Popping the question

Sometimes I think it's so diffcult for some people to pop the question. They try, try till they get married to someone else :) Yea, proposing a girl is difficult, nervous but it's the man who can add that bit of elegance by the way he is proposing. Not that women don't propose - but I think it has to be the man who makes the first move.

I am not adding a "how to propose a girl?" post - there are too many such stuff to read all over the internet, it's just a sweet dream that I would like to share with all my reading mates. There are two characters in this story: Mark & Shannon.
Mark and Shannon have been good friends for over an year and Mark has developed his "be-besides-me-for-a-lifetime" feelings for Shannon. Nobody knows what Shannon thinks about Mark. Does she like Mark? Does she hate him? Is he just a good friend? Is he smart enough to be a life partner? Nobody knows the answers to all these except Shannon. Shannon is sweet (all girls are sweet:) aren't they?), she's witty, she's beautiful, she's jovial, she's practical and she's the best!

Mark is flamboyant, Shannon is sober, he thinks from his mind, she thinks from her heart, he loves Shannon and she....??!! (Mark & Shannon live in Paris and he is permanently going to shift to Sydney to open his restaurant business). He thinks this is the best match for him, nobody could understand him as she could and is desparate to pop the question. He wants to propose her but is very nervous and is not sure if he would lose a perfect friend in Shanon.

Mark couldn't wait any longer and decides that he's just gonna be himself and ask Shannon. Here's how the whole incident takes place. Mark is pensive, tensed & his nerves are taut with anxiety. Can he pull it off?
(Mark & Shannon on their way to work, Shannon reading "Men are from mars, Women are from venus - John Gray" & Mark is "not" listening to his ipod - hes just got the earplugs on!!)

Mark: Shannon, hi
Shannon: (smiles) hmm..Hey Markie, ssup?
Mark: Shan, actually..hmm..you are looking very beautiful as always, wanted to tell you that..I..
Shannon: (cutting Mark) Thanks Markie, and you too are looking smart my cutie boy
Mark: (thinking to himself - cutie boy, is that a good sign or not) Well Shan, thanks,I had a dream we got married..hehe..(trying to be humorous)
Shannon: hmmm...(as in no reaction)
Mark: If we get married, just think, do you mind settling down in Sydney for like 10 years or something? and we have a house...I mean home there? (mark thinking, this is it, shit!!)
Shannon: No, I don't mind
Mark: Do you mind if we don't have kids the first three years coz' we would be busy in our new business and...
Shannon: No, I don't mind
Mark: So you mind I loving you all the time?
Shannon: Hmm...I don't mind
Mark: Wow!!.You are the best & I don't mind too (Mark is confident now) Will you mind taking a day off to roam about, shop, dine out, watch a movie?
Shannon: I won't mind
Mark: Do you mind getting married to me?
(pause...everybody stops talking & start looking at Shannon & waiting for her response...)
Shannon: (smiles) No Mark, I don't mind

For that day, Mark felt everybody had a smile on their face for them, Shannon had this thing in her eyes which said "I am yours, Mark - take care of me". Mark smiled and gave back a reaction which said "I love you more than anything else and will keep loving you till the end".

(Mark & Shannon are in Sydney now, parents of two healthy kids, Sarah & Jason, living happily and looking after their kids & restaurant business)

Guys, let's not make it difficult for ourselves and our sweet ones! Let's keep it simple yet elegant and add grace to the occasion by being ourself. Remember a quick tip - the lady is more precious and important that the gift, doesn't matter if you buy a $10k ring but cannot charm her. Popping the question is an important chapter in our love life - let's not screw it. Love always!

Let there be love in the air
~RJ

Boredom to freedom

This post is a result of numerous discussions, brain-storming sessions, casual conversations, personal experiences all put together. I realized that people repine over the apathy towards life all the while, to a result, most of my conversations started this way:

Me: Dude, wassup?
Person on the phone: Ahh, the usual boring stuff buddy
Me: ??..!! hmm

Should I accede to my inner thought that all my friends were the most boring people on this planet? I am sure that’s not true, these are the people I look upon when I am having a low day – the most full of life guys! (Thanks!). Past few days I have been thinking what is boredom? How is boredom caused? What is the cure to boredom? I am no boredom doctor so I started having conversations with my colleagues, friends over a cup of coffee, which helped a lot because everybody had a different perspective to the way they looked at boredom, their views, their activities etc.

Let’s have a look at the responses that friends gave me when asked when they get bored - No work in office, loneliness, unhealthy conversations, repetitive work, staying at home, mundane discussions, irrelevant meetings, no television, no internet, daily routine, lack of attention from loved ones, waiting for somebody beyond the said time etc.

For one of my friends it was very boring to sleep. He prefers to sleep only because his body needs it, otherwise he feels that’s the most boring activity ever. Given a chance he would like to learn something new, cultivate a hobby or do something creative. Sleeping is just another thing for him – wow! My other cute friend said she hates to eat dinner! LOL!

