The last couple of months have been way too hectic, been extremely stressful at times and passed before I knew what was happening. Work has simply consumed my life! Not in little nibbles, but in one massive Gargantuan bite.
I have to admit, I've never had to work this hard before. I'm not complaining, just observation. A lot of changes have taken place in my life in the past few months... a young business, marriage and all that both of these entail. I really haven't had too much time for my personal life or time to stop, think and introspect. I enjoy doing that. I'm one of those people who can sit by the ocean, listening to the chatter of the waves by myself for hours thinking of nothing. Just spacing out.
I love 'spacing'. It allows me into a little world of my own. Far away from the 'realities' of life. Spacing is good. It gives my mind room to breathe, clears out the muck albeit temporarily, knocks away my fears and, for a fleeting moment, rids me of my burdensome ego. That's what I love about it.
I want to go back to Rishikesh, spend a month there learning yoga, breathe in some cleaner air and forget myself for sometime.
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Fruit of Dedication
While the country basks, vicariously, in A.R. Rahman's and Resul Pookutty's glory, the achievement almost seemed to be a reflection of a train of thought that has been running through my head for a while; the fruit of dedication.
Often, when I introspect and attempt to examine my life objectively, one of the most interesting observations I've made is the effect dedicated effort has on me, the actor i.e. the person propagating the action whomsoever it may be.
Whether it's my work, running, playing football or relationships, dedication and giving my best has always made a world of a difference. When I don't give my best, there are three things that happen:
1. I think about the fruit of the action more than the action itself.
2. The action/effort lacks that edge.
3. I feel unhappy because deep down I know I haven't given my best.
On the other hand, when I do act with dedication and my 100%, those same three reactions turn the other side of their respective coins as it were:
1. Because I derive joy from the action itself my mind doesn't need to go to the fruit in search of more happiness.
2. The action/effort is incisive, effective and more often than not, achieves its objective.
3. There is a sense of calm because I know I have given my everything.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Even the most insignificant actions performed dedicatedly give immense satisfaction. The very satisfaction that I seek every moment of my life. The difficulty though, is being able to perform at that high level thought after thought, action after action.
I realise I'm not writing anything extraordinary or hitherto undiscovered, but it's a thought that's been playing in my head for a while now.
Often, when I introspect and attempt to examine my life objectively, one of the most interesting observations I've made is the effect dedicated effort has on me, the actor i.e. the person propagating the action whomsoever it may be.
Whether it's my work, running, playing football or relationships, dedication and giving my best has always made a world of a difference. When I don't give my best, there are three things that happen:
1. I think about the fruit of the action more than the action itself.
2. The action/effort lacks that edge.
3. I feel unhappy because deep down I know I haven't given my best.
On the other hand, when I do act with dedication and my 100%, those same three reactions turn the other side of their respective coins as it were:
1. Because I derive joy from the action itself my mind doesn't need to go to the fruit in search of more happiness.
2. The action/effort is incisive, effective and more often than not, achieves its objective.
3. There is a sense of calm because I know I have given my everything.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Even the most insignificant actions performed dedicatedly give immense satisfaction. The very satisfaction that I seek every moment of my life. The difficulty though, is being able to perform at that high level thought after thought, action after action.
I realise I'm not writing anything extraordinary or hitherto undiscovered, but it's a thought that's been playing in my head for a while now.
Monday, February 16, 2009
A Long Time Coming
It's been a long time coming, this post. There's been too much happening through the week and on weekends, I don't feel like coming back to a screen. More than anything, I think my blogging suffered a brief dip in motivation.
The marathon this year was challenging. I don't think I was fit enough or motivated enough. I found running an effort. I missed playing football, so while heart was on the football pitch, my legs were on Marine Drive. I guess it reflected in my time for the 21 km run, I managed 2 hours 11 minutes and 48 seconds. That's about 11 minutes slower than last year so it hurt my ego initially. At the end of the race though, I felt good I had kept my promise to myself to run the race and complete it. I don't know if I'll run the marathon again next year or ever again. I'll make that decision when I need to.
Otherwise, work is going reasonably well. Interesting projects, a lot of work for me and a fair bit of multi-tasking, something that is new to me. Nothing to complain about in these times of global economic gloom.
