Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Death – Why do we fear it?
Friday, November 28, 2014
TED TALKS & ARAB COMICS
That video led to many others and I was like 'What the heck? Why didn't I know of TED before?' After that day, I would say not a day passes without watching a video or at least three in a week. I LOVE TED!! Absolutely adore whoever thought of the concept and the kind of speakers they find. Established, passionate, discovers, motivators, scientists, actors, activists.. you name it.
Through TED I also came to know about Maysoon Zayid. When her talk got featured, it came with the title 'I have 99 problems and palsy is just one'. It didn't interest me so I skipped and watched others. However it kept popping up whenever I would go into TED app or TV and I finally watched it. OMG! What a hilarious session. I loved Maysoon's spirit, her comic timing, the way she brought up key points in laughter and through her I discovered other comedians like Maz Jobrani.
I love Maz for he can speak in the accent and body language of his characters and his timing impeccable.
Both Maysoon and Maz make the the western world understand through humor what it is to live in an age where the media goes blaring 'Muslim is Terrorist'. I don't think it helps change the general perception out in the world but I do think that whoever, listens to their jokes, would next time not scream out of fright if they see a Muslim...hehe.
Not to get too serious (on the crazy hate out there), I must say that I do enjoy comedy a lot especially, stand up comedy by Maysoon and Maz and a few others that I have discovered. Through them I have realized that at times and most times, you need to laugh. You need to laugh out your situation. It has helped me while dealing with my team at work. I laugh at the policies, I laugh at the rules and when the team laughs with me, I know they don't mind following the rules and policies because they do it with a smile.
My Audacious thought: Do you think I can become a comic? I know I am a relatively okay story teller and many out there enjoy reading my stories, I also have a good script and acting ability but comedy? I do remember in one acting gig, I got the house roaring - not because I was funny or I had funny dialogues - but I portrayed a crazy selfish girl with some unreasonable demands. The best act of the class they said.
...May be I am a comedian.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
What's more ugly?
Surprisingly, I have so far never seen a hate comment. I have seen other websites post a link to my ‘Punishment of the grave’ page on my MBA blog and making weird comments on their website but not on my page.
Anyways, so I log in and have 60+ comments for moderation. One of them was by a person named Sharique who was so happy to read my story ‘Sharique’. I spent another half hour reading the story I wrote years ago about a man married to a bad woman but how he persevered until he died without divorcing his wife.
I made Sharique from a number of characters – few men in my life and my family and friend’s families – and what I had seen of them. I also wrote it when I was single. When I had no idea what it was to be in a bad marriage. It was easy to write ‘he persevered’, ‘he forgave’ but when it’s you who is living it, I wonder how much would I or you preserve?
Given the chance, I don’t know if I would have changed the story or twisted the plot. Should I have made Sharique give warnings to his wife to behave otherwise he would leave the house? Should he have left temporarily so that Zareena would have understood she couldn’t go on with her behavior, should they have sought marriage counseling? As I write counseling there is a smile on my face for the story is based in a setting and era where there was no concept of therapy and counseling. All the therapy and counseling you needed was just to walk down to your friend’s home and pour your heart out.
Anyways, the story is fine as it is I conclude for it is for a different generation who were brought up with different values. I also find Zareena’s character rather mild now: how bad of a wife was she? Apparently, she did take care of the house and bring up her children. She didn’t have an affair or vices like smoking and drinking. This marriage was one of incompatibility and Zareena’s vice was that she was unthankful, greedy for wealth and a show-off.
Which is the greater vice? To indulge in sinful acts or to be a relatively okay person with a number of character flaws?
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
My Old Life
This blog is a lot like a journal, a life journal. However, a journal that is selective. That has notes which are positive or neutral or opinions. Life though, is not always the happy face smiley.
Well, where am I now? I am a MOTHER!! Yep, I am blessed to be the mother of a super cute naughty little girl.
For years I dreamt of becoming a mother. In fact my get healthy posts were of an era where I was trying to loose weight so that I would have a healthy pregnancy.
My mind is blank.
With a smile on my face I think how innocent was I when I wrote my posts. I see so much in my past posts; innocence, confidence, laziness but earnesty, passion, anger, love and hate.
And I cry
And I laugh
for so much has happened.
So much...
I am still the fiesty bratty lady (older one) with a bunch of experiences which I don't think I would ever post on my blog but I do know that as an individual, I'm refined.
And may be that was the intention of why I went through what I went through. A diamond has to go under the knife for that perfect cut and polish.
