037. The Fitness Equipment Saga

February 20, 2012

Preface

This 577-word post was written for an assignment for Bahrain Creative Writers' Workshop, an offshoot of Bahrain Writers Circle.  

My special thanks to my friend, Mr. Vasudevan, the first who shared my below thoughts!!

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I looked at the mirror.

I  turned towards left and then right.   Noticed my popped out paunch,   which was more visible as I was wearing the blue-colored T-shirt.

“Don’t blame the mirror!   For how many days I have been asking you to go for a morning walk?  You become angry whenever I remind you of your cholesterol counts”,  it was my sweet wife who was also there in my room!

“OK!  I have decided to start my morning walk from next Wednesday”, I tried stopping a debate on a combustible topic.  I knew that Wednesday was far off and moreover, my wife would be going to India on a short vacation the Monday prior!

“Don’t fool yourself! “, not budging in to my tantrums, my wife left the room abruptly.

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To avoid getting up early and forcing myself for a morning walk, I decided to buy a treadmill and surprise my wife before her return.  I also wanted to prove a point that I was health-conscious.

I was thrilled, as I was going to use a fitness-machine for the first time ever!    I surfed many sports shops in search of a classy treadmill.   The treadmills were available everywhere, but the lead time for home delivery was a concern.  Eventually, I could spot one dealer who promised to deliver the treadmill the next day.

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With utmost curiosity, I impatiently waited while the technician assembled the treadmill  at the farthest  corner of my hall room.  He tested it out, certified its condition and left.    

I believe in beauty & perfection.  For a look-good feeling, I wanted the treadmill to be placed facing the television, but the power cable length was insufficient.  In another ten minutes, I found an extension board, repositioned the treadmill and switched it on.    The owner of the treadmill stood on it and changed some settings.   With pride, the belt started to move, but it increased the speed drastically making me fly off the base and alas, in less than 3 minutes, it stopped abruptly!  

After numerous persuasions, the technician agreed to come back from his way, to check the reasons for this irreversible blackout.  In spite of revival attempts, the treadmill  was declared dead, due to faulty extension board.   Thankfully, the dealer was magnanimous enough to give me a replacement.

After an initial surprise factor for my wife,   I continued the way I used to be.  In a month’s time, the treadmill  found its resting place near the bathroom to function as a manual cloth dryer, and to hang used clothes!

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I looked at the mirror again.  My protruding potbelly has not reduced even half inch! 

I got enthused by the teleshopping channels and bought AbCirclePro.   Because, the lady who appeared in the commercial used it in swing like action,  with much ease and marketed it for a 3-minute use everyday. 

“3 minutes only?”, without any second thoughts, a lazy me, went in!

Four days into it, I realized that three minutes were too long.  To make matters worse, one day I used it so aggressively that  I ended up with bruises on my knees – lying on the floor!

When I write this, the AbCircle Pro is being used as a temporary teapoy, and sometimes as a stool to sit atop to pull up my socks.

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I looked at the mirror again.  I turned left, right and center! 

I have now ACCEPTED the fact that potbelly is inevitable for a handsome man. 

(C) Renjith P Sarada. 2012

036. 46 hours @ Langkawi (a travelogue written in 2003)

18 February 2012

Prologue

I received an overseas call from one of my close friends this morning, seeking my suggestions on their itinerary related to a proposed Malaysia visit.   Thanks to my work assignment from Oct. 2000 till March 2003, I had the fortune to be in Malaysia, one of the beautiful tourism destinations in the world. 

Talking of Malaysia, the first thing which comes to my mind is always the beauty of that country - comprising lots of beaches, islands,  greenery,  modernization, overall development, loving people  etc. etc.  And, talking of islands therein, the first name which strikes me would always be Langkawi. 

The telephone call which I received this morning tempted me re-write a narration which I wrote originally in 2003 on a sojourn to Langkawi, an exotic island in Malaysia, with my Daddy during his visit in September 2002.  Due to time constraints, we could spend only 46 hours at Langkawi.

I swear, Langkawi is a tourist destination, one should attempt to pay a visit to.

Langkawi

Langkawi is situated just off the coast of Kedah (one of the seven states in Malaysia).  Langkawi is actually made up of 99 islands, the largest of which is Pulau Langkawi, while some others appear to be mere dots in the emerald green ocean when viewed from the air. The outstanding natural landscapes of Langkawi Islands proclaim them a true tropical paradise. Besides its white sandy beaches and limestone hills, its lush vegetation filled with exotic flora and fauna would attract natural lovers.   In short, Langkawi is surrounded by stunning turquoise sea.  The main island is a mixture of picturesque paddy fields and jungle-clad hills.

Local folklore say  that the name, "Langkawi" derived its name from the eagle or "helang" as it is known in the Malay language.   "Lang" for short  and in old Malay, "kawi" denotes reddish brown; hence, Langkawi simply means reddish brown eagle.   Where once, a group of 99 islands lay under a curse of a wrongly accused princess, there is today a new beginning, a new light, and as a result,  a new budding and thriving holiday hideaway.  The Langkawi you see today has been transformed almost beyond recognition. This is the legendary island where now major international businessmen meet to form new ventures and conclude deals whilst relaxing. The curse that lasted for seven generations can surely be said to have been lifted.

NOTE : When I re-write my article today (February 2012), I understand that there are many new attractions made available to visitors in Langkawi, including a cable car ride.

46 hours at Langkawi (a travelogue written in 2003)

During my tenure in Malaysia, my father visited us twice – in April 2001 and in August 2002.   He is a person who is really fond of visiting new places and meeting new people.  He was equally thrilled when I spoke about my plans of our trip to Langkawi together.