As for married life? So far, so good. :) That's my verdict. The happiness and the challenges it offers you are incomparable really. Exhilarating at times, frustrating at others... but definitely worth it. :)
I can say one thing for sure, marriage has done my football a lot of good! :) I'm just loving being out on the ground 3-4 times a week, running all over the place and scoring more than the odd goal. ;) I don't know what it is, but I'm just super motivated to play football these days. My long-term football objective is to get on the amateur team at my neighbourhood park next year. We'll see how that comes along.
I've been away too long to pack in all that's happened into this post but I think I will be more regular with posts. I feel like writing.
The marathon this year was challenging. I don't think I was fit enough or motivated enough. I found running an effort. I missed playing football, so while heart was on the football pitch, my legs were on Marine Drive. I guess it reflected in my time for the 21 km run, I managed 2 hours 11 minutes and 48 seconds. That's about 11 minutes slower than last year so it hurt my ego initially. At the end of the race though, I felt good I had kept my promise to myself to run the race and complete it. I don't know if I'll run the marathon again next year or ever again. I'll make that decision when I need to.
Otherwise, work is going reasonably well. Interesting projects, a lot of work for me and a fair bit of multi-tasking, something that is new to me. Nothing to complain about in these times of global economic gloom.
As for married life? So far, so good. :) That's my verdict. The happiness and the challenges it offers you are incomparable really. Exhilarating at times, frustrating at others... but definitely worth it. :)
I can say one thing for sure, marriage has done my football a lot of good! :) I'm just loving being out on the ground 3-4 times a week, running all over the place and scoring more than the odd goal. ;) I don't know what it is, but I'm just super motivated to play football these days. My long-term football objective is to get on the amateur team at my neighbourhood park next year. We'll see how that comes along.
I've been away too long to pack in all that's happened into this post but I think I will be more regular with posts. I feel like writing.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Dazed and Confused
The last week flew by in a daze. The terrorist attacks have been numbing leaving me angry, helpless and confused.
Fortunately, our TV wasn't accessible because of some painting work for most of the days the siege was on, but the entire episode has left a mark on me. The mere thought that most of the places that were attacked are places my friends and family frequent really shook me. Plus the added necessity of remaining indoors for three days and not being able to do much was extremely depressing.
Friday evening, I decided to step out for a run with my iPod. I wanted to run away from all this violence and death and gloom to another world. So I put on my headphones and hit Marine Drive. The city was enveloped in an eerie silence. Few people out on the streets and fewer cars zipping by. It was like a ghost town, relatively speaking.
My mind was numb as I pounded away with my back towards the Oberoi. It was ironic that I was enjoying a "pleasant" evening run while a game of life and death unfolded less than a kilometre away. I was torn. A part of me wanted to go there and kill the terrorists, but another part of me knew I would harm innocent lives if I did. That apart from having zero knowledge about guns. I'd be a liability. But it was that feeling of not being able to do much that really got to me.
While I continue with work and try to get on with the rest of my life, there is still a lingering sense of frustration and helplessness that bothers me. Usually I'm out like a light by 10.15 pm, but these days I stare at the ceiling or the light creeping in from the windows.
What do you do when there is all this blood, gore and death around you and the only survivor amongst the terrorists really believes that jannat (heaven) is waiting for him in the after-life for his 'noble acts for Islam'? Is this what Islam has been reduced to? A manual for death? And it's not just Islam really, we have successfully destroyed the true spirit of every existing religion.
Without doubt, we are a race in crisis and I believe that if we do not mend our ways, we will self-destruct like earlier life forms that have inhabited the planet.
Fortunately, our TV wasn't accessible because of some painting work for most of the days the siege was on, but the entire episode has left a mark on me. The mere thought that most of the places that were attacked are places my friends and family frequent really shook me. Plus the added necessity of remaining indoors for three days and not being able to do much was extremely depressing.
Friday evening, I decided to step out for a run with my iPod. I wanted to run away from all this violence and death and gloom to another world. So I put on my headphones and hit Marine Drive. The city was enveloped in an eerie silence. Few people out on the streets and fewer cars zipping by. It was like a ghost town, relatively speaking.
