Lice, Lice, go away

Do you remember scratching your head vigorously? No, not in wonder, but because it was really itchy? I remember all too well the "lice" problem I had when I was a kid, especially in primary and secondary schools. The "lice" exterminator was Palaniamma, our maid, who I used to refer to as "Pals", she had only 8 teeth. Whether I liked it or not, I had to go through hours of scrutiny every Sunday to not eliminate, but atleast reduce the lice population in my head. Maybe today the methods are different after a few decades. Here's what I came across, for those who are not absolutely disgusted by the topic.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6556272

Witness to our existence...

I was watching the movie "Shall We Dance" and the following piece of conversation that Susan Sarandon says sounded quite interesting to me...

Susan: Why is it, do you think, that people get married?
Guy: Passion...
Susan: No.
Guy: That's interesting. Because I would've taken you for a romantic. Why, then?
Susan: Because we need a witness to our lives... There's a billion people on the planet. I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, your're promising to care about everything - the good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things...All of it. All the time, every day. You're saying, "Your life will not go unnoticed, because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed, because I will be your witness"

[Courtesy: Subtitle on DVD]

Vegetarianism

I am told it is a tradition. Somehow the news of Bush releasing 2 thanksgiving turkeys the day before Thanksgiving makes me really sad. Not for the fact that the turkeys can now live, but for the fact that when sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner the next day, you can visualise that it is remarkably similar to the birds that took flight yesterday.

I try to rationalize that when people are served processed meat, they are not thinking about the animal in question. Fair enough: how often do we think of the condition of the cows when drinking milk? Had we lived on the farm, and Bessie the cow was not feeling well, or wanted a walk instead of giving milk, we might have let Bessie out on the pastures before approaching her when she feels like giving milk. In the store, there is just reduced fat, lowfat and whole milk. Bessie might have been sleeping when the milk was taken from her - but, we don't know that, and that absolves us of waking a cow deep in slumber.

So now my question comes back to relating the animal to the meat on the table. Do people do that, and when they do, does it trouble them or not? I am just trying to think of the meat-eating thought process here. Any insights are welcome. My vegetarianism from birth has endowed me with only 1 view.

Big Bite !

Why are foods here in US packed with all the gooey stuff that drips from all sides and are unable to be eaten easily? Is it just me? The common food items that come to my mind are the Burritos and all types of Burgers/Sandwiches. Is it the way I hold it or Is it the way I bite it? I dont know. Should I just let it (guacamole/tomatoes/dressings) go? Well, I like guacamole. I dont want to pay for a dish and not eat parts of it just because it falls back on the plate/paper, however disgusting it might be. I do perform decision making based on the size of the piece. But, with a piece falling for every other bite, it does get tricky. Dont even get me started on the spillings which run between fingers. Should I wipe after every bite or just wait till the entire food is stuffed in? I think, our stuffed parathas with side-dishes or masala dosas or kozhukattai or samosas are technically far more superior inventions in food than burgers and burritos. Not that I dont like them. But, I am just frustrated
about the logistics involved in consuming it.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone !!

Is "not voting" a sin?

How many times have I voted and expressed my preferences during elections? I was walking back home and I dont know why but this question came to mind. The answer is twice. Both times because somebody told me that it was my constitutional right to vote and that I owe it to the motherland blah blah. But is not voting really a sin? From a practical stand point sometimes not voting can be an equilibrium outcome.

Consider this scenario. When I land at a polling booth what are the choices facing me? I can be sincere and vote for the person/party that I support with all my heart. I could vote strategically such that my vote ensures that the person I dont want to elect never gets elected. Or my vote could be the decider, therefore a make or break deal which makes it all the more valuable.

Generally, if you are the supporter of a leading party, we are never in a situation where strategic voting is necessary. This is logical because by voting for the person you want, you are in fact loading the bets against the person you dont want. But imagine the case when you are a supporter of a marginal party. For instance in Indian politics forget supporters of BJP and the Congress. What about supporters of marginal local parties such as PMK blah blah.

These supporters have to make a choice between voting strategically or voting sincerely, because their individual party nominee is highly unlikely to win. If they vote sincerely, then this is equivalent to them not voting, because the outcome is not influenced by their vote. On the other hand if they vote strategically, then the outcome of their vote does play a hand in the final result.

Therefore here is a situation where "not voting" is actually an equilibirum outcome. Does it mean you are not excercising your constitutional right? Probably not. What would be more apt is, you do not want to use your constitutional rights as the platform to go against your own beliefs.

Crusades: Imagination Vs. Imagination

Eyes large as saucers, voices as vehement as can get, we demanded:

"Who/What gives them the right to throw out processed, dry foods, and that too at Bangalore airport?"

The group, gathered around a table with sumptuous food, demanded between tasty mouthfuls. It was actually quite an effort to sound affronted when every movement sent a divine taste surging through the tongue. But, we are all known to be a determined lot, and piqued we were.

