 Friday, February 27, 2009
Swimming Revelation!
So I went to my swimming practice at LA Fitness today. My instructor had taught me to float and paddle my legs in the water. But each time I used to paddle, my legs used to be below the water surface and so due to that I did not move smoothly thro the water. The right way is to paddle your legs just at the surface to make a splashing noise. By this action, you move smoothly and fast thro' the water. All this is greatly dependent on your centre of gravity when floating in water. My legs used to be submerged because I was not able to locate my centre of gravity during floating. MY instructor always said try to work with the water, don't work against it....and without knowing my centre of gravity and paddling my legs, I was working against the water. So today as I was paddling and paddling and paddling suddenly I realized my centre of gravity and how to maintain it while in water. Everything just fell in place....and I started moving smoothly as a fish! IT was a great revelation for me! I was absolutely thrilled to put in minimum effort and move the maximum distance in water. I could cover more distance in one breath, as I still don't know how to breathe while swimming. So now to make this paddling action as reflex and then start moving my hands and learn the breathing technique. That shouldn't be tough I guess!! I'm enjoying every bit of my swimming and practice... :-)
[ posted by
PseudoFreud @
11:50 PM ]
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Just got an email from Yahoo! saying that Yahoo Briefcase will be closing on March 30th 2009. Does that mean that Yahoo! is going bankrupt too?
[ posted by
PseudoFreud @
12:36 AM ]
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And I thought such things happened only in India...and in 2004 such a thing also happened in IRAN too....and now here in the U.S of A!!
Bikini dancer recovering slowly from fiery attack in Tarzana.
[ posted by
PseudoFreud @
12:13 AM ]
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Sunday, February 22, 2009
THE OSCARS!!
Some points that I observed during the Oscars:
Apart from Slumdog's not-so-surprising sweep, the choice of Sean Penn for the Best Actor, Kate Winslet for the Best Actress the following are a few observations of my own:
The stage design and set up was excellent!
Beyonce has put on a lot of weight, but her voice is still awesome.
Heath Ledger in the Best Supporting Role is just perfect.
Diane Lane still looks stunning!
Anne Hathaway and Penelope Cruz looked really cute and elegant.
At one point I felt there was no difference between the Oscars and Filmfare Awards! :D
On a side note, A.R. Rehman after winning the original song score Oscar, hurried out with the mic....probably to have the free mic for himself.
The best speech after receiving an Oscar was by the winner of the Best foreign film, Japnese guy...Awesome speech...he was 'Beri Beri Happy'.
Angelina Jolie and Mellissa Leo were wearing similar earrings! But Meryll Streep's earrings were really beautiful and so were Nicole Kidman's! I didn't like Kate Winslet's though...
[ posted by
PseudoFreud @
11:07 PM ]
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
HOW IRONIC!!
A driver in a convertible Rolls Royce passes a Santa Monica Boulevard clothing store offering 30% to 70% off. The recession has landed in Beverly Hills as many stores around the ritzy Rodeo Drive retail neighborhood have hung out signs offering savings of up to 80% and there are many vacant spaces for lease.
I find this picture ironic cos my first impression was that the Rolls Royce was parked out there in front of the shop. So with that frame of mind, I just said to myself, a person who drives a Rolls Royce, and shops at a store like that, which is now offering a 70% discount on goods, would I be able to even think of affording such a bargain?!? Do words and concepts like economic recession even exist in the dictionary of people who are used to driving not a standard Rolls Royce, but a convertible one!
Courtsey- The LA Times
[ posted by
PseudoFreud @
8:29 AM ]
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Swimming and LA Fitness
I have lately been enjoying my evenings. Firstly took up a yearly multi-club LA Fitness membership. My new work place has an agreement with LA Fitness and all employees get this plan for a discounted rate. So initially before joining LA Fitness, I used to work out at the fitness centre in my complex. It was jsut OK to keep yourself fit. But I guess people here are not so keen on being fit and invariably I used to be the only one working out there most of the time. Working out by yourself requires a lot of motivation and determination. So actually I was getting tired of doing this by myself and so I had started running on the road. On an average 4.6 miles every alternate day in the week. And now that I have joined LA Fitness, it feels good to work out in the middle of many people. Since LA Fitness has a swimming pool, and like most Indians I did not learn swimming in my days when I should have learnt. So joined this 'how to learn swimming class. It is every Monday from 7.30 to 8.00pm. Initially when I enrolled for this, I was quite embarassed cos there were only small kids who came there to learn. Even the enrollment form was designed with kids in mind. But was relieved that I am not the only one to learn swimming at this age. So we are two of us and one instructor, which is kind of nice. So I learnt to float on my back and head down on my chest. Next monday we will be taught to move our legs. So far so good. There is a lot of fun if you know how to swim! I am looking forward to it :)
[ posted by
PseudoFreud @
9:11 PM ]
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Monday, February 16, 2009
Changed the car oil myself yesterday. I am particular about using the Mobil synthetic High Mileage oil for my Jetta GLS 96 as it has been keeping the engine in good condition. Yesterday after draining the used oil I noticed that there was a large amount of sludge at the bottom of the tub in which I collected the used oil. Hmm....this is actually not good news cos it is telling me that the wear and tear of the engine has increased. I also use Lucas Engine Oil Stabilizer 1/2 Quart to 3-4quarts of engine oil. It has helped keep the engine smooth and stop any pesky oil leaks. Also today I had the biggest starting problem for my car. I almost thouhgt that the battery had died and I would need to jumpstart my car today. But in the end it started. My Jetta is also leaking coolant and I have to top it every 10 days or so. But for the last 1 week the coolant level has remained constant. Lets see how it goes. The starting problem today might have been due to the inefficient mixing of the engine oil and the Lucas oil and due to the cold temperatures here, the lucas might have solidified thickened, hence the starting problems.
