Hmmm....

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

2009-08-31T19:28:00.001+05:30

Last week, I came across this phrase on some website related to running/jogging:

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”

This really hit home. It’s one of those rare gems you come across in life. You see it/read it/touch it and it gives new meaning and clarity.

When I run, I feel pain. I want to slow down. I want to stop. I want to take it easy and promise myself that I’ll try harder the next day. That tomorrow I won’t quit. No matter how much the pain. The pain usually continues even after I stop. Certain days, the pain is worse after I stop. I’ve always had to push myself.

But this phrase really puts things in perspective. My attitude towards running and the pain I feel during running has changed considerably. It’s effectiveness lies in its simplicity.

No one said running is supposed to be easy. Running is tough.

You can’t avoid the pain. You don’t have to embrace it. But you do have to accept it.

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”.

Changes

2009-08-31T19:19:00.000+05:30

It has been an intriguing five weeks. When the results of my health check up came in, I found out that I had very high cholesterol and pretty high blood sugar. The doc wanted to prescribe tablets so that I can bring my counts to normal levels, but I didn’t want to give in to medication without at least trying to make lifestyle changes. So I asked him to give me a month. I was told to avoid sugar and oil. And was told to walk (only walk), and eat more onions and garlic. And go back in a month to see him.

Even though I was expecting high cholesterol before I went for the tests, the blood sugar caught me off guard. Avoid sugar? Say what??!!

I knew what I had to do. I mean, making lifestyle changes sounds simple enough right? Control what I put into the body and walk. Simple enough. But there were a whole bunch of questions that came up. Would I last the month? Do I have the willpower? Would I get up every morning and walk? Would walking be enough? What happens if I stick to a perfect diet and walk every day, but after a month, the counts aren’t reduced? Then what? What about work? What do I do when I get hungry at work in the evenings? Would everyone I usually hang out with understand my decisions to eat healthy?

There was an evening of shock and spreading the word to the near and dear. Informing them of the results and listening patiently to the words of advice. Shaking my head in bewilderment at my own stupidity and lack of self control. Kicking myself for letting things get so out of control. And then came the decisions. Diet plans were made. Meals were charted out. Foods were classified as out of bounds. Exercise plans were put in place.

And so it began. From July 27^th onwards. For five weeks, I ate clean. Ate only what I felt was right. I cut out sugar, hotel food, fried food, oily food and fast food. No potatoes, no red meat, no alcohol, rice - only a handful of times over the five weeks. I switched to main courses made from whole wheat, a lot of lentils n vegetables, fruits, skim milk curd, black tea without milk n sugar. The willpower was absolute. My willpower to say no to food I would normally not resist surprised a lot of people, especially me.

As for the exercise, I started to walk. Got up every morning around 530 (except Sundays of course) and went for a walk. But here was my opportunity to do what I have been aiming to do for the last 4 years of my life – become an outdoor jogger. So, the third day of walking onward, I introduced jogging into my walks. Walk, jog as much as I could without pushing myself too hard, walk some more. Every day I would try to jog that little bit more. On some days I would, sometimes it would take a few days or a week to break a plateau. The very first day I tried jogging, I couldn’t do more than one-and-a-half minutes. Now, I can do ten. For ten minutes, I can jog on the streets of Anna Nagar. Not that it’s easy. Quite the opposite. It’s quite difficult. I’m out of breath, my legs hurt, my calves hurt, I get shin splints, but I’ve kept going. It’s been a wonderful feeling to set targets and push myself to meet those targets, and at times, exceeding them. Jogging outdoors has been as invigorating as I always thought it would be. It’s been painful, yet rewarding.

Five weeks have passed since I did my health check up. I’ve controlled my diet and walked/jogged five or six days a week. I went for another round of tests day before yesterday. The results were shocking! Everything was normal! Cholesterol was normal and so was the blood sugar. I was healthy again!

