T2 - Judgement Day

             Back in July 2012, I was called by my doctor to discuss some abnormalities in my blood tests. When I reached his office, he explained to me that my fasting sugar was higher than normal and wanted me to undergo some more tests. I asked him by how much was my sugar high ? He said, very high. At least 4 times the normal fasting glucose number. That was a surprise to me. He said, "I had crossed the diabetic range by a huge margin and he needs to confirm if I had Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes."   
             Hearing this was a huge blow to me. I was not prepared for this at all. I kept asking myself where did I go wrong ? I was eating healthy, I was eating home cooked meals, I was not overweight, I was running regularly, I show no symptoms of diabetes, then why these results ? and why me ? 
            My dad was a diabetic. He passed away in 2003. I was aware of the complications he had to suffer being a diabetic. I had tears right in front of the doctor and nurse. I told the doctor, "I had finished a Half marathon with a good timing just weeks before the blood tests. how can I have high sugar ?" (apart from sugar, the tests showed that I had very high Cholesterol and Fats as well). 
He checked my past records and said : 
"You drink ?   No
You smoke?  No
Red Meat ?   No
overweight ? No.
Then I guess it must be genetic. "

That's how I learnt that I was a diabetic. Now it was just a matter of needles or pills for the rest of my life.

           With tears still in my eyes, I told him that I was prepared to be diabetic after 20 years and was ready to accept "genetic" as an answer, But I was not ready to hear this at a young age of 29. Just 2 days ago, my wife's OBGYN confirmed that she was 2 months pregnant. That was a fascinating news for both of us and now I have to deal with this terrible news.  The doctor was very kind and told me that I was better off than some of his other patients that he had to break similar bad news to. He said, "I had a 17 year old boy yesterday who we found out was a type 1 diabetic. You are already living a healthy life. You just need to adjust your diet and you can lead a very healthy life without any complications." He referred me to a nutritionist, prescribed some pills, assured me that I will be fit to run my next marathon if I promised to take the medications regularly and changed my lifestyle.
           With that shock, I let the nurse draw some more blood and I left the doctor's office. Telling this news to my wife was the most difficult task ahead of me. And how do I tell this to my mother ? She has already experienced the horror of losing her husband to diabetes. 
            My wife was patiently sitting at the waiting lounge of the doctor's office. I told her to get ready to leave. As we exited the doctor's office, I told her about my condition. She was brave enough to accept it and promised to help me all the way till I feel better. Imagine how a 24 year old girl will feel when she hears that her husband is diabetic. That too after just 3 years of happily married life and just a few days after her OBGyn tells us that she is 2 months pregnant. We drove home and I went to bed straight away. 
             I was very angry at myself that I let this happen to me. I was so aware of this disease and its family history, still I neglected the symptoms. In fact, when I looked back a few months, I started to realize that I had the typical symptoms but I ignored them saying to myself, "I am not old enough to get diabetes".  I was so wrong. Many times, I woke up at night to take a leak, right after that I drank 2 glasses of water before I went to sleep. I was always hungry and was ready to eat anything in front of me. My teeth were turning yellow, gums turning black, any cuts during shaving would turn black even after healing, My legs were always dry and cracked. I needed to apply moisturizer cream almost daily. If you google symptoms of diabetes, you will see all of this. I was foolish to ignore them and now I was paying the price. 
            Like a video game, I though of resetting my life,  but too bad, we only have one life and I had ruined it. I kept praying that let the next blood reports bring some better news. I was ready to give up sugar and sugar based food items. The doctor had said, "Change your diet, eat more greens and whole grains". Well, I was already doing that. What more am I supposed to do ? I just hoped that I don't have to rely on insulin injections to keep my sugar levels under control. The next blood results were out. In the note, the doctor said, "Good news. No sign of Type 1 diabetes". 

July 2012 Numbers :

Fasting BG      : 256    (Range 65-100)
A1C             : 11.6   (Range 4.0-5.9)


BG = Blood Glucose 

             That's how my life changed. Ask any doctor or diabetic what these numbers mean to them and you will know how bad my health condition was. 

Its been more than 2 years after this incident now. I have a very cute son, understanding wife, supporting family and friends, am maintaining a healthy weight, and still kicking' asphalt when I am on the road for a run. After being diagnosed with T2, my marathon timings have improved for every run. Diabetes has taught me to respect my body, enjoy life and be happy as there is nothing more precious than seeing yourself and your family happy and healthy. I was never a smoker, drinker or obese. Yet, I managed to become diabetic. I don't know if I should blame my genes or myself for it. Instead of playing this blame game, I am very grateful that I know my weakness right now and I deal with it so that this doesn't go out of control the next time. Many Indians just ignore something as simple as a routine blood test. I am happy I did a test and found about this early. Knowledge is power.You study the enemy, find out its weak points and attack it. I knew the numbers that I needed to bring them down. 
        Every morning started with eating a mouthful of fenugreek seeds. Breakfast had blueberries and steel cut oats. Lunch and dinner was home cooked with half the portions than my usual consumption. Lunch and dinner now included a salad. I gave up soda, sweets, bread, potato and all the oily stuff. My doctor had gifted me a glucose meter (worst gift I have ever received). I kept notes of what I ate and what were my sugar levels after 2 hours. This helped me identify food stuffs that I could eat without any problems and which foods to avoid. Turned out that apart from desserts, rice and potatoes were my biggest enemies. I now avoid eating meals that only consist of rice or potato. Apart from the daily prick on my finger, I had to undergo a comprehensive blood test every 3 months to check my cholesterol and A1C. I was showing good progress, the bad numbers were coming down. The results kept motivating me. finally, before heading back to India, my test results were pretty close to normal. My Doctor proudly said, "You are my healthiest patient in the office right now :)"


July 2014 Numbers : 
Fasting BG      : 87    (Range 65-100)
A1C             : 6.0   (Range 4.0-5.9)              
           

Here is a very funny way to describe a diabetic. 

Being a diabetic is like living with a King Cobra. As long as you keep its mouth shut, he is your friend. The moment you let it loose, it will come and bite you.

