Want to fly away? sure 'bout that?

Saw some birds flying in the strong wind today. It seemed like they were having a great time, riding waves of wind. It was like they were out surfing. Swinging, looping, riding the perfect wave.

Or so it seemed!

Everyone at some point has thought how would it be, how great would it be...if we could fly like birds. Free and high...soaring in the sky. But, as I watched those birds I thought about the perils of flying.

Imagine the fatality from gusty-stormy winds as they sway birds in their strong current. Imagine the fight to fly against wind, imagine the loss of direction, the dis-orientation if you had to fly against the wind. I get lost in ordinary conditions, imagine constantly shaking, moving, changing roads, lanes and exits.

Of course, you can't always ride the waves, you can't always use wind to your advantage, what if you were headed the other way? That'd be a rather hard day. Hard and harsh and almost unsafe.

Imagine a walk in the wind, against the wind with no protection in form of a warm car or other transportation and now imagine having to fly. Not so fun now.

So, as much as I think flying would be rad...constantly having to fly to get anywhere and having to fly in all conditions...seems like a lot of work. Surfing on air would be awesome but fighting hurricane winds...to get home...not so much.

Winter storm cooks up a trifle

The way the leaves withered away in a winter storm reminded me of ...an english trifle. If the leaves stuck to ground and if no one blowed them into a neat pile...and if my front yard would scale into a circular serving dish...(lots of ifs but I do have a point) the way the leaves fall would make for a delightful, colorful trifle. Edible, probably not. But, a masterpiece to look at.

Imagine the first pink, green leaves as they fall and settle to make a base. Followed by the rubicund and then the last to leave the tree, the yellow layer. All winter colors, all perfectly shaped and colored and layered.

Now if all the 'ifs' could happen I would have something to show for it. In fact, I'd have a showcase in my front yard and would charge ticket for it. But, in my imagination where these layers settle one on top of the other...in perfect harmony, it is a spectacular sight. A feast for the eyes. The storm cooks it all and serves it cold!

A day of gratitude.

Winslow Homer's work created this master piece that reminds us that there's so much more to this holiday than gluttony. Much deeper gratitude, much more earnest emotion is associated with it.

And it is only a glimpse of two parts of a bigger continuum. There are people worse at both ends.

There are people ridden with grief over much more harshness. Loss of loved one, loss of self, loss of memory, limbs. Lack of roof and warmth and safety.

And then, on the other side there are those who have same issues but with different problem. There are those who suffer from lack of interest, lack of heart, lack of ability or desire, lack of ability to enjoy what they have (even excess of it). Any amount of food is no good of you can't eat or digest.

So, a deep gratitude for what we have and deeper resolve to give those who have nothing – a day seems not enough for this but it is a start.

Let it be about schema not rigidity

Ever imagine, where did the shapes come from? Some shapes are obviously the result of what we saw around us...sun and moon. Circle-like. Sea-level was perhaps a straight line like.

Now, we know more...Pine cones were funnel-like. Beehives are hexagonal. Snowflakes are star shaped. Crystals are cubical.

But, square, rectangle and triangle are hard to find. As much as we can describe, use and calculate them today; it is amazing to think that someone came up with these shapes. Not only that, their use, characters, measure, definitions and sub-segments (isosceles, equilateral).

Imagine how it must have been for people to have no concept of shapes. They could describe things they saw by having to give examples of similar shaped objects. I think your face looks like 'that bright thing up there at dark' would have been a very normal conversation. Absence of color, shape and name of moon or time of the day.

And then we made it all up. Ha!

We gave names to things, we assigned shapes to describe better. Thing started to have no 'sides', 3 sides, four and five and six...

And we managed to organize it into something that can be taught and passed on. Pretty amazing.

Now only if we can understand that shapes were to understand things better, not to keep minds from thinking outside the 'squares' (defined/labeled relationships) and 'circles' (life and death) and 'lines' (time).

This tummy of mine...

I got thinking about how the world would work if we didn't have to deal with...empty stomach to feed. More precisely, will the world work at all?

Granted, as humans we are innately curious and creative and we evolve to learn. Very human traits. But, isn't it all connected to a hungry stomach? Or is there an element of hungry mind that exists independent of our belly?

Will any business, any innovation exist? Will we all become kinder or tolerant? Will vanity or style or money become our new measure of life? Would food industry not exist or become more creative? Would we still eat chocolate?