My mind was numb as I pounded away with my back towards the Oberoi. It was ironic that I was enjoying a "pleasant" evening run while a game of life and death unfolded less than a kilometre away. I was torn. A part of me wanted to go there and kill the terrorists, but another part of me knew I would harm innocent lives if I did. That apart from having zero knowledge about guns. I'd be a liability. But it was that feeling of not being able to do much that really got to me.
While I continue with work and try to get on with the rest of my life, there is still a lingering sense of frustration and helplessness that bothers me. Usually I'm out like a light by 10.15 pm, but these days I stare at the ceiling or the light creeping in from the windows.
What do you do when there is all this blood, gore and death around you and the only survivor amongst the terrorists really believes that jannat (heaven) is waiting for him in the after-life for his 'noble acts for Islam'? Is this what Islam has been reduced to? A manual for death? And it's not just Islam really, we have successfully destroyed the true spirit of every existing religion.
Without doubt, we are a race in crisis and I believe that if we do not mend our ways, we will self-destruct like earlier life forms that have inhabited the planet.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Waking Up in A New Country
I definitely did not go to sleep last night in this country.
The country I went to sleep in had the Rajabai clock tower chiming merrily every 15 minutes. Over there, the dome of the Taj Mahal Hotel near the Gateway of India shone brightly in the evening sky, people enjoyed their drinks and music at Cafe Leopold and Colaba Causeway was a great place to hang out.
Today though, Taj Mahal dome did shine, but not because of the bulbs that usually lit it up, Rajabai clock tower's chime had lost its cheer, the only music playing at Leo's was a death knoll and Colaba Causeway became a place to hang out, not for common citizens, but for the National Security Guard (NSG) Commandos who have flown in from across the country to fight these mother-fucking terrorists.
In this country, they've even imposed curfew so we can't get out of our homes and endanger ourselves and others.
I pray for those who lost their lives and for their families fighting for their old country.
I, no, We, want our country back, the country we went to sleep in.
The country I went to sleep in had the Rajabai clock tower chiming merrily every 15 minutes. Over there, the dome of the Taj Mahal Hotel near the Gateway of India shone brightly in the evening sky, people enjoyed their drinks and music at Cafe Leopold and Colaba Causeway was a great place to hang out.
Today though, Taj Mahal dome did shine, but not because of the bulbs that usually lit it up, Rajabai clock tower's chime had lost its cheer, the only music playing at Leo's was a death knoll and Colaba Causeway became a place to hang out, not for common citizens, but for the National Security Guard (NSG) Commandos who have flown in from across the country to fight these mother-fucking terrorists.
In this country, they've even imposed curfew so we can't get out of our homes and endanger ourselves and others.
I pray for those who lost their lives and for their families fighting for their old country.
I, no, We, want our country back, the country we went to sleep in.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Life In Longitudinal Waves
So much has happened in the past two years of my life and it has led me to the conclusions that life unravels itself in irregular longitudinal waves. (See image below.)
While image above is of a more regular pattern, with compressions and rarefactions interspersed at regular intervals, life's rarefactions and compressions are quite irregular.
If I were to describe the last two years of my life, it would definitely be a compression. Papa's passing, a broken engagement, meeting my to be life partner, starting up my own business, getting married (in less than a month)... it's overwhelming when I think about it.
Before that, college life and a few years after college felt like a rarefaction. Yes, there were changes and important events, but none that affected me as much as those in the past couple of years. Life seemed to be dawdling along.
I guess that's how life is. I know I'm not making any earth-shattering revelation. Just a mundane observation.
It can be one long rarefaction until you hit a tumultuous series of compressions with tiny rarefactions scattered in-between. Or sometimes it feels like this never-ending compression until you discover you're suddenly in this little rarefaction.
I don't think one is better than the other i.e. a compression is better than a rarefaction or vice-versa, but they're undoubtedly different.
Together I think they make life a wonderful journey. One long longitudinal wave. Or short. But longitudinal and interesting nonetheless.
While image above is of a more regular pattern, with compressions and rarefactions interspersed at regular intervals, life's rarefactions and compressions are quite irregular.
