Tuesday 28 October 2014

..my fastest 4km this morning!

..As of last night I had no idea what I was going to write about next..totally blank! But like in the past, I knew something somewhere will click in my head..which is what happened this morning..

I landed (as per my routine) at the gym, and waited (longer than usual) for a turn on the treadmill. Let me warn you, running on the treadmill is 'not' one of my favourite pastimes. 

Garden by the Bay
I live in an area that has enough outdoor space and so running indoors for me would only be to ensure I run at a consistent speed or because I can't make it outdoors early mornings! 

I have to (mentally) prepare myself for the day I need to run in the gym (and on weekdays I can't run outside because of the kids school routine and early mornings being the 'peak' hour in our home).


When i run outdoors, I run 5km now (smoothly), but when I run in the gym, I struggle to do my 4km! So today since I got the treadmill late, I decided to run a bit faster so I can finish faster and get some quiet time at home before my younger one gets back from school! My usual speed is 8.3 or 8.5, today I decided to run on 8.7 and wanted to see how far I could go...Mind you, even the speed of 8.3 was a 'dream' for me till 6 months ago...

As I started running and watching people around me (I do that only so I can pass time on the treadmill, apart from listening to my 'mundane' playlist that has been my only constant through my running journey and find a way to not look at the treadmill reading), I wondered what 'motivated' everybody who was there! 

Am sure everyone had their own reason for just being there. For someone it maybe their 'me time', for some it may be 'to stay fit', others it may be to just 'stay sane', may be a routine to 'meet friends' and for some this helps them 'fit into a dress', . I am not sure where I fit in. I think I am there everyday for a different reason or maybe all of the above!

The Sunday Times, dated Oct 26, 2014
Just then my mind flash-backed to a story I had read in 'The Sunday Times' dated October 26, 2014 titled "Secrets of weight loss revealed". The Health Promotion Board (Singapore), had recently announced a campaign- "One million KG challenge" - first incentive-based weight management programme.

Some of the winners stories were very interesting. One lady didn't even know she had enrolled for this programme, she thought it was an extension of her existing weight loss programme and it was mandatory and hence took it on! Another guy, plays his favourite games on his iPAD while cycling after failed attempts to jog or exercise. And each of these people, have lost weight the 'right' way'. One of the participants in fact said, " I tried to force myself to jog and go to the gym but realised that unless you really like the activity, your determination will eventually fade".

That is what 'stayed' in my head. No one can be pushed. This activity can only sustain if it's done through self-motivation and determination.
My reading this morning!

By the time i finished my 4km run, my blog for today was pretty clear in my head! And probably that was my 'motivation' for today...to run my fastest 4km! But I still have an 'unfulfilled' wish of running a 5km on the treadmill. Inshallah that day will also come soon!

Friday 24 October 2014

and this movie moved me...

..and with kids at home for their school break and Diwali, i struggled to even get near my laptop. I had enough things jumbled up in my head, but never got that 'undisturbed' 15 minutes to pen it all down...

One of our (Zoya and my) holiday activities was to watch a few (pending) movies. One of them was Mary Kom. It was a movie we had (easily) skipped watching in the theatre (now I wonder why, considering for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, we made a lot of effort!!).

I started watching the movie with no expectations. Enough reviews had been read, friends had talked about it, so this was meant to be a more time-pass affair for both of us.

So as the movie progressed, surprisingly we got hooked on! For Zoya it was an eye-opener. She was first time seeing issues like curfew, rebels, so there were a lot of questions from her end. During the movie, we talked a lot about 'states in India', which state she belongs to, why the Manipuri's looked more Chinese and not Indian!

Having seen 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', one had a bit of an idea of how tough the life for a sportsperson could be. But in Mary Kom's case I felt some thing's were a wee bit different
- the sport was not popular
- she came from a 'troubled state'
- hardly any family support
- AND she was a pursuing a sport that hardly seen any Indian woman succeed..

Some things I felt came out far more strongly in this movie. Her return to the boxing arena after having kids, must have been emotionally and physically so tough for her! And despite the obstacles, to excel in your sport is another ball game all together. I think it clearly shows the 'constant struggle' that women go through while they are multitasking. You are constantly stretched to give your best to both your worlds.

