Singapore Marathon 2010

The much awaited half marathon is finally over and with a disappointing result. Finished the race in 2hr 20 min approx. But it was a hard fought finish that I didn't expect to happen in the first place.

Unlike for last year, this year I didn't train much. My weekend long runs are the only ones I did. Those runs gave the enough confidence to face this year’s marathon. But that proved to be little. My target this year was the same as last year; to finish the race below 2hrs. And the weekend long runs consistently proved that 2hrs is within my reach. And except for a few minor injuries I felt relatively fit.

Started the marathon at about 6.30 am and the climate is already too humid. My knee started to show signs of trouble when it started paining after 2km but the pain was not too intimidating. I reached the 11k mark after 1 hr 3 min which is satisfying I thought. So the 2hrs target is still on. After sometime legs didn't hurt but the stomach started growling. I was sapped of my energy and the hunger coupled with the thirst made me feel dizzy. My energy levels almost dropped to near zero.

And then the final blow came @ around the 18k mark. My calf muscle became so stiff that I couldn't even lift my leg and place it down. It was swollen and drove me nuts .Both the calf muscles started to hurt and I applied the pain relief and started my stride again when suddenly the pain became excruciating. I never had this condition before and I didn't know how to get rid of this. So I tried to relax my muscle little by folding my leg. Someone just hit a nail on my head or I felt so. The pain was unbearable and thus effectively ended my 2 hrs target. I started telling myself to just finish the race. I stretched the leg little and began to walk, limping. Tried to cheat my leg by running after sometime but then it didn't fall for it. Pain was consistent. So kept walking the last 3km and to save my dignity started running the last 200 mts thus ending a gruesome fight with my leg.

One thing I didn't like this year is the water station positions. They were well 5 km apart and the sun is blazing to say the least. Also the promised banana station was missing at the 13.8km mark. Overall the race was kind of a lesson on what not to do and what I should have done in those circumstances. I should have had better running shoes. And next time I better know exact water station locations. Hopefully can register for a full marathon next time. Lots of training should be done for that. And I shall overcome.

2 years!!

Today marks the second year of completion at my company. Yeaaah. Much has changed since this. More importantly time just flew by filled with both joyful and doleful moments. Working @ my company has been great and I definitely learnt more (albeit a more customized) than what my schools taught.

I have become a better professional (considering how bad I was when I started working). If I were asked a question 2 years back about where would you see yourself in 2 yrs my answer would have nearly matched my current status. I say nearly but not exactly. Well mostly because the naive in me could have listed some unreasonable things.

Getting a 2 year work ex is a big milestone to me considering my future ambitions. Overall it’s good to be here and will try to be a better professional. All iz well

Delhi CWG-2010

Mani Shankar Aiyer probably will go down as a worst sports minister India ever had. There is nothing more sin a sports minister can commit than undermining (or casting a spell) the significance of a sports event in his home country. The athletes though gave a befitting reply not just by winning the medals but by winning everyone’s heart.

True, India could have spent that money on training sports persons or India could not afford to spend so much on ‘luxury’ when many of its citizens are barely meeting their ends. If this is the scenario the lunar probe mission, mars mission etc must have been scrapped long back. After all the common man is not expected to do a round trip to the moon or mars on a yearly basis. Yet more and more money spent on these projects only strengthens the significance of the mission. Though this may not be sufficient it is necessary to gain respect from other nations. You will be on a total new elevated platform.

The performance from the athletes is nothing less than outstanding. No Adulation is enough. Congratulations to all the athletes for making the games so memorable. The scenes of stoic 16 year old Deepika beating the Olympian , Saha and Sharath ecstasy after claiming gold, Saina hugging her mentor, the 4x400m relay run, to name a few, are moments of joy not just for the athletes but for the whole nation. Goose bump period I say. Gagan Narang(btw hope he gets Khel Ratna this time) said Hyderabadi’s success at the games can be attributed to the infrastructure created during the Afro-Asian games. So it beats me why Mani Shankar cannot see the long term benefits the games can bring to Indian sports on the whole.

