Distance: 8 km
Time: 47 min 45 sec
Was doing a distance run after a few weeks so it was a bit tiring. But it was great to be out on Marine Drive on Saturday morning! Loved it! :)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Frisbee
I'm dying to play frisbee today. I think I'll step out this evening and find someone who is also interested in chucking one around.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Courage
This commercial drives me absolutely fucking crazy. I get such an adrenaline rush I can't even tell you.
It's what I feel when I'm running the 21st kilometre of a half-marathon I've trained for, it's what I feel when I'm chasing a football I know I have no hope of reaching, it's what I feel when I'm doing the last rep of a heavy workout exercise.
I may not win, but I got Soul.
It's what I feel when I'm running the 21st kilometre of a half-marathon I've trained for, it's what I feel when I'm chasing a football I know I have no hope of reaching, it's what I feel when I'm doing the last rep of a heavy workout exercise.
I may not win, but I got Soul.
Don't Get First Class...
...Be first class!
That's what a teacher at school would say to us. Unfortunately he passed on before we got to senior school, but in many ways, his teaching has outlived him.
He taught English Literature, did Mr. Joe Sheth. One of those aristocratic teachers, he had an aura about him. An air of class and panache. His leisurely afternoon smokes in the Gent's Staffroom were commonplace, much to the chagrin of fellow teachers and most certainly the school principal. His faults notwithstanding, the man left an impression on you.
I only wish he had taught us Julius Caesar like he did for the batches 3 or 4 years senior to us. I love the play even without him teaching it to me and I can only imagine the effect his interpretation of the play would have had on me.
I loved school life, the rowdy lunch breaks in an all-boys school, playing dodge-ball, this sometimes painful game called abba doobi, volleyball, cricket, football... the works. The days we got detention for making nuisances of ourselves, the few classes that I enjoyed, art, physics (at times), english literature and a few others.
But one of the things I'll be grateful to my alma mater for is the times spent with a few wonderful teachers who were also outstanding characters.
While I may have taken the first part of Joe Sheth's quote ("Don't get first class, be first class.") a bit too seriously, it is the second part of the quote that will always be an aspiration and an inspiration for me. I didn't learn very much academically throughout my education. I was an average, or at best a slightly-above-average student. But I remember the little lessons that our teachers taught us that never there in books. And those are the lessons that I find help you through life the most. The good times and the bad. Not some Pythagorean equation to find the hypotenuse length of a right-angled triangle.
Of the many many important lessons I've learned in school, the one that is reverberating through my head these days is... Don't get First Class, be first class.
That's what a teacher at school would say to us. Unfortunately he passed on before we got to senior school, but in many ways, his teaching has outlived him.
He taught English Literature, did Mr. Joe Sheth. One of those aristocratic teachers, he had an aura about him. An air of class and panache. His leisurely afternoon smokes in the Gent's Staffroom were commonplace, much to the chagrin of fellow teachers and most certainly the school principal. His faults notwithstanding, the man left an impression on you.
I only wish he had taught us Julius Caesar like he did for the batches 3 or 4 years senior to us. I love the play even without him teaching it to me and I can only imagine the effect his interpretation of the play would have had on me.
I loved school life, the rowdy lunch breaks in an all-boys school, playing dodge-ball, this sometimes painful game called abba doobi, volleyball, cricket, football... the works. The days we got detention for making nuisances of ourselves, the few classes that I enjoyed, art, physics (at times), english literature and a few others.
But one of the things I'll be grateful to my alma mater for is the times spent with a few wonderful teachers who were also outstanding characters.
While I may have taken the first part of Joe Sheth's quote ("Don't get first class, be first class.") a bit too seriously, it is the second part of the quote that will always be an aspiration and an inspiration for me. I didn't learn very much academically throughout my education. I was an average, or at best a slightly-above-average student. But I remember the little lessons that our teachers taught us that never there in books. And those are the lessons that I find help you through life the most. The good times and the bad. Not some Pythagorean equation to find the hypotenuse length of a right-angled triangle.
Of the many many important lessons I've learned in school, the one that is reverberating through my head these days is... Don't get First Class, be first class.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Cycle
In my commitment to live eco-friendly, I've borrowed a friend's old cycle and now use it for short distances in the early mornings. The cycle's a bit rusty and old, but it runs well and is basically a very good bike. A Raleigh.
It feels good to do these little things that I've always wanted to do. I'm passionate about the environment and conserving it and I do small things in my everyday life to stay eco-friendly.
The little things that I do do (I love it when that happens inadvertently, the do-do):
1. Cycle short distances or long ones on a holiday
2. Refuse to take plastic bags when checking out of stores
3. Stuffing my pockets with litter instead of trashing public/private spaces
4. Try and use public transport more often than I did earlier
I know it's not much, but I think if everyone makes a commitment to make small changes in their lifestyles, the deterioration of the environment might just slow down. That change will only come when we truly accept that the universe wasn't just made for humans and when we learn to live within our means.
Often, I wish we could all go back to being an agrarian society. We seemed so much more in touch with Nature and with ourselves. Now, it feels like we're a bunch of shadows in our urban jungles. Has our "evolution" really helped us? All our technological prowess, breakthrough research... what has it brought us to? A place that's definitely better than a century or two ago? I don't know anymore.
I'm rambling. Should get back to work now.
It feels good to do these little things that I've always wanted to do. I'm passionate about the environment and conserving it and I do small things in my everyday life to stay eco-friendly.