This movie clearly shows how tough it is to succeed when the going gets tough . I am sure India has 'tonnes' of Mary Kom who probably go by unrecognized.

For once, this movie wasn't about the 'actor' and more about the real woman! It left me thinking for a few hours...




Wednesday 15 October 2014

so how do you know you are right!

When i started blogging, i wondered when would i really 'think and write'..do i have the time and the mindset? Well strangely as it all started both fell into place. I would think anywhere- while running, walking in a mall, doing my groceries, traveling by bus....

Anyway today's topic has nothing to do with the above...as a mother am sure we all go through a million questions in our head daily. Am i doing the right thing for my kid? Was my decision correct? Did i react the right way? Would my mum have handled this the same way? And i guess it gets more challenging as they grow..

A few months ago, someone asked me "So when do you plan to start pre-school for Ira?" She was probably 18 months then. And for a second I was a bit taken aback. Why would I put her in school so soon? I am home, so why should she get there this fast? I started my elder one when she was 2 years old (as I was a full-time working mum then), so the younger one could surely get a bit more time! I was totally at peace with my decision and months passed.

Then after she crossed two, I could sense the need from her end (mind you this time it wasn't from my end!). She eagerly waited to meet other kids (unfortunately she met more 6-year old's than kids her own age), she was ever ready to go somewhere in the morning. So this time, I was more prepared (that's what I thought) and got her enrolled into a pre-school (same one my elder one had attended so the comfort of the bus staff, school staff etc was very high).

Over time as a parent, you feel that you learn a lot from your elder one's upbringing (well that's what we think) and want to play it perfectly with the younger one! This was one of the decisions that I thought I was right about but alas wasn't!

Inspite of being a full-time working mother, I struggled to pick up and drop my elder one (even during office hours) but refrained from putting her on the bus (saying it takes too long, she's too small etc). I did the pick up and drop till she was three years old. 

So when it was Ira's turn, I thought I should correct some of my earlier mistakes and do things differently. When Ira got to pre-school we decided we are going to put her on the bus (both ways) from day 1, I spent only a day with her (instead of a week) in her class during the parent-student orientation week (my thought was she shouldn't get used to me being around and in this case I was right!)

And she was all set to get onto the bus and spend three hours at school. Every morning putting her on the bus would be a struggle (and I thought it would be the easiest since she had an elder sister to follow, she's been seeing her go for the last 2 years and blah and blah and blah)...I was so wrong in this case! This went on for more than a month. I would see her go crying but come back super happy!

One day I decided to break the routine and take her to school myself (by the public bus). We sang songs, we chatted, we walked and it was all fine. We continued this trend for a few more days. And she was super happy to be dropped off, to take that public bus every morning and wave a 'big' bye to me once she entered class!

And wow, I was wrong again! My formula of putting her on that school bus, thinking she is very independent, social etc and so will get used to it was wrong! She proved to me that every kid needs that time and space and as a mother you just may not be right with all the decisions you take! And it's fine to correct yourself and move on!

Now every morning our biggest excitement is that bus ride together and it's probably the best 15 minutes of my day!!

Saturday 11 October 2014

a lesson of life learnt (unknowingly).....

Anaika and Zoya
A few days ago, when I went to drop off my 2-1/2 year old at her pre-school, I came across a poster. It was the announcement of 'ARTopia'- the biggest charity art fair that her pre-school organises every year. From my past experience (my elder one was at the same pre-school couple of years ago), this is probably one of their most well-organised/structured events. So on my way back home, I quickly dropped an e-mail to the Principal. I just had an idea!

My elder one (Zoya) and her BFF (Anaika) along with a few friends have in the past organised 2-3 garage sales (don't think they realise, but they have done a pretty good job at it!) in our condo. Held almost every six months, they would sell all their old toys, books, clothes and top it up with cake and lemonade at nothing more than $2/- each!!! They are even ready to part with some of the stuff at 0.50 cents. More importantly than raising money for charity, I think they got 'used' to the habit of giving away their stuff. And mind you, they have never realised this, but every event of theirs managed to raise a decent amount of money (that can be proudly donated).