The Opening ceremony left an indelible impression on the cultural richness of our nation. The pyros, the stadia, the infra was nothing less than the best. Yet the outside issues were focused more than the real issues. Sushil kumar complaining about his bed were uncalled for. Also can’t fathom why he was chewing bubble gum while carrying the torch. Seriously chewing the gum in front of the Prince and President?? Finding snakes in the village is also a failure on the part of OC? Come on the OC cannot do anything in this case. On the other hand, it was irresponsibility on the part of OC to be so lackadaisical in getting the events ready. Couldn't agree more with the media on that. And finally the Closing ceremony was a big disappointment. May be it was purposefully scaled down or whatever. Glascow stealed the show. Nevertheless, what started as a shame and corruption ended with pride and glory.

No one expected India to get 101 medals let alone the second position. And I wish this to be a stepping stone for our athletes to perform much better in other prestigious events. It feels lot better to move away from cricket and focus on other sports.Talent is ocean but unfortunately encouragement is a puddle. Asian games might shed a some more light on the performance of our athletes. Till then hoping to see our athletes shine.And Delhi looks so beautiful at least on the TV. GachiBowli was a desert until Hyderabad hosted the Afro Asian games. Now it boasts the best roads in Hyderabad. If organizing games brings out the best from the city hell I want Olympics.

PS. My current desktop background is the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium lit with beautiful colors and all the fireworks. Makes me feel so proud.

US Open 2010

Another Grand slam finished with Federer not finishing it on a high note. This time it’s truly disappointing, not that Federer lost but the way he lost. Five setters are his big strength and loosing with 40-15 score lead is an awful way of loosing. I feel no one can handle five setters as good as Roger (lets leave out Rafa ). Nole for sure doesn't have patience, concentration and stamina to pull off a five setter. The finals against Rafa proved this yet again. The cut a long story short Roger was not in his true self whatever may be the reason. At least this is not what is expected from the six time finalists at the flushing meadows.

I was dejected, disappointed and embarrassed looking at Roger match statistics; a bread stick and 66 UF errors. Every grand slam brings a new hope. New hope of Federer resurrection. This time was no different but only to be disappointed again .Hopefully a New Year with new determination can make Roger increase his grand slam tally and I truly wish it to happen. .

On the other note congratulations to Rafa for joining the elite group. It’s no more going to be Pete-Agassi comparison. It gonna be Roger-Rafa. While it quite debatable, right now roger with his 16 majors is clearly a winner. Rafa has come a long way and showed he is here to stay. He has improved his game and showed how tough it is to get pass through him. Hopefully he will be injury free and hope to see great Roger-Rafa matches in future.

Fred Perry, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafal Nadal. That pretty much summarizes. Career Grand Slammers.

Youth Olympics

Thanks to the youth Olympics I have experienced many firsts in the last fortnight and of course enjoyed it to the core with a tinge of disappointment here and there. Firstly , I got to be a Liaison Officer in the first ever Youth Olympics(screams YAY). Secondly given my love for tennis it's a shame that I have never seen a live match. No more guilt and shame. I had seen not one but four live Olympic matches :)(double YAY). Lastly but definitely the least, the five star hotel treatment was awesome.

When I signed in as a LO I didn't know what is expected from me. Neither did I know what I am expecting from the games. All I knew was that I need to have the Olympic logo on my resume and it got stamped hard and clear;A certificate of appreciation from the Olympic committee appreciating my work. After all tiresome sessions of training and numerous warnings of expect Murphy kind of things I should say it was really a smooth flow. Murphy was miles away from me. Enjoyed being a LO to Rwanda National Olympic Committee President with no hiccups whatsoever. Initially there was kinda fretting but once the ice broke things were super normal.

It was my president who wanted to see the Tennis match and I was more than glad that finally I got to see a tennis match LIVE. I always used to laugh at the sight of people in the stands swaying their necks to catch the ball in action. This time it was my turn to sway the neck and boy didn't I enjoy and laugh at myself!! It was kinda funny to follow the ball.

During the grand slams except for the finals I don't follow the juniors progress. So occasionally Bhambri used to show up on the screen. And guess what I met Bhambri:) and seen him play the finals. Unfortunately due to the cramps he got to pull out but glad India won a silver in Tennis. The shouts of Yuki Yuki didn't help my goose bumps to subside. Seeing the sports persons made me wish to be in their shoes. Sport is such a glory.

