Every Second Counts

I don't usually pick up biographies, and I've never been a follower of bicycle racing (my only exposure so far had been Aamir Khan's cycle race in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander which I watched from the edge of my seat in Gaiety-Galaxy a long time ago) but for some strange reason I picked this book by Lance Armstrong. I won't say it's a great book, but while I was reading it, I got really fascinated by the sport of cycling & by the Tour de France; I read up a lot about the race itself, about its little traditions, about the various stages (its very interesting) & have decided that I must make a visit to France & drive along the Tour track; its my latest addition to my "Must-do-before-I-die" list.

Competing in the Tour de France is an incredible feat I think - the bikers cycle around France for 3 weeks or so, through the mountains & crowds, at average speeds like 40 miles an hour & in the end the difference between winning & not is a few minutes. Its an absolutely physically abusive race & to win it 6 times is beyond incredible. I loved every detail described in the book about how the winner goes about this awesome-but-ridiculous feat. As Armstrong mentioned, there's a lot of attention to detail, even small details like how your hand moves on the handle-bar of your bike could shave off a few seconds of time; there's a lot of strategy; a lot of technique to it. Its also a team-sport; who would've guessed that?

By the end of the book, I'm totally sucked into the world of TDF & I'm so going to follow the Tour next year.

PS: After a very long time, I read a book which didn't begin with the words "what to expect..."; its refreshing :)

This is my frustration talking...

Damn you, Formula 1...!! Its been a nightmare getting to work all this week because of the blocked roads. Now I'm worried that the vroom from the engines is going to keep Kabeer awake over the weekend. Can't wait for the race to get over & be done with.

Catching up

I have not connected with my blog for a while now. Some updates from the past 2 weeks or so:

- Being back at work hasn't been as depressing as I made it sound in my last post. After the first couple of days, I actually started finding it refreshing to have other thoughts challenging my brain. Also, I find I've become a better mother with this slight distance - I've stopped worrying too much about how much he eats, how much he sleeps, how much he poops & instead of micro-managing him, I've actually learnt to spend quality time with him when I go home. Also, everyday when I return home, Kabeer gurgles & jumps on his bums with joy -- makes me feel like I'm on top of the world!

- A close friend of mine got engaged this month & another found out she's pregnant. So I've been feeling very cheerful & excited.

- We finally watched a movie in a cinema hall. Our first since Kabeer was born. We watched "Kaminey" & I found it to be pretty cleverly written & made. Even though I think stories about the grimy parts of Mumbai have already been done to death; this one had the feel of a Guy Ritchie movie -- which I liked at most points but thought a bit 'wannabe' at other points.

- Kabeer will start eating solids soon & to prepare for the occassion, we went shopping for him. I was so fascinated with the stuff thats out there in the market for babies! We bought this cute cutlery set with suction (so that the baby won't be able to hurl it into air- - isn't that really clever?) & a feeding high-chair with adjustable height, adjustable back, adjustable tray & the works (state of the art stuff which pleased H more than it pleased Kabeer), and a training cup to train him to move from the bottle to cup. Parenthood has really brought forth the consumer in me! :)

- It was Teacher's Day on Saturday & my thoughts were with a teacher who's had a lifelong impact on me & who passed away last year. He was a 'Gandalf the Wizard' in my life - a source of worldy wisdom & inspiration; and although he was meant to only teach me finance, he has taught me a lot more.

- This weekend, I successfully unpacked the last of the cartons & feel a sense of accomplishment. Not just that, my wardrobe has never looked more organised. My mum would get teary-eyed if she were to see it!