So to come back to my idea, I thought why not get these girls into action again. The cause was noble and Zoya had a connection with that school. The school was highly excited to have one of their alumni participate. I got the girls excited and we thought we were all sorted.

So all the back-end was done. We had some dear friends give us some of their old books and toys. The girls were all set to roll! That's what we thought!

Their 'little charity stall
We landed at the school venue, set-up our stall and waited for people to flow in. The girls were all pepped up (though a bit shy)! Just then, we noticed another set of parents and kids near us (bake-stall volunteers) standing at the entrance to give-away coupons for the bake stall (mind you valued at $10). As parents and kids walked in, these volunteers were able to push their coupons on the visitors. Very few turned towards our stall (and all our books were priced at $1 and @ 2/- only). 

  

I could see the disappointment setting in. I kept encouraging the girls (literally felt like a life coach for a while)! In my mind, I didn't want to push the girls or the parents. I wanted the people to walk up to us and buy willingly! So I never asked the girls to get aggressive (not that they would have listened to me!). What I didn't realise was, these girls were actually observing the bake-stall volunteers and had got thinking!

A few minutes later I saw the two girls telling the bake-stall head, "We bought your bake stall coupons, maybe you should buy a book from us." And that worked! He sent his kids to our stall to buy the books and then I suddenly saw teachers and parents buying from us.

So what had these girls done? They had actually started walking up to people and informing them about their stall. They managed to convey the message of 'charity' and that they were donating their old books away. Without me pushing or teaching, they had learnt something new, moved out of their comfort zone (a strange environment), and were able to 'beautifully' (mind you not aggressively) communicate. They managed to raise a decent amount, the principal applauded both the girls for their 'enterprising attitude' and told me (separately) " this is such a lovely idea and wants to incorporate it in every charity-driven event organised by the school".

After yesterday's event and seeing the girls, I felt unknowingly they had learnt a few lessons of life (maybe something they wouldn't have learnt in their classroom). 

I was obviously a very happy soul yesterday and treated the girls to their favorite McDonalds dinner on our way back home!


Wednesday 8 October 2014

I got it too!


... and this is what we (PR) guys call a 'perfectly' drafted letter and a 'good' PR strategy.....

Good one Flipkart

-------------------------------------------
Dear Customer, 

Yesterday was a big day for us. And we really wanted it to be a great day for you. But at the end of the day, we know that your experience was less than pleasant. We did not live up to the promises we made and for that we are really and truly sorry. 

It took enormous effort from everyone at Flipkart, many months of preparation and pushing our capabilities and systems to the limit to be able to create this day. We were looking at fulfilling the dreams of millions of Indian consumers through deals and offers we had painstakingly put together for months. 

And though we saw unprecedented interest in our products and traffic like never before, we also realized that we were not adequately prepared for the sheer scale of the event. We didn't source enough products and deals in advance to cater to your requirements. To add to this, the load on our server led to intermittent outages, further impacting your shopping experience on our site. 

An unprecedented 1.5 million people shopped at Flipkart yesterday. While we stand humbled by the sheer faith that such a large number of customers have shown in us, we are unhappy that we were unable to live up to the expectations of millions more who wanted to buy from us yesterday. 

And this is not acceptable to us. 

Delighting you, and every single one of our customers, is absolutely the top most priority for Flipkart and we have worked very hard over the last seven years to earn your trust. Yesterday, we failed that trust. We have learnt some valuable lessons from this and have started working doubly hard to address all the issues that cropped up during this sale. 

Price Changes As we were preparing various deals and promotional pricing in the lead up to the sale, the pricing of several products got ?changed to their non-discounted rates for a few hours?. We realise that this breaks the trust our customers have put in us. We are truly sorry for this and will ensure that this never happens again. 

Out-of-stock Issues We ran out of the stock for many products within a few minutes (and in some cases, seconds) of the sale going live. For example, most of our special deals were sold out as soon as they went live. We had ensured availability, anywhere from hundreds to a few lakh units for various products, but it was nowhere near the actual demand. We promise to plan much better for future promotions and ensure that we minimise the out-of-stock issues. 

