My Birthday in Kensington Market
B It’s my birthday today. It’s May 22 and I’m turning 33. There’s a lot of double digits and in order to celebrate, Project 33 was born.
Blog
My 33rd year was one of the most wonderful, unexpected, and transformative years of my life. When I started Project 33, I had no idea what the journey I’d go through during this year. I started the year as a Brahmacharini, began working at a great startup, in one of the most challenging and rewarding roles of my career, made incredible friends, experienced clinical depression, recovered, traveled, fell in love, got engaged, and moved to Switzerland.
Come on a journey with me and flip through the pages of this transformative year.
A year to remember
Dinner with Gurudev Vishwananda in LA – May 23
V We arrived in LA today to welcome Guruji to the USA at LAX airport. Then we were invited to a dinner with him at the Sheraton where our group is staying.
Birth of a new devotee – May 24
Location: Los Angeles Date: May 24 How: During Darshan with Paramahamsa Vishwananda My close friend and fellow Atma Kriya Yogi who has been following Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s teachings for about a year and a half now finally got the chance to ask him in person whether he’s her Guru.
Long Beach Day
Today was incredible. Somehow in the morning, I got to find out that Guruji would be going for a private visit to the Krishna Temple in Culver City in LA and hustled over there with some friends.
LA to Bellingham
B We arrived in Bellingham today and I flew with Gurudev on the same plane! Aaah! It was also my first time in the West Coast (apart from going to LA with my family when I was 17) and it was my first time seeing the Rockies.
Paramahamsa Vishwananda in Bellingham
D Follow my Guru Paramahamsa Vishwananda on Twitter @vishwananda. The Darshan today was pretty amazing. I didn’t get to work very much which is very unusual for me since I’ve had a pretty intense job at the last 5 Darshans I’ve been in.
Larabee State Park
V We went to Larabee State Park with Guruji, Paramahamsa Vishwananda, today. It was a dream come true to meditate on a rock next to the ocean with him.
Divine Mother – May 29
M In this Darshan, Ma came to me as that Radha and at the same time as Lakshmi. The Divine Mother gave me Darshan today.
Lynn Valley Bridge in Vancouver – May 30
Of all the things I did in Vancouver, visiting Lynn Valley was by far my favourite.
Lynn Valley Park
L We went to Lynn Valley Park today to check out the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge and the rainforest. Going around Vancouver and enjoying the rainy day was truly a treat.
At Work At Home – June 1
The logo for Project 33 was actually made via my new company! Do you like it? Can you tell me in the comments, please?
First days at work – my personal pics
My company works out of Project Spaces – a coworking space with a kickass lounge. Here’s the team lounging around.
Canon Nifty Fifty, Brunch, Farewell
I finally bought a Canon fixed focus lens! The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens AKA Canon Nifty Fifty to be precise.
Project Spaces King West
One of the best things about working at this company is that it is based in a super cool coworking space called Project Spaces.
Partner in Crime at Logojoy
Meet Melissa. She’s the Director of PR at Logojoy, where I work as well. This photo was taken shortly after we both joined the company and turned up to work in the exact same outfit!
Mum’s famous okra
One of the best parts about moving back home after I turned 30 is that I get to eat Mum’s amazing cooking every day.
Ping Pong Break
I have a tendency to work like a maniac during a certain phase of the month. It’s my natural rhythm of productivity and the flip side of this is intense relaxation.
Celebrating Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s Appearance Day
It was my Guru Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s appearance day today. We say “appearance day” instead of “birthday” because he’s an Avatar. You have to be aware of, well versed in, and accepting of the concept of reincarnation to understand that.
Off the shoulder
I had total sensory overload today. A couple of things contributed to that. First, this shirt. I’d been looking for a classic off the shoulder shirt for a week and found this randomly at the tween store, Ardene.
Mahavatar Babaji on my Altar
Mahavatar Babaji is the Guru of my Guru. He is the Paramguru of Bhakti Marga. This is a small image of Him that was given to me by one of my best friends that I’ve placed on my altar.
OM Chanting In Chinatown Toronto
My friend Madhava Das has been organizing OM Chanting in Toronto every week since the beginning of 2017. He even went through a phase when he called himself The OM Guy!
Shirdi Sai Bhajans and Jamdani Kurta
Went to Shirdi Sai Baba bhajans in Mississauga today. Mum and I have been going since the summer of 2015. This punjabi or kurta was custom tailored a few years ago from a piece of Jamdani fabric.
My Father, the most misunderstood man in the world
BThis is my father who I affectionately call Bapi and he’s the most misunderstood man in the world. My parents split up when I was about 4 years old.
