Reflections, Banter and the Honest Truth

While I am one of the most patient people that I know, I am extremely disorganised. This contributes to a bit of a mess around the house at times.  My sister, Maria (who is lovingly called Akka, by all the siblings) last visited me and my girls about six months ago and I think she was a bit shocked at the amount of unnecessary things that were in the house. From planks of wood lying in the loft, to pedestal fans that did not work, jars of ingredients in the kitchen which were probably used only once a year, to pans that were never used, and artificial flowers - something that I absolutely loathe.  I will make an exception for something that is beautiful and classy. Well, my wedding bouquet was artificial white poinsettias, because I love how beautifully the lady (Sandy) who made mine and my bridesmaid's bouquets does her arrangements, and they had to be brought from Sri Lanka. The fresh flowers would not have made it.   Well, in addition to all this we all had loads of cl...

It is Easter morning, and it is the first time in my memory that I have no Easter eggs, or chocolate bunnies for my girls. There is really nothing very Easter-ish  about this Sunday. In fact it is the first time in my life when i have seen no Good Friday services, or Easter Vigils in almost all the churches around the world. And in these days of modern technology, churches are streaming their services online.  It is a time of 'social distancing'. We stay indoors, go out only for the essential items and medicines.  People try to stay a safe distance away from each other, wearing masks, gloves, and definitely trying hard not to cough or sneeze while close to someone else. These are tough times for everyone, and i have tried to stay cheerful, while sitting at home, occasionally having meetings online, preparing study material, worksheets, cooking, seeing that the family is well and not too bored. My children have their school work to do, and my husband and i have to ...

At the beginning of this year- 2020, the world saw a new virus spreading. It spread fast and hit hard. It caused a respiratory infection which brought about fever, a cough, difficulty breathing and fatigue, and has already killed thousands of people. Within a matter of months, it changed from being an epidemic to a pandemic. Slowly most of the countries around the world, started restricting the movement of its people. People confined to their countries, then their cities and then their homes. Both domestic and international flights, trains, buses- all stopped. People aren't allowed to go out to work, students couldn't sit for their year end exams, we manage to cook and eat whatever we can buy in the stores, and there is not much we can choose from. It is a tough time, and with the number of cases rising, no one really knows how long this will go on. We just know that this too shall pass; but when?

This post may seem a little 'here and there' since there is so much I wanted to say, and did not know where to start and where to end. As far as I can remember, I have been overweight since I was in my 20's. That together with my height  (only 5'8", but that is tall for an Indian lady) and huge bone structure has made me really heavy. Over the last month, or maybe a little longer, I have been making an extra effort to do something about it and bring my weight down and get healthy. The reason? Oh there are so many things to do, so many reasons to live as healthy as you can! I have read so many articles saying to weigh yourself only once a week. But I weigh myself everyday, at the same time. And what joy to see the weight dropping (even if it is just 0.1 kg). If you want to know why I weigh myself everyday, it is because I want to keep a check on my weight, and what I have eaten the previous day so I will know what food is working for me and what isn't....

At 40, it has finally hit me!! My health and well being should be one of my priorities. I had let myself go, and hit an all time high of something over 100 kgs! I would rather not disclose the actual number. I always wanted to get fit and eat right. One of the main reasons, is that I want to be able to look after my children and husband and not have them look after me. Another is that I want to feel good, look good and not be so heavy that I can't get up and go play outdoors with my girls. The other is that I have a family history of heart disease; and my husband's family has a history of hypertension. Both really dangerous!! Who better to care for and raise my children, than me and my husband. That's when I realised - It's now or never! Once a habit has been formed, it is really difficult to kick it. I had got into the habit of being lazy and eating any food, whatever it was! Breaking the habit that has been on for the last almost 40 years was bound to be diff...