First full marathon

Every first has a special meaning. I ran my first full marathon today. Through the hilly course starting below the Space needle, going on I-90 bridge (over Lake Washington), then through beautiful Seward park in morning mist and through the hills by the Washington lake. It felt good. No, it felt really good..

I still remember yesterday. I was all apprehensive and my mind running through all crazy things. I was  thinking of all the worst cases. What helped was reading about basic muscle anatomy, how muscles work, what fuels them, how to monitor your breath and keep yourself hydrated all the time. It all turned out to be very useful. I started stronger and finished strong. I didn't try to push myself foolishly. I took it easy where I thought I was over exerting and bolted of where I thought I can without breaking my body's rhythm.

Needless to say the weather gods were super pleased with Seattle. It was foggy and slightly cold weather but no rain  to start with. At around 11 AM, the Sun showed up, the skies clear up and it becomes absolute pleasure to run with a crystal clear view of Space needle and downtown Seattle. By the time I finished, Sun was beaming and lying on the Leon Brigham Football stadium after four+ hours of nonstop running, made it all worth it.

Preparation of last 2.5 months, especially acclimatization to Seattle rainy, damp and cold weather was very useful. Stretches I learned for long distance running were handy especially in last legs of the race.

All in all, a great first experience. Hoping for miles to go before I sleep..

P.S.: This one was for Hussein..

Hussein

Rahul: Hello
Me: Bol kya hua?
Rahul: Arey, Hussein passed away...
Me: What? Are you f*&%*g kidding me?
Rahul: Nahi be. It happened on Tuesday morning. He had a stroke in his sleep.
Me: (Still trying to decide whether to believe this) Is this a joke?
Rahul: No, Lisa and Carl got an email from his sister.
Me: Oh God..

Hussein. A close buddy of mine - who was around me for past five years is no more.. Call it fate, but we always ended up together. First the grad school, then Goldman Sachs - both in New York and Salt Lake City. We grew so close that he started referring to me as 'brother from another mother'. Trust me, he really meant it..

I met Hussein the very first time at the beginning of my grad school. It was my first class, administered by Dr. David Kung - an old professor with wisdom of Confucius and kindness of Santa Claus. Hussein and I were part of a project group for this class. I still remember the number of sleepless nights near the end of the semester when we were trying to finish our project. He used to invite us to his apartment for some delicious Salmon and rice with steamed veggies.

My first impression of Hussein was that of a well mannered gentleman who has seen the world, has been through lot of hardships and the one who values his friends above anything. Professors, especially Dr. Kung loved him for his affable demeanor. We went to Florida together during the Spring of 2008. We met Sara - his then girlfriend, his family - mum and sister when they flew down from UK/Tanzania to see him for his graduation. I still remember the Biryani his mum made that reminded me of home.

Time passed. Hussein graduated and moved to California for job in Summer of 2009. We bid farewell, thinking that we wouldn't see each other much in person. I finished my thesis work in fall of 2009. About the same time, I went for a career fair in Long Beach, where Goldman Sachs interviewed me. At the end of the day, I headed out of conference room, exhausted by all the talking and self-promoting to people who would think I am smart enough to work with them. To my utmost surprise, I bumped into Hussein. He had flown down from San Francisco to interview for similar position in same company :)

I was ecstatic by the prospects that we might end up working together. And it happened. Despite some other offers, I chose to go to New York to work for the wall street giant. We both landed in New York almost the same time - in Spring of 2010. We were absolutely taken in by the grandeur and charm of the Big Apple. Me, because it reminded me of my home town - Mumbai and him because, well because it was New York :)

Every weekend we would meet up when he used to cook up his signature dish - Steamed, salted, Oregano sprinkled salmon with rice and Brussels Sprouts, beans. It is one the tastiest meals I have ever had. Like tourists we visited every famous spot in New York, and eventually became (or pretended to be?) New Yorkers. Six months flew by. It was time to fly to Salt Lake City - a place we barely knew and much of what we had heard wasn't very encouraging.

