From one Stranger to Another

In my previous post, 4 Main Things to do at Kew Gardens, I talked a great deal about the key attractions of Kew, its plants and their shenanigans. 

And I now have more to add, something beyond plants...

As I was exploring the Palm House in Kew, I found a light blue envelope sitting in the plants, with the words 'Please open me, I'm just for you!' on it. 

I was obviously excited and curious to open it and see its contents, like it asked me to do. I wondered if ants would swarm out on opening the envelope, but that didn't stop me.

In my excitement, I ripped it open and found the following note:

 

Those words say everything and more. To have such random act of kindness bestowed upon me, seeking nothing in return; and to do that anonymously for a complete stranger - it made my day!

It made my day to know that genuine kindness like this exists and to feel it first-hand. The love and kindness this Stranger dwelled in his/her note, reached out to me and instilled in me the very same love that originated within the Stranger. From one Stranger to Another. 

Reminded me of a message I'd written over two years back and sailed it away in a bottle in the River Thames:




I wonder if it ever reached someone...

Going back to the note from the Stranger in Kew; it's placed back to where I found it, waiting to make someone else's day.

―――

Every time you love something or someone, you automatically grow your 'self' and your mind. I don't mean the kind of love that is only for exhibition to convey others of your kind nature and build a self image. I don't even mean the kind of love that aims to please people, and in turn please oneself. And I definitely don't mean the kind of love that expects something back in return.

The 'love' I speak of is beyond any of the aforementioned. It's deep-rooted within all of us, in fact it is our true nature. It's unconditional, it's boundless, it's genuine. It's the highest form of energy that creates good on every level of your being and makes you feel at one with all the other beings! We feel it time and again, but we're not always aware of it.

The next time you feel at one with the universe, ask yourself whether you feel this type of love flowing within your entire entity. Ask yourself if its the same type of love you normally claim to feel for others; or is it Different?

#LaughingAnanas #FeelingBlessed

4 Main Things to do at Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens; the house of the big and small, wild and tame, African and Asian, and all the types of plants that you possibly can't imagine! I learnt so much in my weekend visit to Kew Gardens, and this short post is to share it with all those who are interested in plants and their shenanigans. 

Here it is, the eye of a commoner explores key attractions of Kew and what they have to offer you...

1. The Mighty Palm House

From the busy streets of London, I landed in this out-of-the-world glass house that felt like a furnace slowly evaporating every little drop of me. Walking around in the glass house, I felt like I was walking in the woods of the Amazonian rainforest. Every 15 minutes, the visitors are pleasantly surprised with the onset of inbuilt water sprinklers in the killing heat of the glass house - phew!

This rainforest-like living laboratory allows you to enter the lives of these exotic plants and observe the most fascinating ways in which they grow and interact. To top that, you can expect to find plants from the Americas, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, all showcased in this one house! 

Not only do you get to see this wide variety, you also get to interact with it. At every step of the house/At every turn of the walkway, you can see these informative boards that tell you the story of the plants, starting from their origin to their cultural history to their uses. 

And that's not it. At every corner, you'd find stands of various herbs, spices and plants, exhibiting different forms in which people use them. These stands also had a drawer with a small 'Smell-Box' that asks you to smell the smell of the plant.

Information Stand

Smell Box

             

            'Smell Me'

I smelled Chinese Keys, Black Pepper, Curry Leaves, Ginger, Vanilla, Nutmeg and Mace. What's on your plate? 

2. The Damp Waterlily House

Soon-to-be Waterlily

Giant Amazonian Waterlily

If the pictures didn't speak for themselves enough, I'd like to add a bit more.

Few Facts

• The Giant Amazonian Waterlilies in the pictures are not just used by frogs, birds and snakes to sit on. They can hold babies up to 2 years of age!
• These leaves are designed to support their huge size. Their ribs-like structure on the underside traps air for buoyancy and strength. They also have sharp spines underneath to deter hungry fish.           

