Age is just a number

Age is just a number
The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.
Let me tell you, I never had to LIE about my age...
As luck would have it my age was kind of a mystery, People NEVER seemed to get it right.
It began when I was very 3, all my relatives always thought I was older than my brother, when in fact he was 2 years older than me.
My mother tried tirelessly to make him look older.
He was plastered with copious amounts of "cod liver oil" given every health protein and vitamin known to mankind, but much to my brother's misery I always remained just a tad bit taller
Ironically whilst at the home front I looked older, at school fate played a cruel game with me.
None of my teachers every believed I was a day older than 6.
One day I was minding my own business, sitting comfortably after lunch break, listening to the drone of my substitute teacher's voice and almost dozing off into that delicious afternoon power nap.
Through my barely open eyes, I noticed a sari clad figure right in front of me.
I was jolted awake. She then Began " you are supposed to be in UKG no??”
Amidst the giggles and snickering i felt my self-dragged from one UKG section to another.
I felt like a convict in a police lineup, each teacher surveyed me suspiciously and nodded their heads.
After all the UKG teachers refused to take ownership of me, I was dragged back to my class, standard 3.
She finally decided my opinion would matter, "what is your name?" she began
"Madam Amrutha, I’m in this class"
She bit her lip and nodded disapprovingly, she opened the class register “roll number??" she enquired.
"Roll number 1 madam"
"Ah, there you are, go back and sit down”
That was it, no "Sorry”, no mention of the humiliating dragging.
In standard 3 children rarely hold grudges, In fact I was more than happy to reclaim my seat to resume my afternoon siesta.
Age was just a number; and math was never a favorite
Middle school went through in a flurry of mistaken identity.
When I made my foray into high school I assumed people had grown well accustomed to my puny-ness.
I assuaged my ego by saying that I was “the one who led the troops”
Well it wasn’t all a lie, by that I meant that I was so short that I stood first in all lines.
By the time I was in college the vitamins fed into my brother finally kicked in, he was taller and also had an unmentioned side effect a receding hair line!!
My mother’s praying and hard work finally paid off, my bother looked older… who am I kidding?
He looked OLD!
My issues were a little more complex!
I had bunked my classes one day and went to watch a movie in a nearby multiplex.
I would say this incident as simple as it may sound turned out to be quite eventful!
This was an English movie and much awaited and the ticket stands were swarming with fellow bunkers.
We managed to scrounge 3 tickets.
We entered one by one, opening our backpacks for the routine checks,
Just as I was about to enter, the lady checking said “Identification please”.
Nonplussed, I enquired “why?” She replied authoritatively “This movie is certified as Adult”
Before all your minds start to wonder, let me tell you that most English movies are harshly certified.
I mean “Baby’s day out” was PG!!
“But I am 19” I said meekly, as luck would have it I did not have any ID on me.
So long story short… I buckled under the pressure of the dirty looks which were shot in my direction, the other people were really eager to get in, so I bowed out rather gracefully.
I yielded to the pleading looks of my friends who thought the movie was more important, and continued without me.
Age was just a number and what I learnt was you are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime


Started my tryst with work life and this brought some lovely perks in to my life.
I noticed that people stopped questioning me about my age, no cases of mistaken identity.
I took this as a welcome change.
Little did I know…..
It took a fateful trip to a well-known skin clinic for me to realize what had happen.
I got some free skin treatment coupons from a friend and like any Indian wanted to milk it for its complete worth.
I walked into this clinic and waited my turn.
I was duly whisked away for some free medical advice, I could not be happier.
The doctor looked at me and scribbled on her notebook furiously.
She looked up when she was done and sighed … she said “well, there are some deep issues”
She then pulled out a face diagrammed and scribbled some lines on them,
“These are your laugh lines and you have some wrinkles as well around your eyes”
Pretty normal, I thought to myself.
You need an immediate Botox treatment.
My eyes grew wide in disbelief, “you must be joking I asked her”
“No” she said, “I did a quick face-age test” she continued as I hung on her every word incredulously.
“What is it?” I asked breathlessly …
“It is 32 “she announced.
For another hour she droned on about how I needed all the treatment she was suggesting, I felt like a terminally ill patient.
I walked out utterly demoralized, this was it!!!! 32?? How could she?
I had come a full circle…. Old—young--old again!!!!
I was walking up to the stairs leading to my house, sad and OLD, when I heard a voice call out to me.
“Hi!!” I looked up and recognized her; she was an old acquaintance of my granny’s.
“How are you? It has been a while “she continued “by the way have you finished school?”
Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

