First Class and I Bear a Conclusion

It’s been close to a year and a half that I have sustained my passion for the gym and for working out and voila! I have surprised myself by the discipline. No matter how bad the day might have gone, it all comes to zero when I hold iron in my arms. Besides, the loud music that plays in my iPod not only lifts my spirits high, but also helps me get over a tough or a boring day.

One evening, when I was leaving the premises of the gym, a notice pinned to the notice board got my attention. This said, ‘Yoga classes begin this Monday!’ Not that I am a fitness maniac who would try her hands at every means to get fit that crosses her way, but since I’d heard so much about the after-effects of Yoga, I really wanted to have an opinion of my own.

The second challenge after making up my mind that I want to participate was to get up by 8. No, I am not an early riser and yes, I sleep bang on time! One super fine day that I did get up before 8, I decided that I am going to give this a shot. I politely entered the class and got a mat for myself. The I-am-pro-at-this ladies already practicing there threw super-curious looks at me seeking an answer to their favorite question, why despite being slim do I want to join them. No, I do not think I should have answered to their curiosity so I just smiled.

By the end of the very first class, I had a freshly-brewed opinion of my own about Yoga and why I would want to continue it if at all I do and why it does not mean quitting lifting weights at the gym. First thing, Yoga does an excellent job to your body by making it flexible. Yes, you seldom get this facility at the gym. There are stretching exercises but none of them is this elaborate. The breathing exercises they teach not only open up your mind, but also your senses. You feel negativities leaving your body through your nose and a fresh, lively energy entering in. Further, the morning aspect of it makes it way more ‘cooler’. Lastly, it does not require you to sweat heavy or lift more to have a command at it, if you continue doing it right, it will prove to be the best thing that makes your mind and body balanced.

Now, why I feel I still need to life weights is because that help me gets more muscle in my body, killing the fat. Yoga might do the same to me eventually, but I think I am sure it is going to be at a tortoise’s pace. Secondly, the cardio exercises in the gym besides making you sweat hard, also get your heart rate up and increase the blood circulation throughout your body. That said, I am sure there are plenty of benefits of Yoga that working out in the gym can never replace, like increasing flexibility, toning and strengthening the body and affecting the body mentally, intellectually and spiritually, but after my first Yoga class, I bear an opinion which is going to be my lifestyle now.

I opt to go for the killer combination of the both. That would imply three days of gym, three of yoga and one for the sleep. I am sure the two would complement each other nicely and I cannot wait to see the results of this shock I am going to give to my body, which is used to the music and the iron. No, I am still trying to get up by 8 and my gym trainer thinks I am a sleep-deprived girl, who, for the love of her sleep, is now sucking up her workout time to catch some Z’s. I am, anyway, happy being me. 

   

Boycotting Normalcy

We've long back crossed the age of excitement and astonishment trying to figure out the meaning of marriage and wedding, while learning the difference between the two. After close to six months now, when all fascinating aspects of marriage seemed to have found the answers, I sense the state of ‘being settled’ trying to seize the schedule and painting it in the bland colors of routineness, while shouting on top of its voice, ‘Congratulations! Now that you’re freaking hitched, you’re settled now!’

The only thing I am reminded of by this phrase ‘being settled’ is a heavy stone sunk to the bottom of a water tank, because there wasn’t any space to dig down further and lie there. It’s like a bottle of champagne being decarbonated just to get a more calmed down, fizz-free drink, like a cat being belled just to keep a tab on all her ‘catty’ acts and more like gaseous CO₂ being converted into dry ice to keep it all, integrated at one place.

You seldom hear parents wishing a life full of adventures, while bidding farewell to their daughter-turned-bride, or a life full of last-minute plans, shocking revelations, exciting explorations, daring decisions, creative enlightenment or mental growth, for that matter. All that they would wish her is a life as calm and peaceful as still water, a life which certifies her as a nice wife, daughter-in-law, mother, neighbor, colleague and citizen!

This generation, who I belong to, regards more meaning to the life post marriage than what settlement holds for them. For many like me, marriage brings along a possibility to try the things never tried before, breaching the rules and heading out untrained to face life head-on. Thankfully, I am surrounded by friends and family who think the same; for instance, one of my close friends chooses to be an Army wife instead of going for a ‘normal, settled’ boy because she thinks she can pull it off with fun; one other friend heads out for a road trip to Nepal and one, last, who is learning to knit because she finds it utterly creative. All these have one thing in common, they have refused to stay stuck in normalcy – all of them are happy being called jerks because they think this tag describes them the best. 