If I were to describe the last two years of my life, it would definitely be a compression. Papa's passing, a broken engagement, meeting my to be life partner, starting up my own business, getting married (in less than a month)... it's overwhelming when I think about it.
Before that, college life and a few years after college felt like a rarefaction. Yes, there were changes and important events, but none that affected me as much as those in the past couple of years. Life seemed to be dawdling along.
I guess that's how life is. I know I'm not making any earth-shattering revelation. Just a mundane observation.
It can be one long rarefaction until you hit a tumultuous series of compressions with tiny rarefactions scattered in-between. Or sometimes it feels like this never-ending compression until you discover you're suddenly in this little rarefaction.
I don't think one is better than the other i.e. a compression is better than a rarefaction or vice-versa, but they're undoubtedly different.
Together I think they make life a wonderful journey. One long longitudinal wave. Or short. But longitudinal and interesting nonetheless.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Glad
In these times when so many people are losing jobs or sitting in office idle, I'm really grateful for having a job I enjoy. I guess that's the advantage of being in a services industry to an extent.
That's besides the point. I think you're extremely fortunate if you wake up to a job that you enjoy and challenges you almost everyday. I happen to be one of those and I'm really deeply grateful to whatever it is out there that led me to where I am now.
Every now and then, I guess we make decisions in life which, at the time of making them, we're unsure of and come good. Glad to have made one of them.
That's besides the point. I think you're extremely fortunate if you wake up to a job that you enjoy and challenges you almost everyday. I happen to be one of those and I'm really deeply grateful to whatever it is out there that led me to where I am now.
Every now and then, I guess we make decisions in life which, at the time of making them, we're unsure of and come good. Glad to have made one of them.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Kabir's Dohas
I've always loved hearing Kabir's dohas. Especially Shekhar Sen's rendition of them. The problem though was that I could never fully understand the dohas because of my limited knowledge of the dialect in which they are spoken. I'd get an idea of what they were saying, but never the exact meaning.
I found a site this morning that explains these dohas. They're just wonderful to read. Simply constructed, yet with such deep messages. A soothing balm for our often troubled souls.
Click here to read them along with their explanantions.
I found a site this morning that explains these dohas. They're just wonderful to read. Simply constructed, yet with such deep messages. A soothing balm for our often troubled souls.
Click here to read them along with their explanantions.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Current Reading
The book I've been reading for the past couple of weeks is called 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' by Haruki Murakami. I'm enjoying it. If anything, it has stoked my desire to get back to full fitness soon and train hard.
As a fellow runner, I identify a lot with Murakami's experiences while running. In case I left you guessing, that's what the book is about. I love the little bits when he throws in some of his philosophy. Here's an excerpt I loved:
"Usually when I approach the end of a marathon, all I want to do is get it over with, and finish the race as soon as possible. That's all I can think of. But as I drew near the end of this ultramarathon, I wasn't really thinking about this. The end of the race is just a temporary marker without much significance. It's the same with our lives. Just because there's an end doesn't mean existence has meaning. An end point is simply set up as a temporary marker, or perhaps an indirect metaphor for the fleeting nature of existence."
As a fellow runner, I identify a lot with Murakami's experiences while running. In case I left you guessing, that's what the book is about. I love the little bits when he throws in some of his philosophy. Here's an excerpt I loved:
"Usually when I approach the end of a marathon, all I want to do is get it over with, and finish the race as soon as possible. That's all I can think of. But as I drew near the end of this ultramarathon, I wasn't really thinking about this. The end of the race is just a temporary marker without much significance. It's the same with our lives. Just because there's an end doesn't mean existence has meaning. An end point is simply set up as a temporary marker, or perhaps an indirect metaphor for the fleeting nature of existence."
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Road to Recovery
It's been a sad couple of weeks. Last Wednesday, I had my first real sports injury, a partial hamstring tear and on Friday, I lost my mum-in-law to be.
The hamstring injury keeps me away from running for about 3 weeks, just when I was beginning to get some rhythm after a considerable break from long-distance running. And poof! My hamstring goes bust. In the midst of dealing with it, and it is a HUGE deal to me to miss marathon prep, my fiancee's ma passed away.