Hard to say except that we will not let chocolate go, ever. If the bottom and biggest base of Maslow's hierarchy (Maslow's need triangle) didn't exist then other than some random feelings and issues of mortality...what would motivate us? Would we still want to exchange thoughts, things, feelings? Perhaps.

The visceral need to eat is unconsciously so powerful that it drives the world...and not only humans...but every living being on this plant. I guess the absence of hunger wouldn't prevent us from aspiring for delectable food and gluttony but the reasons would be different. Or perhaps, the taste buds exist so that we can extract pleasure out of having to feed ourselves. The taste buds wouldn't evolve if we didn't need'em. The purpose around everything we do, engage in, believe, spend time doing would be different. Drastically different.

Consider the life of a pupa. It's sole purpose is to morph the larva to insect. It has no stomach and no excretion system (also no reproductive system). Imagine its role...without the need to eat...a pupa is only a stage.

Christmas knocks early on doors...

It seems like christmas sneaks up every year by a few days. It certainly ain't waiting for Thanks giving this year!

The black friday has turned into black month. Christmas has already taken over retail stores, radio channels and coffee flavors. Thanks giving is a good week away but you can already get ready for Christmas while you are cooking for thanks giving.

Santa is already up in store aisles, ornaments already on sale, gifts already on shelves, baits already in place for shoppers. You could easily just skip one holiday in the anticipation on the next one.

It seems that people would already be shopped out and exhausted by the time the real 'Friday after thanks giving' arrives. Would there be a loud silence on streets coming Friday? The only people in business would be the ones selling gift wrapping stuff and trees.

As it is I always wondered if people had a night out to deck up malls on the thanks giving night. And you have to wonder, coz' if you were to go into malls after thanks giving (as in right after)...everything is ready for christmas. Songs, ornaments, choirs, trees, fake snow...its all there right after 2 mins of thanks giving being over. It is almost as if we feed ourself to prepare for what is about to happen on Friday – start prep work for Christmas.

Fall is late and mild, days are short and christmas is here in spirit (shopping spirit!). Lets make the most of it. After all, joy season could never be too long...eggnog could never be too much...retail deals can never be too sweet.

No pot for us!

Californians defeated the proposition to legalize marijuana. So, no pot for you unless you are in blinding pain.

Or unless you can rig the system and get fake prescription!

There will always be a part of society which will find its way to anything that is addictive. Anything – medicine, cannabis, alcohol, cocaine...anything!

If the purpose of ban was to keep some barrier in place so that people have to jump some hoops thus preventing the mass population to be high...well, the purpose has failed....oh about forever back. Marijuana is rampant in high-school and colleges. The gangs are fully functional and weed is not that difficult to get if someone's looking.

In a way, the legalization could have imposed alcohol like limitations on who buys it and who sells it. it might have put some gangs out of business. Cops and courts could have had more time to look into pertinent issues. Patients could have had an easier time with getting rid of some serious and chronic pain issues. And oh yes, we could have used that tax money to build some school infrastructure.

Do some of us really think that banning something solves the issue? No, all it does is lets it fester under covers. Do we really think that we are all so gullible that if we had a choice to buy marijuana, it would make us all run to stores, buy it and be high?

We are not that fragile and we are not that stupid. We don't need to keep minding everyone's business with the fear that everyone will suddenly turn into an addict. If we want to do that, it is a can of endless worms – phones, TV, texting, internet, facebook?

How about the good old reverse psychology, open the stash and the candy will loose its lure!

Taboo

Taboo is proof that we are very judgmental as a specie and always want to adhere to some norm, fit into some 'normal'. A tiny slip, a major deviation and we label it as taboo. Something unknown, something to fear, something not 'normal'. And how is any one person superior than any other to call on someone's normality?

IMO taboo knocks on our sub-conscious coz' we aren't humans if it were not for our infallible curiosity. What if we tried it? Could we pull off trying it? Isn't it what we all think secretly when we see something that is taboo (or is it just me:))?

Taboo is someone's life, someone's way even if it seems alien. Something unknown = something we fear = something we don't understand = something not normal? I bet their equation, when they look at us works the same way!

In my mind, lack of compassion is the birth of taboo. What if situations were reversed? Whatever happened to treat everyone like you want to be treated!?

I understand that as humans we are flawed and so taboo will exist. What I wish, however, is that a bit more compassion bleeds into our perspective when we see and hear what we are not use to. The equation changes to something unheard/unseen = something I don't understand = something different = But, something that is and that is reason enough for it to be normal.

