Hello people of the interweb! 

So today I will be reviewing a hand cream that I am absolutely obsessed with. It smells heavenly and it's perfect for the spring season. I am talking about The Face Shop daily perfumed hand cream in the scent "Cherry Blossom" ( I told you it's perfect for the spring season). I love using hand creams because unlike regular lotions they are usually more creamy in consistency so they help moisturize my dry hands really well.  I believe this brand launched its products in India last year (but don't quote me on it).And this brand has raving reviews online so far, hence, I figured I'll give it a try myself. So let's get onto the review now! 


THE FACE SHOP DAILY PERFUMED HAND CREAM ( CHERRY BLOSSOM )

PACKAGING: 

So as you can tell it's a 30 ml sized tube which has a squeeze top black cap and the tube is baby pink in color. Because it's a small sized tube it's extremely travel friendly. And I love the overall packaging! I think it looks very pretty.

PRICE:  240 INR 


INGREDIENTS: 

MY REVIEW: 

I love it! It smells amazing ( kind of like a shampoo but it's definitely not off-putting in any way)! It's white in color and  neither too runny nor too thick which makes it perfect (especially for this time of the year). I don't like using hand creams that makes my hand extremely oily or slippery and this does a great job in not doing any of that. It leaves a nice sheen on my hand after I am done applying it ( as you can tell by looking at the second photo down below). And it makes my hands extremely soft. I love the way my hands feel after using this! 

The scent lingers for about 3-4 hours. And it needs reapplication after 4-5 hours for my extremely dry skin. If you have oily skin, then this would moisturize your hands for a longer period of time. Now let's break it down into pros and cons:

PROS:

1. Smells amazing

2. Easily available online (check Nykaa or amazon)

3. Good at moisturizing

4. Light weight and non-greasy

5. Absorbs quickly into the skin

6. Good for all year round

7. No parabens

8.Scent stays on for decent amount of time (without being over-powering) 


CONS:

1. Availability

2. It is tested on animals 


OVERALL RATING: 4/5 ( as it's not cruelty free)


So that was it! I love this hand cream! And I highly recommend it. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this!


With lots of love,
Natasha  

Hello people of the interweb!


So, it's February! The month of love. And today, I watched a movie that got me thinking of what love means to me. I have come to terms with the fact that not everyone is capable of loving. The act of loving someone with all their heart is not something that everyone is blessed with. Love is very similar to passion, I believe. Just like, some people don't have any passion in their lives, a lot don't have the ability to love (and it's a very sad thing but it's true). And the more I see it, the more well-grounded it becomes. I am not just talking about "Romeo and Juliet" kind of love. I am talking about love in all its great forms.

Image source: Google

Love to me is a combination of million little things and a lot of big things. As little and simple as walking you home or remembering the little details and as big as doing the chores and cleaning the entire house for you (or standing outside your house with a boombox playing "in your eyes" by Peter Gabriel). I strongly believe that there needs to be a balance that way.

When you love someone, you want to make them feel comfortable in every way possible. You want them to feel loved all the time. You want to see them happy. And like really, really HAPPY (so happy that they get sick of being happy every once in a while). You understand them and you never force them to do things they are not comfortable doing. You don't make them feel unwanted. You apologize through your actions and not by just saying sorry. You always stand up for them. You always want to encourage them ( even if you gave them a pep talk not more than 5 minutes ago). You want to make them feel special through your actions. You are patient with them. You cannot be mean to them no matter how hard you try to be. You cannot be mad at them for more than 4 hours (and those 4 hours are just excruciating ). You go out of your comfort zone for them ( you despise pie but she spent an hour making it and still butchered it? No problem! In the stomach it goes). You cannot help but get angry when someone speaks shit about them. You want them to be confident. You want to see them achieve heights. You are always there to carry them when they fall down. You don't make them feel scared of talking to you. You don't look at them through the eyes of society (and this is so important). You know they are unique. You want to hug them all the time. You want to kiss them all the time. And more than anything, you want them to never ever question their value in this world.

You know it's easy to say you love someone. So many people say it all the time. It's kind of funny that they don't even realize that this word that they are using all the time is of such high value.