The possibility

The car eat up the miles... hungrily devouring every inch .. every mile.....
the pretty lights beckoned the two of them longingly.
She stole glances silently.... He returned the favour...!!! both of them wore a knowing smile...!!!
The best part about night time... the silky smoothness of the darkness masks all the discomfort...
it was a beautiful journey they had embarked on.. they knew they had the night... only the night .. no false promises .. no "ever after" .. just tonight!
They reached the airport and lingered in the car for just a second relishing the toasty air!
They stepped out just to be engulfed in the nippy cold wind...
They walked slowly over to the deserted benches... Ironic that they decided to meet here... A place for departures... A place for goodbyes .. but for them .. this was just a beginning.
the night was spent drenched in stories of the past , visions of the future.. both never overstepped that invisible boundary they had set.
Beep!!!! beep!! He reached for his pocket and drew his cell phone out. He read the message and bit his lip , frowning as he digested the contents.
"Anything wrong .." she asked him cautiously. "um mm... actually nothing.. never mind.. I don not want to ruin today"
"no tell me.." She insisted.
"Well.. it is my ex.. she wants to .. you know.." he admitted.
Crestfallen as she was, she put on a brave face.. " oh well.. you were with her for 3 years.. it is natural for you to want to get back. .. I fact I insist that you give it another chance"
"I don't want to get back.. but I have to do the right thing ". he concluded.. with a note of finality in his voice.
Rejection was something she was used to... something that she face ever so often. When pain becomes a ritual , it doesn't hurt as bad.
Hope had fizzled away... it was a beautiful hope, but he had to walk away.
The usual hustle-bustle of the hoard es of taxi's and people proved as a adequate distraction, as the impending morning light streamed in.
They drove back into the city... where they had come from ...
All she could think of was the frosted windows of the car, the second before they had stepped out into the cold. The warmth ... The look on his face!! it suggested a possibility.. A beautiful possibility.

Stolen!!!

We always were the more-complicated ones!! the fairer sex!!And now they ve taken it away!!!!
Confounding creatures... always so hard to understand!!! like layers of an onion
It is stolen now... !!!
This phenomenon is sweeping the nation!! Word has it that men have become exceedingly complicated...!!!
Gone are the days when you could catch their bluff !!! gosh darn it.... the one thing we had ......stolen!!!

Falling!!!

No wonder it is called "falling in love".... Leaves you as vulnerable and as jittery as you would before a taking a leap!!
Some "falls" are softened by the cushion of true passion, Like falling on a plush cottony bed...!!
Some falls are as painful as falling on jagged rocks....!! OUCH
Some begin all hunky-dory , and WHOA ... your blindsided and then take a fall...!
Some falls are like tripping on a bannana peel in front of a crowd... embarassing as hell!!!!
No matter which category it fits in...!!! the falling is always enjoyable... it is the aftermath that HURTS!!!

Signing of as an Ace fall-er

RETURNING to my ROOTS

As a kid I found school to be a very traumatic experience. I was plain and existed.

I merged into the nothingness of oblivion in school. This went against my every thread.... my

SHINE-SHIMMER Aries nature revolted blatantly.


I never did any soul-searching as to why I detested my school life so much.

I never had any urge to return to school, meet or even keep in touch with my school friends.
There were times when I doubted if I had made any friends AT ALL.

It was very disturbing to know that while people made lasting bonds at school ... I had failed to make even one.

Or maybe that was a trend I still have made none!!!!

GLUTTONY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Picture this
A slice of heaven... topped with puffed clouds of milky goodness and sprinkled with nuggets exploding with taste
Today I shamefully admit to an addiction. An addiction which afflicts the nation today.A dangerous addiction as people scarcely regard it harmful or lethal and indulge their senses a tad bit too extravagantly....FOOD ADDICTION... or more aptly yet FAST FOOD ADDICTION...
Someone once said: Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.
If they ever analyzed what I ate .. They’d think I m a donkey... what will all the JUNK i consume..
Today I shall play the devil’s advocate.... I shall ... like every hapless addict defend my poison... and my very worthy opponent here That being myself again will put forward to both me and you.. COLD IRREFUTABLE FACTS..
The newest FAD being that every one is jumping on the HEALTHY EATING bandwagon.... the addict in me scornfully remembers what Mark Twain once said...The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.

In what may seem like a futile attempt to win over what I call the "FAST FOOD JUNKIES" and in order to melt the sentiments of the oober conservative "HEALTH Foodies" to reach a grey middle ground I begin...