COEXIST

The dictionary defines religion as a set of beliefs, at best - a system to organize our beliefs. A religion after all is only a the language of faith so we can easily and systematically pass it on.

Here's my conjecture on how it came about:

Time: Very early beginning of human race

The earth, the life, the nature is so perfect, the space so infinite, the universe so vast that our tiny human brian cannot keep up with it. Days and nights, tides and seasons immaculate and nature tightly knit with life. The balance, the delicacy, the abundance...too much perfection.

And none of it in our control.

There is the fear of unknown and a need for belief that someone who is more than human has some control over it all. Humans feel helpless, like an observer. We then, perhaps, turn our hope into belief in something, someone...a God (Dictionary: creator and ruler of universe, controller of nature and fortune).

But, what do we do then? Do we each have our own God and our own way to reach out and please her?

Well, no...we did what humans do well, we discussed and we pitched ideas and the ones that stuck became structured, refined system called a religion. When someone had a better idea and better marketing to sell the idea, many religions came into existence.

Does it matter which came first? No. Does it matter which is better? That's subjective and hence we should all freedom to choose.

How foolish then that we fight over semantics of a system? That is all there is to differences in religion. Sure, there are customs and to-do things but the ultimate goal is the same.

It is a system that was suppose to unite us in our shared fear and shared need to believe. And it is one thing that separates us more than anything else...it the world today.

Which religion? Any religion at all? It doesn't matter. We created a system and we ought to tweak it when needed. We have fought over the system so much and for so long that the main reason why we created it is long forgotten.

Sure we can't control the sunset...but we can all enjoy it for free. And rave of its beauty.

What we can control is our behavior, our blind rage and hate towards fellow human being. And the one thing we can control is the thing that has spun so out of control.

If I could turn back time...

I'd go to adolescence
that blend of, that uncomfortable straddle of mature horizon and setting innocence

that time when you think that a heartache is end of the world
when a hurt feeling is your world

that time when life is simpler and sweeter
and small problems are the only problems, so they seem big problems

that time...when you are so innocent
that you cannot fathom that people can be cruel and life unfair
that it doesn't occur to you that choices can be limiting

that time...when you are mature enough
to become fearful and inhibited
to become aware and vulnerable

to be able to live that irony
to be able to live that high of youth
to be able to live and not realize that you are so alive

that time when you are not quite responsible for your own self
and you don't realize how much weight that bears
to be able to live that eagerness to grow up
without the burden of grown up years

perhaps I wouldn't turn time at all
coz' life does move on one-way lane
when it is ashes and dust for all
to go through it all one more time...seems bane

Time?

Time – as we know it, is our measure of past, present and possible future of our life. Our collective lives.

It is our map to make sense of existence, our compass to navigate through our lifetime.

It really doesn't mean anything. The days, the seasons remain relatively same in one's lifetime. The evolution, the minor tweaks in nature remain relatively slow. Things are either set in pattern or too slow to categorize in patterns. So, it is just a self-made concept, a tool really to count.

When did earth form? When did humans arrive? How old am I? How many years will sun last? What is our average lifetime? Time was the only way to answer such random, unrelated questions and make some/any sense out of them.

If I were to define time as:
Sunrise to sunset = 1 day
Sunset to sunrise = 1 day
10 such cycles = 20 days = 1 year
I will be much (MUCH) older than I am in current nomenclature

However, if I defined time as:
7 days (normal days) = 1 day
I would suddenly be transported to my childhood (SWEET!)

It is just that we stuck with one idea of time and ran with it. Also, we became too many (too many people) to have different systems. Globalization would take a giant step back if we had no consistent 'time' lexicon.

But, it is just a tool. There's no “time” running out. Things birth, they die. 'Time' doesn't stop... only means that nothing changes relative to our short lifetime. We can, if we want, think of our time as an infinite days and nights and months and years. No one can argue against it.

color pellet

the spin, the cycle, the magic of it all
the ebb, the flow,
the spring and the fall

it feels so soon and yet a year has passed
the cadence similar if not the same
time...ticks and tocks away
yet seasons go by the same name

the sun slants, and air cools
and the lungs breathe air heavy and wet
I never knew purple goes with orange
until I saw a perfect fall sun ready to set

nature it feels is eager to exhaust its color pellet
to show it off, to show it all
the strokes of yellow and orange and rubicund
paint the irony, the most colorful and yet it is fall...

