Healthy and Hearty!

This blog is a silly rambling of my pleasant surprises,in the foreign lands/India of people becoming all the more aware and strictly conscious of their health and mainly contains my experience of them,hitting the gym.

So, while i am totally free these days, i make it a point to go to the gym and try to maintain the serious attitude towards gymming, all credits to my husband and his unending love for fitness and the gym. Inspiration comes from within and at times, from those you love. After reading myself say yes/no/maybe ,while i make up my mind on whether i really want to go for the workout, i wearily get ready and get out before the laziness gets me.A 2 minute walk down, i am right there, and the gym is mostly swarming with people.Mainly ladies, who,after their husbands are gone for work, kids having left for school, after being  done with calling their families,friends or relatives,get some "me-time" and take up the charge to be in shape.Some of them,weared out by their daily chores, walk on the treadmills,in a mundane manner, and give up after few minutes,heading back to some pending daily chores,the list never ends, i tell you :). While some, i call them mini inspirations,run,run and run,pacing forth, altering their speeds,just enough to burn the right amount of calories,in right time limits.Who says women don't do their homework? High intensity cardio followed by crunches and stretches,some people,just do it all perfectly and set great example and inspiration for others like me, to be regular and sweat it out.Now that i am regular and  a regular runner,i feel proud somewhere,sometimes :-p.But cheers to some aunties and uncles who in their mid fifties and sixties,turn up in the gyms almost everyday at their designated times, work upto their strengths and brave the next generation gap each day,setting examples for the youth.To sacrifice sleep and see the morning bliss.And i am pleasantly surprised.And as i return back home and see some senior couples on the way,holding hands,walking together,slowly and peacefully, i feel glad and happy for them.And i am pleasantly surprised yet again.An year ago, in a popular gym, i used to attend an aerobics class early mornings.And i was regularly accompanied by some ladies,who had daughters of my age, working at some aerobics steps, much better and consistently,than i and many others did.I was inspired,truly. Memorizing aerobics steps,a bunch of them,took me some days,and thanks to some lessons by some of those ladies themselves, i started loving those classes.Though aerobics didn't work, thanks to my erratic work schedules back then ,and many other excuses,but it still showered me with lots of inspiration to work upon fitness.And many sessions of standing next to senior people,running on treadmills and cardio workouts later, i feel that inspiration is always around,you just need to look past yourself.

And thanks to unlimited doses of such inspiration, i feel fit,beautiful and confident by each day.Ofcourse,hard work and much of it paid too :)

And finally Justice!!

So, we got the much sought after justice today,@ 7:30 am.Yerwada Jail,Pune,India.Kasab is hanged. How i come to know of the news-Facebook.Ironically,news travels faster than Ajtak/TOI or our local newspaperwallah through over virtual avatars,on facebook where we live a second life,atleast most of us and am in the list ,somewhere in the middle .
Nov 26,2008. Mumbai is shattered.Shooting,hostage,crisis and tales of horror somewhat later.166 people killed.Ajmal Kasab is caught, of the other 9 responsible for shaking peace in one of the fastest cities of the country. Interrogation,hearings and years of VIP treatment. The common man is grinded all the more, over the yearly budgets,to shell out more and more to feed some killer mouths. The average middle class man stoops in his early forties now,thanks to inflation,unemployment,peer pressure, sky rocketing prices and an endless list of etcetra, leaving him no time to think of health/peace. Well, besides all these terrible details,almost 4 years later, today,the verdict of Mumbai attacks comes into effect,hushed and undeterred. Kasab is no more and people are cheering of victory.Justice has  finally been done,4 years of patience being paid off. Eyes of those who lost their dear ones,have lit up for a brief moment, in admiration of government's efforts to pay homage. They will finally be moving on,soon ,with the last bits of some harsh memories, lying somewhere in a Pune jail,have been put to sleep. But is it really justice?? Are we really happy or are we fooling ourselves? It is not denying that it was a wake up call to take the long pending action against Kasab but a big question still looms.How many like these still need to be executed?How many more Kasabs are lying in Indian Jails,enjoying and eating away the hard earned money of the taxpayer?How many case files, gathering dust,are lying somewhere hidden in corners of cupboards,some of them speaking aloud to be identified and looked at,before its too late?How many cases which fall in the category of "smaller ones" need to be addressed on time?Shouldn' t we swear justice  so fast and strive for settlements before the people who seek justice,breathe their last. Shouldn't we produce more lawyers? Err,honest lawyers.Shouldn't we set examples so that those hands never become strong enough to commit heinous acts.While i applaud the Indian government for taking a big step and setting a much yearned for example,that Justice arrives,better late than never, I wish and hope that next time around,Justice comes,with the batteries of system recharged and wish there be a new sunrise,each day,for someone,somewhere,waiting for it so badly.

No idea how it works :)

Bringing the child within you!

When did i stop being happy at smallest of the achievements??When did places  stop fascinating me the way they used to?When did i stop making silly jokes?When did i stop enjoying teasing some of my favourite people?When did i stop laughing out loud? When did i felt like dancing but then felt too lazy to get up and play some music?When did i leave the child in me behind,in my rush to move ahead? Lifestyle changes?Spending time alone?or is it just that there are bigger things to focus on?

I fear becoming fatal,fear losing that sense of humour, fear growing up in heart of the hearts.When you see more of life,you grow up.But the farther you go, the more you learn,they say.Have i moved too far?Or am i  still at the starting point,making a fool of myself imagining i am way ahead?Or am i not planning to move?Point blank.I am willing to,though.

The child in me- Come back as i am bored :)

People who inspire!!

