About Me

Welcome! to Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, inspiring happiness

I am Vidya Sury

Writer | Editor | Blogger

Email: vidya at vidyasury dot com

TL;DR (Too Long! Didn’t Read!)

So glad you’re here! I’d love to connect with you. My mission is to make you smile. I write about mindfulness, self help, books, parenting, health & wellness, travel, food, reflections, and experiences. Do enjoy browsing.

On the last Thursday, every month, I host the Gratitude Circle blog hop. You are welcome to join.

Brand collaborations welcome.

Here’s my contact form.

Join my mailing list.

Did you smile today? 

The long version! So settle down with your favorite beverage ♥

I have always enjoyed writing, thanks to my Mom’s constant encouragement. I wrote a diary for several years and continue to do so–highly therapeutic and most effective stress-buster! Writing is cathartic and an excellent way to express ourselves and lucky me–my current vocation!

I started this blog as a fun experiment in 2003 on Blogger, sharing snippets of personal life, jokes and thoughts. Over the years, I’ve become more focused, building it into a positive space featuring posts about

parenting  gratitude  happiness  personal development  mindful living  health and wellness

book and product reviews  travel  social causes  haiku relationships  positive thinking

On the last Thursday every month, I host the Gratitude Circle blog hop. Practicing Gratitude is transformative and makes life beautiful. All are welcome to join!

Join me!

I also post a “Wednesday Wisdom”,  series – short bursts of easy-to-consume wisdom in the form of stories, quotes, anecdotes, and humor.

Some random facts about me

Making lists and religiously sticking to them is the secret of my success and I thought I’d talk about myself through one, so here we go!

• Blogging, to me, is freedom of expression – a wonderful learning experience.  I am privileged to be part of several communities sharing different perspectives. The best part? No geographical constraints.
• I enjoy sharing good things – smiles, how-to’s, great books, wellness tips, inspiring stories, parenting, travel tales, personal development, and life experiences – yes, I confess I suffer from infobesity!
• I am a shutterbug and enjoy sharing my photography. Let’s connect on Instagram!
• I enjoy the little things in life.
• I currently work as a Writer, Editor and Business Blogger for my bread, butter, jam and sometimes, flavored cheese. I work from home, lucky me!
• My second job is with CLINICOM, an independent ethics committee that evaluates protocols for human clinical trials.
• My third job is is a combo of Being Mommy and Home Maker. I know. A woman needs at least two jobs, right? Okay. So I have three. No, wait, four. Shhh! Moonlighting is in my genes.
• I believe that Happiness is a DIY project. I even have a recipe for happiness
• I believe that learning is a life-long process. I am a work in progress, just like everyone else.
• I believe everything is possible.
• I have an MBA in Human Resources and Marketing and a Diploma in Training and Development. Strangely, I graduated with a B.Sc. in Zoology, Chemistry and Botany. Irrelevant information? Maybe – but to me it simply shows that anything is possible when we keep an open mind. So many possibilities! Truly, variety is the spice of life. And a good education is never wasted. Ask my neighbors!
• I enjoy being Mom to my son, who helps me grow and inspires my parenting posts.
• I have one husband who is a mathematician with a great sense of humor, who keeps me sane. Most of the time. He also does the laundry. Cheerfully! The man is a gem!
• I have one life. I am not a cat. Cats are believed to have nine lives. Meeow.
• I am non-judgmental and never quick to jump to conclusions. I am Libra after all, and a very nice one, I am told. No, my knees are not dimpled. They might have been, but these days they only get dented when I rest my elbows on them – usually when I am sitting on my porcelain seat of wisdom.
• My Mom was a single parent but seemed like an entire family rolled into one. She’s my hero and my best friend. My favorite coffee buddy. I miss her!
• I love to read, write and sing. I sketch, paint, sew and embroider, too.
• I never wear make up. Moisturizer is not make-up, is it? Because I can’t survive without it!
• In Feb 2012, I wrote haiku for the whole month and loved the experience.
• I started participating in the April A to Z Challenge in 2013 and have been a regular, since. I love it. 2021 was my ninth year with this blogging challenge.