Cheetah – the uninsured specie…

Cross-breeding is the best insurance for any specie. By instint and by necessity, it is wise to cross-breed.

Cheetah is one of the species on this planet that suffers from the lack of it. They are too inbred and the affects are showing in their overall population. Poor breeding, defects and vulnerable population are all pointing to their highly inbred culture.

Such a shame for an animal that is the land’s fastest and perhaps the most elegant of all felines. They can accelerate faster than cars and in short bursts outrun many vehicles. Such amazing anatomy that blends agility, strength and grace perfectly.

It’s name means the varigated body (derived from sanskrit word chitrakaya). Such a beautiful and athletic animal now teaches us that resisting ‘cross’ anything could bring the specie to its bare end. Cross breeding of thoughts, cultures or people…are all critical elements in how succesful the speciewill be in surviving and flourishing.

In a way it is so clear…how would you evolve if you weren’t curious or attracted to anything different? The resistence of unknown will always exist but when it gets in the way of curiosity, it can rein havoc on the survival coz’ it essentially terminates learning.

Cross-breading of ideas means better vetting, better testing and thus better idea generation. As a bonus, it also prevents group think.

Cross-breeding in plants and animals means learning better skills, gaining more resistance to diseases. Essentially, it divides the flaws and multiplies the strentghs.

I hope we save cheetahs from extinction. And I hope, we learn a lesson to embrace differences and revere them as part of evolution.

Nothing sweeter than summertime...

Just like Lady antebellum says…

There’s some magic about summer – the long sunny days, the freedom, the flowers, the beach, an ice-cold drink or some crazy concoction of these.

No wonder there’s summer reading, summer drinking, summer vacationing, staycationing, summer camps and at least million other summer – something. Longer days do allow you more time to take a bike-ride or plan a home-bound BBQ. And then there are beaches and place with beaches which are nature’s ideal lure in summer.

Summer time things I did – biking, river rafting, cabo-Mexico, lots of swimming practice, ice-crèmes, farmers’ market every week.

Summer time things I love – sweet strawberries, water-melon, sunflowers and poppy, meteor showers, watering plants, less TV time, cool-long evenings, misty mornings.

This summer I learnt how to enjoy every season for what it is, for what it offers. And summer brings out a lot on its bid. I can imagine it bringing miserable hot days or immense rains to some parts of world. But, rains bring life and hot days bring a promise of another season. For those blessed with summer goodness, it offers respite from other harsher seasons.

The tan might fade but memories last, shooting stars are through…but wishes might come true!

Tank of carp...

New pedicurists have arrived in town. The latest in the spa treatment is dunking your feet into an aquarium where fish (Yes, fish!) eat away your dead skin.

Believe it or not, it is here. Fish are now cleaning our toes and legs and ankles. I saw it on travel channel and I saw it on news. Cambodia has spas where you can immerse your feet into a fish tank and they come out buffed and free of dead skin. Fish, mainly carp, work away on your tootsies and give you a tickling pedicure. And it is not some exotic thing; it is available in north Virginia as well.

As strange as it sounds it is a genius case of win-win IMO. Fish get food and you get clean feet. For anyone who has a fetish for tickles – it is a match made in heaven. Experiments are under way to see if fishies could help with psoriasis and other skin ailments. Who knew?!

However, the first thing I thought of when I looked at this - let us not use Piranhas!

Transitioning from posses to access

Transition is on the horizon. It is literally in the cloud!

Soon our music, our books, our entertainment – basically a lot that we use to possess (or aspired to possess) with be accessed for use as and when needed and however much desired.

We will have clouds of information, games, comics and novels, opinions and jazz pieces that we can use. As needed ‘stuff’ can be plucked or accessed. No more cluttered computers, minds and spaces. Next exit is ACCESS.

I grew up in an era where everything was basically done to possess more. The more you have the more convenient your life becomes (not necessarily happy but definitely convenient). The only way to consume was to possess. And with everything that was good or wanted the package it came in grew bigger, as in with a good song you wanted came the six useless tracks you paid for. For that one article you wanted to refer, came a magazine with 60 pages you would never look at. Essentially everything we wanted came in a BoC (Bag of crap) that we paid for.

With clouds, you can hand-pick what you want, how you want and most important how much you want. When done with it, stow it away in the cloud. Awesome…you think, not so fast I say.

