The tough get going !!!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going
This is exactly what I felt during the 10k today in the morning. The event was supposed to start at 7:30 AM but I was at my home then, getting ready to leave :( When I reached the venue after a nightmarish parking saga, it was 8:10 already. I quickly strode through the place, reached the start point, stretched a little and then, started off the run. As I already told you, I’ve got this knee pain and so, I had this psychological feeling all the while behind my mind about my fitness. I thought I would need to break at least twice during the run so that I would at least finish it.
Well, I ran for a kilometer and lo, I started feeling the pain at my calf muscles. Though I was tempted to stop for a while seeing all the people around me, I some how managed to convince myself to stay running at least for 2 more kilometers. Another 100 meters and I was almost about to halt when I saw Raghu. Thank God…I felt really relieved. I ran towards him and greeted him. Even he was surprised. Though we planned to run the race together, we could not somehow meet each other at the start point. Thanks to Raghu, I continued the race for 3 more kilometers, taking the total covered distance to 4 kilometers. Now, this was the time I thought I needed to take a break. It was already beyond my expectations that I completed 4kms with out a break. Anyways, I told Raghu to go ahead in case I stopped in the middle to take some rest. Even he accepted. Though I told him this, I still felt a bit bad to halt. Reason, simple. All these guys knew that I’m a long distance runner and now, on the day that I needed to prove my worth, if I stopped, it would change their attitude towards me. So, this fear was some source of energizer for me all the while. We both covered another 500 meters when Raghu asked me if I wanted to take a break. I told that it was ok and I would see if I can still hold on. Now, here, I was seriously tempted. I saw a water booth and so, ran towards that, picked a glass with out stopping and then, drank half of that and splashed the other half on to my face. I just wanted to get going. To my surprise, after another 10 mins, Raghu told me he was going to stop for a break because he could not take it any longer. That was the moment I felt ‘The tough get going’. It actually boosted confidence and strength in me. All the while, I was of the feeling that it was me who was craving for a break and no one else. But, I realized then was wrong. I found it was a universal phenomenon.
With the new zeal, I continued the run. This went on till the 7 kilometer mark. It was three kilometers more and I was already drooping. You won’t believe, it was Anjali now, whom I saw. She was walking. I recognized her from a distance and again, my spirits woke up. Just at the point when I needed some company did god show me her. I ran towards her and greeted her. Seeing me, she was surprised because she thought she would never meet me that day and that I would have gone far beyond her by that time. I told her I was about 45 mins late to the race. She looked at her watch and said ‘wow, which means eight kilometers in 35 (it was 38, actually) mins :) ‘ Aaahh..That was some relief for me. I usually run 8 kilometers in 45 mins at the gym and this was kind of a new record for me…. :) I asked her if she wanted to join me and she readily agreed. We together ran for another 1 kilometer after which, even she gave up. She said she would walk for some time. This was again a cross road for me. To stop or to continue? I re-affirmed myself the quote ‘The tough get going’. So, I bid her bye and moved forward. The two kilometer mark seemed elusive and inexistent. It took a lot of determination for me to finally see that. Seeing that, I was again tempted to stop. This time, it was a guy who did the favor. He was jogging behind me all the while and the moment I slowed, he overtook me and went ahead. I felt bad. I felt I was paving way to others and more than that, he took the advantage of my lack of strength. Come what may, I decided I would cross him. I got prepared for one of the two things. Reach the finish line with out stopping or collapse in the middle. As simple as it is. So, with this new push, I moved on and to my surprise, found the guy walking about 10 feet ahead of me. Again, the tough get going. So, I moved on and there it was the 1 km mark. It was a deciding point for me. I thought I would save my energy by running slowly till the first 500 meters and after that, start sprinting. However, the road being serpentine, I soon was able to see the ‘FINISH’ point. Now, what should I say, I don’t know what happened to me or what was going on in my mind, but with in no time, I found myself sprinting towards the Finish point (like a mad dog, I should say:)) ) with all the force and vigor. There was not even an iota of strength left in me. I also realized I was shouting (like hell, believe me) and panting and even roaring, just to get that extra push. And guess what; there I was, collapsed on the other end of the finish line. Everyone was cheering me and two guys came to lift me up. The first thing I asked them was ‘What was the time?’ They told me it was 8:53 AM. Huh, there it is. My new record… 10 kilometers in 48 mins….
I was relieved. I was not even feeling any pains though I was not able stand. All that was in my mind at that time was ‘I completed the race and that too in a good time’. After about 10 mins, I started feeling the pain, first, at my calf muscles and later at knees and later, at every other part.
The legs are still paining but I guess, I have more beautiful memories to make up for the pain.
Luv

Some unconnected thoughts about time and life...

