Running #6

Today's Stats:
Distance: 8 km
Time: 44 min 54 secs

Outdoor run. Struggled. Pushed. Huffed and puffed. Very tiring for some strange reason. Just wasn't in the zone. One of those 'happy to have finished' runs.

The Prophet

I don't remember if I've mentioned this earlier, but Gibran's work, The Prophet, is one of my favourite books ever.

When I read the book for the first time, it was for solace. But when I read it the second time, it was with a more open mind. To learn, to understand.

Here's a brilliant excerpt from the book:
Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:
For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

I don't think I've read anything more moving. And true.

The Weekend That Was

So I'm on the eve of the next workweek, again. *Sigh* It has been a most satisfying unproductive weekend though :)

Shooting the breeze with friends, watching Premier League football, gymming leisurely without having to look at the watch in the mornings, a great trip to Pune. The drive to Pune and back was super. Music, open roads and a smooth ride. Bliss.

Weekend highlight: This was difficult to pick. Probably Chelsea coming from behind to pip Arsenal 2-1. I have to say, I couldn't contain my joy when Didier Drogba hammered his second goal into the back of the net. The ladies with us looked on with disbelief at our savage celebrations. The things sport can do to you. :) Ok, I'm going to cheat and add another highlight. Staying up late on Sunday night!!! It felt sooooo good to be up late on Sunday without having to care about waking up early on Monday for work. It felt like eating yummy crumbly chocolate chip cookies without having to bother about those annoying little crumbs falling on the carpet. Magical!

Tomorrow, it's back to deadlines, reviews, checklists... and my office buddies! At least something to look forward to.

Time to make the best of what's left!

An addition :)

From her blog, I think she's a full-on foodie. Some wonderful writing and thoughts. Meet Chiffonesque.

Do visit when time permits.

Revenge Ink

I'm proud and happy to announce that my uncle and aunt have gone guerilla. No, not with AK-47s and rocket launchers, but with their very own publishing house, Revenge Ink.

Not only that, they've also written a book each! The one by my uncle, Gopal Mukherjee, is called The Armageddon Mandala and the book written by my aunt, Amita Mukherjee, is called The Ugly Duckling.

They've overcome tremendous odds to achieve what they have and I'd say, in many ways, the very publishing of the book is a great achievement by itself. Rebels and iconoclasts, they've put their necks on the line to do what they believed in and for that, I respect them immensely.

I spent the weekend in Pune after their booklaunch at Crossword, Mumbai and we chatted into the wee hours of the morning talking about life, authenticity and how important it is to pursue your beliefs. Some of the best conversation I've had in a while.

One point that we discussed was the invulnerability of people who choose to live their dreams despite the odds. They become invulnerable not because they are immune to failure (or success), but because they come to accept their vulnerability and embrace it rather than fear it. It's an interesting thought. One that I've mulled over for a while and it was amazing to hear someone else express their belief in it.

Anyway, do pick up their books at a Crossword near you. They're funny, witty, insightful and the language is zany! :)

P.S. Revenge Ink also has a writing competition going for budding authors. So if you've got stuff you'd like to have published, drop by the Revenge Ink Competition Page.

Running #5

Today's Stats:
Distance: 10 km
Time: 55 min 35 secs

Did an indoor run on the gym treadmill. Ran at an easy clip, relaxed right through, controlled and didn't push myself after the long weekend shenanigans :)

Additions to the list

I've updated the list of blogs I visit often. The new additions are:

1. Inkscrawl
2. The City Life... and travels beyond
3. Simply Complicated

The Cost of Freedom

• A displaced and exiled Government.
• Punishment and death by a ruthless oppressor resulting the death of an estimated death of 1.2 million people. That's a conservative estimate.
• Foreigners being transported into their homeland by the oppressor to disperse the population. Today, for every native, there are three foreigners in their own land.
• A spiritual leader of the country who cannot go home to where he belongs.

How long will the people of Tibet suffer illegal Chinese occupation? Sometimes, things in life make you wonder where justice is hiding.

Obese? Your employer suffers

If you're in Japan, that is. Employees have to go through compulsory 'flab-checks'. Overweight people get a fitness and diet plan. Excessively obese people have to go to the doctor.

All this to cut down soaring medical costs.

No I didn't make this up!

Meditation Works. So Says (Neuro)Science.

Apparently, we now have scientific evidence that meditation is good for us. While I don't meditate myself, some of the things in the article I read really struck me.

It said that we indulge in 'too much frantic doing' and 'not enough being'. I completely agree. Most times when I've felt stressed are when I've focused too much on getting someplace (physically or otherwise) where I'm not. When I've been obssessed about getting to the destination rather than just enjoying the journey.

In fact, that is one of my many life philosophies now. The journey has become the destination.

Running #4

Today's Stats:
Distance: 8 km
Time: 44 min 4 sec

Considering I almost didn't go, I guess it's a decent time.

It was one of those mornings when you wake up say to yourself, "I don't think I'm up to it, today." I wasn't. But I had one of those life-changing dumps. And I came out of the toilet a new man. I felt light as a feather :) There was no way I could not go.

