Ketones and the Art of Maintenance!

Summary of Results:

0. Guide: Mr. Ameet Bagwe
1. Total time of experiment: 2.5 months so far
2. Total weight loss: ~14 Kgs (8 in the first month, then a steady kilo per week)
3. Inches lost: ~6 at The Line That Counts
4. Cholesterol numbers: Looking good (they looked good to start with though - so the point here is - eating a truck load of butter and cheese didn't make them any worse!)
5. Wardrobe situation: Dire straits (None of the clothes bought in the last 8 years fit any more. They fall off. Including the pants I bought at Decathlon two weeks back...)


The whole point of starting the experiment was to reduce the number of 'nostalgic remembrances' of the wife of days long past and reminders of pre-marriage promises to 'get into shape soon!' Not that I had any problem with my shape. I mean - O is a shape - a pretty neat one at that! But then, such logic is often lost on our 'gentler' halves! Sigh!

The wife wanted me to cut down on certain food items as conventional 'wisdom' dictated, and I, being the gl.. um... epicure that I am, chose to remain unwise - and there the matter rested - an impasse, with it's obvious ominous repercussions! Until the growing number of folks at office who had adopted this wonderful new fad called Ketogenic Diet - which seemed to work for everyone, and made everyone healthier - generated just enough peer pressure for me to buckle - and I sought out the advice of the expert - Mr. Ameet Bagwe himself. And so it started!

The first two weeks were a little difficult. But the immediate results on the scales were just enough to counter the temptation to give up. Many a time, I did think that I will try this for a few weeks and get back to earlier ways. But I haven't yet ... maybe because I am enjoying this more than I expected!

I have to admit - I haven't been totally honest with the diet though. I started cheating on it when they gave that large box of Diwali sweets to take home - about a month into the diet - and other folks at home back then were not really too fond of sweets! To put it in a nutshell, I took it upon myself to make sure that the box didn't go to waste. And that slowed down the weight loss. To about 1Kg / week. So - nowadays - I eat about anything and everything - although only in the later parts of the day. And the diet still works! I am still losing weight - while not having to stay away from all those sweets and pastries and what not! No wonder I am still on the diet!

Finally - I have been exercising also - lately. I had the habit of walking or cycling the 7KMs to office - have taken this up again over the last month or so. I am sure that helps too in the overall scheme of things.

All in all - this fad turned out to be a bit more than just that! It works - from first hand experience! So I will sign off with (on request) a Selfie. For the 'before' picture - just view any of my Facebook albums!!

For Arya

And then there was this Lovely Little Lass from Trivandrum,

Who idolised the escapades of the famous Viktor Krum.

Not for her the enticement of the world of silky satins,

For her the Secret of Victoria lies in her Baseline Spins!

With talented our heroine, all one needs to do,

Is hand over a racquet to her, and see the magic brew

As she weaves her graceful steps around the court so big or small,

Or among the chirpy chicks who chuck around a Ball!

So one fine morn our paragon on the 24th of Jan,

Said “Dash it all I have had enough, am off to catch my Sun!”

And as we floundered in her wake to form the 5Cs teams,

We wish her the very best in life as she embarks upon her dreams...

For Shyam & Pooja

I was trying to come up with a Music-based video as a 'Wedding Present' for Mr. Shyam Jagannathan & Ms. Pooja Kulseja... by scourging through their Facebook pages - but it did not turn out quite all right - so I ended up never publishing it. In the meanwhile this 'poetry' was a by-product of that effort...

Once there was an young man from the land of wooden sandals,

An audiophile, a racket-head, with photographic angles!

Well, one fine day as he smashed away some racket-splitting serves,

He felt as if some divine whiff was soothing all his nerves.

He looked about in sudden doubt for the source of all the breeze

That smashed about his cerebrum and knocked him off his knees.

It took him quite a bit of time to find out all the answers

As to why the hell he felt as if a troupe of ballet dancers

Were tiptoing round in choreograph in a world of rainbow beams,

When Lo Behold, in vibes of gold stood the acme of his dreams!

This shepherdess of resources of the anthropoidal kind,

This archangel of Jubbulgarh had robbed his senses blind.

At once to him twas clear as sand that's melted in the forge 

That life without the divine dame would be empty as a gorge

That cuts within the mountains high to darkened depths descend.

And just like that his broken heart no adhesive would mend.

So all at once he made his mind to take the supreme leap

In spite of all the friendly jibes of lions now turned sheep

Who sadly shook their hen-pecked heads saying "Welcome to the club!"

