Gym shim.. Glam sham !!

My Reebok "reeflex" shoes are out, I have changed into my non branded tracks and my faithful company tee and glance at my watch - it's work out time. It is the start to my 60 odd minutes of profuse sweating, constantly self motivating thoughts and more than ever, thoughts of the junk food I will eat once I am out.

But that's me, I am a different species in the gym. No make up, hair pulled back and completely messily tied up, semi worn out tracks and ultra loose tee; That's right I am not one of the glamorous ones. I see too many of those around me, it's brilliant to observe. They walk in with their Michael Kors bag and an additional original Nike/ Puma/ or some other designer gym bag. I had to add original coz I carry a Reebok bag too which I got for Rs 200. Reebok, really ??? I watch these women, chatting away in the locker room as they carefully apply their kajal - Maybelline vs L'Oreal .. the real test is if it survives your work out session, says one girl, as she dabs on NYX lip gloss. Dolly Pink, she clarifies; and then she points to the pink band on her tracks. Matching-Matching. By now I am ready and set to hit the floor but I hang back. The conversation and sight is too interesting to let go. So I fiddle around in my gym bag, looking for a lost something. Eyes in the bag, ears on the conversation !!

It's similar to the back stage of a fashion show. Now that we are done with make up, we move to hair. Now my gym bag contains the basic necessities - a towel, a face wash, a change of tee probably and a water bottle. But as I mentioned before , different species. Here as they loosen their hair bands, out jumps a hair straightener from their bag to settle their almost straight non frizzy hair. Now this sight makes me pull out all the tic tac clips i have hidden in my bag and strap down every strand of loose hair. God forbid, they stray off and these girlies turn their hair straighteners at me. By this point I have wasted enough time and head off onto the floor. My ipod is hooked on and the treadmill is switched on - the run begins. As I huff and puff in to minute 5 of my run, the corner of my eye catches the giggling bunch walking in, as they read jokes off their iphone. One finds an empty treadmill next to me and begins her work out. 30 seconds in and her iphone rings louder than the gym's stereo system. "Ohhh heyyy whatsss uppp... nooo noo not at all busy ... bolo na.." the conversation continues as she strolls on speed 3 on her treadmill. While she looks like barbie doll strolling in the garden, I look like I have been chased by hungry wolves - my tic tac clips are obviously useless in helping to keep hair together, face is turned red and my breathing has turned to gasping for breath. My next treadmill neighbour has finished her conversation and begun her run. Her hair sways as in the shampoo and hair oil ads, gently and perfectly from side to side, not a bead of sweat on her face. Damn her, I mouth and my mind curses her some more.

As I move to the next workout, my neighbour has moved on too - to her next conversation. Damn, I curse her again - the things I can shirk if I had that 24 inch waist ... One hour spinning class it is !!

My top 10 P's !!

Recently my random reading spree took me to an article on 10 P's of Marketing. I suddenly went back to 2008-09 and my B school's one odd marketing class that I sat for. As I now read through the list that extends from product to pricing to packaging ( ... yaawwwnnn); my mind wanders into some of the 10 most important things in my life; now not everything start with a "P".. Tragedy !! But I try nonetheless ... 

1. Patience: Most who know me well enough will say I have been blessed with tons of it. I can put up with the troublesome ones, the boring ones, the repetitive ones, annoying ones (in my head, i wonder why sometimes) but yes i do. It has helped me through the very first job I had - teaching, the second job I had - CSA at the airport dealing with a crazy lot of people and of course my current job !!!

2. Panchatantra & Potter: My books are and always have been a constant and rock steady companion. I may have ignored them but they never left my side. My mother is constantly annoyed with the no of books I buy off Flipkart - her worry being where to keep them. I am overly protective of my books and only a chosen few have the privilege of borrowing them from me. They are my portal to quietly shift into a world of magic and i fail to understand how people do not like to read (aka my sister - she was one of them but  slowly transforming)

3. Photos: You always need evidence of the super life you have; how else would people get jealous :P I imagine my house is going to be filled with memories (= photos), showing the beautiful people and times in my life. I had done up my study table years ago that way - renovation took my study table away but my photos stayed with me and are hunting for their next home to be displayed.

