Happily Married For 3 Years - Eternally in Love - Forever !! :)

We are told that people stay in love because of chemistry, or because they remain intrigued with each other, because of many kindnesses, because of luck. But part of it has got to be forgiveness and gratefulness.

When you first trust in love only to be deceived later, you probably loose hope of re-living a normal life. But when two such people with the same kind of past experience meet, they both give love a second chance and this time it works! This time its indeed the Forever kind of Love that they each believed existed - that they both believed they deserved - only this time from each other !

Our relationship began with honest confessions and we are both immensely grateful to have found each other. Our's is definitely "Not the Perfect" kind of a relationship - reason enough why the flame still burns and sparks still fly everytime we see each other at the end of the day ! :)

I admire WE as a couple not for the chemistry we share or the way we look together, but for the way we have evolved and changed in each others company. The way we have accommodated each others like's/dislike's willingly. There is no such norm as a Wife's thing or a Husband's thing. If Abhi has made a concious effort to be a great cook and an entertainer, I have made all the efforts to keep the house in order, the finances straight and gelled well with his (our) social circle.

We truly invest in together-times which are strictly our's - be it going on a holiday or just exercising/cooking together. Getting involved in the same activities at the same time is a lot of fun. We truly share a zest for life which I often observe seems to have faded with time with a lot of other couples our age. Each of us has our own set of hobbies which keeps us both engaged for those Me-Times.

We share a lot in common - the habit to keep things strictly organized, to keep the house tidy and spotlessly clean, to keep making changes and innovating our daily lifestyle, celebrating the smallest of occassions in grandeur, finding the satisfaction in giving to loved ones and to the society at large, our love for great food, maintaining a variety in clothing, cherishing the smallest of moments and capturing them on camera, our love for kids, for fitness and exercising, for wining, dining and partying when time strikes.

In these almost 4 yrs that we have known each other and 3 years that we have been married, we unknowingly seem to have grown up to be influenced by each other. Yet we were quite different when it came to handling anger, the way we express ourselves is poles opposite - while I find myself to be the Tell it like it is kindda girl, Abhi is more the diplomatic love all, please all kindda guy. While he is the true Bread Earner, I could be the true Bread Winner for taking care of our investments and personal finances :)

And yes, the road to making even the smallest of Decisions always starts with opposing views by the way and ends with one of us convincing the other but I must say even if one of us does not agree, the other does not go it alone without approval. I never ever thought I would ever depend on my husband for approval from selecting a shade of lipstick to scouting for a home! I get my hubby involved in all things small and big and willingly so ! :)

Celebrating our 3rd Wedding Anniversary, surely warrants a Post. The days ahead may not be the same as the ones behind us. They may be gloomy or may be a lot more challenging than the ones we have seen so far. The key to Eternal Love does not start with complacency or by taking the relationship for granted. We all work to get appraised in our Jobs, or work on looking healthier, likewise, we all need to attach a greater importance to our relationships and work on making them better by the day no matter what the circumstances.

As I once said to Abhi, "You may not be the 1st one I ever loved, but YOU WILL ALWAYS BE THE ONLY ONE I WILL LOVE FOREVER !! " Today I say, "Happy Anniversary"!! :)

CHEERS!!
~ sayli :)

Merry Christmas & A Prosperous New 2009 !!! :)

Dear One, 

For we as a Country it's surely been a very challenging year, with the print and electronic media talking about and splashing news of a whole lot of bloodshed all year round, leaving no corner of Our Country appear peacefully safe. Financially too, it's been a watershed, with the Sensex slipping from 17K levels down to 9K levels. Professionally there have been cases where you may have had to settle with unsatisfactory bonus payouts, low raises or even worst - job cuts. 

May be reason enough why I refrain from saying hope it's been a great 2008 for you & your family. Instead, I sincerely wish that 2009 would have a lot of Cheer to add to our lives both Personally & Professionally. 

Thank You so much for even the smallest of things – an un-returnable favor, a simple phone call to wish me luck, a lightning fast reply to my urgent mail, your acknowledgement of my efforts, or just keeping me in your prayers/thoughts – all this truly meant a lot !!

I personally, have a lot of Failures to remember of this year, which I am sure would get wiped away with Brighter Rewards I would earn in the coming year. 

Abhi and Me wish you Great Health, Success in all your Relationships and Prosperity to You and Your Family. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2009!! :) God Bless.

Luv n Luc as always,
- sayli :)

Nutrition & The Food Pyramid

It is said that if we educate ourselves more about nutrition, than about weight loss we are more likely to maintain a fit mind in a fit body. The Food Pyramid then is more about eating a variety of foods, from each of the major food groups inclusive of (Water):

1: Carbohydrates

2: Protiens

3: Fats

4: Vitamins

5: Minerals

For a balanced diet, one must aim to have the following food groups in this quantity:

1: Sugars & Fats --- 1 Serving

2: Protien and Dairy Foods ---- 2-3 Servings

3: Fruit & Vegetables ---- 5 Servings

4: Starchy Foods ---- 4-5 Servings

LEVEL 1 : Sugars & Fats:

Foods containing sugars and fats are at the top of the pyramid. These include butter, cooking oils, oil-based dressings, ice cream, pastries, confectionery and certain soft drinks and should be eating sparingly as they are high in fat or refined carbohydrates such as sugar and honey. Altough they make food taste good, too much fat raises blood cholesterol levels. Sugars provide calories yet few nutrients and too much sugar can result in weight gain and tooth decay.

LEVEL 2: Protein and Dairy Foods:

Protien can come from animal sources (meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt) or vegetable sources such as beans, lentils and seeds. Meat, Fish and alternatives provide protein, iron, zinc, magnesium and some B Vitamins, especially B12. Milk and dairy foods supply our bodies with protein, calcium and zinc and Vitamins B12, B2, A and D. Try to choose lean cuts of meat and low fat dairy products to avoid too high an intake of fat. Similarly, certain nuts and seeds are high in saturated fat so they should be eaten in moderation.

LEVEL 3: Fruit and Vegetables:

These provide fibre and some carbohydrates, as well as many of the vitamins and minerals that are essential for our bodies to function efficiently. In terms of their nutritional value, it is best to eat fruits and vegetables when fresh, altough certain varieties are fine frozen too. Canned produce and dried fruit also do provide some of the nutrients needed.

LEVEL 4: Starchy Foods:

The large base section of the pyramid contains the staple, starchy, carbohydrate foods that should provide the major source of energy in the diet. These include cereals (such as wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet), rice and products made from them, such as bread, pasta, noodles, cornmeal and breakfast cereals. Other staple carbohydrate foods in this group include potatoes, yams and other starchy vegetables. All the foods in this group are rich in nutrients supplying fibre, B vitamins and some calcium and iron as well as carbohydrates.