The dust is settling down

The world as I know it seems to have cooled off its recent hectic activities and is beginning to offer some quantum of time to sit back and think, maybe bask in the glow of what it has achieved in the past few months that have sped by. While I was never a very prolific writer, this blog did allow me to explore and keep in touch with my English and its nuances of grammar and sentence construction.

As time goes I have begun to realize more often than not that I personally become very conscious of what I say, not just the syntactically but also semantically. That I believe has helped me in my communication with my customers these past few months. Of the many design documents and the follow up discussions mails that have been exchanged nobody has said "Could you explain ?" In fact, there have been commendations on the economical use of words and the lucidity of language. For those who are not aware, I quit my previous large organization and joined a services startup, where our current business model focuses on generating revenues first and then channelizing those into in-house products to give that fillip to the revenues. Given all the market scenario and the negative spiral ( tailspin, perhaps ?), it so far has been good going. Things are looking steady so far, and we are now planning to look at more avenues for growth. Let's see what comes along.

Speaking of the world of markets, while the general markets are still in bad shape - thanks to all the dole that these governments have been giving out - and may continue to do so for some more years, the capital markets have at least shown some signs of hope, maybe lesser despair to say the September - October time frame of last year. That was an awesome time - a time to understand and appreciate behavioral finance as a respected field of study. There are so many biases that an investor holds - confirmation bias, hindsight bias, anchoring bias. From what little I know of the actual finance industry it looked like the hotshot big bosses went through at least some or all of those. In fact I am pretty confident that the ordinary conservative Indian investor did better. My Dad, with his fixed deposits, definitely did better for sure. And I for one have learn some valuable lessons that will last me my lifetime. Couldn't have come at a better time as I have just begun my investment journey and am yet to have invested large sums. In retrospection things look rational - the markets rewards only the rational investor over the long term. That apart the best investment is the investment in oneself and in one's career.

To help the Indian capital markets come out of its despondency vis-a-vis other world markets, along came the endgame of the Indian Political Theater - the five-yearly General Election and the Election Commission behemoth. At the cost of sounding much too cliched, the world watch as we did the dance of democracy and elected our representatives, lawfully and peacefully to a large extent. And the citizenry did quite a good job of getting convinced massively by the arguments of the Grand Old Party. Kudos to the strategics in their camp to have devised whatever they did and to have come up with such numbers when all and sundry to bet on haggling and horse-trading post elections. Thankfully that did not happen. What happened instead is that the party seems to have found some spine on its own in the way it is dealing with its current allies. Hopes are up that the disinvestment process that had been stalled, thanks in no small measure,to the Left, will be renewed and the fiscal deficit will go down. Now all that we need are a few more honest-to-self ministers and things would start to look pretty good. Looks like steps are being taken in the right direction when we consider that the party-and-family loyalist Arjun Singh has not been honored with ministerial berths. I am also hoping others like Kamal Nath also make way for better people. These two guys top my list of personal peeves in politics. All this 5-week long election and threw up quite some interesting tidbits of voting patterns, mindsets, etc, etc.

There are other places also where the dust has settled - Indian Premier League. Apart from the elections if there is one topic which occupied the mind and heart (o yeah, the heart too!), it has been this. The drama has been never ending. But the best comment was from a local spectator in the field - "I don't understand cricket. I came here to watch the cheerleaders." I like it !!! And in all this I also discovered a few good places in Bangalore where they broadcast matches for the public and serve nice drinks too !!! Obviously you need to pay.

Anyways, things are cooling down all around. And as the dust settles the leader starts to prepare for the next boom cycle.

Cheers !!!

Splurge

Yesterday I gave a dinner treat to my roommates at Indijoe (City Center) and here are the contents of the bill for your leisurely perusal. Drool over it if you will !!!

Kahuna Seafood Cocktail - exotic dressing seafood served cold
Kung Pao Chicken Sizzler - tasted really good
Lobster - 2 lobster pieces served on sizzler
GRLD King Fish Steak On A Sizzler - along with rice, amazing to taste
VAT 69 - 4 small ones
Pineapple Sunshine - my roomies don't drink on a weekday or otherwise
Non Veg Platter - a smattering of chicken starters

And all this for just Rs. 2360. While not exactly cheap, I would say pretty decent for the fare that was served. Recommended for good food.

