Everytime he was asked if all the hardwork was worth it, this is all the former Olympic rowing gold medalist, Greg Searle, would say  “I never made any sacrifices; I made choices” 

Recently, I read this HBR article titled “How the Best of the best get better and better”. (I am glad I didn’t let the title discourage me from reading on!!). The article is authored by Mr Graham Jones, a sports psychologist and executive coach, and the cofounder of Lane4, an international performace development consultancy. You can catch the article in the June edition of HBR.  When we pursue a dream or a specific goal and achieve it, there’s often a period during our struggle when things just are. There is a routine in life, and we go about our duties in a religious way, not pondering nor distracted by the end result. Eventually we realise that the journey was every bit as beautiful as the end result; perhaps even better.  

But what happens when you don’t make the cut? When inspite of your best efforts , the destination illudes you? An excerpt from the above mentioned article is given below.  

“As the spectacle of the Olympics unfolds, it will be easy to be captivated by the flawless performance of elite athletes who make their accomplishments seem almost effortless. Such effortlessness is an illusion, though. Even the most youthful star has typically put in countless years of preparation and has endured repeated failures. But what drives all these elite performers is a fierce desire to compete—and win. Evenso, most of those participating in the Olympics this summer will walk away from the games without grabbing a single medal. Those with real mettle will get back into training again. That’s what truly separates elite performers from ordinary high achievers. It takes supreme, almost unimaginable grit and courage to get back into the ring and fight to the bitter end. That’s what the Olympic athlete does….” Nonetheless, I guess its as important in life to know what your limits are and move on as it is to go back to the training ground and go through the grind.  A very close friend of mine has often told me that in life you should be able to say “you know what, I tried my best – so f*** it!”  

The quote mentioned in the beginning had an impression on me and I thought I’ld share it here. Vinmoh has this signature, which he initially picked up as fancy, but then gradually grew on him.   “It is our choices, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities” Touche!

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..and rolls the cast and credits, leaving you overwhelmed.

It is generally  thought of movies that they rarely live up to the book version, but “The Kite runner” by Marc Foster is quite an exception. Khalid Abdalla (as Amir) and Homayoun Ershadi (as Baba) have portrayed the characters to the T and fit the images you develop of these characters even as you read the book; and so does almost every other aspect of the movie.

The story has a powerful theme; as Khaled Houssini puts it in the very first chapter “There is a way to be good again”. It talks about redemption; about how man needs to summon courage to try and bury the ghosts of his past. Certain coincidences, as presented in the story did make it seem a bit unnatural; nonetheless, the theme makes up for all of that. A good read and an equally good watch!

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This has been typical - my absence from the blog. I was on a short trip to Gods own country, home, and the experience was so overwhelming that I wanted to record every moment of it. I admit the euphoria was partly due to the phenomenon of home-sickness. Six long months, scorching heat of the summer, and turn of events (which at times send me spinning!!) had left me all but drained and spent. Add to that, culinary handicaps faced by a devout mallu in telugu land. Even though the desire to break free was fueled by all these ingredients, the experience had much more to it. In fact, ‘why’ hardly matters; it is the sheer experience that I wanted to record here. Well the excitement reached its zenith and passed;soon I found myself back at work, engrossed in my daily chores with the usual nonchalance. It would be unfair and foolhardy to try and capture it all now, one week hence. The moment has passed and life’s back to mundane old ways.. but the memory remains….

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I was going through this post by V and it struck a strange sense of Deja vu. And then realized I had come across the same topic in a different blog. Deja vu lethu!!

The perspective Carl Sagan offers is very intriguing, to say the least.I was zapped by the irony presented in the article. (To be honest, could not understand the logic in his argument, though it does have a certain romantic appeal.)

True, the earth is anything but a speck in the cosmos. But that should not undermine our ’self assumed’ importance. The reason being, there is no proven higher order, a more intelligent species, in all of this vast universe against whom we need to compete as a united species. If there had been, then it makes sense to shed our self-importance and strive for an enhanced existence; to live by a nobler code of law. But there isn’t(not to our knowledge, that is). Perhaps that is why human beings are in conflict and there is so much diversity; because at an unconscious level we are all trying to survive against each other.

