Pondering while wandering...

2011-05-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

My Girl grows up...

FIVE years…she gnarled, whined , broke rules secretly ( like sneaking her pet stuffed bunny to school)... She worked to fit in when we moved from Houston to Memphis all at a tender age of 5 , made friends and lost some to the girlie fights over the years( part of girls growing up they told me)... She would wake up many days not wanting to go to school, not liking her teachers who believed in her potential and so pushed her limits..... She was an honor student most times and some times slipped grades…. Silly me always thought , that she didnt like the place, and that today she would be liberated, to move on and start new..... But last night, she sat up late night thanking every teacher at all her 5 last grades....writing specific mention of things they did to make her a better kid..."whoa!", that is something I was'nt expecting. And this morning, she was close to tears , as she stood on my office door-way still in her PJs summoning the courage to make the last trip to her elementary school…, “I am going to miss this school Daddy”, she remarked. I was moved close to tears, as I thought “ My baby has grown, and it’s such a bitter-sweet moment, but glad to see she is moving on with great memories of her childhood school” . Fly on silver girl…my dear Ananya…!

2011-03-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

Mississippi Trails 50: my first "ultra"

Pic above :Click on the link above for a photo-movie preso

A journey mostly begins with a destination, but perhaps it offers very little insight into the destiny at the inception. Three years ago, when I met a group of my friends who were running to lose weight and collaborated on the first half-marathon, little did I know where the journey would take me. As it turned out it took me on an

exploration of the exciting world of endurance running, its myriad forms of running and its sub-cultures, the obsession with everything from shoes to apparel to finish times and completion of 9 full marathons and a number of sub marathon distance races. The most recent exciting discovery has been the running sub-culture of trail running and the testing of limits in human endurance through what is called ultra-maratho

n distance running ( 50k,50 mile,100k and 100 miles).

With over 8 road marathons behind me, I was looking for a different challenge, perhaps even a different perspective to running. The trail running culture appealed to me. It was a smaller group, it took you close to nature, and one

trail was never ever the same as the other because of mother earth’s design of the forest landscape, and most importantly I found the trail running community to be friendly folks, and a lot relaxed in their approach to running. There it was, trail running had got me hooked. I had a run smaller distances of 18 miles and 16 miles over the last few years, and a 50k was something that appealed to me as a standard progression to “ultra” trail running.

Back in Dec, my running buddy Jeff sent me a message on Facebook to see if I would be interested to run the 50k. Jeff is a seasoned trail runner and was shooting to do his first 50k as well, he reasoned that theMS 50 were a good starter 50k race considering it was moderately technical(a trail runner’s lingo that means if the trails are challenging) , so I readily agreed the 2011 MS50 scheduled for the 5^th M

ar (Sat).

We left to Laurel,MS on Friday and reached just in time to pick up the race packet that evening. The race packet was being distributed in a little building amidst an Agricultural office of some sort. There were about 40-50 folks from what I could count. Many there were planning to run their 50-mile run. We met Jeff and Bridget at the race packet center and then head out for dinner. It was nice to catch up with them, both are ardent runners and their son is an elite runner, winning many races in the Memphis running circuit.

Race started at 6 am. Our drive from the hotel to the start line nestled amidst the Longleaf forest about 15 miles away was uneven

tful because it was mostly dark, but I sensed driving on the gravel roads inside the forest, this was going to be exciting and different. Roopa accompanied me to Laurel, and it gives me a lot of comfort when she is around, she is great as my only support crew, the girls were back at home with their grandparents, so I missed my cheering squad. We got to the start line area by about 5.30 am, it was still pre-dawn dark.The start area were lined with various tents, including the race organizer’s tent , and I could see people scampering to get ready for the race. The start line was a few yards away from this point. The race comprised of two loops, yellow loop and the blue loop. The yellow loop was the 20k and blue loop was the 10k. For the 50k we had to repeat the yellow trail two times and then one time of the 10k, simple math, but body physiology does not work very mathematically I thought.

As I lined up on the start line amongst

the shuffling feet and splutter of drizzle on my cap’s visor, I could feel a sense of calm that comes from total surrender of the unknown. I have never run more than 26.2 miles, and this was going to be 5 more than the most I have ever run in a single attempt. Besides it was the off road trails, less prone to getting into a rhythm and hence consumed more energy. As these thoughts played around , the whistle blew, and off we were.

The start of the trail were closely packed with close to 140 of the runners starting the 50k or the 50-mile, the 20k runners were scheduled to start at 8 am. The trails were pine covered soft broad trails for about 1.5

miles and then it narrowsed to a two-track mud trail. The trails were wet, with many parts holding puddles of water. Initially as it always happens, most of us tried staying dry on the feet, but that slowly disappears as our inhibition drops, and then you see everyone splashing through the puddle. It gets a few moments to be a child again presumably. Its fun to run trails if you think of oneself as a child, it simplifies the run, uncomplicates the mental process. It starts becoming a wild adventure when you embrace the many uncertainties the forest trails throws at you.

At many points in my first go around of the yellow loop, saw many runners either passing me or vice-versa, there was a constant flow of traffic. At the end of first go-round, I was glad to see Roopa waiting to hand m

e over the Endurolytes replenishment. I consumed the Endurolytes caps every hour, and perhaps that mayexplain the total absence of cramps in my entire 31 miles. I also made it a point to eat a piece of banana and some chips at each aid station. Stuck to water, no Gatorade or Heeds, and felt good, didn’t have to deal with an overwhelming sweetness that comes with it.

The weather was overcast when we started and it may have drizzled with a few splatters of first go around. In the second go around on the yellow loop, the skies came down upon us, accompanied by thunder. I was hoping that one of the many tall pine trees in the tail wouldn’t suddenly get hit by lightning. The cre

eks were fuller and water was now coming up to the knee, and I enjoyed wading through them. For one it was a child like pleasure of doing it, but more importantly it soothed my feet. My feet did not tire, versus how I normally feel when I run road marathons, my feet feel nasty. This was a welcome change.

At many times during my yellow loop go-arounds, I actually chose to slow down and enjoy the rain. If you haven’t open your mouth and stood under a downpour, its should be on ones list. It’s a blissful experience. Imagine not being inhibited, and letting pure aqua refresh your mouth, its one of those senses that is hard to explain.

Pic Above: Jeff and I at around 25 mile point

It took my about 30 minutes more to complete the second loop. As I approached the completion of my second 20k loop, legs were protesting. Doing an additional 10k at this point seemed daunting. Luckily for me Jeff caught up after staying back to run with Bridget and as he passed me, pulled me along as well. My 10 k was an example of what ultra runners often describe as need to dig deep to keep going. I did, and let the mind run the show, disregarding a protesting set of muscles to continue pushing a steady pace. And it worked; my discomfort subsided as I managed to keep a steady cadence in the last 10 k loop. There were some unexpected inclines in this phase, which I chose to run versus the previous loops where I power walked.

After 6 hours 42 minutes of embracing the slushy trails, I hit the finish line, elated, and glad it was conquered. It was good feeling to have gone beyond a marathon distance.

I learnt later in the day that the forest service had to ask runners to vacate the trails after around 3.30 pm because of intensifying downpour, leaving many of the intending 50 milers to settle for a 50k finish. In summary, it was an enjoyable experience and I hope to build on this to try a few other more challenging trails in the years to come.

Happy Trails out there!

The below link is a video created by a fellow 50k finisher, paints a great picture about the race.

2010-11-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Pounding the DC streets:Marine Corp Marathon

If I were sum up my experience leading up to the Marine Core Marathon, I would say” cautious optimism”, with merely one 20 mile training run, and over 3 weeks of lay-off from running due to my calf injury. I entered the Marine Corp start line feeling much like an injured recouping Cheetah who thinks he can run faster and longer than the fastest antelope because he just devoured a dead one for the last meal.

With that being said here is a report. The start line was about a mile long, and I couldn't get to my corral. It was jam packed , and with streets that seemed narrower that what I had seen in a similar sized marathon in Chicago for upto over first 10 miles , I had to weave through the slower runners to get ahead so the target pace could be maintained. That was a big lesson, always start with your pace group in big marathons, if not you will have to work way harder to get ahead to a similar paced runners. There were a few hills, but overall the course was pretty un-daunting, when I compare to Little Rock or Atlanta. All until the 21^st mile, my pace was on target to complete the desired goal of sub 3.55, and then I hit the wall. Not entirely surprised considering the volume of my training, but disappointed that the supplements and the other mumbo-jumbo didn’t help ( that’s the Cheetah metaphor!) , and the voice inside went “ Dude , marathons is all about training . PERIOD”. I has to zip it and agree to that, while my tired legs carried me through the finish line in 4 hours and 8 minutes.

Here is the profound part. While a lot of us runners obsess over our finish times and splits , in the end it boils down to the mere privilege of being able to complete a marathon, which in its 26.2 miles offers a simulation of our many life’s triumph and tribulations. There will always be people who are faster and some who are slower, and sometimes you surprise yourself by doing better than planned, but what matters is what you gave to the pursuit, and I confess I gave this run all I had, and rest my case.

The race course was beautiful; weather was a perfect autumn day. It was a memorable experience to run around the National Mall area, the Washington Monument, the museum district, the capitol and beautiful parks. My other running compatriots from the gang ( Suds,Pasha ,Sudhakar and Pramod) did well and reportedly enjoyed their experience of the race. My verdict, a highly recommended race to run!

( Pic above: At the expo..)

( Pic above : With Rohit and SI at the starting line)

( Pic Above: AT finish line posing with a Mascot)

2010-10-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

Aahh!... The Joy of Riding...

105 miles in the last 4 weeks, I am begining to groove with my bicycle ( a Road Raced, Felt F85). It responds, its a feeling of cutting butter when my legs cut through the air with the pedals. Sometimes there isn't a sense of the existence of the chain ( I borrow that from Lance Armstrong in his book, Every Second Counts). Speed matters, yes it does. Thats what road biking essentially comes down to, the body and the machine grooving to create motion. And motion is in essence speed. Loving it!

2010-06-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

Experiments with Light

I plunged into to the world of photography when I did a tactical investment on the Nikon D5000 during the trip to Rocky Mountains. I am sorrunded by friends gifted in photography, and thier passion inspired me to give it a try. First thing I am discovering is that the world around is beautiful, something that I have not taken close notice . Photography is opening the possibility of being visually aware. Last week , I tagged with Santosh ( Iyer) to do some aimless photo-shoots.

My first realization as we do these photo-shoots is how unintentional my photos have been .Now don't get me wrong, my photos did what they intended to, which is picturization of events for memories. However, the art of making the mundane look beautiful is a gift, and hopefully can be acquired ( will be my saving grace). Here are a few of the shots I picked from the pile that were shot . Most of it was learning to compose right, and play with light...

2010-06-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

The 3,000 mile Road Trip: A Collage

We are road trippers ( if such a word exists), that take pride on enduring thousands of miles on the wheels. What was originally planned to be a 1 week work cum personal trip to Texas turned out to be a 3 week , 3000mile trip. It was a melange of meeting my customers, friends and extended family . Our trip covered Texas ( Austin, Dallas ,San Antonio and Houston) and Colorado ( Denver and Rocky Mountain National Park).

Pic: At Austin with Girish, Nishi and Malavika

The highlight of the trip was catching up with friends and family whose company we enjoy. Additionally, kids met old friends and in the case of our older daughter , she got to meet her Kindergarten buddies . It was heartening to see them sync in seconds and be back to their groove after 3 years.

Pic:At Houston, old friends and family catch up.

In summary, we love road trips because it bonds the family and its fun. Its a forced encounter for the four of us in contrast to relatively separate activities that consume us during our routine lives, and heck , imagine all the fun!

Pic above : At Dallas with Poorna, Srichu, Renuka and Bash

Pic above: Driving Impressions , various sights on the freeway

Pic above: At Denver with old friends, Sriram Arun,Fe ,Nandi & Kids...

Pic above: At Rocky Mountain National park, a thing of beauty is a joy forever.

2010-04-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Change in Blog theme

I figured, one must change focuses to conquer new mountains. It renwes the spirit, keeps one on the edge. While running is still a big part of my life, its not an exclusive central theme. Over the last few years, training for marathons provided a new meaning and energy , and I have many summits to climb in running. But I wanted this blog to be about more than just running. The changes made here reflect that change in perspective, so I am free to ponder on all topics and thoughts. The ultimate mission being, be in quest of bliss, sort of like the runners high in non-running activities as well.

2010-04-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Pain of not showing up

Its turning out that I may have to drop out off the Louisville Marathon. My two week old calf muscle strain has resurfaced after the trail race on Sunday. Its taking a lot on my part to let go and not risk a long term injury, and perhaps it will be so. But its emotionally painful .

Every marathon sign up is a celebration. I am a relatively new marathoner , 7 under the belt and yet I am sure someone who has done 50 feels the same. The excitement, the challenge and the butterflies that flutter in the stomach.

But in the same token, the training for a marathon is a way of life. A commitment that one makes to a fitness discipline, no different to what a monk commits to in the temples of Shaolin. There are dangers , risks, pains and moments of desperation and sense of pointlessness. To not show up on the starting line after all is a bitter pill to swallow. I may have to swallow this one, and hope its the right thing to do in the interest of keeping running .

2010-04-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

Bare foot running

As a child, I remember chasing my cousins on the soft sands of my grandparents house in Kerala. There was never patience to put on the sandals or flip-flops. Sneakers were not part of the trip, they were meant for the school in a the form of a canvas shoe ( current day Keds).

So barefoot running is what I grew up with. The mud beneath the feet would always be cool in the torrid Kerala summer. Putting on a foot wear was always a reluctant affair.

Fast forward today, and I am back to where I presumably am at home, barefoot running ( well almost). Last month , I plunged into this exciting but personally not so new world of bare foot running when I bought the Vibram five fingers shoe( or foot glove ) and have run 40 miles hence. This Saturday, I did my longest in Vibram, running a 14 mile with pleasure, and beginning to toy with the idea of doing the Louisville Marathon on Vibram.