Hi,

I'm sure most of us have heard the quote 'Time and tide waits for none' . Living is nothing but moving with time. (Un)fortunately, time can neither be reversed nor slowed down (unless you are traveling at speed of light, of course :) ) and hence, our lives too. Moments (good/bad) spent exist no where else other than in our memories.
No doubt past is important. But its only an aid to look at the future, not the the blue print of future. As I see, past cannot(and should not) shadow our future. Future is always untouched, pristine and bright. This is because future is divine. No one knew it nor felt it.

I remember reading once that if we see everyday as a new start to our life, we would feel much better. That way at least, we can leave our past to historians and move ahead. Everyone has his/her own set of ups and downs in the life. Life isn't an express way and if it was so, it would not have been any fun living.Being bold is not about how often we felt low but how well we managed ourselves in such situations. Being bold is all about having belief. Believe in your self, believe in the people close to you and beyond all, believe in god. Its faith that kindles the fire from ashes, good from bad, sweet from sour and bliss from dejection.

Its this faith that keeps us moving. Its faith that keep us alive.

Talking at a much higher and abstract level, we think too much about our lives, our acts and our deeds. If only we knew what little we could do to our lives and to others' , we would stop worrying about it(life).
I remember a verse from Bhagavadgeeta which says 'Your dharma is only to do your carma, not think about the consequences of it. You are neither responsible for results of doing your carma nor should you abstain from doing them' . This very thought would take off our burdens and lightens our mind and soul. So, lets stop worrying much about our future. Its all safe when you do your duties well.

Well, I do understand that its all easy said than done. But, its not that tough either if we remember one thing i.e. 'life is a box of chocolates. You never know what you get' ( taken from forest gump) . So, hope for the best, work hard, be happy and pray to god. This is the paragon of life.

Hope it makes some sense.

Luv
Krishna

PS : All my views expressed above are totally my personal views.

dilbert for the day :)

Dibert for the day :)

Expectations

when was the last time you said to some one " Don't worry. Things will be alright...”
hmm...I said this very recently to one of my friends. Well, while speaking these words, however, I was not sure what I actually had in my mind...
I guess, we say these words more to show our sympathy and concern to the other person rather than to predict some thing for them.
At least, I felt it this way. I knew things would be fine and there is no absolute necessity for me to utter such prophecies.
Well, all these wouldn't bother me much if the other person was expecting exactly the same from me. i.e. some concern. beyond that, I truly feel that every one should handle his/her own problems themselves and there is nothing much others could do.
Also, from my past experiences, I have realized that interfering in to other's personal issues would only invite unwanted coldness and friction between them. Again, I don’t claim I'm true. I can be equally wrong at my interpretations. hmm..It all depends...
coming back to my question, what is that we expect from others when we are feeling low???
Well, as far as I’m concerned, I would expect people to listen to me and my problems, suggest me and instigate a confidence in me. But, what generally happens is that people take me to be a really mature and bold. So, they would end up saying 'Hmm..I don’t think you need all that persuasion and support and I'm sure you know what's good and what's not...so, I guess, you can handle yourself'. Hearing these words, though I feel a little bad, I know there is no point in convincing them other wise, ….rather, I would prefer coaxing my self back to normality as a better option.
But yeah…such words do boost up my morality and confidence levels and at times, make me self adorable.
This is the reason why I generally don’t ask people about their problems unless they confide in me by themselves. I think asking them about their personal life is not proper. If at all they feel they should tell you things, then, they would do so even before you asking them.
One more thought that’s coming to my mind right now is ‘Am I afraid of being disliked or is that I’m trying to play things too safely??
I don’t know but as of now, I would prefer being a dilettante unless I’m invited in.
That’s all for now.
Luv

The Road to Sky

The road to Sky


This will be my autobiography, though not sure when I’m going to write one. :) So, what do you say..isn't the title kewllllllllllll???

