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🌿 Easy Vegetarian Recipes to Warm Up Your June Evenings

  As June brings cooler nights here in South Africa, there's nothing quite like comforting, wholesome vegetarian meals to warm the body and soul. Whether you’re cooking for the family or just yourself, these easy recipes are perfect for cosy evenings — no fancy ingredients, no fuss. 🍲 1. Hearty Lentil and Vegetable Soup Ingredients: 1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, sliced 2 potatoes, cubed 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp dried thyme 1 can chopped tomatoes 4 cups vegetable stock Olive oil, salt, and pepper Method: 1️⃣ In a large pot, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. 2️⃣ Add carrots, potatoes, paprika, and thyme; cook for 5 minutes. 3️⃣ Stir in lentils, tomatoes, and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30–35 minutes, until lentils are tender. 4️⃣ Season with salt and pepper. Serve with crusty bread. 🍛 2. Creamy Butternut and Coconut Curry Ingredients: 1 s...

May Magic: Staying Aligned, Elevated, and Open to Abundance

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 There’s something powerful about May. It’s a turning point—a quiet shift in energy that calls us to rise, reflect, and realign. The pace of the year begins to quicken, and with it comes a reminder: the time is now. To live with more purpose. To move with more intention. To open our arms wide to the abundance that’s trying to find us. For me, May feels like a personal checkpoint. A moment to pause and ask: Am I in alignment with what I truly want? Am I nurturing the parts of me that light up? This month, I’m choosing to vibrate higher. To show up for myself, even on the days that feel slow or uncertain. Because the work I do within reflects the life I create outside. Keeping a high vibration doesn’t mean we’re always happy or unaffected—it means we choose to rise above the noise. It means we protect our energy, stay grounded in gratitude, and intentionally create space for peace, clarity, and flow. We learn to listen more and rush less. To be okay with not knowing how everythin...

A Journey of Devotion: Honouring Hanuman with Heart and Ritual

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Life is strange, isn’t it?  As we grow older, we learn — from our elders, from our families, from our friends — and most importantly, we learn from our Punditji. (The  term "Punditji" is a respectful address for a knowledgeable person, often used in Hindu religious or cultural contexts. "Pundit" refers to a learned scholar or expert, particularly in subjects like scriptures, rituals, philosophy, and music. The suffix "ji" is an honorific used in Indian culture to show respect. So, "Punditji" is a polite and respectful way of addressing a Pundit, similar to calling someone "Professor" or "Reverend" in English.) Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing Pundits, sharing stages with them, and engaging in meaningful, respectful conversations. Each interaction leaves me with something new to reflect on, and I continue to grow through these moments.  There was a special someone I met — someone who, sadly, is no long...

A Fresh Start for 2025: How 'Let Them Be' by Mel Robbins Can Change Your Mindset"

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Starting 2025 with Mel Robbins’ "Let Them Be": A Powerful Guide for Personal Growth As we step into 2025, many of us are reflecting on our goals, relationships, and mindset for the year ahead. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and pressure to change everything at once. But what if the key to a peaceful, fulfilling year isn’t about controlling every situation or fixing everything around us? What if it’s about letting go and embracing things as they are? This is the empowering premise of Mel Robbins’ latest book, Let Them Be: A Guide to Releasing the Need to Control Others. In a world that’s constantly pushing us to fix, manage, and improve everything in our lives—whether it’s work, family, or relationships—Robbins reminds us of a simple truth: sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is to let people be themselves. Why You Should Start the Year with Let Them Be If you’re someone who tends to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, always trying to fix th...

Creativity beyond Expectations - with a Dirty Chai

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Every morning, I start my day with a Dirty Chai at Vida e Cafe. It’s my little ritual, a moment of calm before the day’s challenges begin. As I sip my chai, I feel myself gearing up for what lies ahead, getting into the mindset to tackle whatever the day throws at me. There’s something about that warm cup, the blend of spice and caffeine, that fuels not just my body but my creativity as well. I find that creativity isn't just about solving problems or finding artistic inspiration. It’s about approaching the day with a mindset that allows me to see opportunities where others might see obstacles. My morning chai is my daily reminder that no matter what challenges arise, there’s beauty in overcoming them with a creative spirit. That moment of calm at Vida e Cafe is like pressing the reset button—it clears my mind and opens up space for new ideas, allowing creativity to flow freely into the most unexpected parts of my day. Creativity often surprises us. It’s more than just art, w...

Embracing the Journey Ahead: Blogging in 2024

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As we step into 2024, I find myself reflecting on the transformative journey from 2022 to now. It's been a period marked by growth, change, and a renewed commitment to sharing my thoughts and experiences with the world through blogging. The Beginning: 2022 In 2022, I embarked on this blogging journey with a mix of excitement and from 2022. The world was slowly emerging from the shadow of a global pandemic, and like many, I was navigating a new normal. My initial posts were a way to document my thoughts, connect with others, and find a creative outlet amidst the chaos. Back then, the blog was a fledgling project. I was exploring different topics, experimenting with writing styles, and learning the ropes of managing an online presence. It was a year of discovery, laying the foundation for what was to come. Finding My Voice: 2023 By 2023, the blog had started to gain traction. I had found a rhythm in my writing and began to understand the kind of content that resonated with my readers...

No over thinking for 2022

 So it's been a long while since I have written a blog, I guess it boils down to how I am actually feeling, and that being under the weather or over the weather... If that makes sense. The past year has been an absolutely challenging one, a serious change for me in the way I view life, the way I think about things, and the thoughts that run crazily in my mind. There have been scenarios that I had to face, some put me 10 steps back, some got me thinking and some were out of my control.  I allowed all these emotions to play on me, took the blame for many of the issues that I faced. However, that's how life is once again... sometimes to keep the peace you must just keep quiet and let it go as hard as it is.  So what made me choose to blog today... something very inspiring that I had watched earlier in the day and was very moving as we don't actually notice or know this... but our life starts with a "B" and ends with a 'D".  Our life starts with birth and end...