There’s a joy in surprise of discovering something you were not looking for. Essentially, we are eliminating a lot of exploration. We don’t know what we don’t know so, looking through stuff has a purpose!

On the other hand, imagine the zen like lifestyle of not having to run after possessions. You need it, you get it and then do away with it. Like a library, the books are there – get it when you want to read it, no need to buy in anticipation of that need to read.

It is not happening tomorrow, but it is happening. The butterfly is emerging. Like everything, it won’t be perfect and like everything it will become the way of life.

Let’s hope that chapters instead of books don’t stifle the art of storytelling. Let’s hope that tracks instead of albums don’t smother creativity. Let’s hope that it is just device agnostic, pay-as-you-go, get-when-you-need thing…basically - no muss-no fuss.

Let’s hope the butterfly is beautiful and the transition worth it.

Land’s end…

My trip to cabo was all about this – the land’s end. Land just suddenly ends and you can see right to the last rock…the very last stone where the never-ending pacific begins and spins around the earth.

Baja California is a beautiful place but a bit strange. Anytime you think of ocean you think humid and/or green. Most of Baja, albeit the mighty pacific and the sea, is very dry and dessert-like. Rough coast, calm bays, warm water, rich sea-life on one end and right across are cacti, acrid landscape with acute lack of vegetation. Other than the few palms there’s hardly any tree for miles. If no one told you of the big sea on the other side of sand-hill, you’d think you are in dessert. And you are, just that it neighbors the mighty Pacific.

Land’s end is a beautiful rock formation with rich reefs, magical rock formations, pirate caves, amazing and tidal beaches. It is really a site and it is hard to get use to it. The sea is much calmer than the ocean. Rich reefs attract sea-lions, pelicans, dolphins and even whales – you can even see schools of fish (including sting ray) from glass bottom of boats. When calm, the visibility in sea is near perfect for 20-25 feet.

My favorite part of the trip was sitting beside the beach, watching stars and fire-works across sea and hearing massive crashes of wave on shore. The rumble sounds louder in dark and waves look monstrous as darkness changes the reference frame. The coast was rough due to a distant storm and the waves did come right up to the ‘hotel beach’. And it was cold!

My not so favorite part was the cold (freezing) water of the sea. Cabo is not supposed to be cold! The storm doused all hope of snorkel as visibility got to zero in cold water. But, the catamaran ride to the bays, around the coast-line was amazing. Open bar, good music and wind…it was an awesome feeling to sit on the boat crashing through sea of cortez. Life couldn’t get better than that. Wind-water-sun-music-tequila!

Sea of cortez is so rich in sea-life that it has been called Aquarium of the world! You can swim with whales, sea-lions and schools of beautiful fish. The magical tip where sea meets the ocean is even more magical when you are under water. And although I couldn’t see that, the beauty of the land (and land’s end) is pretty awesome.

That smell in the air...

I heard a story on NPR where a woman described how she lost her sense of smell and then, what she felt when it came back. Naturally, she was very emotional about both experiences. She could hardly even attract sympathy coz’ it is a hidden disability. No one asked her “How she was” even after they knew (if they remembered) what happened to her.

Made me think about things we smell, in a day, and take for granted.

- Coffee - as a coffee lover I can vouch that (for me) smell of coffee is twice as important as its taste. Would ruin my love for the beverage if it had no smell.

- Vanity - vanilla shampoo, favorite soap, perfume. lack of smell will force you to save money as it sucks out the joy out of those things.

- Nature – oh my GOD…flowers, seasons, rain, dew, flowers (can’t get over it), woods…so much is in the scents and smells.

- Food – citrus, spices, fresh fruit, garlic. Smell tells you when something is cooked and when something is burnt and most important when something has gone bad! Everything we eat, we smell first. The only silver lining is that you can drink without having to change a thing (maybe not wines though).

- Random but sweet – fresh cut grass, ocean, bonfire, old books, baby’s smell, candles, Christmas tree.

- Practical – sweat, when you know things need serious cleaning, burning of things.

- Only good thing – don’t have to smell foul things…coz’ you can’t. Bad toilets, bad food, bad breadth…

Some people in this world can actually smell the sounds! As crazy as it sounds (ha-ha), there are people who can associated smell to each syllable. There’s a distinct and specific smell for every word they hear.