Some other possible titles are:
1. Life, In and Out
2. Me and my Alter Ego
3. Plato, Gandhi and Datta

Shall add more to this list as and when I hit upon them.
Luv

god's debris

have found this book on the net...truly interesting..
this would certainly appear in my recommended reads :)
you can find the book here..
Go ahead...happy reading...
Luv

Presentation Skills

today, had a good time at the office..reason : I had a presentation skills training for the entire day :)
actually ,we are supposed to prepare 2 presentations as the part of the pre-training assignment. I didn't have time to prepare two of them, so, had prepared just one presentation and the topic was 'Humor is a serious business'. Well, frankly speaking, I took it off from my soft skills classes that I attended during my college :) but yeah, since I did not have a backup of that presentation, had to prepare it all from scratch. Thankfully, I remembered most of the presentation and so, did not have much difficulty in searching for the relevant material...
The training as such was pretty normal..Apart from re-iterating some points on body language and gestures and non-verbal communication, the facilitator did not add much value to the content. However, the best part of the training was that first, the crowd that attended the training was an interesting lot...they were all full of energy and enthusiasm and second, the facilitator was very much amicable and friendly. So, though the training started off with a serious note ( there were a couple of people who even took down some notes on effective presentation techniques in the first half an hour), as the time went by, it became more and more informal. At one time, we felt that all of us were immediate team members and that we are sitting together discussing some junk to cut the time :)
coming to the structure of the entire training, it started off with a brief DOs about effective presentation techniques followed by individual presentations. I was the first to start. Though it was all good, I failed at managing time. While I was supposed to complete the entire presentation in 5 mins, I took 13 mins :))
Never the less, it was very well taken and I could catch the attention of the audience.
Well, re-conciling some of the aspects that I need to correct, first thing would be 'Preparation' . I'm sure, had a prepared a little bit, I could have given a much better presentation. Lack of proper practice was evident in the presentation, at least for me.
Second thing is the use of unnecessary fillers. 'Like' is one thing that I tend to add before almost every word. The reasons are many. First, I give myself more time to think about what I speak. It also acts as a stress mitigator. But, I have noticed that usage of 'Like'often took off the attention of the listeners from the content of the presentation.
Lastly, its the time management. I did not notice how much time I was taking all the while.
Ofcourse, good voice modulation, spontaneity, knowledge about the subject and pro-activeness in presenting was some of the good qualities that I should be happy about :))
Nyways, all our presentations are recorded and we are going to get the DVD soon. So, looking at them again, hopefully, will give better insights in to our week areas and our strengths.
After the class, I left for gym. Spent about a couple of hours there and headed back to home.
Now, the news. Guess what...I'm purchasing a car :))))
well, though not a new one, but never the less, I'm promoted from a two wheeler rider to a four wheeler owner ;)
Thats all for now. Its kind of getting late here, (12:15 AM, infact)
I'll retire for the day..
Luv

the importance of Curd(Youghurt) :)

Hi,
today, during lunch, we had a very interesting discussion. why do south Indians eat loads of curd?
hmmm...not sure who discovered this or how he/she discovered this but even I never realized that south Indians eat lots of curd.
But yeah...we do....reasons...let me guess..
curd is supposed to be a very rich food for us. Curd, along with milk, are considered to be the very symbols of prosperity. Since owing livestock was very common in those days, people always had milk and curd in their homes.

Apart from this, there are some other reasons as well. Curd is supposed to be one of the 'pancamrtas' (Five forms of ambrosia, namely, sugar, curd, milk, honey and ghee). It is considered as food of gods and so, really sacred. Hence, is its importance.
Also, curd is used in many places for treating ailments. Crud is believed to have lot many medicinal properties and hence, the belief is that the more you eat, the better your health will be.
There are many people even today who feel that their meal would be incomplete with out curd (I'm one amongst them :))
.. for me, curd is a must..)
I remember, when I went to my village last year, we invited a few close friends for a dinner. Since my grand mother did not plan for this dinner, we did not have enough curd in the home. So, we thought we would dilute the curd with some water so that it could be served to everyone. You would not believe me, not even a single person ate that curd. When asked about the reason, they told us ' How do you think we could eat such a curd? Its so dilute. Leave it. We'll have it at our homes' . I was like 'What? you make a scene just for some curd??'. Nyways, later, I realized that its not just the matter of habit but also the matter of social status...
So, thats a shot narration about curd and its importance in south india...
hope you enjoyed this
Luv