Out of all the items listed what I later resented spending on was the VAT 69. The problem was I was the only one who had that and that too 4 small ones at a total cost of Rs. 160. So at Rs. 640 it amounts to more than 27% of the bill. On the other hand I could have easily bought a full bottle of the good stuff at Rs. 860 (less than Rs. 900). Loss of good money and loss of good alcohol. I am so taken by the whole dining-out experience, that I tend to splurge on the few occasions that I actually do that. But most of the time it is sponsored by the company. Thank God for small mercies.

I have a small aim in life: Dine at the best restaurant in Paris. The full 17 course French classical menu. The whole dining experience, where you don't need to call on the waiter to be served the next course. Ahhh!!! I am getting high on the fantasy. The middle class Indian, who has heard and read lots but has experienced hardly anything. And aspires to the best!

Welcome to the real world. We've done it.

Those are the words from Morpheus to Neo and Trinity when they are able to bring out Neo from The Matrix into their ship Nebuchadnezzar in the real world. When I entered into corporate world along with my other fellow college mates, I could almost equate my feelings with this awakening, this enlightenment.

Back in college I was the absolute king of my domain. Nobody disturbed me in my stupor and nobody cared, for everybody around me was in the same state or maybe greater. Oh, I enjoyed the discourses that I gave to my disciples (seniors, juniors and fellow classmates). Put me in control, brought a newer understanding of the basics and more confidence in self. The fame, the adulation, I lapped it up all.

I began differently from others in my batch in that I knew more about certain aspects of academic life that others didn't and took some time to realize. For example, attending classes that too sitting in the front row was not going to fetch anyone any marks. For example, completing all your assignments before time was a mark of nervousness on your part. For example, last moment cramming was of no use. You just got to know the brief description of the lessons, which you can get anyway if you apply your common sense to it. For example, you don't need to be a genius to complete an experiment in the physics lab. All that it takes is a bit of patience and perseverance. For example, every senior knows that you need to earn the respect of the junior to really be called a senior behind your back.

Anyways, armed with what little experience I had, I started a little ahead. So my full concentration went in catching up with my reading which had been languishing a bit. Obviously reading "The Economic Times" had an attached snob value in the first year. Am a bit boisterous in the fact that I don't easily make acquaintances. But with my skills and obvious disdain towards a structured environment, I attracted people filled both with acceptance and curiosity with what I was. With this I participated in fests, organized them and in general went around doing pretty much what I liked. Alongside I started with a bit of experiments on robotics, programming and design.

All above just goes to show that I grew quick and enormous within the span of four year in college. Armed with more knowledge about technical and people stuff, I became confident in being able to deal with the big bad world outside. Why bad?? Because every senior I talked to would be cringing that it not a bed of roses. You needed to trudge and plod to make your way, and there was no fun in it. But in my mind I was this super being who would just blow away walls of rock with a small breath.

That was until I actually stepped into the corporate world. One thing that I must say before I proceed is, from day one I was treated like a true professional. No longer was I a student who would be spoon fed lessons and excused for mistakes and shortcomings. There was no sympathy, only praise and encouragement.

It all started with what is called as "boot camp". A overall training in all technologies that I would be dealing with during work. It began well with me trying and succeeding in capturing the lessons, asking the right questions and completing the practice problems. Then as it gradually built on the previous lessons, it took more effort on my part. By the time it was the last few days of the training period and the last series of lectures, I was ready to give up. Even the instructor then informed us, "Even the most experienced programmers take away lessons from only the first 2-3 days of this lecture series." Notice the change in the outlook from college. Where in college I was onto ideas at a higher level of abstraction here I was trying to unveil the abstraction of Java and Oracle Application Framework classes.

But all was not that bad. Along with hard work came parties, mostly on a fortnightly basis. People unwound over dinner and drinks. Talk varied from the current movie to the hottest gossip in the team. Realization dawned that these people working with me were just another bunch of normal human beings. Only the level of commitment was higher and focus was stronger. I was among a group of go-getters. There was one nagging doubt. I had made my path laterally, in that I had never participated in the direct race path but still managed to come up tops, getting what I wanted and beating others to it. Here there was no such scope. There was just that one thing that you did and no other way. Then while talking to someone and reading more, I knew work was not life. Work is what provides the fuel to run the vehicle of life.