We landed together in a gorgeous valley surrounded by a serene lake and snow-caped mountains with cozy city at their base. We hardly knew anybody else. Needless to say, Hussein and I along with other friends stuck together. We explored Utah deserts, national parks, canyons together. He was slender to medium built, with great appetite for adventure. So much so that he went from somebody who had barely skied before to a frequent Black Diamond skier in one skiing season. He loved skiing. It was definitely one of the things that gave him utmost pleasure. I have to say that his enthusiasm was quite inspiring and somewhat crazy at the same time :)

Time flies by. August of 2012. I decided to move out of Salt Lake City to pursue other career opportunities. I had mixed emotions. I was leaving behind some of the best folks I have ever met, including Hussein. At the same time Hussein was planning another adventure - to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and take Kenyan safari. As enticing as it was, I decided not to go for it (I so regret it now :( ). Before he left for the trip, we had a lunch together. We reminisced in the memories of last five years. How he had surprised  me, Parth and Faiz by his unannounced  visit to Texas (when he was in San Francisco). How Parth and I managed to pull the same trick on him during our stay in New York. He was visibly upset with me leaving him, but we made promises to meet up soon.

Like every other time, I thought Hussein would knock on my door in Bellevue, WA one day and would surprise me with his genuine smile. And then repeat the story countless times to everybody! But God had different plan...

He was a genuine guy. He had a big heart and was loved by many. His flare for adventure rubbed on me. I have lost one of my first and closest friends in US. It deeply saddens me and makes me realize how valuable and fragile life is..

May God rest his soul in peace..

Déjà vu

My Dad is a very open person. He likes to share stories of how he was brought up, how he came to Mumbai, how he made a living etc. When I was young, whenever we used to pass by Sewree, an area in south central part of Mumbai; he would point at one building, get a little nostalgic and would say - 'My first job in Mumbai was as an accountant in that building'. A ten year old me could only take that as a piece of trivia.

Cut..

Few months ago, I was visiting some friends in Jersey City. After a long dinner reminiscing about school and college days, I decided to take a walk starting from water front to Morris Canal Park, one of my favorite spots in that area (You will know the reason if you look at this picture)

Anyways, I stopped by 30 Hudson St. building which used to house thousands of Goldman Sachs employees. Pointing towards the south side of the fifth floor of the building, I said to my friend - 'You see that floor. I started my first job there.'

And suddenly I could relate to what my Dad was saying all those years ago :)

Happy Mother's day!

Mom. Your first and probably the deepest connection to life. A person who undeniably defines the phrase 'unconditional love'.

It is near impossible for me to describe in words how I feel about her. I am filled with so many emotions and memories that my rational side fails to fathom. I leave you with following video that salutes the person who plays the role of 'higher being' on earth - the one who creates you, the one who nurtures you..

The Namesake

I find the Seventies very idyllic. Although I was not born in that decade (I think..) and have nobody telling me about how awesome that decade was; I somehow feel growing up in seventies in any country must had been ideal.

So a movie that is about an Indian family living in New York in seventies was bound to catch my attention. And of course when somebody like Mira Nair is directing it, there is no reason not to watch it (or rather again).

The Namesake. A story of a Bengali young man - Asokae who wants to explore the world. He lives his dreams through books, until one day a near-fatal accident and persuasion from a foreign-return uncle changes his mind. He moves to New York for studies. He then marries a beautiful Indian girl (depicted by Tabbu. She manages to look absolutely stunning throughout the movie). Love blossoms between two lonely hearts in a big, cold country. Unaware of many American ways, they end up having to name their first kid without much thought. In a feat of happiness, the proud father names his son after the book that changed his life - a biography of Ukrainian dramatist - Nikolai Gogol.

Cut..

