Hard Bargaining

I have been going on and on about joining the gym from the time we arrived here. After procrastinating for 4 months I decided to do something about it. The gym is hardly a 10 minute walk from the house and I pass it a hundred times every week and yet there I was sitting on my couch, munching away and watching the idiot box.. Guilt was gnawing me every time I carelessly shoved something in my mouth. Well couple of days back when I was done with my vegetable (and etc. etc.) shopping and happened to saunter past the gym (with a big bulging Tesco bag, filled with fruits, vegetables and what not).Maybe it was the heavy bag ( I needed to put it aside and sit for a few minutes) or the weight of the issue in my head, it prompted me to walk past the door and was greeted by a nice lady, who asked me to fill in my general details.

The manager (an Indian lady) showed me around the gym and lastly took me to the lounge to talk money... She outlined what they would do and lined up everything while I patiently waited for the vital information. After a good 15 minutes she started jotting down the membership fees for various time period and I was a little shocked since their display window told another story. Once I asked her about that she explained to me that the offer just expired yesterday. I eyed her suspiciously and she showed me the fine print on the pamphlet which stated the end date... Now she understood that a few freebies had to be thrown in to rope me for the memebership. After that this is how the conversation went:

Me: Hmmmm... Shall I think about it and get back to you later.
Her: If you sign in now, then I can cut your joining fee down to £20 from £25. So..
Me: Hmmm... Maybe..But still I think I should ask my husband and then decide.
Her: How about I cut it right down to £17.50
Me: ****???(Gleefully thinking that maybe I could continue with my act and get the fee nulled..hee..hee...hee)
Her: I could potentially also add a 6 week challenge program, which costs £99 by itself.. So you can benefit from 6 sessions with our personal trainers.
Me: Continue to stare at the sheet of paper in front of me with a thoughtful nod (Thinking to myself, "Could I possibly get more from her???)
Her: OK! I cant go any further down from this... I will reduce your joining fee to £15 and will also deduct the 12 days from this month , so effectively you will pay from tomorrow.
Me: Thank you! I will definitely join but can't sign up today and I can only do it tomorrow
(I realize that she will not go down any further and also I was anyways not planning to pay
for those 12 days girl... duh!)
Her: A sigh of relief!!

Recession sure is making everyone work twice as hard.. Either that or maybe she thought I really needed the exercise. I wonder what sort of a treatment I would have got had the economy not been so bad. Anyways end of the day I am an Indian and I sure like a good deal :)... It's a sense of achievement when we pay a lot lesser than the asking price. Isn't it?

Caught Reading - 1

I have decided to write a little about the books that I am reading and probably update a review once I finish the book. Hope I follow it through till the end. Books are my best friends for the moment (apart from IPL) and once the reading begins I transport myself into another world. Nothing can distract me, as I read the scene unfolds in my head like a movie. No wonder that the movies adapated from books dont thrill me so much due to high expectations(The Harry Potter series, Da Vinci code, hoping to catch the Angels and Demons in the cinemas...hope its does some justice to the book)...

Currently I am hooked on to John Grisham's 'The Appeal' .Having almost reached halfway through the book, the journey so far has been interesting. The book is for those who like legal thrillers. I love books that have anything to do with crime, a shot of thrill, adventure, mystery, the Indian authors and must confess that I also like those girly fictions (not the M&B's) like the Shopaholic series, Marian Keyes and etc.etc... Please suggest some titles for me to embark on in the future.

Coming back to the book, Its a story that in a way has its base line adapted from the movie Erin Brockovich, the fight between a cancer stricken county and a Chemical giant. How the Chemical giant plays and tries to resurrect his company with the aid of the Supreme Court appeal, even after being proved guilty by the jury is the story. I am hoping it will have a unexpected end to it. Happy reading everyone!

Grass is always greener on the other side..

A friend of mine casually asked me if I miss work? At that instant I could not process all my feelings in to a short sentence. I fumbled for a compromising answer and conveniently changed the subject. After the conversation the question kept circling in my head and I actually made an effort to think it through.

I must admit I miss work quite a lot. More than the work itself, I think I missed being a professional and getting a paycheck at the end of every month. The Starbucks coffee , the Pret a manger yogurt , a warm croissant from the french bakery nearby contributed to a perfect start for my day. Morning meetings, working under pressure , lunches spent gossiping about the other colleagues, trying to be awake at 3 pm with a strong dose of caffeine, looking forward to the wrapping up session, getting home and making a half attempt to cook (most of the times decide to get a takeaway) and slopping in to the bed with a book or a movie. It was the same routine and then looking forward to the weekends and occasional long weekends was so much more exciting.

However having said that there are umpteen number of days where I have wished and longed for being able to sit at home and do nothing at all. Now when I actually get to do it, I long for me to get a job and work long hours. Do we ever want one thing!! life would be so much simpler otherwise..

Fake IPL player.. Who is he?

I just happened to catch the grapevine on the fake IPL player's blog. He claims to be a Kolkata Knight Rider's team member and has a dig at the management and players equally. The questions that arise are whether he really is a player or just a random guy with lots of imagination. Regardless of his identity or authenticity, the blog has caught up with the cricket frenzy junta. Kolkata Knight Riders management is on the lookout for the blogger and we will know in a few days if this was all for real or a big cook up. I am sure it is someone trying to get smart and noticed by spinning some tales but apparently the officials are a little flustered about this blog, since it gives in a few accurate details about the happenings in the team. For anyone who is curious or as jobless as me :) the blog address is http://fakeiplplayer.blogspot.com/ . One look at the blog confirmed my suspicions of it being a big hoax but who know's maybe I am wrong...

P.S : The content in the blog is suitable for over 18's only..

Restricted entry!

Every time I am invited to a party or get together in a pub/nightclub I need to carry an ID (has to be a passport as I dont own a licence and nor am I a student) to flash at the bouncers. I tut tut about their inability to see through the appearance in to the wiser and older me but within I have a smug grin brimming. Its a real nice feeling when people say or think that you don't look your age. S thinks I always expect to be asked for an ID and I have never been disappointed. Not sure what I would do when my wish to stay young is overruled by the weary years settling themselves, slowly, on me.

However the heights of it was when I was asked for an ID in ASDA to buy a set of harmless knives. Naturally I did not expect that and was not armed with my passport. I had to fumble in my bag for all sorts of cards and didn't find anything that could rescue me out of the sticky situation. Thankfully a few assurances and pleads later the nice lady let me have them. I either looked young or looked like a gangsta!! Hmmmm..