I mean, I was hoping that my counts would have dropped a bit, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being normal in five weeks! In fact, it makes me wonder when I’ve last been so healthy. My last test was in October 2005! It made another bunch of other questions run through my head: Are the readings reliable? Should I just let myself go again and just crash diet one month a year? What does it say about my lifestyle since it took five weeks (only??) to clean things up?

Rather than ponder over these questions, I let myself go this weekend, had a lot of food that I’ve been avoiding the last few weeks. Got that bingeing out of my system. Now it’s time to get back to my diet, though I have no plans to be as strict. I want to reflect on the changes I’ve made and try to balance things out. I don’t want to live the way I used to before the first checkup - that would be a bad idea. I don’t need to diet the way I have been over the last few weeks either - that would be impossible to sustain in the long term. Hopefully, I’ll be able to figure out the right balance between the good and the bad, so that I remain healthy.

I don't believe it....

2009-07-07T18:10:00.002+05:30

So it happened. Finally. Something that has been on the brink of happening for a couple of years now. Can’t say that I didn’t see it coming. But that doesn’t mean that I still wasn’t shocked that it happened. It was the suddenness of it that caught me off guard. But now it’s over. It’s official.

Ronaldo is now a Real Madrid player.

Watch this space to understand why there is so much emotion for something so trivial. For now, the bus home awaits!

Test Blog!!!

2009-06-30T15:14:00.000+05:30

Emailing blog from work…I wonder if this will go through…if it does, it might open a whole new world for me…

One year ago...

2008-12-13T09:38:00.001+05:30

One year...that's how long it's been since I last blogged...wow! Time does fly. Well, don't know what to say...how bout... "See you next year"!!

So much for that!

2007-12-12T13:42:00.001+05:30

So I went to andra mess, had lunch and came back to my desk, thinking that it was only 1:15 and wondering what I was gonna do until 4:15 which is when I was planning to leave. So what do I see in my email? A meeting invite for today evening from 5:15 to 6 That’s not good you say? I agree! And what is the topic of the meeting? Drum roll please… moving the project to Siruseri!! Not just my team, but the entire relationship. The good thing about the meeting is that I’m gonna find out (hopefully) more details about the move. But the bad things is that I have to drive home through that peak hour traffic!!  that just sucks man! And what do I do to keep myself busy till 5:15? A lot more surfing the net I guess. Hmmm...

Favorite United moments

2007-12-05T14:55:00.000+05:30

When I wrote yesterday about last year’s United vs. Liverpool match, it got me thinking. About favorites and sports. So I thought I’ll put together some lists. What else to start with but with my favorite United moments of the 2006-2007 season? It was an incredible season for me as a fan. I became totally addicted to football, and to United. I’d plan my day keeping the United game in mind. Maybe some day I’ll look back at this craze and laugh it off or ridicule it. Maybe I’ll get nostalgic about it and wish that I could make more for it. Who knows! For now, I’m immensely enjoying the ups and downs of being a United supporter. So, here we go, my 5 favorite moments from last season:

1. United beating Liverpool @ Anfield! The injury-time goal scored by John O’Shea on a free kick was unbelievable. The celebrations, wild; the passion, unrivalled!

2. Goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 88th minute against Fulham away to win what looked set to be a drawn match. The importance of the win, the class of the goal and the spontaneous celebration (both at Craven Cottage and in my Minneapolis room) made this so memorable.

3. Rooney and Ronaldo combined to score one of my favorite goals from last season against Bolton @ Old Trafford in March. The slick passing, the speed, the vision and the goal - oh my! To think that the goal was scored off a Bolton throw-in deep in United’s half makes it all the better. Ronaldo won the throw-in, made an outlet pass to Rooney, who flicked it back to a surging Ronaldo and off they went. Ronaldo flew deep into Bolton territory and played a perfectly weighted ball to Rooney who showed his class while putting the ball past the goalkeeper. Oh…also love the way Old Trafford roars in anticipation when Rooney flicks the ball to Ronaldo. It’s as if everyone in the stadium recognized the brilliance that they were about to witness.