Professional work plays an important part – no work, repetitive work, too much work etc all leads to boredom. (Damn! How can no work lead to boredom? I am waiting for such a day! ..kiddin’ folks, I know how it feels)

Another important aspect is the nature and the personality of the person. During the exercise of chatting with people, I also realized that the lack of artistic interests can lead no boredom. Sources say that 5 of 10 people don’t have any hobbies, 4 of 10 people do not read, 7 of 10 people do not cultivate interest for a new activity, 6 of 10 people are lazy to follow the same routing for more than 5 months. Phew, exhaustive study!

Making friends, watching movies, surfing the internet, long phone conversations, reading news, observing people & their characteristics, diary writing, spending time with oneself, observing nature, listening to music, youtube, talking to somebody full of life, play sports, keeping fit, watching tv, long rides were the replies when asked about activities people do or prefer to do to kill boredom.

So where are we going making these assumptions & doing such analysis? The goal is, within ourselves we should never feel that we are bored! How sickening it can be that we have a million thousand things to learn and do and we still feel that we are bored. I attended one “happy life” sessions in my office where the speaker told this unique stuff which I never thought of. When we are bored we call up friends to feel better – did we ever realize that when we are ourselves this boring, how will our friend/s enjoy our company?

My friends formed new, never-read, personal, not patented definitions of boredom and I am gonna list all of those here for us to pick the one that suits us and say to ourselves - I am never going to be bored again in life – come what may!

#1 - Applying mind and efforts fully and not achieving the set expectations can lead to boredom - we might do something very interestingly, full of heart but never succeed in achieving the set expectations. This will lead to boredom.
#2 - Applying mind and efforts fully and achieving the set expectations can lead to boredom - a true example of office work! What if we are forced to do something??..!!
#3 - Boredom = useless time + lazy mind
#4 - Boredom is a temporary craving that develops when you don’t find an activity of interest – simple definition, yet true! The next big thing for all of us is finding our own area of interest and spending sometime to inculcate that as a habit or hobby!
#5 - Boredom = when I am doing some stuff; my mind is working on it & my heart says WTF are u doing?? Get a life dude!! – LOL, only kurt can do this!
#6 - Boredom is a prolonged phase of noninterest, monotonous activities to be done without motivation
#7 - Boredom is sitting idle and sitting idle is boring – Sweet thing!

And they did not end there – they gave me the cure also, so here ya go,

#a -make somebody smile, make them happy in turn makes u feel better! – this can kill boredom (Q is can you make the other person happy when you are bored?)
#b - develop a constructive hobby
#c - change to a constant routine
#d – refresh good old memories with oneself and with friends
#e - chat with loved ones
#f - boredom is a state of mind, controlling ur mind can kill boredom
#g – try to do things that u feel like doing and not forced to do

Folks – this is just an attempt so that we can live in a world where people around us and ourselves start feeling that there is nothing called as boring or boredom. Lets make everything interesting! Watsaya?

stay fit, speak your mind & be a charmer!
~RJ

P.S. I know the post is a bit long but boring is such a thing - what can I do? :)

Here I am!!

Well...since Kickboxing seems to be the flavor of the season, I took the privilege of getting myself kicked around during my photo shoot!!

I am currently on a sabbatical of sorts...far away from things that people generally bother themselves with!!

I welcome myself to this blog...It is still some time away when I would be able to post regularly, but you'd see a little of me here and there... Signing off from a quote from someone who is my role model...

"Me? I’m dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It’s the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they’re going to do something incredibly… stupid."

Bindaas bol (Speak your mind!)

My lunch mate Chaitanya shared a story, which I found quiet interesting and somehow made a mark deep inside me. I would love to share the story with the same passion he did, but not everybody is Chait :). Thanks for sharing buddy!

A Salty Ending

Long ago in some far away place lived a king and his two sons. The king ruled many kingdoms and had been thinking deeply which son would take over the kingdoms after him. He asked them a simple question, "What or who is most important to you in life?" The elder son doesn't want to take any chances and obviously making the king happy, replies "My father - I can't live without you and you are the most important person in my life". The king is super excited and expects the same from the younger son. The younger child without wasting any time further time added, "Dad, its the salt that is most important for me". This reply from the young prince discommodes the king and he decides to take severe action. The severe action ended in an exile from the kingdom for the younger prince. The ego of the king was hurt to an extent that people were stopped from buying, selling, using or even speaking about salt.

Salt was condemned from being used in any food preparation. The king was very austere about the decision and his subjects and the people of the kingdom were antagonized by this move. Nobody had the audacity to face the king and get exonerated from the act of eating saltess food. Months later, even the king started realising that food without salt is like fasting everyday and called off the brutal rule. As a matter of fact, the younger son was brought back from exile and the king announced that he would be the next ruler for boldly speaking his mind and not just replying to make his father happy.

Moral: Making someone feel happy is a good deed but speaking your mind is ultra important.(Chait narrated the story over our discussion whether a particular dish was salty - but gave me an outlook to think)

My friend keeps telling me "Do you want to hear what you like or should I say what I feel?" This makes one feel that you would wish the reply to both parts should be same but not necessarily. She speaks her mind with ultimate ease and thats the way to be! One of my other "politically-correct-replies" friend would never let me improve because to make me happy he would always tell me things I would like to hear.