My life has definitely changed with this incident. But that does not mean that I have to live a dull life. I continue to savor delicacies prepared by my lovely wife. I continue to enjoy my Pav Bhaji, Misal Pav, Bhel, Biryani. In fact, since I know my enemies, I can come prepared to fight them before every meal. I am very close to reversing all the symptoms of diabetes that I had. It has also taught me to be polite and not get angry or aggressive under any situation as stress makes your sugar levels spike. Ask me. I have tested my sugar levels before and after I getting angry with a BG Meter and I confirm that losing your temper is as bad as eating 3 cups of ice cream. So for the rest of my life, I have to listen to my body, be a good husband, dad, son and also be friends with this king cobra. 

If you don't know me and have stumbled upon this blog, I hope I am an inspiration to you and all your diabetic friends. If you know me in person, feel proud that your friend has not given up and is constantly pushing the limits to make himself and you feel even more proud. Every time you get into a conversation about running, cycling or diabetes, don't forget to mention that you have a sweet friend who runs marathons like a piece of cake :)

Runger is real

     

Image Credits : CaitChock.

              If you are a female, have been pregnant, and have had cravings for food, I know your feelings now. When running the Pune International Marathon in December 2014, I experienced this feeling for the first time. The Pune Marathon has a route that covers the heart of the city. It started from the Baba Khandoji Chowk and ended at Swargate. The entire route was through the streets and flyovers in Pune. The race started at 6:10am and with my pace of 6 mins per km, I was aiming to finish the race at around 8:20-8:30am with a timing of 2 hours 10mins. The first few kms were easy as I maintained a constant pace of 5:35 mins per km. After the 12th KM marker, I started to get tired. it was close to 7:30am and the roads were slowly getting busier with traffic. 
       As we crossed a small street, there was a corner where many people gathered to have breakfast. Idly-Vada Sambar sellers setup their stalls and the hungry crowd gathers. I got so jealous of these people enjoying the warm breakfast, I wanted to stop and have some with them. Poha, Upma, khichdi, So much to offer. This was my 12th Half Marathon and I had never experienced this kind of urge to eat something. The smell of the various food items went into my nostrils and that's where I lost it. My mind and my body wanted to have that idli-sambar. "Those damn lucky people having Idli-vada and I am an idiot who paid a hefty sum to running around the city on a Sunday morning." I crossed the food stalls and within 400 meters, was a small snacks hotel where there were a few people sipping tea in those small plastic cups. Again my mind was distracted. Now my mind wanted to have some tea. I was seriously thinking that I stop there and have tea. "Nothing will happen if I finish 5 mins late." I am glad that I didn't stop there.   
         Next was a fruit seller where I again started dreaming of food. This time for bananas. I could see myself eating bananas in my mind. I promised myself that "Bananas are waiting at the finish line. Don't stop here. "
         While running, A Newspaper guy crossed the road on his bicycle while we were running. I almost collided with that guy. I gave him an angry look and then I noticed, he was carrying Half liter milk packets in the bag hanging on his bicycle. Again the same urge to have the milk. "Ah ! Cold Milk ! I can easily drink 1 Liter right now. I can pay the guy right there and run with 2 milk pouches in my hand." 

        Stopping for Idli-vada, Tea, Banana, Milk was a stupid idea that could have come to my mind only when running a marathon and feeling very hungry. Later I found out that this kind of a feeling has a word for it. "Runger". Half way into the race, I was confident, I will finish the race in less than 2 hours. Then this Runger struck.  With frustration in mind about not able to eat breakfast when running, I completed the race with a timing of 2 hours 11 mins. 

After completing the race, I wanted a Banana. NOW. But too bad, the organizers had not arranged for any snacks like fruits, biscuits, buns etc. That was very disappointing. I gulped 1 liter water and cooled myself off. I called my sister where I was heading after the run to have a bath and breakfast. She told me "How about Idli for Breakfast ?" I instantly replied, "Yes. A lot of Idli".

Re-enter the blogger

Its been close to 4 years now I have not written a blog. In fact, Some of the blogs, I dont even remember writing. After reading them, I thought it is time I should start writing again. There are a few other reasons that I wanted to restart. In between these 4 years, many things changed in my life. Purchased a Flat, Came back to India,  Own an iPhone, Add the 'Like' button to facebook on my blog, My son Aayush is born and an incident that changed my life forever. I will talk more about it in the upcoming blogs. Going forward, most of my blogs will be focused more on running and cycling and I will be giving references to my older blogs that I wrote 4 years ago. I hope they will serve as an inspiration to all the readers.

Shriyut Gangadhar Tipre and my Grandfather

Anyone who has watched the marathi serial 'Shriyut Gangadhar Tipre' must have thought that this story is having characters and happenings same as his family. This serial was started way back in 2001. I never had a chance to watch the episodes on TV as I was out of maharashtra for my studies. Whenever I went home, everyone watched it. Even I watched it sometimes with my grandmother, grandfather and cousins. It is 2010 now. I don't remember when the serial was put to an end but as I watch the uploaded episodes now when my grandfather is no more, the serial makes me cry. Not even in my dreams I had thought that a straight and simple serial like Tipre would make me cry. The stories are very simple and situations are handled exactly as they are in a common man's house. As I started watching the serial, I was amazed the way very small things in life are dealt with and why paying attention to these things are important in life. Most of the dialogs of Tipre felt like, "Hey, I have already heard them from Ajoba". The household mother (Shamal) felt as if it was my mom. Even the neighborhood aunt always felt like some close friends of my mom.

Almost everyone has come up from a family which resembles the 'Tipre family' shown in the serial. Everyone who watched the serial enjoyed it.After every episode, I feel like going back in time and enjoying those days when ajoba told us stories of his childhood, when he bought mangoes for all of us, when he increased our daily allowance from Rs 2.5 to Rs 3.75 just because Govt. Of Maharashtra announced 50% concession for senior citizen travelers, and a lot of incidents to tell. He gave us good advice, most of which I never listened to, but after watching the serial, I realize how valuable those words were.

This blog is dedicated to my grandfather who I keep remembering when I watch the serial. I was fortunate enough to have him with me till I was 24. I enjoyed watching the serial with Ajoba, Now when he no more, the serial makes me cry.

s-NOW !

It was predicted and it did happen. The day started with cold wind and temperature of -17 C. The sky was dark. I got ready and left for office. On my way, small snow flurries started. They were too small to pay attention. The roads were clear, the car was warm and we reached office in 10 mins. Later that afternoon, the snowfall continued. Like we have light rain, this was light snow but was non stop from 10 am. Its been more than 12 hours now, the snow shower has not stopped. When we started back from office at around 5:30 pm, The sky was all dark and the earth was all white. This night is brighter than a full moon night. As we left the parking lot, we noticed the road was full of snow. We had to maintain a very low speed. all the dividers, markings on the road were covered. The headlight beam made the snow ahead sparkle. Along with snow, there was a breeze as well. That made the snow fly around on the road. Imagine a dust cloud which is created if a car zooms on a dry muddy road.

