Choices and Cravings

Choices, sees a few in front of him. Picking 1 has always been easy. When the car has built up speed to the crossroads, there is only one way it can go. The direction and speed , dictated by the events and not really the daily traffic.

Insurmountable want ? Passion ?

My Favourite Writer !!!

I wish i had her ability to express thoughts... Like she did here

" For the chronic traveler some journeys end and some others begin. The feeling of standing at the very brink of a new world always seems to persist. Maybe that is the drug, his only known addiction. His face, like worn leather, looks hardened by the sun and toughened by the winds. The scars on the other hand, marks from another world, tell vivid stories. His skin is by no means flawless........

.....Defeat is his when another journey, another trip, another mad plunge seems beyond his mental fiber.... "

Exactly what was running through my mind ! Thanks Anu !

A week and a Weekend

One 20 hour work day
two 18 hour work days
Packed work week
My Cricket team chasing 189 in 22 overs and winning, on saturday
Meet passionate entrepreneurs on saturday night over drink and fun
Garba and dancing ( ok ok trying to !!) with pals 11 pm to 3 am on saturday midnight
Head home for more fun at my house party with pals , till 5 am ( sorry i slept at 4 !! )
Head out to play ultimate frisbee at 5:30 am ( dark red eyes!! )
Burn lung at the frisbee game
Work on Sunday afternoon
Watch McLaren lose ( :( ) over dinner
Write this post at 12 midnight, Sunday

Love my work and play ( the orders change but the intensity remains!! )

P.S Missed running with ChennaiRunners :( . Damn...

Life and Living

All of us will die. Until then, we can live. Here is a man who has lived fully - Read this , this , this and this.

Beauty & Economics

Fabrice has this funny post on his blog - a question and answer on Craigslist.

My dear gold medalist ( both BA and MA Economics !! ) friend Archu will find the answer part really interesting!!!

What am I doing wrong?

Okay, I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I’m articulate and classy. I’m not from New York. I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won’t get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms

-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won’t hurt my feelings

-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I’m 25)?

- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I’ve seen really ‘plain jane’ boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I’ve seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What’s the story there?

- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?

- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults - I’m putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I’m being up front about it. I wouldn’t be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn’t able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

PostingID: 432279810

THE ANSWER:

Dear Pers-431649184:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament. Firstly, I’m not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here’s how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a cr@ppy business deal. Here’s why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity…in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won’tbe getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you’re 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold…hence the rub…marriage. It doesn’t make good business sense to “buy you” (which is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease. In case you think I’m being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It’s as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as “articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful” as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn’t found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn’t need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you’re going about it the right way.
Classic “pump and dump.”

I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

Girls, Running in Marina and Men

Running on the Marina sands is one of the best running experiences. It feels like you are lugging some 20 kg weight strapped to your legs. It feels even better when you do a 200 metre sprint on a hard road, at the end of the workout - gravity doesn't seem to affect you at all and you can really TAKE OFF!

Ok, that is not the point of this post.

Whenever i've run at Marina ( on the inner tar road ) with a girl, i've a great time (it is because of the company, obviously :P ) !! . It is also really interesting to observe the men ( who form the majority of the morning walkers / joggers and most are in the 30's , 40's and 50's ). Some points..

• I stare at men ( ok ok I am quite straight .. ) for like... ages and not one has noticed that ( for he is staring as well )
• The velocity of the man in front relative to us decreases considerably from the spotting time till we pass him / them after which it picks up again
  
• When i spot an interesting girl in front of us and coming towards us, then my velocity with respect to her decreseas as well ( oh yes, am not a hypocrite!! )
• And if the girl in front has a man in tow, their relative velocity has little change on spotting us ( poor guy.. he doesnt have an option !! )

And yeah, it kind of hit me hard when i saw men staring at my pals - It really makes them uncomfortable with the attention and most times, it interferes a great conversation happening during the run. Sometimes, its hard to be a girl . ( I am not a saint and i sure do have spent times looking at the women ). Having had the opportunity to be almost in the shoes of the girl, i can get the discomfort men sometimes cause ( harmless intent , if i have to defend the men and me)

Some notes from the last trip to Coimbatore...

