Quo Vadis?

These days I am getting used to people commenting on my weight loss.  I had mentioned in an earlier post that running played a big part in my weight loss and has become a part of my weekly schedule.  What annoys me is that some people believe that weight loss will come easy. It may be true for some with fantastic metabolism for others it is a combination of diet and exercise. You can read an inspiring weight loss story by another blogger here . This post is about diet and how to go about losing weight with the aid of a better diet. I am not a qualified nutritionist nor do I have any other experience in suggesting a diet except for some common sense steps that worked for me. These may not work for you but if you are willing to keep them as part of your weight loss plan do read on. The first point I must clarify is that diets do not work for me. My last memory of a diet was a failed attempt of a GM diet where I pulled out after the third day. I have received enough ...

There was this meme floating around Facebook some time ago, you know the one where a woman gets annoyed because the man was looking into his laptop and answering her questions.  Women take offense because – Men can’t multitask . Men apparently cannot hold a conversation when they fail to make eye contact and no the eyes were not trailing downward from the woman’s eyes they trail downward to the device on hand. The reason why men cannot hold a conversation – Men can’t multitask . I am not sure if women checked if the responses they got from the men was correct and suitable because they are conditioned to think that men cannot give the right response because – Men can’t multitask . I would like to think women enjoy riding pillion on bikes and the state of our roads ensures that they have an intimate ride usually. I would also like to think that these rides are interspersed with conversations or even sweet nothings. On a bike one is ahead and the other behind, one ini...

So what is easier? -           Blame the trash on the road on the others -           Keep a dustbin and start throwing trash in the bin -           Sweeping the trash and cleaning the road -           Pointing a finger, laughing, making jokes and spreading them about those doing the second or third option A new Parliament has been elected and euphoria has swept the nation, however it is interspersed with jokes on someone who attempted to clean up the trash. The tea seller leads a contingent with a third of tainted candidates, meaning they have at least one criminal case against them. Many other parties have at least one or more of similar tainted candidates and a casual reading of the cases against them will make you shudder for corruption may be the least of the charges against them. You ...

“When was the last time you did something for the first time?” Simple and even silly as it may sound, pause and think when the last time you really did something for the first time was. I noticed that these days I am doing new things and I am really happy that I could do them planned or otherwise. Having done some things now I look forward to doing more and it all started with a head ache. Sometime in February I woke up early one morning with a splitting headache. The usual response would be to pop a pill and get back into bed but on that day I decided to go for a walk. I still am not sure why I decided to walk but that became a landmark moment. I returned after the walk with a clear head and feeling active. Then I started walking regularly increasing the distance, and slowly started running. I was warned that with my bulk running was best avoided yet I took small runs alone. Then I joined Chennai Runners on Facebook and searched for a chapter in Anna Nagar and in April I...

In 1993 the “real thing” made a re-entry into India and soon changed the dining habits of many Indians.  It was not that we had no carbonated sugar water earlier, there was the Indian answer to Coke  “Double 7” and of course the many loved drinks from the Parle stable including the behemoth Thums Up. The difference then was that the drinks were refreshment and usually a time pass, you know what I mean, but Coke became part of meals and there started a revolution. I grew up with the “real pepsi cola” the coloured drinks stored in thin plastic tubes and frozen in the refrigerators. Sold for 50 paisa or so they were a delight and lasted as long as the frozen drink took to melt and be sucked out of the tube. Small pleasures then but that and the other drinks called “colour” in the friendly neighbourhood   Annachi stores were an indulgence and usually an occasional indulgence. The advent of Coke and the many junk food counters into the country ensured that jun...

Recently: -   I overheard “To show God to me, I paid the priest 100 rupees…” I was left confused whether my sympathies lay with God or the devotee  -       I stopped for a red light when the traffic cop stationed there flagged me on with a sarcastic smile. (The signal was erected recently due to pileup from two directions) I moved on only to stop beyond the light stuck in the inevitable jam which could have cleared if the cop had not intervened -        I realized the benefit of the buddy system especially when you are into fitness training or running. A buddy can coax you on to new levels of endurance that you did not know existed. I doubled the distance I usually run thanks to a patient buddy who kept pace with me -        I learnt that it is better to grimace and bear with an errant driver damaging your vehicle with his negligence than to take it up legally. The associated costs in terms of...

It can be tough to be a woman in India but is it easier in many other places? I wonder. This post was inspired by another post by a blogger I like. The following is a set of random observations that collectively seek to answer one doubt: I know of  a man who at the young age of 18 was forced to become the man of his house, take up a job and take care of his mother and three sisters due to the untimely demise of his father. With just a class 12 he put his sisters through college and got them married. Today each of his sisters is well settled with their families and he married late and is blessed with two daughters. He has worked very hard and has put the elder daughter into a prestigious engineering college and his younger daughter may join her in a few years too. He has always been tied down by debt moving from one expense to another for all the weddings and all the responsibilities that he took on or rather was forced on him. The other day when I asked him why he chose...