The team that I joined had recently faced a lot of attrition, so a major workload befell us new employees. Workload from my perspective and that of people fresh from college. It took some time, patience and struggle to do all that was given. It helped that I had an amazing work environment. First names for all (a trend that I started in college, although some preferred otherwise). People coming over to your machine to show you the works. Personalized training for the new employees on the working of the product. Most of all free internet (althought I kept it at a minimum by choice).

Now after almost 9 months (significant, yes??) I have settled down. Work is fun and life after work is all relaxed. I have been traveling around a lot. Based in Hyderabad, all major cities in the south - Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Goa, etc. - are within overnight travel. My company pays me enough so that I buy books whenever I please (my roommates are worried at my thrift in this).

Conclusion: There is no conclusion. The journey has taken a new turn and is starting to be fun. For all people in college: come, see and absorb. Initially it will just as if you are in the first year of your college. But with the maturity that comes with age things will settle down quicker and then all the fun begins. Yet there are time when I wish I was back at college and the lounging around all day, reading, thinking, talking, dreaming. Someday maybe again, but not yet, not yet.

A small anecdote to end:

Looking for the Best!!!!

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups : porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said
"If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups."
"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change." "Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.

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This post was written for the digital edition of a publication from my college, around Mar 2007 with the current student and alumni as target. Cross-posting it here.

Do I Drive Rashly??

Couple of weeks back I met with a road accident and am still nursing a broken bone in the left forearm. Due to this I took to working out of home. In the meanwhile people in office and elsewhere took the liberty to discuss my driving skills. So when I met them now they first sympathized and then mentioned that somebody had told them that I drive rashly (some out of being politically correct moderated it to drive fast). On this note, I wanted to clarify this to all and sundry including myself:

1. When I take a risk, i.e. drive rashly, I accept that at some point I might fail. Yet with every failure of mine I increase my knowledge and experience. So the next time I fail I fail at a higher level. In fact the level at which I fail is higher than the level that most people would like to call success. Most people would rather play it safe and then cry why they are not successful.
   
2. When I carry the burden of somebody else who does not put his/her trust in me, I drive carefully because if you cannot trust me then you don't enjoy my company and I care two hoots about yours.

This post has been written by the use of the fingers of the right hand only. and it takes some effort to do that.

Mixed start to the day!

While returning after swimming, somebody hitched a ride on my bike. He actually did a short walk-run thing to get to my bike.
"So where are you coming from this early in the morning??"
It was around 0715 hrs. Me: "After my regular early morning swim."
"Where exactly is this pool??"
"Opposite to the Ohri's Banjara restaurant. Dolphin Swimming pool."
"Oh! Did not know that there was pool there. And where are you going??"
"Home. Road 10."
"Jaira Nagar."
"Yeah. Nearby!"
By this time we had reached a junction.
"Could you drop me here."
I stop the bike.
"Thanks BOSS!!!"
Long live AP Police.

After this encounter, I recalled the others that I have had with the police after having moved to Hyderabad. All have been nice so to say. There have been times when they have let go even when the fault was completely mine, not without a stern warning.

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"We like to come to work everyday. Do you??"

That's the catchline on a big hoarding on my way to office, replete with the smiling face of a female model. Oh, so not-so-inviting invitation.

Could not find the same on the website, otherwise would have posted it. The company : ADP

Can I Fly??

What a stupid question that is! Obviously I can't, right?? The more insightful (fastidious) of people around me would be wont to think that I want to be an escapist. Or probably a hermit?? Who knows.

It's like asking can I walk on water?? No. But from a story that I heard, rather read, as a child a certain disciple of a certain teacher walked on water while the teacher could not. The reason: the teacher preached his students that they could do anything if they had belief in self. So while this particular student accepted the lesson without further thought, the teacher himself could not. Ergo, the result.

Coming back to the topic, I believe I know how it would be like to fly. I have this recurring dream where I am falling, falling, falling,... that's it. Nothing more to it. I am falling, full stop! So when I wake up and am in my rational state of mind, this mind that has been fed with "science" and "reason" since long past tells me this - flying is the opposite of falling. As in where there is a sense of weightlessness, there would be a sense of extra pressure on the body. Something that I observe when going down or coming up in the lift (I am trying my best to completely stop using the lift now-a-days).

But the romantic side of me tells me, flying should be devoid of burden. Being able to glide with the wind rushing in your face. Twist your toes so to move in another direction. The whoosh! And the superman dive from the heavens above to the ground below. Stopping millimeters above the ground and then lazily moving back up, nary a care about the open arms of mother earth ready to engulf me forever. Fly up to the heavens and say hi to stars, the night sky full of them and crystal clear. Will they twinkle for me *sigh*.