4. 7-1 drubbing of Roma. Need I say more? It was a highlight reel of a match. To beat the Serie A’s second-best team by that margin was a real statement-maker.

5. 3-2 defeat of ACMilan – a 92nd minute strike by Rooney won the match for United. It was a great match. So great that I watched it twice. Back to back. Insane!

Of course, the most special moment from United’s past year, is not on this list. This moment is above and beyond any list. On Sunday May 13th, Manchester United lifted the EPL trophy. First time in four years! Four years of my premeriship-watching and United-supporting was all made worthwhile by that one moment. What a moment!

United vs. Fulham

2007-12-04T13:23:00.001+05:30

Surprise! ManUtd beat Fulham 2-0. Another big surprise - that boy Ronaldo scored both the goals! In the last three premiership games between ManUtd and Fulham, United have won eight goals, and Ronaldo has scored five of those! Watching United play in the first 20 minutes was just breath-taking. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I became teary-eyed. It was magnificent to see Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo just change positions and move around the pitch so effortlessly. The addition of Tevez hasn’t disrupted the chemistry between Rooney and Ronaldo, it’s improved it a whole lot. For defenses now have to worry about Tevez dropping back to midfield, or running at them or moving behind the back four or timing runs onto perfectly weighted passes. It’s just outstanding watching them play. Add to this mix the intelligence and awareness of Giggs, the emerging brilliance of Andersen, the solidity of Hargreaves, Vidic, Ferdinand, and the attacking forays of Brown and Evra down the flanks and it results in a wonderful team to watch. There’s potential here to achieve a lot for a long time. Except for Giggs – whose replacement Nani is waiting in the wings – the rest of the team is less than 25 years old. That’s frightening if you’re not a United supporter. Thankfully, I am!

United’s next match is against Derby on Saturday night @ Old Trafford. When I think of the whipping that awaits the visitors, I cringe. I expect United to win by a score of 4-0 or 5-0. They’re gonna score a few quick goals, get bored and take their foot off the pedal. Else, who knows, maybe we’ll see double digits! But the real battle awaits in a fornight. Against Liverpool @ Anfield.

Who can forget last year’s victory? Arguably my favourite moment from last year’s Premiership campaign. Scholes had been sent off and for United to steal a victory through a John O’Shea goal was just stupendous. It was also an early Saturday morning game when I was living in Minneapolis. I remember jumping around for that as well. This time no roomie to disturb and wake up - I’d already made so much noise during the first ten minutes that he moved to the living room!

My biggest problem with this match is that I may not be able to watch it. If things go according to plan, on the evening of the match, I’ll either be at a railway station in Palakkad waiting to board a train! I’ll get all moody and depressed about that once that plan gets confirmed. I’ll find a way around it I’m sure. I have to!

Footballing Weekend - Part I

2007-12-03T13:29:00.000+05:30

An EPL weekend without a ManUtd match? Are you kidding me? Why am I even alive??? (Errm….the missus perhaps?) Not to worry….ManUtd’s game this weekend is scheduled for Monday against Fulham….well Tuesday in my part of the world – with a 1:30Am kick-off. The sacrifices that need to be made!!

Any mention of ManUtd vs. Fulham brings back fond memories from last year premiership campaign. They played on opening day at Old Trafford and the Cottagers were clobbered. The re-match in February at Craven Cottage was entirely different. United played pretty poorly and with the score tied at 1, it looked like United were about to lose points at an unexpected venue. But last season was a season of destiny, and nothing would stop United, not even a poor game!! With so many geniuses in the team, it took sheer brilliance from one of them - who else but that boy Ronaldo – to score that wonderful goal in the 88th minute to seal the victory. If you haven’t seen that goal, it’s definitely worth checking out on youtube. I remember that game – I was in Minneapolis and it was a really cold Saturday morning and I watched the game on my laptop still curled under my comforter. I hadn’t brushed my teeth or had my morning cup of coffee. When Ronaldo scored the goal, I remember jumping up and down, chest-thumping, silent hooting (careful not to wake up my non-EPL-watching roomies). Hmmm….nostalgia!