Have you ever faced this situation at work where you knew a solution to a problem but hesitated to share it with the team? hesitated to answer in school/college/classes knowing the answer? hesitated to stop someone doing something wrong? hesitated to speak your mind? Many of us think and believe that "bindaas bolna" means hurting others feeling. Speaking for oneself shows the confidence and potrays your opinion of thought. Dont shy away from situations - if your crush comes and tells you that you look rocking today - don't just blush away, instead reply back saying, always! :) Confidence is the key - you have to believe in yourself for others to believe in you.

A simple tip is talking all by yourself looking at the mirror - sounds weird but this helps a lot. As a child, I couldn't say the alphabet "r" - to the extent that I asked for a loaf of bread in a grocery shop nearby and he gave a pack of shaving blades - for him my bread sounded blades!!!! The mirror habit helped me say the alphabet "r" correctly. Folks - maintain eye contact, stand straight and walk with confidence and I am sure you will speak your mind, not minding what the other person thinks.

The combination of your idea and thought process might be as good as others or even better, so let's share it, you may reach heights you never dreamt of. Before I leave here's a mantra of life to cherish and follow - I am gonna speak my mind today & stay healthy!!

~RJ

How "sporty" can you get?

It was a nice sunny afternoon while I was driving yesterday afternoon and decided I should play an outdoor game as I had been off from field/court games due to chilly winter backed with occasional snow, wind & rains. With the recent fitness fever that has taken over me, it surely has to be a game which burns a plethora of calories. I have been playing cricket since childhood and decided to try something different, something new, something tennis! Yeah! The idle "Fed" in me woke up yesterday with a zeal, superabundance enthusiasm and I headed straight to the nearest Modell's to pick up my Wilsons'.

I have wondered many times that its been 24 years and what games have I actually tried and played & I wished I could have played. This is it; its time and I am gonna try it, I believed (maybe I am trying to connect the dots!). It's never late for anything and sports is a habit I had to inculcate in my daily routine. I can imagine 25 years down the lane, my child would ask me to play with him/her and I would want to be energetic more than ever. No one would love to hear their kid say with chagrin, "Ahh, my dad can't!" That comment or thought just irks me.

Tennis is a very technical game unless someone like Nadal who can play with a rhythm and style of his own and be the best at it. The 1st lessons were very important and my trainer was our very own "sporty shank" cum "wtf roomie" cum "author @ the-connexion" has played a bit of tennis and was there to give me the basic beginners' tips. (Believe me it helped!)

So here I am, at the Woodbridge Public Garden which consists of a small kids play area, 3 tennis courts, a big lush green lawn and a baseball ground. Holding the tennis racquet like a cricket bat and constantly hitting on the net vexed me initially. As I played more rounds of forehand practice, I learnt that controlling the speed of the ball is as important as the placement. Having said that, my trainer also very keenly taught me that footwork in tennis is more important than in cricket :)

To my astonishment, I gradually got the knack of controlling the ball speed, placement and also the footwork pretty well that being my first day. The alacrity to better every movement only increased with time. By the end of first day practice session I had learnt to hold the racquet, place the ball on the other side and run enough to give myself room to hit the ball. Ahem..I'm impressed with my performance!

I was reading about tennis in various bulletins and articles and learnt a few things which I would like to share with all my reading mates. Sources say that, tennis players scored higher in vigor, optimism and self-esteem while scoring lower in depression, anger, confusion, anxiety and tension than other athletes and non-athletes. Just playing it one day, I could feel that its not all about physical strength, it required tactful thinking and alertness. We all know tactical thinking will help you grow your brain and we would never get older :) Who wants to get older anyways?

Moreover my dearest reading mates, tennis burns calories! Yippie, so you have a sport you can play that I am sure you will enjoy the most plus burn calories - double bonanza! I am gonna get sporty and I hope all of you grab your racquets and just hit! For that matter just play any sport - playing sports is platinum. Period.

All my smoking folks, you shouldn't try sports - you never know you might just die panting on the ground. Quit today - stay fit!

Happy reading guys, think & stay healthy,
~RJ

English Premier League Weekend Report - 23rd March

Well folks the weekend's fixtures have just ended and what a Super Sunday it has turned out to be. Manchester United strengthened their grip on the English Premier League title with a resounding 3-0 win at home against a Liverpool team for whom the EPL title remains elusive. Chelsea meanwhile leapfrogged Arsenal into 2nd place with a 2-1 win over the Gunners to close the gap to 5 points on ManUtd thus dealing a major blow to the Arsenal's hopes of securing the title.

Manchester United dominated proceedings from the beginning and could have gone ahead as early as the 9th minute of play when Wayne Rooney was put through with a defence pass from Anderson. However the England hitman's poor form infront of goal continued as he fluffed his chance. From then on it was just one way traffic as rooney as well as ronaldo came close to giving Man Utd the lead. Liverpool briefly threatened when a Steven Gerrard long range effort took a deflection and just went over the bar. On 34 minutes though the Red Devils took the lead courtesy of the unlikeliest of goal scorers in Wes Brown who headed in a Wayne Rooney cross.
Things went bad to worse for Liverpool when Javier Mascherano was red carded for dissent. The second half began in the same pattern with Man Utd dominating possession and Liverpool soaking it all up aiming to hit on the counter attack. However the Liverpool attacks and in particular Fernando Torres were expertly shut out of the game by the Man Utd defence marshalled by Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Chances were created with relative ease but wasteful finishing from Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo still gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope of snatching something from the game. On 79 minutes though the game was killed off when Cristiano Ronaldo rose highest to head home a corner from substitute Nani. By now the Anfield were deflated and just 2 minutes conceded a third through a superb strike from just on the edge of the penalty box by Nani. There was huge euphoria among the old trafford faithful and on this sort of form who can stop them?