And those staunch few who held out still said "one more bites the grub!"

So, at last we come to the fateful day when the registrations are tied,

And in the midst of the gathered glitz, the knot is finally signed.

All we can say is "have a great day" and "a roller coaster ride

Of a life full of adventures!" Be happy, Groom & Bride!

Many days, many conversations, many of them quite remarkable and therefore memorable... but the one conversation which comes to mind - the one that haunts - keeps coming back with thoughts in the lines of 'could things have been any different?' is the one from many years back - with the chance remark - I don't even remember the context - about how one's own home is the most comfortable... a harmless remark from all appearances - but one which apparently pushed her on the slippery slope of delusions, depression, maybe even paranoia, to never recover completely... I was in school back then... used to love talking to her - listening to anecdotes, getting to know something about my roots. That was probably one of the last meaningful conversations I have had with her. One I wish, all the time, that I never had.

She was the only one who used to write to me, even when I was quite small. Real letters I mean - on paper with an ink-pen. She used to write in Bengali, and I used to write back to her in the same language. She used to chide me when I made spelling mistakes, or when I had to scratch out a word to correct it. I used to try very hard to write the perfect letter with no mistakes or corrections and in my best hand-writing. The letters reduced in number with time, as her eye-sight weakened, they were no longer as perfect as they used to be, but they were as dear to me as always. I used to keep all her letters in my desk drawer back then - wonder where they are now - must have been lost long ago what with me moving out, and my parents shifting afterwards... 

I used to urge her to write down her memoirs lest all the stories be forgotten one day- she was the only one who could tell me about what happened in the past. How they lived, how her kids, nephews & nieces grew up, about my grandfather - who I never really knew. About relatives & family who I knew only from her stories. About how life was back in those days! About Rhinos in Kaziranga, and Tuskers in Assam. About Assam Oil, the tea plantations, Digboi. About old forgotten far-away places from where I am - but have never been to. And now ... the stories are lost, just as I feared.

I sometimes wonder - how none of the stories were from when she was small - none about her parents, or her childhood home. I did not think about this when I was young. Not until the stories had stopped - and I was old enough to think back and wonder. I really do not know how she was when she was young, what did she do before she got married, what did she like, how her life was. It was as if all this was from another life - as it very well may have been back in those days...

Should I buy a can of diet coke, or should I not? There's too much crowd near the counter, it will take me a while to reach there, especially, with the plate full of Biryani in my hand - so ditch! I decided against the coke, and stopped & turned - only to find out the fellow behind me hadn't stopped... The rest happened in ultra-slow-mo... I braked hard, trying to balance my plate of Biryani. The bowl of curd went careening over the edge of the plate... all the way down to the floor... it did an odd twirl on the carpeted floor... the curd splashed out - almost straight up - some of it even reached my eye level - while the rest of it splattered around forming an interesting pattern of white dots on me, the fellow behind & a couple of table on both sides, as I and the fellow behind looked helplessly at each other!

It would have been a funny situation to the neutral observer - only there were none - observers, having had their share of flying wisps of curd dotting them, were hardly in neutral frames of mind!

Horns of a Triceratops - I mean - Trilemma!

8 kilometres to office - through typical Bangalore terrain (read bad roads & many ups & downs), flyovers, traffic, rush hour...

Option 1: Buy a bicycle - cycle to & fro.
Option 2: Walk one way (how much time will it take?) and return by the bus!
Option 3: Take the red bus to Tin Factory, walk the last three kilometres, same the way back the other way round!

Decision time! Objective - to get a little bit back into shape... I know, I know, Round is a shape - very funny!

Face(?)-lift!

The old template was no longer supported by Google - the unique image on the top-left corner long gone missing - and it being impossible to edit the look or feel of the page anymore - it was time for a change - overdue in fact - for years! 'Why bother?' you ask - 'It is not as if you will post anything here!' And you are right of course! But then, a change just felt right too!

So here's 'Free Wheels' in a new avatar - and Archives back online after years... but, to some extent, I do miss the old pink...

What did the gun-toting Delay Capacitor say to the 0-ohm Resistor? :)
"Resistance is useless!"

Discover Brain Games!

30 - beat that!!!

http://www.discover-brain-games.com/

Some simple games to pass time - Beware, they can be addictive!!

http://www.discover-brain-games.com/

The Secret

The Secret

Type out your thoughts
In Snatches!
A word here, a phrase there,
Even whole lines that may rhyme, or not!

