Back to Jogging!

Woke up with some enthu on Sunday morning. Instead of whiling hazy time playing something on my phone decided to put on my running shoes and venture out. And glad I am I did! (All caught up on Star Wars! and wondering why it took me so long.)

Got reminded how much I enjoyed it. So went and got myself some running friendly clothes and shoes to work so I can head out on weekdays too. Lets see how long I'll keep it up this time. And here are some views from my run yesterday. No wonder I want to keep it going.

Note to self: Avoid concrete paths! And oh - milk does inherently taste sweet. Cut down on the sugar.

Christmas Weekend

Started with a stroll on the beach with nice company. Sat on the sands and talked about the explorations of our companion who has tried his hand at bee keeping, carpentry, advertizing, music, cooking, computer engineering... the list goes on. And hes so young. Loved the energy he has for life. Got back home to churn up a nice spread for our guests that night. Played board games well into the night and finished three bottles of wine between the six of us without even getting a cursory high!

The day after was better yet - started with a hike on Mt Tam where we traipsed about hunting for mushrooms! Learnt quite a bit about mushrooms. Was a beautiful beautiful day with clear fresh air and rolling landscapes. Rested midway through the hike on a vantage point giving us unending views of the ocean and the shores to the right. Scrambled through some underbrush in the lush redwoods and finally got rewarded with a cluster of Oyster Mushrooms. Wound our way back home where our young fellow (have to admit I do feel old with him around :P )whipped up a yummy yummy pasta with the mushrooms and Parmesan cheese with some kale tossed in. And oh the bread we had - just that little extra touch he put in with the toasting and garlic and cheese on it - soul food. Ate till I was ready to burst! Ended watching some TV online and finally dozed off with thoughts of a lazy work week ahead.

The Grind of Bodies

That's what a pub dance floor usually is. A mill. Bodies colliding, crushing those poor little toes, that elbow in your back, unknown drink in your belly, and in SF pot fumes swirling around. And I love it. Which is crazy. But maybe with reason. Its probably the one place & time when I express myself uninhibitedly. Move in a way that makes sense to only me. Get rid of all that pent up energy from leading a non physical life ( I truly believe many city dwellers would happily go at it on a farm with shovels and etcetera just for the sake of it given half a chance - man has no idea what he has given up introducing machines for everything. But then again he created dance floors..). When I can stomp on toes with my heels and get away with a smile. No hard feelings. Good will and benevolence is abounding all around.
And then closing time comes around all too soon and you know your friends are going to get you home safe and all accounted for and that that key is waiting for you to get you inside and into a soundless sleep (stupor more like). To awake the next morning and wonder how many people had stomped on your sore sore toes or is it maybe the shoes...

Transient Beauty

Was on the train today when i saw this bit of grass on some playground lit up by a stray beam of sunlight on an otherwise cloudy morning. Had this golden effect on the grass. Was ethereal. Just like that one glimpse of hazy sunlight filtering through the trees speckled with dust raised by the street-cleaner on another early-morning-on-the-way-to-work. Or that night at the beach with the waters glazed by silver moonlight. When we rushed back fearing the dark shadows. All passing moments. But with a permanent image in my memories. Maybe thats the true secret behind beauty - transience. But then again maybe not.

My Kinda Art

If there is anything in man made things that keeps me captivated for some time its the written words. I can spend hours on end reading captivating stories, articles, etc. Pictures painted with words. The real killer is that they let me add my own interpretation on things. That's the true beauty. And I don't come out at the end saying, "What was that?!".
Been reading again. After a long long hiatus. And the words are beautiful. Love the images. How plain old boring words can create such a crack up of a story. And I'm just now discovering the pleasures in finding the odd articles worth reading. Never was one for newspapers before. Though I still don't end up reading much of  the news part of it anyway. And Opinions. That's the good stuff.
 Not to forget - never realized all those esoteric words were hiding in such plain sight all these days. Hope the reading continues.

How (In)Appropriate

My company gives us a lot of discount on public transportation. About 45% off on Caltrain etc and free pass for the VTA. Sort of to promote the use of public transportation. They need to sweeten up the deal to make us take it. On the other hand I see all these people on the train who do all they can - take tickets for only part of the distance, sometime not get one at all and risk getting caught. All cos they can't afford it. The full price ticket. And here I am with the sweet deal.

