New addition

And so, we welcomed a new television to our home on the 3rd of June, 2012. Welcome, buddy! May you be a source of happiness at our place! S and I have been thinking about and wanting to replace our old dabba for quite some time now and simply didnt get to pay and buy one. The time came when we HAD to buy a new one. On the Saturday , 2nd June, the old guy suddenly wouldn't show any picture..I was just then serving lunch to MIL and S, I had served them rasam and went inside to place the rasam and bring in some veggies..While I went in, I saw that some program on SUN TV was being played and while I turned back from kitchen, I saw nothing, I thought probably, the remote fell off or probably there was a power cut..Only when I came back with veggies, found that the old guy simply wouldn't power up at all..We anyways, got the old one repaired, looks like the Power Supply Unit went bad and that was replaced..We are yet to use it again!. In the meantime, welcome , Sony Bravia..May your arrival be the beginning of many good happenings/goodies in our lives!

Eat-outs

I just realized that I have not  written a single post on the different kinds of food/ different restaurants that we have tried so far..Let me try to blog about them going forward. Let me begin where we dined last evening. We went to California Pizza Kitchen, at 100 ft Road, IndiraNagar. 
We tried Wonton Spring Rolls , the Mediterranean and Margherita flavours in the Appetizer section and shared a vegetarian with Grilled Egg Plant Pizza and along with an Ice-tea.

The Appetizer was OK, the Pizza was quite soggy, and Ice-Tea was simply not worth it.
Both the appetizer and the pizza were a little too oily..Anyways, now we have tried this place and I wouldnt recommend anyone to this place or visit myself the next time. Prices are steep (its another post how most of the p;laces charge exhorbitant prices for their meny these days..) , nevertheless, if the quality and the portions are good, then , we could pay the price..But, this place doesnt qualify for it. rating I would give is : 1.75/5.

Short Story: Iron wala

Rekha had made plans to lock up the kitchen that Sunday and give a break to her MIL by deciding to eat out for lunch..She woke up a little early than usual to let her MIL know that they  need not cook that day. While she was doing her exercise, the door bell rang. She waited for a few minutes as she knew her MIl would answer the call. When the bell rang the second time, she stopped her suryanamaskar in the middle and proceeded toward the door while she heard the following conversation. that her MIL informing the iron wala that both the husband and wife are still sleeping and asking him to come over sometime later. When the laundry man asked for the second time if Rekha was at home and if Rekha has kept aside clothes to be given for pressing, the MIL replied back telling Rekha was asleep and wouldn't wake up any sooner..This upset Rekha and she cancelled her lunch plans for the day. For quite some time she was disturbed by what would have been the need for her MIL to announce to the world that she was a later riser!! Phew! She did not get an answer and went about ignoring the incident and going about her day from noon onwards!

A quick catch up

of whats happening on the swimming front..
This course is a 8 day beginner course (only weekends) and supposed to complete these 8 day class within a month of joining.
Day 5: I'm going to this class after a break of 2 weeks.Rehearsed whatever was taught starting from walking a few times across the pool ..I start with swimming until the mid-pool and then, able to reach the other end after a few trials..So now, I make 2 more new friends and with their tips and feedback, I'm able to progress this time. As time went by, the pool started getting more congested with more men trying to occupy space that was previously occupied by us, women..So, clashes happen here and there, but men are not ready to move out or rather wait or heck, even utter a sorry..They think its their right to swim and it is us women who have be mindful.Disgusting behavior! Anyways, thankfully, time was ticking away and it was nearing the end of the one-hour slot and it was time to leave for the day. felt a little satisfied with my performance that day .(Little did I know what was awaiting the next day!!)

Day 6: The two friends of the previous day were not to be seen. Though my husband  S suggested  that we go for the early morning slot,  my laziness overpowered me and as a result, had to go in for the batch which had the maximum number of people enrolled. So, the practice started, the trainer was no-where to be seen..She was busy teaching the new-comers and just asked me to move to the deeper side of the pool and keep practicing..While she asked me go over to the other end , I did a good drama of first going there , only to return back to where the new-joinees and kids were learning..This created quite a scene, where the trainer referred me to be a senior while I claimed that I'm not a senior ye since I'm still not comfortable navigating from one end to another..
Amongst this drama, I still practices, only to cross the pol diagonally,.If I cross the pool in a straight line once and got a kudos for that, the next 10 times I would only swim in a criss -crossed direction..

After the class, when S asked me why I wasnt ready to simply obey the instructor when she asked me to go to the other end, I simply didnt have any other answer except claiming that I was scared.But S remarked that its because I've become stubborn and the un-willingness to learn, respect the instructor and abide by what she says has started creeping in!! I had to think about that and also figure out mentally how I would swim straight  before I come in for the last 2 classes of this course..
So, some work needs to be done on the weekdays ..