A little premature for me to conclusively say my future with Vibram, but I can state that it is here to stay as a part of my running repertoire. I have loved the 40 miles till date. Some of the runs have had a sense of "Zen-Like" effortlessness. Cant explain it. Don't know if it was the forced natural form and a more natural but slower pace. Needless to say, I am hooked, and am investing further to master the experience.

Finding something that takes one even closer to natural is absolutely delighting.

2010-02-10T20:31:00.001-08:00

World Beneath my feet

http://www.iamemphis.org/blog/?p=904

2010-02-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Random Musings

With Facebook, I have become a "paragraph" blogger, writing thoughts instinctively , without having to think about it, and encouraged by the many friends who see it. Its addictive, and yet takes away some of the contemplative writings I enjoy in blogs. So here I am, back and looking forward to continue my writing.

Am in Houston today, sitting amongst colleagues , many of them who would qualify amongst the aging population. But we get along, they seem mentally younger than how they look. Its a cultural thing I muse, in India aging beyond 50 would equal to wanting to deprive from material world, not here in America, there seems to be a lust for life .

I have been running , experimenting with Trails running to a good extent, in addition to continuing to run the asphalts. Did a 16 miler yesterday, getting ready to run the New Orleans end of the month.

2009-09-28T08:04:00.001-07:00

Endurance Running: What's the big deal

A friend asked me over the weekend if I would pick another sport and give it the same passion and energy as I did for in running last couple of years. It wasn't an easy answer, but it got me thinking on what caused the indulgence in the sport.

I have been a recreational sportsperson , having played field hockey and cricket in school. Post school and college was an indulgence with the devil ,for lack of a better word. A period of 10 years in my 20s was everything from smoking a pack a day , binge drinking to eating gluttonously, until one day I woke up in a seminar called Breakdown seminar and declared my body was a breakdown and had to create a breakthrough, this is was in 1999. And NO, my tryst with running did not begin yet. I did aerobics and dieting to bring down my weight, and the fitness remained at the physical level.

I had been a casual recreational jogger for many years until I stumbled upon a group of biggest weight-loser wannabes, who were running to lose weight in 2007. They were kind to include me in their running, and it was then we created a goal to run the Memphis St.Jude half-marathon in Dec 2007.

I was hooked, partly because of a sense of accomplishment and partly because long-distance running challenges who you are, its more often than not that , one is outside the comfort zone. Its almost always meta-physical. And hey, can't complain about FITNESS being a side benefit! I think at some point in one's running career, the switch happens subtly, one keeps fit to able to run, and not the other way around.

Coming back my to friend's first question, after some pondering, my thoughts were crystallized. Running transformed my lifestyle, almost like nothing that I have heard or known of in the recreational sports arena. It forces you to recreate your lifestyle for the good. A friend of mine once quipped" In endurance running, there are no lucky days", you get what you put in, pretty much! That opens a whole realm of running to aspire to conquer, that it leaves no room or need, to want to switch and pursue another sport.

Perhaps, in the interest of keeping things fresh and avoid burn-out , it may be a great idea to supplement with another sport. Tennis, Racquetball come to mind, and with Winter approaching its good time to consider skiing!!

2009-09-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

The Dayton Marathon

The Dayton marathon, my sixth, and it feels as satisfying and rewarding as the first. I am elated obviously because of better than expected finish time of 3.58.44, but perhaps also relieved from the learning . Going into the race, my judgement about preparedness was being driven in large part by the training beliefs that exist in the running world, and from that perspective I was indeed undertrained. Consider this, of the 10 week training program that I put together, I had only four 30 + miles weeks, and the longest I had run in the 16 weeks preceding the race was 15 miles. And this was not by choice, just that the work-load and the IndiaFest management responsibility restricted my ability to train at the required volume.

At the begining of a marathon its almost impossible to predict how one will hold up. Feeling strong is a good indicator, but not a sure way. The 26.2 miles tests and challenges in myriad of ways, and it takes a combination of good mental discipline , physical fitness and a little luck ( weather ) to keep at it, either one of it giving in will slow you down. And although I may have been undertrained from a sheer weekly mileage perspective , the mental and physical fitness preparedness was strong. The last 3 miles were tough, legs were tired, but the core musles held together, my form did'nt falter and the mind did'nt give-in.

What worked well is my core muscle training of abs, glutes, side abductors,quads and upper body, and perhaps the obsession to achieve balance in running form , thanks largely to adoption of the Chi Running technique .There was also the remnants of endurance that was developed during my rigorous training for Atlanta Marathon in March. During the last few miles of the race, all these come together in suprising ways to sail one through with strength.

The bottom line is that , it seems like a rigorous core muscle training regimen and good form has a huge role to play in running well, and not just weekly mileage.

The race itself was very well organized, and it was inspiring to start with two fighter jets flying low to kick off the event . I liked running inside the base ,the roads were well paved, lots of shade , largely flat except for a few hills in the very begining and towards the end ( having run Little Rock, Nashville and Atlanta this was'nt much). The cheering crowd was great but smaller than some of the bigger races. The expo was pretty small. It was also great to be cheered by the folks in the uniform. Our race day logisitcs worked well, met Roopa and the kids at the 11th mile as well as the finish line. All in all, definetely a race that I will recommend to all.

Happy running!

2009-09-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Running as meditation

Running is meditative, as absurd as it sounds, its something worth considering. I have always found running similar to medidation, just that this is of the dynamic variety. Consider this, as you run you let you thoughts flow through till they empty out and you have no thoughts. Then your attention goes to your body, a twitch here, a tightening there , some soreness, you notice it and continue running until these sensations disappear, and there is a miraclous resonance of body and mind. You are now in a state of dynamic meditative running. At some point , your endorphins will generate the high.

I am not arguing that this is always the case, however, in my experiments with running, as much as I can bring myself back to the focus of mind-body complex, it gets back being meditative.

The other key element is the running form, that enables the meditative run. Core trainining helps strenghten muscles that help in correct form and hence balance while running, especially some of the yoga and pilate postions. Lack of balance causes injury and greater physical effort thereby not allowing achievement of a certain rhythm for meditative running. I personally found the Chi running method very conducive to achieving balance while running, and I am sure there are other methods too that essentially can give the same result.

I am going to Dayton this weekend for my sixth 26.2, eager to find balance, harmony and power in my run.

Happy running...

2009-09-07T21:10:00.001-07:00

Pre-Marathon Angst

I guess its a state of conditioning, perhaps an outcome of the rigorous exam system that we have been subject to, always a sense of under preparedness. For the Atlanta Marathon in March, I knew the training was rigorous and the goal was to beat the 4 hour barrier,and I felt prepared. Not this time, with just a couple 15 milers under the belt for long runs, I am going take my chances. Had a great 7 mile run today with a decent pace, felt strong , hope that will carry me through in Dayton.

2009-08-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

Random Musings

Long time no blog, signs of time with Facebook taking most of my internet time these days, and with Indiafest coming around the corner and being a part of the organizing team , it takes away a lot of the bandwidth. Schools restarted after a lovely summer break that included a trip to Puerto Rico, so kids are back with the back-pack.

Amidst all that is going on, I have managed to keep a steady mileage on runs. Its been a challenge to run int the heat and humidity, and the busy personal schedule, but not running has never been an option. In one of my runs an insight struck about what it means to be a Marathoner, I figured it a state of constanly in training for one, and not giving up on the training . The Dayton Marathon is less than a month away, and am looking forward to it, though would have liked a little more of weekly mileage. Maybe this will work, lets see , and the marathon is all about exploration anyway.

Have also been running the local MRTC Road race series, and am thankful I did. It keeps the racer in me alive. It takes a different attitude to race, a willingless to push limits that us usually not fully present in training runs. Happy running!

2009-04-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Tryst with the Whisperers

Once in a while, someone comes by and invites you to someplace one has never been, a restaurant, movie, play ,park et al, and sometimes something totally outside the box, that it transforms who you are being. That's what happened today when Lisa arranged for a few of us to do the tour of the Memphis Oral School of Deaf .

I got to the place at 9 am, and was greeted at the door by my host, Lisa Terry and the Development Director, Kathy Smith. The other invitees had arrived and found themselves comfortably seated . We waited for a few more , and headed to the conference room, that was adorned by an captivating painting that showed children whispering into each other's ears. The Director was articulate and one could tell she was passionate and proud about what they did at MOSD. A passionate evangelist is easy to spot. Among other things, she showed us some of the new devices available for hearing aid, including a new technology that surgeons can insert into the head of a completely deaf child, and give it hearing.

After an initial presentation, we started on the tour. First was the class of the youngest kids, then the older ones and finally the ones that were ready to "graduate" , and they were probably pushing 5. At some points during the tour, I felt myself overcome with emotion, stirred by witnessing these tiny tots responding so well, and blissfully unaware of their short-coming and yet performing so well in listening,speaking and reading.

I came away moved by the presence of the indomitable human spirit; children who are learning with one less sensory organ, teachers who have developed methods to teach, scientists who have invented technology so deaf can hear, surgeons who could insert it into their tiny heads and lastly the sponsors who make money available for all of it. More than anything else, I came away amidst the power of possibility.

I hope to spread the word , and maybe contribute a 2 bit money, but more importantly remind myself, that I can always and anytime choose be a part of that indomitable spirit.

2009-04-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Work of Art

It fascinates me to see kids expression through art. Last week Ananya's school had an art exhibition for all the kids, and it was indeed impressive. The above is her contribution.

2009-04-02T21:17:00.001-07:00

Conquest of Cramps: The ING Georgia Marathon Atlanta 2009
Let me start by saying, I did it. I broke through the 4 hour barrier I intended to accomplish on a flat Chicago course in 08, and couldn’t, but did, on a tough, hilly Atlanta course. I finished at 3.58.40 , finishing strong , exalted, tearful and delighted. I felt a soaring spirit , sore legs and a defeated doubtful mind. That’s right, a defeated doubtful mind, because it kept telling me to slow down, to give up, but the spirit refused and the body went along and together we conquered the mean hills of Atlanta.

I must credit the training regimen put together from learning’s of 4 previous marathons and some best practices I took on to conquer my last marathon’s adversary, cramps. For a good measure I had a higher base weekly mileage, did hill repeats, tempo runs, ate nutritional food ( and incidentally gained weight) , took flu shot, worked hard on core muscles, did 2 weeks of tapering by the book and used potassium supplements one week before the race. I can’t say which one of them contributed my ability to keep pace for the entire 26.2, but I can conclusively say, it call came together.

The race itself was well organized, and I love Atlanta. The rolling hills and lovely neighborhoods are great. The weather was perfect. I started with the 4 hours pace group. The 2000 odd marathoners had to share space with the 12000 odd half-marathoners for the first 7 miles, so it was crowded. The streets were narrow, that added to the feeling running cramped for the first 7 miles. But the good thing is, that created a momentum. I felt strong for most parts of the race, especially till the 22nd mile. Between 22nd and the 24th mile, there were gradual climbs that put an already sore quads on fire, but it was heartening , because my legs didn’t cramp, and that was the biggest victory . I felt surprisingly strong on the up hills, all the hill training paid-off , in-fact I enjoyed it.
The other special thing about the race was my sister and bro-in-law completed their maiden half-marathon, and that was a big deal. It was a life-time experience for them, and I salute their courage to have take it on and completed it.

As always, Roops was right behind me , relentlessly supporting and cheering , and there is no way I get to run if she doesn’t do what she does right through my training regimen to the actual race day. Called my parents to tell them about the sub-4, and they were excited and actually remembered my previous PR , it’s a blessing to be able to run, and to top it have your family back you on it.

Yet to decide on my next race, watch this space!

2009-03-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

Spring Break

Last week was Spring break for the kids ( and by deafult makes me go on a break). No early morning rush, no pressure to get them to bed on time, late night movie sessions et al. And it works even better , if you have someone to join this laid back period. Bash and Renuka joined us from Dallas and we just had a blast! Added to the general Spring break fun, we had Annika's birthday to celebrate and home-hunting started to take momentum.

Did some late week running to keep the tempo on for the big day. Spring is a great time to run trails, I have been doing that past 2 weeks. The 6 mile Wolf River Trail in Shelby is fun to run, a little technical, but its fun!

This is the angst week, 5 days to the Atlanta Marathon. I feel good about the training so far, have given it the best; increased base miles, hill repeats, speed work et al. Now its upto the Running Gods to bless me for a great race performance. This week will be easy week, a few short intense runs to stay sharp, other than that , just taking it easy run-week. Atlanta , here I come.

2009-03-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

Silly me

I was running a major marathon, At 12 th mile , was all set to beat my PR for a half and feeling self-confident about doing a sub-4 by a significant margin, until I lost my way ( unbelieveble, must have cussed the race organizers a gazillion times for not putting proper directions on the course!) . I must have run about a mile extra before getting back on course and there were hardly any boards. Finally got a glimpse of another runner, and I got back with him to get back on the course. Needless to say, I had expended more energy and was atleast 15 minutes behind.... when the alarm rang....it was 6.15 am and it was wake up time. ( Am I obsessed about the sub-4 hour marathon?!! , do dreams reveal something...duh!)

2009-02-20T14:22:00.001-08:00

Random Run-Yogi musings

Yesterday I headed out to the gym feeling doubtful about the run. I had an inkling of coming coming down with a fever. But having missed my long run on Sunday due to some fantastic snow in Memphis, I chose to stay course for my Monday training. Hill training or intervals were out of question because of the way I was feeling.

I started the run and my legs felt like they had lead , so my thoughts were to do a maximum of 3 miles and get back home. But as the run progressed ,the feeling was getting better, and at mile 3 an unwillingness to slow down overtook the initial lethargy, and I was on my way to complete a 6 miler.

Returned home feeling good and rejuvenated. Unable to explain the euphoria and disappearance of flu like symptoms after the run, but it was a good feeling.

