Leotards anyone? (published in Deccan Herald in 1995).

These are just some fun pictures of Aerobics class nothing to do with Leotards

The last three years have seen me exercising with a vengence : yoga,  swimming calisthenics, aerobics,  gym workouts--- you name it,  I have done it. By now you  would think I had  a Karishma Kapoor figure. But alas, I am nowhere near it.  I am still aerobically  chasing  the ever elusive hour glass figure.

All these years I had been exercising wearing jogging pants or ordinary tights and baggy shirts. I wasn't burning any fat dressed in such mundane outfits.  A change in strategy may do the trick, I  thought.  I would now workout in leotards--just like those beautiful bodies you  see on the TV fitness shows.

 With renewed hope and enthusiasm, I set out  to shop for leotards. I let loose my imagnation, picturing myself in the most becoming leotards-- flowered tights, dark body huggers , sedate pastels etc.  Soon,  I felt, I could stand up to a Karishma or a Mamta Kulkarni. ( these were the famous heroines of that time)

I entered a big department store and asked to be shown some leotards. To my surprise the salesgirl led me to the toys section. When I told her I wanted to see leotards , she looked at me strangely  and affirmed that there were plenty of Leo Toys to be found--I could take my pick .  Either my pronounciation was bad , or her hearing was poor (or both),  when I patiently repeated my request,  she blinked in utter confusion.

Finally I explained I wanted an exercise dress which was called leotards.  Visibly relieved,  the poor girl confessed to having only jogging suits.  In my next outing, having bought a pair of sports shoes,  I went across to a sports shop to buy a pair of cotton socks,  seeing a variety of sports dresses on display, I couldn't resist the temptation to ask the salesman for leotards (silently praying that he should understand me).

One look at his face told me my prayers had gone unanswered. He went, "He, he,he!" and in heavy,  Malayalee- accented Kannada he proceeded to give me directions to the nearest Leo Toys shop. To add insult to injury my husband chose this time to educate me on  pronounciation.

 You see, he is considered a sort of authority on pronounciation in our family --- when boys of his age were reading Biggles for fun , he was busy memorising Webster's page after page .  But I was wary,  knowing too well his passion for pulling one's leg.

He said I might have better success if I pronounced correctly,  viz. le-tards, the "o" being silent.  Right then and there,  I wanted to roll the new pair of socks into an "O"  and silence him forever. 

A few days later,  as I was window shopping,  I came across a big,  exclusive Leo Toys shop with eager looking salespeople peering out. Feeling a little reckless,  I thought I might have some fun for a change, stepping in and asking for leotards.

Imagine my surprise when the manager pulled out stacks and stacks of leotards in a variety of colours and prints! "Ma'am",  he confided in me,  "all leotards seekers in Bangalore eventually end up at my store.

What is your  preference? Lycra or Cotton?"

Did you have fun reading this?
Do you have something similar to share with me?

My Award: The Versatile Blogger Award!!!

This award was given to me by my very dear blogger friend Rachna http://rachnaparmar.com

Thank you Rachna, it is a pleasure. Sorry for the delay in collecting it.

Now 7 honest things about myself:

1. Having tried various methods of exercising, I discovered that Aerobics was the thing for me and that is what I have been doing for the last 15 years or so.

 I am totally addicted to fitness, and it never bores me,  and I feel bad on the days I have to skip it. I have a pedometer, which is another addiction, for I have to log minimum  fifteen thousand to maximum twenty thousand steps per day. (despite, all my efforts, I am  still carrying weight where I don't want : it reminds me painfully that, being in the early 50s maybe fun, but it has its own disadvantages, for I cannot fight the battle of the bulge and be a winner all the time.)

2. I suffer from OCD. (obsessive compulsive disorder)

I am always bugged when our house is not as clean and neat as I would like it to be, or when things are not as I want them to be. I somehow feel I am too fussy about certain things. However, I am working on it and soon I would not let little things bother me.
I also want to add, although I blog, I am always stuck at some place or other for I think this lack of proper knowledge of Internet really boggs me down, there are times I really don't know where to go for help, even googling doesn't help sometimes. I know I am a slow learner, for even when people are willing to patiently help me I don't easily understand, for some things are beyond my comprehension. I wish I could find some way to over come these irritants.

3. I am always very frank, and I never take injustice done to me or others, without fighting back.

4. Being a Reiki Practitioner/ Teacher, I am being made aware of all my negative points, and I am changing as much as possible. I realize that merely being a teacher does not make a person an expert, for I too, have to keep changing to evolve into a better person. I appreciate many things in people and have no hesitation telling them, even if they are the sort of people I don't generally get along.

