My Date with a Diet Chart

It's not like anybody told me that I was gaining weight. I figured it out myself. How, you ask me? Can't really explain; I am a little conscious of my weight, and I could just feel the extra pounds. I grew up with a chubby family member(who has now managed to shed it all), resolving not to let myself grow fat. After a certain age, it is almost impossible to stop those weighing scales from touching the number you dread. I did take measures now and then - yoga and jogging mostly. But this time, I realized that I no longer had the discipline for exercise (marriage!). I needed something that would work fast. You must be thinking that I am a wanna-be-super-thin-babe, but trust me, I love eating and I don't think I will ever give that up. However, I couldn't let myself bloat up, no! I had to draw the line somewhere. Moreover, this was a matter of just 7 days - a week! How difficult could the GM diet be? So I thought - let's give it a try. I knew my hubby would be mad, so I decided to hide something from him for the first time, at least for a few days.

Day 1 - Fruits only

Trouble resisting the delicious smell of Maggi while driving to office (remember, one week only!). Trying to suppress my hunger with water as mentioned in the diet chart. Doesn't work much. I will survive. 6 more days to go. Fruits not bad.

Day 2 - Veggies only

Already feeling a little weightless. I learn how to make vinaigrette! My baked sweet potato is bitter, but I eat it with a firm resolution. Used to love broccoli. Don't think I'll eat it again, after consuming the boiled version. Light-headed and hungry to bed. At least 4 litres of water today.

Day 3 - Fruits and Veggies

Having trouble getting off my bed. Feeling weak and dizzy. Stomach upset. Feverish. Cannot go to work. I stick to my diet though, and sleep a lot. I wonder how I could get dehydrated, seeing the amount of water I drank on day 2.

Day 4 - Banana, Milk and Veg Soup

Better today. Fresh, energized (could be weekend effect). Never made soup before, but it tastes good. Cheerful and active. I clean the entire house, wash a lot of clothes, and go grocery shopping. Looks like I have lost a few pounds. Happy happy.

Day 5 - Chicken and Soup

Energy level lower than day 4, but not bad. Reading and watching TV today. Bro loves my baked chicken and soup. I should try it again sometime. I cheat a little, by eating a slice of brown bread in the evening. I guess that much is allowed!

Day 6 - Chicken and Veggies

Not liking it. Weak again. Should I tell hubby? Not with just another day to go! I divert myself with office work and chatting with my colleagues. Learning to make another chicken baked dish. Veggies are tolerable today, and I get to eat a burger for dinner.

Day 7 - Veggies, Fruits and Brown Rice

Kinda bored of the diet, but quite upbeat (last day!). Fruits are good as always. Don't like the brown rice. Veggies are boring again. Thinking of the yummy things I can eat tomorrow.

Pros? I feel detoxified, I did manage to lose just the right amount of weight, and learned a lot of new recipes. I got into the habit of drinking a lot of water, and the diet reduced my appetite to prevent further destruction! I've started appreciating the importance of fruits in my daily diet, and resolve to eat one everyday.

As for the cons, I think dieting made me quite weak on some days. I might have eaten too less; couldn't help it, some things just weren't eatable. I did drink lots of water everyday, but I am a rice-lover, and my body might have found it difficult to adjust to the new intake. I would definitely not recommend this diet to people who have a weak immune system. I thought mine was pretty strong!

My biggest challenge was to suppress my craving for delicious food, especially when the aroma hit my nose. So, I taught myself to benefit from it. Instead of allowing the smell to make me hungry, I would savour it and convince myself that it filled my tummy. Sad, eh? Believe me, it worked. Although I don't know if I will try the GM diet again, there's one thing I know for sure. It's time to tell hubby now!

Need Some Help?

Well friends, what can I say? This is my job, and I love it!

Hello my dear friend, if you need
Some assistance, please let me lead
With messages, documents, illustrations that say-
"I strive to support you in every way."

My work isn't easy, maybe not too hard;
To ask the right questions is a good start;
With folks numerous I have to deal,
And follow the rules of grammar with zeal.

With text of lengths long and small,
I juggle to enlighten not one but all;
Writings that explain features very big,
Information accurate I toil to dig.

Commas and full-stops prepare to wage
A war against me, page after page;
Articles and prepositions- their faithful allies
Hide in each corner with a nasty surprise.

English and German, French and Chinese,
Some languages are hard, some put me at ease,
Yet, without a grumble, I translate
Every word of help present on your plate.

"Any further queries?" I do not fail to ask;
Forever ready to improve every task;
The next time you are puzzled by a screen,
To aid you, I would always be keen.

Till The Shores

So I was sitting in my room, chatting with one of my dear friends on a cool and breezy Friday night. This simply was the ideal song to listen to- calm and soulful. I couldn't help but translate it.

"Saahil Tak" from Coke Studio @ MTV Season 2
Nitin Sawhney feat. Papon & Ashwin Srinivasan

Till The Shores

Hold the helm a little while,
Let my boat be steady;
You are the ferryman;
Ferry the storm away.

Bind me in your sight
To resurrect my life,
That I may tell these troubles
To turn their backs on me.

Sing me a lullaby, O boatman,
Take me to the sweetest slumber,
And before the day dawns,
Bring my shores nearer to me!

CHAINS

Speckled dusty bits of the horizon

Agonize behind the bars of their prison;

Freedom is their tainted tint,

Bonded forever with the shackles of the wind.