Anyways, back to the present. I saw a few good games of premiership football this weekend. Yes, that’s right, I spent Sat and Sun nights at home, but hey, at least it was worth it! I saw the second half of Aston Villa vs. Arsenal. Despite all their attacking intent and pace, Aston Villa just couldn’t put the equalizer past Almunia. It was a real entertainer, and of course I was rooting for the underdogs. The next day I saw Liverpool eventually decimate Bolton 4-0, but not before Anelka missed probably the easiest of goals, well, probably in the history of football. Granted, he was slightly to the side, but there was no Scouser in the four of five yards between Anelka and the goal. How Anelka missed the goal, God only knows. Wish he’s missed like this against ManUtd last week! Anyways, a few minutes after that opportunity, Liverpool scored a wonderful goal. Gerrard, standing in the middle of his own half played an exquisitely weighted pass to Torres, who ran onto the ball and eventually chipped it over the falling Bolton keeper. That was one of the goals for the week, which leads me to the goal of the week – well, the week so far considering that ManUtd haven’t played yet.

The goal I’m talking about is the once Larsson scored for Birmingham against Tottenham (like my dad remarked, “what’s all this obsession with ham”) in the 93rd minute to earn a 3-2 victory for the visitors and a great victory for new manager McLeish. I was trying to divide my attention between watching the game on the tele and talking to my folks about possible trips to Kerala. The strike itself was breath-taking. As a neutral, it was a delight to watch. Struck with such force from about 30 yards out, that Paul Robinson had no chance. I mean, the ball kissed the top corner of the post on its way in. Just brilliant! A few firsts in this game - first loss for the Spurs under Ramos, first win for Birmingham at White Hart Lane in 24 years and first win in his first match in-charge for the new Blues boss McLeish.

Not a bad weekend of football. Can’t wait to see the game tonight. Just hope that I manage to somehow keep myself awake until then. I was up till 1Am last night, so it’s not an easy ask. But I’ll find a way. I remember the last time I didn’t stay up for a ManUtd game; the match was won on a ronaldo free-kick in injury time. So no chance of missing out any more action! And speaking of Fulham, I saw a nice game last Sunday night – Fulham vs. Blackburn. It was really entertaining stuff as well. Hmmm….sunday night EPL games have been good to me the last couple of weeks. Since I anticipate another weekend in front of the tele, I checked the fixtures for the upcoming Sunday. West Ham @ Blackburn and Man City @ Tottenham. Hmmm…more ham…sweeeet!

Why not?

2007-11-30T15:34:00.000+05:30

Why not? Why don’t I go anymore? Why don’t I have the willpower to wake up in the morning, or make time in the evening or on weekends? Am I scared? Scared….of what? I don’t feel scared. That’s where I usually go when I feel scared about life. It always helps me pull my thoughts together, gather my energy and get my focus back. But now, I’m avoiding it at all costs. I search for reasons. No. Correction. I search for excuses. Then I justify to myself why I didn’t go. The worst part for me is that I don’t understand my own behavior. It doesn’t make sense. How can I make myself go to the gym again???

I mean, I’ve always loved going to the gym. Lifting weights makes me happy. I love the feel of iron in my hands. I like feeling sore the next day. I feel so much better, so much more confident, at harmony with myself and with the world around me.

I miss it all - the focus to get through a workout, the determination to get through a set, the discipline to get through a month. All of this – focus, determination, discipline – is missing from my life today. I’m writing about this hoping that that would let me understand myself and somehow get me back to the gym. Back to my haven.

Is it because this is a new gym? Am I worried that I’ll be judged? I know a lot about working out, but looking at me today, you’d never guess. Is that holding me back? Am I worried that I’ll fail? Or that I can’t lift as much as I used to? Or that I’m on the wrong side of the twenties and that my best lifting days are behind me? Maybe I'm worried that my deteriorating metabolism is going to make achieving results that much tougher?