5. I have many goals and I intend to reach them before it is too late. The word "impossible" is not in my dictionary.

6. I always have a plan before embarking into anything, as it saves me lot of time and the job is also well done without any tension.

7. I do get depressed sometimes, but I just can't remain depressed for long, for to me laughing and smiling, are just like breathing, for I soon forget I was sad. It is definitely not a cover up, it is my natural self.

I liked the twist which Rachna had introduced and I would like to add/ ask something to all of you:

What is secret of your success?

I want an answer from all bloggers to this question.

Whenever I am asked this question, I always say, for me,  it  is Reiki, Fitness and Positive attitude towards life.

Now  the 5  bloggers whom I am passing on this Award are:

1. Emmy : emmy36459.blogspot.com

She is  a young  innocent, sweet girl, who writes very beautifully, go say hello to her.

2. Kala : kalapohl.blogspot.com

She is an artist, a writer, a beautiful jewelry  designer, and has become a very good friend, visit her blog, you would love it.

3. Mohamad Mughal : mohamedmughal.blogspot.com

A very interesting personality, he is basically a Chemical Engineer, and is also an American writer whose fiction falls under the rubrics of literary cubism and absurdism.  I feel to know him, you better go to Wikipedia, for I am too unequipped to describe him.

I really like the way he writes, I am sure you too would find his writings very interesting and thought provoking.

I still can't believe he was my first and only follower for quite some time.

4. K.Parthasarathy : http://kpsarathi.blogspot.com

A recent friend and a very good writer, I am sure many of you may already be knowing him.

5. Joseph : pulikotilthomasjoseph.blogspot.com

I always liked Joseph very much, his photography, he writes about Churches, about his childhood, youth and generally about everything. What I really appreciate about him is that his comments are always genuine, not made up by reading just other people's comments.

I was lucky to be followed by him in my early stages of blogging. People like him are truly inspiring, and their comments are really encouraging.

His pictures are always a feast to the eyes, go have a look at them.

Congratulations!!!

I thank all my blogger friends, for always  being there for me.

And I also request you to pass this award to other bloggers too.

Cooking up a blog

The guest speaker at our fortnightly Ladies Club meeting was exhorting women who work in the house (housewives) to demand their due share and remuneration for services rendered."I am just a housewife" need not be construed as a useless occupation, but as a substantial contribution to the running of the household — as worthy in many ways as a wage earner’s share of credit for the upkeep of the house.

   On reflection, I found it to be absolutely true . A time would soon come when society will accept and acknowledge the economic value of a woman’s contribution around the house.  Till then …….. well !

  The talk over, we broke up into small groups around the buffet table as usual, exchanging pleasantries and the inevitable gossip.

  Rita having recently lost her cook to a punjabi household was desperately seeking a replacement  and was urging Meena and Tara to redouble their efforts at finding one for her. With a glint in my eyes, I walked into their midst offering a possible solution. With eager faces and ears pricked , they pounced on me to come out with it. It amazes me always to see so many of my friends turning to me for help in finding domestic help, when I myself do not keep a cook, maid. driver, or a gardener ( I only have a husband, who does a bit of everything for me) .

See how he has a well trained look of a Chauffeur: he is my husband

"Rita", I said, "I will be your cook, if you will pay me a premium salary for my speciality cooking."

Though I went to all the cooking/ baking classes, it was my husband who baked this yummy pasta dish

  Rita’s response to my offer was unexpected  and was full of cold logic and sarcasam."No, Rama," she said . "You would cook us delectable palak paneer, puliodhere, avial, throw in lip- smacking chopsuey, conjure up spongy cakes, light – as- air souffles etc., etc. (They all know I have attended several cookery and baking classes). Both you and your menus will become very expensive for us. Your delicious cooking will make us hog and put on weight . Next, being a fitness fanatic, you will force us to take body- conditioning and aerobics lessons from you and make us pay for that also".

 Not to be broken in her train of thoughts, Rita continued, "while exercising, we might land up with sprains which you will volunteer to treat with Reiki at extra cost. "No Rama," she ended, "at this rate, my husband would be sailing forever ( he is in the merchant marine ) to pay for your innumerable services. You are way beyond our reach."

I am cheered up for at least I could cook up an interesting blog!!!

  Seeing me crestfallen,  Tara attempted to cheer me up saying I could always turn the conversation into an interesting blog.