2009-02-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Random Run-Yogi musings

Premature spring weather last week created the right environment for some good running. I have hit 35 mile per week , 3 times over the last four weeks, that's a lot more volume of training I put in on a weekly basis last year. That feels encouraging, a) from readiness perspective and b) from the ability to handle higher volumes of running. This week has been a good start so far. Ran a 10 mile at an average pace of 9.10 minute mile today, felt good that I am able to sustain a reasonable pace and can push a little towards the end ( last tow miles were at 8.40 pace), though would like to get to a sub-9 more consistently during my routine recreational runs.

Its been an on going chatter regarding what I have been doing with regards to training this time around. The hill training has been pretty reassuring, especially after listening and reading to other running coaches in the blogosphere.Have not been explicit about my intention to try and break the 4 hour barrier at Atlanta, but its hovering in the background. All kinds of internal chatter make me nervous, especially the Atlanta course and its infamy for hills. Lets see , I am going to just focus on my training and trust the body to do the rest on race day.Happy running!

2009-01-25T17:41:00.000-08:00

The -Slumdog- is -just- a- book-cover and what I found inside when I looked.

Arun called me about a month ago and excitedly said” Santa you have to see this movie, something (garbled on the phone) millionaire, “, and for weeks after that I had difficultly in remembering the name he had muttered and frankly it went into oblivion because a) I didn’t have the appetite to go see a Indie desi flick in the theaters and b) it would show at Sams shop sooner or later, so why bother. Arun would check with me at least twice week after his first mention, but that didn’t change the urgency at my end.

Then came the Golden Globe announcements and I recognized the familiar title that was getting the attention. Who could ignore the attention A R Rahman was getting for his music. Soon enough the movie was getting all kinds of attention, good and bad, including Big B’s comments on his blog. So after a few hits and misses, Murali and I were off on our excursion to watch the “Slumdog Millionaire” at Ridgeway 4 last Thursday.

I returned home that night relatively ambivalent. It was a good movie, and it had its moments. It also had its uncomfortable scenes that stirred my Indian sensibilities that agreed with some of the reports in the media. On Saturday , as I intensely debated the merits of the movie with another disenchanted friend on the other side of the phone, I was hit by an avalanche of realization about what the movie was about, what follows is an excerpt from it.

Slumdog Millionaire is a poignant tale of brother's love for his younger brother. A boy that risks his life to protect his younger brother amidst all odds. Then there is a love story, the unwavering love that protagonist Jamal has for his lady llove, Latika. The settings are irrelevant, the use of the TV show “Who wants to be millionaire” as the narrating tool is irrelevant too. The story could have been set in slums of Johannesburg , the mean streets of Los Angeles or the refugee camps in Darfur , this just happens to be in the slums of Mumbai. A friend asked me what was uplifting about the movie. As we talked, I realized that, what is uplifting about it is the fact that it discovers love amidst such squalor and filth, much like flowers sprouting amidst ash after total volcanic annihilation of the forest. Point of view, one may say. One can focus on the squalor and the poverty, and feel terrible about it. One could be disappointed that India gets such negative portrayal when it’s working to establish her rightful image in the world. That would be a disservice to this movie and the people behind it. That would be focusing on the book cover without reading what’s inside. In the end, this movie is definitely about love, and its various forms and how it manages to survive no matter how horrible the circumstances. That’s uplifting. That’s a true acknowledgment to the human spirit, and Slum Dog Millionaire has oodles of that, IF, you are willing to get beyond the ugly book cover, that is.

This year, I will be rooting for this masterpiece's winning at the Oscars and I hope you will be too.

2009-01-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

2008: a watershed year

This may sound philosophical, but that's the way I feel about life, that its cyclical with what it offers, and that's just the way most of my adult life has been. And if events in life are cyclical, 2008 was a crest in the cycle, one among the best. It was life-changing and consumed by growth.

The biggest life changing event was undoubtedly my foray into marathons. The training process and the very act of racing 26. 2 miles changed my world view. It almost always puts you back where you started after every event, reminding you the way how life actually works. There is no real arrival, just a continuous pursuit of something that enlivens and awakens.

At work, it was about consolidation and sort of finally merging into the mainstream after 8 years of operating from the niche. My company's merger into EDS and later HP, positioned us bang the middle of the mainstream IT Industry . It created a momentum for us , that was rewarding and educational at the same time. It was a busy year at work, and I simply loved it.

A few other highlights I could think of and count blessings on:

We traveled to some new cities: Little Rock, St.Louis,Myrtle Beach & Orlando
Roops started working for pay ( no pun intended, she works harder being a home maker without a W-2).
My parents visited the US. This was their 3rd visit, and as always it was fun. We got the unique opportunity to take a weekend off at Myrtle Beach with my sisters family which was fun. As we grow older the dynamics of our relationship with parents and siblings changes, and yet it grounds us and provides emotional stability to know we are available for each other. The kids grew closer to their grand parents, which was huge .
We took a Disney vacation at Orlando in the holidays in Dec. The girls loved it and it was a fabulous bonding opportunity for all of us after a rather hectic year.
We took possession of our apartment in Bangalore. The builder delivered on time and within scope of what was agreed. Knock wood on that one!
Bought my dream toy: the BMW 330i. I feel like an infatuated teenager when I look at it and drive it. Cant grow up I guess!
Made some new cool friends in Memphis , that will remain for life .
We received the US Green Card. This was a pure chance and stroke of good luck considering the queue .

Look forward to 2009, and from the news around, it appears to be challenging year ahead. The news page flash only bad news . I try to digest it and not let it turn me cynical. We have projects and goals for 2009 , and we plan to pursue them with all earnest. And the best advise I have heard in this context is the metaphor of driving in the fog. While its foggy , one needs to focus a great deal more, and that just seems what 2009 seems to ask of us.

Good luck and Happy 2009!

2008-12-31T16:01:00.001-08:00

Dawn of a New Year

2008-12-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

The St.Jude Memphis Marathon

November was an exciting month. Weekends filled with parties. A ten 10 day India trip. The Thanksgiving weekend. And amidst this entire frolic, stared at me the St.Jude Memphis marathon. For most parts in November, my inner voice advised switching to a half marathon, "there is still time to switch, you have not trained enough, safer to just run the half" boomed this voice, over and over again. I listened to it, but let it be without buying into the argument. Something inside wasn’t ready to buy into a compromise. So I trained to the extent possible amidst a socially busy November. It was devoid of the last big run , the taper , the elaborate nutritional plan. It just had my heart into whatever I ran.

So this Saturday, Dec 6th, as we drove to the race venue for my 4th marathon (for the year and my total ever), I wasn't exactly aiming to shatter my records, but was silently proud that I hadn't given up, and that I had enough reason to go out and run my heart out and let the results take care of themselves. My parents were around, and that was motivation enough to demonstrate a good run. The camaraderie of Santosh Iyer, Rohit ( doing his first half marathon) and Suraj ( doing his fist full marathon) added to the energy of the race.

The air was chill, low 30s and the forecast was not looking beyond low 40s for the day, and it remained pretty chill. The course was familiar because the first half I had run last year, the second half was new. Most of the spectacular parts get over by the first half, the second half are mostly mundane good looking streets, albeit, made interesting by some great spectators. But other than that the scenery had nothing much to offer.

I enjoyed my run, running mostly strong until the 22^nd mile and had to make some adjustments for the last 4 miles (of which I am not complaining, because it needs some fixing , which will be part of my 2009 training plans). Finished at 4.12.57. I loved the run and most importantly, glowed under a very important life lesson that running teaches, “Never to give up on your dreams”.

As always, this wouldn’t have been possible without Roops unflinching confidence and support, and my parents encouragement, who at their age had this child-like excitement for this race that is truly amazing. Ending the year, bring grateful for everything that life has to offer!

2008-11-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

JLT ( Just Like that)

Its been a while since I blogged, perhaps our of inertia and probably more because I had nothing interesting to write. Yeah Obama won the elections , Fall is here and the scenery is pretty, last week Indian Association Memphis celebration was fun, I am off to India for a business trip , running is going great , my company is integrating with HP et al. Now that I think about it, maybe it was more inertia than lack of interesting things happening. There sure is lots of action around.

Maybe too much action that its become routine. Yesterday I decided to unplug myself from all the action and drive the girls to their swimming classes with Roops. Felt good. Having been drinking tea with my parents every evening, doing small talk. Feels good. Skipped the early morning run this Sunday and instead read newspaper with Roops. Felt nice.The simple routines are refreshing amidst all the drama and action. Look forward to more of it.

2008-10-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Chicago Marathon: All heat and no wind

After 15 weeks of hard training, I was upbeat about the Chicago Marathon . Being my third ever, I had put into my training things that were appropriate from a performance improvement standpoint. I had done the tempo, interval et al and a half dozen 5ks and 10ks that helped my confidence in building speed. But training takes you to the anvil and leaves you there, the race is the real work. This Sunday , as I entered the train from Chicago suburb to the downtown for the race, I was filled with many thoughts, chief among them being possibility of doing my first sub-4 marathon. It brought butterflies in my stomach, mixed with a strange sense of confidence .

The downtown was bustling with people as I alighted the train at the Union station at 7 am, there were 60 minutes to go. Shankar and Rekha , with whom I traveled on the suburban train , had a office near the station that we decided to use for restroom, before heading to the start line. Excitement mixed with race anxiety builds potty pressure, and that was true for us. The bladder always seemed filling up . So as we headed to the start line, I had to stop again at the line for porta potty.

That delay got me at the start line at well past 7.30 am when the gates close. I didn't realize that until I reached the fence , my climbing skills over the wired fence came handy to get started. It put me amidst a sea of 33000 runners, a sea of raw human energy rearing to go, and as a matter of sheer coincidence, it also I landed right next to my running partner Santosh.

With a few minutes left for the start , most striking scene I noticed was a line of at least 15 men along the fence peeing across it , creating what seemed to me like an uric version of the Niagara falls. Interestingly I never heard any woman yell foul for this undue masculine advantage ( I have heard such yells in the Little Rock Marathon). Anyways, the guns went off and we were on our way.

Though I didn't stick to a pace group, the pace tattoo for a 3.50 time was on my arm. The weather seemed fine, temperatures weren't cool enough, but they seemed tolerable. For most part I seemed to be running at the pace I wanted, closer to a 3.55 finish than 3.50, but I was alright with that. The 13.1 got done at 1.57, and I felt strong until the 19th mile. Then it started, the heaviness on my legs and what started to feel like cramps. I had to slow down, and by the 21st mile , I lost sight of the 3.55 pacing team. A sub-4 wasn't going to happen, the legs were beginning to cramp. I had to manage the 22-24 mile using the walk-run , because as long as I ran fast, it seemed OK, but I couldn't hold it . And if I jogged, the cramps would come back. The only thing that worked was walk and then run. At the 24th mile, I regained some energy, but the cramps were still there, so had to pick a pace that would get me through. It was grueling , and the heat was real. I pushed through to finish at 4.11.52, a PR, but 20 minutes behind my race goal of 3.50.

Added to the gruel was the fact that I didn't see my cheering squad at the mile markers we had agreed. Roops, Srinath and the Kids missed my arrival at these mile markers by a few minutes. Seeing them may have helped . Its always wonderful to see your family and friends during the run, gives you the extra pep.My parents missed being present , it would have been wonderful, but given the crowd , it may have been challenging on them.

At the finish line, I was disappointed that a sub-4 eluded me on a flat course. That changed when I heard heart wrenching stories of the heat's impact in the latter half of the race. My 20 minute loss of race goal time, was pale in comparison to some other stories of cramps and fatigue due to heat.

The race was organized very well, and but for that , the impact of heat would have been worse. It was a phenomenal experience. There were spectators on every mile of the course, and reportedly 1.5 million of them on the streets. It made you feel like a sports star.

All in all, I feel happy and proud about the final outcome of the race, personally because I could get a PR, and for everyone else because despite the heat, there were no fatalities or bad injuries and about 94% finished .

My next race is the home Marathon, the Memphis St.Jude Marathon on Dec 6. With some big travel coming up in Nov, my training is going to be compromised, but I intend to make it a fun-run, , enjoy it and just give it my best. The most exciting part of this race is going to the fact a) my parents will have an opportunity to see me in action and b) that there a contingent of approximately 20 friends and colleagues who are running the half/full, many of them the first time. This is HUGE.

So long for now, stay tuned.

2008-10-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

One thousand miles

Last week I completed 1000 running miles for this year, one of the many 08 goals set at the beginning of the year. This is double the volume of running I did last year. From a quality standpoint, the miles were faster.

With less than a week to go for the Chicago, I am all anxious and excited. Last week was beginning of taper, a week tormented with feeling of restless ness , which my buddy referred to as positive taper angst, so took that in the stride. With reduced miles, I almost felt my belly bulging in realtime. Mind Games ! Went past that this week, after a good 10 mile run on Sunday under some real cool fall temperatures. It was a pristine feeling. Am all set for what Chicago will bring.

2008-09-14T18:48:00.001-07:00

Onam Weekend

Good food and great company, that was Onam weekend for us. Since 12th was working day, we decided to host a Onam sadhyai for a few of our friends on Saturday. Roopa dished out some traditional Kerala Iyer cuisine and laid out nice pookolams. After a a sumptuous meal ,we lazed to watch a couple of movies , which included a re-run of Bourne Supremacy .

Happy Onam!

2008-09-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

My Fastest 10k
Last year this time, I was opening up to a possibility of running the St.Jude Half Marathon. It seemed like a long shot and a distant dream to run a race. Back then running a race didn't mean anything different from everyday running. I just had to get by and finish the race. Between then and now, I have completed 11 races including 2 full marathons , and racing has stopped being about getting by and finishing. Its beginning to open up the throttle and let the body speed as much as its capable. And that is precisely what happened on the RRS 10k last Sunday. After a week of laying off running, I felt fresh and crisp on the morning of the race. The venue was Shelby farms, a place I have run many times and that was a comforting feeling. The race started and I ran with my heart out, and it felt fresh and crisp, the air was pretty cool. I completed the 10 k ( 6.25 miles ) in 47 min 28 seconds a race pace of 7.34 minute/mile. It was an incredible experience to have run sustained at that pace for 6+ miles . This has been my fastest 10k so far, and intend to continue improving it. They say running is transformational for body and mind, and I cant agree more, especially when you decide to run fast(er), because of all the courage it takes to just let go and trust your body will take you past the finish line without falling apart .