Cancellations We had large number of people buying specific products simultaneously. This led to some instances of an order getting over-booked for a product that was sold out just a few seconds ago. We are working round-the-clock to ensure availability of additional units for these products and will do our level best to ensure that we minimise any cancellations. 

Website Issues ?We realise that the shopping experience for many of you was frustrating due to errors and unavailability of the website at times. We had deployed nearly 5000 servers and had prepared for 20 times the traffic growth - but the volume of traffic at different times of the day was much higher than this. We are continuing to significantly scale up all our back end systems so that we do a much, much better job next time. 

Everything that we have achieved at Flipkart is purely on the basis of our customer's trust and faith. This is why we come to work each day and continue to remain extremely passionate about building the best possible customer experience for Indian consumers. We failed to live up to this promise yesterday and would like to apologise once again to every single customer for our failure. 

Thank you. 
Sachin and Binny







Monday 6 October 2014

a different outing!

A few days back, a dear friend- Karishma, asked me why I wasn't coming to the Pritam Concert (her firm was bringing the concert to Singapore). For those who don't know Pritam, he is one of the better known music composers in Bollywood (India's largest film industry) and has rendered some of the best music in the last 4-5 years.

And to come back to my dilemma, I had a flux of questions in my mind- a weekend eve, leave the kids and go (do I really need to), too much to co-ordinate? And then I thought, maybe I should just take Zoya (my 7-year old)..

Pritam performing live in Singapore
For those who don't know, Zoya is a mini-Bollywood fan in our home (a convert in the last 2 years). Her Hindi drastically improved because of her Bollywood interest! She probably is more updated on the songs on MTV India than me. More than just a 'hindi' movie song buff, her first question to any upcoming movie is,  "are we going to watch this film in the theatre or on DVD at home?" And so this seemed like a 'perfect Saturday evening plan'.

Guess you never realise that your kid is now ready to sit and enjoy something that you equally enjoy! The ease with which they watch an animated movie is now the same while watching a 'real world' cinema.


And so as per plan, Zoya and me were all set to go for the concert. Prior to the concert day, we did a quick brush up on Pritam's songs, and we figured that she was quite up to date on them (though she still had no idea who 'Pritam' was . And at her end, she had no idea even what a 'Bollywood concert' really was. So I decided to keep that bit a surprise.


And so we reached the venue. Just as we were walking in, I could see the 'twinkle' in her eyes, as though she was walking the red carpet!

My mind quickly rewound to 'my first concert' which was a Bryan Adams concert in the early 1990's in Mumbai. I clearly recollect, me probably being sent so my elder sister didn't have to go alone, and with a clear deadline to get back home on time. We probably managed to catch only 3-4 songs, but I was thrilled that I managed to hear  'Summer of 69'! That was the only song that I knew of then!

Anyway to come back to Zoya, we finally got to our seats. She was overwhelmed with the size of the auditorium, the stage, the lights, the musical instruments on the stage and still couldn't guess what was in store.

And then the show began. The lights came on, the music began and we had some great power-packed performances (thankfully a lot of Zoya's favorite songs). What came on, left her spellbound. She had never seen this kind of entertainment, loud music, people dancing, singers coming and interacting with the crowd, her favorite songs being rendered so powerfully. As the songs came on, you could see she was dazed.

In the first 15 minutes, she figured, who a music composer is, a singer is and the various people part of the band. She realised that composing a song was complicated and the true credit shouldn't go only to the stars but even to the composer, the singer and the band! I was glad! Now when she watches a song or movie, she will probably think a bit more!

It turned out to be a great evening for both of us. I was glad that I took this step and took her for her 'first' Bollywood concert. Like I can never forget my Bryan Adams concert, am sure this will also stay in her mind.

On our taxi ride back home, we both chatted on what a nice evening this was and I asked her if she would happily attend more concerts like this? And the answer was "oh yes and I hope along with Pritam, Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor also perform next time." Am glad, we had a 'date with a difference'.

Friday 3 October 2014

72 to 59!

Yes the title of this article says it all! That's really where I stand today!