The Mad Dash

The nomad has moved again! Now to SF. A good friend had suggested time and again that I do this a long long time ago. Finally here I am, sharing a house right on top of a hill. With an amazing amazing view, and good weather so far. I have yet to explore, but like what I see so far. The commute on the train, the welcoming rain, nice & helpful landlord (?) who loves to cut up things (!?), the hikes up and down the hill daily, the views, the people. That is probably my favorite. The mill of people churning around.
Changed the settings on my alarm & slept late yesterday, only to realize in the morning that I had overslept! But not till I was at the door did I realize how close I was to catching the train, and I couldn't give up without trying. So out the door I went, dashing down the hill, running in front of cars over the zebra crossing, just to see the train doors close right in front of my eyes about fifteen steps away! But wait the train wasn't moving yet and a few people were walking to the front of it. And so I followed too. There it was, the bothersome door, refusing to close! Oh how I loved it at that moment! And so the stars aligned to get me in on that train where I sat beating my brains over a crossword (not even one extra solution did I get though while on the train!).
I have a feeling my friend is right. And I will love it here.

Experience of a Lifetime

Backpacking South rim to North rim of The Grand Canyon. We were supposed to be eighteen of us on the trip, but dwindled down to fifteen cos of one collar bone fracture and two last minute drop outs. I knew only five of the others; but by the end of the trip got to know the rest too. Over long lazy afternoons, and early morning hikes. The shepherds - always looking out for the straggling hiker. The driven  hikers. The loyal one and the one underestimating his own capabilities. And the one hiker who stayed unfussy through the trip - not her usual style!
Got to know the unrelenting heat of the Canyon and how good it feels to rest in its shades. The pretty little nooks it has hidden away for the hikers who seek them out. The beauty of its vastness. The wild flowers springing in the most unexpected setting. The rivers trickling down over time smoothed rocks. The tranquil deer getting a drink from the stream, that decided to empty its bowels upstream of where we were unwinding in the coolness of the flowing water. The oasis in the dessert - where our thirsty & hot bunch got quenching, chilling & amazingly refreshing lemonade! And chilled out with some Uno, who would've thought!
The unbroken uniformity of the landscape while trudging along only to turn a corner and suddenly feel the cool breeze from the river flowing nearby. Ah the cool waters, how good they felt on the dipped feet. That piece of paradise formed by a piddling little stream of water. The grandest view of the Colorado cutting through the Canyon in the setting rays of the Sun. Chance meetings with strangers and getting to know that quintessential detail about them which somehow stays with you. Nights spent under starry starry skies with streaks shooting across every so often! (I've made a loot of wishes! :) ) The clamorous crickets and incessant buzz of more insects. The daring squirrels, the un-bothered deer. The soaring birds. The crisscrossing switchbacks. The sandy uphills. The sweet support of the trekking poles. The undying solar lamp. The never ending last two miles (so true is the untaught law - weight is directly proportional to time!). The beautiful beautiful sight of the dumpster which heralded civilization!
Best four days.

Alaska

 

 

 

Random Tidbit

Read this somewhere today - the reason we sweat when nervous is cos our system is preparing to run! Fight or flight. So apparently we sweat in areas which chaff when running so it helps against chaffing. Isn't that interesting?! the first reaction our body has to any kind of agitation is - run! :P
I find it hilarious for some reason! :D

Moonlight Hikes and Shooting Stars

Love living in the Bay. As they say - Location location location. And this one of the best I've seen. This summer has been particularly good to me. Numerous hikes, travels and fun in general.
Hiked the Mission Peak again yesterday and this time it seemed easier though I was on the harder trail. And was it beautiful! The weather was the best and the moonlit path back just divine! Seeing as I had a wish to make and that it was that time of the year for Perseid's meteor showers I was wishing to see a shooting star.. and wasting a wish in wishing for it! :D But I did see one and got to make my wish - so all is good!
One of the best hikes I've been on recently. Loving Summer! Always :)

Is it Me?

I often had issues with taking stuff people say at face value. I find nuances which make me believe they are making it up. Or some such excuse to say the speaker is not being true. Is it maybe because I am not capable of the what they are talking about and hence internally convert what they are saying into a falsehood?
As they say 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'

Finally

After a lot of procrastination, I have taken the first step toward exploring what I might like to do with my time. It might be hard to work it out, but still I'm hopeful. Involving others in my plans seems to be helping - one way or the other :)
So people, friends wish me luck! :)

Put to Rest

Today I finally closed my Orkut account. This is the first online account of any sort that I have closed out. I still have a few email accounts I don't access anymore but never got round to deleting. Don't know why I didn't. But for some reason I felt like shutting down my Orkut account today and went ahead and did it! In anticipation of Google+? Don't think so. More like to remove unnecessary distractions.

