn’t visit it in my next trip, and in fact…

Day #27: 100 Happy Days — Today I decided to go out on a date with myself. Why? I have been working on a couple of projects that consume me (for the best). I am fortunate to be working on things that allow me to pursue my creativity and learn at the same time. The world changed…

Day #26: 100 Happy Days — I have been receiving notifications to make annual payments to keep my website running. This time I decided to not renew it. Backstory: I started a website two years ago as a place to keep all my work and documents and as a resource I can share with my potential…

Day #25: 100 Happy Days — A mandala means ‘circle’ or ‘completion’ or ‘wholeness’. Drawing a mandala has been identified as a common art tool to aid meditation, healing, and stress relief. Mandalas have a deeper significance as they represent an integrated view of the world. …

Day #24: 100 Happy Days — Just like you, I have had many people in my life who I’d attribute to making me who I am today. Certainly, these are ‘my people’ whom I am close with and have encouraged me to do the right thing. At the same time, I am also grateful to many…

Day #23: 100 Happy Days — It is a lucky to stay around your siblings. In a country different from your home country, it is a blessing. And, I am blessed. My siblings and I are residing in the same city after a 15 year long hiatus. Infact, maybe almost 20 years. Didn’t even calculate. Anyways…

Day #22: 100 Happy Days — This weekend was a quiet one, after many weekends. As I was glancing through the many titles in our family home’s library, I chanced upon Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. It was an old copy, one that my husband read when he just started his high school. Of course…

Day #21: 100 Happy Days — Some days you question co-incidences to see if they are really coincidences or there is a deeper message that is surfacing and wanting to be seen by you. On ‘happy day #21’, I am writing about one such co-incidence. People who know me and have spent enough time with me…

Day #20: 100 Happy Days — This is ideally one of the most recurring ‘happy days’ for me — laughing my heart out with my husband. If someone who does not know us sees us laughing, they’d be amused thinking that we must be laughing on something inconsequential, and they’d certainly be right. Sid and I…

Day #19: 100 Happy Days — The last few days (or, weeks) have been busy playing the catch up game. Yet, I am excited by this commitment of finding and sharing about little things that make me happy, against my resistance and worry of how others will perceive it. These things, definitely, are creating a shift…

Day #18: 100 Happy Days — The pandemic did wonders with people eating home-cooked meals. I also started to appreciate the hot and fresh meals at home. Savoring them with family and, of course, seeing its benefits on my physical and mental well-being. I have also been lucky to work from home, which gives me the…

Day #17: 100 Happy Days — I often have days in my life where I do not get as much free space in the day as I anticipate. That does lead to procrastination of certain small tasks that all pile up, leading to lesser space in the future days as well. Vicious cycle, you see. This…

Day #16: 100 Happy Days — Let’s start with a story our school principal once shared: There were several participants in a race — all of them super enthusiastic about the grand prizes offered to the top three winners. A little after the race began, there was a winner. Some running participants saw him win and…