The answer was provided by chelsea who staged a remarkable comeback from a goal down to defeat Arsenal. Didier Drogba was the hero scoring twice late in the game to cancel out Bacary Sagna's opener from Fabregas corner kick. How the wheels have come off for Arsenal. Just a month ago they were 5 points clear at the top and odds on favorites. Now they sit 3rd ,6 points behind Man Utd.

Easter Sunday fixtures over the years has produced so many twists in the EPL and it has been no different this time. We have seen Liverpool slip out of the reckoning and Arsenal's hopes take a major bashing. Chelsea's boring yet effective game has yet again reaped dividends as they now are the biigest challengers to Manchester United. Though there are 7 games to go a 5 point lead for Man Utd is by no means a comfortable lead. Sir Alex and team have to still play Arsenal at home and travel to chelsea which for sure would go a long way to determining the destiny of the title. An intriguing end to the season thus beckons. Will Manchester United successfully retain their title or will either chelsea and Arsenal sneak in? Lets just wait and see as the events unfold over the next 7 weeks.

Meanwhile at the other end of the table, Newcastle finally got their first win under Kevin Keegan with a 2-0 win over Fulham who are deeply rooted in a relegation struggle. Michael Owen and Mark Viduka got the goals to ease their own relegation fears. Fulham now face an uphill struggle to survive as they have now fallen 4 points away from safety as Birmingham now sit in 17th place on 27 poins while Fulham are deeply rooted in 19th spot on 23 points.

Sunderland though have moved slightly clear of the relegation positions with 1-0 win over Aston Villa. They now sit on 30 points.

It now seems like Derby and Fulham are doomed with Bolton and Birmingham battling to avoid the drop.

Well folks another week has gone by in the EPL with lots of thrills and spills. As usual i will bringing you the latest scores and comments from next weeks' matches so watch out for it

Ciao for now
Sporty Shank

Water - lets just save it

A new author on the block. Its me - Brinda. You will all get to know me a bit better with time for now lets talk about something I was thinking enroute to office. Water - something that is required to quench your thirst and is priceless! wow!

The best things in life are priceless, be it rain, smell of the wetmud, sunset, moon, dew, the much wanted zephyr to make the mood fine,our best friends, the 02 (Read: oxygen) and the not so required CO2(Read: carbon-di-oxide) all of these are priceless, yet much needed. Do we really value the priceless that is so easily available?

For instance, yesterday was World Water Day (22nd March) - ahem, how many of us really knew? Let us take a moment to ask ourselves a question -Do I save water? What if there is no water coming from all my taps because unnecessarily over-using? Will my kids have water to use or I am using their share as well? This is when I know we all are thinking about the the continuous running tap while we all lazily brush our teeth. There will be a day when we or the coming generations pay a high pricefor water. So all my reading mates Save Water - Save Life!! Lets make the world a peaceful, healthy living family. All the smokers (Read: hate you) reading, you guys have an extra fair task, Save Air, Save the enviroment, kids have perhaps starting learning in schools that "AIR HAS A SMELL AND IT SMELLS TOBACCO".

5 of the Best

The European football season is drawing to a climax. Over the course of the season, there have been many players who have caught the eye with some scintillating performances for their respective teams. Some are the usual suspects while there a few new kids who have exploded onto the scene. Here are 5 of my picks.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Without doubt the Outstanding footballer in Europe this season. A sure bet for the Footballer of the Year award in England for the 2nd straight year and if he leads Portugal to glory in the European Championships in the Summer, the European Player of the Year and the World Player of the Year awards beckon. He has illuminated fans with some breathtaking performances for Manchester United and i dare say has single handedly taken Manchester United to the top of the EPL with 33 goals this season. A staggering goal return considering the fact that he is not an Out and Out striker. Defences have been torn to shreds, goalkeepers just have had no answer to the unique brand of free kicks of this portuguese magician. Footballers usually do not hit peak form till 26 or 27 years of age. If he can produce form like this at 23 , one can only imagine what he would be at the peak of his powers. Frightening thought for defenders indeed.

Karim Benzema

Relatively unknown to footballing world before this season, he has made the entire football fraternity take notice of his wonderful ability this season with 26 league goals in the French First Division for club Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon in short). He is touted next big thing in French Football and is tipped for greatness following in the footsteps of his illustrious compatriots,
Henry,Zidane and Platini. A product of the Olympique Lyonnais youth academy, he is equipped with a combination of raw physical strength coupled with exquisite ball skills that has made him such a nightmare for defences in not just the French League but in the European Champions League. Versatility is the main strength for this young forward who is adapt at peforming in all forward positions, either as an out and out striker or in the left or the right wing. At 20 he is already a regular in the french national setup keeping out the likes of the more accomplished David Trezeguet from the team. These qualities have alerted major European Clubs who are willing to break the bank to land one of the hottest properties in European and World Football.