And I guess this is my eulogy for the account. Which had served me well back in the day. I do not miss you, but you shall be remembered.

Random Contacts

Have you ever contacted people randomly? I do. Started when I was a kid - picked three people from a children's magazines pen friends list. I did communicate with a couple of them for a while and then the mails trickled out. Till finally all I was left with was a bunch of old mail.

And then one day, on a whim I randomly check FaceBook for one of their names, and I happen upon her twin sister! My pen friend is doing good and remembers me. And is happy she is remembered too. But too busy to get back in touch looks like. Life goes on. Recently I happened upon a few pics in flickr which were so beautiful, that I had to contact the person and say so. In return I was presented with the link to his blog. Its such a window into life in India. Street life. I'm glad I did contact him.

These random contact experiences have been good to me. Maybe I shall explore it more. Or maybe not. Who knows.

Instant Updates

There was a time when I considered a cell phone with a data plan a superfluous extravagance. When being online at work all day or the frequent updates on a laptop were good enough. And then comes the iPhone. And perspectives changed. Actually scratch that, perspective is still the same. But habits changed. And I entered into the realm of update addiction - I check my email/FB etc every other minute! or so it seems.

Its such a frivolous waste of time. I need a break. From my online-ness. And there I am employed in a company trying to make more access possible. I guess more is no longer possible (or have I spoken too soon?). But faster for sure! How very fitting.

The good thing though, is that when I am doing something I find interesting, I can absolutely tune off. And its comforting to know I'm not a total addict. but for now I have to go and check in on my email, waiting for the next absolutely engrossing moments to occur. So long.

People

Been there!

All the way to the top!

 

The Resting Poles

Personal Favourite!

The Weeping Cliff

A Day at a Lighthouse

 

 

Random Days

I love random days - days with no particular agenda and things take their own course. Like the one I had this long weekend. Took my camera and toted along to SF on the train. As it seems to happen often on my days in SF, it was a glorious day. The Sun was out in full blaze and the winds were keeping things sane. My first stop was at the "Ice Creamery" right outside the CalTrain station. Had a yumm brunch of Crepes with some fruit and an iced T with a lot of ice (which was welcome for a change!). Love the decor of this place. They had a fresh bunch of flowers on every table and sturdy wooden furniture to go with it.
I got to meet and talk with a lot of  people this time, bolstering my intentions of moving to SF - I love meeting new people. The guy at the Creamery complaining about how his ex-wife was spoiling his weekend by not letting their kids visit him as planned; though he was so hooked to being online (showed off his FB page too!), I'm sure she has good reasons for it! The lady at the Muni station who talked to me about her time in SF and how she might be taking up a job in Oakland soon. But would be staying in SF still as she loved the city. The two old men in the train, one of who made me note down his number and let him know how this spot I was headed to turned out to be. They also told me about the Picasso exhibit in De Young, which became my next destination after the Mosaic staircase. And what a beautiful staircase it was! All made with the help of neighborhood people apparently. Was a lot of steep steps and uphill walking to get there, but totally worth the effort.

Since I was so close to the De Young, it only made sense that I head there and check it out. So that's what I ended up doing. And what a big museum it is! With a lot of good stuff. For a change I really appreciated some of Picasso's work. And the beautiful African art. The Balenciaga exhibit almost felt like a fashion show, with people not toning down their voices as is native at a museum, but discussing the displays with full gusto.
Towards the end of my visit, while waiting for the Spanish music program to start, I headed off with some hot chocolate into the garden adjacent to the food court. Was sitting there idly clicking photos and catching up on phone calls when this tiny toddler zones in on me with his hands held high for balance while he wobbled over. It was the cutest sight, silver blue eyes all focused on his target, which turned out to be my nose! I guess it was either too big by his standards(?!) or the glittering nose ring on it that caught his eye. But he had no compunction about running his mud filled hands all over my face and giving me the divinest smile in exchange :)
Wish I had taken a photo of him, but I was having so much fun I didn't want to spoil the moment by introducing a camera into the picture.
The Spanish music turned out to be decent too, with the lady tap dancing to the beats. Headed back home after listening to it for a bit. With a stop at the Creamery again. This time got a beautiful shot of the setting sun lighting up the flowers which were still fresh.