"Don't go about getting too passionate", they say. But how can I love someone if it's not passionate "can't sleep, can't eat, can't breathe, my life sucks without you" kind of love? "Don't lose sense of practicality because of love", they say. But what is being practical anyway? And is the definition same for everyone? "Don't make it your number one priority", they say. But why fall in love if it's not your number one priority? Love shouldn't even be considered to be put in the top three priorities section in your mind. It just needs to be there. Succeeding all the other things and the priorities, always.

And you might roll your eyes at me and call me dreamy and hopeless romantic but I don't want to be in love if it's not the "give your everything into it" kind of love. The whole "go out on a date, have sex, never call each other up" notion or "forget about your parents once you are an adult but check up on them every once in awhile" kind of love is not up my alley. I am not about that life. I have been with people in my life who said they loved me but they never did. I have been with people in my life who thought they are capable of loving but they are just too apathetic to be capable of something like that. They loved the idea of loving someone because of what they get in exchange but don't really have it in them to love someone. And it got me bitter about a lot of things in my life, but surprisingly, loving someone didn't turn out to be one of them. I guess, I am just hopelessly full of love that way. And I am proud of the fact that when I love someone, I want them to have everything in their lives. There is no competition. There are no hidden harsh feelings. I just love them. Completely and utterly for who they are (unless they turn out to be a criminal or a sex predator, that's a whole another scenario then). I am the kind of person who'd be willing to go out with you at 3 AM searching for food (even if I know there is no point searching for it that late) and talk about absolute crap if I love you.

That's what love means to me. And of course, I would like to stress here that don't love someone if they don't love you back. Let go of them. Love yourself too. Because just like I stated, love is this very big priceless thing to offer to someone. And you wouldn't go about offering priceless things to a complete moron would you ( or to someone who does not want it). And I know sometimes morons get lucky, but don't let that bitter you. You keep your shiny gleaming hope of love constant. We spend our lives doing a lot of mediocre things, just don't let love be one of them. I hope "I" won't let love be one of them. So "That can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars,over the fence, world series kind of, love?" Totally!

I hope you enjoyed reading this.

And have a very happy Valentine's Day!

Love,
Natasha

Hello people of the interweb!


How is 2017 treating you? I hope good! My days have been going pretty good so far. So today, I decided to write a skin care related blog post. My skin suffered a major breakout phase as I used a product that my skin didn't like so I decided to use these products and I have been using them for over a month now and I absolutely love them. 

They are great for my super sensitive skin which reacts to anything and everything that I use on it. So I figured why not share them with you people. 

Okay now let's talk a bit about what my skin type is. I have very dry and extremely sensitive skin. Anything that is heavily scented reacts pretty badly to it and causes huge red zits. So, that being said I prefer to use products that are fragrance free. But there are not a lot of products in Indian market that are fragrance free. So I decided to look up on Amazon and I found this very famous brand ( that I have seen a lot of other beauty bloggers mention about as well) "CETAPHIL". So I decided to give it a try as it was affordable and also had certain good chemicals in it ( and yes, there is such a thing as "good chemicals" ).

So I bought the Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser, Cetaphil moisturizing cream and the Cetaphil daily advance ultra hydrating lotion. 

1 .CETAPHIL GENTLE SKIN CLEANSER


PRICE: 390 Rs for 250 ml ( you can also check the 125 ml one which is under 250 Rs )

MY REVIEW:

•  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CLEANSER! It is extremely gentle on your skin and it doesn't strip off the natural moisture from your skin. It also leaves my skin feeling extremely smooth and soft. 

• It has shiny white milky consistency and it almost looks like water when applied on skin but it does the job of getting rid of all the gunk off of your face pretty well.

• I prefer to use it on dry face and then wash it as opposed to wet face but you can use it whichever way your heart desires. 

I read some people's complaints that it leaves a greasy residue on their face after they are done cleaning their face so I was kind of sceptical about this product in the beginning because nobody likes that greasy residue feeling on their face but I am happy to report that it did not do anything like that to my skin. 