Abstract, it must be.
Play with the order
of words - Verbs afore, Subjects behind!
Jumbled up, all, as you wish them to be!

Coin a few new words.
A few
mind you!
Not too many that the gist be missed!

A rhythm, divine or otherwise,
Helps!
Try to think as have many before you!
You will find out it is easy.

Finally, add it up,
Publish it on your blog,
Add links from Google,
Facebook, Twitter & the lot.

And Lo & behold,
You are a poet!
As am I one!!

What colour are you inside?

What colour are you inside?

Satin Pink & Turquoise Blue,
Bloody Red & Plain White too!

Purple, Beige, Grey, Yellow, Green,
Is that the colour you are within?

A - B - C - D - E - F - G -
Even None with that thick, black T!

Nylon Nets & Crimson Lace,
Black & Blue - in the Book of Face!

Be bold & reveal your innermost hue,
And ne'er an ailment may befall you!!

poor she says.
but how poor can she be...
a poet with words so rich
and pure as the ones that i read here.

struggling - that may be as it is.
one struggles in life many a time,
more often so when one is
pursuing the search for knowledge.
it's an eternal thirst, difficult to quench.

well, happy am i with the words
that she has for me -
prize enough.
i don't ask for more.

for, i am no poet. just
an amateur player dabbling with some
images, some ideas, thoughts,
a few celluloid reels,
and people.

Drill - Scrape - File - Cut - and so on and so forth!

Drill - Scrape - File - Cut - and so on and so forth!

A couple of jabs to start with. Not effective enough. One more jab. Start chipping. Ouch! A couple of more jabs now, inside! Chip away. "I have reached the roots! Now I am removing these sensor heads here!" She did, quite painfully, but not completely I guess! "Now my colleague will do the filing."

The much younger colleague evidently took her art very seriously & artistically! She bent over almost into the now gaping hole & filed away with extreme concentration! Her exaggerated facial expressions from 6 inches away were quite entertaining! Occassionally she would frown if some part would not yield perfectly under her touch. Occassionally I would, if I found out that some of the sensor heads were not yet removed! She obliged by removing them! All the time, the helping hand was also there, using a suction nozzle to clean up the workspace. At this point the young lady went further in to start filling up the hole!

The first part of the operation completed, the earlier elder lady came back to take up the next tricky part. "I will have to apply much more pressure for this part." With the warning, she cut through the outer skin. Then she took up her drill, and started on the operation. But she soon figured out that the drill head was not big enough and went for a bigger & scarier instrument! I was more scared that the drill may slip and do immense damage to the neighboring structures which are still very useful to me! Occassionally she would send in X-rays with an instrument which looked like a Hair Drier and figure out the lay of the land ahead as one may say. It took her about 15 minutes to drill halfway through the thick bone-like structure, and then she pried at the remaining half! With a shark crack which sounded exactly like bones breaking inside my head, she managed to pry away the half. "Look at the size of this thing" she told me & showed it to me too! I smiled.

"Now I need to just pull away the ends." She did so too with extreme nonchalance. A couple of quick stitches & she was done.


"I will give you the instructions for the next few days now... You have been a great patient. Other people keep closing their mouths! I never thought we could get this done so quickly!" And she proceeded to reel of a series of instructions with the young doctor chipping in once in a while!

Perils of an Amateur Moviemaker

With no promise to be punctual in updating, I started on a new blog, which can be found here... All are welcome to visit & comment.

It's all about me being... "A" wannabe movie-maker trying out the different tricks of the trade, attempting to learn a little bit through first hand experience, and have some fun along the way..."

A new Blogger in the Blocks... She's witty, she's charming, newly venturing into the realm of writing... Ladies & Gentlemen... Please Welcome my dear wife... Swapna!

YouTube links:
A Short Experimental Movie with a camera on a tripod used as a steadicam: The Chase
Anupam Roy in a Preview Concert, a short "YouTube" version: Right Here

Palio 1.6 Sport

Full clutch, shift to first, inch ahead slowly, turn the wheel all the way to the right, carefully ease out of the slot. Stay in first, move ahead slowly crossing the bumps, one, two, three, then up the slope, slow left out of the gates, shift to second, accelerate as you turn right and straighten back on to the main road. This is where you floor the gas pedal. 20 to 40 in two seconds, shift up, 60 in another two seconds, shift to fourth, up to 80, shift one up again, and saturate out at a peak speed, others are getting a little jittery as the red needle threatens to cross into three digits! Straight, straight, straight, down the underpass, up again beyond the railway tracks, the needle steady at 100, then slow down into second, cross a bump, repeat the whole exercise.