That took the wind out of my sails. And it was so sudden! Everything happened in a day, just like when Papa passed away over two years ago. It was really sad, even more so because she'll miss the wedding in a couple of months.
I'll be honest here. I didn't get to know her as well as I'd liked to, but we got on well. We'd make fun of my fiancee together, talk about cricket a little and exchange pleasantries. She was extremely warm and treated me like a son. I'll miss not having her around.
My fiancee's been very strong about it and I'm proud of her, but I won't write more about that here to respect her privacy. I think people's feelings on the loss of someone very dear should be kept private unless they volunteer to speak/write about it.
We've spent the last week dealing with the loss as a family and it's been tough. Like all such losses, I know this is one we will never fully get over. That's just the way death is. It leaves you wondering what just happened. Especially when it hits you so suddenly.
You wonder if everything you shared was a big dream. Those family holidays, the day your parent slapped you for doing something wrong, the surprisingly good report card you turned in every once in a while (read, 5 years in my case)... it feels like a different life. Surreal.
Where did they all go...
The hamstring injury keeps me away from running for about 3 weeks, just when I was beginning to get some rhythm after a considerable break from long-distance running. And poof! My hamstring goes bust. In the midst of dealing with it, and it is a HUGE deal to me to miss marathon prep, my fiancee's ma passed away.
That took the wind out of my sails. And it was so sudden! Everything happened in a day, just like when Papa passed away over two years ago. It was really sad, even more so because she'll miss the wedding in a couple of months.
I'll be honest here. I didn't get to know her as well as I'd liked to, but we got on well. We'd make fun of my fiancee together, talk about cricket a little and exchange pleasantries. She was extremely warm and treated me like a son. I'll miss not having her around.
My fiancee's been very strong about it and I'm proud of her, but I won't write more about that here to respect her privacy. I think people's feelings on the loss of someone very dear should be kept private unless they volunteer to speak/write about it.
We've spent the last week dealing with the loss as a family and it's been tough. Like all such losses, I know this is one we will never fully get over. That's just the way death is. It leaves you wondering what just happened. Especially when it hits you so suddenly.
You wonder if everything you shared was a big dream. Those family holidays, the day your parent slapped you for doing something wrong, the surprisingly good report card you turned in every once in a while (read, 5 years in my case)... it feels like a different life. Surreal.
Where did they all go...
Thursday, October 02, 2008
In other news...
...I get married in December. To someone I met at my old office. :)
It's been on the cards for a bit now. I just didn't want to come out and say it until I felt everything was in place and the time was right. Especially after what happened with my previous broken engagement and various other failed relationships. Shit, that makes me sound like a wreck!
But anyway, it is what it is. :)
It's been on the cards for a bit now. I just didn't want to come out and say it until I felt everything was in place and the time was right. Especially after what happened with my previous broken engagement and various other failed relationships. Shit, that makes me sound like a wreck!
But anyway, it is what it is. :)
Exciting Times!
I've really missed writing here for a while. It's been, mainly, because I've been busy getting my fledgling company off the ground. Hiring people, getting the website up, trying to get business... the works.
It's been excellent learning. Irrespective of how it eventually ends up, I'm so so soooo glad I've taken the chance to pursue my dream. There seems to be a romance to life now. I can feel the idealism and belief, dormant for so long, creeping back into my life. There's no better feeling than stepping out of my comfort zone and into the realm of the unknown.
Everyday begins with hopes or recovering from the previous day's disappointments. It's a roller-coaster. I guess it teaches you to enjoy life for what it is, not what you want it to be.
If there's one lesson I've learnt in these past few weeks, it's this, don't take anything for granted. The new hire who says he'll join in 3 days but doesn't turn up, the potential client who promises you a lot but comes up with nothing... the list is endless. I'm not being cynical here, just realistic. There's many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip. :)
The more I think about it, the more I feel that we're little players in this humungous play of destiny. No matter how much we may want something and work hard for it, if it isn't in your destiny, there's really nothing you can do about it. I think it's acceptance that has taught me to love life as it is.