Want to record here how one small kiddoo gave me tips about how to place hands while swimming..The kid named Adityan remarked that I was keeping my hands inside the water and suggested that I place the hands on the water and even went about showing me how it needs to be done. Thank you, Adityan!

Swimming class adventures

After the 2nd day of swimming, I was in a dilema whethere I need to continue the classes or come to a conclusion that I'm not cut out for this and call it quits..I took tips from S, tried to do the leg movement by lying on stomach in the bed at home and asked him to check if the technique I was doing was right or not..All was well at home, as it cant be as floating in water and splashing your legs..Anyways, I tried to think through it over the week whenever I found some time, and the next Saturday came so soon and the thought of going to the class did not excite as much as it did the previous week..

Anyways, I still went, now,a fellow student who is a senior to me in the class, helped by doubling as y trainer..She gave me some tips, encouraged me when I did it right, motivated to set the goal and cross the lap..Thank you SriVidhya , your tips and motivation did really mean a lot..Because, when the trainer just asked me to practice and went about instructing so many others, you did give me personal attention, held my thighs, moved my legs and literally made me do 20 leg movements and said you wouldn't leave until I did..Thank you so very much.  My interest towards swimming increased from its low ebb the previous week just because you helped me and made me swin across from one to another. Else, I would have been stuck at that level, for God knows hoe long..Thanks again

So, with help from SV, I began to do laps across the pool, sometimes managing to reach the other end , at other times, stopping in the middle in short of breath.

The fourth day of the class, I tried to do more laps by swimming from one end to another and when I felt the need for learning the next step, the trainer asked me to practice this same step as she said I was not ready for the next step yet..So, I started swimming from one end to another, when suddenly , half way through the class, the trainer taught the next step, of hand movement along with leg movements while swimming..Again, this is going to be another big milestone to achieve..I will require practice before I can do this..While I was practicing this hand movement technique, the trainer commented that " You ar doing like a ROBOT" :)::):).. For, I would do the movement of the right hand first, then, start with the left hand , whereas there needs to be a co-ordained movement of both hands..Lets see when I can master this technique..

Another point which I wanted to mention is: I did not expect so many ladies in the class, who had enrolled to learn..There are so many women, though I haven't counted, but the batch can easily be passed of for a ladies batch..In the previous swimming camps I have gone and inquired in the past, I always got a reply that there are either 1 or 2 ladies who have enrolled..But, here, there are so many and I'm happy to have enrolled and begun to learn..

Water..

As much as I can recollect, I've liked, enjoyed getting wet, be it drenching in rain (not heavy rain, but the drizzling types..), be it washing my feet umpteen times during the day, or enjoying the beach waves crashing on me by asking for extra 5 minutes whenever being called.to return.I've always wanted to learn swimming..At college,the shyness (whatever that was at that time!) of those ten years and the scare from few of my batch mates who went for swimming class about the trainer etc didn't inspire me to sign on for the class..
Later , the desire took a back seat and once in a while, it used to pop up and a search for swimming class, trainers , suitable time etc would happen in the heat of the moment only to die down within a short time span.

Finally, the time came,(Thanks to that!) and I enrolled in the class..Here again, I need to mention that afetr enquiring about the class and after doing apool visit and told the trainer that I would join the week after next week, I only went and enrolled 2 weeks later..Better late than never and this time, it happened..I enrolled for the weekend class in a swimming camp that was being conducted in the pool inside a school..M, being whoever he is , have always been supportive of my attempts and agreed to chauffeur me around.

First day, first , walking in the water to get accustomed to the water, then, immersing in the water with head completely down, then, trying to hold on to the sides and lifting the body and float , in order to practice breath control..On all this, I felt awesome being in water, the weightlessness it offered etc..It was cool to swim!! (Little did I know what was welcoming me the next day :))

Second day , a quick recap of whatever was learnt the first day, later, I was asked to flap my legs in an up-down rhythm . Which I simply couldn't, I struggled..I was only getting the cycling motion , but the up-down motion that was required to push myself forward..I felt pathetic, repeated trials and being shown how the leg movement needs to be did not help..(:  I was just this close to quitting..I'd almost decided that  I wouldnt get the tactic(: Phew!! All for a wish and desire , that too a loong one which has materialised only now!!

At this point, I have to mention one point : Afterthe first da of the class, S asked me teasingly if I'm done with learning to swim, and the answer I gave was " Yes, I'm done, half way"..All for the comfort of just floating and not bothering to move my butt one bit on Day One. Had I an inkling idea of what was to come next day, I wouldnt have dared to make this response..

Swimming adventure/exploration to be continued ..