As we passed the houses, all we could see was white, All the trees had shed their leaves and were now covered with snow. The green lawn was now a white desert. And all the cars parked outside had snow on them from top to bottom. When we drove the car on snow, we could feel the loss of friction between the tyres and the road. At times the steering would get jammed as there wasn't enough room for the wheels to turn when sunk in snow. We reached home after a 25 mins ride. I was all tempted to feel the snow outside. I came out of the car.The wind was towards me and I was facing the snow head on. I knew they were just snow flakes, but I felt like someone is throwing sand at my face.

I went home and decided that I should first get equipped and then face the snow. It takes at least 10 mins to get ready and go out. With me, my wife was also interested in wandering outside. I saw out of the balcony- it was covered with snow. I opened the balcony door, and all stacked snow came in. In 10 seconds, the whole living room got cold. We decided to clean the balcony later. First, lets feel the snow.

To get ready, Here what I need to wear :
1. Baniyan
2. Thermal T-shirt
3. Full sleeve Shirt
4. Full sweater
5. Snow jacket
6. Ear plugs
7. Muffler
8. Gloves
9. Fur cap.
10. Thermal pants
11. Snow trousers.
12. Shoes.

We went out with a camera to take some snaps. Wearing gloves, it was difficult to handle the camera, and with gloves removed and camera in hand, it was difficult to take a snap.
I couldn't keep our hands exposed for a long time. I took off one glove, took 1 snap, put the camera in my pocket and put back my gloves. We took all snaps the same way. The cars parked outside were fully covered with snow. No room to open the windows, run the vipers. And it will get worse in the coming days. You might think, WOW SNOW ! LETS MAKE SNOWBALLS AND PLAY But here, the temperatures are very low. This was not the right time to have fun. I dared to make a snowball with my bare hands and in 5 seconds I had to abandon my plan. My palm became red and I felt the urge to put my hand in something hot. In India, you might get your hands burnt because of heat, but here, you can get your hands burnt because if cold :-)
The biggest issue faced here is by smokers :) They cannot smoke in the house as all doors and windows are always closed. You cannot go outside to smoke as it is too cold. Still some brave souls dare to smoke. for the 10 minutes of pleasure, they get ready with their jackets, ear bands, gloves etc. go out in the balcony / smoking area and somehow finish the smoke. To sustain this weather, ordinary gloves are not sufficient. You should wear very thick gloves. And holding a cigarette with them is another mighty task. If you drop the cigarette on snow, forget it.
If anybody wants to quit smoking, I recommend him to come and stay in Minnesota.
But even in such weather, people here live happily. The snow on the roads is cleaned everyday. Every building is equipped with an air conditioner and 24 hrs hot water. Cars used here come with powerful heaters, some even have heaters under the seats to keep the butt warm :-) Its a costly affair, but people here love it. The weather will get worse in the coming days and I will survive it and keep posting about it :-)

Happy Semi Anniversary !

Happily sitting next to my wife, I write this blog about successful 6 months of married life. People say woman brings luck. For me it is 100% true. Sonam brought luck. All the bottlenecks in my life were free after she came into my life. As an engineering student, I wondered, who will ever love me ? Will I ever fall in love ? If it is an arranged marriage, will we start liking each other ? All my questions were answered by a simple 'Yes' to Sonam. Just after marriage, we had a chance to fly to the US. We spent 3 months in Bangalore and 3 months (and counting) in the US. We celebrated 1 month of married life with a chinese dinner at Chungs. Semi anniversary, we had home made food. I helped Sonam, she helped me. These 6 months were too good to describe and the coming years will be even more interesting.
We had a good time together when in Bangalore. We didnt have a TV, Music system, Laptop, internet, not even a 2 wheeler. Daily entertainment was Times Of India during day, Card tricks during night. Everyday my wife would get up early, and prepare good food for breakfast and for lunchbox. I would get up and go out for a nice 2-3 kms run. By the time I am back home, Sonam would keep hot water, towel and office clothes ready. By 8:30 I was out on my bicycle to office. As I left my house, she would wave me good bye till I took a turn towards the main road. When I was in office, She would clean all the utensils, wash all the clothes, sweep the whole house and cook dinner. When I came home, She was ready to serve me dinner and do all the leftover cleaning. She did this with love and enjoyed doing it. After marriage I never took her for a movie just because the tickets are too costly and I couldn't afford the pop corn. We didn't buy any of the leisure items like a geek cellphone, wristwatch, Levi's jeans. We hardly ate at restaurants. If we went outside, we used the public transport instead of auto rickshaw. I had to press myself from buying an imported bicycle. Every month we saved money for a 2 wheeler with hopes that we will buy one in 2010. Buying a flat in software engineers' terms was"Out of Scope". In spite of all these sacrifices, we both were happy, no complaints, no demands. I feel really lucky. This was our life for the 1st three months of marriage.
Luck turned around. We had an opportunity to travel to the US. Now we both are having a luxurious life. Every person who comes to know that we are "Just married" comment saying we are still not finished with our honeymoon :-) As I recollected the memories in Bangalore, I compared the life over there and life here. Today we have a 29" Sony Trinitron, Phillips DVD, IBM Laptop with an unlimited download 16MBPs internet, bicycle worth 15K , dish washer, washing machine, oven, microwave, huge fridge, vacuum cleaner and lots of luxurious items. Now Sonam has time to do other activities than washing clothes and utensils. She has started learning more recipes from the internet. She also owns a sewing machine on which she has started stitching dresses. Even I get time to go to the library, browse the internet, learn magic and help Sonam in her work. We enjoy cooking food at home, go out for a walk often, make late night calls to our dear ones.
6 months of happy living. Still going good and hope to continue the same way for the rest of our lives.

