Running for hope...

Finally got around for setting some intermediate milestones for the marathon; a very apt one at that - am going to participate in the 9th Annual Brain Tumor Society 5k "Race for Hope" on May 7th in D.C. The proceeds from this race will be directed towards brain tumor research (www.curebraintumors.org). Apparently Robert Pinkard, the guy who organizes this race lost his business partner and friend to the disease, and has been championing the cause ever since. I'm participating to do my bit, and also to meet the survivors who are going to be running. Dont know why I am looking forward to this opportunity so much...but I think it should be fun and inspiring to say the least - I am always humbled by the experience of folks that fight this affliction and win; our daily everyday troubles seem so minor in comparison....

As always, am fully equipped as well - went to this speciality running store this weekend (www.runwalklive.com) . I had no idea that such stores existed - they fitted me for shoes that compensated for the overpronation in my foot (!!) i.e. something to do how my arch rolls inwards as I run or walk. I had no idea that selecting the right pair of shoes could get so scientific - just shows that you learn something new everyday !!

As an aside - I heard that Amir Khan was cosying up to the folks agitating for the bhopal issues. I hope this is not a publicity stunt on his part (the DVD for Rang De Basanti is conveniently coming out while all this is going on). Actually, on second thoughts, even if he is not sincere, it may not be such a bad thing - he is bringing a ton of publicity to the agitation, which is always good.

Visit http://www.studentsforbhopal.org/ to see how you can help

I'm sorry baby ....

I truly understood the meaning of "love at first sight" when I met you 16 months and 6 days ago; ever since then we have been inseperable - through thick and thin, through the best of times, through the worst of times youve been by my side, quiet, understanding and without reproach. You've been my reason for waking up every morning, you've been my reason for looking forward to the weekly commute from Richmond to Northern VA, you've been my reason for wanting to come home every night. I have known true bliss in your embrace

Alas all good things must come to an end - you were too "high maintainance" for me, I couldn't keep up with your demands - it was too stressful and was taking away my peace of mind.

So I sold you - sold you to the highest bidder despite fully realizing what that makes me. I couldn't face you after that, and slunk away without saying even a final goodbye!

My RX8 - hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me

PS - Tushar, sorry for the blatant plagiarism - but I thought it was quite apt

Finally some validation!!

Finally got some validation that the promotion process in my company is working - 3 collegues just got promoted - two who should have been promoted a long time ago, and the other (my former manager) who deserved it more than anyone else I know. Congrats guys!

Moving on to other stuff, I am currently reading "Ultra Marathon Man - Confessions of an all night runner" by Dean Karnazez. Till I picked up this book, I thought the running the 26.2 miles required to complete a full marathon is one of the most grueling tests of human endurance, which is precisely why I wanted to run one myself. Dean Karnazez shattered that notion - by a long way. This book has introduced me to a world where there are people that run more than 350 miles at a stretch , run marathons just to warm up and finally as Karnazes is planning to do from Sept'06 - run 50 marathons in 50 days in all 50 states. Amazing - one can not help but feel inspired by this man's story. I almost felt like going for a long run last night as I was reading this book, and actuall resolved to go running in the morning..

...except I overslept and missed an important meeting in the process!

In terms of wedding prep - I think we are going along fine: we've booked a DJ, spoken to a decorator, will be speaking to another one this weekend, booking hotel rooms in Hawaii. Obviously tons of things to do, but am not feeling stressed at this point.

As far as CFA is concerned, things are reaching a head now - if I dont start studying in earnest now, I will probably not be prepared to take the exam. Whats motivating me even more is that given the roughly 1-2 months it takes for the results to come out, I will probably get the pass/fail decision around the time of my wedding - and definitely dont want a "Fail" to cloud the festivities!!

For info on the "Ultramarathon man" check out http://www.ultramarathonman.com/