2008-09-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Labor day weekend

Road trips to neighboring cities are always fun. Gives a great break from the routine, you get to check out some cool spots and its less than 4 hour drive. That was St.Louis for the labor day weekend. Off we went on Sunday morning amidst the hullah bullah of the hurricane Gustav hitting the Gulf coast. Most of New Orleans was supposed to have been headed north towards Memphis. I was a little anxious about the road blocks, what if the freeway was clogged with people fleeing the hurricane. Putting the concerns aside, we ventured anyway. And for most part the freeway had normal traffic, but mostly with cars from Louisana. Outside about 100 miles north of Memphis, I noticed less of them, guess people had found hotels en route.

The drive from Memphis to St.Louis is mostly uneventful until you cross 200 miles, till then its mostly the vast expansive plains of the mid-west, beyond the 200 miles, one gets to see rolling hills and the scenery gets more exciting.

We spent the Sunday visiting the Anheuser Busch brewery and the St.Louis Botanical garden that was hosting the Japanese festival, interspersed with some sumptuous Afghani food and Chicago style Pizzas.
Pics: Anheuser Busch (above); St.Louis Botanical Garden (Below)

The day 2 was spend exploring some local parks and then the fascinating Gateway arch. The gateway was a big surprise, it was way bigger than what I had imagined, another demonstration of engineering ingenuity.

Pics above: The Gateway Arch

Bottom line is we will probably go back to St.Louis again, it seemed to have a lot to explore; great parks, Museums and Amusement parks. Its a real American historical city that reeks with fascinating stories about the American conquest of the west , which adds to the charm and mystique of the place.

2008-08-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

Roop ki Rani, Choron ka Raaja:A story of 15 years in partnership

My dad would often tell me in my growing years," Time and Tide wait for no man", and perhaps thats been one of the most influential values I adapted into my life. Its been 15 years, doesn't feel that long, feels like it was yesterday that I had this conversation with my father about the relationship and my decision to marry Roopa. For most at that age, it may still have been late adolescence , with idea of marriage looming far ahead in the horizon. It was obvious that Appa was uncomfortable, confused even. But he mustered his wisdom and suggested that I focus on building a career and talk about this in about a couple of years. I was 21 then,and in two years from then at my age 23, my dearest Appa and Amma , putting aside their personal view points organized for Roops and me to be married. It was generous and bold to have stood beside me.

It was a complex set of circumstances . Coming from a traditional Brahminical family, but raised in cosmopolitan surrounding, there was always conflict in choice. I choose to be an Cosmopolitan , and that has often been at conflict with my core traditions. One being , marrying outside the community almost always affects the families involved. But for someone like me who grew "Casteless", that was an irreconcilable conflict. But a family character shows when , we are able to tide over the conflicts in the larger interest of family happiness. And that is exactly what my family did, and so did Roops family. It was a grand wedding, a great spectacle , and yet there were emotions simmering in the background.

From then , till now, its been 15 years, and every minute has been worth the trouble we may have put our families into, and we hope its been for them too, because we are a couple still in love and blessed with two beautiful angels. We have worked hard over the years not to let down people who stood by us, and primarily includes our parents and siblings. We have worked hard to stay true to values , that on the first place , enabled our lives to come together. Roops has been my best friend , and marriage was incidental, an instrument to legitimize a relationship that probably didn't fit any definition . We still are the best friends , and will continue that way beyond our 15th marriage anniversary on Aug 27th,2008.

Happy Anniversary Roops!

2008-08-25T10:16:00.001-07:00

The Olympics

This Olympics has been special, and it has been a fun watching over the last few weeks. It was special because I felt more connected to Track and Field .It was exhilarating to see Usain Bolt make running seem like art. For the first time I was actually clapping on the Marathon finish line for winner . Had a greater appreciation of what it took for the athletes to perform. Seeing the Jamaicans perform so well reminded me Michael Holding and Courteny Walsh in cricket of my boyhood days. Michael Holding was the fastest bowler in cricket , and he would actually sprint to deliver the ball from the boundrary line. He had one of the most graceful run-ups in the history of cricket.

African power was written all over the men's marathon, and it was a great race, unimaginable how someone can keep sub 5 minute mile pace for 26 miles.

Last and probably not the least ( from my perspective), all the swimming from Michael Phelps, Dona Torres, that was spectacular. With my kids beginning to plunge seriously into swimming, it was inspiring for them to see these folks perform, and know that athletes can be stars too!

On the sidelines, it was nice to see India sneak in a few medals. Makes me proud and curious . I almost vehemently notice every participant of Indian origin in the Olympic team and feel proud no matter who they represent, there was Raj Bhavsar on the gymnastics team and there was a Sanjay Ayre on the Jamaican relay team. At least its consoling that it may not be a genetic issue , just plain attitudes we have towards sports .

The closing ceremony was spectacular, I had missed the opening ceremony. China made a bold statement with this show. Will miss the olympics and all the action. Time to get ready to watch the political olympics in the US with the presedential elections coming up. So long!

2008-08-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

Bay Watch

Fag end of kids vacation and we managed to squeeze it in, the family bay watch vacation. The timing worked great since my parents are in the US, so it was an opportunity for all of us including my sister's family to get together off site . After driving over to my sister's place at Charlotte , we were off to Myrtle Beach ,SC. Found a nice multi bedroom condo facing the sea and walking distance to the beach.

My GPS even located a Indian restaurant , the only one in this place. There is a joke about what Neil Armstrong found in the Moon, someone had said he found Malayalees selling tea . The same thing expands to any Indian food now. I think whats going around now probably is if the question is asked about , What did Rover find in Mars...the answer probably is going to be an Indian guy selling tandoori chicken . At least these were the thoughts streaming in my neuro-space as I awed at finding an Indian restaurant in the heart of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. No complaints, suited well with my parents around.

Bottom-line, it was a fun time , and the waves were great on day 2 with some tide chipping in. I have never ridden waves like I did this time,especially the ones that rose few feet above me, also took the chance to run bare-foot on firm sand for 3.5 miles, that was totally spiritual . Kids and had a great time, it was heartening to see their increased confidence in enjoying the waves . One of the waves almost bent me , and the back muscles were sore .

On the drive back, about 1 hour away from Memphis, as my thoughts raced to the next day morning's 5 mile race, I felt a sense of inexplicable lethargy . As I turned to Roops for guidance , she was affirmative I should run ( she never gives up on me ) .Got back into Memphis late night, and as I dozed the very second my head hit the sack, I let the mind dictate the decision to run the morning 5 mile race ...and my mind was affirmative .

2008-07-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Random Musings

Signs of times. As a kid I wonder if I ever glamorized a profession for my Dad. He was an engineer and that was it. Maybe I wished he was a movie actor or a business tycoon , or something cool like that because it made more money and I could afford a motor bike to zip around in town.

But what my little daughter asked me the other day simply stumped me. She said " Daddy, can you work at a Store!!!", and I looked at her completely amused and asked why she thought I needed to work at a store , and she said" Because Aliya's dad works there, and you can bring me whatever I want !"....what a bummer I thought to myself. I was urged to go on this long tirade on how I have a good job and she should consider herself lucky blah blah blah and then realized it would be tough justify why it was so cool to be on conference calls all day or spend oodles of time staring at my laptop while she was around me, maybe working at a Costco or Toys R us sounds cool from her perspective's after all...

2008-06-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

The ultimate 10k

Pic: The finish line scurry

Memphis is a Fedex territory, and yet it is UPS that sponsors the most popular 10k race every year in June. A race that claims to be the ultimate 10k, so I decided to check it out ( needed some good filler races for my Chicago Marathon training). The timing was perfect because I have started my interval training last month, and am beginning to enjoy the idea of running fast (er). I am discovering that it requires a different mindset, a new trust if you will, of knowing that its OK to press the pedal while running and nothing bad will happen ( your legs are not going to fall off or lungs explode). Its a need for leap of faith, anyways lets put aside my philosophical ramblings and get back to the 10k today.

The last few days as this race approached, I have been contemplating on what should be my race strategy , from a choice ranging from doing easy fun run, aim for PR to run hard and leave the rest to (you know who). I finally settled on a compromise, my strategy would be to run hard and shoot for a 50 -53 minute finish. That would be a sub 8.30 minute mile average .

The entire cheering squad consisting of my better half, kids and parents ( currently visiting from India) decided to accompany the early morning drive , and I was simply moved by their enthusiasm ( as always every race Roops bundles the entire family to vicariously participate in my races).
Pic above: My original cheering squad L to R( Appa, Amma, Roops, Ananya and Annika)
Pic Below: Girls enjoying the face painting

The siren went off at precisely 8 am today. The sky was overcast and a cool breeze made it an unlikely summer morning with the temperatures in low 70s. Most of us expected it to rain, but surprisingly except for an initial drizzle the sky cleared up, leaving behind a cool morning. There must have been roughly about 300 runners.

My training partner (Santosh Iyer) and I started conservatively on our pace hoping to saving energy for the second half speed up. The race took us through the scenic Davies Plantation subdivision with meandering driveways hugged by freshly manicured lawns and many friendly residents offering to shout words of encouragement to the runners.

After the 3rd mile I lost Santosh at one of the water stations , I decided to pumped it up, and at this point I had been 25 minutes into the race. The 45 minute finish was impossible , but a 50 was in the line of view, so I ran and ran hard. My last 3 miles, each mile averaged a sub-8 minute mile pace and in many instances I was ranging sub 7.30 pace. I finished at 51.22 minutes, a 8.16 pace . It was a satisfying race and huge confidence builder as regards to my ability to handle fast(er) speeds, and am hoping I can build on this for my next 3 months build up to the Chicago Marathon.

The other gratifying thing about this race was a bigger contingent of the runners from our group, we were totally 7 runners from our gang, its good to see an expanding running tribe.

2008-06-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

Random Musings

Its summer, kids vacation et al, life seems happening and am in the thick of it. My parents will be here next week, its exciting for everyone , we look forward to it, and yet I am anxious. Anxious for everyone to have a good time. Signs of middle age when one is anxious of kids and parents at the same time.

Bought the Wii gaming system last week. The kids are hooked in a good way, so instead of playing pretense indoor games ,heading outside in the heat or gnarling at each other, they now play virtual tennis, golf and baseball. I have never been a video game person, but Wii fascinates me because of the physical simulation of the sport it does, and I have been getting an ample dose of virtual tennis.

Running has been challenging with the temperature soaring. Last week or so, my body is coming to grips with the summer running. I have had to learn some new tricks, the pouring of water on the head to keep cool has proved to be very helpful. Have also started on speed running training with sights on a PR at Chicago, its been daunting but fun.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying a great summer!

2008-05-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

Wah Taj !

A week of rendezvous in India, entertaining my clients ( part of my job I love most) and a trip that was different that my any other, firstly because I hardly spent time at home ( Bangalore), and secondly , I visited places that I hadn't in a long time. The foremost was Agra, to see the magnificent Taj Mahal.

We left for Agra from Delhi in the wee hours of morning on Sunday, hoping to beat the traffic and the summer heat. We may have managed to beat the heat, but the traffic was still tight in the small towns en route. People, Buffaloes ,two wheelers, three wheelers and all-wheelers converge on these roads, and for my American friends who are with me, its a reaction often mixed with awe, anxiety and entertainment. But the fatigue from the drive simply dissipates on the first glimpse of the Taj. Any combination of words and pictures undermine the enormous beauty of the structure, and I think its also the aura of the romance that gave rise to this structure, the stories of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz and the subsequent tyranny of Aurangazeb, all adds to the mystique. Its larger than life , closest to what I have understood to be immortal, part of the larger Indian identity, that encompasses influences from across the world.

In addition to the Taj watching, we also did a ton of shopping, with three women in the gang, that was bound to be a big part of the agenda. Did some shopping for the beautiful Pashmina shawls of Kashmir and precious stones of India. We couldn't complain, because the shops served chilled Kingfisher beer that Chris and I enjoyed as the ladies shopped!

That was it in Agra, and then rest of the trip was taking my clients to our technical centers in Bangalore and Pune. Pune was a revelation personally, a beautiful city , a lot more laid back than Bangalore , excellent weather and great place. We visited the Osho commune and the Kelkar museum in Pune before heading out to the office for meetings. Bangalore as always rocked, 75 degrees weather in the thick of summer, couldn't ask for more. Had some great food through out the trip, and my clients returned very happy!

Back in town , and getting ready for the summer ...

2008-04-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

The Nashville Marathon: a thing of beauty is a joy for ever...

Pic above-running to finish line

Most challenging endeavors are by far impossible without your family and loved ones standing by you, pushing you and encouraging you to go for it. My journey to running marathons is one such, my wife primarily who has stood rock solid behind my training, followed by my kids, parents and parents-in-law , who have edged me on to pursue this adventure of long distance running.

pic above :My greatest cheering squad

So this time I ran and ran with my heart in it. I said to myself, to hoot with what happens, I am going to simply enjoy my run. My first 20 miles got done in 186 minutes, and I simply loved every minute of it, it was like my legs found a new rhythm and they danced . I must admit, the mile 21 to 23 were probably the most difficult, and then for the last two I found renewed energy and rhythm. I ran to my finish line with 26 minutes shaved off the previous marathon at Little Rock to finish in 4.16. It was one the most extraordinary experience of my life to reach the finish line at Nashville.

The course was great, often hilly but a lot less intimidating than what I expected. There was live music playing in many junctions of the course. The people were great and I took Bill Carter's cues and made sure I high-fived a few kids who were on the road cheering the runners. The spectators bring character to the Marathon, without them , this would just feel like a Sunday morning long run.

The event itself was the biggest Marathon I have seen so far, close to 22,000 half marathoners and 4,500 marathoners, you do the math. The city itself seemed like it had stopped to host this event. The pride in the city was evident in everything they did for the marathon.