Finally shameless me but absolutely love the freebies. Watching big shots at the big hotels and the feeling of being in a real swanky place is indescribable. Having a SMRT pass was nothing less than owing the whole train/bus. Ahhh such a luxury.I miss the free SMRT service :(. Also met so many wonderful people in the course of this journey and wish we can work for something big again. Time to get back to the normal life and be real serious in starting something which has been in deferment for quite sometime

Wimbledon 2010

I am still disappointed at the way Wimbledon has ended. After three consecutive years of nail biting finals this year one was a total let down. It was like a mere formality. With all due respect to the champion, I felt cheated and deprived. Deprived of all the action at the highest stage of tennis entertainment. All because of the absence of a great player, no wait, greatest player :Roger. I wouldn't have shouted this louder if he was there in the finals. What a shame to wind up in straight sets.

Let’s face it. There is no final like the Fed-Rafa one. When I mentioned in this post that Federer would be successfully defending his title I did keep Rafa in mind and didn't write him off. The 7 times final presence may have eclipsed my other thoughts. 7 times he had made it and 8^th time would be a walk on the grass, I thought. Obviously that wasn't the case. All his weapons proved futile.

And I must confess he played shabbily. He did say about his injury in the press conf (which he should never have mentioned in the first place. It just denigrates your class.) but that should not keep him from playing in his grass. His grass. Whenever is steps in the court he is not expected to lose.His returns were skewed, backhand was awful and he looked so tired. Very tired. Like all other fans I did expect him to rebound. After all, he did this every other time, didn't he? 5 setters are always an added advantage to Fed. But not this time. He faced a rare 4 set loss which includes a breadstick. .

Expect Rafa all the recent Fed losses were against big hitters. Del Potro, Soderlng, Berdych. For some reasons Roddick and Djokovic couldn't capitalize on their added advantage. Whenever someone beats Federer the media showers praises on that someone with titles like most promising player, devastating force etc etc. Most of them however do go into oblivion. Sooner or later these big hitters do go through the injury phase and may never be the same again like Del Potro.

As always critics are up against him. Some said age is catching up with him. Some said he is no more a dominant force. Some has this strange prophecy skills predicting his retirement. Some were busy counting Rafa’s slam tally @ the current rate and coming out with questions like will he pass Fed’s mammoth total? As someone rightly said you loss but not win is remembered. It amazing how people write off some one like Fed who did it again and again and a loss always makes him face the wrong end of the stick. As always I stand in the thick and thin of the Mighty Emperor and hope to see his arsenal increase and fight till the last calorie in his muscle to increase his slam tally to 17 @ the US open. And yes I still expect a Sampras-tying seventh next summer.Hail Federer.

P.S: In the finals Rafa was brutal to say the least which I wouldn't have agreed in any other given circumstances. Fed fan after all. .

ME & FB

I dare not say that I know how to use facebook. Nor do I say that I understand how to use fb. I have to for once accept that I am technologically challenged. Yes technologically challenged when it comes to fb. Having used orkut for 7 years creating fb account (which I never cherished) was something like a Mars mission; never easy and never understood. The more I tried to understand the more complicated it has become. And I uttered those words. Words which can make any fb fan chastise me: Why is this not like orkut.???

Why is that X gets an update on his profile when I write on Y’s wall. Wasn't my scrap supposed to be between us and not among our’s. Or did I screw up (with my incomplete knowledge of fb). Apparently it turns out that it is the feature of fb. Ahh chastise me or rather enlighten me!!

And what is this fan thing. There is already a network/group thing which is fine. And what is the difference between you liking something and you are the fan of something. Aren't they both same? At least they appear same to me. Or Am I missing something here? Redundancy I say. Whatever, these trivial things make me shun away from fb.