PROS: 

• It has NO FRAGRANCE which is one of the best things about this product. 
• It is non-comedogenic which means it won't clog your pores. 
• It has a pH of 6.3-6.5 which is very close to the normal pH of your skin so it doesn't disrupt your skin's natural pH. 
• It is non-irritating.
• It is said that it is safe to use this product even on babies
• It has Cetyl alcohol which is considered a good alcohol.
• It can be used by all skin types. 

CONS:

• It has parabens. 
• It is tested on animals.

MY OVERALL RATING: 4 stars ( Not 5 because it is tested on animals and has parabens)

2.CETAPHIL DAILY ADVANCE ULTRA HYDRATING LOTION

PRICE: 338 Rs for 100 g ( But I got mine for 320 on Amazon so always check Amazon )

MY REVIEW: 

• This is my holy grail moisturizer now. It is light on skin so it doesn't leave that heavy greasy feeling on your skin that usually moisturizers do but that doesn't mean it sucks at moisturizing your skin. It says that is meant to provide intense moisture for dry, sensitive skin and it is totally true to its claims. 

• It is white in color and it spreads pretty easily on the skin. 

PROS:

• It is non-greasy.
• It is non-comedogenic so it won't clog your pores.
• It is fragrance free.
• Small amount goes a long way.
• Affordable price.
• It has good alcohols in it.
• No parabens.

CONS:

• It is tested on animals.
• It is not easily available in the market.

MY OVERALL RATING: 4.5 stars



3. CETAPHIL MOISTURIZING CREAM


PRICE: 326 Rs for 80 g

MY REVIEW:

•  It is a good product but I don't love it as much as I love the other 2 products. And the reason for that being that it leaves a little bit of that greasy feeling on your skin that typically moisturizers do. But it does the job of moisturizing your skin well. 

• It has a waxy consistency so it doesn't spread easily on the skin. 

PROS: 

• It has good alcohols in it
• No parabens.
• Fragrance free. 
• Great for people with extremely dry skin (especially during winters).

CONS:

• It is a little greasy so definitely not good for people with oily skin.
• It is tested on animals.
• It is not easily available in the market. 

MY OVERALL RATING:  3.8 stars 


So those were all the products that I use on my face. They are super gentle and great for sensitive skin and I would highly recommend them for people with highly sensitive and dry skin. My mom has really sensitive skin too (even more than mine ) and even she likes these products a lot. Check them out on amazon as they are always available at a discounted price there. I'll include the links in case you want to buy them.

LINKS:

•  Cetaphil advance ultra hydrating lotion
• Cetaphil moisturizing cream
• Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser

So that is all.I hope this helped.

And I hope you enjoyed reading this. 

Lots of love,
Natasha 

Hello, people of the interweb!

So it's 24th December 2016. And only 7 days 171 hours 10266 minutes and 615971 seconds to go before the clock strikes 12 and we start making those typical "date mistakes" ( you know writing '16 when it should be '17 ). So in the honor of approaching the new year, I decided to write a blog post related to the new year. Now as you can tell by the title it's going to be a "setting goals for new year" kind of a blog post.

And yes, I totally see you rolling your eyeballs there and thinking "well isn't that very typical of you, Natasha?" and "Everyone does that but they never follow through" and "Get out! That's boring!" but hey! Calm down! Because what people don't realize is that there is some sort of magical goodness related to this whole process of setting goals for the new year. Because when you set goals, you believe that with the new year comes a whole set of new opportunities to make things right for you, to have a fresh start at things, and to be able to live again the way you wanted to.

I don't know about you people, but the motivation-meter in my body reaches an exceedingly high point during the onset of the new year. And even if that "exceedingly high point" comes down to not so "exceedingly high point" after a while, I would still love to do this for I don't feel there is a better rush than the one when my heart and my mind is filled to the brim with that twinkling hope that the new year brings along with it.

Okay so enough with the introduction let's get on with it.