Like many other immigrant kids who grew up confused in a foreign land (where either side of doorstep poses two different worlds), Gogol finds himself resenting his culture and traditions. He thinks of himself more as an American, rather than a son of Indian immigrant.

Then one day his father (who taught him to walk, run and dream) passes away. A long-awaited bond of love between the two only strengthens after this tragic event. He realizes that he really needs to embraces his roots, rather than trying to run away from them. At times he takes this too seriously and goes on to marry another Bengali girl who grew up in Paris. The relation is short-lived and makes him realize that the bond with his roots is much deeper than just settling down with a compatriot.

He finds the book that had unknowingly defined his identity in a closet of his beloved father. He starts reading it and realizes what his father really wanted to tell him was 'to be free and explore the world' (This is beautifully interwoven with the name of Tabbu's character - Ashima, one without boundaries!). The story ends on a content note. Gogol and his mother go on to pursue what they always dreamed of doing.

Amazing music by Nitin Sawhney, especially the 'Namesake Reprise' track (enjoy below). Just like the movie; the music touches your heart. Great cast with likes of Irrfan Khan, Tabbu and Kal Penn.



I ended up watching this movie twice on a same day! Maybe because the plot revolves around a warm portrayal of a family living apart from each other. Who knows...

Tribute to the Indian Wall!

I always looked at Rahul Dravid as Pete Sampras of India :) I know that I might be comparing apples with oranges, but I could not help finding some similarities between their appearance on and off the field/court.

I feel fortunate to be growing up watching sportsman like Rahul Dravid who not only greatly contributed to making India a winning side, but also kept Cricket a 'gentleman's game'. Technique, discipline and sportsmanship thy name is Rahul Dravid!

Wishing Jammy happiness and good luck for the rest of his life. Hopefully we will get to see him in future through an (auto)biography and as a cricket veteran.

Anyways, Following is one of his candid interviews from late 90's with Karan Thapar. It is amazing to see how focused and grounded he is!



Reference: Rahul Dravid recently announced his retirement from international cricket

80/20 principle

I am one of those idiots who try to find pattern in everything around me. I make up some rules from observed patterns and try to live by them only to realize that 'every rule has an exception'. (Can this rule have exception as well? :P)

Anyways, here is something I have read or watched and am convinced about these days. 80% of the things in your life are driven by 20% of your actions. Believe me. 80% of your happiness comes from select 20% percent activities that you choose to devote your time or not. Of course this 20% varies for everybody, but sooner you identify that 20%, closer you will be to most of your happiness.

Let's take an example. Here's what makes me most happy.

• Cracking that problem that has been bothering or annoying me for many days.


• Learning something new about my work everyday.


• Being there for somebody I deeply care and love.


• Reading that awesome book that I always wanted to.


• Keeping my mind and body fresh by some sort of exercise or travel to some place new and different.


• Working on something cool or with somebody who shares some common interests.

I have realized that when I am not focusing on this 20%, I am mostly miserable. This is because the other 80% stuff takes too much of my energy and might or might not make me 20% happy.

You do not believe me? Alright, one more example. Let us say you are taking some exam. You have to realize that 20% of the exam syllabus will contribute to 60-80% of your grades (How do you think I managed to do reasonably well in school, despite slacking of till the very end? :P). The key is to identify that 20% soon and focus your time and energy.

Scientifically this principle is referred to as Pareto Principle.[1] Some more examples of this are as follows[2]:

• 80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers


• 80% of your complaints come from 20% of your customers


• 80% of your profits come from 20% of the time you spend


• 80% of your sales come from 20% of your products


• 80% of your sales are made by 20% of your sales staff

Or graphically,



So Bacha, find that 20% now and be 80% happy.*




Sources:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
[2] http://cartikvyas.blogspot.com/2009/07/living-life-8020-way.html
* Disclaimer: Author is not liable if you are focusing on that 20% of your life, and not becoming 80% happy. It just means you haven't found your 20% yet :P