Zoya and me in 2008!
I was asked  lot of questions by my cousin yesterday...how did I loose all this weight, what were the roadblocks, was it easy?

I sent her the link for my previous blog XL to M! and thought I had covered it all there...but last night I actually thought of all that she asked and realized, that maybe I haven't covered it all... the start, the challenges and how I really got here!

For those of you who haven't known me for more than the last 10 years, let me tell you that I have never weighed this light in my entire life..not even when I got married! So it was never something that crept into my mind after I had my 2nd child (Ira), that I need to go back to an 'original' weight...I had a husband who was a great example of getting back into shape, but even that never pushed me...

So what really pushed me? I think to start with, it gave me an opportunity to have some 'me' time. After having left work, it was a perfect space for me to be by myself! That hour spent at the gym, was my time. And I had someone who was helping me do the 'right' things.

I also feel when I started this whole exercise, I never set a goal nor a time for myself. None of us knew how committed I would be to this, and if I would be able to sustain it. I think that helped in the initial stages. Whatever weight I start losing, it only pushed me further.Now when I think back, I can clearly see 3 stages that I went through:

1. The Start 
The actual start was me walking on the treadmill (mind you holding it), and hallucinating that I am doing a great job at working out. The real start was when I started training professionally. After my first session, I had Smita asking me if I had any 'aches and pains' and she was thrilled to hear I did, as it meant that the session was effective! 

I dedicated two days of the week to train under my trainer and another two days to attempt to do it by myself. She pushed me to stop walking and start running. I had this mind block, that because I was asthmatic, I could never run. I think that was the first myth broken.

I still recollect starting to run at the speed of 7.0 on the treadmill and feeling breathless within 5 minutes. It only made me feel even more unfit and my will power stronger, that I needed to get over this challenge.

I felt maybe its easier to run out than in the gym, so maybe I should start with that. That helped. But the early morning wake ups (with my elder ones school routine, husband's run routine) were a bit stressful. But I scrapped it through. Now when I look back, those early morning runs, really helped. I started feeling less 'aches and pains' at my training sessions and could sustain more comfortably.

2. The Challenges-
- Diet-- Now that I had set a pattern for myself,  I still felt there were hindrances. I myself felt, that since I am working so hard on the gym and the running side, maybe I should see if any compromise on the eating side would just help. I decided on the below things but on a sporadic manner (and not under any pressure):
- Drink only on weekends
- Frequently go off rice during dinner
- Small portions of dessert if eating at night

And how well it complimented my weight loss programme! My clothes started fitting me better! The results were faster and for all to see. And I feel when you are investing so much of your time and energy, a bit of sacrifice from your end only compliments this whole effort. Once the goals are achieved, one can sit back and relax.

- Exercising- This was a dedicated and sustain routine I followed with my fitness trainer. She made sure that it got tougher as we went along and that truly was the way! A combination of cardio, weights, and other exercises to strengthen your core... And each time she would surprise me with new ones! 


Zoya and me in 2014!
I must admit that through this journey it was not always good news! There was a stage, when I had got static for a couple of weeks despite being regular with my gym and weekly running. And that was disappointing. But I guess, that was my body buying time to adjust itself! But I never gave up! And then again suddenly, I would see results.

- Running- I think this must have been my biggest challenge that I got over. I think sustaining and pushing myself is what helped me here. It was probably the toughest part as only I could push myself to do this. Of course having my Salveo Mantra  running buddies helped, but running just that 1 Sunday a month was not sufficient. I had to push myself to wake up early mornings (even weekends), go by myself (which is the toughest) and ensure that you run the distance you have thought of for that day (of course it helps to keep increasing that distance gradually)! It's very easy to stop and just start walking!

3. The End - Is it really the end or the beginning? For me its the start of a new phase of my life! Me feeling so much lighter, more energetic and more positive. I need too run twice a week and hit the gym twice a week now or I start missing my little chit chats at the gym!

 Exactly 12 months after I started my fitness training, I weigh 59kgs, I ran my first 10km and I feel super! I am glad I never set any goals for myself, I am glad this happened the right way, I am glad I know that I will hold onto this for life now!