Getting the Maximum out of the Maximum City.

First, the things I'd planned to do, but didn't manage to do.
a) Go on any of the Mumbai Walks. Too bad, they take only corporate bookings now. Someone needs to tell them that they just need to manage the online booking better and not be pricey. Now, how many corporate bookings will they get? Should I be the someone who tells them that? Probably yes ;)

b) A visit to Haji Ali. Guess I will do it on my next visit to the city. Not sure when though!

And now, here's a list of things planned/unplanned and I'm happy I did.

a) Keep the running coming along...Did 3 runs of 10kms with the last one under 70 mins. I should be happy if I manage an early 60's for the TCS 10K back in Bangalore next month.

b) Mumbai Darshan - the local sight-seeing trip. It had been about 20 years since I'd done this last. This time around I was alone, but the memories of the previous Bombay sight-seeing with Appa, Amma and sis came rushing back. I must have been in class 2 or 3 then!

c) Visiting Matunga. Man, I should have done this back in 2009 or 2011. Wonder how I failed doing this on both occasions. It could have had a bearing on certain decisions ;)
More seriously, a "South Indian" will feel at home here in Matunga and will never feel like he's left home to work here in a faraway land.
 (the term "South Indian" here being used more for convenience rather than to imply agreement with the stereotyping or generalisation of people originally from the South of the Vindhyas!)

d) A leisurely visit to Kala Ghoda.
In all I spent about 4 hours across the art galleries in the Jehangir Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Modern Arts.
It had been almost 4 years since I spent so much time at art galleries. I was reminded of my regular visits to the Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. I liked the art works on display at the galleries here in Mumbai. But the Delhi visits still have a strong influence on me. Maybe because I used to visit almost every weekly art exhibition atleast once a week for almost 6 months.
It's a pity I haven't visited any such galleries back at home. Something I should do when I return later this week.
Just looked up Chitrakala Parishat online. I never knew they had so many galleries there!

e) A play at the NCPA.
The plays looked interesting. But I didn't think thrice before shelling out 500 bucks for Vir Das' stand-up called "History of India - Vir written".
Man, is he good! I probably much better. But he was definitely good alright ! My first stand-up experience and I totally loved it!
Apparently the guy has done some 25 shows at the Tata Theatre at the NCPA and all of them have been sold out. In fact, this evening Mumbai Indians were playing in Mumbai and Vir Das' was sold out..with 850+ seats.

Returning home to the Optimum City (yes, that's a new name I have coined for Bangalore!) later this week.
A lot of things on my To Do when back in Bangalore. Long-term, short-term, completing WIP n unfinished businesses and taking up new activities...plans shall remain plans until executed. So, fingers crossed and mind set!

Optimum City - so what the name may be influenced by a positive bias. I definitely feel its an apt one!
See ya soon!

Seizonsha

Nemesis.

That summer morning when he woke up, he wanted to unremember.

He wanted to unremember the Dream that had turned nightmare.

A nightmare that surpassed dawn and clouded him until the morning sun shone.

He realised that he had met his Nemesis.

The date on his watch read " 30 THU ". The time had come.

An invalid date could not have signaled a more valid message.

Running would not be enough. That very morning, he would have to run away.

He had always banked on Einstein's quote about Reality being a function of time.

The Reality however, as he Realised that morning, was that it was time.

Time for him to set himself up for a pilgrimage.

Seek answers to questions that had been making his head spin in several multiples of 360 degrees over the past days that had spilled into a few weeks and then a couple of months.

The innocent fella he was, he was not going to leave any debts behind for me to repay. As in, no monetary debts

But what an arrogant fella I tell ya, he was talking about Indebtedness; about how his life resembled an unbalanced sheet now, reflecting the bordering mental and sentimental imbalance he thought he was going through.

Sometimes, he takes things into his head. That egg shaped head I too inherited from him.

Whoever told him that Life was Fair!

Anyways, before your head starts spinning, let me declutter things up.

Breathe easy. Breathe in slowly. Breathe out quickly.

Now that you are ready, let me break this piece of news to you.

Vishwas Mysore has met with his Nemesis. He has chosen to leave all of us. He has run away. Away from all that was troubling him.

Who am I then, you may ask.

I am his alter ego.

I know all his dark and bright secrets. Well, almost all.

He has left somethings behind for me to deal with. Like for example, his job. And the pay that comes with it. Luckily, he didnt owe any money to anyone. But then, his assets are apparently mine only so long as I don't try to sell them off. Smart fucker. Super-power of attorney it seems! Superior joke. Only that the joke is on me. His Alter Ego. Whatay fucker! He apparently reserves the right to claim just in case he feels like returning into our midst. Irresponsible fella ! He has run away from problems and wants to come back if he feels like. Especially if all problems have been solved. And if he can be assured that there shall be no more problems.

