The Months That Were

That’s it. The spare time on my hands of the past few months has gone completely. With training starting in full swing after a brief lull, whatever little posting I was doing seems to be in danger of getting done at all. Even without work picking up, the past few months have sped away like hard earned money in a mall. Have you ever felt like you were working away at a mad pace, like the proverbial rat in a wheel, with nothing to show at the end of the day? Yes? I feel for you. Days are speeding past, weekends flash by and the year is already four months old. What have I done? What in the world do I have to show for all the days past?

Let me see. A few useless pictures and postings on FB or vetti Whatsapp chats aside, I have had updated this blog pretty decently. There have been the usual round of weddings and get togethers to hobnob with near and dear one though that does take some energy you know. It is not all that easy to smile and act nice under a heavy silk saree with a 13 kg toddler perched sulkily on your arm. Why is my dove sulky you ask? It totally beats me…I mean shouldn’t she be happy dressed to the nines in non-breathable prickly clothes with her unruly, curly hair controlled in eleven clips, and in sparkly, toe pinching sandals with absolutely no one her age to play with or even a play area to run off her latent energy? Ungrateful girl. I certainly will have to try and open her up to some real experiences.

So leave looking hot or fashionable in my beautiful silk saree and designer wear, it will have been a great achievement if I had managed to look presentable at all! What would make a wedding memorable would be to have a play area or a nanny service for the kids who come along. Imagine the way things would play out – all of us harassed parents would devout our undivided attention to the bride’s 24 carat 2 kg necklace which dutifully pulls her head down with its sheer weight, giving her a nice demure look or drool over her 2 lakh rupees saree which we hope will not be made into curtains after 10 years when she relocates to the US of A,  or indulge in a bit of juicy comparison of the two patsies tying the knot to figure out who is luckier. What a relief that would be. I say, leave the return gifts and the welcome drinks, please give my kid a diversion while I partake in such ordinary pursuits of which I was unaware of when I was single and which I have hardly had the satisfaction of enjoying before Ana kutti dropped in my lap. I do promise to leave a good moi behind.

Well, such life altering lessons in wedding attendance apart, I have of course dutifully increased my calorie count and hence my overall weight these few months because how else can it be? The moment my brain gets a whiff of a wedding  around the corner, the buzz word thrumming through my body is the antithesis of diet and weight loss….eat well, stock up, eat well, stock up… I simply couldn’t not add calories to the already burgeoning self. That would be so regular, right? So I went out a bit and sampled some lip smacking fare in the bargain.

Yummilicious Stroganoff at Writer's Cafe

Pizza at Writer's Cafe

The Super yummy Chicken Pot pie - Waffles Thru The Day

Wapple at Waffles thru the Day

Not an ounce of regret there, as I managed to walk about with my tummy sucked in and managed to look presentable. Ana kutti perched on my arm covered most of the truant love handles from showing and the resulting lack of oxygen because of holding my breath in has helped show my cheekbones in relief. Not all bad that I looked like this pretty much...

well...what do you suppose?

…but a wild guinea fowl look is not a bad image to try pull off sometime.

Anyway the best thing to have happened in the past few months is to have found some joy in baking. I have mixed and folded quite a bit of sweet, tasty batter to produce some good tea cakes and cupcakes. 

And I have been spreading the joy around…giving generous portions to family and friends alike. 

S's birthday cake

It seems to be the right thing to do as I have now found a way to circumvent my craving for simple, dense cakes and the subsequent weight gain – simply share. Plus the copious sweating I have gone through while making these delicious cakes have helped take away that niggling 500 gms from my stomach. Baking must be one of the most under hyped activity for weight loss. I need to spread the word around. Baking helps weight loss.

A yummy Valentine treat

How has your year been till now? If you have been floundering about like a poor duckling without her mother, then do remember you will grow into that beautiful swan...only just don't complain of a having a heavy ermm...bottom. You can't have it all, you know. If it is all too much to take, remember there is CAKE. :)