My house is on the Outer Ring Road. If you like to drive, and are in Bangalore, Outer Ring Road is exactly where you should be. Of course I have done the track, I mean road, hundreds of times on my Thunderbird. The Fiat Palio 1.6 Sport is a whole new experience altogether!

Sporting a 100bhp engine, the Palio 1.6 Sport is just the car I used to dream of. And of course, since it is a sports model, it has to be red. The Sales executive at the showroom boasted that this was the only car which came in Formula Red, supposedly the colour of Michael Schumacher's car. I looked over the car, then bent down and inspected the tyres. Bridgestone. Perfect.

Swapna cribs about the mileage. I agree that the FiaT Palio is not exactly known to give the largest number of miles per gallon of fuel, but then, I don't really care. Nor do I care about the fact that the rear windows cannot be lowered all the way. It's a FIAT, and FIATs worldwide sport this feature. Not that I would have cared much anyway, I am never going to sit in the back seat!

United Champions Trophy 2006 - A Report

United Champions Trophy 2006 - A Report

Day 1 - Report by Somshubhra Paul

With HTMT pulling out of the tournament, TI had to play 3 matches in the group leagues, against HSBC, GE Healthcare & Times of India . All matches for TI were scheduled for day One. Two of the four teams were to qualify for the knock-out stages.


Match 1: Against HSBC

Fielding Clifford, Gavin, Mahit, Sujoy and Ashwani (Goalie) and with a bench consisting of Ashish & Som, TI started on a promising note. The first half consisted of some hard football, with Clifford hitting the post several times, Gavin getting angry with the opponents’ rough tactics, Gavin and Som replacing each other and Ashish coming in sometime later. The first half was dominated by TI almost till the end. Then HSBC struck and TI was down 0-1 at half-time.

The second half was not so good for TI as we conceded once again, and then Ashwani was fouled upon, to be taken out with a swollen hand. Again the referee chose to ignore the foul against TI. Ashish put on the gloves to replace Ashwani. One more goal was scored near the end of play, and TI went down 0-3 against HSBC.



Match 2: Against GE

This promised to be an easy game in TI’s favour, and turned out just as predicted. TI started scoring almost as soon as the first whistle was blown, and kept on scoring repeatedly till the long whistle at the end of the second half. Sharath started in the goal in Ashwani’s absence, with a promise from Clifford to take him off as soon as TI went up. The promise was kept after TI’s second goal, and the veteran Hemant donned his gloves to stand in front of the nets. It was Clifford’s aim to have everyone score, and he almost succeeded, with goals coming from Sujoy, Sharath, Ashish (2) and Clifford himself (4). TI won emphatically at 8-0.



Match 3: Against TOI

This was a do or die match for TI, who had to win to qualify. TOI had drawn with HSBC, which meant that they could qualify even with a draw. With that in mind, they started in a very defensive note, with TI making repeated attacks at the opponents’ goal. But against the run of play, TOI struck first (in the second half) through a mis-understanding between otherwise flawless Mahit and fill-in goalie Hemant. TI however came back strongly with a brilliant series of passes, covering both flanks, before Clifford smashed the ball in through the TOI goalies out-stretched arms. The game became very interesting at this point, with TOI trying to hold on somehow, while TI was trying to roll one ball into the opponents’ nets. After repeated accurate passing among the TI players, which didn’t result in any goals, the change of fortunes came dramatically with 30 seconds to go! A few quick passes between Clifford and Som took them near the opponents’ goal, and a sharp push from Som through the defender’s legs left Clifford with the ball in front of only the TOI goalkeeper. With the amazing calm, which only Clifford is capable of, he feigned the goalkeeper to one side, and pushed the ball in to the nets, through the other side. The final whistle came within seconds of this and TI qualified for the semis, having beaten TOI 2-1.



Day Two - Report by Anupam Roy

Semi Finals: Against TESCO

Playing against a controversial opponent TESCO, TI started the game in a defensive mood. Starting line-up included Sharath as the goal-keeper, Sujoy & Mahit in defence, Anupam in midfield & Clifford as our lone striker. Som, Amlendu & Hemant were there on the bench. Som substituted Anupam after 10 minutes which immediately changed the game, with Som & Clifford both going forward & causing quite a few problems in TESCO's defence. Amlendu then substituted Som. The first half ended scoreless.