• Had to reach Coimbatore at 8 pm on friday, last. Had a ticket in the 6:50 PM Paramount airways flight from Chennai to Coimbatore. Started from my home at 5:15 PM, in the pouring rain to catch the flight ( thought the rains would keep the roads free and i could reach the airport on time ). I was almost right, till the auto crossed the first km, when we faced a massive traffic jam. Then the interesting bit - the smart auto driver got off the "main road", drove through the narrow lanes ( sometimes just the width of the auto) even though it costed him more to ferry me, once almost did a 90* spin trying to avoid a careless driver , went out of his way to keep me and my bags shielded from the pouring rain , asked for just Rs.100 from my house to the Airport ( the usual price i pay, without any bargaining from my side and despite the rain) and ensured i caught my flight on time. All this because i mentioned that i might be running late to catch a flight. I gave him an extra 30 bucks ( only because i just had a 500 on me . He deserved atleast a 50 )
• Have flown by Paramount Airways flight twice so far. I'm IMPRESSED. At the cost of the economy flight ticket fare charged by other airlines, Paramount offers amazing service. The airline is miles ahead of the others operating in the country, currently. Jet Airways in its early days ( it is still going strong ) is the closest match to Paramount's service. Surely, if Paramount comes out with an IPO, i will fight to be the first in the queue ( if i have money, i.e )
• Bro, another cousin R and I were talking about the profits of some industries located in Coimbatore. Another cousin S ( who has no access to the business world, no financial reports, no one talking serious business stuff around him ) was listening in to our conversation, butts in and tells a figure. We asked him how he got this number, since it was so close to the actual profits of the company. His answer " Probably about 2000 people are working in that company, each of them will contribute about 20,000 Rs in profits , so the total profit might be about 4 crore ". I was stunned. He is only in class 9.

Winning or Losing!

Have had more than a few discussions with pals on a lazy evening, during "night outs" and during drink sessions on this : which is better - winning or losing?

Ofcourse, everyone likes to win. After these discussions, i firmly beleive that winning a lot takes away the real "understanding" of people and life. But, losing has resurrected many many lives. That doesn't mean, we lose all our lives. If someone is genuinely trying hard, losing teaches more lessons than winning.

Andre Agassi - His marriage failed and his ranking dropped below 100. He returned to win the crown and marry the princess Steffi. I heard from a tennis player pal (ATP ranked) that during this phase Agassi used to run early mornings/late nights up a hill and run on and on till he hit complete exhaustion and puke.

Steven Waugh - Enough and more said in his book " Out of my Comfort Zone". I have a copy and i read some pages atleast once every week :). He isn't a genuius by any standard of batting, except his own - the "fighting" style.

Rahul Dravid - Dropped early in his career in the one day squad. He fought back in, fought all his critics. And he is an ordinary human being and the best guy to lead the Indian cricket team, at the moment.

Sachin - The reason why he failed as a captain - The man won all his life. He could never understand the mortals. He is a genius and he gives some 150% all the time. He can never understand failure and its difficult for him to get a person out of a slump ( Dravid is a genius here). But there is hope. He has had a bit of tough time oflate and there is hope that Sachin can learn captaincy by the recent "failures". Think if he captains the team now, he can get the team to perform much better than his earlier stint.

Lance Armstrong - Am a big big big fan of his. Lived a "easy" life till cancer. Cancer and possibility of death woke him up. 6 tour de France after cancer - that says it all.

What do you think?

'Last Mile' Problem?

Travelling right now.

Saturday night, Cochin to Coimbatore Trip Stats

Rs 180 - For the bus ride [190+ km ride] from MG Road Cochin to Gandhipuram,Coimbatore [ Conti Travels, Non-AC with push-back seats]

Rs 150 - For the 3 km ride to the bus boarding point at Cochin [ 11:45 PM, Ambassador taxi]

Rs 100 - For the 5 km ride from the alighting point to home [ 4:45 AM, Auto]

Thats a real "last mile" problem!

Complexities!!

Friday morning [ 3 days ago], woke up at 5:30 am for an hour long cycle ride. To my dismay, the rear wheel has lost pressure and at this hour, i sure cannot expect the neighbourhood cycle shop to be open. I bid the time away and at 6:15 am, the shop opens [ Yay!!]. I check my wallet and realise i don't have "change". Tyre topping up costs Rs.1 per tyre . But the wallet topping the previous night left me with 5 hundred rupee notes!

The fun begins now.

Me : Boss, i don't have "change" with me now. I got a Rs.100 note with me . And at 6:15 am, all the other shop guys are fast asleep, for me to get "change" from them. Can i give you the Rs.2 at 8 am?