Or am I buckling under the weight of my own expectations of the gym? What if the gym isn’t the mystical place it used to be? What if I no longer can claim that all of life’s problems seem to vanish after a workout? What if all I have to show for a workout is fatigue? Is that why I'm not going? Hmmm...I think so.

Driving + Chennai = Not-so-angry-anymore THUD!!

2007-11-30T14:57:00.000+05:30

I got it! I think I’ve finally figured it out - how not to lose my mind when I’m driving in Chennai. I’ve just decided not to get angry. So what if it takes me one and a half hours to drive twenty kilometers to work? When I get in my car, I should just assume the worst possible scenario and then start driving. It’s amazing the effect that’s having on me. Traffic jams don’t frustrate me anymore. I just wait. I mean, it’s what I expected right?

It’s kind of like this – nowhere else on Earth can I experience this right? I mean I can experience traffic jams from Manhattan to Madrid to Mumbai, but only in Madras can I get this kind of traffic jam right? This was my philosophy when I had to drive my bike in scorching mid-afternoon heat during the summer months of years past. And you know what? It’s the truth. When I was freezing my ass off in Minneapolis winters, I used to long for the heat. I used the same philosophy when the Minneapolis winter became too much to bear. I mean, who knows where life will take me next? What if for the rest of my life I was destined to live in tropical climates? Wouldn’t I want to be so cold that my ears, nose and fingertips went numb?

I guess people long to re-live the past, at least certain moments. I know how much I want to experience the bitter cold of Toronto or Minneapolis. Or maybe even the summer heat of Chennai (I know I’m going to regret this in May).

Hmmm….think I’ve really digressed from what I actually wanted to write. About the driving….yes…I don’t get angry like I used to. I’m no angel though, I do get frustrated once in a while, but that’s mostly because some people’s idiocy shouldn’t be allowed on the roads.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about why my attitude changed. I know my temper and impatience was beginning to get to me and make my passengers uncomfortable. And to top it off, I read an article in the newspaper recently in which a mother talks to her son about the importance of not yelling at others. She said something along the lines of how it takes self-control to hold your nerve. Her son was five years old. Need I say more???

Ok….just a tad bit more… it definitely doesn’t hurt that the traffic in Chennai seems to have dropped or has somehow become more free-flowing. The drive to work takes only an hour in the morning! Ok…now I’m done.

That Boy Ronaldo!!!

2007-11-28T11:54:00.001+05:30

Damn, oh damn! It wasn’t critical, but I was hoping to watch the ManUtd vs. Sporting Lisbon UEFA Champions League match last night. Of course, the fact that it was to start @ 1:15AM CST on a Tuesday night definitely did not help. Wednesday was a working day and I wanted to leave home early (round 730). And of course, I wanted to start off my “gymming” from Wed onwards, which meant that I had to be up by 545. Keeping all this in mind, I came up with an ingenious plan. Hit the bed @11PM (wtf!!), wake up at 1, watch the game, get some more sleep, then go to gym, yada yada yada. Of course, I woke up only at 545 (and snoozed my way to 7:15).

But I did dream though….and kind of remember it – I was having dinner with my better half and a whole bunch of friends...that’s all I remember….this is pretty awesome, considering that I never ever remember any of my dreams. So much so, that I’ve started to believe that I don’t dream at all anymore. So that was pretty cool.

Now, back to the important...football...I didn’t check the score online from home. In case ManUtd lost, I’d be upset on the drive to work, which is never a good thing. So I got to work and opened up the team website and….we won!! By a score of 2 to 1…with a goal in injury time by…who else against Lisbon, but that boy Ronaldo!! Damn…now I wish I’d stayed up to watch it…I missed a lot of jumping around @3AM….I probably wouldn’t have slept at all after such a high!! Anyways, I console myself with the fact that ManUtd won. We’re through to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages and will be in the top-seeded group, which hopefully means that we’ll get a lightweight in the Round of 16. The team looks great this year, and I really think that we have an excellent chance to go all the way this year. I’m still hurting from last year’s 3-0 defeat in Italy. I can’t wait for February. I’d be married by then, so hopefully, the missus would be taking a liking to football by then. Hmmm…who am I kidding???