[ posted by
PseudoFreud @
8:59 PM ]
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Saturday, February 14, 2009
A Toast to 5 Years Today!!
So today is February 14th....Valentine's Day! I did my normal chores for the day i.e. wishing a few friends Happy V-day!! heh heh. I clearly remember as far as Valentine's Day goes, I have never felt any attraction towards the day and all I see year after year is the card paper and all other environmentally hazardous material made 'Hearts' keep on getting bigger and bigger in the Hallmark stores. Ok so let me not digress...as I was saying as far as I remember I have not changed much since the past 5 years. I say so cos, I clearly remember exactly 5 years ago, on this day I was sitting in the University of Texas' Perry Castaneda Library trying to set up this very HTML design of my blog. Too bad I don't have that coool Pink Floyd graphic template of my blog. Sometimes I think it was very nice. So today my blog actually completed 5 years. On Feb 16th my posts will complete 5 years as my first post here was on Feb 16th.
I am right now single and enjoying my Pinot Grigio. Also listening to Kishori Amonkar...she sings really amazing. I have been wanting to write these drafts of recommendation letters so I can give them to my professors for recommending me, but my rate of writing a complete letter has been 1 letter per week. I know it is just a matter of flow of words, but the damn words just refuse to flow. Oh well...thats ok. One fine day when the time is right, I think I shall do 2-3 letters in one sitting.
Yesterday was a nice day. Its been almost a month since I left my first job (Jan 14th) and so yesterday met up with my colleagues DD, M and a bunch of others over a drink. It was good to catch up with people. Also met with DD's boyfriend. Kinda felt like a sissy to me....guess DD has him in her fist I guess...or maybe he is just desperate for her and she is taking full advantage of the situation. Anyways that was my first impression and I may be wrong and also it doesn't concern me. Also heard M saying 'Fuck' for the first time. I guess people need to release their pressure from work in some way or the other...oh well stuff happens you know.
I feel really fortunate to have left my first job and still have a smooth transition to another one without a break in these times of economic recession. Last week on Thursday there were major layoffs at my previous workplace. Almost 25% of the R&D workforce was eliminated. I am not sure I had been at my 1st job, would I have been terminated. I personally think no, cos the projects that I had been working on, they did not touch any of people and all those who were laid off had much higher salaries than me. All directors and associate directors were kicked out.
I must say that this wine is worth a mention...Bella Sera Pinot Grigio from Italy. I found it in the grocery store in a pack of 4 small bottles...perfect for me cos I cannot finish a complete bottle of white wine by myself. So this is a very nice thing. Some of the smaller things in life that I find extreme joy in :-) Ciao!! More later.
[ posted by
PseudoFreud @
11:40 PM ]
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Tuesday, February 03, 2009
This friend of mine is settled in Dubai. I was chatting with her last weekend and she said she is still in Mumbai, she had been there in December for a visit. I asked her what wrong and she said she has had a bad start for the year. One fine day she had severe back pain so unbearable, that she passed out on the way to the hospital. The doctors did a series of tests to diagnose what was wrong and all tests turned out ok. Then they went in for an Xray of the chest and shockingly found out that she is suffering from lung cancer. The cancer has affected the lower portion of her lungs and then spread to the vertebra. Hence the back pain. This was a great shock to me too...no doubt it has shattered her. I looked up on the net and it says that people who recover from lung cancer have a 14% chance of survival after recovery. The doctors are hopeful for her as her over all health is excellent. She will be undergoing 6 chemo therapy sessions, one of which she has already had it. I need to check on the information again about the survival % chance. Life is really unpredictable and you never know what is around the corner waiting for you.
[ posted by
PseudoFreud @
9:52 PM ]
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