We take this ‘sense’ so lightly. Imagine the brain activity around it. To smell something and run through the files to distinguish it, to memorize it and store it – how flawlessly genius is that? ‘Flavor’ is only complete when we add smell to it. Tongue can only taste five things…nose can detect hundreds of smells.

As I can only imagine, when the lady in NPR story got her olfactory working, she was so overwhelmed that she thought she was hallucinating. And then she smelled her favorite flower – lilac!

Smell, smell all you can and savor it.

Beautiful day and a snake!

It was a gorgeous day to be outside…and find snakes!

I am not a big fan of reptiles but I am fascinated by them (Although, lizards creep me out to a level that I think I have herpetophobia skewed towards lizards). Dragons and snakes are my favorites. I am lukewarm about alligators and crocs and highly fear lizards and all forms of salamanders.

But, I digress.

So, it was a beautiful day to get out and stay out. A bit on the windy side and started a bit on the chilly side but overall, a beautiful day. I was out biking and running - part of my on-going and self-inflicted pain aka training for second triathlon. I was biking around Canada and Edgewater – the water in crystal springs was blue and calm, wind was strong but soothing and the 25 miles weren’t too bad. The goal was to transition into running and run 3 miles on a trail.

0.5 miles into my run a fellow runner warned me that they have spotted a rattle snake on the trail. So, I switched to the road. Edgewater park has lots of snakes, mostly non venomous but there are rattle snakes. On the way back I saw two snakes! One poor baby snake was dead, probably knocked out by traffic and it seemed like a rattle snake. A few yards ahead I saw another one, right beside the road basking in the sun.

It was a beautiful snake. It was lethargic and was most likely drawn so near to the road in search of sun. The clouds and wind was making the sun disappear quite often and snakes were probably getting further out to get sun. Being cold blooded they need to warm themselves up. This one had a beautiful camouflage and was quite dormant. I took a quick shot and left it alone.

I was happy to be out. But, I was really happy to find some snakes. I just find them very fascinating. A creature with no limbs and nearly no sight, it is one of the most feared and resilient species on this planet. Their colors, adaptation, magnificent weapon (fangs and venom and camouflage) that helps them defend – they are phenomenal species.

Look at this thriving, exciting species...
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Subphylum: Vertebrata, Class: Reptilia, Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes

Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica and on most islands. Fifteen families are currently recognized comprising 456 genera and over 2,900 species. They range in size from the tiny, 10 cm long thread snake to pythons and anacondas of up to 7.6 metres (25 ft) in length. The recently discovered fossil Titanoboa was 15 metres (49 ft) long. Most species are non venomous, only ~400 have any kind of venom. However, there are snakes whose venom is potent to kill human adults within minutes. Venom is actually a complex protein.

All this is fascinating but, I often wonder what they talk about, if they talk at all. Do their voices (if they have voices) squeak when they are cold and lethargic? Do they show off their skin the night/day after they slough?
I wonder…

Doubt your limits, not your ability.

I completed a triathlon. Feels so good to write. And this was not just a triathlon or any triathlon, this was my first and it was Olympic distance and it was on one of the toughest courses – wildflower!

It didn’t happen overnight and the journey was long and demanding.

Three months of training, long weeks of practice full of physical and emotional roller coaster. All of it culminated on May 2nd 2010.

For the past few months, my life has been FULL. It felt like I was running 2 days behind everything. The travel, the training, the fund-raising - everything and everyday ran into one another. If not for the training sheet, I wouldn’t know what I practiced yesterday and what’s coming up tonight.

Wildflower is the Woodstock of triathlons held at Lake San Antonio on the first weekend of May every year. One of the largest in the world, it started in 1983 and hosts 30,000 spectators and around 7,500 athletes. Its specialty – the grueling hilly courses!

Lots of firsts for me:
First triathlon
First endurance event
First training for event
First time with TnT
First time running this distance
First time swimming in open waters
First wildflower
So my goal was: complete, not compete.
And all of these ‘firsts’ came together and compressed in 5 hrs and 25 mins of swim, bike and run.

Let me start by saying that it was a particularly hectic weekend for me and up until the morning of race day, I had my doubts and butterflies in my belly. The few things that calmed me down were:
A beautiful and moving speech by an athlete about why we do this…why we raise money and who it saves and why all the fuss? It was a speech that centered me – if people can survive cancer, I can run! And bike and swim!

Familiar faces in the park, meeting with coaches, bursting energy of volunteers, families and athletes helped a lot. And the laughter that erupted as nude athletes made their run reminded me ‘it has to be fun’.