In conclusion, I think I will write. Once again. On topics, on life incidents, on random thoughts and may be ten years down the lane I would read my posts and remember myself.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Live Life Healthy - Weekly Thursday Check-In #4
You look at me and think wow, you want to be me, let me tell you about me, I am squished stuffing between the grilled sandwich, I get it from both sides, my boss gives me the 'look' which means 'get it done' and the people I 'manage' give me the look 'No ways', I have toddlers and teens and 'know-it-all's disguised as human beings and God help me when a toddler and teen end up fighting. How to I handle an arrogant teen and a stubborn toddler at the same time? I have to handle the customers who if I don't respond in the next second emails, my boss and boss's boss and boss's boss's boss that I need a lesson in communication?! Really, where did the paper edge go. Could we get the postman again so I have enough time to dictate to my secretary an appropriate reply AFTER finding the solution! Job Description: If you love being a punching bag, this profile is for you. Welcome.
Trust me, it's not nearly as funny as what I creatively thought up last night. Thank God, I have not experienced all the above, yes, teens and toddlers I am just beginning to recognize them, but being in the corporate world and listening to the experiences and situations of others, this is what middle management is all about. I need to find a book to guide me. I just started a new job. I was a simple analyst and now I am a manager? and team lead? Agreed that I aspired for it and trained for it and I thought I could very well handle it (coz the scene was so pretty before) but now after being promoted, so many 'disturbed' Ha-big laugh, individuals, who are like why she? why her? why not me? So well I got the medal and now I am learning how to wear it. Let's see how it goes. I know, in my heart that I am going to be a good leader. It's like telling yourself, I know I am going to be a good mother, but when you ACTUALLY become a mother, do you know what being a mother is all about. (And I am not yet a mother.. go figure)
So anyways, coming back to my live life healthy, loose weight, eat good, sleep sound programme, Wed, Thurs and yesterday, Friday has been three hurricane days with the new role and fire fighting and change management and I haven't consciously worked on my health, having a few sleepless nights and work and so I figured I was 56.7 KG on Thursdays but yesterday night, that is Friday night I came home and I weighed 55.7 KG!! What?! Definitely recommend stress, work and no time to eat to people who want to loose weight.
I have begun loving to exercise, feeling the sweat, the energy boost after exercising. My sleeping habits are a toss. Still not doing anything about it. I have Insomnia.. what do I say? I sleep by 3:00 am and of course wake up late as my work starts at 11:00 am but I want to sleep by 9:00 am and wake up by 4:00 am. That is like Nirvana, the ultimate goal for me. My everyday for now I want it to be 10:00 pm to 5:00 am sleep. I think if for one week, I by hook or crook get up at 5:00 am, I am going to be so exhausted that I shall sleep by 10:00 pm. The books, gadgets and Internet and TV distract me too much.
As far as work out's go, it's Quick Burn Cardio by Denise Austin and I love it. I can almost complete the 20 mins now. I started with 5 mins and slowly built my stamina. Love the routine, very simple, yet fun and the cool down is great as well.
Yep, so this is how it is going. The next three months is going to be rough waters as I run how to sail this ship of mine... otherwise, all is good and glad to I am writing down my journey however choppy because sub-consciously, I am getting there.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Life Life Healthy - Weekly Thurdsday Check In #3
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Live Life Healthy - Weekly Thursday Check In #2
57.2 Kgs, waking up weight. I managed to gain weight(from
the last 56.8 Kg measurement) instead of
loosing. I wanted to be down to 56 kg thinking I am going push myself harder
and loose more than just 1 kg. Looking back, I went from 57.6 Kg on last
Thursday to 57.2 Kg this Thursday so in the week I have lost 0.4 Kgs instead of
the aimed 1 Kg. The things that went wrong was on Monday I almost starved
myself and I had no energy to exercise. Tuesday and Wednesday although I
watched my food, I didn't exercise. Therefore three days, no exercise. What
works for me is exercise. When I exercise, I lose weight, when I don't and
watch my food, I maintain my weight and when I don't do either, I put on
weight.
Should I start a daily blog again on food and exercising? I
know this is not a fitness blog but it will be fun to note down my activities
and eating habits and see the results. Being an analyst makes you want to see
cause and effect and to what proportion.. haha. Therefore, I will go ahead and
do that. It will be fun to look back at these blogs later on and see how I
achieved losing weight.
As far as telling people I am on a weight loss journey, I
told my colleagues at office as they kept offering me sweets and chips and
biscuits. The usual snacks that I would stack up on too earlier. I do get
teases as to why I want to lose weight when I am just fine. I guess they have
seen me at this weight and not at 45 Kg's so they don't know the difference but
my family, uhhh, few of them are always ready to throw that to me, "Oh my
God, you have put on!". I am repeating what I have said in earlier blogs
but trust me that certain person(s) irritate me like anything and let this be
negative motivation (5% of my motivation reason) but might as well be there if
it's going to motivate to get myself back and see that fat person's face when
they see me losing weight.