I reckon one famous saying by Paulo Coelho (a little down here) and this one brings me the feeling of euphoria, for there are millions of things I would like to try while they are still calling me young and cover it all under the sheath of ‘experimentation’. I feel this is THE time when we could be crazy at our best and still feel grounded, for we have explored the true meaning of being mature and are coloring our life with the hues of sense. 

Refusing to stay stuck in normalcy, here I am saying, 'I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me!'.

Book Review: Mrs Funnybones

My rating: ●●●○○

Twinkle Khanna

Mrs Funnybones: She’s Just Like You and a Lot Like Me

India: Penguin Books Ltd., 2015

240 pp. ₹299

ISBN: 9780143424468

Summary: Would you prefer reading a satirical work by a stinkingly rich female celebrity with lots of first-world problems, which I am sure you won’t be able to relate to but still find a brief, humorous, witty read in them? The answer is all up to your taste.

My take: I must say Twinkly Khanna has a long way to tread on to finally reach what they call a place from where the zenith of good language and sense is visible, but she has given the journey a nice kick start. It is apparent from her columns in popular newspapers and magazines that she almost, always carries an opinion about things and the fact that she is THE wife of an extremely popular Bollywood star doesn’t really brush off her shoulder and, thus, grants her an easy access to the ‘stardom’ despite having left the Bollywood industry decades back.

I especially liked the sub-title of the book, She’s Just Like You and a Lot Like Me and the reason why I thought it was catchy was the way the author has tried to relate herself to her readers, simultaneously drawing a clear line of already-apparent distinction. Besides, the cover of the book has pretty much summed up all the topics she discusses about in the book – her prodigal son, the man of her house (the subtle hint she has dropped by depicting a dumb bell), her baby and the diapers and (the local) herself.

The TOC might seem to be a sneak peek into the detailed diary entries the author might have written trying really hard to take humor out of her routine and boy! she has been successful in making her readers smile. The language of the book is rather conversational with a lot of use of colloquialism and personal pronouns. I think it perfectly fits the bill, for she’s sticking to the ‘entertainment, nonfiction’ genre, which is mostly liked by a wider range of readers.

You would also find sketch quotes at the beginning of each chapter, consisting of witty, humorous messages which would instantly set your mood right for the coming chapter. For instance, there’s one which said, ‘nothing is free except bad advice’ and there’s this other which I loved, ‘I want to be a child again, to climb up hills and roll down the other side, only because the hill exists and so do I’. Halfway through, you might also find this book a rant diary of a frustrated wife, daughter and mom, but nevertheless, the account would still continue to interest as well as amuse you.

Final word: This one is a 240-page, brief read which will surely keep you glued until you reach the last page and would also make you laugh occasionally along the way. Read it if you love Twinkle Khanna and her personal views which comfortably glide into popular national media every week and, also, if you generally hear your thoughts flowing coherently with hers. 

This post has been chosen as the Spicy Saturday Pick by Blogadda

My First Vlog Ever!

This Vlog is dedicated to my husband who just celebrated his first birthday after marriage and, boy, look at the happiness that spread!

 

Book Review: World’s Best Boyfriend

My rating: ●●○○○

Durjoy Dutta

World’s Best Boyfriend

India: Penguin Metro Reads, Penguin Books Ltd., 2015

310 pp. ₹175

ISBN: 9789352140107

Summary: Would you ever appreciate an adulterated, maneuvered version of DDLJ no matter how promisingly interesting it seemed to be?  I assume you answered negatively, for there are plenty of other Young Adult Romances, which fill up the readers’ need to feel and associate with a story through words. This one was a big time failure and since the book was my first ever read from Durjoy Dutta, I, now, find zero motivation to move on to his other writings.

My take: The first attempt at naming the title goes awfully wrong; striking out the word, ‘worst’, to replace it with ‘best’ gives such a cheesy ting to the noun, boyfriend that it almost makes the complete story predictable. Durjoy Dutta seems to be painfully wowed by coming-of-age authors like Chetan Bhagat, Ravinder Singh, Preeti Shenoy, Novoneel Chakraborty, Anurag Garg and many others that he has opted for the same path they all trod on.

The ‘so to say’ love story revolves around a girl, Aranya, who suffers from vitiligo and considers it as a burden she’ll have to carry for life, and a boy, Dhruv, who has a reason to act the way he does – a disturbed childhood.

The story is distributed in 81 small chapters, which all end leaving a question mark, thereby prompting you to move on to the next chapter. The writing style of the author is simple, easy-to-grasp and extremely colloquial. I believe he could have done a way better job had he not used the negative words, like f*ck, ugly, fat and bhench*d, tad too much. These seriously turn the readers off and discourage them to read any further.

Additionally, though the story is intriguing and pushes you to read till the last page, a lot of times it seems more of a drag and the reader seems to feel the weight of pages as quite heavy to turn. Half way into the book and you have a clear idea how it is going to end; therefore, it is more of a predictable story where everything is happy through the end. Besides, there are certain aspects of the tale which are completely beyond one’s grasp and rather fill you with rage; for instance, why does the girl, who is a master of her forte, not filled with enough clarity to clearly define how she feels – there are plenty of shades of grey in the way she feels; why Dhruv, who is Casanova himself, doesn’t accept her lady being promiscuous; why Aranya, despite being mentally strong to ward off a boy who she has very strong feelings for, has no power to speak in front of her parents and why the author wants to portray all the disease part extremely negatively, although Vitiligo is no serious disease and I have seen big time achievers in my life who never really “suffered” because of this.

Lastly, you would find this a great way to kill time if that’s all what you have been wanting to do. You could, surely, choose this over watching a cheesy Govinda romcom, but if you have been an avid John Green, Rainbow Rowell or Gayle Forman fan, this book is NOT for you.

Final word: This book could have gathered a lot of ‘awws’ from people who love amateur YA romance, but to a more mature reader, this book would appear a clichéd love story with nothing new to offer to the reader. The story is not something unheard of and the execution also appears hurried and messy. I am sure Durjoy Dutta has a lot of ‘female’ fan following, but so does have Rahul Gandhi and we, know, now, why and how!

Such Perfection

I am unsure how many of you would be able to relate with this anecdote, but I assume you all will be able to have a different perspective on things happening around after reading this, a perspective reading blesses you with.

It was the time every girl eagerly waits for, the time when advices on how one should be keep flowing from all over yet all you can see is a bright light at the end of the tunnel – a light promising a glorious future enlightened at core by lots of love; the time in a girl’s life when she does away with the skin she’s been breathing in since her birth to finally have on a skin which will always be adorned by indications of her being married; the time she and her family has been preparing for since they got to know ‘it’ was a girl; the time when, for once, she will be the most important person of an event – the time for her to get married.

She has been extremely conscious all this while of her looks and her behavior. Thanks to her job which required her to work from home, she got to run for that extra mile in taking care of her mind, body and soul. All in all, she was putting her best step forward in preparing herself to look the best on the day when all everyone would be interested in knowing would be how she looked. Everything was going perfectly as per the checklist prepared, all action plans of what she should be doing 12 months, 9 months, 6 and 3 months, 10 days, 1 day and 2 hours before the wedding were put in place and were being strictly followed until that one incident which, in a flash, made her think back a story she had read in one of favorite authors’ book – Malgudi Days.

She was so sure she would look like a goddess; she had the perfect figure to walk in, her trousseau was tried and checked several times, her skin radiated a grace almost all around her couldn’t help but keep staring at and her charm was the talk of the house, when one day, two days, to be sure, before she would get hitched, she noticed her toe nail break in a manner anyone would get his eyeballs on if at all they would reach her foot. She was taken aback for she couldn’t relate any incident which could have led to this. Trying to take a meaning out of this shocker, she was, suddenly, reminded of a story she had read some time back, and for once she was bewildered how a seed planted in a fiction could actually appear as a tangible plant in her real life.

The name of the story was, Such Perfection. This story revolves around a sculptor, Soma, who after five years of tiring labor, prepares a ‘too perfect’ statue of Lord Nagaraj. Despite being told that the ‘too perfect’ chisel isn’t meant for mortals and that he should break its little toe or some other part so that it is safe enough, he asks for the handiwork to be consecrated. Unwilling to give in to the demand of the priest or the villagers, Soma decides to consecrate the chisel near his house, building a temple-like structure himself. The priest’s predictions about the ‘too-perfect’ statue being consecrated turn out to be true and the whole village is immersed in water due to heavy rains, thunderbolts and storms the same day Soma does the act. The villagers reach out to Soma asking him to act as per the priest’s instructions, yet, for his love for the chisel, he decides to go against everyone’s will and to kill himself instead. As and when he steps out of his house to do that, a tree crashes on the roof of his house, leaving the handicraft unhurt, yet breaking its little toe. The whole village accepts this as an act of God and further consecrates the now 'slightly imperfect' statue with all the rights in the village temple.

She looked ‘too-perfect’ on her D-Day but inside she knew there was a little imperfection which was balancing things off!    

The imperfect toe

The 'too perfect' bride