After the first Marathon I was tentative about my future in distance running, not anymore. I feel stronger and probably surer that this is my passion, and with each marathon I run, it gets me closer to full potential as an athlete.

Chicago…..you are next!!

2008-04-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Zicam Week

It must be Psychosomatic , has to be. The itchy throat . The feeling that I am coming down with a cold just week before the Marathon.

Luckily I am a fan of homeopathy medicine, and lately they have been dotting the aisles on the pharmacies in US. Zicam is one of them. I bit their bullet and bought a bottle. I have been consuming that sugary cinammony tablet every 3 hours for the last few days. My itchy throat did not become a full blown sore throat or cough. Cold is under control. Dont know if the medicine is Psychosomatic, but so far , it has held me together. Few more days to go before the next 26.2....and I am must admit I have butterflies in the stomach...

Here is to Homeopathy and ..Salut!

2008-04-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

Country Roads take me home....

Its 5.30 pm in Dallas, and my flight is scheduled to leave at 8.50 pm to Memphis. After the meeting, Michael jokingly remarks about all flight cancellations because of the grounding of aircrafts at American Airlines. I felt pity for those passengers that were getting affected. As I walked to my desk to pack and head out to the aiport, I froze. I was scheduled to fly an American Airlines flight. A quick internet confirmed my fate, a cancelled flight. I decided to walk to the brand new Toyota Highlander that National Rental had given me. As I drove to the airport weighing my options, it made sense to simply take the road to Memphis and get home by mid-night. Airports were going to be jammed and flights were going to be full for the next 12 hours.

30 minutes down the line, I was headed on a presumably 8 hours drive to Memphis. For most part I spent time talking to Arun who kept phone company for close to 2 hours, another 1.5 hours speaking to wife, sister and mother. Got into home by 3 am. I couldn't wait to hit the bed after an interesting night behind the wheels.

2008-04-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

The 20 mile trainer

With last weekend being a washout with heavy rains , yesterday was a crucial long training run . It turned out to be a beautiful Spring morning, sunny and sprouts of green everywhere. For most parts there was a nice cool breeze caressing the face during the run at Shelby Farms.

Did a 20.5 miles run at over 3 hours . May have been a trifle faster than my previous 20 mile run before the Little Rock Marathon, and definitely felt less tired. Hoping that it is a sign of increased running fitness and will translate into better running performance at the race . The Nashville Marathon reportedly has more hills than Little Rock which gives me a scare, but I am doing the best a runner can do prior to a big race, stick true to the training plan and leave the rest to THE DAY.

2008-04-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Mobile Check in

I have been involved IT solutions for the Airline Industry for a few years now, its an intriguing world. In an Industry that is over the edge with continued pressure on margins and profitability , its amazing how a few players still manage to be innovative. In my personal experience, Continental Airlines has seemed to be agile and leading the pack . When I lived in Houston, I would fly them a lot, and they have a cheerful crew and the most self check-in kiosks when they were introduced.

But yesterday I tried one of their coolest innovation that wowed me, paperless boarding pass on your PDA. It was with great skepticism that I checked . A link promptly arrived on my blackberry via email. Click the link, and it displays a boarding pass with a bar code. So far so good, but how it the TSA agent going to comprehend my long last name on a small Blackberry pearl and let me in. When I reached the TSA agent and declared that I had a mobile check-in he respononsed in manner that seemed to reflect he was a pro with this new technology .He then pulls out a bar-code scanning device and scans my bar code on the PDA. My name showed up on his device and he verified my ID, and I was all set. WOW, I thought to myself, thats pretty cool.

The process saved on paper and it was quicker than my usual paper boarding pass security check. Cool stuff!!

2008-03-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Chi Running

He is a runner and a guru, Danny Dreyer the author of Chi Running , a running technique that uses the principles of Tai Chi martial arts into running. I have been using the technique in my recent training runs and they have amazing effect. Yesterday on my 6.5 mile run , in a 65 F weather, I sweat less than on my runs on a much cooler weather. My legs felt fresh and relaxed and , I ran at a faster pace effortlessly. Its a great technique. Here you can listen to the master himself, who runs ultra marathons on a 35 mile/week training base.

2008-03-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

Post Recovery

The week after the marathon had been exciting . As always, work load increases when you need the most rest, and so it was the week after the marathon. The next day morning I was scheduled to fly out to Houston for client meetings ( luckily it got rescheduled so I took the evening flight). That allowed me tons of walking in the airport, and my sore muscles complained. For almost two days, it felt like someone had poured lead into my muscles. Got better after two full days.

But the recovery was fairly quicker than I expected, I was back on the trails the next Sunday, but there was a lingering soreness during the run. Today was first day back on the feet (running ) , feeling normal.

Have been implementing some of the Chi Running techniques in my runs , today it felt great running at a better pace and after a 6.5 mile run I was hardly even sweating, my legs felt fresh and relaxed. Nashville ahoy!

2008-03-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

The Little Rock Marathon

A sign on the roadside read " I think you are crazy, but we understand". The summed up how I felt as I negotiated the 23rd and the 24h mile, and then suddenly and "goodness knows how", I managed to run a nice pace in the last 1.2 ( using some of the Chi running techniques I have been reading).

It was a difficult pre-race week, a rather strong infection of my upper respiratory got me completely down for the 3 days preceding the race. On Saturday, I still wasn't feeling strong enough. I even had thoughts of backing down, but wait a minute... not my wife, she had no question that I could complete the race and Of course my buddies ,who didn't seem to have any doubts and provided all the support. So off I was on the starting line, trusting the intention. I had to change my race goals just to be safe. I ran with the 4.30 corral hoping to do negative splits and catch up with the 4.15 on the second half. That did'nt happen .After the 20 mile, my feet were mostly dead, didn't have any propulsion power left. I had to drop back even from the 4.30 corral. I ended with a 4:40:56 finish, 25 minutes slower than what I had hoped for. But I feel blessed, that I completed and am a Marathoner! There is only going up from here.

The trail was mostly flat for the first 13 ( with the occasional slopes), but the next 13 had some rolling hills. Not too bad considering I was expecting worse. The race was organized very well. all water stations were well stocked. People of Little Rock were awesome, warm and proud of this wonderful little city. Little Rock just won some new admirers for sure. The girls enjoyed the day cheering and playing on a wonderful spring day like weather.

My next race is the Nashville Marathon on Apr 26th ( Signed up this impulsively at the expo, but while running at the 23rd mile I seriously felt regret for having done it .. he he!...I am over that now).

2008-02-28T07:10:00.000-08:00

The unexpected

Three days to go for the Little Rock Marathon and I am down with a respiratory infection. I trained hard, but how could I have been better prepared for this. What a bummer!

I am praying that the infection will clear off by Friday, and I have the whole of Saturday to rest and revitalize for the big day.

2008-02-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Shift Happens

I viewed this absolutely thought provoking video in a recent conference. It got me thinking about a lot of stuff, but most importantly , about parenting and its role in equipping today's children for a world that doesn't yet exist. Enjoy!

2008-02-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

The Finger of God

Pic above- The tornado that shook Memphis

The winds howling and water swirling in mid-air as if suddenly mother earth determined gravity was altogether canceled in the large scheme of things. A cow mooed as it got thrown around this merry go around, not sure it was fun or merely a hyped route to a sure end. I may have been palpitating or perhaps excited as I saw this unfolding on the screen. The year was I think 1997, and Silicon Graphics was making waves by helping film makers create realistic animation to that stunned us mere mortals in the audience. Sitting in the theatre was as good as being amidst that Twister, and somehow the tornado aficionados called the most extreme of them the "Finger of God”.

On Tuesday this week, I wasn’t sitting in the theater. I was right in my office as the German town siren went off, almost sounding eerie. The drizzle had just begun. I wasn’t sure to head home or to stay put. My wife on the phone said, there there are a couple of ‘em doing the rounds. I took my chances and headed home. My view of the horizon was dark black , almost demonic clouds. Reached home, and we glued ourselves to the TV to get a real time track of the “gods finger”. The Collierville sirens were on too, we were all supposed to be near a shelter, and our bathroom was the only hope.

The TV reporter meanwhile conveyed a Mall near my office had lost its roof. I was mostly trying to understand what was happening through the lens of my movie experience a decade ago. The calm before the storm, the menacing clouds, the TV reporter’s panicky reports, the sight of a twister consuming some part of town that I live and the total embrace of uncertainty when nature’s fury is being enacted.

We were spared, but I must say it was terrifying , and may people who were affected by this fury find peace and solace quickly.

2008-02-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

15..16..17...and miles to go

March 2 is approaching and I am in the thick of my training. Last three weekends have been long run Sundays, each week inching by a mile. This last Sunday was the 17 mile run. Its been a challenge to keep at it and not get overwhelmed by the distance, especially considering the real goal is 26.2. Yesterday was better than the previous week ( I am not complaining about the post-run muscle trauma) . Consuming some gel at the 8th mile and 14th mile definitely helped a bunch ( which I didn't do for my 16 miler, and my muscles were screaming) . Next Sunday is the 20 miler, looking forward to it ( and anxious too !).

Last weekend for my 16 miler,I ran from my home to my office, a route that I have been driving for the last 18 months. It felt strange to feel the asphalt that I drive everyday, a strange sense of connection with all the things around the road that I am normally oblivious while I drive, amidst some music or talking with someone on the mobile.

2008-01-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

Salute to a true Gandhian

A 15 mile run gives ample opportunity to think, reflect and introspect. For someone like me, its over 2 hours of being on the feet.

On yesterday’s run , I had an opportunity to reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King and his legacy, an great American icon who got merged with Memphis history when he was assassinated here. As a true Gandhian, and probably one of the biggest proponents of non-violence movement after Gandhi, what he did probably parallels Gandhi’s fight for India’s freedom from the British oppression. Yesterday’s Commerical appeal ( a Memphis daily newspaper) carried some elaborate pictures of Dr.King in the eve of his birthday today ( Dr. Martin Luther King Day). One such picture stood out. It has two Vietnamese kids running towards the camera in what seemed like a freeway. The boy was crying and the girl was bawling with fear , and she had no clothes on. These kids must have been about 9 years old. A few soldiers looked on. The caption below explained that a bombing was in progress, and the kids were running for safety. As I stared at this photos , I was beginning overwhelm with emotion. Those kids could have been any of ours. It was terrifying and at the same time a poignant moment. It spoke to me about Dr.King’s stand for peace in the world, and that he was willing to sacrifice personal comfort on the face of danger. A wise man once said " Its not important what you want, the question is what wants you" . Dr. King found what wants him in life, and he surrendered to it .The following quote summed up who he was” The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Wish everyone a Happy Martin Luther King day, and wishing all of us find what wants us in life!

2008-01-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

namesake

Namesake is a movie that outperformed the book in the matter of entertainment, I thought to myself as I watched the character Googol grimacing at the his father's gift prior to the departure to college. It would have been the book "Raincoat" written by this author Gogol that his father would have shared. It passes off as a mundane father-son cynicism. The movie struts on for most parts. But the book made me gloomy. The inner workings of Gogol's complex Indo-American psyche is mostly in the color dull gray, hardly bright moments. The movie thankfully is more superficial. A few of the situations where I have liked the movie better than the book.

2008-01-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

Hill n Dale

The hot Chilli on a cold wet afternoon feels good. The brown dry wet outside the window feels rustic. In the background I hear announcements and applause. Great race I muse . Shelby Forest , a deep forest with hills north of Memphis. The famous switch back in the 8 mile race happens after the 5th mile. On your way back is the most arduous climb that can kill the quads. I kept my head down and ran that part , looking at the climb would have been unnerving. It was a mind game over the body. But totally satisfying to have run the climb.

2008-01-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

With a no particular place to go

Road trips are fun, especially if you there are multiple destinations and no-particular serious agenda. No security to clear and flights to catch. You drive-in and out of a town at your will . You wake up just in time to catch the hotel's last breakfast service, then check out the local food, and get back to the room late to hit the sack and the room is neatened ( small pleasures of not having to clean your own room is very rewarding). Thats what we did this holiday, 8 days on the road covering 1200 miles, stopping at Gatlinburg ( Smoky Mountains), Atlanta and Nashville. Here is a collage of our trip.

Stop 1: Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg,TN

Our first stop was a rendezvous at a Smoky Mountain cabin along with my sister , bro-inlaw and close buddies from India. The beautiful smokies were great to hike and the cabins were cozy to hang out. This is our third trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, and I am refreshed every time .

Stop 2: Atlanta,GA

For the next stop , we were on our own ( just us and the kids ). It was fun to hang out with the girls. The Stone Mountain and Georgia Aquarium kept our interests high. Also hung our with old friends on Christmas day sipping scotch and mixing great conversations like old times . Last but not the least , caught upwith some great Atlanta Indian and Asian food . ( Check out Zyka and Penang the next time you are in Atlanta)

Stop 3: Nashville,TN

The final stop was the Country Music capital of the country, Nashville,TN. The Gaylord Opryland ( a beautiful hotel with an indoor river boardwalk ) and the Grand Ole Opry Theater made the visit worth it. But the icing on the cake was the Radio City Rockettes show at the Grand ole Opry, the show was an astonishing combination of precision ballet choreography and amazing optical effects that simply lifts you to another world of fantasy and music . The other thing that Nashville had in store was a fabulous replica of the Parthenon in Greece, with a actual replica of the Athena as well. Learned a lot of Greek mythology and lore .

Now back home, cooling our heels and embracing the new year as it reveals itself. Got to go.

2007-12-31T19:33:00.000-08:00

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

2007-12-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

Adding a year

Having a birthday arrive when one in the late 30s is a mixed feeling. One cannot escape the myriad of thoughts that arise, On one hand is the traditional goodness that reminds of ones arrival to life, and on the other is a reminder of how time out-runs you. Putting aside these thoughts, I decide to make it a good day . And presumably at this stage in life, where I am heading has become less important , as the journey itself.

