The drudgeries of life
Monday, November 29, 2010
happy anniversary, mumma and dada! luv you both... more when i have net access ;)
Friday, November 26, 2010
Oh joy!!
Cal has been one of my favorite places since childhood, reason being the annual trip to the place for Christmas with the whole family!
Howrah Bridge, Kyd Street, Hotel East End, Park Street, New Market, Chaplin and Globe Cinemas, the street side food *yummy*, the gullad-wali chai, Nauhoms, the second-hand books, the Metro, the yellow cabs, the trams, Nicco park (:p), Indian Museum, etc etc! SIGHS! The memories :)
Never envisaged it but heading back to the place tomorrow... a welcome change! Gonna relive memories like there's no end to it.
So much for Delhi, Gurgaon and the crazy winters here... time for a change in weather!
Photogenic City of Joy, here I come :))
Next blog when I settle in. Or maybe later. So long...
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Office - After hours!
Ever get the feeling that you'll do wonderfully well at work, and command the respect of anyone and everyone around you, irrespective of the setting you're in, no matter where?
Strange enough, but it's a recurring occurrence in my case!
Maybe it's relative, hence the applicability.
Or maybe it's snottiness at it's best!
People ending up at my blog while searching for "Miracles in CAT exam", SCAT!!! The only miracle possible in the CAT is clearing the damn thing... that despite your state of preparedness. Sighs.
For those reaching this place searching for the Klueless 6 level, "Apple of my eye", wouldn't it be fun if you got to read the beautiful woman's face as if it were scripted in text?! Go figure ;)
Cheers!
Labels: Arrogance, Belief, Late hours, Office, Random
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
November Rain
It was well past midnight, yet sleep refused to entertain me.
Insomnia is a nice girl friend, but it's when she becomes your wife that all hell breaks loose. Then sleep also refuses to be a good mistress.
Way up on the 11th floor, at this ungodly hour, the silence is deafening... Not even the crickets can be heard.
And that's when the rhythmic pitter-patter breaches the calmness. Yep, it's November rain.
Standing on my balcony, it felt as if hundreds of stars had descended to Earth, acquiring a yellow tinge in the process, and I was observing this lot through a constantly downward-moving tattered curtain.
And then the background music starts off as if on cue. Guns n' Roses, November Rain. Coincidence?
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain
Do they have songs for every context? Or is it we who discover something relevant in songs to match the situation we're in?
Whatever.
Like Steven Tyler sang it once, "... I could stay lost in this moment... forever"
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Final Verdict!
Better than expected, but a long way to go :)
21!!
There was a time when, during the DA-IICT days, a few of us would wake up at as early as 5 AM for running 10 or more rounds around the huge cricket field! This in addition to the late evening workout sessions at the gym.
The DA-IICT marathon was the first of my life... and though I ended up with the sixth rank, it was a miserable race.
Then came the Pune days... running was always on the agenda (and for me, it usually remained there only :p) courtesy Arjun boss!
And when we ran in the Pune Marathon, it was a chilled out affair with more masti than running... completing the run happened matter-of-factly.
Then came this year's Delhi Half Marathon... 21 kms on the 21st of November, 2010, anyone?
Just for the heck of it, three of us dudes signed up for the same, way back in September.
At this point of time, I'd like to mention that I have always prided myself on being a fitness freak, but never ever have I considered myself a runner... All I wanted to do was to test my crazy stamina.
Nonetheless we planned to run like crazy for 2 months, and be well prepared in time for the big day!
Then all hell broke loose. Screwed up life, long hours at work, loads of traveling, relentless sleepiness yada yada.
Voila! Come judgement day, I had managed only 2 practice runs (pathetic by any standards) despite some serious advice from my ex-boss (a pro-runner himself).
Now I really needed to stick to what he had said: "Focus on completing the race... not on completing in 3 hours!"
And seriously, the timing certificate was the last thing on my mind on the eve of the run... when, in our posh hotel room, the guys were joking about each of us lying spread-eagle fashion in the middle of the track, with each of our bibs containing the contact details of the other two unconscious guys, I seriously envisioned myself as da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, personified! :p
Come 21st November, and we were in high spirits!
Seeing the 30000 strong crowd all set for a loong run at 7 on this cold morning worked wonders for my confidence.
Not to mention the huge turnout of senior citizens and women! Respect!!
At 07:30:00, the gate opened. And the people poured out like water that has just been released from the dam gates!
The next 21 kms ensured the run of a lifetime!