Super cute baby Kiran
I met my friend Nilam’s baby girl Kiran today. She’s so super cute! I loved this pic of her and her dad and also the one of Mum holding her.
Dogs absolutely increase work satisfaction
Meet King Calvin. He’s our office dog. Well, not quite office dog; he’s our boss. I mean, he’s my boss’s dog.
Meditation in the Park
I’ve been meditating regularly for almost 5 years now and daily for the last 3 years. Here’s the full story. It is the single most important activity in my life.
A Day of Contrast
It’s been an interesting day of contrast like my outfit today. My dress was solid black and my shoes were pastel pink.
Pink Jarritos at Wilbur Toronto
Jarritos is one of my favourite sodas in the world! I think I first tasted it in NYC a good 9-10 years ago.
Crop Top & Palazzo Pants
Shopping for clothes is such an emotion driven thing for me. I went through a phase of about 1 year when I lived in Sydney, Australia where I didn’t shop much at all except for a massive splurge at Kookai once or twice.
Happy Birthday Mum
It was Mum’s birthday yesterday. She turned 66. It’s interesting that she’s exactly double my age now. Her poetry has the power to move anyone to tears.
Toronto Cruise with Dwayne Gretzky and the JoySquad
I’ve been very fortunate and have lived in some amazing waterfront cities like my current hometown Toronto, Sydney, London and New York, and I’ve gone on touristy cruises around those all of those cities except for Toronto.
Dad’s Blessings
It is Guru Purnima today and it has been a monumental day. I use a big word like monumental because something really big happened today.
Strength to fight
Knowing your weaknesses because people who love you enough will point them out to you, and also through self-reflection, and then believing that you’re strong enough and equipped with enough skills, talent and intuition to overcome your weaknesses –
Strong enough to be silent
This is my friend Saranya. She’s strong AF. Some key things you need to know about her: I was her for about 5 months in university when she lent me her expired driver’s license so I could get into bars.
Afro Dancehall Class in Toronto with Tarif & Suna
I always loved to dance; not just dancing for fun but taking dance classes. When I was little and wanted to get into the arts, my Mum put me in singing classes.
Caruda and Me
Do you ever give inanimate things names? Doesn’t it somehow make those things more alive and more meaningful to you? I once named my laptop “Lappy”
Seeing New York Friends in Toronto
My roommate from NYC Alicia was in town today with her lovely husband Victor and some of their cousins. We met up on the rooftop of Bar Hop.
Mum and I go to the movies
I was feeling like I wasn’t spending enough quality time with Mum lately so we decided to go to the movies today.
It’s Only words
Pictures speak a thousand words – that’s a fact. I was questioned today by two people who are very important to me about the intention behind the pictures I share on this blog.
My baby sister turns 16
My baby sister Louisa turned 16 a few days ago. We celebrated a few days late because she was at summer camp on her actual bday.
I love you
I’ve loved writing by hand ever since I got the freedom to choose the script and style I wanted to use instead of the one that my teachers forced on me.
Just words today
I purposefully didn’t take a photo today and broke my streak with the 365 day project. It was a day of rest.
Lulu goes to work
Lulu came to my work today to help out on a mini project for us. I got to take her out to lunch and we took pics in the alley behind our building.
Atma Kriya Yoga Course in Rochester, NY
I was blessed to be the teacher in an Atma Kriya Yoga course this weekend. My friend and talented photographer Vesna organized the course and she took most of these gorgeous photos.
This Human
This is Louisa, my baby sister. It’s really interesting to witness a person going from being a kid or a teenager, and transitioning from an adolescent to an adult.
Dinner for Two
The first time your beloved cooks you dinner is a special event. And when the food tastes delicious, it’s even more memorable.
Portraits in a day
Went on a mini-runaway-cation to see Bae. He took these really awesome pics of me. I’m blessed that he’s such a great photographer.
Chillin like a villain
Not much to say about these pics except for maybe that they were captured in a moment of a pretty “chill”
Low light photography
Played around with some low-light photography today. Was quite a challenge to get some of these shots but seems to have come out quite nicely!
By Lake Zurich
There was a really cool event by Lake Zurich today called Slow Up. Luckily I was there at that time and got to participate.
Pumpkin Patch
Today was a monumental day! It was my first time flying with Ben. He’s a pilot so he flew the plane.
Back in Shree Peetha Nilaya
I returned back to my ashram, Shree Peetha Nilaya today. The last time I was here was in January 2017. A lot has changed since then but a few things are strangely similar.