The only people who really get the thrill of flying are those in the Air Force, flying those almighty hurricanes. That is their job, but what a job!

The question remains, where do I want to fly to?? Nowhere, far as I can think now. It is supposed to take me closer to the inertia. I want to see what the astronauts see. I want to see the world at a glance, know it for what it is - a teeny weeny piece of dust in this universe, whose distance even when measured in parsecs need to add the prefix 'giga'. I want to able to show the same thing to every individual who thinks that a piece of land is his exclusive property. Oh! And I definitely want to fly over the Bermuda Triangle and find out the reason why it gobbles up all the things. I mean, no clue as where this list of 125 aircrafts and this list of ships vanished. There are theories here, but then they are just that - theories.

And then I want to stand, or maybe sit, in midair while Mt. Fuji erupts in all its fury (oh by the way, Mt. Fuji is in Japan and last erupted back in 1717).

And I want to fly with the jumping dolphins (the ones that I saw off Coco beach in Goa).

And I would like to find out if I really to fall onto something in my dream...

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"It is only at the end of many births, the man of wisdom surrenders to Me, realizing that Vasudeva is all. But it is very rare to come across such great souls."
The Bhagvad Gita [Chapter 7 Verse 19]

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P.S. An analysis of my dream reveals that on the night I have that dream of falling, I seem to have done some "heavy" physical exercise, so when my body and the constituent muscles relax during sleep, I dream of this particular dream. Looks like with the loosening of the muscles, I keep sinking deeper into the mattress... :D

My First Financial Mistake

... or is it?? I am not yet sure, given that I don't know the rate of interest that would have been charged to me by my bank.

A couple of days back I made an online transaction to the tune of just under Rs. 35000/- The actual value had to be paid in dollars. So the most legitimate way is to pay through your credit card, which in essence would reflect on your finance statement. The other not so legal way would have been to ask a friend in the concerned country to pay for me while I remit the equal value in Indian Rupees to him through some other channel locally, probably his relatives, in India. I chose the first.

Now comes the part where I need to repay my credit card. Although my company pays me well (ok, good!), some investments and some lifestyle spends leaves me with little cash at the end of the month. Basically, I live from one month to the next month's salary. Which leads me to the situation where Rs. 35000 is a big sum to be paid in one installment, and I need a loan to repay the amount.

Besides a lot of other "attractive" facilities, my credit card allows me to convert my expenditure into Equated Monthly Installment (EMI). So if I have made a single purchase of value more than Rs. 1500 and need an extension of credit, my credit agency would gladly convert that into an EMI of 6, 12 or 24 months by charging me at the rate of 12%, a processing fee and applicable taxes. Obviously I need to call up and ask for it. Otherwise the nominal annual percentage rate (APR) is 2.95% per month (35.4% per annum), which converts to an effective annual rate (EAR) of 41.74%, which is a bit on the higher side. For the sake of convenience I opted for a 6 month payment option.

There was the other option of calling up my bank which, last heard, would have offered me a loan for the same amount at an annual rate of 11%. Here in comes the convenience part. My bank, although I have to maintain my salary account with them, requires certain documents before they advance me the amount. The actual documents required is very nominal: residence proof in some specific template, payslips, etc. etc. It would have taken me approximately a week to arrange for it all. Compared to this my credit card company does not require any extra documents since my credit worthiness is already established with them.

Now the question is how much did I pay for this convenience. For this I needed the interest rates offered to me by my bank and my credit card company. And when I actually sat down to calculate the interest that I would pay, I found I could not recall a single thing about how to go about it. Wow!!! After 25 years of formal education, I did not know how to calculate interest on a loan. And I had to sit down with pen and paper.

Take it easy. Begin with a few assumptions for both cases: (i) interest would be compounded monthly (ii) processing fee charged would be approximately same (iii) the rate of interest by the bank is 11% and the credit card company is 12% (iv) while the credit card company would extend me a 6 month loan, my bank would do it for a minimum of 12 months.

In itself calculating the amount of interest to be paid is easy, but it required some thought. First realization: one side of the equation is the monthly compounded value of the loan amount, L, after n months at an interest rate of r% p.a. (= L*[1+r/12]^n), where r is divided by 12 (to convert into monthly interest rate) and 100 (to convert into decimals from percentage form).