It's a big change from where I was four years ago, but I think it's a change for the better.
It's been excellent learning. Irrespective of how it eventually ends up, I'm so so soooo glad I've taken the chance to pursue my dream. There seems to be a romance to life now. I can feel the idealism and belief, dormant for so long, creeping back into my life. There's no better feeling than stepping out of my comfort zone and into the realm of the unknown.
Everyday begins with hopes or recovering from the previous day's disappointments. It's a roller-coaster. I guess it teaches you to enjoy life for what it is, not what you want it to be.
If there's one lesson I've learnt in these past few weeks, it's this, don't take anything for granted. The new hire who says he'll join in 3 days but doesn't turn up, the potential client who promises you a lot but comes up with nothing... the list is endless. I'm not being cynical here, just realistic. There's many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip. :)
The more I think about it, the more I feel that we're little players in this humungous play of destiny. No matter how much we may want something and work hard for it, if it isn't in your destiny, there's really nothing you can do about it. I think it's acceptance that has taught me to love life as it is.
It's a big change from where I was four years ago, but I think it's a change for the better.
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, August 20, 2008
Catching Up
I haven't posted here in the longest time and I've missed being here. It's busy working independently and I'm still enjoying it.
Apart from work, I've started playing tennis at the MSLTA which is close to home on some evenings. My friends and me really suck at it, but it's good to get the adrenaline pumping in the evenings for a change also.
The running is fun as always. I've started interval running with this enthu bunch of runners at PDP on Wednesday mornings. I haven't posted my latest running times here so I'll have to catch up on that too. Gymming is on in the mornings as well so my day always starts off with an endorphin rush. :) I'm also back to playing football.
I'm going through this phase in my life where I'm ready to play almost any sport. (I don't consider chess and carrom-like games "sport".) I'm dying to play frisbee with someone! I love playing frisbee! I could do it for hours. It's a trance-like activity. Meditative at some level if you're playing with someone who's decent. Any frisbee enthusiasts out there? Hello???
I've all this energy suddenly these days that I don't know what to do with it sometimes. I've even been called an "Energizer-bunny"!
Apart from work, I've started playing tennis at the MSLTA which is close to home on some evenings. My friends and me really suck at it, but it's good to get the adrenaline pumping in the evenings for a change also.
The running is fun as always. I've started interval running with this enthu bunch of runners at PDP on Wednesday mornings. I haven't posted my latest running times here so I'll have to catch up on that too. Gymming is on in the mornings as well so my day always starts off with an endorphin rush. :) I'm also back to playing football.
I'm going through this phase in my life where I'm ready to play almost any sport. (I don't consider chess and carrom-like games "sport".) I'm dying to play frisbee with someone! I love playing frisbee! I could do it for hours. It's a trance-like activity. Meditative at some level if you're playing with someone who's decent. Any frisbee enthusiasts out there? Hello???
I've all this energy suddenly these days that I don't know what to do with it sometimes. I've even been called an "Energizer-bunny"!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
I'll Never Get Over You
This is one of my favourite songs ever from the 'Garden State' movie soundtrack. It's called 'I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You' by Colin Hay.
I'm taking the song out of its romantic context and dedicating this to my father who passed on in June 2006. We had a puja (prayer ceremony) for him the other day commemorate the anniversary of his passing last week (according to the Hindu calendar).
Listen to the song if you've the time. If you've loved and lost someone, the lyrics, the guitar strums and the sad musical strains will touch you. Not in a bad way, but in a sad yet beautifully ironic way.
I hope you like it. Here is the video along with the lyrics. (There's a couple lines in the song that are inappropriate for the context I've chosen, for Papa, the one about being asked to dinner and the line after.)
I just watched it and it's brought me, nearly, to tears. Love you, Papa. Wherever you are, some of you will always be with me.
I'm taking the song out of its romantic context and dedicating this to my father who passed on in June 2006. We had a puja (prayer ceremony) for him the other day commemorate the anniversary of his passing last week (according to the Hindu calendar).
Listen to the song if you've the time. If you've loved and lost someone, the lyrics, the guitar strums and the sad musical strains will touch you. Not in a bad way, but in a sad yet beautifully ironic way.