1.  TO WRITE MORE HERE

Image source: Google

I LOVE WRITING!!! It calms me down. More than anything, it makes me happy. And in this year, I wrote only 6 blog posts. So I guess you can tell that I haven't been that active here because of how occupied I was throughout this whole year in another kind of things that I didn't get much time to write for myself ( and also because the procrastinator in me was trying to reach its maximum potential). So that is my number one goal this year. To write more. I might even get myself a fancy new website ( how cool right?). At least that's what I have on my mind but let's not count those eggs before they are hatched.

2. TO READ MORE

Image source: Google

Okay, so I managed to read only 20 books this year which is not THAT bad given how absolutely occupied this year has been. That being said, I want to read more books, more articles, more blogs and I just want to read more overall in the upcoming year.

3.SAVE MORE MONEY

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My entire money, literally every single penny that I managed to get was wasted in food. And even though I enjoyed it at that moment, I really regretted it later ( because that food was not even healthy, to begin with ).  So I want to save more money in the new year. And I want to spend that money on meaningful things like books, quality skincare products, quality makeup, quality hair care ( does "quality" sounds annoying yet? ) and "quality" food ( now? ).

4. GET ORGANIZED

Image source: Google

YES! I want to be more organized. Because I read somewhere that "clutter is the physical manifestation of the unmade decisions fueled by procrastination" ( boring much? ) ( but it's true).
Being organized has tons of benefits that come along with it. Like, it makes you feel very productive and you are able to manage your plans efficiently and for more benefits check google ( yes I just wrote that). So guess who's going to be ordering one of those colorful and pretty organizers on Amazon?

5. BE A MORNING PERSON

Image source: Google

Okay! So, here's the truth. This " be a morning person" goal has been there in my 2014 new year resolutions list, 2015 new year resolutions list, 2016 new year resolutions list and now it's making its way to "2017 new year resolutions list" ( embarrassing much?). But I am not the one to give up ( casually covering up my failure to succeed with my ability to never give up here). So here it is again. "BE A MORNING PERSON" ( duly noted ).

6. BYE BYE TO NEGATIVE PEOPLE

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Let me tell you, I have been very successful this year to keep all the negative people at bay. I did not let them get to me at all. And I would like to keep up with that in 2017 as well.

7.COOK MORE

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I want to learn to cook good food. And to cook "more" of that good food. So that's that.

8. DO SOMETHING EXTREMELY SELFLESS

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It's tough but it is also extremely liberating and hence it's on the list.

9. BE HONEST WITH MYSELF AND OTHERS

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Honesty is such an important part of any relationship. When you are honest with others about your feelings, you create more space for yourself and others in your heart because you don't have to carry that baggage anymore. To sum it up "If you tell a truth, it becomes a part of your past, if you tell a lie, it becomes a part of your future".

10. TO LOVE ME MORE

Image source: Google

"Love yourself like you're not waiting for someone else to do it".  Yes! Do this!

11.FOCUS ON YOUR OWN GRASS

Image source: Google

That is pretty self-explanatory I guess? Why do you care what the other person is doing with his or her life? or "how much does he/she earn?" or "how long has she/he been single for?" or "what does his/her parents do?". Seriously, why do you care? I mean seriously, how basic can you be? Focus on yourself and your life will be so much better. And again, I have been pretty consistent with focusing on myself this year and that's what I intend on doing the upcoming year as well.

12. EXERCISE MORE

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No! I'm not talking about cardio! ( but again if that's what is going to help you then YOU DO YOU! )
Just exercise. Stay fit and healthy. Jog in the morning. Do light stretching workouts and strengthening exercises. That kind of thing.

13. BE INDEPENDENT

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Do it all by yourself for yourself. ( You feelin'? )

14.STOP FEELING LIKE YOU OWE KINDNESS TO PEOPLE

Image source: Google

Some people just don't deserve it. They seriously don't! I don't know why but this is always the hardest concept for my mind to grasp and I have hurt myself a lot in this process. And even though I managed to not treat unkind people with kindness this year, I still haven't hit that 180 yet. I have hit like 140 (or 160 rather). 
For instance, I recently helped this person out( someone who only comes to me asking for help. Other than that, this person loves to indulge in small talks so that it doesn't seem too obvious that she/he is only there for selfish reasons). I helped her/him out with his/her problems when she/he clearly has never ever been there for me EVER. I consoled her /him for hours. Helped her/him figure things out. Just because I feel like I owe kindness to people. Why? That is something that I need to figure out. So yeah it's on the list.