Ok the likes thing with the photos and status message is fine. But the other likes irks me. XYZ likes "Did I Ask You?" "No" "Then Shut Up." ABC likes “SHITT ................YAAR .........KAL EXAM HAI............” PQR likes “How come i dint wake up, even if my alarm was set on time? dats strange!!!” And so on and on and on. Gimme a break. I mean how much more silly can it be. It’s downright immature. Kinda your grey cells are on some vacation leaving you behind. Is it suppose to be cool stuff that you ‘likes’ these outlandish, make-no-sense lines? If so then I should say I don’t like these. I would ask fb for a doesn't like or repulsive button.

And finally my proxy status message Girish Vanganuru “Quits”.

Roland Garros 2010

Last year @ RG Federer must have been thanking Soderling more than anyone else for clearing his path to lift the Roland Garros. He would not have known at that time that one of the greatest records in the history of Tennis would be broken in 1 year’s time by the same man. IT happened. Fed’s long streak is at last broken. And what’s more Soderling took the revenge in the sweetest way he would ever wanted; by shattering the record 23 consecutive semifinal streak of the Emperors.

23!! Mathematically that might be a small number. But in tennis it’s HUGE. It’s just next to impossible. I said next to impossible because only Federer could have pulled it off. Even in my wildest fantasy I can not see anyone coming near to that, let alone overtaking. It took 6 years!! And Federer didn't miss even a single Grand slam. Talk about fitness.

While Soderling deserves some appreciation for his game, one must accept that Federer is no longer invincible in the clay. While his invincibility on the other courts draws much debate, but that’s a debate best left to another time (Though I strongly believe he will successfully defend his Wimbledon).

Everything needs to end somewhere at some point of time. And this ended too. And loosing in the French open would be the best one for it’s too painful to see him loose in the other courts. And the silver lining is his quarter final streak is still alive. Hail Federer.

(Yesterday finally Henin bites the dust. Felt sorry for her. Stosur shows Henin is beatable on clay ).

Yappy burthday

And now I am older and wiser..:) Yappy burthday to me. Had the most yummy cake. It was YUM. I am now a proud owner of Swatch. Thanks to my sweet Sis. Happy birthday to Memories..she is two years old now..

Discover Hong Kong

To begin with, like any other place Hong Kong gave some cultural shocks, some not so pleasant memories and some usual stuff. The city lifestyle and transport was similar to Singapore. So didn't feel like a stranger in a strange land. Yet culturally they are so different. Compared to Singapore I found that the people are less friendly. In spite of being an English colony most of the people there doesn't understand English and they are least bothered to even hear what you speak. Though both are coastal cities, Hong Kong climate is lot better than Singapore climate. Save for the climate, on any given day I would choose SG over HK. I feel lot better in SG.

The first shock came when we landed in the airport. We actually took a train to just reach the immigration coupled with, may be, a KM of walking. It was that HUGE. Then we reached our hotel room to experience the real commercialization. Our room was just as big as a large size bathroom. And they managed to fit in a double cot and a single cot in that. And this is S$75!!! Day light robbery I say. I was reminded the line in Munnabhai MBBS “Bhai, yeh kamra to shuru hote hi khatam ho gaya “. The positive side is it was immaculate and well maintained.

Disney was a total let down. Too much of kid stuff. But the Space Mountain was really amazing. Felt the adrenaline rush through my body and my body parts stopped taking any commands from the brain. Felt like I was zooming past the universe. In the evening headed to the Avenue of stars where the symphony of lights didn't stand up to my expectations. But the sight of the skyline and the coast makes you go wow.

Next day was the Lantau island. The view from the cable car was just spectacular. And the Buddha Temple was so pleasant and scenic. In the evening we headed to the Madame Tussauds. People say it’s not as big as the other Tussauds but it has quite a number of statues including SRK. Had so much fun imitating the wax figures.

The food was a big let down. May be we didn't know the right places or for some other reason we couldn't really hog on the local delicacies. At one point we were even contemplating to have our breakfast at McD. McD yuk. Luckily found one café which got a good local menu.

Finally headed to Macau from HK. If HK was horrible Macau was pathetic. No one understands English there and we were forced to be on our own. Had a not-so-great sky walk on the Macau tower. I know that Macau is the Las Vegas of East. But never knew that it has so many casinos. Every street has a casino and it’s as if people for the casinos and not casinos for the people. My first entry to the casinos and felt like a square peg in a round hole and guess what yours truly hit the bull’s eye. Won a paltry sum of HK$26 :P. Casinos can be really boring when you don’t know how to play. I was bored.