Lionel Messi

The next Diego Maradona, he is labelled. Tough footsteps to follow but who can argue with these comparisons. Aged 19 and already the 2nd best footballer in the world behind the brillinat brazalian Kaka, he is a regular starter in the Barcelona team in the Spanish League, he has become the fulcrum or the heartbeat of the team even eclipsing more established stars like the great Ronaldinho, Deco, Eto and Henry. Blessed with blistering pace and phenomenal ball skills, Messi has left opponents for dead with his artistry with the ball. So who can question the comparisons made with the kegendary Diego Maradona who has himself declared Messi as his heir apparent.

Cesc Fabregas

Another extremely gifted footballer to really make an impact this season with his club Arsenal. Just 19,Fàbregas functions mostly as a playmaker and his main asset is his passing range. As one of the most coveted young talents in the game today, he has been described as being a vital part of Arsenal's first team, bringing vision, creativity and selflessness to Arsenal's intricate passing game, and displaying maturity that belies his age.In set pieces, he is one of the first-choice coner kick and free kick takers in the team. Also a regular in the Spanish national team, he is seen as key to Spain's chances of glory in the European Cup during the summer.

Francesco Totti

The grand old man in my list at 31, the great italian has battled back from below par performances in recent seasons to regain his best form this season and was just recently voted the Italian Footballer of the Year for the record 5th time scoring 27 goals for his club side Roma in the Italian Serie A who are still in the running for the Italian Championship and have qualified for the quarter finals of the Champions League due to Totti's brilliant form. His performances not just for his club but also for Italy is seen as key to success in the European Cup during the summer of 2008. Brilliant on the ball with a keen eye for the killer pass, defences have been bamboozled by the sheer accuracy of his passing and sharpness in front of goal. My tip to be nominated as one of the top 3 footballers in Europe for 2008.

Well folks these 5 wonderful footballers have really made an impact in view this season. If anyone has another players in mind, do drop a comment. Thats it for now, keep watching this space for more.

Ciao for now
Sporty Shank

Can't wait for the weight!!

Some quick updates before I chat with my friends who are anxiously waiting to solve nettlesome "cant wait for the weight" syndrome.

1. I attended my second kick-boxing classes yesterday and for a neophyte my jabs and upper-cuts were super fast and super-rhythmic. Shank and me are very ebullient on the kb day! Also reminds me of the new Indian peng :)

2. This post is coming up a bit late coz' I have been busy adding a new link to "the-connexion" (work in progress) - its gonna be called "Poetic Arcana". This page would mainly focus on the arty side of all of us. To kickstart this page, I would be posting all of my lyrics/poems written to not accomplish the dreams of a wannabe rockstar during my college days, not so long ago. (anybody interested to be an author on this page send me a quick note)

3. We have two new authors politicio & kurt. Politicio as the name goes is all about politics. I have known this author personally for more than a year now and I am sure we would have some wonderful postings on US politics and occasionally other topics. Kurt is our in-house commenter but has agreed to post some soccer, F1 bulletin. An ardent Chelsea fan, it would be some fun to read his soccer bulletin vs. Sporty Shanks' (MANU follower) Ahem! all the soccer fun here!!

Thanks for your contribution fellas & welcome to "the-connexion"

Sagar has been asking me questions like "Yaar, weight badane ke liye kya karoon? kuch uske baare mein likhna" (Dude, how do I gain more weight? Write something about it.) This has been a common question among my many "blow & fly" looking friends. Over a recent coffee conversation, Shveta told me, "I have been eating like hell these days - everything from MacCheese to burgers to za - nothing really works on me. Why is that?" On the other hand, folks like Ashok live by the mantra - Eat till you gain!! Grrr..too callow!

Gaining weight is the goal. I believe, a goal starts with a desire, the desire translates into a long term commitment and eventually advances into action. Trust me folks, gaining weight is as tough and painful a process as loosing weight. Its not faster and definitely not an overnight process.

Let's jolt down the answer to the most common question? "Whatever I eat I am still thin - why?". Firstly, ask a question to yourself: Am I thin? Or do I feel I am thin? - Do I have numbers which say that or am I genuinely under-weight? Often, this is a confusion.

The key ingredient to weight gain is adding calories. Put in a habit of looking at the nutrition facts and importantly the calorie numbers. We are just adding calories to our diet and not fat calories. Another misconception people believe in is consuming lot of fatty foods will help them gain weight. NO - it helps in gaining fat and cholestrol and these items are a big NO NO.
Count in the calories you consume today and start by adding 500 more to it.

Its a gradual process & its gonna be a gradual increase. Carbohydrates are rich in calories and we should make sure our daily diet is consumption of 70% carbs, 20% protiens, 10% fats. The plan is to add the right weight without adding fat calories. (Shveta - somebody busting your chops!)
Another tip would be to change the 3 regular meals & 1 snack routine to 6 smaller meals and 2 snack routine. One of my trainers told my friend when asked about gaining weight - keep munching the right food at the wrong time too!!

