Chennai Walk/Run

August 29, Chennai Beach, Marathon run in aid of Give Life Charity.

It was such a treat to be there. We weren't doing the long 21 km run for serious runners but the short 7km Fun Run. And it wasn't a Run but a longish Fun Walk. With thousands of people around us, most of them young people with corporate banners, good cheer was in abundance. There was little leeway for serious runners; they must have been out in the front.

We'd invited all the people we knew; family and friends, anyone we thought could walk the 7 km. But the urban middleclass Indian can come up with so many inventive excuses to be up and about at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning. The more athletic types felt they hadn't trained enough; they had to be up there in front with the runners and be there at the finish line in front too, it was a question of image. Some people couldn't let go of their gym schedules which give them a big high . Some people just couldnt get up after Saturday night.

Finally, it was Sindhu , Kapu, Prashanth's friend Pratap who sportingly joined this group of females and me. I have cotton in my ears because of an ear infection. Darshini had to stay on the beach eating sundal because she is still throwing up a lot with morning sickness.

And we enjoyed it all. The hoopla with cheerleaders egging us all on, the camradiere which flowed abundantly all around, the fact of being there as a participant in morning exercise and maybe a little more, the sudden whoops from all the groups, the radio jockeys being as mad as only they can be, a little glimpse of celebrities, the rolling drum beats at the start and finish of Sivamani.. the knowledge that we were going to round it all off with a terrific breakfast which I didnt have to cook... it was a morning brilliant with promise and the sun wasnt too brilliant either, making it all more comfortable.

pics

Thought I would post some professionally taken pics when chitti was here. Have been very busy at work, my colleague was in Madras having a good time just like Ravi. Had a weeks holiday at Centreparc, a holiday resort. Inspite of a number of calls and going there every year we did not have a disabled adapted lodge. Things did improve a few days later.

Anya is in year 11 next year, she takes some part of her exams a year earlier and has done well. Hope she keeps up. She has also got a merit in grade seven classical guitar.
Have to take her later today to rockclimbing arranged through aircadets. She has been to a music festival, you could see her pics on facebook. I was banned from going, even though there was an extra ticket. Apparently I cramp her style :(

Dads are only there for paying and for taxi purposes.

WELL DONE to all the kids in their extraordinary performance in their exams and goodluck for the future.

Nandika why dont you post the pics from your holiday activities in Manchester?

Why don't we all have a go at a half marathon at Madras?

Invitation

YOU are invited for breakfast on29th August, at 8.00 a.m. on Marina Beach.
conditions apply
see http://www.givelifechennaimarathon.in/?page_id=7

This is to celebrate two years of our blog and my 50th year!

ps: nice to see the blog sizzling. colleges should open very late it looks like

Hello everyone ,

sooo , right now i'm waiting for college to start , i've been completley jobless for 5 and a half months now.The novelty of sleeping for 15 hours a day , watching 3 movies in one day and watching people go by on the street for hours on end is beginning to pall.There are only soo many days a person can literally not do a single thing from morning til evening.PSG seems to be taking to it's own sweet time to start.I mean , they haven't even bothered to tell me the exact date and just vaguely said, September..Why start soo early , obviously they're reluctant to start in this yuga.. I mean they must be reluctant about starting in the Kali yuga - no , problem lets all wait a few million years for the next yuga.Why not just start the first year dept when we all are wrinkled and physically unable to practise medicine?

Well, thats enough of ranting about Psg , it will start when it's ready i suppose.

Hope everything is well with everyone .Will blog as soon as something interesting pops up.
byee
Aswatha :]

Get togethers !

The season for organised gettogethers seems to be August as most abroad have holidays and they pine for seeing all the old ones they have not met for a long long time and spend time
The localites see each others naturally at weddings for work and different reasons
this trip has all been about getotgethers
the first was one at chennai where classmates ( six of us have managed to stay very close ) got together hired a house with a pool and someone to cook and had fun the kids enjoyed it too
Quite remarkable to stay this close as we have been in diff places and across continents as well

The next was at Erode where a small gathering planned by local batch mates was hijacked by people from abroad and also cbe guys all of whom didnt arrange one so far with excuses as I dont have the time etc
it was great and had loads of fun singing and telling stories some strange ones too
and it was all free thanks to pharma industries as well got some takeaway gifts as well !!
seems like attending a class again
the somber moment was when we realised we had already lost 6 of our class mates due to varied factors
the next was with lalli aunty at home kalai, mama,athai,sajit,goutham,chinnababy aunty came as well
Lalli Aunty was the star with her abounding cheer never ending enthuisiam and honestly she must be on speed - an illegal drug - really making well with her second life God bless her ,
Aswatha cooked most of the dishes and turned out well putting in her culinary classes to good use
cream tomato soup
panneer tikka
stuffed chilli curry
stuffed paratha
and some baskin robbins ice cream
sajit and nandhika took the two whole containers at the end
couldnt make out if they had washed it or licked it clean when it was returned later !
and a overnight one with Rams and a couple of my friends staying at a hotel in ooty
was great fun as well
Should plan for a family one sometime in december any takers
Ravi
PS Nandhika is doing her dance arangetram in October please try and plan for it
date will be announced soon maybe a nice gathering as well

is anyone there............??????

guyss hello .....anyone plans 2 wake up and write somethin ???

pa how hard it is 4 a guy stayin in hostel 2 stay in touch wit this family.??
well anyways let me atleast write...
having joined sastra university in thanjavur life is moving on pretty well.slowly gettin used 2 coll life and hostel life. coll is fun nt very strict and ya no uniforms(plss no comments ash :-P).ply drawback is its veg so missin those juicy tender chicken legs:)...had gone 4 a navy interview last week . thatha was so adament i should nt join it...had got selected 4 the next round but dint go further as was nt very confortable....plss dont ask ant reasons cause even i dont know the reasons:-)...in chennai now for hols....such a change from stayin in metro to go to a sleepy town.....dont know wat 2 do on weekend nights....just sitting in terrace and dreamin lookin at the stars in weekends......well anyways keep updating and writing...




luv sajit:P

hi everyone

last weekend was hectic . had two get togethers. one was my school 10th after 29 years. and the other was our medical college do which ravi also attended.
the first was good meeting everyoboy . old illusions fell as the school pupil leader who we thought would go places ,was just about managing to work on and off with 3 kids in texas, the quiet ones were a bit better off, but most were contented house wives.

the medical college meet was nice too. every body seemed prosperous and happy and some seemed to be doing extremely well too.

i am without a servant 2 weeks and find that i prefer cleaning the house to working out at the gym which i usually force myself to do about 20 mts 2 times a week,
hope this pays off.

yet to meet lali aunty. met thambi vidya and kids,
kapu

Long time No Posts = Sorry

Hello everyone

Sorry about this , but this is my usual style , flying in one day and trying to catch up on all events , will try and add my twopence even more
I am glad that all the kids have got into their choices and done well, from what i can informally see they all still maintain a good balance between life, studies and enjoying their time as a young one !
Good for them , I get this impression from various sources inc face book !
For me life is treating me well and work is just the same ,
I am in chennai for one day gettogether with school friends , Six of us stayed good friends ever since which is not bad and we can still call on each other if we are down etc and it is a great feeling
Otherwise life goes on ,,,,
Let all the kids settle in college and will try for a grand gala gettogether next year or so
Take care folks
Ravi