So I got out there and huffed and puffed my lungs out. I think the heat and humidity are taking about 20 seconds off my times for the 8 km runs. Don't know for sure though. Will track the trends over the next two or three weeks.

Juno

One of the... I'm looking for the word... rraawwllrrraall... I can't find a word for it... nicest(?) movies I've seen in a while.

I loved the dialogue, the Americanisms (Leah: It's probably just a food baby. Did you have a big lunch? Juno MacGuff: No, this is not a food baby all right? I've taken like three pregnancy tests, and I'm forshizz up the spout.), the humour, the emotion and the treatment of the subject of teen pregnancy.

Juno is way cute. Bleeker is well, Bleeker. You have to see him to believe it. In Juno's words, he's the cheese in her macaroni! :)

Her relationship with her father and step-mom is weirdly beautiful. One of my favourite scenes is when Juno asks her dad if two people in love can really stay together.

For the record, I believe they can. :) Do watch!

P.S. Orange Tic Tacs rule! :)

Running #3

Today was time for an interval run. What's an interval run? Alternate between walking and relatively high-speed running.

Today's pattern:
3 mins of walking @ 5 km/h followed by a 1 km run @ 13.5 km/h (X 5 times)

This run is a killer! By the time you've reached the end of the 4th 1 km interval, your body wants to stop.

That's how it was today. The body desperately wanted to stop, but fortunately, the mind was willing. I pushed really hard on that last interval and it was well worth the effort.

I don't know what it is but always finishing the run that I set out to achieve has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. It sounds like overkill. But if you've done a bit of running, you might understand how I feel.

The belief, confidence and high that you get when you always, always run the distance you decided to run is amazing. Until now, I've never had an unplanned stop while running. Sometimes, I think it's because I'm really stubborn that I never give up. Maybe stubborness' flip side is tenacity.

Running #2

Yesterday's Stats:
Distance: 8 km
Time: 45 min 19 sec

Amongst the worst runs I've had in a while. Extremely tiring, very hot weather and wayyyy too humid. It was like an oven out there and no breeze either. Just happy to have finished it.

Around the Corner

One of the most beautiful things about life, as I've only recently begun to appreciate, is that you never know what's around the corner. How often do we plan things, have to-do lists, have goals and objectives, call it what you will, and then suddenly something happens that just turns life on its head. Sometimes, it's a bad thing. Sometimes, it's a good thing. And then sometimes, it's just a thing, not good or bad. But it changes your life in some way. In a way you didn't expect.

That's what amazes me everytime. I used to be one of those planning types. Organised. I used to have goals, have a picture of myself five years down the road and all the usual success literatury things that we read in books. And then one of those unexpected events happened that would change the way I saw life.

I'm still sort of organised. But I have no goals. Nowhere where I want to be apart from where I am right now. I believe that there's an intelligence that is far greater than me that knows where I need to be. It's not that I've stopped taking responsibility for my actions but just that experiences in life make me believe that often, I don't know what is best for me.

You do what you believe you need to do, do it to the best of your ability and then let destiny take care of itself. Every moment, my belief is 'I am where I want to be.' It's a thought that has given me tremendous peace and strength. Whether it's a spending a late Friday evening at work or having a blast with my friends at my school re-union, that is where I was supposed to be. Despite my not wanting or wanting to be there at that instant.

That's why every day feels like an adventure. It's a real bummer at times. But then at others, it's like a fairy tale unfolding itself before my eyes. With me as a character.

I love not knowing what life has in store for me. Whether I will live to see tomorrow or not, I will enjoy the journey while it lasts.

Bear the tough experiences, ride the highs, learn from mistakes and be grateful for everything.

I have learnt to give up control of my life, but not the responsibility.

A Mind Reader?

Arrested for thought crimes. Other people knowing about your dreams. Bush's cronies in Homeland Security know how you feel about your annoying neighbour.

Just maybe. If the wrong people get their hands on this!

A device that can read minds apparently. Sort of cool. And sort of scary even.

Running #1

From now on, in addition to other random posts, I'm going to try and document my timings on morning runs so I can track my progress. (Assuming I make any progress)

Today's Stats:
Distance: 10 km
Time: 54 min 1 sec

Deat at a Funeral

Definitely one of the funniest movies I've ever watched, if not THE funniest.

British humour, idyllic English countryside setting, and brilliant characters. A recipe for a stomach-clenching laugh-a-thon.

As the title suggests, it's about a funeral, last rites, and a lot of wrongs!

I'm not going to spoil your fun by telling you the story. I love the movie too much to do that. Admittedly, it is disgusting at times. But funny disgusting. So if you fancy sarcastic humour, a bit of slapstick and some wit, this is a movie you cannot miss.

It left me doubled-over innumerable times during the movie with a stomach-ache that I thought would eventually kill me. My friends and I made the most noise in the theatre and later, we concluded it was a movie made for our insane humour.

Characters to watch out for: Uncle Alfie, Martha's boyfriend, the guy who's coming to the funeral to hit on Martha, the midget

P.S. If you do watch it, let me know if you liked it and what you thought of the movie.