Other than all these profound thoughts, the best thing about the day is all the attention and pampering . The morning started with Roops and Kids greeting ( and kids are excited no matter whose birthday it is!!) , and then the calls from Amma & Appa, Uncle and Aunty ( my in-laws) and friends!! Roops bought me the Runner's toy, the Garmin Forerunner 305 , a wrist watched size GPS device that basically helps runners track mileage and time, which yours truly has been eyeing on the other fellow-runners, and I WANTED IT! . Its a runners delight. Have used it a couple of times, and its just splendid, additionally , Roops on the need to present me something of her own choice, bought me clothes and give it to me in the morning with the customary wishes along with the kids. All is well I mused , it was going to be a regular day. I would go to office, had a doctor's appointment, take greeting calls from friends and have a quiet evening with some wine and good food. (At least that is what Roops and I had talked and planned) .

The evening progressed as planned, I was sitting on the couch , sipping some good Cabernet that I bought on my way home. Roops had some nice dinner ready. My cell phone rings, I walk into the study to speak with Easaw who called in from Atlanta to wish, and we exchanged notes on my Atlanta trip, life in general etc, as I heard a knock on the door. It must be the kids I thought and continued chatting. The knock became more vigorous, so I paused the call and took the door grumbling as to why Roops didnt get the door . I opened the door, and for a moment I was startled ...almost saying..What the .....? , as the army of friends collectively shout "Happy Birthday" in chorus. A smile breaks out as I realise Roops pulled this off totally , without giving me a clue , and Ananya had been partner as well. She had been working on this for a week, and I and was totally clueless.

We had a blast of an evening, including a make-do dance floor in our living room , until the neighbor asked us to turn down the "bass"!! Roops had made and arranged for some great food. All in all, turned out to be one of the best Birthday's in many years. Who says getting older isn't fun!!!

2007-12-03T07:09:00.000-08:00

The St.Jude Marathon Weekend

I ran amidst a sea of humanity. Close to 10,000 people ran the race arriving from across the country. It raised probably a million bucks for the children of St.Jude Hospital. And this is definitely a high moment for Memphis.

The Run Yogis participated in full spirit and all improved their previous performances. I finished the half at 1:53.43, a race pace of 8.41 minute a mile ( approx average running speed of 7 mph), and almost a 6 minutes improvement over my previous Half-Marathon . To put that in perspective, my place was 1089th amongst 5349 all half-marathon finishers.

The weather was perfect for running, cool and sunny. The trail was impressive tour of Memphis downtown. Every mile had water station and Live music. The streets were adorned by people cheering the runners. Even the stopped traffic was cheering. My legs and body felt pretty good for the entire race, though my shin had me concerned on the previous day. The finish line ended at the AutoZone Park , a fabulous baseball stadium. Everyone was their own hero that day. It was fantastic. This city has been growing on me, and the St.Jude half was a high point .

2007-11-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

First Half Marathon

Striding past the 12th mile , a gentle uphill slope elicits a higher effort to keep the same pace. Its part body-part mind game, to slow down or not to slow down, ignoring the mind I pump more energy into my legs, just 1.1 miles left and I want to finish at a reasonable time. A smile breaks out as I see the finishing line accompanied by a surge of energy, I almost sprint to finish so I can record under 2 hours. My final time reads 1:59:02, a shade more than I had expected, but way faster than I have run in training runs.

Moments after I finished, it dawned on me that I have now officially completed a recorded half marathon race. The body seemed flushed with endorphins ( going by the feeling of runner's high I was experiencing). Everything seemed surmountable, trivial even. The mind-body complex and the constraints it imposes in our lives, seemed irrelevant . " Blessed to be a runner" I muse , as thoughts shift to the upcoming St. Jude Memphis Marathon on Dec 1 .

Note : The entire team of Run Yogis ( a name I use for our running team ) completed the course at their own respective pace , however ,what is admirable is the will power and determination of Suresh, Pasha and Suraj, who have been training hard but were running this distance for the first time.

2007-10-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween

Halloween is an interesting time. My conditioning drives me to believe that festivals must celebrate goodness. Why do we glorify and make a fuss about symbols of fear ? As these thoughts hover around this year's Halloween amidst children dressing up fancy and often petrified at the symbols of dead , I discover the benefit of the process. As I observe my daughters and nephew being presented with these symbols, I see them having to deal with their worst fears. Confronting fears allows for embracing it , and therefore freedom from it ( or so I believe) .

Perhaps it then explains the obsession with symbols of dead and dark in version of Hindu rites in my own god's country's ( Kerala) . As a kid , a visit to Chottanikara Bhagawathi temple in Kerala would always include an encounter with the famous Banyan tree with knotted cloth hung on the tree and thousands of nails on the tree trunk. I would be told they are meant to ward of evil spirits from people who were possessed. I would also occasionally witness a screaming woman throwing fit in the name of being possessed. Definitely scary, didn't need Halloween in my childhood to deal with fear. With these thoughts , my face breaks a smile, as my daughter tugs at my shirt to remind me its time to head out to " trick or treating".

2007-10-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

What Good do I do

I have often been perplexed with how to describe what I do for a living to my 8 year old: Client Management, IT Salesperson, IT projects sales are a few blurbs that come up, but have felt it sounds very esoteric from an 8 year olds point of view, not as solid and defined as saying engineer, doctor,politician, plumber, machinist ,pastor, teacher etc.

But yesterday , she stumped me with something that had me mumbling in response. First she asks what I do at work, to which I respond with the usual blurb. But then after that she draws her trump card, and says " What good do you do at work ? ". I mumbled some thing like, " I help people do their work faster and cheaper ( I had to draw conclusions on supposedly what good IT does ) . But I knew from the response on her face that she wasn't impressed . In fact, it actually got me thinking about, what "good " does IT salesperson do ( there probably are very good answers that I can come up with), however, I don't wake every morning thinking about it, which is something that I am open to now . Got me going back to basics, look what kids can teach!

2007-10-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Random Musings

As I browsed Suku's blog Guilt Free Music , I couldn't stop thinking of that cold December afternoon in Denver sitting on the back seat of Sriram's car, while we exchanged heated words on the topic of piracy, as I vehemently defended free downloads of Bollywood music on grounds of plagiarism amongst its musicians, while Sriram spat fire ( at one point I figured he would ask me to exit his car ) . That verbal exchange of views slipped to oblivion as one another of many of the heated exchanges on topics dear to our respective hearts.

However, after about 6 months , I would give this topic another consideration in a workshop that I was participating where integrity would be dissected at a microscopic level . Later that week , while house-keeping my integrity ( defined here as BEING TRUE TO ONES VALUES ) , I had to resolve this question for myself " If the creator of the content had not meant it to be free, would it then amount to stealing , if I used it free by downloading online from an unauthorized website ? " . Expectedly the answer that came back to me was , a resounding YES!. That weekend , I decided not to knowingly use or buy pirated content ( book, music , movies ). I committed myself to use content that I would pay for and that which was legal.

2007-09-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

the 10 mile barrier

Last week I finally broke the 10 mile running barrier . Often stopping at either 8 or 9 mile, it was fun to do that one extra mile to create a personal distance milestone.

The following Sunday , I ran the 8k Greenway race . I am new to races ( this is my second, the first was a 5k), and admittedly, its a fantastic experience. First the run, its fun to nudge past someone and experience a competitive thrill . Secondly, its an humbling experience to see some real fast runners , and many older runners who are fit ( there were many who were in the 55-65 range and who timed well) and the whole spirit of the occasion ( in this case raising funds to build a 15 mile running /biking trail from suburbs to Memphis down town along the Wolf river), and last but not the least, some great hamburgers freshly grilled after the race . I ended somewhere in the middle ( consider myself a average speed), but gave me some idea on speed milestones. Look forward to run a few more this fall.

2007-09-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Work-life balance

At a recent team meeting to discuss challenges people face, the most persistent theme seemed to be inability to balance work and family time, and its impact on individuals. In an article that I read a few years back in Fast Company magazine, the author had to say “The truth is, balance is bunk. It is an unattainable pipe dream, a vain artifice that offers mostly rhetorical solutions to problems of logistics and economics”. Having given some thought to that statement, it didn’t seem to make sense. Were we waging a losing battle? Were we inevitably on the brink of over-work with no possible opportunity to experience contentment? As I continued to read the article, it finally started coming together when I noticed John Wood, a senior Microsoft executive who built the Asian business had to say. He said” I don't look at balance as an ideal. What I look at is, Am I happy? If the answer is yes, then everything else is inconsequential”.

The futility of viewing work and life as two separate towers now evidently stood exposed. How could the same person living two separate lives expect to be happy and content? However, John was right, when you are happy with what you are doing, everything else would be inconsequential. A happy person can be a good contributor at family, at the minimum by the sheer radiation of his happy positive energy. In this paradigm, the need for balance becomes defunct.

2007-08-27T06:30:00.001-07:00

Field Hockey: An elitist sport?

My blogs are not about movies, but I am inexorably pulled to write about a few movies that move and inspire me. Last year it was Rang De, this year it would be Chak De India. From the moment the movie begins, I am impressed by the line up of talented women who make up the Indian women hockey team in the movie. Shah Rukh is great, probably one of his best ever performances. The background score is peppy, perfect for the high energy theme. The theme is uplifting and inspiring , with some really neat moments.

But what I LOVED about the movie was it got me thinking about Field Hockey, a sport that I played in school and which I love very much. The sport begs attention in our country, considering it is India's National Sport. It is high speed, entertaining and athletic . But what I found out in a party last weekend was an eye-opener. I casually asked a friend if he played hockey in school or college. What he told me got me thinking. He said" Hockey was meant for kids in boarding school and other rich schools. We only played cricket in my village, all it required was a make-do bat ( probably carved out for a house furniture left over) , a strip of empty space and a anything spherical that passed on as a ball. Hmmm, that probably made sense. Hockey needed a hockey stick per player, a reasonably sized playground, a hard ball and Goal Keeper pads -gloves at the minimum ( It also needed 10 players at a minimum). It began to dawn on me that Hockey was an elitist sport and a tougher one, contrary to what I thought of Cricket. Cricket is popular because anyone can play it any where, its a common man's game, who aspires to beat the elite ( the movie Lagaan depicted that very well) .

That being said, Field Hockey is one sport in which India can aspire to win the Olympic gold medal. Besides with the improving educational opportunities and affordability, kids across the country can hopefully get an opportunity to get exposed to field hockey . Hopefully the success of Chak De India will revive interest in this wonderful sport, and have us move beyond our monotheism in sports.

2007-08-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Moment of Truth

I restlessly browse my jacket pocket to feel my e-ticket at 5.30 pm on my way to the airport at Chicago. My Memphis flight is scheduled for 9.30 pm, I squirm at the idea of having to spend the next 4 hours at the airport on a Friday evening. At the terminal, luck favors as I discover that the 4.45 pm Memphs flight is now delayed till 6.30, so I have a chance to go stand-by and reach home early. Excited at the possibility, I get my boarding pass and scurry to the gate. The security gate is expectedley busy, but I scamper and hurry , briskly walk to the gate so I can get on the stand-by seat. At 6.20 I am the last passenger to be escorted to this flight. As I walk the aisle, people give me a quizzical look ( where the F*&^ have you been kind of look), I reciprocate with an equally quizzical smile ( whatcanIdo-I-was-let-in-only-now kind of smile). But I get home 3 hours ahead, and its gets to be a blissful weekend.

On Sunday evening , after a chilled out weekend, I begin on some unfinished reports. On opening my laptop bag, I see nothing inside. A massive hunt follows in the house, but the laptop is not found. I spend the next hour deciding what I did that may have either gotten the laptop stolen or have left it at the security checkpoint. I settle on the latter.

Next morning first thing, I call the TSA help line and I am directed to their lost & found division. A friendly lady picks up the phone and asks me to describe the laptop , as my heart beats feverishly with anxiety ( to my credit, I keep the serial number handy). She patiently works with me to verify the information and confirms the laptop is with her ( Yippeee !I say to myself with a sigh of relief). I offer her my appreciation and follow-through with process of shipping the laptop to my Memphis address. It gets delivered overnight via DHL on Tuesday afternoon ( DHL partners with TSA to help absent minded people like me in distress ).

I am pleasantly surprised by the level of customer support and efficiency at TSA, and definitely goes down in my list of the most unlikely places I experienced surprising high level of customer support ( or Moment of truth in the customer world as many in the support Industry would term !)

2007-08-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

Sweet Sixty

Spinning the steering wheel on my Acura 3.2 TL on a upscale downtown Memphis area, I hear Ali ( name changed) talking about his country , Bangladesh and what plagues it. Amongst other things I hear instability of civil governments, corruption and lack of serious investments. The country currently is being governed by a Military Council to "fix" civil governance.

I could'nt resist my thoughts wandering off to what life had been for my grand father and people during his times , way before Indian Independence. My grand father , did farming to make a living. He owned paddy fields and grew rice in god own country, Kerala. It didn't sustain, it was a constant struggle to make ends meet with what the fields produced. He cashed out ,and decidedly put his life behind educating his children, because public sector companies were hiring technical staff. My father , his older brother, my maternal uncle and many others who were academically profecient , chose to do diploma in engineering. My father joined BHEL , a public sector heavy engineering behemoth established by the govt of India lead by Jawaharlal Nehru. He spent over 30 years in BHEL.

I am suddenly woken from my day-dreaming as the car ahead brakes to stop at a light. I begin to swell with emotion, with the thought of the enormous stand my grand father had provided for his next generation( he died without his own house or property). My father job at BHEL ensured he could take it to the next level, and I got the training and education that was globally competitive.

But the point of my story more importantly is, my grand father ( and others of his generation) could dare to dream of a better future because Indian leaders figured that a BHEL( or HAL ,BEL , HMT ) is what it would take to build an Industrial country and provide employment to the able millions. Something Ali's grandfather couldn't have done even if they wanted to. They created the bed rock on which I ( and people like me) could thrive.

I experienced an overwhelming humility, after realizing , that which I take for granted today was a product of someone 's stand in the past . As India turns sweet Sixty this Aug 15th, I say Vande Mataram!