Cycle Shop Guy : No, in that case, tyre inflation cannot be done.

Me : Boss, you know me very well. I come here every alternate day for a top-up. [ Having a sports bike is a pain - you need to top up the type pressure every alternate day for peak cycle performance]

Cycle Shop Guy : Sorry sir. Not possible. Get me the Rs.2 right now or your tyres don't get topped-up.

Me : [ In real frustration, just thinking to myself that i should either get a new "foot pump" or find a new cycle repair shop, to help filling up air]

I then parked the bike in my flat and decided to go for a run, instead of the planned cycle ride. Many thoughts went through my head, as i ran around the boat club area -

• Is my relationship with that cycle shop guy, bad? - Afterall, i go to him every alternate day and share stories of my cycling trips with him and we are quite friendly.
• Is he the worst business man? - He just antagonised a regular customer. I go to him so regularly, that i would surely pay the Rs.2 , next time i go there.
• Am going to get a new foot pump from the sports store! I was so tempted to go ahead and get the pump, that day itself

These thoughts were slowly laid to rest and as i reach my home , i wanted to go back to the shop to inflate the tyres [ With the intention of actually letting him know that he should've trusted me earlier in the morning].

I go there with a bunch of Rs.2 coins and park the cycle in front of the shop. I take the Rs.2 coin, trust it in the guy's hands and i ask him to inflate the tyres. He does the job and asks me to check the tyres for "correct" inflation ! I cycle around the place and give him a "Thumbs up".

He then comes to me and says this " Sir, Saaarrie sir. You were the "first customer" when you came at 6:15 am. And i didnt want start the day off by giving "credit" to someone. I believe, if i did that, then the outlook for the rest of the day would be similar"! [Motal customerkku "kadan" kodutha, naal fulla kadan thaaan sir]

I just laughed at that and cycled away...

Sports Story # 1 - The man who went from 0 to 21.1 km in 7 weeks!

Yes you heard it right! Here is the story of Ravi [ of Chennai Runners] who went from 0 to 21.1 km in 7 weeks! If he can... so can you!!

I first met Ravi at one of the "long" sunday runs - 17 km!! I was running [mostly walking/crawling] and finished last!! Ravi jokingly said i should get quicker! [That kind of made me "serious" about the next run]. The group did a 10 km run 2 weeks ago and this time i didnt want to "lose" to Ravi. I was ahead of him for most part of the run , but i started walking at 9.8km! and he took over!! That was "killing" really!! I managed to run that far only because i could "hear" Ravi breathe! He pushed me to exhaustion! [and exhaustion is a high too!!]

[little did i know then, that Ravi was just starting on the big runs!! - while i claim to have been training for long distance for almost 2 years now!]

He gave me serious competition that day at the 10 k run! And the following Sunday, he "kicked" me in the 20 km run! Again i was ahead most part of the run and he took over near the end! and we decided to enter into a bet at the blore midnight run! The winner treats the one finishing behind to a breakfast and the winner will get a round of beer!

And this time, i didnt want to lose. After the "painful" loss, i somehow wanted to finish ahead of Ravi! Which did happen... finally, at the Bangalore Midnight Marathon.

Am sure Ravi is waiting to "get at me" at the next run!

This for me, is the essence of running with the group! Each of us help the others push limits!!

What are you waiting for....

Observation!

I had a chance to spend a weekend each at Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Coimbatore in the past 2 months. I made this observation.

Hyderabad - At HYD, women have gone into "HYDing" [hiding]

Bangalore - Women don't want to hide!

Chennai - Some want to, some don't want to

Coimbatore - Women are hidden in private bungalows!!

Memories and Slambook!

I was arranging [after ages of procrastinating!!] the bookshelf at my place today and my eyes fell on the school "slambook". And my hands naturally followed and i quickly re-read the book. Some lines written by a pal in that book, left an impression [from the time i first read it].

"Never hurt a heart that likes you

Never give it needless pain

For a heart that likes you , is like a flower

That will never bloom again"

Will to move on.

I came across this piece at the discussion forum on running - http://groups.google.co.in/group/BloreRun/browse_thread/thread/c79056e9a34cc573/b9fe931e0b5dc076#b9fe931e0b5dc076 . I shamlessly reproduce here because the whole piece resonated in some way deep with me.

Quoting the illustrious bard,

I could a tale unfold whose lightest word

Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, (1.5.16)

Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,

Thy knotted and combined locks to part

And each particular hair to stand on end, (1.5.19)

Like quills upon the fretful porpentine:
Indeed, I will.