The topic under discussion was that one of my aunts was forced to leave behind much of her belongings at Bangalore airport. The "sambhar podi", and the various dried powders that can be mixed with boiled rice were all thrown out, we were told by our every chagrined parents. They had heard the news from one of their neices, who must have sounded quite convincing, because it actually prevented them from carrying too many things. We discussed the possible causes, criteria used by the airport authorities in such cases, and sounded rightfully indignant about the whole process.

Later that afternoon we placed a call to the aforesaid aunt, and tried to learn the magnitude of her losses. Come to think of it, my mother started out on quite an apologetic note while asking about it. She explained that she had a tube of Bengay in her hand-carry by mistake, and was forced to throw that out in Frankfurt airport. That apart, some other food packets of hers, were placed in check-in baggage, instead of the hand-baggage. That was all there was to the whole story!

I cannot imagine how many rounds this story must have made, before reaching my parents in its current shape! Every story-teller tied their own ribbons and balloons to the story. Soon the story took its current form:

A monstrous team was out on a vicious rampage at Bangalore airport, stripping legitimate travellers of their chutney mixes, and filter coffee.

I can't help remembering the cartoon we used to see on Doordarshan about the balloon that burst in a house. Soon, the story takes on epic proportions before police arrive on the scene fearing a violent gunshot crime-scene, only to find a disappointed little girl, looking quite sullen because her balloon burst!

I am now seriously wondering the basis on which religious wars are fought. Most of our religious books were passed down through generations by word of mouth before getting penned as books. So, we use the combined imaginations of centuries to take offense against another form moulded by centuries of ... imagination!

Laughter, the Best Medicine

Marathon Myths...

I was going to type a blog of my first marathon experience. Then, I figured that it doesnt make an exciting story. It wasnt an experience where I went through tough times before I came out with flying colors. Infact, I think I performed below my expectations. Anyway, when people talk about marathon, it is usually construed as an impossible target to achieve. I beg to differ. I think it is about consistent training and discipline. I would like to state my thoughts on what I think as the hard/easy part of running a marathon and my fellow running buddies can update their thoughts.

First of all, it is the distance "shock and awe" factor. Well, when you look at it as 26.2 miles or ~42 kilometres, it is breathtaking. In my experience, I think, it is the first 5-6 miles that is most crucial. If you start running and are able to run 5 to 6 miles without any problem, it is just a matter of time (~3 months) before you can run your full marathon. It is as simple as that. The only factor to be kept in mind is "training". It is important that you run atleast 3-4 times a week. You could follow any training program that's out there in the web (e.g. Hal Higdon).

The second thing, from my opinion, is the pace. Since I started a little late for my marathon training, when I started training, the only way I looked at marathon running was that, if you can walk 26.2 miles at 15 minutes a mile, you should be able to finish the marathon in 6 hrs 33 minutes. So, if you run slightly above your walking pace, you are going to be limited only by your body capacity than running out of breath. So, finishing a marathon is not as hard, provided you dont worry too much about your pace. The converse holds true as well. If you increase your pace, you will get tired exponentially sooner and your average time could get screwed big time. So, it is all in the pace. I personally think that injury proneness is proportional to pace. Also, if you think you have pain during your run, run slower or stop running based on the pain. But, remember that it is not going to be pain-free when you train long distance running. When I talk about avoid injury prevention, I am talking about the "real" pain, which you will know when you get it..:)

The third most important thing, to me, was the discipline. If you are training for a marathon for 3 months, you better follow some training guideline and stick to it. Trying to skip runs and making it up is not a good thing. Also, running long distances without hydrating yourself with electrolytes and fluids is a bad strategy. Our body needs to be replenished with water and minerals (salt) since they get lost during the run. Also, assuming that a miracle would happen on race day and running faster than your regular trained for pace is very very BAD.

Another general perception is that you will lose a lot of weight when you train for a marathon. Whenever I called my parents, they thought that I was getting thinner by the day because of my marathon preparation. It is only true for people who are overweight. If you are about the right weight, by fueling your body with a lot of carbs, you might infact, put on some weight as opposed to losing it. Also, given that your body knows that you are going to expend a lot of calories, it gets into a cycle where it stores a lot of glycogen and carbs. So, eat well and eat smart. Again, once you start training for a marathon, you will google yourself to death by visiting a lot of websites which offer free information.

Another topic which is a debatable one is about running with groups. Personally, I have found that when I have a specific distance goal in mind on a given run, running alone has helped since I am not biased/affected by my running partner. When I run in a group, my competitive spirit takes over and I try to overstretch my goals. In other words, I dont prefer to run with someone who is extremely faster than me. It not only affects pace, but it affects your goal.

Keep in mind that, your mind starts playing games with you and can defeat you if you dont focus. Dont get bogged down by the enormousness of the run. It has more to do with your mind than your body. At times, you will feel like you should stop at 3 miles. At times, you can run 15 miles and still want to run. If you master your mind, you are definitely on your way to becoming a marathoner...

pictures- Marathon