The next half started brightly for TI. Sujoy was everywhere on the field, blocking shots, tackling players, passing the ball forward. Mahit was in superb form too. His romping runs from the defence to the other half were a treat to our eyes. The opponents looked pretty relaxed when Clifford, our super hero struck! (You must know he was a professional & has played for Churchill Brothers in Goa). TESCO realized that they had to do something but they could not beat Sharath even once. I don't remember "who" were substituted "when" in the 2nd half. TI grew in confidence as Clifford played some brilliant one-two with Som. TESCO's defence was once more in trouble but they survived as Anupam's lethal right footer could only manage to rattle the woodwork.

Then came the defining moment when Clifford struck again! The entire TI support-team (which included the wives of 3 of the players on the pitch) went crazy. TESCO tried to fight back. Their goalie made an interesting run from their goal in the dying minutes but TI coolly defended. TI won 2-0 & reached the finals!

MOM : Clifford.



Finals: Against HSBC

TI had played HSBC in the group matches. Though TI dominated the game, HSBC had won the match 3-0. Now these 2 teams have to play against each other once more! This time its a big, big clash! Time for revenge??

Starting 5 were the same as in the semis. It was a boring 1st five minutes, both sides playing very defensive. Clifford was injured but played through the pain barrier. He knew he was needed. Their attackers tried to muscle their way into TI's penalty box but as usual we were rock solid in our defence. As luck would have it, a brilliant pass from our opponent saw them score the 1st goal. A huge disappointment. We have to come back from behind! It didn't take much time before TI sparkled. A gentle touch from Som & ball was at Clifford's feet inside opponent's penalty area. Everyone knew what was to follow. The ball kissed the net & TI was level!

First half ended 1-1.

Second half was a physical encounter from the start. It was true that all the players were tired & rarely anyone tried anything new. Every individual was aware of the importance of every second & execution was simply superb. HSBC tried numerous substitutions but none worked. There were 2 incidents that forced the referee to flash yellow cards. The 1st one was shown to one of the HSBC defenders for pulling Clifford's shirt as he tried to make a run, down the left. I, personally, feel that it should have been a direct red, as he was the last defender & Clifford had gone past him. Then a similar incident occurred but this time in the heat of the moment Clifford shot the ball into the stands. A yellow card for him. The 2nd half saw no goals & we had to go for a penalty shootout.

Sadly, we had made a mistake. The last few minutes didn't include Anupam, a regular penalty taker, in the playing 5. This implies he can't shoot!

Tension was growing. Out of Som, Sujoy & Mahit, at least one of them had to shoot.

Shot 1 : HSBC scores.
Shot 2 : Clifford shoots but an extra ordinary save from their goalkeeper denies him.
TI supporters shocked!!
Shot 3 : HSBC scores again.
Shot 4 : Sharath (our goalie) shoots & scores! Excellent strike!
Hopes still alive!
Shot 5 : HSBC player shoots directly at Sharath. Jubilation for TI.
Shot 6 : Come on Sujoy! Must score. An exceptionally quiet Sujoy shoots.
It goes in! Yes it does! Sujoy regains his normal self as we can hear his voice once again. A controversial penalty, as HSBC players mob upon the referee claiming that the ball has hit the cross-bar and come out. TI players very calm, as they know that the referee has already blown his whistle for a goal. The ball HAD crossed the goal line before coming out.

Sudden death to follow!

Amlendu biting his nails, Mahit sitting on the ground helplessly (must be praying to the Almighty).

Shot 7 : HSBC No. 7 shoots, straight over the crossbar!
Shot 8 : Som steps ahead, goes for power, shoots! Believe me, it goes in!
HSBC shell-shocked. We didn't know what to do.
TI has actually won a corporate tournament!!

Celebration Details :
1) Som falls down on the horrible ground (not a glimpse of grass to be spotted anywhere!)
2) Sujoy, Clifford jump on him.
3) Others followed. (Even our heavy-weights Hemant & Sharath!)

TI, the winning team, lifts the cup!
Clap, clap, clap!

Fanaa

Fanaa...

...Stay clear of it!

If you are a hopeless Kajol fan, put an extra pin-up on your desktop instead. If you like to marvel at Amir Khan's acting skills, go see those re-runs once again.

And if you have to watch the movie, just because everyone else is, go watch it on a monday night 10:30PM show. At least that will give me the pleasure of knowing, I ain't the only sucker around!!