So I appeal to the court today to listen to my first argument in defense of the accused.
1) FAST food as the name suggests is FAST.. it’s on the go....
In today’s age of convenience, fast food needs no introduction. Everyone from a 2-year-old Toddler to a 60-year-old grandpa seems to be enjoying it every chance they get. And why not?It being only a drive through or a phone call away. What more can you ask for when you are living life in the fast lane?

In most fast food operations, menu items are generally made from processed ingredients prepared at a central supply facility and then shipped to individual outlets where they are reheated, cooked (usually by microwave or deep frying)or assembled in a short amount of time. This process ensures a consistent level of product quality, and is key to being able to deliver the order quickly to the customer and eliminate labor and equipment costs in the individual stores.
Because of commercial emphasis on speed, uniformity and low cost, fast food products are often made with ingredients formulated to achieve a certain flavor or consistency and to preserve freshness.
And these ingredients are FAR from healthy...!!

2) FAST food is delicious and it’s filling, most of all its rather comforting...

How many of us actually say to ourselves "Let us watch a movie with a cuppa herbal tea and a plate of salad" ugh.. we’d rather prefer ... in fact insist on a tub of popcorn and a glass of chilled Pepsi.. And make that large please...
Fast food is loaded with calories from refined sugar and fats (especially, the artery-clogging saturated and hydrogenated fats, which are repeatedly reheated to high temperatures for frying purposes). It is also very high in sodium, coming from common salt and other additives. On top of all this, fast food is deficient in dietary fiber and essential micro-nutrients like vitamins and minerals. To make matters worse, heaps of fast food are normally guzzled down with gallons of sugar-rich colas – which many fast-food restaurants serve as combos with food as an incentive. To make a long story short, all this results in piling up of unused empty calories in the body, which get stored as body fat – till one day you look in the mirror and realize that your great figure has been replaced by this creature in the mirror.

And being physically inactive only adds to the problem of obesity. Not many people who love fast food are ready to acknowledge that obesity is not simply an eyesore – it is a major risk factor for a large number of deadly diseases like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and even many types of cancers.

3) FAST food is readily available just any time of the day....and most of all it is cost effective.
It could easily be considered as breakfast .. Lunch or dinner...!!This however give scope for an increase in frequency of its intake
Excessive calories are another issue with fast food. A regular but not overly filling meal at McDonald's of a burger, large fries, and a large Coca-Cola drink amounts to 1430 calories.

Recent scientific studies have shown that high-calorie foods rich in fats, refined sugar and salt could reconfigure the hormones in the body in such a way that they make you crave for such foods and always leave you asking for more.
In other words, fast food is kind of addictive; you get hooked on to it and continue consuming it in an uncontrolled way in spite of knowing that it is unhealthy. The more you consume, the more difficult it is for you to opt for healthy foods.
The situation is worse in case of children who from a very young age get hooked on fast food. Making them change their food habits from fatty and sweet foods and develop a taste for health-promoting fruits and vegetables is a task easier said than done. Such children would grow up to be obese adults who have never felt the advantages of being a healthy weight.
To sum up, consuming fast food on a regular basis leads to many health hazards

Well I can see that in what set out to be a fair unbiased judgment of FAST food.. We landed up judging it too harshly...While I must admit in all this spiel about fast food ... I’ve slightly changed my stance...

Picture this.... A slice of heaven..... Filled with motherly care... prepared with utmost sincerity and sprinkled with nuggets of love exploding with Taste unparallel
ummmm I think this is what I call a true slice of heaven....

Take a Deep Breath...!!!

A clichéd remedy to anger/stress/frustration/pain a quick fix to almost any known problem man encounters and A count of 1 to 10 added for good measure...Well as ridiculous as that sounds it actually works...NO... I have not crossed over to the world of the mind-freaks believing that "mind-can-move-mountains”.... YET.Yes I have been going through a difficult phase in my life where I seem to be stuck in the mundane rut of a routine robotic life...Which may I add was wholly self-inflicted and NOT (to my utter dismay) imposed at all.And reading has been very cathartic. I’ve been coming across these inspirational books which seem to suggest that my mind can alter my state of being...NO mumbo jumbo.... I can, with my thoughts alone "attract" a peaceful state of being, or for those pessimists out there a crappy one as well.WOW now I am endowed with a whole new sense of responsibility of filtering my thoughts...The average number of thoughts, they say, varies between a few hundreds of thousands a day ...Well for my opinionated self I would say the amount is MORE... A whole lot MORE.When I have a bad day.... I sit down phase out.... and take one deep breath (mind you the counting is just the placebo).Guess what it WORKS. Like a charm!!! I am discovering ... or should I say rediscovering the infinite possibilities of my mind...ONE BREATH AT A TIME...
Cheers,
To a happy and wholesome living