US Trip fun - 1. leaving home

Finally, I write this blog sitting near the balcony on a recliner with its seat positioned in the most comfortable condition, a laptop on my lap and a cup of hot coffee besides me. After a long wait, it happened. Got an assignment for which I was told to go to the US for a couple of months. I came here with my wife. Both were new to air travel and traveling abroad as well. We both had a fair idea that we might have to leave this weekend. but due to some official paperwork, I could see the trip postpone for another week.
It was Friday, 21st August and I was in the office awaiting the arrival of an important document needed for my US travel. Since it didn't arrive in the morning, I was sure it wont come till Monday. So going to the US will be postponed by 1 week. As time passed, my manager came running to my desk and said, your document has arrived, pack your bags, book your tickets and leave tonight !
I was shocked. It was already 6 pm and I had to book tickets, get insurance, pack bags and leave India on a 1:40 am flight !
I called up the travel desk, gave them the details and told them to book the tickets as soon as possible. In the mean time, I went running to the insurance desk to get overseas insurance for myself and my wife. As I went out to reach the insurance desk, it started raining. That was the last thing I wanted to happen. The lady there was ready to pack up and go home. I requested her to do this for me. She agreed and did the paperwork. I called my wife and told her we had to leave today. She was fast asleep and woke up in surprise. Thankfully, my wife with the help of my Mom had packed the necessary things in the bags. She couldn't believe what I told her. Even she panicked. After the insurance was done, I went back to my desk, took the ticket printouts, necessary documents and left the office my 8:30 pm. It was a Friday evening and you know the generous auto wallas of Bangalore. No one was ready to take me to my destination. And on top of that it was raining ! Finally, convinced an auto who took 50 rs from me for a distance of worth rs 14. As I reached home, I booked the taxi to the airport. At home my mom and Sonam were waiting. Even a couple of my friends arrived home. All the bags were packed. I got fresh, prayed to God and awaited for the taxi to arrive. I was tensed as I feared whether I took all the necessary documents with me or not. As this was my first time, I had 100 doubts in my mind.
Finally the cab arrived and we got in and started to the airport. Inside the taxi, we made calls to relatives, friends, and close ones. The rain was pouring. Since we had a fair idea about leaving tonight, Sonam's Mom, dad and brother had also started from their home early in the morning with hopes that they will reach here in time to say goodbye to both of us. Her mom had prepared home made snacks for us to carry. But rain spoilt everything. Even their bus got late. We reached the airport by 10:30 pm. We checked in at 11 and went towards our boarding gate. We were both hungry. We had a cup of coffee worth 60 Rs and Gobi Manchurian worth 210 Rs at the airport. This was the last time maybe we tasted Gobi manchurian and the last time we used Indian Rupees as well.
We patiently awaited for our flight terminal to open. We both were excited and at the same time were tired due to all the happenings in the past 6 hours. Sonam's parents reached Bangalore but couldn't meet us as we already checked in. They traveled more than 600 Kms and 13 hours of day journey just to meet us and missed the chance by nick of time. Finally the terminal opened and we got in. We had the worst possible seats anyone could get. The arrangement was like this :

|AB CDEF GH|

We are the D and E of the seats. It was a tiring 9 hours journey from Bangalore to Paris. The seats were very congested. The Volvo buses which we have are far better. We reached Paris. The airport was so huge, we had to take a bus to go to another terminal. There were internal trains as well in the airport.The security check there involved us to remove our shoes, wallet, belts and keys and then get checked by a security staff in front of everyone. As we reached the terminal, we decided to make a call to our parents. We took a 10 Euro (700 Rs) worth calling card and spoke to our parents. Then we roamed the airport to kill time. There were awesome beauties roaming around wearing all kinds of dresses. I was amazed, even Sonam started to feel awkward looking at those ladies. There was time for the flight to arrive. So we decided to eat something. The counter there had all sorts of foods but vegetarian. We carefully read the ingredients of all the items and finally bought potato chips :) and a bottle of water. only this much cost us 700 rs. (or 10 Euros) The flight arrived. This time we got window seats. As the plane took off, we enjoyed the sight outside. Within a couple of hours, we both slept. The flight started at 1:50 Paris time and was scheduled to reach at 3:45 US time. The journey time was 10 hours. We spent time looking here and there, watching movie, talking trash with each other and commenting on other people in the flight. We got a form called I-94 which is required to be filled by everyone who lands in the US. we filled it. Along with that form, there was another form which declared that I have not brought any items with me which can be sold commercially, have not bought soil, pets, meat, foods, germs etc etc. It also mentioned about the address where we will be staying while in the US. The journey decision happened so quick, we didn't book the hotel itself. Thankfully, I had the hotel address with me. Just that if the hotel was full, we are in trouble.
At the port of entry at Minneapolis we were asked whether we carried any food items, I proudly told I have sweets, snacks and spices. They told me to put my bags through the scanner and frisked out one bag. Since we were 2 of us, we had dedicated a bag for all Indian foods we carried. It included Maggi packets, rice, dal, pulses, spices and other small stuffs. The security guy over there got furious at us. He started to open each and every packet we had. We told him that we were to stay here for an year and that's why this much is needed. He was not in a mood to listen to our explanation. He scolded, showed rules, reminded us we were aliens to them and have to obey what they say. I got scared. Inside my mind, I said, take the whole bag, but let us go. Finally, (and thankfully) he didn't throw anything from our bags. We packed the stuff again and got out of the airport as soon as possible. We took a taxi straight to the hotel. Fortunately, there were rooms available. We took a room and dumped the luggage. The hotel was all self service. We had to carry our own luggage to the 4Th floor using the carriage and return the carriage back to the reception. We got fresh, and slept. It was Saturday 22nd August 7 pm in the US.
We had heard about Jet lag and what happens due to that. Same happened. Both were awake at 2 am. We prepared coffee and enjoyed the highway view at night. Since we were awake, we decided to call home. The call card we had with us didn't work, so we decided to call directly from the hotel room phone. (for 5 mins of talk, they charged us $73 i.e. 3500 rs ! ) In order place an international call, we had to dial 9-011- 91 number. We missed the zero in between and the call went straight to 911. The lady spoke to Sonam, She couldn't understand what she was saying. I took the phone, and heard the lady saying, "This is 911, do you have an emergency ?" I was shocked, we reached US and the first number we dial is 911 ! I convinced the lady there was nothing to worry, it was our mistake and dialled this number. Morning we woke up at 9, had stomach full breakfast and requested the hotel cab to take is to Mall of America, One of the nearest attractions there. As we walked on the streets, we could'nt believe ourselves we were in America !

Part 2 . New house, new fun coming soon with fun we had moving into our new house.