The dream is dead!

2007-11-22T14:27:00.000+05:30

Oh what a night! The drama! The tension! The knowledge of what’s at stake! Its nights like these that make me fall in love with sports all over again. I’m referring of course, to the Euro 2008 qualifier played last night between England and Croatia. Stunned into silence when Croatia took a 2-0 lead. Then celebrating wildly at 2:45 AM as England drew level. Only to drop back into silence as Croatia scored their third with thirteen minutes left in the game to make sure that England wouldn’t be a part of Euro 2008. What a game!

Before the game began, it was all clear - simple, really. At the imposing Wembley stadium in London, all England had to do was draw against Croatia and they would be through to the Euro 2008 finals. Heck, if England won by a big enough margin, they’d even finish top of the group! At the end of a long qualifying campaign full of so many ups and downs, this was a fitting finale.

The first half was bad, real bad from England’s point of view. They were pathetic. Their strategy was all wrong. ‘Macca’ takes the fault for that one. And putting Carson in goal was a gamble that shouldn’t have been taken for such an important game. But Macca decided to be bold, and it cost him dear. The Croat’s’ first goal should have never gone in. Carson just looked lost out there the whole game. To not get his body behind his hands and to let that goal go in was a shock that England never recovered from. And to their full credit, the Croats never let them. They struck less than ten minutes after their first with another goal, again exposing the timidity in Carson’s approach. He was a spectator as the Croatian player rounded him and put the ball into the back of the net.

Not all the blame should be placed on Carson. Football is, after all, a team sport. So, let’s look at the rest of this England team. The defense – the less said the better. Sol Campbell was slow, Lescott always seemed to be on the wrong side of the Croatian players, Micah Richards was not his usual imposing self, and Wayne Bridge had an assist in one goal and struck the bar with a shot; of course, the fact that his assist was to keep the Croatian’s second goal scorer onside and that the crossbar he struck was his own sums up his miserable night. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually missed Ashley Cole – he wouldn’t have played that bad. But then again, even I could’ve played better than Bridge did last night!

Coming to the midfield and forward, well, it was just all wrong. The formation. Wright-Philips instead of Beckham. Lampard and Gerrard. Barry instead of Hargreaves. I wonder if Gerrard will ever impose himself while wearing an England jersey. Or Lampard for that matter. I admit I’m not a Lampard fan. I think he’s one of the most highly overrated footballers in the world. And hearing him being booed in previous matches brought many a vindicated smile to my lips. However, the way that he stepped up to take the penalty in the 55th minute of yesterday’s game was momentous. The score was 2-0 in favor of Croatia. If England was able to convert the penalty, they would be right back in the game. With all of Wembley holding its breath, for Lampard to step up the way he did and put the ball into the back of the net – however unconvincingly it was – says a lot of the man. Maybe Lampard the player hasn’t played well for England, but the courage and determination he displayed yesterday was inspiring. Take a bow Mr. Lampard! Let’s not get too carried away though – except for that one moment, the man was mostly invisible on the pitch; which brings me to the most visible England footballer on the pitch, Mr. David Beckham.

Beckham’s introduction at half-time in place of Wright-Phillips charged up the crowd and seemed to rattle Croatia. England also replaced Barry with Dafoe at the break and moved to the preferred 4-4-2 formation. It took a few minutes after the break, but England started to fall into rhythm. Their passes were crisper, people were shutting down open areas, loose balls were being run down, passes were being broken up all over the pitch and they started to look menacing. Dafoe darting around made Crouch’s life easier. There were a couple of corners, some free kicks. Watching the game, I just had the feeling that England would draw level. And my, how they did! Beckham wasn’t at his peak fitness, but his pinpoint accuracy helped him pick out Crouch in the box who chested the ball down superbly and slotted past the goalkeeper. Wembley erupted! Their talisman was back! All they had to do was hold on for another 25 minutes and they would be in Austria and Switzerland.

