After months of planning, the hubby and I with the mother-in-low in tow finally landed in Kolkata last Friday. We decided to arrive a week before the Pujas becuase we wanted to soak in the "Pujo Ascheii" (The Pujas are Comming) atmosphere at Kolkata. As the final countdown begins with the arrival of Mahalaya, we have our own Bengali version of the "Adven" which loosely translates into making plans for speanding the four days of the Pujas and crowding the nearest markets.
I haven't had much time to actually do what I came here to do i.e. soak in the pre-puja excitement in Kolkata (something towards which I had a Scrooge-like attitude when I was living here)due to various social engagements(treading on egg-shells if you ask me nowhere does taking one sweetmeat less gives the cause for such hair-splitting analysis to the elderly hostesses as in Kolkata).
Anyway, coming back to the point, the pre-puja excitement, what I really enjoy is seeing the glow of excitement and expectancy on the faces of those for whom this is the one time of the year when the purse strings are loosened (after months of saving) and the annual purchase of new clothes is undertaken with a lot fanfare. They usually set out for shopping in loud groups and visit several shops before zeroing in on their purchase. It is irritating when one is in a hurry and is caught up by one such "family buying group" but if one looks beyond the immediate and reflect on the amount of significance that this simple activity has for so many people...the true spirit of the Pujas gradually seeps into your soul.
I plan to visit Gariahat tomorrow and I won't carry a handbag not because I don't want to spend money but because the crowds will be such that I won't need to move any part of my body the push and shove of the crowd will propel me forward.
More on this later.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
My Gym
1. It is a semi-run down derelict institution on the bye-lanes of Rajinder Nagar.
2. The only reason that I go there is because I have bonded very well with the trainer and his routine works for me.
3. There are waaay too many "kept" women who come in to exercise less and gossip more about there dogs, mother-in-laws, jewellery, kids and husbands (in that order). I call them the "Divas".
4. The Divas believe that switching off the fans and then sweating in the heat helps them lose weight not the intensity of the exercise.
5. The owner of the gym is a tone-deaf zombie who does not even realise that the same CD has been spun 5 times in the past two hours.
6. It is fun to watch the gym owner run after the only "maw-del" type bhabhi who comes to his gym.
7. I haven't been able to fulfil my cherished desire yet and that is to break one of the equipment at the gym and cause the owner some angst.
8. I heart the mother-daughter duo who work out together and wish that I shared that easy relationship with my mother.
9. Somewhere along the line I have become a listening post to the teenagers in the gym....and I really enjoy my position.
10. Discovery : It is possible to have a higher fitness level at 32 than what you had 22...ask me.
11. My biggest fear is that it will all collapse and I will go back to being where I was....nahiiiiiiiiiin !
2. The only reason that I go there is because I have bonded very well with the trainer and his routine works for me.
3. There are waaay too many "kept" women who come in to exercise less and gossip more about there dogs, mother-in-laws, jewellery, kids and husbands (in that order). I call them the "Divas".
4. The Divas believe that switching off the fans and then sweating in the heat helps them lose weight not the intensity of the exercise.
5. The owner of the gym is a tone-deaf zombie who does not even realise that the same CD has been spun 5 times in the past two hours.
6. It is fun to watch the gym owner run after the only "maw-del" type bhabhi who comes to his gym.
7. I haven't been able to fulfil my cherished desire yet and that is to break one of the equipment at the gym and cause the owner some angst.
8. I heart the mother-daughter duo who work out together and wish that I shared that easy relationship with my mother.
9. Somewhere along the line I have become a listening post to the teenagers in the gym....and I really enjoy my position.
10. Discovery : It is possible to have a higher fitness level at 32 than what you had 22...ask me.
11. My biggest fear is that it will all collapse and I will go back to being where I was....nahiiiiiiiiiin !
Working Out
I spent the whole of my anniversary around 7 months ago at Gangaram Hospital going through a round of tests. The results were rather simple....I was obese bordering on morbid....Things that were meant to be low (such as HDL) were high and things that were meant to be high were low (such as LDL). So the Doc wrote out some medication and sent me off to see a dietician at the hospital. I met a lady who changed my life. She was just so passionate about health and eating right. And she gave me a simple chart to follow and recommended 45 minutes of walking.
On 9th March 2009, I began spending 45 minutes walking around the park hauling my 83 kilo frame as I huffed and puffed along. As is wont to happen to me whenever I try to do something , I was faced with numerous obstacles such intense pain in places I never knew existed, work pressure...the works...but I plodded on. The pain in my legs being a constant companion. Then one Saturday in May, I woke up to feeling so much lighter and the pain had disappeared...and life has never been the same again.
I now go to the gym regularly ...fit into clothes that are over ten years old and can give a 19 year old a run for her money on the treadmill. Last week, I bought a kurti off the streets of Lajpatnagar and they fitted.
I have been very, very superstitios about talking about my weight loss because for once it has been working, but the reason that I am posting is because I have only 4 more kgs left to reach my goal and it is taking so damn long.......wishes please.
On 9th March 2009, I began spending 45 minutes walking around the park hauling my 83 kilo frame as I huffed and puffed along. As is wont to happen to me whenever I try to do something , I was faced with numerous obstacles such intense pain in places I never knew existed, work pressure...the works...but I plodded on. The pain in my legs being a constant companion. Then one Saturday in May, I woke up to feeling so much lighter and the pain had disappeared...and life has never been the same again.
I now go to the gym regularly ...fit into clothes that are over ten years old and can give a 19 year old a run for her money on the treadmill. Last week, I bought a kurti off the streets of Lajpatnagar and they fitted.
I have been very, very superstitios about talking about my weight loss because for once it has been working, but the reason that I am posting is because I have only 4 more kgs left to reach my goal and it is taking so damn long.......wishes please.
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