• Santa Cruz waterlilies release heat so to enable beetles to locate them. 
• The flower of the giant Amazon waterlily can close totally holding the insects captive inside it for several hours, to make absolutely sure that pollination occurs.
• The underground stem of a Lotus is edible when fried, pickled or roasted. 

3. Treetop Walkway

Photo Credit: www.kew.org

This walkway is WOW! You're not just on top of the world, but you're on Top of the Trees. You get to be so close to the trees and experience how it'd feel to be taller than them. So up close and personal, that you can probably touch the topmost branches of some of the oldest trees.

118 steps to climb

    Did you know?         

    ● The world's biggest Pine Cone lives here!
    ● Tree roots are twice as wide as the tree is tall, but only a               metre deep.

4. When you are in Kew, Remember to:

Hold the tip of the Pagoda in your fingers

Sleep in the Woods

When its Bloomed up

Take a pic in Rose Garden

      

Eat the Giant Chilli

Snooze on the BigBoyBeanbag

And oh, ENJOY! 

#LaughingAnanas

How to put Aloe Gel in Hair

And it's here; My first VLOG! 

A little bit of a video and a little bit of a blog, only following up on my previous post iUse Aloe Gel on my Hair. 

Check out the video to learn a simple, inexpensive, DIY 3 minute ritual of how to:

1. Prevent hair fall
2. Maintain healthy, shiny and, of course, beautiful hair
3. Promote hair growth
4. Condition your hair naturally

Enjoy!

#LaughingAnanas

A conversation between two friends...

Akira: Anthropophobia. That's it. That's what I think I have. I'm scared of people. So scared.

Kabira: What type of people are you scared of?

Akira: I'm scared of them all. I'm scared of Masters and I'm scared of Minions. I'm scared of the Fair and the Foul. I'm scared of the Smarties and the Dummies. I'm scared of those who appear to be my Friends and those who I've known to be my Foes. 

Kabira: Really? That many?

Akira: Yeah, sometimes I'm even scared of you! And it's fine, you know. Isn't everyone scared of each other anyway?

Kabira: Possibly.

Akira: Who is it that you're scared of the most? 

Kabira: The fine man I see in the mirror everyday. Myself.

_ _ _ _

Don't we all feel like Akira time and again? Sometimes we're afraid of people, other times we're afraid of heights. Either way, fear is a major part of our lives that we externalize onto people, things and events. 

But on reflecting upon oneself, we realize that fear is within us. It's all in the mind. It's like our own personal demon based on accumulation of our insecurities, failures, traumatic experiences and ego, along with many other factors. This demon within us drives our day-to-day lives, affects our decisions and of course, determines our behaviours. Consequently, the demon in our minds paints our outer reality. 

In that case, should we find threat and be scared of what's outside of us? Or should we let go of and recognize the threat that lies within us? 

#LaughingAnanas

iUse Aloe Gel on my Hair

Aloe Vera, my miracle plant. Put it on your burnt skin, it'll start healing. Put it on your falling hair, it'll start growing. This plant of immortality is an all-rounder, multipurpose agent - like literally! It's an answer to a lot of my questions, but lets get to the point first ...

Why do I use the aloe gel on my hair? Simply because it leaves my hair feeling fresh, long and strong. In essence, aloe vera prevents hair loss and premature graying, and promotes hair growth by strengthening it. It conditions and moisturizes your hair, and bids farewell to your dandruff. With a continued use of aloe vera, you are looking to thick, strong and healthy hair in no time. 

And how do I apply aloe gel on my hair? Easy.

1. Slice to oldest leaf close to its base with a sharp knife. I normally cut a leaf that's at the far bottom base of the plant. These outermost leaves are the best to use, as they're the oldest and largest, and contain lots of thick fleshy gel. I don't support plant cruelty, and I definitely would never steal from my aloe plant. Hence, I suggest cutting only those leaves that have started discoloring and would affect the overall health of the plant if not pruned and controlled.

