Raining Cats and Dogs in Chennai

Its raining cats and dogs in Chennai and that doesn't happen very often. Chennai is perennially rain (and thus water) starved city. So, it is kind of a welcome relieve to see the continuous downpour since yesterday. This gave me the perfect reason to skip today's long run and kept me indoors most of the day.

Feeling claustrophobic, decided to venture out a little and here are couple of pictures from that.

Elliots Beach is generally Choc-a-Block with people on a Sunday after noon, but not today. It has been raining heavily since yesterday and that pretty much has emptied out the beach.




These seem to enjoying the drench..

A short video clip - Elliots Beach, Chennai

Run & Rain

This morning when I woke up @ 4:15 AM, had the perfect reason to skip our weekly long run and cuddle back in to the inviting cozy bed. I looked out and it was drizzling little heavily. On any other day that would have been the reason enough to go right back to bed. But not today.. This dilemma lasted for about two minutes till I splashed some cold water in my face.

As I stepped outside in to the rain, wasn't sure how many was actually going to show up. But there were about 8 Chennai Runners who had decided to brave the rain and hit the road. Initially, it took me a while to get to my running rhythm in the rain, but I got used to it rather quickly and went further than I had originally planned.

With a gentle rain splashing across my face and cooler than the usual temperature, it was actually a joy to run. Unfortunately, this can't said be said about the roads in which we ran. Even at the slightest rain, Chennai roads develop water puddles and makes it difficult to traverse through them. Initially, I tried avoiding the puddles, but when that became difficult, I simply stepped in to them and started enjoying the splash after a while. With Hari's gentle nudge, I ran longer than I originally set out to and ran 20 kms in about 2 hours. I have never ran in the rain for that long must say that I would do it again if I get an opportunity.

Running in the rain is not without its flip side, My shoes and dry fit running clothes became heavier over a period of time and made running a little challenging. Nevertheless, I am glad to have run in the rain today.

I particularly felt good to have run today as it is birth day and this rain run the best gift I could have given myself.

Walking Faster Than Running ?

Well generally running would be faster than walking right? Nope.. Not if compare this walking record to my running..

Look at this record in walking at the 4th Military World Games being held at Hyderabad, India. (and this may not be the world record in this category...)

The results: Athletics: Men: 20km walk: 1 Cui Zhide (Chn) 1h 25m 23.7s, 2. Trotski Ivan (Bel), 3. Toth Matei (Slo).

Cui Zhide of China walked away with a Gold after walking 20 kms in 1:25:23. He had walked at a speed of over 14km an hour. I can't do that speed even running, let alone walking.

Only 46 days to go for Singapore Marathon and my target is to complete the full marathon under 4:30. If I can consistently do 10 km an hour.. then I can attain this target.

Games Indians Play - Why We Are The Way We Are?

Very interesting title isn't it..? This the book I have started reading..

“Why are we a nation that is individually so smart and collectively so naive? Why do we mistake talk for action? Why is our self-worth massaged only if we have the ‘authority’ to break rules? Why are we among the world’s most corrupt? Why do we jump red lights? Why do we dump our garbage at the neighbour’s doorstep? . . . Can it be our climate, population density, poverty, colonial past or even genetic encoding?”

This book is by V Raghunathan, an IIM-A professor who is using Game Theory to explain why Indians behave the way we behave.

I just read the first few pages and if they are precursor of things to come, then this book promises to be an interesting one. The book starts of with discussing the booty Karnataka Government announced for forest brigand Veerappan's head and how they handled hundreds claim for the INR 500 million.

I am not an avid reader, but would like to become one. I hope to come back to you next week with my take on this book.

Why Run With a Group?

Interesting first person article in NY Times on why run with a group*. This story talks about some of the benefits of joining a running group and how it keeps the momentum going. As most of the regular readers might know, I am part of the Chennai Runners group and has immensely benefited from being part of the group. The kind of insights I get and the bonding that happens among the fellow runners is something that needs to be experienced to feel it.

Couple of quotes from the NYTimes story..

Those who run in packs are part of a select society, or maybe a self-selected society. Anyone can join, but you have to run and you have to go to the designated meeting place at the designated time. You might join a club that sponsors runs each week or you might go to a place like a parking lot behind a school where runners gather on weekend mornings. It’s not hard to find these meeting places; local running groups and running stores know where to go. And when you show up, ready to run, the society opens up to you.