10 Random Things

Getting bored in office and nothing to read. Thats when I went to Ojas' Blog and found out that I am tagged ! Tagged to write 10 random things about myself. After reading his blog, I thought lets do it and lets make other do it too !

Rules of the game: Check if your name is at the end of this blog post. If so, type out a similar blog copy-pasting these rules. After that, list down 10 random things about yourself (that many do not know) and then tag 5 more people who have to do the same.

My List:

1. I am 26 and I still dream of having a huge collection of Hot wheels cars. Small cars, remote control / battery operated toys still facinate me.

2. I hate people who waste food. Especially in the cafeteria where people who take the food by their own hand and later throw it away. I feel such people dont have the value of money and the quantity of food thrown in the dust bin is directly proportional to the money they earn excess to what they deserve.

3. I love to sleep. Everybody loves to sleep. But I love to sleep early and get up early. This way, I put myself into a good habit, going to office and coming back is not affected by the usual road traffic at peak hours and I get to sleep early that day so that I can get up early the next day.

4. I am not obsessed with luxuries which everyone dreams of. Fashionable dresses, gold, silver, High end mobiles, laptops, watches, bikes, cars etc. I am happy riding a descent bicycle.

5. I am very bad at maths. I need help even for the smallest of the calculations. Every addition, multiplications, division happens on a calculator, not in my mind.

6. As a kid, I badly wanted to become spiderman. I had told my mom cut my wrist and put some thread inside so that I can throw the thread on buildings and swing like spiderman.

7. I love my wife and Quake III :-)

8. I can solve a rubik's cube in less than 5 mins. Yes, I have drilled the logic and moves in my mind and I can do the last bit of moves blindfolded.

9. I dont believe in God. I believe in Nature. God is in Nature.

10. I remember the faces of people I met, but completely forget their names seconds after our introduction.

I tag : Manjunath, Swaroop, Arjun Rajan, Samudyatha

Swine Swine

Was thinking of a better title for this blog, but couldnt think of one. Recently there have been reports of so many casualties due to the deadly swine flu. This has scared me too and I am taking precautions. Everybody is taking precautions. Nobody wants to die. I always felt that I was one of the most unfortunate people in this world. There were things which I thought happened only with me. But now, I have started to think different. Everyone has their own fortune and misfortune. I consider myself very fortunate thinking that I am not affected by the swine flu as I write this blog. I always beleived that God is in Nature. Whatever you think is in God's hands, same powers are owned by Nature.

When do we pray to God ? before going to an exam ? On some festive ocassion ? When in distress ? When your close ones are ill ? or maybe everyday ? We pray for all sorts of reasons thinking that God will take care of the troubles. But what I think is, Its not God, (or Maybe God in disguise of Nature) its Nature who answers your prayers. In this blog I will only write about natures way to save the world from trouble. Science is advancing, world is becoming a safe place to live, people are closer to each other due to better connectivity, theres internet thru which you can read my blog and so many good things we talk about. since the 19th century, there has been an population explosion. Nature know how many humans it can handle. It keeps on adding some obstruction (which we call as natural calamities) and at the same time, man is trying its best to keep its origin alive. When Nature saw this growth in population, we saw diabeties. This disease tries to kill a human being due to shortage of insulin in his body. Somehow we managed to produce artificial insulin and saved the sure death of diabeties affected people. If there was no artificial insulin production, millions of people might have lost their lives without they at fault. Even today the number of people having diabeties goes on increasing.

Next came world wars. We think the war was purely because of human misunderstandings. But its was Natures' plan to control population. There were so many epidemics, droughts, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes etc. These are natures best ways to control population. Swine flu is just one of them. When all failed to control the population, there was AIDS.

Nature will try its best to save the world, and we should try to save ourselves. Thats the rule.

Chaha-pohe karyakram

My mom got a call from my aunty saying, they have found a nice girl for Nishad. Send them his horoscope and a photo. Please note down these 2 phone numbers. They will be in touch with you soon. I was very casual about all these things. I was mentally not ready to get married as I felt I was not settled enough to get married. I had a dream of having a bungalow and a Mitsubishi Lancer before I wed. Right now I have difficulties paying my house rent, and forget a car, I ride a bicycle. It is now that I realise, "You are never settled until you get married."I was ignorant to all these issues as I was confident no one would accept a guy who calls himself a software engineer and rides a bicycle to office.  
 As a part of horoscope match, my mom sent them my photo too. This one. This snap was taken more than 3 years ago when I flaunted a big moustache and was at least 10 Kgs heavier than what I am today. When I came to know about this snap, I was even more confident of myself getting rejected.

 

One day during my vacation, I was told that the girls's parents want us to meet. I was shocked. This was the first time I was going to see a girl the typical arranged marriage way, or in marathi we put it as "Chaha-pohe karyakram". One day before we decided to meet at her uncle's place, I got to see her photo for the first time. Sonam had given a snap specially taken from a professional photographer. My first impression was "Not bad". We went to her uncle's house. Her father gave us a warm welcome. I was made to sit straight in front of her father. My mom and aunty were to the left, and my elder brother was to my right. 
             Now comes the interesting part. Many try to keep this program as a secret. But let me tell you the full uncut story. This was my first "Chaha-pohe" programme. Coincidently it was Sonam's first programme too. So you can imagine the amount of tension filled in both of our minds. I was in a state of silence. Just the feeling of me being looked as a groom for someone made me nervous. All eyes were set on me. Her father, mother, uncle, aunty were all looking at me, and I was simply looking down at the third button of my shirt. In my mind, I was thinking, right now what would the girl be thinking about all this ? In this house, where she must be sitting right now ? when will they call her ? Will she get the tea and poha tray herself with a ghoonghat on her head ? Is she really in the house or not ? With all such thoughts dangling in my mind, My aunty introduced me to her parents. I simply nodded my head to what she said. Then, her parents started asking me questions. Where in Bangalore do you stay ? How many people do you stay ? what about food ? how far is the company ? and some similar questions. I replied them promptly. Whenever I opened my mouth, everybodies eyes were staring at me. I felt, this arranged marriage was harder than an IBM interview. Then suddenly, someone called her down. At this point, I only remembered who her father was. Out of the two ladies, I was not sure who was her mother, and who was her aunty. 
            Sonam came down, touched the feet of my mom and aunty and silently sat on the chair. I just glanced at her face. Like me, even she looked tensed. She also glanced at my face. Inside my mind I said, "She looks better than the photograph". (After the marriage was confirmed, I was told that even her parents were surprised to see me without moustache and in beter shape than how I looked in the photograph) I looked at my Mom, Now it was the reverse, My mom, aunty and brother were staring at her, and I was still looking down at button #3 of my shirt. Then, it was "Chaha-pohe" turn. I dont remember who served them. I was given a plate with Pohe and small bowl with a sweet(Shira). In order to eat, I had to take the plate closer to my body. In doing this, out of tension, my hands would shiver. This shiver caused the bowl on the plate to shiver and make a cracking sound. While putting the first spoon in my mouth, I realised this. It was going to be tough finishing both without making a sound. I looked at Sonam. She had happily rejected the plate and had took only the sweet bowl. I was thinking to myself, She has done this purposefully after hearing my bowl making crackling sound. To avoid the sound, Even I finished the sweet first and then the rest. Then came tea. I am not a regular drinker of tea and I take longer time to finish it as I cannot drink it hot. It took me 5 extra minutes after everyone had finished their tea. 
           After everyone was done, suddenly everybody got up to show us the house. I was wondering why do we have to see the whole house now ? Later did I realise that this was all made up so that finally me and sonam end up in a room so that we can talk to each other in privacy. Finally, it was only me and Sonam in one room. The rest disappeared here and there. I was tensed, She was tensed. I asked her a few questions and gave a few confessions. 
Q1. Is this marrige going as per your wish or you wanted something else?
A1. I am happy with what is going on.

