Pot-bellied men get to eat the cake

“Is the President there?” the voice at the other end was tentative. Mistaking the connection to be to Temple Trees, Ministering type Faiszer Musthapha assumed the voice on the other side was of a Presidential Aide. I hung up fast, to his relief. It was his 43rd birthday, and who wouldn’t want to wish such an amiable guy?

It is a toilsome job being President. Imagine how many VIPs and wannabes he has to call just on their birthdays. Sent an e-mail to the Presidential Secretariat to try squeezing my name on to the ‘wish’ list.

The much-adored Sumith Adhihetty of LB Finance fame celebrated his birthday as well. Got him a big cake but ended up sending only the card. We ate the cake.

Took time off to watch Mr. Carb turning it on in the cricket field. But he wasn’t playing. His sporty sister however, Siromi Wickremasinghe, Chairperson of HDFC, was on the boundary line spurring her team on. HDFC thrashed Central Bank in the semi-finals and did one better by clinching the Governor’s Trophy, an annual cricket encounter for bankers and financiers.

The brother had to part with the silver as the glistening shield went the sister’s way.

Tucked into a titillating Italian Rice while taking in the action. A few extra pounds around the waistline aren’t too much to sweat over. But these days more people seem to get a kick out of their regular visits to the gym than enjoying the scrumptious culinary delights offered around town.

But I am not much a fan of the gym. If you’ve hung out in a fashionable gym, and watched people exercise, you’d see that people aren’t doing much exercise.

One trainer did just that, and his findings are bizarre. For every hour spent in the gym, the average fitness freak actually works out for just 11 minutes. Interestingly, they spend the rest of the time chatting, preening, flirting, and “recovering” between workouts.

That, perhaps, is being a little harsh. We’ll make it a good 15 minute workout for every hour spent. According to experts, a well-spent 15 minute workout is all you need to get your body in good shape.

Ironically, when it comes to working out, intensity and efficiency matter much more than length.

Ever noticed that overweight people with their pot-bellies have a greater sense of humour, indulging in an uncanny ability to entertain others? They grab the attention at a party, cocktail or even an office meeting; the very things that fitness freaks want from their hard labour. Surprisingly, not many are endowed with such flair.

A new battle is brewing in business reporting. A new magazine promises to bowl over the competition.

Their magic mantra: intelligent reporting! Sat through a presentation on how the new mag intends on offering a timely respite to those of us tired of ‘generous opinion dished out in abundance labelled as business journalism,’ by chichi magazines.

In a small market like Sri Lanka ‘the other side’ of the story, true Bloomberg style, is bound to rattle the advertisers, the small number that makes up the business community and fill up the bulk of the pages.

 How it fares, or if it will keep to its pledge is yet to be seen. Good luck, nevertheless!

Received the first order for a rickshaw from Chrishantha Jayasinghe, a regular reader who thinks that my spiel on the eco-friendly roadster should be an eye-opener for transport types.

Also received a letter from Thushari de Mel, condemning any proposed re-introduction of rickshaws, citing cruelty to people.

Housewives, among a few other professions, would have plenty to say about that!

(An award-winning former war correspondent and adviser to the Minister of Tourism, brand guru Dinesh Watawana heads the respected integrated communications agency The 7th Frontier. He is renowned for his innovative brand strategies and is credited with putting Sri Lanka on the global map of tourism with his critically-acclaimed eco resort KumbukRiver. E-mail him at [email protected].)