2. Wash your leaf with lukewarm water, making sure you clean away any brown gel-like goop. 

3. Cut off a smaller chunk from the leaf. Judge the size of this piece according to how much of the gel you think your hair may need. I normally go for a 1.5 cm piece in length.

4. Slice off the serrated edges of both the sides of your aloe piece. Aloe leaves can be spiky and you really don't want its thorns to poke you while you're treating your hair. 

5. Separate the gel into two halves by cutting the piece in the middle. This will expose the entire layer of gel making it easy to apply on your hair.

6. And finally, rub the gel on the piece directly on your scalp. Apply this gel evenly on your entire scalp and when done, massage it briefly. I usually put it on after washing my hair, and allowing it to dry. You can also put it on semi-damp hair.  

   

So give this a shot and let me know how happy your hair feels. 

For more uses of aloe vera gel, read NaturallyCurly's 5 Ways to Use Aloe Vera Gel. 

Go natural, stay beautiful! 

P.S. I'll soon follow this post with a video to put my words into action. Keep reading :)

#LaughingAnanas

iAm Loved ..

.. and Blessed.

I didn't know how it would go when I first started penning my thoughts down in this alter-ego-avatar-blog of mine, aka Laughing Ananas. My sole aim was to encourage a healthy lifestyle and express that it doesn't have to be that difficult to be incorporated in our same ol' day to day lives. And now I wonder.. how's it going? Big hit, big fail? Readers healthy, readers unhealthy? Well, me no know.

But, when I get whatsapps and inboxes, from the most unexpected, asking when the next Ananas post is scheduled for or saying they can't wait for more posts and that the Ananas should keep writing ..

And then I see those who religiously like, share, comment their words of motivation on every single post inspiring the Ananas to laugh even more ..

And those anonymous friends, who probably follow the Ananas by mail just so they can, by default, post their feedback under every post as soon as it comes out ..

And of course those who are completely nonexistent when it comes to social media, and too busy to even shoot a hello once in a blue moon. But, when the Ananas first spoke, they revived their close-to-dead accounts, and spread his word of mouth on, oh yes, la social media!

And the others who actually walk the walk of the Ananas by practicing his suggestions habitually as an everyday thing - eating the avocados, singing to their plants and going as far as hula hooping at the dinner table! Not to forget, getting back to the Ananas to inform how much they enjoy their daily avocado ..

And then some other newly-mets, who don't just keep an eye out for the 'coming up on Ananas', but compare his words to that of the Grand Master Osho's!

Makes the Ananas feel blessed. Feel loved.

So loved, that there are so many genuinely interested in what a random, high-on-life Pineapple has to say.

Thank you for supporting and keeping the Ananas in your kitchen :) You know who you are.

#laughingananas

The Life of Akira

"My dear Akira, I see worry lines on your forehead. What is it that brings you here today?", asked the wise old sage.

"I... I don't know", said the hesitant Akira.

"Is that so? And what is it that you don't know", prompted the sage gently. 

"It's just... nothing makes me feel happy. I don't look forward to anything. I don't even feel like I'm entirely here in front of you", confessed Akira.

"I see. Tell me Akira, is there anything you did to overcome this feeling?", interrogated the sage further.

"Of course I did. I did it all to realize my dreams. I've been there all to find my happiness. I wandered in the deserts and I voyaged in the seas. I flew over the moons and I dug under the soil. I saw my tomorrow and I relived my yesterday. No luck. Tell me, o knower of all, am I dying?"

To this, the sage finally revealed:

"My dear Akira, you have been there all. You wandered in the deserts and you voyaged in the seas. You flew over the moons and dug under the soil. You have seen your Tomorrow and relived your Yesterday. But the only place you haven't been to, is Today."

#LaughingAnanas #CarpeDiem