Q2. Is the age difference between you and me Ok ?
A2. Ok.

Q3. Do you know where I work, how much I earn ?
A3. yes.

Q4. Are you ready to go anywhere with me after marrige ? Currently it is Bangalore, later even I dont know. I will try for Pune though. 
A4. Yes. I am ready.

Q5. Do you believe in God ?
A5. Yes. I am a devotee of Ganesha.

Q6. I sleep early, and get up early regardless of any holidays and I would be happy if you too do the same. 
A6. Yes.

Q7. Do you eat non veg ?
A7. No. Never. I even hate the smell of eggs.

Q8. I see you are very silent, please ask me also some questions.
A8. I cant think of any question.

I gave some of my confessions to her.
I told her about my dream of a bungalow and a car, and where I stand today. Instead of taking an auto, I prefer the bus. I get up early and go for running. I run Marathons. When I told your father I ride bicycle, I really meant I ride a bicycle. for the past 2 years, I have been riding it. Its not that I cannot afford a motorcycle, but I love a bicycle and would love it even after marriage. I eat chicken, fish, eggs. I too believe in God but not the the extent to which you do. While telling all this, I was looking at the floor and she was looking at the wall.

Before we could talk more, We were called back downstairs. It was time for us to go. Her parents told us to give them our reply in two days. Even now I was quite casual thinking that they might still reject me. Also, She didnt speak to me much which made me think, something is stopping her from talking to me. My mom was very happy with her. My Aunty was very happy with her. My brother was happy with her. I told mom, she didnt speak to me at all. I cant say yes unless she talks a little. A months later, we did get a chance to talk, and this time even she was happy with me, and even I was happy with her answers. Finally, it was "YES" from both the families and we had a happy begining.....

Happy Valentine's Day

A Very special way to celebrate Valentine's Day....

My health insurance

I was suffering a mild pain in my right leg. After consulting a sports injury doctor, he pinpointed my problem. There was a slight difference between my left and right leg. It was all visible by looking at my old pair of running shoes.

Check out the extra wear on my right shoe.

I used Reebok Torrent Elite IV for the past 1.5 years. It has covered more than 1000 kms now. The doc immediately suggested me to change the shoes. Though the shoes look good from the outside, the actual cushioning inside the shoe has died. So, for a runner, it is always recommended to change his shoe after 1000 kms of running. I was also given some stretching exercises which will correct my right leg. 

When you catch cold, of fall ill, you go to a doctor, he will use his stethoscope, thermometer check your health and will prescribe you some medicines. You go to a medical shop, buy them, follow the prescribed dose, and get healthy again. 

This doctor also gave me a prescription, not of medicines, but shoes which suit my leg. 

1. Adidas Supernova Control 10

2. Nike Triax 11

Instead of a medical shop, I went to a shoe shop, checked out the shoes, and picked up the Adidas shoe. The shoe cost me a lot, but Its ok, that's my health insurance. 

Five unusual reasons to Ride a Bicycle

You probably think that you've heard all the arguments for riding a bicycle. Sure, the bicycle doesn't use non-renewable resources or pollute (including noise pollution), is inexpensive both for ownership and in terms of public infrastructure to support it, can be parked anywhere, and is a healthy activity.

"Blah, blah, blah. Tell me something new," you say.

O.K., here's five reasons to ride a bicycle that you've never before heard of. Not in your wildest dream. And if you don't already ride a bicycle for fun, fitness, or transportation, this will surely convince you to get your gears spinning.

All of this is copied from a very informative site on bicycling. 

1. Bicycles are more technologically advanced than motor vehicles.

Don't let the shiny, complicated looking engine on that Ecstasy S.U.V. fool you. A bicycle is in certain ways the most intelligent vehicle ever created. It has the world's most advanced "engine" controlled with the most wondrous and sophisticated "computer." The engine often knows what's wrong with itself and usually fixes itself. A bicycle is also the world's most energy efficient mode of travel, using just 35 calories per passenger mile versus 1860 for an average automobile with one occupant. And the engine can run on all kinds of strange fuels, like masala dosa.

Affordable bicycles are manufactured with exotic materials such as titanium, carbon fiber, incredible aluminum alloys, and high strength alloy steel. If you've never ridden a high quality modern bicycle, you're in for a treat.

In comparison, cars are dinosaurs. Actually, they burn decomposed dinosaurs in an internal combustion engine that, evolutionarily speaking, is about at the Paleozoic era. We've had rocket ships that go to the moon and back since 1969. We have limitless solar energy and enough nuclear technology to atomize the earth, but our motor vehicles still use fossil fuel. Cars are made with steel, iron, and plastic. You can't pick them up. And try to fix one!

2. Bicycle manufacturing is not controlled by special interests.

Well, special interests are EVERYWHERE, but relatively speaking, this is true. Bicycle manufacturers could have invented the Army recruiting slogan "Be All That You Can Be." Their goal is to produce the best vehicle possible. Bicycles are the perfect synthesis of body and machine. Be a cyborg.

