Monsoons in Bengaluru

Smell that rain? It’s a smell I absolutely adore! There's something nostalgic about it… reminds me of all the times that I’ve gotten drenched in the rain as a kid, made paper boats and watched them drown along the footpath steams, played lagori in the rain, caught hailstones and eaten them, and most recent memories of drinking hot coffee and eating even hotter bondas in the rain.

In the US, cloudy days were never welcome. The gloomy skies put everyone in a not-so-upbeat mood. But in B’lore, it hardly matters. Life goes on, and the rain has little to do with people’s emotions. If anything it adds frustration to the drivers on the road, but for a lot that is already frustrated, it can’t do much!

Infact, the city has cooled down so much, that this monsoon is a welcome change in the weather. And I was able to throw on a sweater today, which I haven’t been able to use since January! (I know I sound weird, but I’ve accumulated so many warm clothes staying in Michigan, that I get excited when I finally use them again.) The good thing is that it isn’t as severe as Mumbai’s monsoons, so we get to enjoy it and yet, not suffer as much.

So enjoy this monsoon season fellow Bangaloreans! It’s a great time of the year, unless ofcourse you have an event to host, you have to be somewhere on time, or you live in south B’lore where it floods the living daylights out of your homes.

[Lagori is a street game where you throw a ball at a pile of stones.

Bondas are fried stuffed rolls, best when eaten hot and crisp - that’s the best translation I could come up with – sorry.]

I’ll never take my laptop to bed again, REALLY!

I realized something this week – more than 3 people read my blog (which is a celebration in itself) – but wait, that extra someone actually read my blog and took my post seriously! (To that someone – THANK YOU!!!)

When I wrote that post I was being my usual brazen witty self. I read an article and thought it was an interesting read for others too. But when I got handed an iPad in return, it was one of those GOSH-you-gotta-be-kidding-me moments!!!

So how is this fancy little gadget? It is all that good! I’m an Apple fan yes, but not a gadget junkie.

When you hold that one and a half pounder in your hands, you realize that you are going to get used to a new kind of luxury. And as always, Apple never disappoints. It’s like using your iPhone on a bigger better platform.

The downsides as I see right now are that this release doesn’t have a camera - so I know I’ll want to upgrade later (I have that one complaint against Apple, these upgrades cost me $$$ and think of the e-waste. Apple is proud of it. Seen their new caption for iPhone 4? "This changes everything. Again"); and my 3G iPhone looks ex-gen next to this new iPad.

Even my Dad remarked that it was pretty cool! My Dad checks the news more than he checks his email. So I showed him the WSJ & USA Today apps, he was impressed. Gmail & others, not so much. He wants it every morning between 7-9 am. I told him I’ll think about it…

It fits perfectly into my handbag, and if you are on the move, it substitutes as a pretty good mirror too! I haven’t yet gotten a BSNL sim cause that needs to be converted to a microsim and what not, but it works brilliantly on the wifi. Like we say here in Bangalore, it is bombaat! I also won't be taking my laptop to bed anymore…

My next assignment will be to post from it. Lets see how that goes.

P.S: I was trying to write my wedding journal and to-does in a diary, but hey, wait, I can just jot it down on my new iPad! :D

Running the B’lore 10K

I woke up early two Sundays ago (May 23, 2010). I hate waking up early, especially on Sundays. But, I chose to participate in Bangalore’s Sunfeast 10K, so I had no choice. I dragged myself out of bed, tied that timing chip to my shoes, and hoped that I won’t end up sleep walking.

My dad was kind enough to drop us (two of my cousin’s also ran). He figured we shouldn’t walk to the venue cause we could use that energy! When we arrived at Kanteerava Stadium, the start point for the 10K, I was shocked. I had heard from friends that the B’lore run had a quite a turn out, but seriously, there were like a zillion people. (I confirmed next day that approx 24,000 people showed up for the World, Open 10K and Majja Run together.) Maybe they were spectators?

Nope. They were also enthu runners like us. The race started as scheduled at 8:10 am. But by the time I got out of the stadium it was 8:25. Yes, 15 mins to cover maybe 500 meters, worse than a snail’s pace. For what its worth, I should mention that the chip timing didn’t start until we crossed the start line which was placed strategically, so the crowd was probably responsible for ruining my time by only 4-5 mins.

And so I ran. The first kilometer felt like trying to make your way on crowded Commercial Street (for non-Bangaloreans that is a prevalent shopping street in B’lore). To save myself from the risk of tripping over somebody, I also strolled with the crowd. Then slowly the participants got tired, began to walk, took water breaks, and finally the crowd eased up. I ran for the most part, took a break to greet my Dad and Ira (my Irish Setter dog) and then twice for water. I missed most of the mile markers so my pacing strategy from Runner’s World basically didn’t work!

Finally I finished. It wasn’t bad at all. I won’t swank my timing here, but I’m happy I finished before 70 percent of the others. And so it was… one more experience to remember. And maybe a step closer to the half marathon that I’m targeting next fall?

Some interesting observations during the run:

• Bangalore is getting fitter
• The fitness industry and sport shoes/clothes manufacturers will really milk this (relatively fresh) market
• Nike sponsored the event, and on-the-side completed their own little research exercise about the popularity of their brand
• iPods have become the running companion of choice
• The cheapness of some men spectators still exists – if you know what I mean!
• We wasted a shit-load of plastic from those 100ml Kingfisher water bottles
• Bangalore’s Cubbon Park is charmingly green
• Lastly, Bangalore needs it’s own half marathon

And oh, there were these old couples (70ish) who were running together – being fit, at that age, and supporting each other through the run – totally adorable!