Camping out and sleeping out in open also calms me, albeit the cold night and uncomfortable sleeping postures.

I got my race packet and got the first glimpse of the lake. The deep blue water down the 2mile hill is a thing of beauty. It took me 4 hours before I got into my sleeping bag.

I got up at 6am and was ready (sneaked in a shower too) at 7:30. Once I biked with the group to transition area, I felt such calmness in the midst of 5000 people that it even surprised me.

I had good 2 hrs to get ready, set up transition, take photos, chat around and eat. It was a beautiful day. And it the middle of it all, it occurred to me that this is a festival (there’s a whole festival) for the ‘crazy’ people. Crazies who want to willingly swim, bike and run in the same day – one after another! If that’s not crazy, what is? I pondered and then I slipped into my wet-suit.

I started at 10:10am for 0.9miles of swim in the lake stood at 60-62 degrees that morning (that is cold!). The swim in was very windy and choppy waters really knocked my breadth out. I panicked 100m into the swim coz’ the waves were knocking me back. A new place, wind and packed groups made the start harder than I had thought. I rested twice using the surf boards. The swim back to the shore was so much easier. The whole thing took me ~ 55 mins.

Transition went smoothly and I was on my way to one of the toughest bike courses in the country. The bike course of 25.6 miles starts with a steeeep climb of lynch hill. I had to dismount the bike near the top. Without the clips, this is a tough climb. The course if full of hills with hardly any flat part. The course also showcases the spectacular park and the WILDFLOWERS –yellow and lavender and blue. The bike ride was also marked by winds on one sides stealing away some time.

When I reached my run transition I realized that unlike my practices, I wasn’t hurting in legs, cramping or fatigued. I felt really great. Even in 82 degrees grilling conditions, I felt relatively okay. The run course is full of hills as well, especially in the first half. The water stations had sprays for cooling athletes off. A particular volunteer group cheered me on with ‘Hakuna-matata’.
Running into the final finish area is a downhill and is very thrilling. Going back to the lake, down the lynch hill for the 3rd time in that day – seems unreal. The whole day – spent – swimming in this big blue lake, biking around this huge park and running around on these steep hills – and it all comes to the finish line. They called my name and I kept running until I crossed finish line in 5 hours, 25 minutes.
I got the medal and a wet towel that felt heavenly and I saw my mentor and I said it out loud – I am so happy!

I loved every minute of the day and mostly every minute of my journey to this day. I guess I am a tri-athlete now with a wildflower Olympic under my belt.

Will I do this again? Perhaps I will.
Will I cherish this? Hell yes!

 

Donate...

I swim, I bike, I run...most of all I set out to help. Help me help others and find cure for lymphoma and leukemia.

Donate generously!

My Fundraising Page

My hero...

I found a site where you could create your own super heroes. And naturally, I thought…awesome!

Who doesn’t like super-heroes or heroines? Our stories, our mythology reveres the concoction of pure intentions and super powers. It idolizes the purist at heart, out to be fair and good to humanity armed with highest of powers and loads of support. It starts with the comics that reinforce the idea of ‘humane and fair super-hero’ to the kids and remains alive in us through movies and perpetual quizzes on ‘what super-power would you wish, if you could wish for one?’

Au contraire, I tend to believe that my super-hero would first of all be a super-chick and she’d be flawed. She’d not be the “pretty” wonder-girl. Far from it. She’d make mistakes, will be adept in politics and would look rather odd. However, she’d be empathetic, kind and quiet. She’d draw a fine balance between nerdiness and slickness.

Empathy, you see, is a lost quality. Rarely found and hardly ever exercised. We live in times where empathy can easily be categorized as a ‘power’ to wish for. Once an innate human quality, it is now something that should be put as coveted trait in comics.

I borrowed a page from Avatar. I was so taken by Na’avi clan that I put some features of theirs in my version of super-chick. She’s blue, owns a tail that can whip and brandishes a bow. She misses her target sometimes but gets the job done. She tries! For my flawed (but endearing) spin, she has non-so-angelic ears. And of course, she’s not called super-anything…she’s called BUG!

Here’s my super-hero…empathetic and grounded (Bug...duh!). Not perfect and not pretty but brimming with personality and charm.

And what’s her choice of vehicle you ask? Of course she rides dragons!

 

Things Stressed Women Say at Work...

Okay, okay! I take it back. Unfuck you.