Cars on the other hand, are the epitome of special interest controlled products. The oil industry wants cars to get the worst gas mileage possible. The steel industry wants cars to be big and heavy, ostensibly in order to be safe.

So, reject the greed of huge multinational corporations. Tread lightly and ride a bicycle.

3. Bicycles are faster than cars.

In urban areas, this is sometimes literally true. Congestion, traffic signals, parking-space-search time, and walking-to-final-destination time all conspire to reduce the speed of even the highest powered motor vehicle to about that of a bicycle. However, if you consider that the time cost of travel also includes the amount of time spent working to pay for the vehicle, bicycles come roaring ahead. Also, why spend loads of time working to pay for the car to get to work to pay for the car?

Since exercise is mandatory for optimal health, and riding a bicycle to some necessary destination incorporates exercise which would otherwise take time in the gym, pedaling to someplace can be considered as taking zero time. Therefore, bicycles are infinitely fast. That's faster than light, which, according to Einstein shouldn't be possible, but nonetheless reverses time. Riding a bicycle makes you younger. Be a kid again!

4. You can be part of a cutting edge movement.

According to the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, only 0.7% of all transportation trips are made by bicycle. Ninety percent of trips are taken in a personal automobile with the remainder via transit, walking, or other modes.

Lets face it, bicyclists are a minority. But, by the same token, we're unique. So why be normal? Be different, ride a bicycle.

5. Someday you'll wish you had.

Helen Hayes, the much beloved "First Lady of American theater" who died at the age of 92 was asked in an interview if she regretted anything. She said she had only one regret. "I never rode a bicycle. I wish I had. That's all."

While few of us can hope to achieve the stature of Ms. Hayes, we certainly can fulfill a dream that she never did. The simple pleasure of riding a bicycle — effortless motion at one moment, challenging yet empowering hill climbing the next, followed by the thrill of the decent.

Bicycling is the wind in your face and your senses on hyperdrive. It's life at its best. Try it. Ultimately there will come a time when you won't be able to.

Will you please let me run ?

The first and the last time I participated in an international event was on May 18th in the Sunfeast World 10K. Since then, I had dreamt of running so many events lined up in 2008. Unfortunately, I was not able to participate in any of those. 

I missed the Hyderabad Hi-tech Marathon on 16th August purely because of negligence, I was totally unaware of the date. From that day, I closely followed the Run calender. 

The second one I  was Chennai Marathon on 31st August. Sadly, I had to go to Mumbai for the 1st death anniversary of my grandfather. 

The third one I missed was, Portsmouth Seacoast Marathon. Yes, This one was in UK. I was supposed to go to UK for a business trip, and I had plans to run this one while I was there. Unfortunately, the trip got cancelled, and so were my dreams of running a marathon outside India. 

The 4th one I missed was Kaveri Trial Marathon. The actual venue was very far from my house. Also, I felt very insecure to travel that far, run for a minimum of 21 Kms and come back. I voluntarily dropped out.

The 5th one I missed was, Bangalore Ultra Marathon. As the name suggests, Its ultra. 25Kms, 50Kms, 75 Kms, or 100 Kms. You decide where you fit. I didnt fit in any of these. I had already made up my mind to skip this one as Hyderabad half Marathon was lined up next for me.

The 6th one was Delhi Half Marathon, I opted out as it was not worth traveling till Delhi and running.  

The 7th one I missed was Hyderabad Half Marathon. I was fully prepared for this one. Had booked return tickets for Hyderabad too. But for these fuckin' terrorist attacks on Mumbai, My mom advised me to skip this one. Last moment I had to cancel my tickets, and stay at home in Bangalore. 

The 8th one I will be missing is, Pune International Marathon. I had waited for a long time for this one. Unfortunately, it clashes with my cousin's marriage date.  Sadly, I will me missing this one too. 

Bad luck or bad timing, whatever you call, for a  passionate runner, this is enough to bring his spirits down. Enough to make him disappointed for the rest of the year. But as one of the marathon says, "Keeping the spirit alive, year after year", I am not one of those who will give up. I am not a professional runner, I am not 100% dedicated to running. I have a family for which I earn. That is why I am here in Bangalore. I have to respect every word what they say before I decide what I do. I had to skip some of the marathons for them, there were times when I was frustrated, angry on people, my job and sometimes myself. Running alone in the silence, cool and pleasant weather @ 6 am makes me calm down. It makes me realise, there are so many good things in life you need to pay attention rather than taking out your frustration on someone else(especially my mom). Running is one good habit I have put in myself, and I don't want to lose it.  This is just the 1st year I have started this craze. There is no point getting disappointed, there is no reason to lose hope.  There are at least 50 more years I will run, 300+ more marathons I will participate. 

The next in line are, Bangalore Midnight Marathon on 13Th December 2008 and Mumbai International Marathon on 18th Jan 2009.  Will you please let me run ? 

Dec 9th 2008 : Just an update : Bangalore Midnight Marathon is postponed due to Govt ban on public rallies till 15th December :x :X :X

The 1000 Kms Distance Club

The day has come, I have completed 1000 Kms on my nike+ipod. It took me 10 months to reach this goal. According to logical calculations, I ran almost 100 Kms every month, 3.3 Kms every day. 

Sounds easy, but trust me, it is tough.  These 10 months I experienced some excitement, some fun, and a lot of pain. I have emptied at least 

4 bottles of Iodex

1 tube of MOOV

1 tube of anti friction gel (too shy to mention the name :p)

2 packs of vicks vaporub

2 bottles of cough syrup

2 bottles of Dettol

10,000 litres of drinking water ! 

I disposed at least 5 underwears, 5 baniyans, 4 T-shirts and 3 pairs of socks. (These were all dedicated to my Training plan) Soon after Mumbai Marathon in Janauary, I will have to dispose my shoes too ! They are just 1.5 years old, but have sustained my whole weight for those 1000 Kms. 

1 Km = 1320 steps. 1000 Kms = 13,20,000 steps. (Thats 13 lakh 20 thousand steps !!!)

My knees, hamstring muscles and calves  deserve a huge kiss from me for this. 

Normally our heart beats @ 72 BPM. While running at my pace, it beats at around 135 BPM.

I completed 1000 kms in 90 hours = 5400 mins. So for 5400 mins of my life, my heart had to beat at almost twice its average rate.  Dude, my heart is precious. 