15. TO APPRECIATE LIFE AND THE CHALLENGES IT THROWS

Image source: Google

Every problem that you face in life is there to teach you a really valuable lesson and to make you a stronger person. And I really believe in that with all my heart. So instead of getting bogged down by the tough times in 2017, I would like to stand tall and firm for there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Some people just end up getting longer tunnels than the others.


Sooo... that is all. Those are all the goals that I want to achieve this year. And I know they cannot be achieved overnight or even over a month. Hence, I will be taking one step at a time. And just so we are clear, beginning of the new year is not the only time when you can make things right. You can make things right anytime that you want to (you know this right? C'mon! You should know this!). Everyone has a different way of celebrating the onset of the new year. This just happens to be mine. So keep reading those "12 new chapters, 365 new chances" and "this is your year to sparkle" kind of quotes because god knows they are what keeps us sane.

And to anybody who thinks I'm going to fail or this is too basic or too boring..this is what I have got to say to you,"Girl! (or guy!) There is no way that I am letting you dull my sparkle!".

I hope you enjoyed reading this! And hey! A very happy new year to you and your family!

Lots of love,
Natasha

Hello people of the interweb!

NOVEMBER IS HERE! And we are very close to the end of 2016. So I decided to write something related to 2016 because I was pondering about all the things that I did in 2016 or all the things that happened to me in 2016 and how I feel kind of grateful for all of them.

So as you can probably tell by the title, this post is going to be about things that I did in 2016 that made me feel very proud of myself (sounds cheesy but I don't really care). Now these are not crazy big achievements like "Hey! I got a job at Google!" or "Hey! My eyebrows finally look like Cara Delevingne's!(which by the way are just GOALS)". Instead, I am going to be talking about little things that I did or how I dealt with certain things ( to be more accurate ) which led to me being proud of myself. So enough for the intro it's now time to get into it.

DISCLAIMER: I am not trying to brag or anything. If you end up thinking for some reason that I am trying to show off or brag in any way after reading this then there is something seriously wrong with you. I just want people to appreciate the little things and little efforts that they put every day because god knows, it gets hard to do even the littlest of things sometimes. That's all. 

Image source: Google

1. I survived the biggest heartbreak in the history of the world.

Image source: Google

Let me just say, this was literally the most hurtful thing that I had to go through in my life except of course my grandma's death back in 2015.  But this was my first real heartbreak and it felt like a death in itself to me. And what followed were long months of sadness, crying myself to sleep, anger, anxiety, low confidence and EXTREMELY NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. BUT I recovered in the greatest way possible and now that I look back upon it I feel very proud of myself because: a) I didn't get a rebound or anything. Not saying that if you get a rebound then you're a bad person but it's just that, it was one of those things that I didn't want to do (and I didn't) and  b) This person wasn't worth suffering for. 

2. I was vegan for four months. 

Image source: Google

YES it was hard. YES I had to check labels of everything before putting it in my mouth. And YES it was totally worth it. Being vegan is still on my list. It's the right thing to do. I still very much believe that animals should not be killed and tortured for one's pleasure. And I failed at it. But that does not mean that I am not proud of myself for being vegan (even if for 4 months). Because yes, that did not make me a saint but food is culture and when you deny that piece of chicken that somebody offers you then you're somehow denying yourself that culture experience and that, my friend, is hard. And so I would like to appreciate all the vegans out there for kicking ass like they are and also myself even though I failed at it. But hey, I'm still on it. 

3. Started my blog.

Image source: Google

THIS. RIGHT HERE. WHAT YOU'RE READING. WHAT I AM WRITING. I AM PROUD OF THIS. 

4. Traveled for two hours every single day to work (and felt very adult about it) ;)

Image source: Google

Mumbai is a BIG CITY. And traveling is something you just have to do when you're there ( especially when your office is 14 km away from where you live). But I'm happy to report, I survived the traveling and guess what? It was fun sometimes. 

