Inspiration ;)

She is always the one with the smile(s)

& Her enthusiasm stretches thousands of mile(s)

She pulls a lot of surprise

and makes everyones happiness rise

With her around

Fun is unbound !

My Sports Plans - 2010

Probably, the only part of my plan that i can talk openly :)

1. 35 km running per week
2. A sub 2 hour half marathon
3. 1 full marathon
4. Improvement in flexibility and strength
5. Cycle more – errands / in city commute, as much as possible
6. No 2 days without an activity – Run / Cycle / Frisbee / Cricket / Yoga
7. Cricket – Play atleast 1 tournament with RnW. Improve bowling accuracy and bat longer innings
8. Frisbee – Play atleast 1 tournament with Chakraa. Learn to handle
9. Atleast 2 days of yoga, per week

I believe this is possible. Wish me luck :)

My 2009

My 2009 ( in no particular order ... )

1. BITS2Marathon – An idea we ( Vignesh in UK , Mahesh in US and Me in India ) discussed over a skype call in September 2009 , took off really well. The group organised the 1^st ever BITS 5K Run for the BITS community ( www.bits2marathon.com ). Over 250 BITSians are a part of this group,currently. None of us quite planned for this at the start of 2009. BITS2Marathon was a happy surprise of 2010 :) . Hope the BITS 5K Run will be a ‘Tradition’ / yearly activity and inspires many to take up running / stay fit.
2. Deepam has had a special 2009 - Lots of people have now stepped in and are contributing, truly a collective effort. Felt really happy when the 2009 childrens day celebration at Deepam was a success , with *NO* contribution from me :)
3. Deepam library project getting off the blocks , Deepam UK / KC / PUD centre functioning in a steady way , New centre additions , Improved visibility for Deepam through social media, Partnerships with other organisations and many more at Deepam. India Today mention is a recognition of collective contribution
4. Chennai Heat 2009 win – Enjoyed playing this Ultimate Frisbee Tourney with Chakraa (www.chennaiultimate.com ). The 1^st tournament victory for Chakraa. Also helped in my “ 1^st strike”.
5. Couldn't have asked for a better personal life in 2009 :) - The 'dip in the ocean' has been fun. The swim should start soon :)
6. Probably the best B'Day party i've had in my life, so far !!!! Thanks to some fantastic pals who came over and made the day very special
7. Watched so many movies in 2009, "hindi ones" especially ;) and enjoyed the road trips to Vedanthangal and the ones in December. Also, i always seem to have a new dress to wear for every occasion. Influences ;)
8. BITS 30 Under 30 award was a bonus :) - I've done more work / got more recognition from BITS, after i graduated from BITS, than during my times there :)
9. RunsnWickets has become quite active. Team is gelling really well and i've quite enjoyed the NETS / Matches with the team in 2009. Though we lost a series in 2009, i expect 2010 to be much better , enjoyable year at Runs n Wickets. Personally, i'm more 'aware' of my bowling / batting. Can't wait for a series to start in 2010.
10. Ran / finished 2 half-marathons, officially. No Marathons in 2009. But i am happy i learnt a few tricks - now i know the areas to work on / know a bit about my running, especially the technical aspect of my running. Earlier, i was shooting in the dark. This awareness , hopefully, should be helpful in 2010
11. Enjoyed the interactions i've had with the college students through the NEN Entrepreneurship interaction series. Met / spoke with 100's of students at colleges in Chennai. Hope to see atleast some of the students, taking the entrepreneurship plunge
12. Work has been on the 'slower' side in 2009. 2008 was a much better year for me, professionally. But, if the signs in the last 2 months are an indication, 2010 should be an interesting year.

Oh, if i have missed out something, feel free to refresh my memory ... :)

Thanks and have a fantastic 2010.

Cricket and Emotion

Once in a while, when i question myself on 'commitment' levels, one answer helps me feel better  - Cricket. I've played that game for 20+ years , though i have not progressed much beyond the school /local league games. Cricket in general and Indian cricket in specific, defined my english vocabulary. I made most of my school pals on the cricket field. I played cricket all weekend long when i was growing up, even at 1 am, when the sun was burning us.  Fought with any one / anything, to allow me to play a game of cricket. Have had a broken nose and fractures, playing cricket !!! To improve my bowling, i used to bowl against a brick wall - Result : Ball marks all over all the walls around our house!!!I used to practise my batting stance and bowling run-up, all day and night. The mind ran the bowling run-up all the time. I still have the earliest cricket bat my dad got me. I've played cricket games the day before big exams, watched Sachin smash the aussies , the day before my 10th standard board exams. Listed to India cricket games on radio restlessly, on the journey from school to home and rush to switch on the TV. Felt depressed when India lost and like a conqueror of the world when India won. 