That last bit about wanting to have no problems.

Like it's gonna happen. Jackass! For all his self-proclaimed knowledge and useless education. Anyways.I am his alter ego. So, I cant belittle him beyond a point.

But he was a nice fella in his own way. Well meaning and well intentioned. I only wish him well. I'm not too sure if I'm gonna miss him. Not any more than he's gonna miss me.

His parting words to me were on the lines of Him wanting to put his mind over matter.

I felt like throwing some batter on him. That could have cured him of his mental ailment.

Mind over batter would have baked some nice biscuits to munch on. Given the heat inside his already half-baked mind.

There I go again. I apologise. I mean no disrespect. But then, I have now taken over.

He and I are a lot similar. Yet so different. I dont have any emotional baggage though.

It is now my turn. Huhuhaahah (Roars of laughter).

--Seizonsha aka Sthiramathi (that naive guy - Vishwas Mysore's alter-ego)

Of Hopes, Dreams and Desires.

As I set sail on yet another journey on the days after tomorrow,

A few more wonderful moments I wish I could borrow.

Whom from you may ask, dear Friend. Don't you very well know?

For although every long journey away from home is bitter-sweet,

Every such moment hurts when eyes and minds don't meet.

The direction of the wind is in which I set sail.

For how does it matter when it is that Deam I trail.

The sea-breeze and its occasional sweet whisper,

Makes those Dreams and Desires a tad bit crisper.

The sea waves rushing away and returning,

Like they were signalling in a way, something.

The waters and their persistence,

Against life's harms, helping build resistance;

The serenity of the Sea at night.

Reminding you of Destiny's might.

The perils of the sea for which I mentally prepare,

The effects of the defects which I attempt to repair.

The optimist in me does not like to imagine despair.

I feel like the stoic sailor; a master of sea-fare.

I feel like a captain of a regiment trained in war-fare.

Setting sail, hopeful of a home-coming filled with fan-fare.

Looking forward to coming back to something really really nice.

For home, family and friends give me a feeling unbeatable by Paradise.

- OptiMystic Seizonsha.

Of minds and workshops.

Samiksha,

I has been a month since I have been at home. And although it has been rather hectic on the work front, what with late hours, work creeping into after and before office and weekends. But, no, this is no crib.

Guess this has been quite a cure. When the mind has enough to occupy itself, stray / unwelcome / unpleasant thoughts don't bother loitering around.

And although I have not been running as much as I would like to, I am happy I have rediscovered the reading habit.

Come to think of it, over the last 1 month, despite the hectic work schedule, I feel proud to have gone back to my earlier levels of time and mind management. The sheer variety of activities / breakways has been - well, satisfying yet encouraging. Guess it will only get better when I come back home in April for long.

So, here's what I have been upto just to keep my mind continuously occupied.

2 exams (hope I clear both!)

1 music concert

2 books - each as un-put-downable as the other but (and no offense here Sidin!), liked the Kannada one more than English!

8 movies - yes, all on the big screen with a good mix across language, genre and company dimensions. Sherlock Holmes was no doubt the best!

All the comforting and feel-good moments can never be counted!

Guess (and touchwood!) it has been a great start for 2012.

Hope to read (minds as much as books) and run (races as much as rat-races) much more through the year!

So long,

Keep running!

P.S: The movies will happen even without elaborate planning!

To Run or Run away is - not the question. On False-starts, Head-starts, Perfect and not-so-perfect starts.

Often times in life, one encounters false-starts.

Just when one thinks something has begun, one realises that he has jumped the gun.

That the Head-start was only in his own delusion-afflicted head subjected to Illusion.

Not that all good starts are false-starts.

Nor is it the case that most head-starts are false or imagined.

The fact of the matter, if you really do ponder - is that we fail to imagine head-starts and false-starts almost equally well.

Well, false-starts end up making us look stupid. Or nervous.

But then, that hardly is enough reason to stop thinking about possible head-starts.

For Life, my dear (diary) Samiksha, is sometimes (in fact quite often!) a race.

Possible futures, possible head-starts.

I promise, I shall never give up to be fondly, in fact almost apologetically romantically fantasize about them.

If I were to be shaken into being practical ; be forced to avoid false-starts, I would still say that we need to make a start.

Make a start somewhere.

Aim for that head-start.

If it is worth it, pledge his heart.

Till Death does the Pursuit and him apart.

For until one makes a beginning,

Life shall have no real meaning.

- Seizonsha

P.S: - A part of this was a result of a half-thought crystallised during the 10km run this Sunday on Sankranthi.

The other half - the idea of the "False-Start" was spawned by the not too recent false-start that yours truly was reminded of just as he was beginning to forget it.

He shall promptly and fondly go back to remembering the possible futures now.

After all, the Sthiramathi is supposed to weigh memorably imaginable futures and forgettable pasts alike.