The Good News: March, 2016

It's time for another month of...

So, for those of you who haven't seen it before, this is a new monthly blog series I've started!

The lowdown:

Ok, so I have always been all for being positive and optimistic
(read about my take on The Importance of Positivity ☺️).
A long time back, I had the idea of doing a blogpost series called 'The Good News'.

The news and current affairs of our world is so important, it is crucial we keep updated on what is happening around us.

BUT...
A lot of that tends to focus on what is going wrong.

And, although it is necessary to think about what is wrong in order to right it,
I think we could stand to gain a lot from appreciating what is already right, or getting good, as well!

Click here for last month's edition!

And now for this month's...

THE GOOD NEWS!

March, 2016

...

Free food fridge for the hungry

Via

The tea cafe Pappadavada (a restaurant in India) came up with an idea that will not only feed the local homeless community, but aims to teach society about not wasting food. A 24-hour fridge was installed offering meals to those in needs, the diner plans to stock 50 meals a day - along with meals their diners donate (as they posted a message on their Facebook asking for spared leftovers).
...

From gang member to lawyer helping troubled kids

Drug dealer, larcenist, arrested 13 times before turning twenty - would have been the only things mentioned when talking about David Lee Windecher.

However, he changed that. Dramatically.

Writing his memoir, The American Dream: HisStory in the Making, he gives troubled kids
"a road map to putting their adolescent mistakes in the rearview mirror".

“Second chances come hard,” he says. “The problem is that everyone, even the gangsters, looks at the worst, not the potential in other people. But the fact is, you are not a victim of circumstance. You have a choice.”

"His message: Too many Americans buy into a myth that youths are a lost cause."

...

Team Refugee Olympic Athletes

Yusra Mardini and her sister fled Syria with another 20 refugees. After motor boat complications, she and her sister swam 3 and a half hours, pushing the boat to shore, saving everyone on board.

"For the first time in its history, the International Olympic Committee announced earlier this month the nations competing at the summer Games will be joined in Rio by a team of refugees, made up of athletes who would otherwise find themselves stateless and excluded."

“By welcoming the team of Refugee Olympic Athletes to the Olympic Games Rio 2016, we want to send a message of hope for all refugees in our world,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the Olympic flag and with the Olympic Anthem. They will have a home together with all the other 11,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees in the Olympic Village.”

Yusra will trial for the team very soon.
...

First entirely solar-powered Airport in the world

With a 45-acre solar panel field to support Kerala's Cochin International Airport, they will not be spending any money on electricity. Even more impressive is that this is the 7th busiest airport in India and it's sending a strong green and sustainable development model of infrastructure development to the world. 
...

SeaWorld ends captive breeding for Orcas

 Picture of killer whale and calf

Entering into a partnership with the Humane Society of the United States, the entertainment company has officially ended its killer whale breeding program, and is now providing only natural encounters for its last generation of orcas (no circus acts for giant ocean mammals to be held). 

 ...

Obama signs a ban on products made by children and slaves

Via

Severing the supply of seafood caught by Southeast Asian slave workers, gold mined by children, and clothes sewn by abused Bangladeshi woman. The development closes an 85-year old tariff law loophole that allowed importation of products of forced and child labour. 

 ....

Sign Language classes instead of Playtime, the kids decide.


A class of fifth graders give up their recess every Wednesday to learn sign language to better communicate with deaf classmate, Rhemy Elsey.

Rhemy has cochlear implants, but still relies on signing for much of his ability to communicate with others. He’s been overwhelmed by the willingness of classmates to give up free time just so they can learn to carry on conversations with him. “It’s like they want to be like me."
...
That was some of The Good News for March! ☺️

What were you surprised to hear about? Do you have a favourite?
Do you like listening to some Good News? ☺️

New blog post will be up next Tuesday!!! 

Until then, you can: Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Or follow me below at - 
They're all linked so you should just be able to click on them! :)


❤️, Raashi

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I blog about...

I think most of us who blog, or read blogs, have heard about blogs having their "niche".
And I do think there's a reason for that, consistency is always a plus, following someone for features, info & discussion on a particular topic you love is not only interesting, but helpful.



With that being said, I love when people stray away from that too.
I feel like blogging is empowering because it allows you 
to talk about what you want to talk about, 
how you want to talk about it,
when you want to talk about it.
There's a reason chatty posts and get to know me/facts about me tags are always so fun to read,
connecting with the person behind the blog, past just the content they produce, is so enjoyable.

For that same reason, it is amazing to see people blog about something they're passionate about.
Some of my favourite posts ever have come from blogs on the days where they've done 
"a bit of a different post". 