Every now and then, there are few people you come across out of a sudden,who inspire you in the most unobvious ways, flashing  as figments of little coincidences and somehow end up putting thoughts and at times goals just when you ae about to hit a block. And an inspiration landed on my social network,recently.I was just flipping through a friend's pictures on Facebook,when i came across profile of one of my chirpy seniors,and went through a little flashback of my college days.Super smart,witty, confident,frank-she is a beauty with a lot of brains!And she will be  a proud passout of the one of the best institutions of India soon.Completely flattered by the vitality in her pictures and her achievement,i salute her for being what she is!And am inspired-at the moment,to retrospect and set goals!Live more each day and shape each one more meaningfully. Look around,and you find many faces everyday who inspire you in their own ways, helping you find one of the  right paths  in that maze you created one fine day to be solved later, you just have to take the cues and find your calling.Before its late.And i hope i shall find my calling too,soon!!

P.S. : You don't always need role models before you become one!At times,it is just looking around and looking within,that works perfect.And holding onto it,ofcourse!

One Wish down :)

 

Flurry :)

So, it was a  small yet one of the most awaited events in my wishlist so far.The first flurry of this season- and my first ever :) I stepped out to the balcony and it lay there,a white sheet of moist,tender flurry covering the once-lush green trees and the sparkling grass.And it was so beautiful. One of my wishes since i was a child, i always wanted to see fresh snowfall.And as i realized i am one wish down my long wishlist, i feel at place and at peace. Without the uh-its-awesome excitement that drives me at times.Guess its the "desire" that contains the excitement in your wishes till  they become true,and then you feel at place and as if it was all meant to be always.Well, i have always dreamt of making a snowman and i hope that will happen soon. :) And while am busy fulfilling wishes, i am making sure i dont run out of them so i am keeping the count up by adding more,in a while.

And while i silently recall my recent wish ,i wish,pray and hope for " one wish" to  be granted for all those i love.And i just hope that the diwali prayers work for them and may they be lighted with the things/people they want the most.And may they be talking of  many many wishes down their memory lanes,with smiles and happiness giving them strengths at all times.

I am filled with a certain elation and the beautiful scent of the snow outside and little hums,of people enjoying the first flurry outside.

Thank you,Mother Nature for the snowy diwali surprise!!

Measuring depths!!

I keep on checking myself for the changes, good,bad ones,silently trying to flush the negativity that engulfs me now and then, patting my back for my good deeds. And i realise how fast we grow and shrink back like springs.Opinions hurt and i just admire and salute those people who sustain,and nourish in  competitive times of today without much opinion about anybody in particular.I try hard but i  fail and end up tagging people as "in" or "out". At times, i do succeed in being neutral and  end up discovering that i don't like judging people who do not matter much.Specifically, gauge is a word more apt to explain the vibe you attach to people around you. We all gauge people in some way or other and extend our belongingness in the scale accordingly. But in many situations, the world doesn't seem to fit in our measurement.And we are left with a choice- to just gauge ourselves and and try fitting in different vibes, than we would have wanted to.And we learn.Learn to look beyond ourselves,and as to  how far we can stretch before our tired thoughts and accustomed notions want a break and want to be in their relaxed state,where they can measure someone, the same old way again.Without feeling the guilty ofcourse.And as i gauge bits of people somewhere,in random moments, i just wish i stop gauging much and start living more.Like the people around me who are the pillars of my strength.
P.S. - May i never be able to gauge the love that holds me together.

The colors of life!

Every now and then,you look at people and want to be like them or live a life they are living.But  in that process,what you don't realise is that you are just mixing up all the 'cons' you have currently with the 'pros' you see out there in the greener side.Like others,happens to me too.And then i ponder hard to compare, fret a bit, feel like a helpless soul, on the verge of losing peace  and after a brief span of time, bring myself back.Self contentment, you are forgotten very easily, arent you?? But is it always about asking for MORE? or somewhere deep within,you long for things you feel you deserve but haven't yet got the chance to claim? Or is it about an ego boost? Or is it about bringing back the memory of your long lost dream? Whatever,i just feel  working for what you think you could own than regretting later  is the best way to save yourself damage.Just sometime ago, i watched an episode of big boss and i loved  a statement by Navjot Singh Sidhu " Always look towards the sunshine and you shall never see the shadows". Besides all his high talks, i loved this one as it really made me think for a while.About looking at the brigher side of things.One way is to look at the night  expecting the lights to be  out soon so you may sleep and get rid of the chaos, and the other is to soak in peace expecting a beautiful day ahead.  Because we could never see colors, if it wasnt for reflection.Reflect your best and you shall get the best.

Elections 2012!!

There has been much hype about elections out here,for the prestigious presidential post of States.I got a chance to watch two Presidential debates earlier and i felt both Obama and Romney stand fair chances.And today,as millions vote for their favourite and head back to the work later, on this cold day, i wait for flurry (announced by the weather men).And there has been a drizzle but no first snow.Good because i  would have missed touching the first snow, as i was not doing much well today.Well, the elections and the hooplah around it seems to be the word. The history channel has been screening episodes of The president's book of secrets ,Air force one and It is good to be President,featuring much about life in white house, the secret security,air force missions with president onboard and the so called life in a bubble.Interesting and informative, they displayed how much planning,coordination and action is involved in every move the president makes, and how efficiently the staff of huge 400 plus people in the white house itself work to make life of the most powerful person in U.S. better.And a lot easier.It is an amazing country and there are so many things that make it more powerful than others- free trade,freedom of advertising,strong system,great work ethic,open mindedness, farsightedness and the clear cut agenda before every small task is executed are among some of the factors that make this country do so well. But so is our India, in the way it supports a huge population,with less resources and the fight for survival being at its best. And i cant say that which one outshines the other,because they stand on different scales.And as i wait to see who gets the presidential hat this year, i hope my favourite wins :-)