I hope you like it. Here is the video along with the lyrics. (There's a couple lines in the song that are inappropriate for the context I've chosen, for Papa, the one about being asked to dinner and the line after.)
I just watched it and it's brought me, nearly, to tears. Love you, Papa. Wherever you are, some of you will always be with me.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Going Guerilla
Aside
A bunch of my friends and I went out to Khopoli (a place about 50 km away from Mumbai) to a friend's farmhouse last Saturday.
It was beautiful! Cool, surrounded by lush greenery and the bungalow was on the banks of a smallish river.
After we loaded up on vada paos and poha, we got ourselves our favourite drinks, mine is a vodka tonic loaded with ice, and goofed around in the bungalow.
Then we went swimming in the river! It was so much fun!!! Rocky, strong current, slippery and mossy, shallow. We had get down on all fours to get through some parts. There was this one moment when I got swept away by the current and took another friend down with me. I swear, we could've died if our heads had hit one of those rocks at that speed. But we came away almost unscathed, with a few cuts and bruises. One of THE scariest experiences of my life. I thought I was gone for a second. I guess that wasn't to be, I'm here writing this post. :)
In other news, I've started playing football again. Went to join my buddies this morning and it was just superb being out there, running in the muck and rain, shouting and screaming... I felt like I was back in school. I think that's one of the small reasons that keeps me going back. We're not like a professional or even amateur team or anything. We practice and play for the love of the game and to stay fit. The coach and the gang we happy to have me back. It felt like going back to family. Fabulous!
Main Story:
Besides football, I've been crazy busy getting my little company going. Thinking of names, logos, bank accounts, meeting potential clients and doing a bit of running around to get it off the ground. I might have to hire a couple writers soon. Let's see.
I already have a project I'm working on and it's quite exciting. So I'm enjoying that.
Going independent has been a great experience until now. I just feel like I'm able to express myself through my work so so much more. It's like breaking the shackles. Honest to god, I don't know how this venture will shape up. But I'm dedicating my effort to Papa who sadly isn't with us, Amma, my grandparents and to another special person.
I'm going to give this everything I've got, my best and will leave the rest to destiny. I'm not scared of not making it. If there's anything I'm scared of, it's not giving my best.
I'm going guerilla.
A bunch of my friends and I went out to Khopoli (a place about 50 km away from Mumbai) to a friend's farmhouse last Saturday.
It was beautiful! Cool, surrounded by lush greenery and the bungalow was on the banks of a smallish river.
After we loaded up on vada paos and poha, we got ourselves our favourite drinks, mine is a vodka tonic loaded with ice, and goofed around in the bungalow.
Then we went swimming in the river! It was so much fun!!! Rocky, strong current, slippery and mossy, shallow. We had get down on all fours to get through some parts. There was this one moment when I got swept away by the current and took another friend down with me. I swear, we could've died if our heads had hit one of those rocks at that speed. But we came away almost unscathed, with a few cuts and bruises. One of THE scariest experiences of my life. I thought I was gone for a second. I guess that wasn't to be, I'm here writing this post. :)
In other news, I've started playing football again. Went to join my buddies this morning and it was just superb being out there, running in the muck and rain, shouting and screaming... I felt like I was back in school. I think that's one of the small reasons that keeps me going back. We're not like a professional or even amateur team or anything. We practice and play for the love of the game and to stay fit. The coach and the gang we happy to have me back. It felt like going back to family. Fabulous!
Main Story:
Besides football, I've been crazy busy getting my little company going. Thinking of names, logos, bank accounts, meeting potential clients and doing a bit of running around to get it off the ground. I might have to hire a couple writers soon. Let's see.
I already have a project I'm working on and it's quite exciting. So I'm enjoying that.
Going independent has been a great experience until now. I just feel like I'm able to express myself through my work so so much more. It's like breaking the shackles. Honest to god, I don't know how this venture will shape up. But I'm dedicating my effort to Papa who sadly isn't with us, Amma, my grandparents and to another special person.
I'm going to give this everything I've got, my best and will leave the rest to destiny. I'm not scared of not making it. If there's anything I'm scared of, it's not giving my best.