2007-08-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Chicago

Late July, Srinath and Aarthi invited two other families ( Including us) to jam at their lovely Suburban home at Aurora , IL. This trip was in making for over 2 years, so we made it happen with great intentionality.

On day two of our trip, as we strut the streets of Chicago, I awed uncontrollably at the work of art in the Navy Pier Park park as much as the sky scrapers donning the skyline. But most importantly, I ponder over what it would have taken for the leaders of the city to think beyond themselves , and envision the city's future.It takes something to build something this grand, that many of us mortals take for granted. It takes battle of resistance and prejudice to escape the orbit, as I am painfully present to some of the stuff going on in Memphis. Memphis is in its place in History, where Chicago may have been in mid- 80s, and whether Memphis would emulate the vision of this great city or not, time will tell .

Pictures below taken on my Blackberry Pearl !

Pic above: Navy Pier, Globe Park( Navy pier), Chicago Skyline, Swami Vivekananda way (downtown Chicago)

Pic above: Millennium Park Stadium, Millennium park water play area, Aarti-Roopa-Aruna
and kids at the Metra station, Annika riding the Carousel

Pic above: Our gracious hosts ,Aarti-Srinath-Varsha in front of
the Maze; the others are people who made the trip

2007-07-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

Moments of excellence

I have this client project that is in doldrums, the client is up in arms about the quality and we are losing money. An MBA educated Project Manager has advised me that the client Tech Lead ( lets call him John) is stalling this project because he is against outsourcing . The client senior management is yelling that we have to comply with contractual agreement and the code we have delivered so far is all buggy.

So we decide to send an engineer to client site to rescue the project.I meet this engineer in India for the first time. My first impressions are of him as a rustic, obsequious South Indian guy, and having never worked in the US. Additionally, he is scheduled to get married in 2 weeks time. His family customs restrict him from traveling anywhere outside his immediate town ( an old Indian traditional custom that is meant to protect the bride and bridegroom from potential risks that can prevent the wedding). His family ( a very traditional Indian family) is totally aghast on his decision. But the engineer presses on to travel in the interest of the project.

Fast forward....the engineer arrives at Atlanta. Takes 2 days to settle down with the food and environment . And in one week , does enough for the client to call me with a smile on his voice ( a client who has been avoiding my calls). This engineer achieves that nobody in the project till date had accomplished ( put a smile on the client ) . One of the most inspiring performances in the recent past in my professional environment. I am awed and humbled, firstly, for being totally ending on the wrong side of the judgment about this engineer, secondly for his extraordinariness for stepping outside his traditions and customs to service of a tough client situation, and thirdly for striking a rapport with a client that till date eluded any understanding.

The project is on its way to be completed, better late than never. This is truly a wonderful moment!

Point of the article a) appearances are deceptive ( an old adage) and b) people greatness delivers project excellence ( has nothing much to do with tools and methodologies and all other Project Management BS) and c) transformation requires stepping out from the past.

2007-07-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

Regional Indian Cinema

I would scurry for the closest theater to watch a Rajanikant movie back when I was a 10 year old. Rajani held my imagination as a charismatic and rebellious persona, who presumably echoed how I felt those days . The interest waned by the time I was in my early teens, the rustic street culture got replaced by Rock bands , Hollywood Flicks and American books.Tamil Cinema lost my interest, they were too local, too uncool ( except for a few from Maniratnam and occasional ones from Rajeev Menon). Later on in the 90s, Malayalam movies fed my imagination in the form of Mohanlal in movies like Kireedam, and then I was hooked to some superb entertainment cinema. That ended by late 90s with Malayalam films stooping to the "too local, too uncool" route. I never gave Kannada movies a chance ( or maybe it is the other way around).
Malayalam has been returning to its roots of thought provoking themes in the last couple of years (phew!) , I have loved Thanmatra , Achuvinte Amma , Classmates etc.

But in the last month ,I have been rediscovering some other regional Indian cinema to good effect. The first one was "Vetaiyaadu Veliyaadu", Gowtham Menon's project with Kamal Hasan, a really sophisticated crime thriller, on-your-face violence meets subtlety . Last couple of weeks I watched Mungara Maleh ( Kannada) , a superbly endearing romantic movie , and then over this weekend it was Mozhi ( Tamil), a truly watchable feel-good movie ( and no I have not watched Sivaji-the boss yet!). Bring them on, people like me can do with lots of variety.

2007-07-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

Math and Athletics

Being poor in math can actually enhance athletic performance( nope-this is not some new cool theory in the Medical Journal) . Thats what I discovered in my running. Here is what happened.

I have been wanting to cross the 10k ( 10 km) threshold for a while in running and my internal computing systems (read my brains) for reason best know to my math prowess, kept giving 8.2 miles as the result. So I have been working on my endurance and progressing into 6 miles, 7 miles over the last month and finally on Sunday , I cross the 8.2 mile threshold ( ooh what a feeling) . Back home, I did the math , turns out 8.2 miles translates to 13.12 Km! ( I know some of you are saying ofcourseitisya youdidntknowthatmuchalso? ) and , I have been chugging at 10k ( 6.25 miles) for over a couple of months now, and never realized it was 10k . Moral of the story, if you are good at Math, chances are you may be struggling in Athletics ( Pun unintended ).

2007-06-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Future of Education

The source of creativity and innovation they say is operating from the unknown, and so is the source of happiness and satisfaction, as depicted in the blue of the pie chart above. Most of our formal education however operates in the purple and red box . Little surprise that in spite of huge advancement in science, humanity struggles to experience happiness and fulfillment . The future of education must fill this void. There are many initiatives out there, my direct experience with this kind of education started from my participation with the Landmark Forum , which I reviewed after 13 years in St Louis last weekend.

Like most of educated humanity, I was equipped to survive and succeed in the "big bad world". Everything that I did was to "get to some place", and that is was I was taught . From 1st grade to 2nd grade , then middle school and high school, engineering and work! At each stage there was another place to get to . Happiness meant surviving and succeeding to "make it" to the next place.

Landmark Forum gave me an opportunity to pause and re-examine my life's context, and what it means to be human. It let me throw torch light into who I am, and see the decisions that I had made that gave me my future, in effect, giving me no real future. It was a future with past sitting in there ( therefore operating life from I know or I know I don't know). I had an opportunity to explore some basic questions like " Who am I authentically being in my relationships, work , goals and dreams" . Being present to what authentically is present, is allowing me to be consistent with who I said I will be . A new journey just began!

Future ahoy!

2007-06-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

Rendezvous at Sagamore

Scene 1: Stranded at the tarmac

I huff my way into this small Embarer jet,find my seat, shove my bag into the overhead bin, park myself into the seat and immerse into Rushdie's narration. The aircraft taxis to the tarmac, and pilot announces he is awaiting control tower approval that is expected to take 30 minutes. 30 minutes passes, it is announced that a 45 minutes more is required, then the 45 more and finally after 5 hours at the tarmac the aircraft returns to the gate. Reason for the inability to fly:bad weather in NY, and flights are backed up for landing, so we don't get to take-off. Thanks to my book and the blackberry I get this through this without much of an ado. I finally land at NY 8 hours later than originally scheduled.

Scene 2: Coming to the Sagamore

Next morning, we group into a bus , for a 5 hours ride to Lake George in upstate New York , headed for our sales conference at the old historic Sagamore hotel . The hotel is located amidst a serene Lake George and Adirondack Mountains. Other than the usual stuff of number crunching for the year , we had lots of after hours fun. Amongst them was a boat cruise and dinner into the sunset, which was an amazing experience. On day -2 after hours was a campfire with an old lady telling us ghost stories in the resort ( most guys and gals were intoxicated with the drinking spirit anyways) . For team building ( a regular theme in most sales conference), we had an unique theme of cooking together with the main chef and his team for our own dinner. This was my first time at a professional kitchen of a an upscale resort ( only seen them on food TV), and oh yeah !, it was an amazing experience. Overall , a lovely three days of fun and learning.

2007-06-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

100-mile of running this year

Starting Jan 2007, I have been logging my running miles in a simple spreadsheet. Today the mileage touched 101.43 miles at an aggregate time of 1143 minutes, which turns out to be an average speed of 5.32 mph. I have experienced better speeds and longer hauls in the last 3 months , which hopefully will lead to a better aggregate distance in the second half of the year.

2007-06-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

Cyber Coolies and 21st century colonization

An article in a a recent business week proclaims that Eastern Europe is a better VC bet than India and China, because if the enormous R&D potential( Businessweek:Where the VCs are flocking now) . It goes on to state that India is an outsourcing hub but has not managed to develop products. How true, I mused to myself. In my last visit to India, I met the head of a leading VC firm ( in a social setting), who now invests in real-estate because most of his tech investments went south ( he said unless the business plan is lead by a person like Srini Rajan of Ittiam, they don't invest. What happens to aspiring entrepreneurs with great ideas, I thought to myself! ). The last company I worked had a plan to develop a product that competes with i2, but the code never got off the lab ( and I quit in frustration)

Are we destined to remain Cyber Coolies ?( as someone termed the IT workers from India ). With the recent spate of expansion MNC footprint in India and many M&A activity, it seems to me sometime that this golden age of Indian success is being lost to MNC ( modern day East India company) . The officers in the MNC (myself included) are reminiscent of erstwhile English Bureaucrats ( seemingly well paid, savvy lifestyle, but a mere undertaker of the master's strategy ) . All this while I clearly sense that the MNC likes India for its price, and have limited appreciation of its Intellectual competencies .It is with these conflicting thoughts that I embrace my pursuits in the market against the likes of Infosys , Wipro and TCS , hoping that we can win and not have the beacons of Indian supremacy lose .

2007-06-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

Peek at pro -Golf

Drifted into PGA event today at Memphis , the Stanford St.Jude cup , a PGA event that my company is sponsoring . Amongst 104 pros participating , one is Vijay Singh ( one name I recognize other than Tiger Woods) competing for the trophy . The photos I clicked are from my new Blackberry Pearl ( a phone I love! ).

2007-06-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

Amidst Appalachians

Headed out to Charlotte on Friday prior to the Memorial week day weekend. After scampering to finish off most of my work, headed out for a 650 mile drive at 1 pm in the afternoon. Got into Charlotte by midnight. It was a fun weekend. Other than watching Cheeni Kum ( a movie that I simply loved, a topic for another blog), trekking at the above foothills of the Appalachians and having Venky ( my bro-in-law) cough for money for a new 42" LCD TV ( I manage create a space to have people spend) , the sweet moments were spent bonding with my nephew Pranay (6). My Maama ( Maternal Uncle ) always said that Maama -Nephew relationship can be deeper than a parent-child relationship ( as viewed in the Indian system of family networks) , he claimed to have a special relationship with his Maama ( and me on the other side of the spectrum!). So it seemed like a continuation of a tradition, and it felt like a journey I was beginning to enjoy.

2007-05-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

Back to Linearity

As my car scurried towards the trailer truck taking a turn, I instinctively swerved without stopping for him to finish the turn. I hurriedly glanced on my rear view mirror to check if a cop had seen me do that( the act of supreme road survival that I have perfected in many years of driving in India, which was alive again after 30 days of driving in Bengaluru) . Luckily no one noticed .

I am back to the grind ( already on a plane to Houston for a meeting). More noticeably , am back to the linear lifestyle of America, the predictability of almost everything ( which I missed occasionally, not very often ).

2007-05-04T03:27:00.000-07:00

Random Musings

The last time I was here( Bengaluru), the place intrigued me with its passion ,energy and enormous optimism. This time I just realised, if you didn't posses any of the above , you are probably going to be trampled . The pace of life is break neck ( mornings have been nice and lazy), and the neck breaks because of the intense breaking one experiences at peak hour traffic. Once inside the office, it feels like the western world ( I have been avoiding drives greater than 10 km). As I sit on my office desk, overlooking the coconut palms lazily heaving in a mild breeze, I cant stop thinking of the enormous simplicity I saw when I drove from Bangalore to Belur ( sometimes this simplicity is symptom of poverty and many times its just a way of life). My Bro-in-law says the farmers that own land outside Bangalore are sitting on Crores of rupees in land assets, but usually have one meal to eat( the land is arid and uncultivable ). But its hard to ignore the paradox of this place, and often I have wondered in the last ten days , where the F...do I fit in( Maybe I am the anti-matter of the farmer, I have lots of food to eat and almost nothing in asset value, gtg, to window shop some potential assets !)

2007-04-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Running for a Cause

Ticked off another line item on this years to-do list, or rather kicked off a new personal goal. Ran a 5k for Ananya's school fund raiser and completed in about 26 minutes. Ended up at about 10th overall ,but consoled myself for being awarded second (and a medal!) in the 36-39 age group( I cant remember the last time I won a medal) . The participants had varied levels of experience and fitness levels, the winners were obviously pretty experienced marathoners, you could tell with their pacing and technique, but there was a lot to learn and more than anything else, it was fun!! This was my first shot into competitive running , and I enjoyed it. It was a lesser distance than my usual 5 miles jog, but it was exhilarating and speedier than my usual.The kids cheered and as you can see also painted their face.

Intend to run a few more this year, eventually graduate to a 13 miler half marathon( hopefully before the end of the year!). Watch this space!

2007-03-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Random Musings:Over emailed

In a seminar that once I attended , there was a topic on how fixing a problem creates a new problem. The leader talked about the problem of horse dung soon filling up New York streets was solved by the invention of automobile, and that lead to the problem of pollution, which we are yet to figure a way out. Then to problem of communication was solved by the invention of a telephone , which lead to so much over-communication that eventually the answering machines were talking to each other. Then they invented emails, to communicate eloquently with the written word so we all can be happy expressing to each other. All was well until there was over emailing. Now every time I send an business email , I have to call on the receiver's cell phone to ensure they have read my email. The paradigm of problem-solution chakravyuha( eternal cycle) continues. Have been busy the last few days like many other days, and most of the time I am composing emails that can elicit the intended response ( many times one emails creates many email responses which are mostly questions about the original emails). So I just call the person on the cell phone to ensure they understood what I needed .( the land line mostly gives me a voice mail message , that usually leads to another voice mail) . Awaiting an invention that can solve this ( email with voice tags?). Anyways, If you figured how to get a job done through this new maze of cyber communication , you usually are pretty well paid in the supposed knowledge economy.