A Wedding
My friend and fellow Bhakti Marga devotee, Sati got married today to the little brother of another friend, Cristiano Tiozzo. I am so happy for the beautiful couple and so blessed that I could somehow witness the incredible ceremony.
Dancing the night away during Navaratri
The last time I spent Navaratri at my ashram Shree Peetha Nilaya was in 2013. Had to wait 4 years to experience it again but I’m so grateful that the Divine Mother and Gurudev gave me the opportunity to be at the epic Bhakti Marga Navaratri celebrations again.
Sharanagata Vatsala Narasimha Dev
Today was a combination of easy and difficult. I’ve been dealing with a personal problem for the last 3-4 weeks. A change has come into my physical surroundings, namely in my office building, and it’s bothering me.
Mum’s Big Day
Today was a HUGE day for Mum. Today she became a Canadian citizen. I woke up early to drive her to the oath ceremony.
Yamchops in Toronto and College St. West
We had a guest over for the Thanksgiving weekend: a 15 year old vegan. She’s been a vegan for 2 years now and honestly, she is a total inspiration to me.
Take a good look at yourself
I stayed up late talking to a friend on the phone tonight. Her biggest advice was this: “If something is bothering you it is the surest thing that you need to look at it.”
Baby Zack
I traveled to Montreal today to see my childhood friend Melina and to meet her first baby, Zack. Mel is the first good friend I made in Canada when I moved here at the age of 13.
Eggspectation, Montreal and childhood friend
Met up with one my childhood friends today. His name is Ranjan Da. “Da” is not part of his name but in Bangla, we use Da to call older brothers or brother type of friends.
Thankful for the memories
You know those photos that make you fall a little more in love everytime you look at them? Well, this photo is one of those.
Will and Blair’s
Saw these two crazy cats today. I’ve been friends with Will since we both started working at Burst Media back in 2009.
Friday the 13th Mood
It wasn’t an easy day today. I’ve been battling a cold for a while and it was quite taxing to be in the office with my cold today.
Nighttime Reading – Srimad Bhagavad Gita by Paramahamsa Vishwananda
My bedtime reading right now. I try to read one verse each night and quickly jot down how that resonates with particular situations in my life at that moment and the practical lesson I learn from that verse, in real life.
The Reluctant Saint – San Giuseppe Da Copertino
One of my favourite saint movies is The Reluctant Saint. It is nearly impossible for me to watch it without crying once.
Anxiety Warrior By Elke Scholz
I bought this book 6 months ago at the Toronto Yoga Show. I was manning a booth to promote Bhakti Marga and the upcoming Darshan of Paramahamsa Vishwananda, my Guru &
Lunch with Leyla at Buna’s Kitchen in Downtown Toronto
My friend Leyla and I met up for lunch today and caught up about working in startups, past work relationships, spirituality, and friendships.
Calvin, Kristin, Kaejon, Felicia – the Joysquad
These are some of my friends at work. They make coming into the office Joyful!
Chris Guillebeau in Toronto on his book tour for Side Hustle
Reading this book now. I recommend it! Some cool audience members and Chris fans who came out to see him and support his book tour.
Coffee with Dad
Bapi and I met up for our monthly coffee and soul revealing chats today. It was a more sober meeting compared to our usual ones.
Yogatree at Spadina and Richmond
I’ve been trying to go back to yoga this week but it’s harder than you might think, especially because I took about 1.5 months off for no reason.
Just Love Hat
My coworker was wearing this kick-ass hat today with such a cool message. I loved it even more because this message of “Just Love”
Halloweeny
We celebrated Halloween by dressing up for work today. We had a T Bird from Grease, a Superman, a historic Duke Leopold, Wayne + Garth from Wayne’s World (the best movie ever), a sleepy person, a skeleton, a copy-cat, a Unicorn, and a News anchor (me).
Startup Life Photoshoot Toronto
I had to take some photos for a guest blog post we’re submitting to Brainstation Toronto today, featuring our lovely Product Team.
St. Lawrence Market on a Saturday
Went to St. Lawrence Market today to stroll around, grab a coffee and something sweet. Unfortunately, the most memorable thing when you walk in is being assaulted by the smell of raw fish and meat.
Lunch at Wilbur
I had lunch with an ex-boss today. We caught up with each other about work, life, travels, family. As usual, it was a pleasure!
Being pulled by multiple passions
I had a long chat with Mum and Ben this morning over breakfast. The topic was how our lives and careers were shaped by our dreams, decisions and life circumstances.
Toronto Subway Lawrence West Station and Toronto Startup Life
I missed a day of photographing recently so I didn’t want to take the chance today and started snapping bright and early, on the subway on my way to work.