Overall I am still in search of any place that can beat Thailand. Man talk about Thailand. The place is truly blessed by nature. And the people there make it livelier. HK is light years away from being a Thailand. Next travelogue will have to wait for sometime I guess.

Mandarin Madness

Yay finally I registered for the Mandarin class. Have been thinking for quite some time but could not materialize my plan until now. Never thought that I would be going for a class to pronounce those tongue twisting, ear piercing words. Its not the Singapore which drove me to the Mandarin class; its my colleagues.

My company is Japanese by name and work but since it is based in Singapore, majority employees are Chinese. So naturally they drift into Mandarin when two Chinese talk and I remain there as a dumb head trying to decipher their conversation, which of course always results in more blankness. And don't come to a conclusion that very soon I will be understanding them. NAY I don't think so. It is REALLY difficult. Why are there so many languages on the planet!!

I don't remember the first day of my school. And I am not sure what went through my mind on that day. Sure would have been heart a wrenching experience. Poor soul. What I am sure is it would have been less doleful than my Mandarin class. Not that the class went bad. I DID follow the class. Its just that felt so strange pronouncing those words, at times feeling that someone is teaching me to pronounce my first words. FIRST WORDS. Know what I mean.

Hopefully it goes well and hopefully I can speak a word or two in Mandarin. I already can speak more than two. YAY mission partly accomplished. Would love myself if I can give a spiel in Mandarin to my colleagues. Well that's too ambitious and I am no Kevin Rudd. Nonetheless let me give a try at least.

And tomorrow by this time I would be breathing HongKong air. Cantonese this time. LOL. And I learnt in today's lesson that lai means come/coming. . I am lai lai HK :))

Random thoughts

It has been a long time since I blogged. Too many things to do and yet very little time. Yes the cliché again. Also twitter is getting the better of me. Microblogging too much. I should stop at some level and occasionally devote some time for my blogspot. Even now squeezing in some time as there was not an instance where I didn’t blog in a month since I started my blog and I see no reason why it should change.

Some random thoughts.

>> The more I don’t want too see IPL the more tempted I am. It’s bad for cricket it’s bad for other sports in India which are already over showed by traditional cricket.

>> Shocked at the sight of money snakes which Mayawati is fancying. My disgust for her grew by 50 percentage points (whatever it is).

>> One of noname13.c got married. Felt more sorry than happy. I can understand how devastating it can be.

>>Filed my first tax returns. Where can I get a money tree?

>> Haven’t seen a movie since a long time. And what’s more not even HIMYM. And didn’t read any book in the last 3 months. Less Orkuting too. Waiting for April to come (or may be to pass)

>> The softer side of me is eroding as I grow older. Don’t know the reason.

>> On the first day of my work my Director advised me not to let complacency take over me. That’s exactly what’s happening after 1+ years of work. This is despite me achieving nothing.

>> I took part in the earth hour. But didn’t understand what I achieved. It is suppose to bring awareness. I am in a place where neighbors are least worried about you. Wonder whether any one noticed that we switched off our lights. Only silver lining is that I reduced the carbon foot print left by me to a vey minute extent. But that still counts.

>> And lastly, 9 years back exactly on this day I went to Murari movie .I completed my school life just the previous day : )

Crouching Tiger and the hidden Poacher

It’s appalling when people say Tigers may not be around for the next tiger year (2022). Equally appalling is the steps taken by the Indian government to preserve its National Animal. True, the PM has a special task force to look into this and then there is this Project Tiger (PT) group that’s has been doing this ever since they felt the tigers are becoming an endangered species. What’s the point in establishing an organization when the people who are running it are nothing but wimps.

When the NGOs and environmentalists presented their own stats and raised their voices for stricter measures, the people at the PT said the figures are exaggerated. The authorities don’t like anyone who points out the flaws in the system. For the authorities it’s blasphemous. We wouldn’t have been in this situation if they had agreed long before to the loop holes in the system. And when some poachers got caught and admitted to pouching nearly 40 tigers in a year (yes gruesome!) these PT authorities have nothing to comment on.