But wait, why play for the draw? The way the team was playing, a win wasn’t out of the question (especially with Beckham in the line-up), was it? In England’s case, it was! Fate intervened, in the form of Macca. The cameras focused on Macca and the commentators read his lips as he yelled at Dafoe from the touchline to fall back behind Crouch. England went from a very successful 4-4-2 to a rather ordinary 4-4-1-1. The English players became confused. Roles and responsibilities suddenly became unclear. England lost their shape, creating open spaces on the pitch. Defenders were caught out of position. Urgency was lost. Tackles were not made. The Croats were given room to maneuver and they made England pay by scoring a third goal, one that Carson should have stopped. But he didn’t. He hadn’t recovered form the first-half shock. Apparently, neither had England.

It was sad to watch England lose. I’m sure the players are devastated. And they ought to be. They’ve let down a nation…Euro 2008….without England. It still hasn’t sunk in yet. The repercussions will be huge. Macca should be fired, and replaced with someone who can inspire the players and add some flair to the English game. Certain players need to be dropped. Bench strength needs to be developed. Inject some pace. The post mortem has begun. Hopefully, three years down the road, we will see a different England team out there in South Africa. One that’s aggressive, full of flair, and with a real chance of winning the World Cup. Of course….there’s only one problem…..qualification!

A dream of two years....

2007-10-30T15:08:00.000+05:30

Rain, rain, oh so much rain! It rained non-stop for more than twenty-four hours – starting late Saturday evening all the way to Sunday night. There was drizzle, there was steady rainfall, there was torrential downpour and then there were cyclone-like moments.

During the rain, I was either at home or out on the road. Sitting at home, having a cup of steaming hot, freshly brewed south Indian filter kaapi – ah! – just blissful! Standing on the balcony watching the rain and getting mildly wet – really refreshing! Driving through the rain for almost three hours – priceless!

It was an experience that I’m sure not to forget in the near future. I remember that the city was flooded back in late October 2005, but I wasn’t in the country. I’d just left for the land of the brave a few days before that. I’d heard the rain gods were really angry then and that they lashed out at the city, tormenting its residents. I’d always wondered what it would’ve been like to be in Chennai when it rained that much. Well, even though I didn’t get to find out what that was like, this was an unforgettable experience on its own!

Sunday evening. 6PM. My fiancée’s at my place and I need to drop her back at her folks’. It’s a 15-km drive through the heart of the city. On a Sunday evening though, the drive there and back shouldn’t take more than ninety minutes – or so I thought. There was a fallen tree on a major road, causing traffic diversion - nothing alarming - except that it was a really big tree. Reached her place in an hour, had a cup of coffee with the in-laws and decided to head back home around 8PM, figuring that I’d be home by 9 (even with the traffic diversion). Man, was I wrong!

I reached home only by 930, and in that time, I drove through water. And when I saw water, I don’t mean even ankle-deep water. I mean knee-high to mid-thigh-high water! (Taking into account the need for extravagant explanations, the water was probably only mid-thigh-high for short people.) There were a few stretches of the drive in which I was so sure that water was going to seep into my car, or worse, seep into the exhaust pipe and get into the engine or whatever and cause the car to stall! I was certainly not looking forward to getting out of the car and wade around in water. Not just water, but god-only-knows-what-else-is-mixed-in-it-water! Luck was on my side! Phew! I did make it home without any car trouble and without any water entering the car. But it wasn’t all pretty! I did see at least three cars that stopped in the middle of the road. I wanted to help them, but stopping my car would have been too much of a risk. I also saw quite a few motorbikes stopped on the road because water had found its way into the silencers - couldn’t help them either. In fact, the worst part was when I was very close to home. I couldn’t find any streets (really!) since they were all submerged in water. After a bit of exploration, I picked a street and decided to try my luck. Heck, worst-case-scenario, I’d have to walk home through the gross water for about 5 minutes. Nothing that a little clean water and a lot of soap couldn’t handle right? But, the Black Beast made it home - no stalling, no water inside, no problem!

