Chubby Cheeks kids and Size zero teens of 2012

Every Monday I have a habit of checking my weight at the food court of my office. The mood of the rest of my week depends on the results displayed. When it is high, I used to scold myself now and then, cut all oily food (for one day alone, of course :P) and check my food habits for some time. Then 2 days will pass by, having planned a big diet chart.

Exact opposite when my weight has got reduced. I will be on seventh heaven. Will call up all my colleagues and convey this great news and even start advising diet tips to all. Though I too feel all this comical, it has become a routine. But a great relief comes to me when I see a particular kid in my neighbourhood. Always seen with a packet of kurkure, she has the chubbiest cheeks I have seen of kids of her age and very obese. Whenever my weight goes up I search for her on my way home. Seeing her, I would heave a sigh of relief thinking am not that fat at least.

To my surprise, I found myself spotting some more kids of same chubby nature. It was not the exact chubby cheeks I recall from my nursery rhymes. It was some sort of ‘chips’ cheeks. I mention chips cheeks because of all the kids I have spotted, none of them I could recall without a chips packet at hand. Also, they don’t have any physical activity. (My assumption, of course). I can never hear any outdoor activity nearby when I used to be at home during weekend. All I can hear is screaming and fighting sound when the power goes off. They seem to be glued to their television sets or play station or video game sets. Maybe that explains their obesity.

Exact acronym for describing the kids when they enter the teen age. Now that I don’t fall under the teenage category, ( :-( hmm became old) I can happily share comments about them. They all seem to be perfect size zeros, as bollywood names them. When the high obese kids enter teenage it is an alarming surprise on how they lose weight all of a sudden when shedding just a kilo seems impossible for me.

I started a conversation with a college going girl at my bus stop. The things she shared really shocked me. She has just one idly in the morning and has curd or dal rice for lunch and skips dinner. No chocolates, no fat fried foods or no junk. And once her weight sets as per her choice, She has a pizza or some other food when she goes on outing with friends.

I really felt so bad. Still now, whenever I go to a supermarket to get my kitchen shopping done, my hand
automatically adds chocolate to my basket. I wonder how they resist the small small happiness they can get at their age. But really marvel at their self control.

A serious question. Is it not unhealthy? This entire affair. Spending childhood glued to a spot with
unhealthy food habits and suddenly leaving all those to seem perfect among the peers. Who is to be blamed here? Is it the kids or the parents?. Should they not encourage them to do a bit of physical activity now and then, than getting them latest gizmos and spoiling their health and eye sight.
And as a college going teen, they do require lots of strength to do their bit. Unhealthy stringent diet and the makeover they use, I guess the parents are to be blamed more.

Are we losing the strength of our pillars of society? It’s better to start strengthening it rather than see it
wading away. I think I have started a bit of advising in my blog. But can’t help it guys. I see this as our responsibility of us as beacons of light to the future generation. As great programmer , coders and debuggers , why can’t we concentrate on this thing too and get our future installed in a healthy way.

Why this Kolaveri?

After watching a big ad fight between the TOI and The Hindu, I decided to read both the papers. Both contained the same news but the prioritisation and the size of column for each category of news were the ones that made a difference. But this is not what I am going to blog now.
An Advertisement of a furniture mart really caught my attention today. I don’t remember the tagline exactly, it was something like, ‘This will definitely win your neighbour’s jealousy’. Did they think we will buy their furniture to get great pleasure in seeing the rush of envy in our neighbour’s eyes than the comfort of their product?

Almost all other ads carried the same news. Fairness creams said, use me. All will look at you with envy. Garment shops said the same thing. Electronics stores said ‘Get things from my shop. You will save more than others and all will feel jealous on you.

One recent popular sentence came to my mind after seeing all this. ‘Why this kolaveri?’
Gone are the days when we went to get things we require. Marketing skills should be to list the advantages of a product and to tell the consumer to get it. It has now become like ‘I am better than this and that. Get me’. But do we think we really need it?

Also, we have started something like a race and a stream of jealousy between us and our surrounding. When we get a cushioned chair to sit comfortably, why should we think our neighbours feel envy about it? Getting a flawless skin should be for health reasons and not for a ‘fight for survival’ with the other gender.

This hatred goes on with nothing positive coming out of it. Day by day we lose every healthy relationship surrounding us with all those stupid idiotic illusions. The TV ad jingles are the first thing a kid learns to speak when his/her parents are ardent TV watchers. So, is it not the right time we learn to sit and think about the products we buy by just seeing the ads and educate the upcoming generation.

Please do start thinking friends.

My New Year resolution (Part 2)

When my dear younger brother said in his unusual teasing tone that he expected an update blog by Jan 22nd, I got reminded of my new year resolutions. Forgot all about it this year too.
Drinking water and saving are the only resolutions I have already started following. Stop biting nails, as usual, is an utter flop, as usual. I hope to follow it in the upcoming days as my friend at office is always reminding me to stop.

Getting up at 6 and catching 6.30 bus makes no time for all my yoga and exercise. I should tune my alarm a bit anticlockwise, I guess, to achieve this.
I don’t want to miss out my resolutions this year too. Maybe we can move this to follow from march 1. :P

Expect a blog again on Mar 22nd(no, no, no bad words pls :P)
Keep watching. :)

My gribouillages: Welcome 2012

My gribouillages: Welcome 2012: Bidding farewell to anyone is a difficult task. Though I am eager to welcome 2012, mixed feelings to bid farewell to 2011. It had not been m...

