"Baba, ki bhabe, ki bole, ki kore Tito, oo yi jane" .. .
I can remember an Aunt of mine saying that (Bengali, and if Glyn is reading this, "Babelbhat" ain't it, hehe) about my cousin Tito.
"What he thinks, what he does, only he knows! was the general drift.
Given he's the only member of the family that was just like me growing up, as naughty, hiding under the bed flashing torches at a cranky Granny, hehe - and getting ears pulled by the same, hehe - he was me to a T - except 4 years younger.
I still remember the verbal hammering I got when I accidentally once "injured" him while (mock) sword fighting.
The way my father hammered me, you'd think I committed bloody murder
I mean geez Dad I was only like what, around 10 or so at the time, maybe even les!
Much like the hammering I got for DEFENDING myself with a Taekwondo kick right to the knee for a guy in fourth grade who was being an ass.
I remember the hammering I got.
Apparently it was all ok for him to do, not me.
Hey, I'm proud of that till ths day.
I am equally proud of the GORILLA GRIP I put on someone in the 8th grade - with a WEAK GRIP - yall know th story! - and that guy, a man now, probably remembers the marks on his neck until this day. (and given the same circumstanes, I'd have NO hesitation in doing it again, regardless of the hammering handed out at home, and no, while I wasnt "beaten with an iron rod" as Dad said, if I was I'd do it double over again.
NEVER BACK DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
But anyway, I've no idea if "Tito" is still the same rebel he was growing up, hehe.
Most of my family makes it a point to not just studiously ignore me, but skirt a very wide line around me - or circle, for which I'm very grateful!
Hehe.
I do the same.
(Oh, and that statement above "what goes on inside that HEAD of yours, only YOU KNOW!" was my Mom's refrain about me, she likely still says that, hehe).
Curiously enough, the only members of my family who actually liked me and complimented me, are no longer with us on the physical plane.
Well, two aren't - two are.
My maternal grandfather (with whom I was the only one brave enough to wak up at 4 am in the morning to go swimming in summer holidays. Even Tito wouldn't make it most of the time, hehe - that LAKE, thank you, SIR!)
My maternal uncle, who everyone chided for his smoking and drinking habits, yet, look at him until before he passed, you wouldn't guess the battle he waged with lung cancer.
He had the look of a man who lived life to the fullest, KINGSIZE - as his smokes said!
Man after my own heart.
The other two are still with us i.e. my maternal Uncle (another one of them) - and my paternal Uncle ("wolf", hehe).
The latter two kinda like me as well... but we rarely, if ever, speak. Even they have their limits!
LOL.
I dont know why I felt compelled to tell you this!
But after 500 rope jumps in a coupla minutes, I gotta tell you THIS TOO.
Lots of you are not into - so you thnk - Jump rope Mania becuase you either think it's for advanced athletes - or "only boxers" - or "we can't do it" - or some other nonsense.
Well, I'm here to tell you this.
Speed is king, my friend - you see that on the Animal Kingdom workouts page, where cantankerous Mickey says it BEST.
Better than I ever could.
And it's not workouts done quickly - it's workouts that take up minimum TIME - and deliver max BANG for buck.
Hindu squats - fit the bill!
But so pushups - so do animal workouts - but most of all?
You can ltierally fit in jumping rope between session of writing - or a quickie before lunch (pun) - or 5 minutes before bed.
Or, so quick that you're raring to get back going again (as I am to my Lumberjack workouts).
You'll be nigh soaked in SWEAT too.
And you'll burn fat like crazy, like never before!
What goes on inside tgat head of mine, eh.
Hehe.
Only I know, dats for sure!
BAck soon!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