I so admire Instagram accounts that have a specific theme and stick to it, they're amazing to look at and I follow so many of them.
But, me personally, I'm so all over the place. 
To be honest, it's not even about being all over the place, I just love to share what I want to share.
Whether it be what I've been upto, where I've been, friends, family, food I'm obsessing over :P

I can't even choose one degree or major for crying out loud, people are always like typical Raashi when they hear I'm doing business, psychology AND journalism :P

Now that I'm writing all of this, maybe I have a problem, indecisiveness anybody? 
I WANT IT ALL. :P 
That's an issue for another day though...:P

For me, I don't think I could put my blog under one category if I tried. 
Or I could, but despite the rules, I just don't want to. 

I WANT TO DO MORE MINDFUL POSTS, WHEN I WANT TO DO MORE MINDFUL POSTS.

I WANT TO DO THE ODD BEAUTY/FASHION POSTS WHEN I WANT TO. 

I WANT TO DO RANDOM TRAVEL POSTS WHEN I WANT TO. 
My India Trip Part 1, 2 and 3.

Heading home from Melbourne after my first solo trip

I WANT TO DO LIFESTYLE-Y POSTS WHEN I WANT TO. 

I WANT TO DO CHALLENGE POSTS WHEN I WANT TO. 

Living by Mantras Challenge Part 1 and 2.

I WANT TO DO MORE CONTEMPLATIVE POSTS WHEN I WANT TO. 

I WANT TO DO POSTS THAT RAISE AWARENESS, SHARE WORDS OF OTHERS AND EDUCATE WHEN I WANT TO TO. 

So, maybe all of this just comes from me wanting to do it all? Whoops :P
Haha, no, but seriously -
I want to do posts that are genuinely, sincerely, authentically things I want to share.

Which got me thinking, 

Our niche is us.
Your blog's niche is you.

Emily @ Musings & More
Lucy @ La Lingua
Trishna @ Tips Capsule
Angelina @ Angelina Is
Caroline @ Iridescent Places
Rory @ Aluminah
Filippa @ Always a Dot
May @ The Mayden

 These guys blog about what they're passionate about and what they want to blog about it, 
and in my opinion, that gives them their "niche".
Some of these guys are classified into the beauty, travel, food,  fashion, photography, lifestyle "categories", or a bunch of them. 
But what sets them apart is not their blog niche,
but that they are genuine, sincere and authentic in what they're sharing with us.

So, I guess this post of mine can be added to my contemplative category? ☺️

New blog post will be up next Tuesday!!! 

Until then, you can: Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Or follow me below at - 
They're all linked so you should just be able to click on them! :)


❤️, Raashi
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MAC Lipstick Haul!

This is a post I have had planned for a while and I FINALLY got around to getting photos and everything for it prepped!

Disclaimer: Now, by NO means do I consider myself a beauty blogger by doing this.
(Although I read some absolutely incredible beauty blogs on the regular, I'm looking at you Caroline @Iridescent Places, Kay @Shoes and Glitter, Sonja @Troves and Roses, Megan @Life with MCM. You beauty gurus are amazing.)

Look, I like makeup, and I'm semi-decent at it. That's literally my current state.

I don't properly experiment with it a whole lot, but on the rare occasions that I do, I enjoy it...
but only if it works out well :P
Am I the only girl out there who takes a HUGE sigh of relief once their eyes are done, 
cause to me the rest is easy and MUCH more failproof :P 
(Eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadows can be so. scary. And they sense the fear. :P)


Slow and steady girls, slow and steady. :P

Anyways, I do love how simply and beautifully lipsticks can add to makeup looks!
Before I travelled to India last year (you can read about that here!), I had already decided that on the way back I would make the most of duty free shopping in Singapore airport and...

BUY.
MY.
FIRST.
MAC.
LIPSTICKS.
(EVER!)
:O

I know, I know, very late to the game, but exciting nonetheless!

So without further ado,

My first three black bullets.


Love.


From left to right: Dubonnet, Ruby Woo, Hot Gossip.

Let's go through them, shall we? ☺️

MAC DUBONNET
Amplified Creme Lipstick
My mum picked this colour out and how gorgeous is it! 
This deeper red lipstick is so creamy and has a beautiful sheen.

MAC HOT GOSSIP
Cremesheen Lipstick
I had gone into MAC wanting a mauve-y, everyday, my lips but better shade.
This didn't end up being it, but it is oh so pretty!
I think it's a very angelic kind of pink and man, 
does this lipstick have some pretty sparkle and shimmer through it!
I have to add, this one feels SO incredibly moisturising & hydrating, almost like putting a lip balm on!