Do not stuff up consuming non-caloric drinks e.g. diet coke etc. Last but not the least, the myth is if I workout I would stay thinner - bullshit! Exercise is a must at all times, all ages. Just remember to consume more calories than you burn. (You guys can eat almost everything - make sure you dont add fats)

All you thin folks, eat heavy at all times is the mantra. Dont stress out too much - laze around!!

And my smoking friends - happy early death! Quit today - isn't it shameful to be taken over a habit?

Stay healthy guys,
~RJ

Manchester United 3 points clear at the top of the table while Chelsea stumble

Manchester United today went 3 points clear of Arsenal with an efficient 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. Cristiano Ronaldo once again proved the difference with an absolute masterclass of a performance capping it off with 2 goals taking his tally to 33 this season, thus breaking the record of 32 goals set by George Best in 1968 for most goals scored by a midfield player in a season.

Manchester United dominated the early proceedings and went ahead as early as the 7th minute when Ronaldo smashed the ball to the top corner of the net after ball ran loss in the penalty box. It took the Portuguese wizard just a further 12 minutes to increase his tally and his team's lead with magnificient free kick that had Bolton keeper Ali Al Habsi just staring in awe. From then on it was cruise control and despite the fact that there were no additions to the scoreline, it was a comfortable night for the champions as they now seize the initiative at a pivotal part of the season. This was achieved with a changed squad. Sir Alex Ferguson made 7 changes to the team that defeated Derby County over the weekend with Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Park Ji Sung, Ryan Giggs, Wes Brown, Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick all rested. With this many star names rested, the manner of their victory today is an ominous sign for the rest of the teams and sets them up perfectly for the battle ahead against Liverpool on Sunday. Come On You Reds!!!!!!!!!

Chelsea on the other hand suffered a crucial set back in their quest for the title squandering a 3-1 lead and ended up drawing 4-4 in thrilling contest at White Hart Lane. Didier Drogba gave Chelsea the lead with a trade mark header as early as the 2nd minute. Tottenham equalised in 12th minute through Jonathan Woodgate of a corner. From then on chelsea seized the initiative and on 20 minutes, Michael Essien was put through brilliantly by Joe Cole and calmly slotted past Paul Robinson for Chelsea to take the lead.

Chelsea scored again soon after half time when the magnificient Joe Cole scoring in the 52nd minute. The contest should have been over but the new found resilience of Tottenham under new boss Juande Ramos was displayed again as they rallied on and were duly rewarded when Dimitar Berbatov reduced the deficit with a looping header past Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.

But Spurs' all-out attacking approach paid off with 15 minutes left when Keane's corner fell to the giant Huddlestone, who fired a superb left foot drive beyond Cudicini.

Spurs sensed an unlikely victory, but Chelsea responded in style and the inspirational Joe Cole put them back in front in the 80th minute, shrugging off another weak tackle from Chimbonda to beat Robinson emphatically.

There was another twist after 88 minutes when a long clearance hit Ricardo Carvalho on the back and Keane reacted quickly to curl a 20-yard shot past Cudicini.

And in a grandstand finish, Cudicini produced a wonder save from Berbatov when the Bulgarian looked poised to cap a magnificent match with the winner as the two teams shared the spoils.

Chelsea now sit in 3rd place on 65 points 5 behind leaders behind Manchester United. This really sets up an interesting Super Sunday, anything other than a win over Arsenal would be a fatal blow to their title aspirations.

So advantage Manchester United for now as we move into the critical Super Sunday matches. With so many twists taking place this season, who would bet against another occuring come Sunday. Let us all sit back and watch the events unfold.

Ciao for now.
Sporty Shank

Of Politicians and Prostitution...

What's the difference between a politician and a prostitute?
One sells his/her time for favors, and the other... well sells his/her time for favors :)

But all kidding aside, the recent furor over Spitzer's 'links to prostitution' has cemented my opinion for its decriminalization. Now before you blow a gasket, let me first explain the activity that I'm advocating for - the sale or exchange of sexual services for money/gifts, between consenting adults, conducted in private.

I don't deny that prostitution arose out of misogyny. Married elite Greek men of past used to enjoy the company of a class of educated women (heterae) as an escape from their wives who were isolated from the outside world as they were required to stay home. These elite male Athenians sought intellectual discourse, and as it was lacking in the home, found it in the company of the heterae. For those that buy this line of thought, let me also say that most men read Playboy for the articles...

to be continued...

English Premier League Weekend Report - 15th March

What an intriguing English Premier League soccer season this is turning out to be both at the top and the bottom of the table.

3 weeks ago, Manchester United suffered a potentially fatal blow to their title defence as they meekly succumbed to their main city rivals Manchester City in front of a 76,000 adoring yet shell shocked fans at Old Trafford, "The Theatre of Dreams". With closest rivals Arsenal winning and thus opening up a 5 point lead at the top of the table with 12 matches to go, all Man Utd fans, myself included thought that was it. A 5 point gap at almost the tail end of the season is usually an unassailable one especially with Arsenal brushing aside all opposition with their scintillating brand of attacking soccer.