As an ultrarunner I have often seen and felt moments of extreme distress due to exhaustion. When I was injured in a race and walked back 25K to complete a race; the famous scene in the Hawaii Iron man Triathlon when the lady runner was crawling to the finish line even though she was almost senseless from extreme effort; Cyclists in the Tour du France struggling towards the end after grueling races, etc. I have also questioned and examined where the will comes to keep moving when the easiest thing to do would have been to quit and lie down or not to start in the first place. I have given answers to this in a part serious and in part facetious vein in the my top 10 reasons to run. Yesterday an event happened. As I was returning home from work I turned off the Kanakapura main road towards my home when I vaguely saw a half bent old lady stumbling along the middle of the road oblivious to the perilous traffic swirling and dodging around her in annoyance with the truck drivers grinning malevolently at her. I stopped the car and my driver and I got out to examine the situation. What we found was shocking. This bent form was an old lady of uncertain age, shriveled, toothless, hair a-mess, in rags, foot lacerated with open wounds perhaps due to abrasion of slipper and road rash, with flies etc. She was walking (more like stumbling) using a short staff to guide her for she was almost blind and partially deaf and practically senseless. It was like seeing the face of death. It took us a several moments to compose ourselves and to try to help her. This place is outside Bangalore and fairly rural. We guided her to a place of rest on the side of the road at a bus shelter and fetched water and some idli's from a local roadside restaurant. We tried communicating with her but her language was almost unintelligible (we later found that she spoke "lambadi" dialect). Some passerby informed us that he had seen the woman in the morning about 15kms further south from where we were. So she had walked like this all day covering 15kms! We couldn't elicit anything from her as to where she was from, where was she going, etc. When I gave her 30 rupees it was pathetic to see how she ignored the food and water and futilely trying to tie a knot around the money with her sari and failing. We helped her tie the knot. We tried to get some oldage home to take care of her but they refused. We tried to get the local village doctor to come and treat her but he initially refused fearing a medico-legal complexity. After 30 minutes of patient imploring on our part and indemnity he condescended to come with us to see her. He treated her wounds and claimed she was not ill. To his credit he refused payment. So we left her for the night seeing that she had eaten and drank and lay down to rest. In the morning on my way to work we bought some breakfast and visited the bus shelter only to find that she was gone. We went looking for her and found her 2km away with heavy traffic swirling around her. We again got her to one side gave additional breakfast and instructed a bystander to guide her to the edge of the road when she was ready and left to work with a heavy heart that this was all we could do for her. She seemed so near death. With no place to go, no belongings, old age, the easiest thing for her would have been to lie down under some tree and just fade into a coma and call it quits. I would have done this in her place. BUT SHE KEPT MOVING! This surely is the defining attribute of a sentient being. Even at the very end till you have the energy to move even a step you must have the will to move. For that's all you may have in the end like this old lady. Aristotle's De Anima.

Madhu

Monday mornings!!

Here is something to push us on a monday morning. Check www.212movie.com

Grandpa and Love!

It was some 6 months ago - I was just back from UK and going through a phase where real and unreal were too hazy to differentiate. And this happened.

I had come home to Coimbatore on a break and was at a family function. I was meeting the close family circle after a gap of 2 months. I had brought with me, tons of choclates got from UK, to munch on, at the function. The box was taken around the place and was shared with everyone at the gathering - "little" cousins laying their hands on the different varieties . There is something about "phoren" [foreign] choclates that makes it melt away and makes the box go empty.

My maternal grandma couldn't make it to the function. She isn't keeping well for a while [guess, raising 6 children and 9 grandchildren has taken its toll]. She hardly comes out her room, on the bed most of the day and is in quite a bit of pain. In an another time, when she was doing well physically, she is the nicest lady anyone would come across. Haven't heard one harsh word from her about anyone and always helping people around. But the pain has taken its toll - She is still the nicest person, but sometimes takes the pain out on the one closest to her - my grandpa. Sometimes, i feel sorry for both of them. Grandma, for the pain shes is in and grandpa, for the things he takes in his stride.

The choc box was almost empty and in my enthusiam to give away the chocs, i had almost forgotten that i had to send some to my grandma, who couldn't make it to the function.It was then, my grand pa came over to me.

He opened the box, took a couple and said " This is for 'paatie'. She will like them"!

I had a tear in my eyes!