The other side of the equation would be value of repayments in form of EMI, E, that I would make on a monthly basis, again compounded monthly (= E*[1+r/12]^[n-1] + E*[1+r/12]^[n-2] + ... + 1 ).

Equating these two would give the value of E (EMI) to be

E = L * r * ( [1+r/12]^n ) / ( [1+r/12]^n -1 ).
While this is one way of calculating, another method is shown here. Albeit I find it a bit more round about and a bit more complex. Anyways, putting actual values into the equation reveals the following scenario.

If I take the credit card company option, I would be repaying the loan by paying an approximate EMI of Rs. 6100 (approx) for 6 months. While if I take my bank's loan option for 12 months, I will be paying an EMI of Rs. 3100 (approx). While the second option seems costlier by Rs. 600, actual calculation would not vary much from it.

But, but, but... is it the most viable option?? Here we need to consider the time value of money. Which would a full topic by itself. A simple explanation would be if I can take that Rs. 3000 extra per month from the 6 months and keep investing it and then it out after 6 months and use it to pay the rest of the installments for the 12 month option, I would be left over with something extra. But how much is the question. Will it just be enough to pay for the difference in both terms or will I have more??

The Machine: Repair, Maintenance and Enhancement

Have you tried to sew a button on your shirt?? Or at the least have seen somebody doing it. I myself have been sewn over at more than a couple of places of my body, much thanks to the mess I keep landing up in. And it is not an easy job. One of the times that somebody stitched me, he did such a botched job I still have a noticeable scar after 4 years.

Initially today's post was for automobile engines, but as chance would have it I got to see work on a part of the greatest machine existing : the human body ( was there any doubt?? )

Statement: I have stopped rash driving.

Ok. It needs modification. On most occasion I do not drive rashly. Sometimes I drive fast, but that is on free roads. Which is what I did today morning, that too without a helmet on. Sun in the face, wind in the hair (albeit it was more in the ear)... you know the feeling. Add to it that I am learning to swim these days and I don't wear those recommended goggles which are supposed to protect your eyes from the chlorine in the water. Complex combination of factors led to some irritation in both eyes and I had to visit the doctor in the eye hospital.

While waiting in the waiting room (where else??), I saw a video about corneal transplant. Cornea is the transparent layer over your eye pupil and iris and the white of the eye. Lots of people are blind in the eye because this transparency is lost and the thing becomes opaque. Many others suffer from impaired vision. The origin are many, genetic birth defect is just one of them. So what's the cure?? Corneal transplant. That is to say, somebody actually gives you his/her cornea and the doctor puts it right in, in your eye (obviously the donor is dead, why else would somebody become blind for you??). And then you see the world in light. So far so good.

What I saw in the video was much more amazing than this simple fact. The eye is actually popped out from the eye socket of the donor, dabbed with antibiotic and stored in a fridge. And the fridge that was there in the video was the regular Kelvinator or Whirlpool 165/195 L type thing. Eeewww! Better hospitals must be having better storage. I mean how can you store something so precious in such a thing?? That's what I thought initially but then I realized that the thing is currently dead, so it hardly matters. Matters of personal taste, eh??

Next the operation was terrific/horrific (depending on how squeamish you are). The cornea is actually sliced out and the new cornea from the donor is put back in. Obviously there is no magic glue which will hold the thing in place. And here in comes in some real skill. The doctor actually used a needle and thread to sew the cornea in place. Ooooo... The sewing needle is held by some forceps and the other end of the thread by another instrument. And the hands merrily sewed away all along the edges. Realization dawned. Those are really steady hands to deal with such sensitive area. One mistake and you are behind square one. Anyways...

Remember the video from Eye Bank Association of India in which Aishwarya Rai promoted eye donation. Smitten as I was at that time, I immediately wanted to go and pledge mine. But then I was legally junior. But chance has presented itself again. Let me see if I have it in me to donate even eyes. Will come back with updates on this.

Some videos I found:
Cornea Transplant Surgery - Price Vision Group

Transplante córnea

And the obvious wikipedia link
Cornea

There are lots others on the net.

Happy Woman's Day

My salute to all my female friends and the women in this world. I totally realize your contribution to my existence. And I support Blank Noise Project. Great effort ladies.

