Haile Storm

Read this
I wasn't short of any inspiration for my ultra in Dec after reading this, but this helps.

Another Day Another time...

Last Thursday, we got beaten in the finals of the TATA Crucible National Finals by a very inspired team who scored as much as the two teams tied for 2nd place. We were placed next to last with a score of zero. There were about 4 other teams on 0 and one of two teams on -5 to alleviate our suffering. Our strategy was based on an all or nothing principle since only first place earned any cash and it didn't work out. Simply put, we didn't know enough and were outclassed. However a Sony handycam which is supposed to come our way soon for being in the finals, a coffee table book on the Indian Navy and a voucher for a free hotel stay does help manage the sorrow of a day spent chilling out at the Taj Lands End in Bombay. But an entire night in the company of friends and fellow participants watching India beat South Africa made up for a poor day of quizzing. We just took over the coffee shop at TLE. Great day overall.

And then last evening, another quiz, another victory, another coupon, another book - The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry.

I had been waiting to buy this book for a long time since it was not available in paperback until recently. Enjoyable read. Still savouring it, page by page

What is it with talented poets being gay?

More new books...

Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Honourable Company by John Keay

All 3 were due to a coupon I got from a quiz as mentioned earlier. Also spent Rs. 43o extra. But Rs 570 (140 y'day) for 6 new books is not so bad.

The 1st book above was bought due to its cult status and hence popular culture for me :)
The 2nd of the above is due to my being Ishi-ly charmed by the gentle Japanglais.
The 3rd one is due to our learned friend & philosopher (pun intended) Ludwig who has written glowingly about the author, persuading us to sample a bit and get impressed enough to buy one of his books.

More when we finish one of nearly half a dozen books we have on our table

New Books, ...

Some coupons... some books...

Vikram Seth's Golden Gate
Vikram Seth's Collected Poems
William Dalrymple's City of Djinns

Also, got another coupon at a quiz. So more books soon...

Ran-dhum Musings

i had won 2 free tickets to a movie show sometime ago. i went to the pvr in forum mall (after a strenuous 22 km hill run), had lunch, waited for sometime just to kill time and finally went up to the theatre, only to be told by the ticket checker that i had inox tickets! and after all, still made it o inox just around the time the movie began. turned out to be totally crappy. the invasion, based on the body snatchers tale is one of the most tacky movies i have seen in the last dozen years. In other news nicole said she felt alone on oscar night after the awards. she could have called. i was alone too. we could have celebrated with multiple rounds of drinks…

among current peeves is an ad for zen estilo on radio where some b%^& raves about there being no catch in the promo wherein you take a test drive for an estilo and that’s it. you are eligible to win some foreign trip et al. pity the ad ends with a disclaimer saying “conditions apply!” so much for bold claims. if there is one reason i will never buy the estilo, this ad is it.

and then this other ad also on radio is supremely corny, for shamrao vithal bank. some woman called anita calls rustam… rusty, and tells him to watch his cullesterol, huh! and finally adds that his company’s loan is approved. she also says she will join him for tea at 4 pm that day. i mean, really?! one more product to avoid.

and here is a gift for you, my dear reader

i have said more than once, what can’t kill me makes me stronger, with credit to some distortion of what freddie said ;) however here is a study which says the former makes me smarter as well.

and for the car lovers among you, here’s a riot. the authors have really taken it out, would you believe that even ferrari produced a lemon?

and finally, while reading an article on maria sharapova at the us open, on the day she wore her red dress, i found a link to the following at the bottom of the page

“Unified field theory

Problems of a field and neutrino. Maxwell theory+PC solve this all.”

i have not managed to figure out the links between maria and maxwell, let alone the us open and neutrinos!!! just wonder what led google to find these links as relevant.

ideally some of the above would have been separate posts. however life has been a little random these days…

Ever since I found some support for my height, I have begun seeing other trends. For example, a steady job may let you attract women, even if you are bald. Don’t believe me, read this

Sometime ago, also acquired the new paperback version of The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson.