2011: Pukey sweet writing: Enjoy

I really enjoy writing this kind of stuff. But I am told by my friends and family that this is just pukey sweet Ruskin Bondesk , but not quite, stuff no one wants to read. You may know me to be averse to feedback or criticism but today is your lucky day. Be brutal. Say what you want to. But say something!

I wrote this way back in 2011:

He looked like me from another life. Short well oiled hair sprang from his head in all directions. His small face revealed everything that he thought and felt. Believe me there was a lot happening on that face. He walked down the small hill from under the large banyan tree. 

His sandal’s buckle clinked as he tried not to stumble on the loose rocks. A cool breeze blew in from over the fields where his grandmother stayed. He stood surveying the fields and breathed in the pleasant smell of the crop. The breeze against his face held him for a moment swaying to and fro. He could hear the leaves of the banyan tree rustle a gentle melody.

2011: Elusive rest

The morning is not the start; the night is not the end. I was awake all night in some state not sure of what was real and what was a dream. The images are vague and transient and at times almost clear but not quite. The sense of something concrete is what I am able to feel when Bhooli tries to break down my door. If I lock it she assumes it’s unlocked and the resistance the door seems to be putting up is not real. One can’t really blame her, it’s the monsoons now and all the doors have grown fat on moisture. It can’t really help itself it was just built like that. If it’s unlocked, well she is greeted by the semi nude form of my hairiness, which she does not really mind. She just drops her gaze and continues in her quiet determined way to the bathroom. She just goes about her work having successfully pushed me out of bed.

A slight dull pain interspersed with and odd sharp pinch reminds me that the mattress is old and lumpy, that I am getting old and that my sciatica is acting up. I bathe every day, I sleep on time every day, some days it’s later than others but give or take a couple of hours. The same TV shows bring the day to an end and signal the need to go to sleep. Is it really need or compulsion or conditioned response? Most days I just bang the door shut , jam the door so tight that the Bhooli struggles some more the next morning all the time hoping that she gives up one day. Maybe on my lucky day she will leave me alone. Slipping into bed has the same set of actions like some sort of ritual. Not to mention the orientation. Someone managed to seed a notion that sleeping on the east west axis gives good sleep.

2010: Work Day attitude

“Bleep”. There goes the familiar sound of the security machine. I usually managed to ignore him completely. On occasion our eyes meet when he raises his security wand to frisk me, somewhat wary of the intrusion into my body space. The moment loaded with social cues passes quickly but is slow enough to register in both our minds. With forward momentum I propel myself towards the lifts. “Bleep”, I hear it again.

The first time this happened I turned, a little startled, to discover the rather apologetic guard was waving his wand mechanically, maybe a little desperately, at bags of busy office goers like myself. We detest this intrusion, this social offense of being challenged by a simple guard, suggesting by his manner that we have something to hide or that we are by default guilty of some crime.

The wait is always awkward. Men and women standing around in almost pregnant silence looking out anxiously for the ride. Then there is the mad rush to gain a space in that confined space. Up, up, and away the lift takes them to the office where they sit insulated from the outside world for ten hours in the day.

Writing from the right side of the brain...

It is fascinating to experience the process of writing. As I attempt to write my mind has suddenly become aware of the magnitude of the task. Imagine writing a book, the sheet volume of words and not mention create a feeling that the reader is able to connect with!

My consciousness has expanded with this discovery. Authors both successful and yet to be successful have a unique talent and a different set of skills. It never ceases to amaze me how words can recreate the past, sustain the present and create the future. 

Losing the ponch

For God knows how many years I have had a standard India belly. That rather unseemly bump around the waist.
So with a vengeance I attached it with Ab crunching and severe running. I run 3.8 kms as fast as I can. Then I do weight assisted Ab crunches. 3 sets of 12. So far with a 20 pound weight.

On weekends or when ever I can get the time I run 10 km every alternate day.

The belly is down to its last. But now I need to take it to the next level and actually create the six pack abs. This will happen with some innovative alternating of exercise forms - cycling, running and weights.

Can't wait to see the abs in their full glory.

Running and Living again

The Running and Living Gurgaon Half marathon. After a long break of over 10 months I am back into serious training. Rahul Varghese does a great job of organizing and promoting the marathon in the true spirit of the sport.

Can you imagine free use of the Elemention Gym up to the 7th of Aug? True. Not to mention a timing chip and breakfast at Radisson included in the registration fee.

I have been running 10 km every alternate day for the last week. On the other days I got to Elemention to do serious strength training. This worked for me in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. I broke my personal best of 2:00:19 for a half and clocked: 1:56:59. I hope to improve on that this year again at the Airtel Half by at least 7 minutes.