May 2009 - Posts - Life etc...

May 2009 - Posts

Your weight: Moderation works wonders, and how!

Posted by Kavita Devgan at 
So you said no to nuts when they asked you to. ‘These little devils are packed with calories, so steer clear’, read nutrition news headlines. And you stayed away. Now we all know how much the nutritionists are in favour of those pesky small packets. Horror stories about chocolates too have all of a sudden found a sweet ending: Researchers now tell us...

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What makes a memorable meal?

Posted by Elizabeth Eapen at 
It's strange that I should be asking myself that after what was supposed to be one. Last week, a friend bought me lunch at one of the newest luxury hotels in the city. Minimal is more, we agreed ( sotto voce), as we walked around the controlled precincts. Long, silent, sun-dappled boulevards, virgin Khareda stone underfoot, muted tones of olive...

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What's social about social networking?

Posted by Papi Menon at 
I ride the bus around my city whenever I can. Part of the reason is a desire to save the melting glaciers by using more public transport, but the more immediate impetus comes from a desire to preserve my sanity by avoiding parking in the bedlam of downtown San Francisco. Riding the bus or train gives one ample time and opportunity to observe one's...

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Your weight: Eat your dinner

Posted by Kavita Devgan at 
So you have had a bad day (calorie-wise). You've had a parathewali breakfast, a burger meal for lunch, a shake for tea, some popcorn at the movies... But the worse news is that you still have to tackle dinner. And you are hungry, very much so! So should you brace yourself (or even chain yourself to the bed) and skip the meal, or is there a less...

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Proud to be an Indian

Posted by Elizabeth Eapen at 
Hustled between TV and computer screen, the printed word and the spoken one, trying to take in and understand all that was being said about the elections, has left me quite dazed after the weekend that was. As ‘breaking news’ merged into ‘breaking results’ and everyone fell over everyone else trying to express that one thought or idea that would sum...

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Your weight: Small steps help big (part 2)

Posted by Kavita Devgan at 
Besides the cheats mentioned in the earlier post, there are some proven, very obvious, yet often missed out steps that help BIG. Follow these three and feel the difference. They are easy enough. Have some protein with your breakfast. (It is understood here that breakfast is not to be missed at all.) Why? Because proteins rev up your metabolism right...

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My guruji can beat up your guruji

Posted by Papi Menon at 
I've long cherished the notion that one cannot be authentic as well as cool if one is Indian. It is either one or the other. A cool Indian is like a brave Frenchman – not entirely an impossible creature, but certainly an aberration of nature. Well bred people avert their eyes and talk steadfastly about the weather when they encounter one. So when...

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Your weight: Small steps help big (part 1)

Posted by Kavita Devgan at 
Who says you have to officially start a "diet"? Or make a big hullabaloo about exercising for two hours every day? I have seen most slim people remain so by virtue of some simple, almost subconscious habits. Feel like munching because of boredom? Have a hot, low-cal beverage. You'll tend to sip it slowly over an extended period of time...

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Should your bookshelves complement your sofa?

Posted by Elizabeth Eapen at 
I once visited a home in which bookshelves formed a dominant part of living room décor. No problem with that, except for the "look at me" manner and the military-like precision in which they (all hardcover) were displayed. They all seemed relatively untouched and, if I may say so, unread. The whole thing seemed a bit like an uneasy relationship...

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Clichés in real life

Posted by Arjun Jassal at 
It’s past midnight and I am walking along the canal, hoping to take the next left to Dam Square, the closest thing Amsterdam has to a city centre. On both sides, booths awash with pink fluorescence encase woman displaying their wares, while neon signs frame them, dragging attention to all things adult. The light reflects off the water in the canal,...

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