The Metric System

It's been raining in Bombay on and off all day, so the humidity has taken a toll on my precious hairdo. I tried flat ironing it yesterday to no avail. It foofed right back up the instant I stepped outside. I forgot that the city of Bombay sits right on the ocean.

My big adventure today was going to "VisionWorld," a nice glasses store (or "specs shop" as people her call it) with my uncle for some new frames. I knew they would be cheaper here than what I usually paid in the US, but I didn't realize how much cheaper. I paid 1/4 of what I paid for a similar set of trendy frames in the US. When the clerk rang me up and I converted the cost the US dollars with a nearby calculator my jaw literally dropped--Wyle E. Coyote style--and I gasped.

While we were there, we ran into an interesting and chatty lady who lives in the same building as my family. She was apparently Dr./Mrs. Pundit, nutrionist to the Bollywood cinema stars. She recounted several of her weight loss clients' stories to me, including one famous Dhaka movie star (aptly named "Chunky") who she "took from a waist size 75 to 57--she was such a fatty." Dr. Pundit asked me about my height and weight loss goals. She guessed right away that I was 5'3" (okay pretty close), and suggested that I'd "probably want to take off ten or so, right?" I giggled pleasantly and thought wow, ten pounds...that's not bad...I must look pretty darn good right now...

Later during an unsucessful nap, I realized that in India, much like the rest of the world, they use the metric system. She was talking in terms of kilograms, which convert into 2.2 pounds a piece. "Taking off ten" is equivalent to 22 pounds, or roughly half of an average kindergardener. Hmm...Dr. Pundit, could you pencil me in for Tuesday? Just put me under the name "BubbleButt" or something...