Suddenly, i stopped watching cricket. I was losing the 'emotion' i attached to the game. It became just another routine - to see the scores of India games. Winning / Losing not doing much to the feel.

When Anil Kumble and Saurav Ganguly decided to leave the game - the 'feel' which was missing for a few years, re-appeared. That seemed to be the emotion one feels on the departure of a friend, after a fantastic holiday at one's place. I grew up as these guys gave their best for India. Anil seemed to define intensity and commitment. He showed how much 'attitude' can do to anyone especially, if they lacked talent. Saurav taught us 'attitude'. He taught us to be 'aggressive' , paving way for the current assertiveness of Indian cricketers. 

These guys made my day happy, so many times. 

When i read about their departure on Cricinfo, it brought out the emotions hidden deep below. It made me think about the possibilities that lay ahead. I decided its time to recharge my 6 month- unusedTATA SKY cable box. Its time to watch every game that Sachin plays now on... 

When he leaves, am certain , its time to 'move on' ..

Woaaah!

Came across this somewhere

"Nothing's better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends beside you."

YES :) !! It's never been better in a long time. ( touch wood )

Discovery!

'When was the last time you did something for the first time? Keep Discovering' goes Emirates tagline...

Today, is my answer

And yours ?

Sky high !

I finally have access to a number of TV Channels - Specifically looking forward to watching a lot of sports ( yaaay ) and Discovery & Nat Geo channels. Been almost 7 years since i watched TV on a regular basis. Thanks to some nice and sooper generous pals - I finally have a TATA SKY satellite TV connection at home.

This is a b'day gift from the bunch ! And i was mighty surprised. Thanks a ton guys and girls!

My Paaatiee

She is the nicest lady i've ever met, the most caring person, totally pure - have never heard her say anything bad against anyone , she was almost like a kid - very innocent ( managed to take her innocence to the grave, quite an achievement considering the world she was in ) , she gave the best of education to her 6 kids ( all this despite being an ordinary worker in a textile mill ), sweated it out all her life ( if i was awake, i have never seen her sleeping after 5 am and she was always wide awake till 10 pm ) , went out of her way to feed a hungry soul , Never said NO when asked for any help, had amazing energy all her life (during her active days - she worked from morning 6 am to 4 pm and held the fort steady at home till 10 pm and she also walked from Coimbatore to Palani ( 150 km ) every year), brought up each of her grand kids in the best possible way, told us the stories - ( I looked forward to her stories of "those days" during bed time, whenever she stayed with us ) and she always had a beautiful smile on her face - My Paaaatieee, she was the bestest...

May her soul rest in peace.

On Turning 25...

Have gone past a yearly milestone for the past 25 years, but the last crossing ( just over a week ago) is clearly taking me into a new world . I can clearly see the transition, with its hazy beginings 6-7 months ago, becoming more clear. If look back at the last 25 years, i had 2 BIG dreams - One was to play cricket for india ( Day dream, as it turned out to be... ) and the other to be a successful entrepreneur.

Though i have played Cricket at reasonably competitive levels, i was far away from the dreams. Never worked towards it - Spent the extra 3 hours required everyday to hone the cricket skills in studying !! The fear of falling flat on my face made me take a safe decision - to study. The trade offs we make always takes to the point of no return. Yes, i do play cricket still ( it energises me everytime i play - its my recharge point ) but far far away from where i wanted to be ... it turned out to be an unreal dream !

With the entrepreneur dream, having learnt from my previous mistakes, am putting myself on the line. Am not going to be safe and i hope to be doing a "turning 50" post with more positives to it than the current one. It sure will be an exciting next 25 and more...

And for the crossing itself, it turned to be very memorable - thanks to some thoughtful pals !

The surprise landing at my place with the cake was easily the best - thanks :) ( best surprises come cheap !! ), the chirpy afternoon/quiet evening drive to mahabs and back, the calls at the stroke of 12, calls and messages on "both days" ( if you know what that is ), the calls from London, Bombay, Bangalore, TN and Costa Rica, the many messages on orkut, the sms at 3:06 pm on 29th , the dunking into the sea at besant beach after the frisbee, the mails and the quiet dinner and the breakfast and many more - It sure was a memorable "crossing" !

Thanks for making me feel really special .

Update - Apologise to the person who called up at 6 am on 29th and sang a beautiful " Happy B'day" song . Am really sorry to have missed this out.