August 08, 2008

Looking for a Badminton Partner.


Photo by b.w.futures

We have turned a few empty plots of land which was misused by the city corporation as a graveyard for broken vehicles, into a fairly good looking garden. As part of the garden, we have two Badminton courts, one cemented and the other with grass.

It hurts me to miss such a fantastic opportunity. Combine that with a guilty feeling of having no physical activity in the mornings and the urge to take up badminton is evident. Will be picking up a pair of good quality racquets tomorrow.

I'm looking for a person or a team who is passionate about the sport as a playing partner. The court is in Virugambakkam, a stone's throw from my home. The place is ideal if you happen to be living in Vadapalani, Valasaravakkam, KK Nagar or the vicinity. There's a very nominal charge of Rs.150 per month which I think is a steal when you compare it with what local clubs charge. What's more, you get to relish good home made coffee that Mom makes, after the game.

If you or any of your friend is passionate about the game and is longing to get into the game, call me at 9841 97744 or email me at Kiruba at Kiruba.com .

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January 04, 2008

Chennai Open: So Near, Yet So Far!

For the last 9 years, I have never missed attending at least one match at the Chennai Open. It's the biggest ATP tournament in India and for guys like me, its probably the only opportunity to watch the World's best in flesh. Think Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya. It's been an absolute must on my annual calendar.

Sadly, this year I can't watch a single match. Why? Because of a board outside the Nungambakkam stadium that reads, "All tickets for all matches sold out". Heck, even the advertisement in The Hindu today carried those dreaded words.

Yet, you watch the matches on TV, and at least 50% of the seats are empty. I saw many fans lining up outside the stadium turn back disappointed. Let's forget the fans for a moment. The half-empty stands look ugly on TV. That's hardly reflective of the kind of interest that Chennaites have for the game. It in fact reflects bad on the tournament organizers. Wouldn't the players like to play to a packed audience?

Apparently, most seats have been given away to sponsors, the Tamilnadu Tennis Association and definitely to a whole host of politicians...who either don't have an active interest in the game or too busy to attend the events.

This year has been the worst in the last 9 years I've known. In the previous years, you could walk to the ticket counter and atleast find a few tickets available (except for the finals or the big matches). But this year, its been a total wipe out for folks who just want to watch the match that day.

I regret not buying the season ticket on the day it launched. It was going for only Rs.1500 for all days. A steal, actually. I'm kicking myself now.

It feels a little odd to watch the match on TV, when the real action is actually taking place less than 5 kms away.

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November 12, 2007

Ping Ponging at Work



I bought a brand new table tennis table at my new work place. It's been a longtime wish.

It's a game that I fell in love with when I started playing at Tidel Park when working at Sify. After work hours, we would head out to the 'TT room' and spend atleast a couple of hours everyday sweating it out. I loved it. It was fun and it gave me enough dose of exercise. Fun and exercise is an awesome combination.

It was at that time that I promised myself that whenever I open my own office, I'll definitely get a ping pong table. I loved it when I was an employee and wanted to give my employees the same perk. When the table landed up at my office, I felt good keeping up that promise.

Yesterday, we played our first few games. None of us knew how to play the game well. We followed the simple rule: Just get the ball to the other court. The technique was zero. But it was sheer fun. We'd laugh at each other's horrible smashes. It loosened us up.

I'm also aware of the downside. It's going to affect the work productivity for certain. Yesterday, we spent two hours playing. The game will eat into the work hours but I'm confident that while the quantity of work hours might take a beating, the quality of work life will improve. And my belief is that this will have positive outcome.

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July 23, 2007

A Movie That Captures The Spirit of Marathons



I loved watching the trailer. Now, I can't wait for the movie to be released.

'Spirit of the Marathon' is the first ever feature-length film to capture the essence, drama and unique spectacle of the marathon. Featuring five runners - three amateurs and two elites - as they train for and ultimately run the Chicago Marathon, the tremendous challenge of the 42.2 kilometers race is brought to life by many of the most remarkable athletes in the history of sport.