A pitch black pitcher, hollow and clean,

A pitch black hollow, no matter how clean;

Meaningless without a fluid, and yet,

Majestic pride swells its thorny chest.

Fields, deserts, mountains and seas

Scream in the vacuum among moving trees;

Silent words only ghosts can hear,

And shadows looming around in fear.

Who are you? He questions me again.

Oh! the quest for the answers insane!

With a shudder, the weeping of a thousand souls

Wakes me to face the volatile world.

Glow

How enigmatic is the placid smile

Hiding behind your silent lips?

A smile, is it, or the mute scream

Of a million emotions waiting to flee?

What mystery lies beneath

The twinkle in your eyes,

Questions for a cold fate

Or answers to a riddle unsolved?

A crumpled bundle of disarray,

Neatly tucked to adorn you

With scanty glitters of white,

As the black of your shadow follows.

Satin soft, you shine in the divine glow

Of a golden lamp, to light the path

Of a dear friend, a lost stranger, 

Or maybe a morbid foe.

Traffic - The Battle I fight Everyday

Do you ever wonder what would have happened if the tarred road we travel on everyday had feelings? If it were impatient like me, it would bubble in the wrath of being trampled by a thousand wheels. The sense of being handicapped and not being able to do anything about it would not make things any better. Otherwise, it would have to be one of the most patient beings on earth to withstand the piercing heat of the sun or the heavy downpours without complaining.

I love my two-wheeler. When I sit on it and drive, I feel good. Sometimes the wind makes weird noises near my ears and I try to interpret them. It seems to me as if Mother Nature is whispering Her secrets to me and I make efforts to decrypt them, all in vain. But this is one of the many connections I feel with Her, and even though I don't understand a word, it makes me realize how much a part of Her I am. Dreamy, isn't it? Well, it doesn't take long for the connection to break. Screech and halt, lo and behold! I'm back in the "real world"! What is it made of? Just like being woken from a peaceful slumber, at first I see nothing but a dusty mist. And then it unveils. I can hardly open my eyes and I try to transfer my gaze to any direction that would not pierce my eyes with bright yellow spikes. There they are - people! While driving to office, most of my fellow drivers are doing the same, with their ID cards hanging around their necks or sticking out of their pockets. Obviously, this means they are in a hurry, just like I am. Reason? Meeting, training, urgent work they couldn't finish the previous evening, or probably just not wanting to miss breakfast. There are others too, but somehow they aren't in a leisurely mood either. Every driver looks for an excuse to move just an inch further, sometimes even by using the footpath. Poor pedestrians! Then we have people trying to cross the road, cursing the drivers, and vice versa. Oh, and how can I forget? There are always those two fools - one who has to announce his arrival by honking his way to glory, and the other who loves to rebel by driving on the wrong side in a one-way lane.

Cars, motorcycles, buses, bicycles - they are everywhere! Right from the most ancient model to the latest one, even those without a registration number. It's nice to drive a bike, but it's the waiting part that makes you wish you were sitting cozily inside a vehicle with an air conditioner. I glance at the signal for the hundredth time, and it looks like a stubborn kid whose face is swollen and red, having thrown a tantrum and refusing to budge. I wonder if it's too late to take my helmet off. It is suffocating! But then, the green light may flash any moment now! Or am I being too hopeful? I should not have let my hair loose, at least that would have reduced the sweating. My extra shirt, my gloves - do they prevent my hands from tanning or "preserve" the heat in my body? Now, it's getting more stuffy. I wait a few more seconds and remove my helmet, just as the signal turns green. If the honker guy is behind me, that's it, I'm done for. After putting on my headgear and getting pretty embarrassed over attempting a few failed ignition starts, I can finally feel the wind near my ears again. Yes, I'm almost there, praying that the signal doesn't turn red again. Well, what do you think? There I am, near the crossroad, and the plump little red-faced devil reappears. The beads of perspiration trickle down my neck and I wonder when the rains are going to start. Then I tell myself - be careful, you don't know what you are wishing for! That is a different battle I have to fight altogether, on the same battleground. Oh God, the later, the better!

You

This translation was requested by a dear friend of mine. It was a tricky one. I hope I have done justice to it. You can listen to the song here.

Song: "Rehna Tu" from the movie "Delhi 6"

Rahman is truly a magician.

*** Start of P1 ***
Stay, oh stay the way you are-
A pinch of pain, a trace of tranquil.
Stay, oh stay the way you are-
A light breeze, a crazy passion.

Soft as silk, my darling,
And yet a little rough;
Sometimes stubborn
And ready to fight,
Sometimes full of fragrance.

Not the tiniest bit in you
Would I wish to change;
Neither could I decorate you,
Nor alter you in any way;
Not a speck less,
Not a speck more
Of what you are.

I have fallen in love
With the person that is you;
Let your rain drench me
And wash me away!
I have fallen in love
With the person that is you;
Let your flames engulf me
And turn me to ashes!
*** End of P1 ***

If you ever hurt me,
It is you who heals the wound,
The wound that my heart reveres;
O, let me drown in the river
Of your precious love!

Stay, oh stay the way you are-
A pinch of pain, a trace of tranquil.
Stay, oh stay the way you are-
A light breeze, a crazy passion.

If you ever hold my hand
And walk with me,
Would you put your right hand in mine?
For it would take one right hand
And the other, left
For us to walk hand in hand.

*** P1 repeat ***