MAC RUBY WOO
Retro Matte Lipstick
Ahhh, so I had decided I was definitely going to pick this one up after hearing all about it from beauty bloggers and vloggers everywhere.
This is known as MAC's Famous Ruby Woo, the red lipstick that is universally flattering and works on every complexion possible.
And I have to say - I am super impressed by it, incredibly matte and a striking red!

Now I'm going to pretend to be all professional beauty blogger and swatch them for you :P

(From bottom to top: Dubonnet, Ruby Woo and Hot Gossip)

And there we have it! The beginning of my MAC Lipstick collection!

I hope you guys liked this post, I thought it would be fun for me to document my first MAC Lipsticks. Plus, I love posts like this from other beauty bloggers and since I finally had some new beauty products - I thought I would give it a go!

 I'm a sucker for people doing posts or videos with lip colour swatches, 
I'm always hunting for the perfect shades!

What's your favourite shade out of these? Do you own MAC lippies, what's your personal fave?

New blog post will be up next Tuesday!!! 

Until then, you can: Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Or follow me below at - 
They're all linked so you should just be able to click on them! :)

❤️, Raashi
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The advantage of alone time


I've had a bit of an exhausting past week to say the least.
And it's left me feeling utterly drained, by everything and everyone.
Feeling the need to disconnect for a bit, it got me thinking, the way our society is built these days...
it doesn't feel super easy to do that. We're almost made to feel guilty for wanting to do so.


I'm sure you guys can relate to this struggle on some level!

In true coincidental yet meaningful fashion, the universe allowed me to stumble upon an old article published about 'The Power of Lonely'.

We as humans are social animals, we need human interaction and know that isolation can be harmful for us. But, there is another side...



So, all I really want to do is highlight a few parts of the article that I feel like us as a generation need to read and be reminded of  ☺️ 

Have a read!

"An emerging body of research is suggesting that spending time alone, if done right, can be good for us — that certain tasks and thought processes are best carried out without anyone else around, and that even the most socially motivated among us should regularly be taking time to ourselves if we want to have fully developed personalities, and be capable of focus and creative thinking. There is even research to suggest that blocking off enough alone time is an important component of a well-functioning social life — that if we want to get the most out of the time we spend with people, we should make sure we’re spending enough of it away from them. Just as regular exercise and healthy eating make our minds and bodies work better, solitude experts say, so can being alone."

“There is something very liberating for people about being on their own. They’re able to establish some control over the way they spend their time. They’re able to decompress at the end of a busy day in a city...and experience a feeling of freedom.”

"In an age when no one is ever more than a text message or an e-mail away from other people, the distinction between “alone” and “together” has become hopelessly blurry, even as the potential benefits of true solitude are starting to become clearer."

"[There is] benefit from time spent apart from others, in part because it allows for a kind of introspection — and freedom from self-consciousness — that strengthens their sense of identity."

"Too much solitude is unequivocally harmful and broadly debilitating, decades of research show. But one person’s “too much” might be someone else’s “just enough,” and eyeballing the difference with any precision is next to impossible."

(^Read: Do what is best for you! How you want to do it, when you want to do, it's what you want.)

"Insofar as there is a consensus among solitude researchers, it’s that in order to get anything positive out of spending time alone, solitude should be a choice: People must feel like they’ve actively decided to take time apart from people, rather than being forced into it against their will."

"Sherry Turkle, director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, argues in her new book, “Alone, Together,” that people should be mindfully setting aside chunks of every day when they are not engaged in so-called social snacking activities like texting, g-chatting, and talking on the phone."  

“People make this error, thinking that being alone means being lonely, and not being alone means being with other people,” Cacioppo said. 
“You need to be able to recharge on your own sometimes. Part of being able to connect is being available to other people, and no one can do that without a break.”


I don't openly give myself as much proper alone time as I want - phones, social media and the expectation that you should be contactable at all times being the downfall. But when I do...

In my alone time, I love to sit on my laptop in my bed and write/read blogposts, just see where the internet takes me, do some research, explore links, watch lots of youtube.

I love to sit and read a book. Maybe watch some TV or a movie while doing odd jobs and organising things. I love, love, love to sit or lie down and listen to some music, either while doing something else or just being fully present. 

Do you guys give yourself alone time? Do you sometimes feel guilty for doing it?
Do you enjoy it? What do you like to do in your alone time?

New blog post will be up next Tuesday!!! 

Until then, you can: Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Or follow me below at - 
They're all linked so you should just be able to click on them! :)

❤️, Raashi
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