You say I'm a bitch like it's a bad thing.

Well, this day was a total waste of make up.

Well, aren't we a damn ray of sunshine?

Do I look like a people person?

This isn't an office. It's hell with fluorescent lighting.

I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left.

Therapy is expensive. Popping bubble wrap is cheap. You choose.

Why don't you try practicing random acts of intelligence and senseless acts of self-control?

Sarcasm is just one more service I offer.

Do they ever shut up on your planet?

Back off!! You're standing in my aura.

Don't worry, I forgot your name too.

I work 45 hours a week to be this poor.

Not all men are annoying. Some are dead.

Wait...I'm trying to imagine you with a personality.

Chaos, panic and disorder...my work here is done.

Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.

You look like shit. Is that the style now?

Earth is full. Go home.

Aw, did I step on your poor little itty bitty ego?

You are depriving some village of an idiot.

If assholes could fly, this place would be an airport.

Look in my eyes...do you see one ounce of gives-a-shit?

Here I am, frustrated because nobody around here is worth choking to death.

Hmm...only if I was so quick to whip one of these up when an occasion presents itself...I'd be less stressed (Honestly, I am not that stressed, just found this amusing) and more feared.

But, recylcing (as we all know) is good for environment...so grab one of these and use them as need be. Our contribution to conservation!

The problem with life is there’s no background music.

Ahh…only if!

Imagine the melancholy mood of first heart break enhanced by a deeply sad violin in background. The pain deeper and tears saltier with every note.

Imagine the bursting guitar tone as you win something and throw a fist-pump in triumph. The swing music bursts into life as you succeed.

Imagine the piano and its soft keys as you feel loneliness creep into you.

Imagine a gentle flute piece as you watch a sun rise, accord with sunset.

Imagine a calm santoor as you watch rain drops.

Imagine dramatic drum roll when you are nervous, a melodramatic symphony when you are angry.

Imagine sitar as you are pumped up to do something.

Background music would make mundane moments so much brighter and amplify stand out moments to another level. It would make conversation more interesting, pain more bearable, joy more savory.

Drama would have another layer.

Heartaches, illness, Eureka moments, first steps of kids, graduation, success, death, life, prayers, silence – all emotions, all spheres such strong contenders for background music.

You know what would be the killer? If we could control the background music. If we could will it to turn on or shut off. What drama!

The problem is that humans are not as smart as they think are. So, too much control and too much drama might just be a recipe for disaster.

The question is - would there be silence? And silence, as we know, is golden! It is what balances sounds. Not only will perpetual background music take away a lot from our 'normal' music, it would alter our senses because what would life be without silence? Without that soothing and haunting moment of 'no sound'...

Sound has a meaning because silence exists. As much as it would be fun to hear some whistle in background as I drive leisurely, I don't think I'd trade it for silence.

Okay then, let's just use iPods...

 

What sounds and tastes like childhood?

I am a big fan of food network. Fan as in, bigggg fan! That channel is like food porn I can watch over and over and over. A recent conversation on the channel included people talking about – food that takes them back to their childhood. What sounds and tastes (food) that reminds our neurons of childhood.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a particular food that floods my memories with childhood. Cake batter, ice-cones, cotton candy – nothing rings a bell. When I think hard I have some things I associate with ‘growing up’, the food that was part of growing up.

Like an amazing pickle my mother puts together in winters.
Like watermelon.
Like Mango-shake (smoothie).

But, that’s about it.

I grew up in urban neighborhoods. There were no orchards to smell and no running streams to listen to. Life was busy as kites had to be flown, rules for made-up games had to be created and things like ‘how to be popular in school’ had to be planned.

If I really had to pick some sounds and tastes
- What tastes like childhood – orange flavored bars of ice-crème. The brain-freeze, the sharing, the ‘almost-enough’ money to buy these every week and the orange color left on lips – that is all it took for a satisfied sigh.
- What sounds like childhood – growing up in catholic school, the hymns and Christmas carols take me to childhood. There’s something serene about people singing in unison.

It is no wonder that we always look back to childhood for pleasant memories (most of us, the lucky ones). Simple is good and simple can be remembered. There are no flavors, no attachments to adult-hood. How sad is that?

When we need the least, we are the happiest. When we care the least, we are the most satisfied. We look back to who we were, and how it was. It was simple and we were who we are without pretense and the need to be something and someone. That is perhaps, what childhood is – it tastes like carefree and sounds like happy.