To make my heart beat at 135 BPM, it requires a blood supply twice as fast than its average time. My lungs were a great contributor in my heart's achievement. 

My lungs were able to perform so well because I could breathe enough air during my runs. So should I thank my big nose ? \o/

Breaking the law

 I always get irritated when someone comes on chat and asks, "How are you" I've written a whole blog about my feelings on this questions earlier.  For the sake of an answer everyone says, "I am fine" But are they really fine ? Maybe they are, maybe they are not. Yesterday, while listening to my ipod, I found a song which matches perfectly with the life I am living now a days. Weekdays go in at least 3 hours of travel, 9 hours in office, 2-3 hours of television, 6-7 hours of sleep. Weekends go away in watching movies, visiting friends, food in some nice hotels, sleep in the afternoons. Want to do something else, but dont know where to start. This song by Judas Priest describes it all. 

Here is the video for the song and here are the lyrics. 

There I was completely wasting, out of work and down
All inside its so frustrating as I drift from town to town
Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die
So I might as well begin to put some action in my life

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law

So much for the golden future, I cant even start
Ive had every promise broken, theres anger in my heart
You dont know what its like, you dont have a clue
If you did youd find yourselves doing the same thing too

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law

Maybe I should continue the same life, or BREAK THE LAW

Bankruptcy Concept for Dummies

This one is a direct copy paste from an fwd email. I recommend, you spare some time and do read it till the end. Initially, it is easy to understand whats happening. later on, it starts getting confusing and in the end, you might think, NOW WHAT ? read it maybe 2-3 times and you will get it.

Here is the story....

Once there was a little island country. The land of this country was the tiny island itself. The total money in circulation was 2 dollars as there were only two pieces of 1 dollar coins circulating around.

1) There were 3 citizens living on this island country.  A owned the land. B

and C each owned 1 dollar.

2) B decided to purchase the land from A for 1 dollar. So, now A and C own 1 dollar each while B owned a piece of land that is worth 1 dollar.

* The net asset of the country now = 3 dollars.

3) Now C thought that since there is only one piece of land in the country,

and land is non producible asset, its value must definitely go up. So, he

borrowed 1 dollar from A, and together with his own 1 dollar, he bought the land from B for 2 dollars.

*A has a loan to C of 1 dollar, so his net asset is 1 dollar.

* B sold his land and got 2 dollars, so his net asset is 2 dollars.

* C owned the piece of land worth 2 dollars but with his 1 dollar debt to A,

his net residual asset is 1 dollar.

* Thus, the net asset of the country = 4 dollars.

4) A saw that the land he once owned has risen in value. He regretted having sold it. Luckily, he has a 1 dollar loan to C. He then borrowed 2 dollars from B and acquired the land back from C for 3 dollars. The payment is by 2 dollars cash (which he borrowed) and cancellation of the 1 dollar loan to C.

As a result, A now owned a piece of land that is worth 3 dollars. But since

he owed B 2 dollars, his net asset is 1 dollar.

* B loaned 2 dollars to A. So his net asset is 2 dollars.

* C now has the 2 coins. His net asset is also 2 dollars.

* The net asset of the country = 5 dollars. A bubble is building up.

(5) B saw that the value of land kept rising. He also wanted to own the

land. So he bought the land from A for 4 dollars. The payment is by

borrowing 2 dollars from C, and cancellation of his 2 dollars loan to A.

* As a result, A has got his debt cleared and he got the 2 coins. His net

asset is 2 dollars.

* B owned a piece of land that is worth 4 dollars, but since he has a debt

of 2 dollars with C, his net Asset is 2 dollars.

* C loaned 2 dollars to B, so his net asset is 2 dollars.

* The net asset of the country = 6 dollars; even though, the country has

only one piece of land and 2 Dollars in circulation.

(6) Everybody has made money and everybody felt happy and prosperous.

(7) One day an evil wind blew, and an evil thought came to C's mind. "Hey, what if the land price stop going up, how could B repay my loan. There is only 2 dollars in circulation, and, I think after all the land that B owns is worth at most only 1 dollar, and no more."

(8) A also thought the same way.

(9) Nobody wanted to buy land anymore.

* So, in the end, A owns the 2 dollar coins, his net asset is 2 dollars.

* B owed C 2 dollars and the land he owned which he thought worth 4 dollars is now 1 dollar. So his net asset is only 1 dollar.

* C has a loan of 2 dollars to B. But it is a bad debt. Although his net

asset is still 2 dollars, his Heart is palpitating.

* The net asset of the country = 3 dollars again.

(10) So, who has stolen the 3 dollars from the country ? Of course, before

the bubble burst B thought his land was worth 4 dollars. Actually, right

before the collapse, the net asset of the country was 6 dollars on paper.

B's net asset is still 2 dollars, his heart is palpitating.

(11) B had no choice but to declare bankruptcy. C as to relinquish his 2

dollars bad debt to B, but in return he acquired the land which is worth 1

dollar now.

* A owns the 2 coins, his net asset is 2 dollars.

* B is bankrupt, his net asset is 0 dollar. ( he lost everything )

* C got no choice but end up with a land worth only 1 dollar

* The net asset of the country = 3 dollars.

************ **End of the story; BUT ************ ********* ******

There is however a redistribution of wealth.

A is the winner, B is the loser, C is lucky that he is spared.

A few points worth noting -

(1) When a bubble is building up, the debt of individuals to one another in

a country is also building up.

(2) This story of the island is a closed system whereby there is no other

country and hence no foreign debt. The worth of the asset can only be

calculated using the island's own currency. Hence, there is no net loss.

(3) An over-damped system is assumed when the bubble burst, meaning the land's value did not go down to below 1 dollar.

(4) When the bubble burst, the fellow with cash is the winner. The fellows

having the land or extending loan to others are the losers. The asset could

shrink or in worst case, they go bankrupt.

(5) If there is another citizen D either holding a dollar or another piece

of land but refrains from taking part in the game,  he will neither win nor

lose. But he will see the value of his money or land go up and down like a

see saw.

(6) When the bubble was in the growing phase, everybody made money.

(7) If you are smart and know that you are living in a growing bubble, it is

worthwhile to borrow money (like A ) and take part in the game. But you must know when you should change everything back to cash.

(8) As in the case of land, the above phenomenon applies to stocks as well.

(9) The actual worth of land or stocks depend largely on psychology