back to work :(

After dallying for quite some time, I've decided to get back to work in full form..
there are loads of tasks that I need to complete and some more which I have committed to do.
Apart from that, nothing new. Have been recovering from the injuries. Its really pissing me off 'coz its been a week since I went to the gym. I have got this psychological feeling that my figure has started bloating :(
guess, I would start going to gym from today.
And yeah..my search for car has become an unending saga. Have to go this weekend and finalize one..have been delaying this for quite some time.
What else? hmmm..thats a hopeless blog entry that I made but phew...this is all that I have for now..
shall see u some other time
Luv

10k run

Hi..

the 10k run is back again..
for ppl who are interested in participating, check it out here.But yeah...this is not updated yet:)))
I'm planning to participate in this run this year..
Well, all I'm interested in is not about winning but more about completing the run..
I know its kind of a small stretch and cannot truly be called a 'Marathon' but never the less, it still serves its purpose well... that is bring awareness in people about the good aspects of
heard this time, there are going to be two tracks and many more...also, the prize money for the winners is also increased..
so, lets se..
btw, if I haven't told the date of this run, its on 22 Nov.
I should be free that day..(hopefully :(()
Luv

Limping Lucky :((

Hi,

Some thing bad happened yesterday. I met with an accident :( The good part is that I was wearing my helmet..otherwise, I would not be tying this today..nyways, getting to the reason for the accident, its something like this.
I started off to the tennis class at about 8:30 AM. The road was quite empty as there were hardly any vehicles. I was riding @ 60kmph. There is a turn that I need to take (ofcourse, there are lot many but this one is quite a steep one). While I was taking it, I found an auto infront of me which was also going the same way. So, I kind of tried to overtake the vehicle from the right and oh...he suddenly turned his vehicle to the right. dhhhhhoooooooddddd...there I was trying to balance my vehicle which was already falling to the right before I could apply the brake.
The first thing to touch the road was my head. Than god, I was wearing my helmet. You would not believe, I was not actually wearing the helmet when I started..I stopped in the middle and wore it :) . Th first thing I did was to take off my helmet, catch hold of the driver by his collar and start abusing him. I even swung my helmet to hit him but he fell on his knees and caught my feet (yeah...right..in the movie style) and started pleading me. I was completely in shock and so was unaware of what I was shouting and what I was doing. I did not get back to senses for about 2-3 minutes. Only after I came back to normal senses did I calm down a little.
Anyways, I'm saved with some minor bruises on both the hands and on the right leg...Though I wont be able to workout,play tennis or ride my bike for another 3-4 days, its still great that I 'm alive, in the first place.
Well, that's all for now. btw, just spoke to Jumbo today...I was a bit scared listening to all those MBA woes. Not sure how I would deal with them once I'm in. Let's see.
Luv

Dad, Mom, Akka and Me

happy diwali !!!!

yet another diwali..this is what I felt for this diwali..expect for bursting a few crackers, I didn't do much so to say. But yeah..mom and dad prepared a variety of dishes yesterday..so, had a good time hogging.. :))
But one thing I noticed yesterday was that the very essence of the festival is being limited to firing crackers and eating food...I'm it was not thing way during my childhood days...there were a lot fo things happening simultaneously.. relatives, new clothes, hours of pooja and many more..
all that was missing...
Mom was the only one who was truly interested in firing crackers...rest of us were like 'hmm...not interested...' types...she forced me fire some and so, had no other option. so, took her downstairs and fired a few cracers...worsst part was that in my entire apartment, i was the only guy who was firing crackers....rest all were busy watching television..i felt stupid...i thought a festival is the time where in you gather in groups and celebrate. But, here I'm, alone, trying to burn 5000 work crackers :(
After bursting a few, I gave off the rest to the street kids eagerly looking at me while I was bursting..
atleast, they would have a nice time with them..
but yeah..this festival has a specialty..its after 4 years that my entire family(akka, amma, dad and me) were there...
hmm..need to get back to work...
Luv