New Year resolutions

As the dawn of a new year is round the corner, I thought it was time to make my list of resolutions. First in my list was not to bite my nails. This is my one and only disgusting habit. I have tried a lot to overcome it, only in vain and it tops my New Year resolutions every year. My aunt used to watch and scold me every time I do it at home, but, she too, has stopped doing that nowadays thinking it to be a waste of time.

So, again this New Year, it has topped my list. And when I started thinking about my next, I was so lost in thoughts, deeply engrossed, biting my nails frantically. No one can help me out. :) It will always top my list as long as I am making resolutions.

Then came a thought that I was saving less from my income. So, it is second in my list. Whenever I fall ill, all used to advice me to drink ample water to be in good health. So another resolution. Drink 2 litres of water every day without fail.

Long long ago, so long ago, I learnt Yoga to overcome back pain. And took up a resolution now to practise it every day and walk for at least half an hour daily to be in good health. (The real reason is to lose weight:P)

5 resolutions in total. I read somewhere that if we practise something for 21 days it would become a habit. My target now is Jan 21. Not a single day should pass with my resolutions broken.

All these strong words are fine. But trust me, one day will come when I will have a thought some time that resolutions are meant to be broken and life is to be enjoyed as such. That day I will stop following all these. (That’s what has happened in the past ;) )

Enough of boring you all now. See, the ultimate objective of this blog is to declare that I have made my resolutions for the New Year (Though I may or may not follow :P) Will update on Jan 22 whether they have become my habits as well.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome 2012

Bidding farewell to anyone is a difficult task. Though I am eager to welcome 2012, mixed feelings to bid farewell to 2011. It had not been my best year but hopefully it should have been my worst as I can’t take any more pressures than I handled in 2011.

Happy things alone now. 2011 had given me a good load of true friends and so many opportunities to identify a real friend. A friend in need is a friend indeed. I got ample chances to realise this proverb. Then learnt cooking. Not the best, of course, but lining to be one among them. :)

And shopping for the kitchen. Good heavens, 24 years of life on this earth with not a single day passes by without having rice and I don’t even know the name of the rice I used to eat. My kitchen shopping had always been comical. When I went to Spencer’s daily and said I wanted rice, they took me to a shelf taller than me and said I can choose from one of them. They even had a sample for me to taste.

All tasted the same. And since the sales girl was standing near, I was embarrassed to call my people back home and ask them. And to strengthen my confusion, the brands of rice come with different version numbers too. IR20,30,40, Ponni, silky ponni, blah, blah,blah. Poor me. :P

Then came veggies. I decided to try at a local grocery store nearby as my friends advised me not to get veggies from super markets. I wanted ladies finger. He gave me a sack of those and a small basket to collect my choices in. I knew that we have to crack the tail of the ladies finger to check if it’s good.

I sat in a very comfortable position and started doing that for each ladies finger. The shopkeeper started laughing and offered to pick the good ones himself. To this day, whenever I go there, he will have a good laugh, thanks to me. :)

A new job, new friends, new place and good old me. :) But I should say, I didn’t have the chance to enjoy 2011 much but can’t deny that I had a reasonable time. Enjoyed all seasons in Chennai for the first time. Though adventurous, I turned to be fine.

To sum up, so many disappointments, so much tears, little happiness, some real treasured moments, bit of this and bit of that and 2011 is gone. Adieu 2011. Though you did not keep me happy, I would definitely miss you when I look back in future.

And Welcome 2012. Though Mayan Calendar ends with you, we pray and hope the world will not end with you and you will bring happiness and prosperity to all the millions and millions of people here.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS. !!!!!!!!!!!

Harry Potter in my life

I am proud to sat that I am one among the million others hit by the 'Potter mania'. I don't really remember when I started reading it with great zeal. When my aunt got me the first book in the series, I remember reading it till Harry eats a chocolate frog, that was jumping and moving before he consumed it.

I felt so awkward. I usually detest reptiles a lot. Yes,yes frog is an amphibian. Added to my 'detest list' now :P . I didn't touch the book after that. And I still don't remember when I took it again. Actually my sister read it first and asked me to read. We both share a good deal of interest in reading. After she suggested me to read it again, I took it but not with much interest again.

But as I went on reading, I couldn't stop myself. Forgot food, rest,everything and read it with great fervor. Harry Potter entered my life that day. :)

Each part in the series was getting over little earlier than the previous. Me and my sister liked it so much that we started influencing my mom and bro as well. They too started reading it. Harry Potter entered our home as well. :) :)

We started discussing on the characters, and about the next part and movie to be released. And at one point of time, there were no conversation other than Harry Potter.

I went a little above that(as usual :P ) I usually like pencil boxes and kid's stuff a lot. I started collecting HP stuff - pencil,pen,scale,eraser,file ,blah,blah,blah. I even made a wand out of a stick and used to chant so many spells. :)

We used to get up very early on days when HP movie and book is getting released and switch on the news channel to get the hype inflicted. Entire day will be filled with excitement.

And my favorite character was and still remains to be Sirius Black. I like him so much to the extent that I was shedding tears for a long time after reading his death in 'The order of phoenix'.

So much excitement and so much hype every time and just like the first time. Now that it's all over, feel like missing a part of my life. :(

Friends are suggesting me to read Lord of the Rings series. Don't know why but not getting interest to read. Maybe I should give a try.

Whatever the case,cant deny one fact. Miss u lots Harry Potter :( . Hoping to see you back in another series.