How the tide has turned 3 weeks on, Arsenal have gone on to draw their last four games and have surrendered the initiative to a rampant Manchester United who now lead the EPL on goal difference after a hard fought 1-0 victory over rock bottom Derby County who are doomed for relegation thanks to the opportunism of the mercurial Cristiano Ronaldo.

With all the attention focused on Arsenal and Man Utd, Chelsea have sneaked up the table unnoticed and are definite contenders for the title courtesy of their 1-0 win against a hapless Sunderland team for whom the scoreline really flattered them. Losing just 1-0 after being battered for 90 minutes would have definately left manager Roy Keane relieved. Chelsea now sit third just 3 points behind Man Utd and Arsenal.

Liverpool on the other hand despite boasting a squad capable of challenging for the title have been some sort of an enigma. Under perform in the EPL but absolutely over perform against the odds in the European where the best sides in Europe have fallen to the tactical mastery of coach Rafa Benitez. However in the EPL , too many points have been dropped culminating in their title hopes fading. Liverpool now sit fourth in the table some 8 points behind Man Utd. Though mathematically possible, it would take a momentous effort plus a dramatic downturn in fortune for the top 3 clubs for Liverpool to win the EPL. Why and how liverpool dont reproduce their champions league form in the EPL should leave all Liverpool fans worldwide baffled.

So the stage is set for the one of the most intriguing title races in recent times. Both Arsenal and Man Utd know that with Chelsea breathing down, any slip up now could prove decisive in the title run in. The race really heats up this sunday when the top 4 all take on each other. Man Utd play Liverpool at Old Trafford, while second placed Arsenal are at Chelsea in what could be a weekend that could prove decisive in the final reckoning.

However before the matter of Super Sunday, Manchester United would have to get past struggling Bolton Wanderers in a must win game that would take them 3 points clear of Arsenal while Chelsea travel to White Hart Lane seeking revenge against Tottenham Hotspurs who beat them in the Carling Cup Final 3 weeks ago. A Chelsea win would take them joint second with Arsenal, so all Man Utd fans around the world including myself would be hoping for Chelsea slip up.

The relegation battle in the bottom of the table is also proving to be equally intriguing. Derby County are good as relegated while any two clubs from 14th to 19th could go down.

Newcastle, under their talismatic manager Kevin Keegan cannot buy a win at the moment, thats baffling as they boast players like Mark Viduka, Alan Smith, Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins who are of genuine international class. They drew 1-1 with Birmingham City with Michael Owen scoring the goal to save the Magpies blushes. They currently sit 14th just 4 points off the drop zone. For a club of that stature, its an absolute disaster.

Besides Newcastle, the other teams in the relegation scrap are Reading, Birmingham, Sunderland, Bolton, Fulham. Apart from Derby County who are rock bottom, any two of the mentioned 6 teams could go down. Will the giants of Newcastle suffer the harsh realities of relegation or would it be any of the remaining 5. The Intriguing Question lingers on.

Well people, this is it for the 1st bulletin of my sports reports. Watch this space for more news as the English soccer season reaches its climax as well as the other football leagues across Europe.
Ciao for now.

Sports Bulletin from WTF Roomie

Hello one and all,

Firstly before I begin with my regular sporting reports, let me introduce myself. I am "the WTF roomie" of RJ and I will be providing you reports on the wonderful world of sports.

As a self confessed Soccer freak, ofcourse soccer will be my chief focus. However different sports like Tennis, Cricket, Badminton, Basketball etc etc will also be part of this very special sports bulletin.

So please watch out for regular sports blogs and do provide me with comments or requests for me to add any other sport to this.

-Sporty Shank

75 jumping jacks, 25 push-ups, 25 squats i.e. kick-boxing

As much as I was excited for my kick-boxing class, I was equally worried and nervous just before the class. What am I going to do? People attending the class may be doing this for years and what if I couldn't kick or punch? Will I know how to wear the gloves? all sorts of silly questions. There were a ten thousand questions revolving around my mind and as I entered the cardio studio with these questions I heard a stern voice, "guys, are you here for the class?". I said, "hmm..ye..yea..." assuming that he is the trainer. He continued, "have you done kickboxing ever?" I gave him a impression that I was nervous and my past x generations have never done kickboxing in their life including me!! As more people entered the studio, he said, "thats not a problem; you will be fine" and my wtf roomie and I felt a bit better. Phew!!

He took out some cds and played the swamp song by tool and said, I am Mike Quisumbing, your trainer for the class, start with 75 jumping jacks, 25 push-ups & 25 squats. Shank and me stayed put as if it wasn't applicable to us and Mike repeated, "guys, 75 jumping jacks, 25 push-ups, 25 squats, thats when I realised, damn this is gonna be a lot tougher than I imagined.

Later during the entire session, I realised, this is something different to what I have been doing for the past few months. You lose a lot of calories in an hour session, test your stamina level and I actually get to jab, kick, upper-cut, hook my roomie...whoa..what more can I ask for :)

Mike had divided the session into small bits and taught us different stuff, each session was 10 mins long that seemed like 120 mins. By then I realised kickboxing is more energy, constant movement, very tiring but loads of fun & all about being fearless and more strength. Since it was my 1st class, Mike made sure that I am not overdoing anything and taught me that the speed was more or equally important compared to the force, be it a jab or a upper-cut or a kick. Most importantly, it was very much required to keep your face covered at all times so one hand or both the hands always cover the face.