Needless to say, it stopped raining a couple of hours after I got home. It didn’t rain much on Monday, even though I was really hoping that it would. Yes, my selfish being wants it to rain much much more. So much more that next time, water should seep into the car and it should stall. Now that, would be even more nerve-wracking!

Driving + Chennai = Angry THUD!!

2007-10-26T12:27:00.001+05:30

“Excuse me…you look really familiar…do I know you from somewhere? **shakes hand** Maybe we crossed each other on the road this morning?”

I spend a lot of time on the road nowadays. You might be thinking that I’m on some kind of expedition across the nation… errr…. no…. it’s just the drive to work. It takes me about an hour or so in the morning and around an hour and a half in the evening. Driving from home to office covers a 20 km stretch through the heart of this infrastructural nightmare of a city. Don’t get me wrong. I love Chennai (I’ve always like the name Madras soooo much better). This is my city. I love the warmth of the people (wtf??!! Ok ok… warmth of some of the ppl), the language (say what!) and there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be! But I gotta be honest, the sights that I see - phew! I can write a book on this stuff. But baby steps for now! Blog first, novel later (check out www.nanowrimo.org).

There are a few things that irk me when I’m on the road: I hate people who drive cars that have their sideview mirrors folded. Fine! If you think you’re that good on the road, and don’t need sideview mirrors, fine! But then don’t drift to the side I’m on and push me into the wall/median/traffic!! No sir!! Don’t do that!! That always gets me hopping mad to the point where I have to honk until I can’t hear my music anymore (ah yes, music…. the saving grace)….

When I’m not being sideswiped, I have to keep an eye out for men who drive motorbikes and have their wife and children hanging on for dear life at the back (once, I saw a mom fall asleep holding a baby boy on a bike - I kept horning till she woke up!) As if this wasn’t enough, there are buses to be dealt with. Have you ever seen a bus on the road? It doesn’t matter if it’s the public transport, a college bus or private transport – these buses follow the simple rule: “I’m bigger than you are, so get the hell outta my way! The only thing that these monsters are traffic signals. Did I say…..

Traffic signals??!! Aaarrrrggghhhh!! I hate them – the city is full of them and if you get caught at one, it’ll be a good couple of minutes before you’ll be moving again. Of course, the people of this city have found a solution to that problem as well - just don’t stop at red lights (one of these days, I know I’m gonna witness something terrible).

So I’ve finally make it to a signal where people actually stop at red lights. I start thinking to myself that this is the opportune time to stretch, get a drink of water, change the cd or do something worthwhile with my time. And what happens then? Someone in or on a vehicle around me will get the unrelenting need to…. spit!! On the road!! Sometimes its just spit (that’s right, I said “just spit”), sometimes its noses being blown, sometimes it’s the residue of whatever they’re chewing. You find this gross? Are you pulling back from the screen, scowling your face or clasping your hands? Wait till you hear this!! Some times, I’ve seen a hanging trail of spit/snot/other gross shit leading to the mouth/nose. How do they deal with it? Tissues? Handkerchiefs? Shirt sleeves? No sir! They use their hands to wipe it off. That, my dear friends, is just repulsi...

Damn!! Now I know where I’ve seen you!!

Where the hell am I?

2006-09-26T02:45:00.000+05:30

its almost 8 months to the day that i wrote my first blog. what was to be a way to pass time never really took off...but i'm going to give it another shot. i have lots of free time - so hopefully i can note down random thoughts here n look back at it someday and have a laugh!!

First Post

2006-01-25T10:26:00.000+05:30

I have no idea how much I'll write here or what I'll write here. How often? No idea. But I hope that writing here will give me something better to do with my time!!