More than a sports movie, it is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a glimpse into the world of ultimate human potential.


(Photo by Arnold Pouteau)

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July 19, 2007

Participating in This Year's Rowing Regatta Championship



Last evening, I went to the Madras Boat Club to look at how people are training for the forthcoming Merchants & Bankers Regatta. I got sucked into a vortex of nostalgic thoughts.

After all, for four years, I have been living and breathing this sport. When I was with Sify, I helped captain the team to three championship titles. The team ultimately went on undefeated for six straight years, a record in the 140 years of Boat Club history. After Sify, the companies I joined didn't show any interest in rowing and hence was out of the rowing circuit. Now that I've started my own, it's a lot easier to make decisions! :)

I've been close to a lot of officials, especially the captains of the boat. And even more closer to the laskars, the caretakers of the boats. They all insisted that I should come and participate in the championship this year. I called up my colleague, an oarsman himself, and it took us two seconds to come to the decision to participate. The rowing spirit grabs you and there's no escaping it.

And so, here we are. Back in one of most prestigious corporate regattas in the country.

Me and my green horn team will start our training from Monday onwards. The championship races will be held mid September. So, this gives us about two months of practice time. A little short. The other teams already have a months head start.

I know we will get thrashed this year. Our team strength will be one fifth of the other teams. But the joy is in giving the teams a run for their money.

Personally for me, the next two months is going to be awesome from an exercise perspective. From Monday till Friday, it'll be rowing practice. On Saturday, it will be Ultimate Frisbee. On Sunday, it'll be the marathon practice. Life is good.

Here are some of the photos from the Boat Club. More photos here.



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July 11, 2007

Gatorade in India Contaminated?

Note: I haven't confirmed this myself.

Today, I received this message from the mailing list of 'Runners For Life', a die-hard runners group in Bangalore. It carried the following message from one of the members.
"Apparently, the Gatorade bottles have been recalled due to some contamination. We had bought some of the orange flavor and had to return it to Foodworld. There, they told us that the orange and lemon flavors were contaminated and would be sent back to the company."

Can someone double-check this the next time you go to the super market?

Gatorade is from Pepsi and if this news is true, its bound to stir up the 'pesticide' issue once again.

Gatorade is huge in the US and there are many who swear by it. Like this guy Darren who runs a dedicated blog about the drink.

Every time I see Gatorade stocked up in Nilgiris and Spencers Daily superstores, I wonder why the marketing blitz hasn't begun on TV. The sports drink market is still virgin in India.

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July 06, 2007

So, What is Ultimate Frisbee? Watch the Video.

Quite a few had written to me asking about 'Ultimate Frisbee'. I figured this video below will give you a glimpse of the game. It's a cross between American Football & Basketball.

I may have told this before, but let me say it again. It's an amazing sport. Last weekend was my first game and I have already gotten sucked into it. It's also quite a tiring game.

Kartikeyan, who is part of the team, strapped on his heart-rate meter just to check. And here are the readings.

Average heart rate during the game - 188 beats per min!!
Highest rate touched - 202 beats per min!!

During marathons, the average heart rate is 170 bpm. Well, you get the picture!

We're playing the game tomorrow morning at 5:20 am and will play every Saturday at Elliots Beach.

The unofficial rules require at least two girls in every team. We haven't found them yet. It's a non-contact sport and I'd encourage girls to give the sport a try.

Take a look at the video. Especially, don't miss the action at 2:35 into the video. Reminded me of Jonty Rhodes.

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June 29, 2007

Ultimate Frisbee Tomorrow

I'm gonna wake up at 5:00 am to head out to a game of Ultimate Frisbee tomorrow at Elliots Beach, Besant Nagar. Missed the last few weekend games because of my travel.

I've been craving for a sport to join. Rowing was the only good sport I was successfully associated with for a long time but that's stopped ever since I got out of Sify.

Looking forward to tomorrow. But first, I must catch up on reading about the rules of the game.

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