2007-03-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

Bengaluru Rendezvous

“The traffic has gone Crazy “I said. “It’s no surprise that people in Bangalore are spiritual. One is simply forced to surrender to a higher power, because no one seems to be in control “he said. Boj then invited me to visit his new home that is being built off the new International Airport corridor. A dream house by any standard, with close to half a million dollars in cost. The marble and granite from Italy, high quality teak from the forests of Kerala and state-of-the-art Kitchen that competes with the best in world . Boj’s represents the new upper middle class in Bangalore. He looks forward to taking it easy after his new home is complete; maybe even take a lower pressure job.

Satya was my shaaffer (chauffeur) for my Innova , a new premium minivan from Toyota , during the stay in India. He wore a white uniform, carried a cell phone with a fancy ring tone and worked for a travel company that was owned by ITC. He was a professional .For our shopping on Saturday, I asked him if he would be happy to drive around, to which he remarked” Namge weekendile double siggathe sir. Naan barthuni, makkal iddare”( We get paid double on weekends, I am happy to come, I have two growing kids).

Boj and Satya represent the new Bangalore, and presumably the new India I experienced last two weeks. One edging the other to a greater future .One having arrived at destination, providing the dare to dream for another. Traffic jams aren’t going to stop either Boj or Satya to live up to their dreams. The energy was real. It was in the roads bustling with new cars, the new airlines oozing luxury, the coffee shops that were teeming with teenagers and yuppies , and the malls that were being splurged of the money from the new middle class. I returned rejuvenated, thankful of being part of this revolution, and almost not wanting to stop being amidst the thick of it.

2007-02-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

India the Superpower? Think again

A few weeks back, my good friend Sriram posted his recent experience of India and his mixed feelings of the condition of the place ( Dichotomy that is India). Most of his musings reflect the dilemma many of us experience while we think of our good old home.

Press in the west is equally euphoric about India, and which is a welcome change, far cry from the days of past when the world viewed India as an estoeric land of snake charmers. However, Ajay forwarded this article that made interesting reading. It also put into perspective the huge gap that exists between a fully developed India and the present India. Read on (India the Superpower? Think again )

2007-02-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

Earned the Snow Yearn

As we peeked outside the window today , we were greeted by a pristine white panorama. I thought to myself " The Snow gods had answered the weather man !!". The yearn had been earned. Kids shrieked with exultation. Ananya said " My snow!!!". Perhaps that well may have been in most of our minds in Memphis today.

2007-01-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

The Southern snow yearn

Memphis weather man predicts snow the coming Sunday. It almost seems like wishful prediction, like as if ,we at Memphis yearn for snow and therefore having the weatherman simply predicting it may increase the chances. I mentioned this to a friend of mine and he sent me this photo that says a lot of our attitude to snow in the southern states of US. He added that, every time there is a snow prediction in the South, most grocery stores get swamped with people trying to store up bread and other essentials.

2007-01-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

Another CEO bites the dust

"Bob Nardelli resigned abruptly Jan. 3 as chairman and chief executive of The Home Depot Inc. (HD) after a six-year tenure that saw the world's largest home improvement store chain post big profits but left investors disheartened by poor stock performance"-Business Week

This struck me as very odd, when I first read it in business week. About a year ago, Bob Nardelli was on the cover page of the Business week for all the right reasons. He was being touted as the reformer, a Jack Welch protege that is transforming a fuddy-duddy culture at Home-depot to a data driven six sigma culture . Now, and year later, its all gone!

It just interested me because Bob Nardelli came from the Jack Welch coterie that transformed GE, and its just fascinating to see how one approach that worked one place didn't get the results elsewhere.

Bob Nardelli is lucky because he still walks away reportedly with $ 210 mill after severance , that's obscene, but hey, did we complain when Tom Cruise failed at the box office.

2007-01-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

The beauty of skiing

Pic: (Rto L) Adwai,Arun and yours truly getting ready to launch

Great sport most often has to do with giving up control , and letting bodies natural rhythm flow into an activity. That's my experience with the two key athletic activity that I have trained in the last few years, swimming and running. They became enjoyable when I found a rhythm. The more you control, the more it controls you. Let go, and suddenly there is balance. Its paradoxical that, when you let go of control, then suddenly your body actually gains control.

Standing atop the Keystone Mountain in Colorado with ski slopes staring ahead of me, I had to deal with the same paradox, of giving up control to gain control. First two runs were frightening, added to that was a heads-on collision with a snow-boarder. My body fortunately withstood the onslaught. I was shaken and stirred, but my ski coach and good friend ,Sriram ,didn't buy into that, he nudged me along like a eagle nudging its eaglet. It paid off, the next few runs were without incident.

Mind didn't want to give up. I had to conquer this wonderful sport, it was a dream and I wasn't going to let go. After about four runs, it all came together, like magic. Instead of wedging to stop , I was suddenly turning to control speed. It felt spiritual. Pure presence. Body in rhythm with the mountains. Ah! Added this to my repertoire of things I love to do. Look forward to push the envelope in coming ski runs.

Pic: (LtoR) Sriram ( Our Ski guru for the rendezvous) and Arun, en route to Keystone

2007-01-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

Colorado Blizzard

One man's blizzard is another man's refrigerator. We optimize energy utilization at Sriram's house as nature dumped tons of snow into Denver in the Christmas week .
.

2006-12-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

Aged by a Year

Added a year to my age on Dec 18th. As always, Roops ensured that the day felt special. Parents called and I felt at source, happy to be reminded of my genesis . Ananya has grown big enough to write some touching endearments on a greeting card.Annika was excited it was someone's birthday. Vidya called and left a birthday wish song on the voice mail. I felt blessed .

Had an unusually hectic day at work . Nevertheless, got to reflect the past and peek in the future. And I truly stand humbled in the present. There have been disappointments this past year, and of course miracles. But overall its been a fun year, a roller coaster, but surely fun. With a lovely family beside me , all roller coasters become fun.

As another year adds up , feel happier and more alive today than 10 years back in my late 20s. I am fitter, happier and feel more alive . Intend to stick to that plan as years add up in the future.

2006-12-08T07:51:00.000-08:00

Random Musings

There are times when I just drift into a abyss of mundaneness, last few days have been such. But these days are fertile times for preparation for something exciting , and so it happened.

Well for one we finalized the Christmas holiday plans of going to Denver and meeting our dear old friends. First it was a plan to strut the earth on an all- wheel drive SUV, across a 1000 mile terrain that covers the mid-west states notorious for snow storms. We edged on despite the risks and stuck to our plan, adventure beckoned. But the tragedy of James Kim of CNET and his family coupled with Sriram's lucid description of snowstorm changed our minds. I shuddered at the plausibility of being stranded in a deep mid-west rural America with two kids, no fuel and frigid temperatures because of a bad storm. Hotwire coughed up a round trip air ticket fare that was sweet, we bit it and now we are flying. Looking forward to some skiing, late night debates and plain camaraderie!

Denver Ahoy!

2006-11-29T16:34:00.000-08:00

Kalarickal Madom

Not my tharavaadu , but kind of. Our tharavadu veedu was given to my grandfather's brother, so he lived in rental homes most of his life. This house, which he lived for a while is , Kalarickal Madom in Vechoor, giving it the unofficial title of my tharavaadu . I have spent many years of my childhood vacations here. Playing in the parambu with kochenga and devouring sumptous mambazham.

2006-11-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

Aroma of Kannada in Memphis

Kannadave Satya, a song amidst the celebration proclaimed, as my thoughts wandered into our days at Vijayanagar, when Kannada Rajyotsava would bring the Shamiana and blaring loud speakers out into the main road. It would be Kannada jingoism meets local rowdys that usually would run this show. One rarely noticed educated middle class Kannadigas participate in these celebrations.

At Memphis it all got simulated within the confines of a sound proof auditorium, and unlike the Jingoistic street smarts, it was organised by the affluent culture conscious Kannadiga population of Memphis. But then, it was enough to take me back to the wondeful memories of namma Bengaluroo. Did miss the bombastic rendetions of Annavuru, for some reason that was visibly absent.

The kids did a wonderful job for the deepa dance, ably choreographed by our friendly neighbour Mrs. Vani Rao. Ananya can be see in the above photos. All in all, it was sakkat!

2006-11-17T13:10:00.000-08:00

Thanmatra

Saw Thanmatra yesterday, a critically acclaimed mallu movie that has Laletan in lead role. Bottom line first, great cinema that kept us completely hooked for 2 + hours. In my opinion, its great Cinema when the experience penetrates the soul, and provides intellectual depth no matter what the style of narration is ;dramatic, comical , musical or action oriented. My favorite movies have crossed the chasm from mere entertainment value to provider of transformational experience.

In Thanmatra for one, I was moved by the protagonists ideal of fatherhood and his effort to be good parent. Its mature and simple, no fuss , no histrionics, and I learnt in that process. And then, I choked at the protagonists ideal of being a good son, again without fuss and grounded on the soil. But last , but not the least, the tale of protagonist and his family's battle with his Alziemer's disease was poignant. It was emotional and yet mature, nothing loud, just enough to leave you choking.

Today morning on my drive to work, NPR aired an interview by a daughter , of her 81 year father who suffers from Alziemer's disease. On hearing him , it sounded like he was in peace, because of the memory loss, much like Mohanlal's portrayal of Ramesh Nair in Thanmatra.
This movie will linger in my conscience for a long time to come.

2006-11-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

Tom's tryst with Mumbai streets

My boss , an American who I will refer to as Tom , was in India last week. He was returning to US via Mumbai from Bangalore. A colleague of mine who I will I refer to Ram, suggests that the fastest way to get from the domestic terminal to International is to get out and take a Taxi. Tom is exultant, he can avoid the line and the wait. Once off the plane, he dashes to catch a Taxi , finds one, and off he is to the International Terminal. The humid Mumbai air caresses his face from the open Taxi window , as he mutters thoughts of gratuity for Ram . Tom now looking out notices that Taxi has begun to take a detour from the main road, " Must be a short-cut ", he mutters to himself consolingly .

As he completes his muttering, the Taxi is halted in a narrow Mumbai street and another guy jumps in. It happens too fast, and now Tom has to deal with two guys demanding all the money he has amidst a non-descript Mumbai street , or he doesn't get to go home. A petrified Tom eager to get back home, pulls out and hands over the money. They let him go, drop him off at the Main Road and scoot .

Tom reaches the terminal just in time . He is glad not to have missed the flight, "It could have been worse, they just wanted my money" he reflects comfortingly . The check-in process begins and Tom's mind wanders into thoughts of reaching home.

Note:The above events have been reconstructed from a actual incident last week.

2006-11-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

Random Musings

The fall is peaking in Collierville and the hues of red and yellow fill the environ. I cant but feel good that this place is showing possibility of four seasons.

Last week was also Ananya's first school project for the year. She had to create a habitat for an animal of choice. Predictably, her choice was a bunny. As luck will have it, Bunny were unavailable, so we chose the Lion. Daddy provided much of the perspiration. Daughter provided much of the concept and design, and some brush strokes of painting. Mommy provided most of the editorial inputs ,food and all the inspiration. Presumably, parenting just recieved new level of work load, as we can see more coming.

2006-11-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

Golfing ....Not yet

Yesterday Suku asks me if I play golf. I said " Not yet", like he would disown me if I said "No" or said " How the heck do you play a sport that seems even slower than Cricket !" .

Yet to be enticed. The swing and the stroll on lazy meadows yet to seduce me. A few shots at the driving range is all that I have managed to motivate myself to do. But so many people play it , especially if you are making lots of money and wear a tie to work. Maybe I will bite the bullet someday, maybe when I make pots of money and wear a tie to work. Atleast to keep up with the Joneses .

Turns out that I need intense physical activity to relax. Its the endorphins I think. A run, a swim or a game of racquetball is what evokes a sense of break . But for now when my brains feel like they are whirring with thoughts about how to get rich and stay happy etc, I need the adernaline rush and the runners high to slow it down . Sorry Suku, I will need some growing up or slowing down!

2006-10-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

Thing of beauty is a Joy forever....

Here are a few photos of the Calgary Rendezvous.

Above: The Calgary skyline, one of most frequesntly shot skylines in Hollywood .Next time you notice it in a movie or sitcom, remember you noticed it here first....

Above: The Rocky Mountain Highs, and NO I didnt steal this from the internet downloads.

Above: Been there , done that...

Above: Ice Ice Baby

2006-10-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Random Musings

Still in Calgary. Amidst mountains of data and price modeling. Other than sales, seems like I can do a fair bit of solution modeling ( psst..consoling myself for all the weeks work). Its a large outsourcing proposal, a big one by most standards. Modelling a price to transfer a client's existing IT environment is like five blind men trying to figure out a white elephant to buy. But the blind men ( in our case most are women) ,are super smart experienced people, blindness comes from not knowing enough of an existing legacy environment. I will spare you of this outsourcing mumbo jumbo.

Sneaked couple of hours to see the magnificent Canadian Rockies yesterday, about an hours drive from Calgary. Its beauty beyond words. My mallu colleague from India who was with me to see the Rockies, blurts" I am beginning to now understand what Keats and Shelly wrote in their poems that I studied in school"! Now that is mallu's imagination at work!

To me , I was reminded of my favorite childhood mallu song " Nilagiriude sakhilgale,Jwalamukhigale......"

Check out this space for some photos !

2006-10-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

In Calgary

In Calgary crunching and munching ideas with the EDS folks in close room solutioning and whiteboarding session. The snow and freezing tempereature doesnt seem to dampen the enthusiasm. Its way into late evening and everyone is still tapping away on their laptops. It feels like a long time , once upon a time actually. The last time in my distant memory seems a public sector bid at Tata Elxsi where we had to integrate so many components to come together for a proposal. Deja vu!