The little things that I do do (I love it when that happens inadvertently, the do-do):
1. Cycle short distances or long ones on a holiday
2. Refuse to take plastic bags when checking out of stores
3. Stuffing my pockets with litter instead of trashing public/private spaces
4. Try and use public transport more often than I did earlier
I know it's not much, but I think if everyone makes a commitment to make small changes in their lifestyles, the deterioration of the environment might just slow down. That change will only come when we truly accept that the universe wasn't just made for humans and when we learn to live within our means.
Often, I wish we could all go back to being an agrarian society. We seemed so much more in touch with Nature and with ourselves. Now, it feels like we're a bunch of shadows in our urban jungles. Has our "evolution" really helped us? All our technological prowess, breakthrough research... what has it brought us to? A place that's definitely better than a century or two ago? I don't know anymore.
I'm rambling. Should get back to work now.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Back from Bangalore
I had a wonderful time attending my cousin's wedding. We're basically South Indian, Konkani to be specific, and the guy she married is a Sindhi so it was a nice mix of cultures.
Day 1 - The Cocktail Party: I had an absolute blast! Everybody in the family hit the dance floor, and I mean EVERYBODY. Old uncles, aunts, kid cousins, young moms... everybody was grooving. All the guests were in high spirits, no thanks to the bartender who was serving these MASSIVE drinks. I'm telling you, I must've downed like 4 drinks (I think!), but it felt like 8! Anyway, everything seemed nice, happy and jolly. I helped random old men get their drinks, danced with uncles and aunts, said cheers to practically anyone who had a drink, laughed with and at folks and generally had fun. An evening well spent! :)
Day 2 - Mehendi: Honestly, I can't stand the smell of the stuff so it got to me a little. Besides, I think there was a fair bit of alcohol still going through my system which made it a bit worse for me. The evening was fun though. Sitting and chatting with family at my grand-aunt's place and then a yummy biryani dinner at my aunt's.
Day 3 - Wedding & Reception: The wedding was nice. More or less traditional. The couple looked great together and I'm really happy for them. The sideshows here are the most fun. Everyone bitching about everyone else's clothes! :) It's amazing how clothes are the most talked about things at weddings. You'll see groups of men and women sitting in a huddle and discussing what people are wearing, why something is ghastly, pretty, shiny, sombre... whatever. Everyone has something to say about clothes I think. Then there's kids running around making a racket, young ladies preening and young men trying to get their attention... it's always a beautiful tamasha.
Apart from the wedding, I got a chance to walk around M.G. Road, St. Mark's Road and Church Street. Bangalore breakfasts are my absolute faves! I love the idli-vada-dosa breakfasts down south. And the best part is, the sambar isn't sweet like it is here in Mumbai (thanks to the Gujarati influence). The weather was cool, rainy sometimes and sitting there taking in the Bangalore morning at Kaycee's on Church Street wolfing down a set dosa was blissful.
Walking up and down Church Street reminded me of the time my friends and I went to Bangalore for the Aerosmith concert and stayed at, hold your breath, Dhanlakshmi Tiffin Rooms!!! :) It was pretty nice btw, DLTR. Happy times! :)
I'll leave you with an interesting message on a wall outside Bowring Institute. Enjoy! :)
Never mind the corrupt politicians, we'll get 'em Bill Sticks! Yee haw!
Day 1 - The Cocktail Party: I had an absolute blast! Everybody in the family hit the dance floor, and I mean EVERYBODY. Old uncles, aunts, kid cousins, young moms... everybody was grooving. All the guests were in high spirits, no thanks to the bartender who was serving these MASSIVE drinks. I'm telling you, I must've downed like 4 drinks (I think!), but it felt like 8! Anyway, everything seemed nice, happy and jolly. I helped random old men get their drinks, danced with uncles and aunts, said cheers to practically anyone who had a drink, laughed with and at folks and generally had fun. An evening well spent! :)
Day 2 - Mehendi: Honestly, I can't stand the smell of the stuff so it got to me a little. Besides, I think there was a fair bit of alcohol still going through my system which made it a bit worse for me. The evening was fun though. Sitting and chatting with family at my grand-aunt's place and then a yummy biryani dinner at my aunt's.
Day 3 - Wedding & Reception: The wedding was nice. More or less traditional. The couple looked great together and I'm really happy for them. The sideshows here are the most fun. Everyone bitching about everyone else's clothes! :) It's amazing how clothes are the most talked about things at weddings. You'll see groups of men and women sitting in a huddle and discussing what people are wearing, why something is ghastly, pretty, shiny, sombre... whatever. Everyone has something to say about clothes I think. Then there's kids running around making a racket, young ladies preening and young men trying to get their attention... it's always a beautiful tamasha.
Apart from the wedding, I got a chance to walk around M.G. Road, St. Mark's Road and Church Street. Bangalore breakfasts are my absolute faves! I love the idli-vada-dosa breakfasts down south. And the best part is, the sambar isn't sweet like it is here in Mumbai (thanks to the Gujarati influence). The weather was cool, rainy sometimes and sitting there taking in the Bangalore morning at Kaycee's on Church Street wolfing down a set dosa was blissful.
Walking up and down Church Street reminded me of the time my friends and I went to Bangalore for the Aerosmith concert and stayed at, hold your breath, Dhanlakshmi Tiffin Rooms!!! :) It was pretty nice btw, DLTR. Happy times! :)
I'll leave you with an interesting message on a wall outside Bowring Institute. Enjoy! :)
Never mind the corrupt politicians, we'll get 'em Bill Sticks! Yee haw!
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