5. Got my first paycheck in the history of ever.

Image source: Google

AGAIN! Felt very adult about it. It was great. I mean it was MONEY, who doesn't like them some cash?

6. Boarded local trains like a boss. 

Image source: Google

Let's just say, I am an expert when it comes to local trains now. And I'm proud of it.

7. Talked live to my favorite YouTuber.

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It was 21st August. And I talked to my favorite YouTuber for 1 hour and 45 minutes. She answered all the 11 questions that I asked her. And guess what? She even said "HEY NATASHA!" OMG JUST THE THOUGHT OF IT. I CAN'T EVEN.

8. Had a major embarrassing meltdown in front of the CTO ( you know who you are )

Image source: Google

OKAY! So the meltdown? Yes! EMBARRASSMENT LEVEL INFINITE. But the very intellectual discussion that followed the meltdown? Totally worth it. And I am grateful that I had a CTO (you know who you are :D) who was so understanding. 

9. Got a panic attack in the bus on my way to work and still went to work.

Image source: Google

If you know anything about panic attacks then you would know that the first thing you want to do when you get a panic attack is to GET OUT OF THAT SITUATION. But I was in the bus. On my way to work. And I got a panic attack. But I survived it. And went to work. And everything turned out to be just fine. And you know what? I am literally patting myself on the back now. 

10. Got to eat really good food.

Image source: Google

So I don't know what it is about this year, but it's been consistently nice to me in terms of food (lasagna, tandoori momos, pina colada, starbucks frappes,etc). The amount of delicious food that I am eating is just unfathomable and I am very happy.

11. Got a brand new, shiny and awesome friend. 

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You know who you are. You are awesome. Just stay awesome. And hopefully, everything between us will always be "sorted". ;)

12. Went out of my comfort zone a lot of times. 

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My comfort zone is literally the size of a penny. And I had to get out of it a lot of times. And I liked it. And I'm proud of myself.

13. All the awesome outings with my sister.

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So grateful for all of that. It was amazing. From boarding a metro at 11 at night to never wanting to leave from Chaupati because it is so beautiful and calming, it was ALL AMAZING. 

14. Read amazing books and discovered one of my favorite books of all time.

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It is the kite runner by Khaled Hosseini. And it is hands down one of my favorite books of all time. And you should totally read it if you haven't already. And I am still reading a lot more. 

15. When I applied for a part time job at starbucks.

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Okay so if you know me then you should know that I have "working at starbucks" in my bucket list (don't ask my why). So I decided to apply for a job there and I could have easily been working there right now but I didn't have that much amount of time left with me in Mumbai because it was time for me to get back to my home town. But it is still totally on my bucket list. And I felt proud of the fact that I took the initiative to apply for it.

16. Survived eating only Top Ramen curry for a week.

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lesson: QUIT BEING A PROCRASTINATOR. 
But still, proud of myself for that. 

17. Chased a bus like a crazy person. 

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Let me just begin this by saying, I HAVE NEVER EVER CHASED AFTER A BUS but If I wouldn't have chased after this bus then it would have been me waiting for it for another 30 minutes to arrive and that is a lot of time so obviously I had to chase after it. Imagine a 21 year old girl shouting like a crazy person running after a bus as if it's the end of the world. Funny enough? Yep! Still proud of it. 


So.. these were some of those little things out of that long list of little things that I did that made me feel grateful about my life and feel proud of myself. And hopefully November and December will also be nice to me. It might seem piffle to some of you but before you try to be all original and judge me , DON'T. Because no matter what you say or do or think, I don't give two shits. I am proud of ALL OF THESE things and more and 2016 couldn't have been any nicer and it still is very nice to me (thank the lord). Of course, I faced few hardships here and there but I dealt with it in the best way that I could have. I wanted to appreciate myself for all the efforts that I have put in so far because I don't think I do that often. People tend to compliment other people the most but not themselves. And that needs to change. So that is it and I would like to end this by quoting a very wise person " The little things? The little moments? They aren't little."

Thanks and I hope you enjoyed reading this. 

With lots of love,
Natasha