I'm going guerilla.
Friday, July 11, 2008
A Life is Lived in an Instant
Just came across this super article about how life must be lived for the now. I often balk at these modern ideas of retiring at 40 and early retirement to move to this fancy house on the beach you've built for yourself.
40 is too late. What if I don't make it to 40? I don't mean to be fatalistic but it's a possibility. It's a lot of thoughts like this that have changed the way I live my life. I live for the "now". Earlier, I would spend hours and hours thinking about whether I should say something to someone, labour over how the other person would react, what the other person would think of me if I said what I wanted to and all kinds of other useless thoughts. Today I ask myself one question, 'If I were to die the next moment, would I say/do what I wanted to?'. The answer isn't always yes. But it makes my life a lot simpler. No doubt, there are times when I look back and think how stupid it was to say or do what I did, but people make mistakes. I try and learn from them. No regrets.
I'll shut up now. Go read.
40 is too late. What if I don't make it to 40? I don't mean to be fatalistic but it's a possibility. It's a lot of thoughts like this that have changed the way I live my life. I live for the "now". Earlier, I would spend hours and hours thinking about whether I should say something to someone, labour over how the other person would react, what the other person would think of me if I said what I wanted to and all kinds of other useless thoughts. Today I ask myself one question, 'If I were to die the next moment, would I say/do what I wanted to?'. The answer isn't always yes. But it makes my life a lot simpler. No doubt, there are times when I look back and think how stupid it was to say or do what I did, but people make mistakes. I try and learn from them. No regrets.
I'll shut up now. Go read.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Exercise Ideas
Now that I've quit my job, I'm going to have more time in the early mornings.
One of the things I'm definitely going to do is start swimming again. I went for a swim this morning and it felt great! There was only one other person in the pool, I got a nice big wide lane and I gave it a good go considering I was swimming swimming (that's intentional, like properly swimming) after a long time.
60 lengths of a 25-metre pool was fun. And not too tiring either. (I took three brief 1-minute stops after a set of 20 lengths. 40 freestyle and 20 breast-stroke.) I've really missed swimming and it felt so good to back in a pool again. Besides, it's great to cross-train with running.
Another thing I'm going to do is get me a cycle. One of the little things that annoyed me about my job was the amount of fuel I'd have to burn to get to work everyday. (I drive about 56 kms a day right now.) Contributing to pollution, global warming and all that. It may seem stupid to you but it was this little thing always sat at the back of my head.
So anyway, once I get my cycle, I'm going to try and cycle short distances. I stay eco-friendly and I get exercise.
On a completely different note, I think I've got the soul of a hippy. Sometimes, I think I belong a world that wasn't so fast. Like my parents' generation or something. Blues and jazz, people had time for each other, idealism, romance. It all sounds like a dream now. Everything is so fast. The food, relationships, dating, cars, reading, work, deadlines. Where are we going in such a hurry?
One of the things I'm definitely going to do is start swimming again. I went for a swim this morning and it felt great! There was only one other person in the pool, I got a nice big wide lane and I gave it a good go considering I was swimming swimming (that's intentional, like properly swimming) after a long time.
60 lengths of a 25-metre pool was fun. And not too tiring either. (I took three brief 1-minute stops after a set of 20 lengths. 40 freestyle and 20 breast-stroke.) I've really missed swimming and it felt so good to back in a pool again. Besides, it's great to cross-train with running.
Another thing I'm going to do is get me a cycle. One of the little things that annoyed me about my job was the amount of fuel I'd have to burn to get to work everyday. (I drive about 56 kms a day right now.) Contributing to pollution, global warming and all that. It may seem stupid to you but it was this little thing always sat at the back of my head.
So anyway, once I get my cycle, I'm going to try and cycle short distances. I stay eco-friendly and I get exercise.
On a completely different note, I think I've got the soul of a hippy. Sometimes, I think I belong a world that wasn't so fast. Like my parents' generation or something. Blues and jazz, people had time for each other, idealism, romance. It all sounds like a dream now. Everything is so fast. The food, relationships, dating, cars, reading, work, deadlines. Where are we going in such a hurry?
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