Veterans running like fit youngsters, and egging us on (talk about budhaape me jawaani \m/); friendly strangers dotting the periphery of the entire 21 kms long race track, whose cheerful smiles and words of motivation felt like a shot in the arm; the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners who were on their way back crossing the 15 kms milestone after 40 minutes when we we reached the 5 kms mark (WOAH!); the way some participants cheered everyone else up (it's a marathon for gawd's sake, not a funeral procession, you guys... buck up!!); the beautiful stretch in the road between India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan (Raj Path, anyone); Khurana and I running at the constant pace of about 9.5 kmph for the initial14 kms; the final stretch; the setting in of fatigue; Lucozade zindabad; the loong kilometers; the glimpse of the digital clock; 02:15:45; the increased speed; 02:15:50; the longest yard; running with head and both hands (\m/ \m/) pointed upwards; 02:15:56; cameras going *click* *click* *click*; then it's over!
02:16:00
Later I was to discover that Khurana timed 02:11:00 and Anand, 02:42:00. Yep, we finished it in style!
Khurana and I fretted over not having any idea of the time earlier, else we'd have tried for under 2 hours. LoL
Anyway it was mindgame from the start. Running always is. You need to keep finding reasons for sticking to it, and for keeping yourself motivated.
Right now, I'm totally proud of this achievement, and can't help bragging about it... even the bosses back at office were awe-struck ("What you've achieved is one of the 10 things to do before dying", said PB sir :D )
It's another matter that once the marathon ended, the sudden lack of activity has caused both my feet to protest vehemently. So much so that any sort of movement seems to invite excruciating pain. Inertia of rest, ahoy! Ouchhh. Even 17 straight hours of sleep didn't help :(
In the meantime, the elite gang of treasure hunters of which I'm a part achieved greatness by bagging a top #10 spot in the baap of online t-hunts, Klueless 6! Way to go, fellas... you rock \m/
Palindrome number for the symmetry lover ;)
Jogging gear - Rs. 3900;
Month's supply of health(y) food and what not - Rs. 2800;
Finishing the Delhi Half Marathon in 2 hours & 16 minutes - Priceless! \m/
On an ending note:
Registration fee - Rs. 600;
Hotel bill - Rs. 6000; (divided 3 ways, of course :p)Jogging gear - Rs. 3900;
Month's supply of health(y) food and what not - Rs. 2800;
Finishing the Delhi Half Marathon in 2 hours & 16 minutes - Priceless! \m/
Back to the grind for now! Keep up the pace in life, folks :)
Labels: Achievement, Delhi, Finish, Friends, Happiness, Marathon, Running
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Today!
Cloudy weather. November rain.
The sun playing peek-a-boo.
A huge rainbow!
Dreamy dreamy.
Delhi winters :)
Sighs
The sun playing peek-a-boo.
A huge rainbow!
Dreamy dreamy.
Delhi winters :)
Sighs
Monday, November 15, 2010
Pat on the back :)
Since the eve of Diwali, I've been engulfed in a tsunami of work! So much so that the whole of last Sunday and Monday were spent at office, 33 hours straight!!
And the rest of the week was as crazy as it could get... late nights at office, work, meetings, revisions, rework, meetings again, screwed up routine!
Thank goodness that I managed to scoot off to Mussoorie for Diwali... :)
Anyway, the week started off pretty bad, but we kinda got used to it! And it became fun working late hours, then driving back in the dead of the night (brrr Delhi winters have set in!), sleeping till late, and the cycle.
The party on Saturday night (the first one in this company) was such a stress buster! Let my hair loose (literally :p) and danced like crazy!
The late night appreciation from the MD and the VP for the hard work we put in were extra special :))
No wonder I put in all behind me and slept for 14 hours straight on Sunday...
Phew! That was the week that was...
New week, new story, new developments.
Time to get back to work. Adios.
Movie mania!
Every once in a while I watch a movie which leads me to introspect. Some flicks get me thinking about the choices that I've made in life till now.
The Social Network was one such movie.
A man's passion for coding can make him do wonders... and a few blunders too! Can so relate to it all :)
Chautala and I were discussing the repercussions of giving up the love for writing programs after the movie. Sighs!
The story dealing with the birth of Facebook, and the way it has taken over everyone's lives. Simply amazing! Do watch.
November and December seem to be loaded with a set of good releases! *rubbing hands in glee*
The Social Network was one such movie.
A man's passion for coding can make him do wonders... and a few blunders too! Can so relate to it all :)
Chautala and I were discussing the repercussions of giving up the love for writing programs after the movie. Sighs!
The story dealing with the birth of Facebook, and the way it has taken over everyone's lives. Simply amazing! Do watch.
November and December seem to be loaded with a set of good releases! *rubbing hands in glee*