Evolution is the most widely accepted explanation to life on earth.Let us assume it is indeed “the explanation” for everything we see around - pitfalls and minor differences in our understanding of the concept notwithstanding. Then, in order for humans to evolve into the next superior species on earth(Like from aqua to amphibian to… monkey to man to next..), perhaps we all need to struggle against each other.The reason being, limited resources at our disposal. Hence we have different religions, different ideologies, different approaches to science - each trying to establish its supremacy; each claiming to be the ultimate explanation for all that we see around. May be its not by choice that we are witnessing what we see around us….may be its by nature..inherent and more of biological in its origin.

For eg: We come to know that the earth’s resources will be completely exhausted by 2050! So we start scouting for other inhabitable planets(which the really zealous western scientists are already trying to). Soon we come across one such planet. Human beings decide to domesticate the planet to suit their needs.

Not so soon though! We encounter another species,from another galaxy, who are also incidentally looking for an alternate eco-system. So now, there’s a full fledged battle, for existence. In such a context we can expect the entire human race, irrespective of white or black or yellow skinned, to unite and wage a battle for the race as a whole - against a common foe.(or like the movie Matrix. Humans vs. Machines!!!)

But since there is no such common foe, at least for now, there is no incentive to unite. Instead, human beings perceive one another as a threat for their existence - in a bid to have a larger pie of the resources around them. Of course there are different levels of this struggle. Between skin-colors, between continents, between nations, within nations, between religions and so on. Ultimately, if it so happens that resources are so scarce that there is a one to one competition, then we might even see best friends / brothers(sisters!) / lovers and any two individual in conflict so as to ensure their existence.

Though our daily activities, beliefs etc are all insignificant compared to the sheer magnitude of the cosmos, living like this is all that we know of. This earth, and this way of living is all we have evolved to, so far - and that not by choice, but by birth and a certain natural process. All of this is happening to us and this is where we live, and hence our feelings, beliefs and ideas are important to us because they define who we are and our existence. (Manchester United are the champions!!! I hate Arsenal! am going home next weekend !! and Kerala cuisine is the tastiest !! )

Till such time we come across a superior species, it will be difficult to eradicate our self-importance.So much as to say “The earth is only a pale blue dot.. so what?!”..

All said and done..I guess in simple terms the article suggests to keep life simple, and devoid of conflicts(something we all could use!! ). May be that is indeed the next higher order that human beings will evolve to - No conflicts, No war, Only Shanthi….

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Wisdom tooth people!!! I have never endured a pain more severe than this; pray never will have to!!

It all started a couple of weeks back. I woke up one morning and had, what appeared to be a sore throat. So, went for my usual “ottamooli” - ‘warm-salt-water gargling’. Felt a lot better, only to realize by evening that there’s some growth protruding in the corner. Well wisdom teeth are here, which according to my wise and old roomie J, is very late in its arrival. Apparently most people go through the ordeal much earlier.

Now I’d like to take a break here and describe my past responses to such assaults by nature. Unlike my best pal V, who is a self confessed ‘cry baby’ when it comes to tooth matters, I have never been squirmy with regard to the same. They would be dancing their way to glory and I would pluck them in one swift motion. No fuss, no drama. Of course that was a long time ago, and little did I realize that my heroics would all be in vain – I too was destined to surrender to their battering.

So this is what happens. The pain originates at the gum, then gives you an occasional twitch at the ears, develops a swelling in your jaw, gives you a terrible headache and gives you an infected throat, not being able to even swallow, let alone chew (no kidding!!) Of course, it could all go smooth and nice for some, but I had what the dentist called an ‘Impacted growth’. So I happened to be amongst the unlucky lot. Not a surprise, that. Been in a “mongan erunna pattide thalayil thenga veenu” phase for some time now!!!

First the dentist pretended to be checking the growth region for pus(?) formation. In reality he was just checking my pain endurance limits, which I demonstrated as being very low. Then he gave me the good news – will get both removed today itself. I was advised to have a good but early lunch and come prepared. Of course there was nothing to worry. This time around they would give me a local anesthesia and I would be what the dentist himself mentioned with a smirk, “comfortably numb”.