Sometimes in my long conversation with my female friends they utter this, "All men are dogs!" Or a variation, "Men are bastards." Asinine as it is, they would look at me (or think of me, if on the phone) and add, "Not you! But you know generally..." And then would follow a long/short diatribe against all "man"kind, depending on how the mood is. At occasions like this I am left devoid of words of defense. I know that they are not including me in their outrage, but I am also helpless to defend myself. All that goes through my mind is the shi**y behavior that lots of my male friends would get down to on seeing some woman walking by. I don't get the fun that they seem to extract out of such actions. To add, these men don't even have the balls to walk up to the female and say hi, or ask her out. But they are ready to ogle, or as the crude behavior goes "accidentally" bump into them.

Why am I incensed by such behavior?? Because it lessens my chances of meeting the fairer sex. There are times, albeit rarely, that I feel like smiling on seeing the sense of purpose and/or determination on the face of some woman. But then I have had to check myself on such occasions, knowing that such behavior would lead her to think, "Dog!" I would rather not. There were times when I have been categorically told by my female friends that I am the Mr. Nice Guy. On one occasion, a newly found friend told me about a female friend of hers, who, in her words, "would give an arm to meet" somebody like me. Yeah!!! I liked the compliment. But I am afraid I will never get to talk to her, lest I be called a lecher.

But then I am a wimp (not WIMP). Why o why do I not stop you from such behavior?? I guess it is the kind of herd mentality that you get into when you meet another of your kind. But I assure you guys, you would not find me giving you company on such occasion, however close a friend of mine you are. Many a times you have asked me, "Are you not interested in girls?? Why don't you look at them??" Oh! I am but biologically built to look at women and take an interest in them. Part of my being is from them if you want to know. But when I am in the company of people like you, or otherwise, I choose not to ogle or leer. I have met enough women in my life and am satisfied with their company. Guys, have you ever stopped to think that being from the other side of the gender does not stop them from being a human being. Give them their freedom. Yes, I don't say all of them are angels. There are times when there is an invitation even. As a matter of fact I have not many found many that are interesting enough to engage in conversation with. But it is just as with other guys, right?? Not every guy that you come in contact with is good enough to make friends with, or make an acquaintance out of.

Guys, guys, guys!!! Give respect and find more company. Live and let live. These creatures form an essential part of your existence. Woo them gently, don't jump on them. And add to it, what John Nash says in the movie, A Beautiful Mind:

Nash: "If we all go for the blonde and block each other, not a single one of us is going to get her. So then we go for her friends, but they will all give us the cold shoulder because no on likes to be second choice. But what if none of us goes for the blonde? We won't get in each other's way and we won't insult the other girls. It's the only way to win. It's the only way we all get laid."

For me: Stop being a wimp, especially when you find an acquaintance engaging in such behavior where there is no invitation and/or categorical denial.

VisualDNA

Was bored of blogthings and was getting jumpy and distracted with nothing new to do. And as is wont, when there is desperation, the whole universe conspires with you to take you where you want.

Result : VisualDNA from Imagini. Discover your VisualDNA. For mine, scroll down to the end of the page... :D

Drowned

Life seeping out of you rapidly, while you watch helpless to do anything about it. Gulping down water at a rate faster than I could actually think about anything, I simply had to give up. All the thrashing and wild movement of the hands and the legs were of no avail. I had been told that the water was just 7 feet deep, so essentially I could bounce from the floor and surface. But the desperation and the loss of breath scavenged the last remaining thoughts out of my mind.

Finally what seemed like ages, the coach pulled me up. Rather he grabbed my shorts and kinda pushed me towards the pipes at the edges of the swimming pool and I held on for dear life. As I write this, I can only think of the people traveling in Titanic. First hitting the freezing water must have sent them into shock. Whatever senses remained would have been sucked out by drowning. I am thankful that I am still alive to see the light of the day and continue my swimming lessons on another day.

Have been trying to learn to swim since 7 days now. And I am nowhere near it. With no physical flexibility exercises since childhood, difficulties have been compounded by the occasional weight training sessions that I did. My whole body is stiff and am unable to let go, something that everybody tells me is the key to swimming. All advice on swimming ends up with float like a corpse. Only then will you learn. Yeah! the advice is good and all. And am trying. But right now after the ordeal in the morning, I have tons of water inside me, all trying to gush out from my nose, ear, eyes and other countless pores and holes that my body has. But it refuses to pour out of the proper ones like the mouth and the urinary tract. Awk!

Tomorrow is a new day and a new war in the battleground. Wish me luck!