• I started participating in the NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month in 2011 and enjoy it tremendously. I’ve learned that it is much easier to create a book draft and so much harder to fine tune, edit and publish it. Sigh. My non-fiction book’s working title is “The Complete Health Guide for Women“.  I’ve been adding to my book drafts during 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 creating a series of health guides, a memoir and more. This year, I hope to inch closer to my first solo published work. All in good time.
• I pray whenever I hear an ambulance’s siren and choke back the tears.
• I love to read and my all-time favorite authors are P G Wodehouse, Rohinton Mistry, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Allison Brennan – and all crime/medical/law/psychological thrillers. Over the last 3-4 years, I’ve discovered a penchant for non-fiction and biographies.
• On television I prefer to watch comedy or crime.
• Yes, I am a movie buff. I can veg out all day on the couch and watch mindless stuff. Except I don’t!
• I am from South India and my mother tongue is Tamil. I also speak English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, some Malayalam, a little Marathi, French and Spanish. I love languages and have an aptitude for them.
• I love tinkering with DIY projects. When I am fascinated with something, I can’t wait to get hands-on!
• I am rather good with handicrafts and creating “wealth out of waste”. Yes, I mean recycling and repurposing, because I grew up in a generous, but thrifty family.
• I cannot bear to see children and the elderly being ill-treated or going hungry. I would like to change the world, but until I get my magic wand, I’ll try to do my bit by supporting local charities and sponsoring education, medical funds and food. This is one of the reasons I work hard. Money is multi-lingual, you see.

• My blogging income, and a portion of my writing income are dedicated to supporting welfare homes, Schools for the Blind and Homes for the Aged.
• I am addicted to information. Yes, Google is my twin – we do share a birthday after all, Google and I. 27 September True. No lie.
• Accolades? I am thrilled to be featured in several top 50/100 personal development blogger lists. Honored, naturally!
• Over the years, I’ve been featured in a number of top parenting/blogger lists and I am humbled by this.

• In August 2013, I was excited to be part of the Tree of Life Branching Out collaborative writing challenge, a continuing story collectively written over the course of 26 days. The writers  found inspiration in a featured composition from the motion picture music production house, audiomachine’s new TREE OF LIFE album. They took the story in whatever direction they chose, picking up where the previous writer left off, resulting in the ultimate collaborative tale. This kicked off on July 15 and concluded on August 9. My turn was on August 6 – and it was an amazing experience! Read Vidya Sury – Hope and Glory. This is now part of a published anthology and available on Amazon.

• In December 2013, I was honored to participate in Samantha Redstreake Geary’s Composers for Relief: Supporting the Philippines musician/writer collaboration as a fund-raising effort for the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) which affected the lives of more than 16 million in the Philippines. Over 30 gifted composers hailing from 16 countries collaborated on an inspirational album, initiated by Peter Ebbinghaus, to raise funds for the victims of this catastrophe. In the spirit of collaboration, 28 writers from across the globe will write their story, to the notes of each track. The final tales will be compiled into a companion ebook anthology for the album. All profits from the album, and companion ebook, will go to Gawad Kalinga (“give care”). The ebook is available on Amazon. Here’s my story – A Cup of Peace
• Read my interviews at the Digital Inbound Marketing blog and Influencer.in

• I have six blogs in all.

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles – you are here, thank you! ♥

• • Winner, Wellness category, Orange Flower Awards for Digital Creative Superstars
  • Winner in the self-improvement category at the Indibloggers #IBA2017
  • Winner at the Asian Mom Blogs Award 2018
  • Listed in the Best Indian Blogs directory

Be Healthy, Be Happy – health blog featuring health and wellness tips for better living. Voted as best health and fitness blog in 2015
Coffee With Mi! – a personal blog, a tribute to my Mom. I miss her. Winner in the Memoirs category at the Indibloggers Indian Blogger Awards in 2013

Life Hacks for Happiness Quick life hacks to make life just a little better in the form of photo posts

Life Hacks for Diabetics I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2013 and on this blog, share easy life hacks and living with diabetes tips.

Cooking With Mi Since I was sharing an overdose of food photos on social media and emailing or messaging out recipes, I figured I may as well start a food blog. You’ll find food, stories, conversations, tips, humor, all mixed with a generous dose of love.

I also write regularly on Medium – let’s connect there!

Getting in touch with me:

Connect via social media

I tweet as @vidyasury

Connect via my Facebook profile or Facebook Page

Join me on Instagram

Find me on Goodreads and Amazon

Email me: vidya at vidyasury dot com

Or use the contact form.

Or just comment on a post and I will get back to you.

With love,

♥

Vidya Sury