After the class, Mike came up to us and said, you guys did wonderful for the 1st class and I hope to see you more often. By then, I had already made my mind that I would take not one but two of these sessions in a week - I replied back, Mike it was a wonderful session, thanks a lot and we would connect again in the next session.

All my reading mates, kick-boxing is sure a thing to be fit. I recommend if you get a kick-boxing chance, grab it!

~RJ

A copacetic beginning

Firstly, guys I am chuffed with the kind of response I am getting for my fitness tips - thanks a million bunch. I would much appreciate if you start using comments or the newly added "Vox Populi" element in the page.

Secondly, most importantly, I am taking my 1st kick-boxing classes today at NYSC and pretty excited about it :) I did a bit of karate in school but kick-boxing sounds cool. Everybody is with their wooleries as partners and me with my wtf roomie Shankar!! huh (kiddin') Let's see how it comes along.

Till then post me comments about stuff you would like to read and see in my blogs. I am working to make the site look more dank, informative and for 8 to 80 which means more space i.e. more information and cool gadgets i.e. more fun. Part of the process is to get in touch with friends who love to write their views on topics they know the best (I insist, their views!! - so its gonna be new, never read, exciting, controversial, debatable, gossipry). Here are few topics I could think - your comments are most valuable and I would try to fit one and all but for now the mantra is "LESS IS MORE". (Thanks Mirza/Darshan/Shankar/Bro for agreeing to write and Kurt for agreeing to be commenter. Russel - still to get a confirmation..huh!!).

1. Entertainment News - Bollywood
2. Cricket
3. Politics (India, US, World Politics, Office Politics)
4. Soccer
5. Charity
6. AAA - all about apple
7. Technology
8. Movie/Music Reviews
9. Self - Improvement
10. Health
11. Marriages
12. Education (Post graduation / Certification)
13. Parenting
14. Foodies & cookies

.......yadi yadi ya.....ooops...I am running late for kick-boxing..folks keep thinking healthy...post the comments......subscribe to my blogs...make this your homepage...eat, live and think about "the-connexion" :). Over & out.

~RJ

Fitness tips for no grits

Being fit is like dogs bollocks - having said that, to be fit always takes the hell outta you. What does "being fit" mean to you? For me being fit WAS fighting 10 people single handedly, running a marathon, being fearless, wearing a athletic fit tee, showing off your body..until I realised how immature can I get? So what the heck does "being fit" mean?

Being fit to me means, to be able to eat everything you crave, till you are gone. The mantra is simple - Eat less to eat longer. Ahhh..this is not a health-fitness blogging area, its just me as a fitness freak and 6 down in 6 is quiet a story :). Allow me to add a few tips that helped me to reduce the phat and those who don't care fank you! (Russel - are you reading?)

This is a grandma's recipe, very effective as always. Take a dose of honey+hot water empty stomach, early morning, every morning (yeah...even on saturdays & sundays..huh). Usually bodies have a natural tendency to expand (as in EXXPPAANNDD) for heavy eaters, the honey works against it. It will make you look thinner. Folks, try it out for nothing!

70% of the fat is caused by the evening munching or should I call "snacks". The text-book definition of a snack is "a light, quick meal eaten between, or instead of, a main meal" . My definition of a snack is "anything that is loaded with fat, absolutely unnecessary and a lazy substitute for a healthy meal" . Snacks sure are tasty, but then anything tasty is nasty. How many of you can connect to this bit of the entire day? A quiet morning, hard day at work, reach home loaded with rats and hog on anything thats edible (waffers, chips, burgers, left-over pizzas, soda, mac 'n' cheese, beer on a hot day..damn absolutely anything!!..wow...yummy and then damn....tummy!!). Like everybody , how do I get of this habit, sing a song?, dance? play games nothing helps when you are "HUNGRY hungry". This ennui seems to kill me slowly.

So I decided let me keep it simple - Subsitute the snack with something healthy and tasty. Fruits..hmm..maybe is a option..cereals..hmm..not again...just had a bowl in the morning..protein bars...wow..yes protein bars. Protein bars are flavoured, 0 fat calories, low calories and loads of proteins. Another platinum option is chyawanprash (none of my relatives work for dabur & I dont own the shares!). Frankly speaking folks, chyawanprash which is good health+resistance power helps loads.

More simpler day-to-day tips would be having fresh lemon juice with your lunch with less sugar, fast walking for 30 mins, avoid lifts, avoid S&B, less oils, burn 1/4th of the calories you consume through cardio exercises.

This may be a cliche` health/fitness regime but this is the way it works. Success does not happen in isolation; it is a participatory process (Freeda - thanks!). Post your good dieting practices, ideas and knowledge because "Success breeds success".

I gotto jet now to do evening munching aka a protien bar and banana.

Eat healthy, think healthy & stay healthy coz' healthy is the way to be.
~RJ (the weight-watcher)

P.S a post for weight-gainers should come out pretty soon. Keep watching this space!