Comfortably numb my arse. Was neither comfortable nor numb!! The doc said it ‘might’ hurt occasionally and I just had to put my hand up to indicate. Well my ‘hands’ were up almost through out!Remarkably though, the whole exercise lasted only an hour. Its been hardly five hours since then and I have that famous ‘Michael Corleone’ cheek already. The doc has warned that by tomorrow I might even resemble Adnan Sami, with all the swelling!!

Well that’s tomorrow. For now I hope tonight will be peaceful. I also hope David Beckham can inspire England to a win against Brazil in a thrilling match; Terry can keep Kaka away, Gerrard can man-mark Ronaldhinho and Lampard will at least hit the target!!!

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There’s an impending void lurking in the corner. The dust has settled after what has been nothing less than a carnival of season. The wizardry of Ronaldo (of the ‘Da Gama lineage of course!!)..sheer grit and self belief of Chelsea routing Barca…Man United’s attacking and mouth watering display…Liverpool’s determination and ofcourse the ‘Anfield Aura’ in UCL…I can barely recollect a low point this season. Ever since the departure of the Keano-Viera duo, ManUtd - Arsenal has ceased to be a thriller; yet I will admit losing to the ‘Gone’rs still hurts. Nonetheless, the silverware more than makes up for the disappointment.

In hindsight, the world cup was a sign of things to come. Captain Drogba led a spirited Ivory coast and Ronaldo winked England out of the tournament - both far from world class during previous seasons. While Drogba could barely tap the ball into an empty post, Ronaldo was masterful at dribbling and dribbling and just that. The pundits speculated mid season transfer for both,courtesy, Ronaldo’s winking antics and Scheva’s presence in the Chelsea squad. All odds against;both put their hands up and count we did - 50+ goals between them!!

The world cup also hinted at the demise of a Champion. Flashes of brilliance still gave one the adrenaline rush this season. Yet you knew the magic was missing - the ball no longer followed him all around the park, defenders did not fall over each other and Peter cech certainly didn’t gape in awe. Either I will be proved wrong next season (which I would dearly love) or the age old saying will prevail - “All good things must come to an end”

Sir Fergie(as a certain drunken V was forced to address by a certain drunken S) scripted yet another brilliant campaign. Clinching the championship after two years of complete domination by Chelsea is perhaps the biggest achievement for the hard taskmaster since the treble. ManUtd’s attacking game scaled new heights against a Roma side who are still figuring out what hit them. But the scoreline at San Siro once again exposed the team’s vulnerability against big names in Europe.

While ManUtd oozed confidence and class, Chelsea reveled in grit and late comebacks. In the end ManU’s superior form and attacking game won them their 9th premiership title and Chelsea’s self-belief saw them through the FA cup final.I guess the cup final summed up the season for these two teams - ManUnited dominated the game for longer spells, but Chelsea snatched victory right at the death in trademark style.

So we shall all rest in peace. Its a shame that 25% of an year is spent without football. But its a well deserved break for all those stars - especially after an injury ridden, quadruple/treble chasing season.We also have the ‘Copa-America’ to look forward to(so I am told..). Until then have to indulge in gossips, rumors, geeky facts and figures - who has the history? who’s the current champion? who gets penalties and who not? and the like..

Not so soon though!!Theres one last treat..a few minutes away..the mesmerizing Kaka,the gutsy Gattusso and the old stalwarts Seedorf and Maldini. Kaka could well steal the show. But Liverpool have a simple, no-nonsense approach in UCL which combined with flashes of attacking brilliance is very effective. And of course they have Gerrard!!!A Gerrard inspired Liverpool victory in a thrilling, nail-bitter of an UCL final!!then we shall say… Shalom…

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So I finally get myself to blog. It’s been months since I have been toying with the idea. So much so that I even registered here; well as it turns out it takes me one whole week to post my first blog since then(and hopefully not the last!!).
The fact that you are likely to be judged based on what you express is what held me back. And then I realized how silly and self-conscious a notion it is to assume that people have nothing better to do(some of my friends actually don’t!).So i decided to let go off my inhibitions and gave in to the lure of expressing myself.

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