Langkawi is accessible by air, rail and road.  Unless you are travelling by air, you have to make a ferry ride to reach the Islands.   Because of certain  time constraints, we preferred air transport to save time.  Our Malaysia Airlines flight took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Friday, the 6th of September, 2002 at 8 pm.  We were a bit sceptical about the climate at Langkawi, as Kuala Lumpur was experiencing heavy thundershowers till some minutes before our departure.  The flying time from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Langkawi (LGK) is nearly 50 minutes.   Only low range aircrafts are being operated for Langkawi as the Airport is having a much lesser runway.  On our arrival at Langkawi Airport, a prepaid taxi took us to Awana Porto Malai Hotel where our accomodation was booked in advance.    The ocean-view room we chose to stay in, was equally impressive.

Awana provided us a complimentary Island-hopping programme the next day (7th). We were taken to a small island in the morning in one of  their speed boats. There, besides scenic beauty  we got an opportunity to have a sea bath and a sun-bath!!!  We were picked up from the island back to the hotel after two hours.

After lunch we went for a sight-seeing tour. The places we visited in the order are:-

Underwater World :

The largest aquarium in Asia with a walk-through tunnel, more than 5000 marine and freshwater species reside here.  More information is available at : http://www.underwaterworldlangkawi.com.my/

Cenang Beach :

Pantai Cenang is a two kilometre beach with fine powdery sand lined by picturesque chalets. Pantai Cenang is a good choice if you're looking for a relaxing time at the

beach as well as a little bit of modern entertainment.

Mahsuri's memorial :

A mausoleum made of white marble has been built at the site where Mahsuri (sinned princess) lies buried in a village surrounded by paddy fields. This impressive mausoleum lies as a testimonial of the powerful influence that Mahsuri's legend has on the island until today. After her execution, her body was buried at a spot not far from her house. Since she was treated as a condemned sinner, the grave was not in a cemetery. It was Malaysia's first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, who had a proper tombstone made and placed on the grave when he was the District Officer of the island in the early 1940s. There is a traditional kampung (village) house on stilts in the style of Rumah Kedah (Kedah House). This has been built as a typical village house and is now used to exhibit ancient artefacts. This complex, built in 1991, has stalls displaying and selling paintings of Mahsuri. There are also old photographs of some of Mahsuri's descendants who now reside in Phuket, Thailand.

Eagle Square :

Eagle Square is an impressive landmark, with its monumental 12-metre high giant eagle signifying the Lang or Brown Eagle from which Langkawi got its name. The gigantic statue of the eagle, poised for flight, marks a dramatic welcome to visitors approaching the island by sea. It will be no coincidence if you look up at the blue skies and spot a live eagle soaring majestically, as the islands are home to a large number of eagles.


On Day 3 (Sept 8th), we took off to some more sight seeing in another package. The package comprised visits to :

Crocodile Park :

Here we were able to see saltwater crocodiles at their various stages of growth and take a close look at these prehistoric-like animals. 'Man versus crocodile' shows are performed daily, but could not see it.  But could witness crocodile feeding - a bunch of fishes were thrown to the pond through a iron rope and it was amazing to see the crocodiles jump from the pond to grab the food.

Black Sand Beach :

This beach is noted for its black sand, although it's not a real black-sand, just streaks of black through the sand caused by a spring that deposits mineral oxides.  Mineral and soil composition of granite with heavy deposits of tourmaline, ilmenite and zircon are said to have caused the sand to become black.

According to folklore, there is a more fascinating reason for the black sand! There was once a mermaid who roped in a fisherman's help to turn him back into a prince.  To do so, the mermaid had given the fisherman a magic ring, which was to be returned if the effort
failed. When the fisherman did not succeed and did not return the ring as promised, the mermaid turned the white sand black in anger.   All other beaches are having white-coloured sand.


Galeria Perdana :

Galeria Perdana is a unique gallery set up to showcase gifts and awards presented to Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Dr. Mahathir, who has been Prime Minister since 1981, initiated this gallery to display the various awards, souvenirs and gifts received from world leaders and statesmen as well as Malaysians. The two-storeyed building with an oriental architecture occupies an area of over 5,300 sq.metres. Its exhibits
are harmoniously and creatively arranged to reflect the diverse artistic and cultural values and aesthetics of such a varied collected. Gifts crafted from wood, leather, crystal and lacquer, musical instruments, jewellery etc. are displayed in the complex.  

Tanjung Rhu beach :

Tanjung Rhu lies the northern cape of Pulau Langkawi. This enchanting beach affords magnificent views of nearby islands which can be reached at low tide on foot. Many celebrities choose Tanjung Rhu Beach and the resort their to spend their leisure once in a year. An experience not to be missed.  

Langkaawi Crystaal : This was our last leg of Langkawi tour. This is Malaysia's only glass blowing factory. There are shows that tell you about the making of crystal objects from raw materials.  The craftsmanship is something to be appreciated !!

It was around 3 pm when we completed the second phase of sight seeing tour.  After lunch and a short siesta,  it was time to check in at Langkawi International Airport to get on to MH7085 for the return trip to Kuala Lumpur !!  By 19:15 hours, we had a smooth touch down at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, marking Langkawi a bright spot in our memory lanes!

For more information

Hope I was able to spark your thoughts!!  There are lot of places to see in Malaysia.  For more information, please visit :

Tourism Malaysia : www.tourism.gov.my

Langkawi Travel Information :  www.langkawi-info.com

Thank you for your time!    My advice to all of you is to include Malaysia in one of your future travel plans!!

(C) Renjith P Sarada. 2012.