4. Postcards: I am a sucker for the written word. This extends out to the age old and now forgotten system of birthday cards and letters, to the more modern system of email, Facebook posts, Twitter tweets, blog posts, whatsapp/ BBM status and any other media that I have missed/ not started using. I still have a bag full of cards I got from friends, family, random acquaintances from years ago. 

5. Payday: So very important in my life otherwise how would I contribute to the wealth of owners of the million shoes stores and clothing stores. I believe you don't realize the value of payday until you run a house of your own; where anything you want to eat, drink, wear, apply and even show off does not magically appear out of thin air. It appears only when the balance in your bank account disappear. I bow down before thee, my payday god !!

6. Peace: A funda i totally believe "live and let live"; Life for each one is different and if you have extra gyaan in your head; i suggest you chant it out in an empty room. Needless to say i hate altercations. Those noisy ones who make a scene on the street, movie theatres, airports - full thumbs down by me. While I fully standing by complaining when the need arises, i also stand by the art of giving it subtly, effectively and many a times to the right people (read senior managers) - it has worked for me very well.

7. Port wine: For all those who are going "tsk tsk", i suggest you skip to point 8. I love my glass of wine (it could be rum+coke or long island sometimes). A stressful day seems to disappear, people sometimes seem a whole lot more interesting and bearable (it adds to my pot of patience from point 1) and of course its an extra excuse to meet my fav people. 

8. Party: Yes i love a good party too. Who doesn't like to put on a nice dress (read - an excuse to shop sometimes), add a little extra make up, strap on those heels and let your hair down to some super music. 

9. Passport: I am ever thankful to my parents for getting my little blue book done as soon as I was born. It is evidence of the many places I have seen and the waters I have sailed on the big red ship (My dad was in the Merchant Navy). My traveler bug has not left me and I pray it never does. Even though I do not step  out half as much now, the few trips I do take keep the bug in me happy and craving for more.

10. Pamper: I am a big believer of "me" time and also "girlie+me" time. It is much needed given we all work as hard as we do .. don't roll your eyes, i do !!! My mani-pedi, spa visits, lazy brunches, lone time to read, super long afternoon naps - are extremely precious for me.

** list compiled by PP aka Priya Pillai ;) **

One year older ...

My birthday tops my list of celebrations in the year. It is above any Diwali or Christmas and any vacation I may take and therefore September is the best month of them all for me. I am one of those who loves my birthday and more often than not, I begin planning for it myself. It starts with what I would wear = what i need to shop, where i will celebrate, who is going to be there and even sometimes whether I am going to celebrate it at all. Needless to say I love surprises, and I am the easiest one to surprise. I do not go into detective mode when one friend says lets just do dinner, nice and simple; I do not ask extra questions when friends inquire if I have plans with family on the day. Better to tell them my plans, don't you think otherwise how will plan the surprise :D

Age is usually a fact that puts off people from celebrating their birthdays. They do not want to be called one year older. "OLD" is an abuse almost - most still want to be 16. Me.. I do not want to go back to being 16. Why ??? Do you know what I was like when I was 16; not fun really. Fresh out of school and no idea about the world and what I want of it; that was the plain, stupid 16 year old me. Now who wants to go back being the clueless, goal lacking and also importantly penniless me .. Nooo thank you !!!

While I occasionally crib about getting old, age does not bother me. Hell yeah, I am 28 and I am lovin' it. I love every birthday I celebrate and that's my chance to reflect on the year gone by and see all the wonderful things come my way. Fine, so some years bring a few more downs  than ups but the ups do come around. Some things like to stick around year on year - a wavering bank account, a new ( and .. umm failed) diet plan with all the green tea and steamed veggies, a new (and eventually conquered by laziness) exercise regime, a new favourite genre of music, a different style of fashion. Heart breaks or new love adds a spark to the flash back on certain birthdays - then again what would life be with out them right ! Discovering a new place, an fun filled weekend trip, celebrations through the year add so much colour to my year.

My birthday flashback shows me all this and soo much more. However apart from all this, it teaches me one new thing about myself; and this revelation excites me the most. To borrow from my little left knowledge of Psychology, this revelation helps expand the "open" area and narrow down the "blind" as well as the "unknown" quadrants of my Johari Window. This, ladies and gentlemen, is usually the best birthday gift I get and they stick with me. So tell me why wouldn't I be excited about turning one year older !!!