Alright so I will go ahead and start blogging from today,
what I eat and exercise and sleep too. It's bad right now. I haven't been able
to improve but I will anyways keep making a note of it and have faith that one
day, I am going to be and early bird forever.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Live Life Healthy - Weekly Thursday Check In #1
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Live Life Healthy - Check In
Getting up early is still a challenge but I know I am going to do it. I think in another week or two, I am going to be an early bird. I hope so and I want to be an early bird not just Mon-Fri, but Sun-Sat. I want this as a permanent lifestyle change.
I do see myself succeeding and may be even achieving my goal before time. The one thing I am concerned about is something called the ‘Plateau’. This is where you reach a point where, even though you are continuing your weight loss program but you won’t lose weight. You go flat. I also know that if you change your program a bit, you can break the plateau. Anyways, let’s see if that happens to me. For me, the simple rules work. If I eat, I gain. If I don’t and work out, I lose weight. I hope the equations stays intact and I reach my goal of 52.5 by end of June!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Live Life Healthy - Take Two
People who have known you since college meet you and say "What! you have become so fat!", "You have put on!". Honestly, buddy, I am going to scream if someone says that again. There is a certain relative who is definitely fatter than me but always makes sure that is her greeting sentence. Those who live in a glass house nowadays keep no mirrors for themselves! Yes, I get riled up by my old friends. I like new people who never knew how slim and trim I was and who think I am cute and chubby. New friends are platinum!
The above is the emotional and sensitive me and the sensible me knows that I do have to take care of myself, therefore, I am going to start my Live Life Healthy program again! Like whoever said it, "Try and try again until you succeed". My dad always used to quote this when I was young and struggling with studies.
In a previous post, I mentioned that I got a scale and I must say that the scale has motivated me over the past few days. I check my weight at least twice a day. In the morning and evening. I am going to note down my early morning weights each day and have a check-in weight day once a week, to see how much I have lost week-wise.
I don't have a set plan and really set plans don't work for me. I am going to eat, exercise and develop a routine. I know I will fall many times but I will get up again. Take 2,3,4 but just keep going. For take two I want to keep a mid target date 30th June, which is six weeks from now and I hope to lose six kilos. Let's see, a healthy weight loss of one kg a week with seven days of exercise and activity and eating normal healthy food.
I am going to keep Thursday as my check-in day and so today is Thursday and my weight this morning was 58.5 kg. By end of June, I hope to be 52.5 kg which would be awesome!! However, my ideal weight that I aspire to maintain is 48 kg. I hope to have a second version to go from 52.5 kg to 48 kg later. I was 48 kg in college :/.
So yeah, here I go, six weeks, six kilos.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Charity on the road
Before I go on, picture this, I stay at the other end of Bangalore, outside the city. It was once a village but now a few societies have come up and sky rise apartments. The area is therefore, still pretty much a village. You would see cars and bikes mostly during the start and end of day when they commute to office. Otherwise, it's mostly a silent, isolated area. This lady stops me in the middle of the road. The other two ladies are busy talking to the guy on the bike. She 'demands' "Kannada?" I said no. "Hindi?" I said yes. This was happening too fast for me to comprehend anything. She then shows me a laminated photo of an orphanage or something and asks me for a donation. I tell her, "Sorry, I am late for office" and rode off.
As I rode ahead, I simply couldn't believe the foolishness of these women. First of all I don't even know if they were genuine 'chanda' seekers. Secondly, if you are out to get charity, do you stop people driving in the middle of the road in to ask them to donate to your orphanage or school? Really woman, really? You scared me, thinking there was an accident or a problem with your bike only to realize that the other two women were probably harassing the other guy.
What can I say? It happens only in India?
Sunday, May 13, 2012
A bag, a scale and a car?
The car was on my agenda and so was buying something from Bangalore Central as I had the gift coupons from office. The scale was a long intended purchase that got purchased today in search of Bangalore Central. I saw 'Stay Fit' and decided, let me just buy it once and for all. It's like you have a tiny nagging voice telling you out of the blue at all odd hours "I have to buy a scale". Done voice, done.
As far as my car shopping goes, I miss the days when India had limited choices for car. Maruti or Ambassador and that was about it. Now there are just so many that I want to tear my hair! My driving skills - none. I do have a license as I took driving classes but I pretty much need to learn all over again. Ask any Indian, which is the entry car, and it's always Alto. Chide me, but I am following the herd. I have heard good reviews about it, my family is an Alto family and I am joining the gang. It's supposed to be a sturdy, good mileage old aunty car with low maintenance. I am choosing it because of price+mileage+reputation+resale value which is the best compared to all the other cars.
