I'm loving it.

Well its my current state, I'm loving all that I'm doing. Coz work wise I'm doing absolutely nothing. *big grin* And fun wise doing lots.

Enjoying the regular gym sessions in the mornings. Its making me a bit organized early-to-rise-early-to-bed kinds. And this Sunday, I participated in a 10km run here in Bangalore. The moment I heard about the event, I made up my mind to participate in it. And lemme tell you, I did the right thing. The energy at Kanteerava Stadium was damn high with Sunfeast hosting this 10Km run. This was my highest distance to run (though trekked 18kms along the banks of River Cauvery on a sunny day in Feb 2006 at Bheemeswari) and took roughly 1 hr 20 mins to finish it, not bad for a beginner I guess. My disastrous performance at the 5.5 Km IT run conducted as a part of Bangalore Midnight marathon last year (lol, I panted like hell after running for a half kilometer) made me motivated to participate a larger distance run with better fitness. We (Srikanth and me) practiced a bit by running 6 kms and 7.5 kms the subsequent day (without any major break in between) on the roads of CV Raman Nagar area, and had real fun on the day running along with people of different age groups and nationalities.

Some other worth mentioning things in the event: the live coverage by CNBC, that helicopter hovering above us to shoot the event, the occassional rides of photographers and camera men on mo-bikes, lotsa people waiting for us and cheering us all the way, those colorful cheerleaders by Mallya saab, all the wonderful fellow female runners, the water that tasted like nectar in the hot sun, those km marks which motivate us to complete the remaining run, and the congratulations after finishing the run.
And a big thanks to all the organizers and Bangalore Police people who made the event much smoother. All in all had lotsa fun, during the main event as well as during the practice runs :)

I love to watch a movie or sleep for hours at work. Today I was really really happy after watching 'There will be Blood' in office. Awesome movie, worth Oscars for the male lead role and the cinematography. Be happy, live long.

Update (23/05/08):
A Big thanks to Mallya Saab for all those wonderful free photos from marathon-photos.com. Otherwise it would cost us around £11.00 to get a download-able copy of each of our pictures.

Very True...

Rome was not built in a day!

Trip to Mekedaatu - Bad Timing but Great Fun

After much procrastination and many uneventful plans, we (7 of us) had finally been to Mekedaatu (/Mekedatu/Mekadatu) - The Goat's leap.

The Place -
At Mekadaatu, river Cauvery flows in a narrow ravine. Long ago, a goat was believed to leap across this ravine when it was being chased by a hunter and hence the name. But no normal goat can do that distance in a single leap, and there comes the mythologicial significance of this place - the goat that leaped across the Cauvery was believed to be Lord Shiva in disguise. Mekedaatu is around 90 kms from Bangalore. Sangama, the confluence of River Arkavati and River Cauvery, is the nearest place where people can go by vehicles. Depending on the water level, we should either take a coracle or cross Sangama by foot. After crossing Sangama, a 4 km trek or a ride in an antique bus will take you to Mekedaatu with its wonderful antediluvian rock formations and offer you the sight of breath-taking Cauvey flowing with unstoppable force. It is best to visit this place before or after monsoons.



The Plan -
It was mid April and we planned for our trip on one fine Sunday! So as to prevent ourself from becoming a victim of The Scorching Sun, we thought of taking a cab and starting at 7 in the morning. This would help us reach Sangama by 9.30 AM. Then we thought of taking a Coracle ride to cross Sangama and trek the 4 km journey or take the bus service available to reach Mekedaatu by 11.30 AM. Two hours at Mekedaatu will give us ample time to explore every nook and corner, and ofcourse for those kodak moments!!! Starting after lunch will help us reach our home back by 4PM. This is all about our great plan.

The Fall of the Great Plan -
All went well till the night before that Sunday, as we planned for Mekedaatu on that night itself. ;) The cab fellow said a big NO in arranging a cab at 6.30 in the morning and said that he could provide us with one only at 9.00 AM. It was almost 10 AM by the time we started and reached at 12 noon approx! After filling our tummies with the stuff we got there, we rushed to Sangama at 2PM to feel the Sun snickering at us (may be out of excitement that we couldnt avoid Him despite all our plans). It was so dumb of us to expect a high water level for a Coracle ride at Sangama in such a heat. The level was too low and we had to cross it by foot. After crossing, we purchased tickets for a 4-km jumpy bumpy ride in that antique bus service available to reach Mekedaatu. And then at Mekedaatu, we felt the real heat due to all those granite rock. All due to bad timing, planning the trip at wrong time of the year and going there at the wrong time of the day!


The Fun and the Thrill part -
Despite the heat and the cabbie playing the spoilsport, we had real fun there. The not so wide route offered occasional sight of small-lakes, coconut plantations, road-side small villages, farming and bridges which made the drive enjoyable. The view at Mekedaatu is one to cherish for lifetime. The wonderful granite rock formations with mysterious gigantic holes and the mad rush with which Cauvery flows will definitely leave one awestruck. A word of caution to all those who are planning to go there - be careful as its a binary state near that rocky ravine "alive/dead". The force of the flow will hypnotize you to take a dive into it the way historical goat did, with the slippery rocks justifying their role absolutely well in this task will get your colleagues an extra holiday. After heading back from Mekedaatu and the jumpy bumpy return ride (we couldn't even think of a trek due to the hot sun) we reached Sangama where we had loads of fun. We exhibited our swimming skills, slipped while walking on the slippery rocks and what not, had very great time which I couldn't put in words. All followed by the clicks of our cam. Although it didnt turnout the way we had planned, we enjoyed the trip a lot. After all what thrill would it be if everything turns out the way we plan... :)


Directions -
Reach Kanakapura first and then ask for Sangam/Mekadaatu from there. I know this is unfair on my part, but this time we had been on a cab and we really didnt bother about the directions.

Other Attractions which we didn't see -

• Lord Sangameshwara Temple at Sangam
• Cauvery Fishing Camp

Kya hai tumhaarey paas?

Last night Satish and me had a difference of opinion on some issue. We were having a row and out of frustration I yelled at him -

Me: "Hum dono ek hi jagah (BITS) se apni engineering ki shuruwat ki thi.
Aaj main kaha hoon aur tum kahan ho.
Mere paas Passion plus gaadi hai, motorola hand set hai, sodexho coupons hai, MS ka admit bhi hai.
Kya hai tumhaarey paas?"

After a brief pause, Satish answered in a hushed voice and made me shut up my mouth -
"Mere paas IEEE paper hai"

Congrats to my dear roomy GOD SatP :-)