Tea for two (and a piece of cake) Tuesdays! (Creative Prompt by Preeti Shenoy)

So Preeti asked on her blog,


"If I could invite anybody for 'tea for two' today it would undoubtedly be .................................."

Here I go:
"If I could invite anybody for 'tea for two' today it would undoubtedly be Lance Armstrong" . He is the professional american cyclist who won the tour de france seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. I would want want to know what exactly goes inside the mind of a survivor and a winner. He is one of my biggest inspirations. I wish he would give me a tip or two on how to stand victorious on the face of hardships, however easy or difficult they maybe. I would love to learn how he blocks the pain, the fatigue and just thinks about his goal.

So for me, its going to be Lance Armstrong!! :)

Hitting the gym and other tragedies!

For me, going to the gym is a task, something which I just have to get done with. It’s like going to the office every day. Every single day, when my body refuses to get up from the bed, I tell myself, “Yaar, aaj chutti maar leti hoon” Only when I enter the office and get into the groove do i really feel, “Thank God! Office aa gayi. Ghar pe bore ho jaati.” Similarly, when I am supposed to get down from my cab which stops just in front of the sony signal, I tell myself, “Yaar, aaj nahi jaati ..kal se pakka jaungi. Only when I remind myself that I have given away my hard earned 20k for the Gold Gym people to enjoy, that i collect all the energy that is left in me and drag myself to the gym. But again after I enter the gym I feel, “Acha hua aa gayi.”

So, you might ask why I trouble myself so much even though according to many people, I do not “need” to go to the gym. This is where I say ... everybody needs to exercise. It does not matter if you are fat, thin, in shape, out of shape, young old or anything. Trust me. You NEED to exercise. I know I will NEVER exercise on my own. I may do so for 7 days, 10 days or maximum a month. But I will never fall in a pattern. Gym at least pushes me to work out 4 days a week which is fair enough... and hence the trouble.

I am not a fitness freak, but I have noticed those subtle changes in me after I made gym a regular practice. I fall ill very less (touch wood touch wood!!), I have built up a considerable amount of stamina (which comes under test when we go for those crazy trek trips) and if I exercise regularly, I get that coveted flat tummy (ahaaa! Such a proud moment that is ...which fades away quickly because unfortunately I am not that regular).
Seriously speaking, however traumatising and irritating it is for me to go to the gym, I go there also because when I cross 35, I do not want to turn into a shapeless aunty. Fat becomes extremely difficult to lose after 30. Also, women tend to put on weight very quickly near the tummy and thigh areas and this fat is the real adamant fat which just refuses to part ways. It is always a good idea to keep it away before it comes to stay.

I seriously hail those people who take exercising as a passion, who are extremely regular and end up having really fit bodies. If you are a gym hater-exercise-er like me, here is a useful tip which I came up with when I was totally demotivated and just could not find enough energy to drag my fat bum down to the gym. Even when you don’t feel like gymming, at least go to the gym. Maybe just do cardio. But go. Just watching people, all covered in sweat, working their ass off, would if not motivate you; will embarrass you enough to move atleast a little. I have been doing so since a week and only today after a long time can I really very proudly say, “Watt lag gayi aaj gym main”
Another tip: Avoid junk. Have it once a week. If you are really strong willed then have it just once a month. I am not that strong willed. I once had a voice in my head saying, “Quit eating maida. Consider it non veg”. Very quickly another voice said, “Shut up!!” I liked the second voice better and I let it win. But I still avoid maida as much as I can.
And as dad puts it, “You give your 9 hours to Target ( Thats the name of the company I work for ... just to avoid confusions!  ). I am asking you to give just 1 hour of your day to yourself!” Oh and yes, Dad is one more reason I exercise every day. Out of his 4 staple questions he asks me without fail daily (1) Aaj ka din kaisa tha?, Khana khaye?, aur kuch khaas?) One question ALWAYS is “Kuch exercise kiye?” I exercise also so that i can without any guilt tell him “Yes, I did!” (Although he considers only YOGA as real form of exercise and will take the first flight to Bangalore and kill me personally if he comes to know how much I have spent for a yearlong subscription!!)

I will conclude here, wishing at least one person gets inspired enough to exercise (Why should I suffer alone!! Hee Haa!!) And by quoting some quote I read somewhere “I will exercise today so I can enjoy tomorrow!”
Happy gymming!!!

Ek garam Chai!

It came in with the British Raj and stayed back forever. Although we Indians gave the "tea" own twist and made it into this amazingly,tasty, energetic drink. I dont even remember when I got addicted to it. But while I was in bhopal, every morning started with a cup of 'mom ke hath ki chai' and 2 slices of bread. Things have not changed even now when I visit home. I have realized that unless it is an extremely bad cup of tea, I can savor a cup anytime, any moment of the day or night for that matter. This especially reminds me of Noida when a hot cup of 'chai' was essential to get into your senses which were left numb by the merciless winters. I remember pouncing on to the little "tapri" of a shop for that elusive steaming cup of 'adrak ki chai' so that my nose can take in whatever little cold noida air that it could manage!

I am sure, everyone has more than one memorable "chai" moment. For me, the morning in Jim Corbett with Vibha comes first in my mind. Loveliest of sunrise, a hot cup of tea and an amazing friend/room partner! Life felt blissful.

Another one was the laddakhi chai at Khardung la pass --- the world's highest motor able road. The best part was the maagie which was accompanied with the already amazing tea. Again a beautiful place, super cold. nice friends , maggie and tea! What else can you ask for? Probably an entire hang out tea joint at apna very own Bangalore! That brings us to Chai Patty!

I had discovered this small cosy hang out joint at 100 feet when i was searching for a decent place to live in Bangalore. It maybe a tad bit expensive but I love the ambiance and again its maggie! The best day in Chai Patty was when it was pouring cats and dogs and I was sitting with a friend in one comfortable dry corner of Chai Patty, all sprawled about, listening to coke studio, ordering chai after chai and loving the rains! Then ofcourse, the long gappey session with friends over cups of innumerable tea is something which anyone and everyone can identify with.

I am the conventional one when it comes to tea. No tea bags or milk powder tea for me. No green teas and strictly no machine teas (I gulp some nakli machine tea in office just to remove the drowsiness)! Plain, simple, proper boiled, adrak or masala for added flavors is the best tea in the world. Give me that and give me a good book or a good movie and I have with me happiness wrapped in the daily ordinary life!