The hand bag is some monacco brand and I shelled out a few rupees on top of my gift coupons. It's leather and it looks good. It was not love at first sight but after comparing prices, it was pretty much the closest I was willing to purchase (the bags that you like will always be twice the amount!). It's a big bag - AGAIN - I know, what do I do? I love big bags.
All in all a fun weekend. Next weekend will be spent doing the paperwork. I am doing it, finally, after procrastinating for nearly two years over buying a car, I am just giving up to the nagging voice inside my head. I look forward to writing my adventures down as I start to learn how to drive a car.
Friday, May 11, 2012
The lessons children teach
This time though, I decided to go out in my balcony and take the help of the kids who, having summer holidays at present, play cricket and make lot’s noise in the compound. In fact nowadays, I tell to myself before going to bed “Oh I don’t need to set the alarm, the kids will wake me up” and sure as that, they have been this week. I kind of like it. I like waking up to their screams and howls and joyful expressions when they hit a 4 or a 6 (which would be some defined block building in my apartment complex)
I go out in the balcony and say “Hello!”, “Excuse me!” but they are grouped together, sitting on one of the bikes, chatting. “Kids!” and all of them look up. “Can you help me? I am not able to open my door?” Ideally, I would have assumed that one of the kids would have taken the initiative and come up. However, the moment I said that, all of them got up in a flash all excited to help me, the whole group came climbing up to help me. I passed the key through my window to the oldest kid and in a second, he turned in the lock and opened the door. I said thank you with a beaming smile. “Oh Thank God, now I can get going to office.” The kids were a little disappointed. I believe they were looking forward to breaking my door down.
However, today, thanks to them, I had an ‘Aha’ moment. In their innocence and in their ‘Josh’, they ALL came rushing. They were a team. When someone called upon them, they didn’t look at each other and say “Who wants to go and help her?” That is what a work team does. When a task comes in, a work team decides on what is on their plate and then talks on who should go ahead and do it. Is it of course, logical, one has to, because of their schedule and workload, however, the innocence of the children touched me; the enthusiasm and oneness. If we at work do that – “what is this new project?” “Oh this is what it is. I can do that”, another one says,” I can do the other part” and in that oneness, that tasks get’s done. Everyone is in it together. I certainly hope to be one the kids or get my team to be, yet, how? How do we bring back that childlike enthusiasm into our work? I want that. I am looking for that.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Live Life Healthy - Day 9, Tuesday March 6th
Breakfast - Kichri and apple juice
Lunch - Pani puri
Snacks - lots of polo mints
Tea - two cups of tea
Dinner - Grilled chicken, Kichri Kadhi, Sweet, apple/mixed/guava juices (it's getting hot!)
Exercise - nil :( I think I should get any one of these posts to have some exercise. I know two times I succeeded in waking up early, I just need to get started on exercise.
Live Life Heathly - Day 8, Monday March 5th
Cooked, Cleaned and got ready for work.
Breakfast: Two dosas, Potato curry and a glass of apple juice - 9:00 am
Lunch: One pani puri, one plate dahi puri and a five star chocolate :(
Tea: Horlicks
Dinner: Kichri, Kadhi, Salad, apple juice
I must have consumed 1500 calories
Exercise - nil :(
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Live Life Healthy - Day 7 Sunday March 4th
Exercise - nil
Live Life Heathly - Day 6 - Saturday March 3rd
Exercise - nil.
Live Life Healthy - Day 5 - Friday March 2nd
Insomia - 3 am went to sleep and woke up at 9 am. I don't remember having breakfast but during the day I had a cup of tea, horlicks and at night some tandori chicken, biryani and naan from the resturant.
Exercise = nil
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Live Life Healthy - Day 4 - March 1st
Breakfast - A glass of water
Lunch: 12:30 pm - Rice and Paneer curry with Oatmeal
Tea 5:00 pm - A cup of light bru coffee
Dinner: 10:15 pm - Dosa and Potato curry and diet pepsi (0.3 calories)
Exercise - Nil
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Live Life Healthy - Day 3 - Feb 29th, 2012
The end result, got up by 10:00 am as my body was tired.
Breakfast - 10:30 am, A glass of water and litchi Juice, 4-6 eclairs in office
Lunch - 3:30 pm, Hotel - A plate of Biryani, Half butter naan and chicken masala with Mango milkshake
Snack - 6:00 pm A piece of Litchi cake (Colleagues birthday)
Dinner - 10:30 pm, Three rotis, Paneer curry and rice with a glass of Guava juice. Dry fruits as snacks.
No exercise :( Need to get this rolling. Consumed around 1800 calories today.