New Hair, New Direction
I’ve been going through a really tough time lately. Some of the causes of this are some big changes in my life, broken expectations, and probably the change in weather.
No Photo Today
I didn’t take a photo today because I was just so tired that I was falling asleep mid-conversation by 11:30pm. We had some guests over for dinner, our tenant and his girlfriend.
Changing Places
It was a very interesting day today. It started off with a mix of emotions – mainly anger and drive. Then some things happened, some meetings and conversations and the tension was dissipated.
Khao San Road Toronto
Felicia and I took some time to get out of the office and grab lunch today. It was the best decision ever.
Smiling for no reason
We had lunch as a team. Then I had my Tarot cards read. So much interesting stuff in there about work, love and my future.
A Ring from Meister, Switzerland
I stopped wearing rings on my fingers around the first half of 2015 after I moved back to Toronto from Australia.
Short hair and Murakami
Whatever it was that possessed me to cut my long hair into a short chin-level length has now passed and I’m half-regretting cutting my hair.
Is Turning 33 A Turning Point in Life?
I’m 33 now. And this was the age that Haruki Murakami started his life as a runner and in a way, truly started as a novelist.
Winter Style & Rose Embroidered Sweater
When it comes to winter style, I’m either oversized and baggy or fitted and airtight. The reason? Heat preservation. I actually tried wearing a shirt that was just a tiny bit cropped and I literally froze.
Sunset over Lake Zurich
I was so lucky to be able to spend Christmas with Ben and his family this year. The alternative was to stay in Toronto by myself since Mum is in Bangladesh right now.
Janus The God of Beginnings And Endings
Did you know that January is named after Janus, the Greek God of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and ending (Wikipedia).
Life in a Snow Globe
Toronto is in the middle of the weirdest storm system right now. Yesterday it went up to 12°C. This morning it was 9°C and right now it plummetted to -6°C and it’s only 4pm.
Lulu and Ritu and Julie
I went over to Lulu’s place after a long time and the best thing about it, apart from seeing my sweetest sibling, of course, was seeing Julie, the Shit-tzu.
Strange Love Coffee Shop on Spadina
My friend from work Mel and I went to Strange Love for a coffee. I had a good old Americano and she had a hot chocolate.
Teaching Meditation to my Office
One of my lifelong goals was accomplished today. I taught meditation in my office! The opportunity came when our Head of Talent, Emma, sent a message to the whole office asking for suggestions about what we’d like to learn about in our weekly lunch and learns.
Graffiti Alley in the Toronto Winter
I dragged my friend Felicia to Graffiti Alley in Toronto at the end of the workday to do an impromptu photoshoot because the sun was still out and that’s a huge turning point in the Canadian winter.
Introducing Foxtrot Charlie
I’m so happy to introduce a brand new blog to you: FOXTROTCHARLIE.CO – womaned by this lovely human. It is her birthday today and she gave herself a sweet DSLR camera as a present and is starting a photo project similar to Project 33.
Teaching Is Tiring But So Worth It
Completely exhausted but happy after teaching #atmakriyayoga all weekend long. The first time I taught more than one person in a course in Toronto!
Back at Shree Peetha Nilaya, home of Bhakti Marga
This is the highlight of moving to Switzerland; I’m driving distance from Bhakti Marga’s main ashram, Shree Peetha Nilaya. These photos were taken well after midnight, after a long day of driving and receiving Darshan from my Guru, Paramahamsa Vishwananda.
My Bhakti Marga Baby Friend
The last time I went to Shree Peetha Nilaya, I met this handsome little fella who completely stole my heart.
Cherry blossoms
There is this gorgeous Japanese Cherry Tree in our backyard and it is it full bloom now. I’m obsessed with this tree.
Cooking for Two
Ben cooked dinner tonight. I have mentioned before that he’s an amazing cook, but these days I cook more, mainly because I crave certain dishes and like to experiment.
Swimming in Badi Juch
I got to do one of my most favourite activities today – SWIMMING! Went out to the pool with bae and our friend Cyrus, who literally swam laps around us.
Shopping in Rapperswil
I went shopping in Rapperswil today, which is a town about 20 mins from our place. It was a great shopping experience mainly because be found exactly what we were looking for.
Our neighbours came by for dinner
We had our neighbours over for dinner tonight but I forgot to snap a photo of them. They are a Spanish couple and the conversation around the table happened in a funny mix of English, German, and Spanish.
A me-time day
I had the day to myself today because Bae was on a few flights, and indulge I did. Took my time, did my hair, some journaling, some TESL studying, and cooked a mean spaghetti for lunch.