You may hear comments from passing motorists — one guy called out to me and my running friend Claire Brown, 34, “Bet you can’t catch me.” Out of his earshot, I muttered, “I’ll bet we could if he got out of his car.”

*Registraion (free) required.

Fight For Kiss

Cool Commercial... More importantly, I like the their choice using computer graphics / animation than 'real' casting... Take a look

Rajni the BOSS

Many of us grew up in Rajni's shadow...if you were one of those favored souls, read on...

1. There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Rajnikant has allowed to live.
2. Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Rajnikant.
3. Rajnikant counted to infinity – twice.
4. When Rajnikant does a pushup, he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing the Earth down.
5. Rajnikant is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head.
6. Rajnikant doesn't wear a watch; HE decides what time it is.
7. Rajnikant gave Mona Lisa that smile.
8. Rajnikant can slam a revolving door.
9. There are no races, only countries of people Rajnikant has beaten to different shades of black and blue.
10. Rajnikant's house has no doors, only walls that he walks through.
11. Rajnikant can divide by zero.
12. Newton's Third Law is wrong: Although it states that for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, there is no force equal in reaction to a Rajnikant turnaround kick.
13. When taking the GRE, write "Rajnikant" for every answer. You will score over 1600.
14. Rajnikant has 12 moons. One of those moon s is the Earth.
15. Rajnikant grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage.
16. An old English dictionary dating back to 1236. It defined "victim" as "one who has encountered Rajnikant"
17. If you Google search "Rajnikant getting kicked" you will generate zero results. It just doesn't happen.
18. Rajnikant can drink an entire gallon of milk in thirty-seven seconds.
19. Rajnikant doesn't bowl strikes, he just knocks down one pin and the other nine faint.
20. It takes Rajnikant 20 minutes to watch 60 Minutes.
21. The Bermuda Triangle used to be the Bermuda Square, until Rajnikant kicked one of the corners off.
22. There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, because Rajnikant lives in Chennai.
23. Rajnikant once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills. They made him blink.
24. James Cameron wanted Rajnikant to play the Terminator. However, upon reflection, he realized that would have turned his movie into a documentary, so he went with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
25. Thousands of years ago Rajnikant came across a bear. It was so terrified that it fled north into the arctic. It was also so terrified that all of its descendants now have white hair .

(Just to be sure.. I did not come up with this list.. It's a email forward.. that too from my boss)

Cool Down Sreesanth

(photo courtesy: The Hindu)

Sreesanth, you got to cool down.. You may be talented and have lot of cricket ahead of you.. but if you can't control your antics.. things will come crashing down on you. Show your aggression with the ball, be more economical and take more wickets, but leave the theatrics out.. for your own good and for the sake of cricket.

Achieving your childhood dreams

Do you know Randy Pausch? He is a Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and recently gave his last lecture on September 18, 2007. Last Lecture series is kind of popular in North American Universities now wherein top notch leaders are invited to give their last lecture, which turns out to be the best lecture ever by the respective individuals.

Randy Pausch (46) is terminally ill. He is afflicted by pancreatic cancer and the doctors have given him 3 to 6 months of good health. But, you will not hear about it in his lecture. Though titled achieving ones childhood dreams, it is about leading our lives. Please do take the time to see the entire lecture, it is bound to have an positive impact on you.

Voluntary Strike / Bandh ?

AIADMK, the main opposition party may have scored a political victory by getting the Supreme Court to stop the Bandh called for today by the DMK led ruling coalition in Tamil Nadu. But, the master politician he is, Mr. Karunanidhi seem to have won this round on the ground. He quickly morphed the Bandh call in to a hunger strike while not really withdrawing the earlier call for a general strike. And, he goes a step further is calling the people of Tamil Nadu to volunteerily observe general shutdown. What is unsaid is that, you better observe the strike and stay indoors or else our muscle will force you to.

“I respect people's decision more than any court's verdict,”

Since the Supreme Court intervened only at the last minute, several offices and establishments have already declared holiday on Oct 1, 07. So, in effect, there is an unofficial bandh underway in Tamil Nadu right now. The traffic along my usual 2km commute to work was very thin and almost all shops were closed. And, the generally bustling office wore an almost deserted look with many people opting to work out of home or just take the day off. (We are officially working this Saturday Oct 6, 07 in lieu of today).

So, while the politicians and the judiciary tries to sort this out, the unofficial Bandh currently underway in Tamil Nadu would have hurt scores of people and the economy.