I googled to know who was heading the Ministry of Environment before. And guess who it was. A.Raja-The king himself. How serious was the government to save the endangered species. Seriously, this guy??. I can scoff in disgust. It seems more than half of the sanctuaries during this tenure were totally uncared for. And thanks to him the problem persists. And the silver lining is the government realization that this cannot continue any longer and led to the appointment of Jairam Ramesh. Given his IIT and CMU credentials I hope he is well aware of the gravity of the situation and makes use of the gloomy conditions just to emerge stronger. No red tape, no bureaucracy; only action. Save tigers before they succumb to human wickedness. Hopefully my zodiac animal will shine for the decades to come.

What's more shocking is the use of fur by the Tibetan people. Tiger skin is popular among Tibetans with even celebrities proudly wear clothing with fur from endangered species. Outrageous. And yes, I am in ‘no fur’ bandwagon.

On a total different and happier note, yes the Tigers were extinct. Oh, I am referring to the Tamil Tigers :)

Create awareness. Save Tigers.

Federer Tussi great ho!!!

No surprises this time at the Australian open. Fed successfully snatches back his trophy. Andy Murray one time experience was no match to the Federer’s 22 grand slam final appearances. The kiddo was brutally demolished by the mighty Federer. Andy might have come to the Rod Laver with the hope of at least one set win in the final if not for making the history. Little did he have any idea of the kind of defeat he would be facing.

The game was dominated by Fed from the beginning and Andy was pushed so deep into the abyss that winning the game and stroll on the Mars would compete for the top slot on an impossible tasks list. His shots were no match to the Federer’s amazing winners. The backhand winners Federer hit were a visual treat. And this slam should be really special for him as this was the first slam as a father. And the commitment Andy shown is commendable. Wish him luck when Fed is not around.:). He should be a Federer to defeat Federer or like a rocket launcher when you serve in the match.

And so unfortunate for Henin that she couldn't have a fairy tale ending. She proved it again what a true champion is like. The title might have gone to Serena but Henin remains the true champion of the tournament. And that leaves me with little doubt about the French Open 2010 result. Watch out for this lady.

And finally about India’s prized player. Congrats Paes. You have made us proud again. Sad that this great feat will be registered in only few minds of this cricket obsessed country. You deserve more than what our so called Team India get for a 20-20 tournament win. Keep going.

Destination India

Three weeks just zoomed past me. Reckon holiday in India will always be like that no matter how long you stay there. Days are short and nights are shorter. Back here in Singapore every second is a minute and minute a mminnuutee.

Had a super time during my stay in India. After a very very long time all my relatives came under one roof. And the good thing is I broke the ice with some of my relatives. ( yeah very-very-long-time needs this breaking). Felt wonderful to be with them after this many years. Welcomed the New Year with them by smearing the cakes and eggs. Above all, learnt how very minute details do matter when it comes to relatives. Mind your tongue and greet everyone. Take some fruits or something with you when you visit someone's place. Show that manners are still a property of yours.

And coming to Hyderabad everything has gone to dogs with the brainless acts. Everyone wants to get their own share of limelight. They fail to understand that Hyderabad loss will be some other cities gain. Hmpf. Any small incident calls for a bandh. Thankfully the strike didn't put a spoke in my plans though it did effect slightly. Met most of my friends and realized how much I missed some of them so dearly.

Then there is the Goa trip with my best buddies. We had only two days at our disposal and we wanted to maximise our fun as much as possible. And yes we did maximise it. Travelling took most of our valuable time. Yet our voracious appetite for the unlimited fun didn't allow anything to take us down. Spirits were held high till the end of the trip. There were lots of skeletons in the closet ready to get unraveled. Confessions did get unfolded and the night spent was memorable for us. The recordings done on that night remains as a prized possession for all of us and as a source of laughter and a proof of our foolishness. Love you guys.

Finally back home. Yeah SG has become my home and India a visiting place. Already I have been seeing the calendar to plan my next trip. This time it may not be for so long. Hopefully would visit India within a year. Hope hope hope. And yeah I almost forgot. Yappy and Fun-filling New Year.