Losing my …….

Almost there! it’s been one of those weeks where I have been trying to tie up loose ends, manage guests, try and prepare for my break, and sort out I don’t know what else…

I spent sometime trawling through iTunes, and picked out some really classic albums to listen to while I travel… some Lenny Kravitz, some Latin house, reggaeton, Santana, Linkin Park…… at least my ears are sorted!

I feel kinda bad that I haven’t posted much this week, but it has been that kind of week I guess…. I have read a lot of bloggers going through a low week over the past few days….

Hopefully, I shall have something more creative to post while I am out there…

Till then… Adios!

One Hundred Push Ups….

A short post for now….

Tara has now got a competition page up and running for the 100 Push ups challenge! The idea is to perform 100 consecutive push ups by the end of 6 weeks of training. It should take about 10 minutes a day, 3 days a week, so the commitment level is quite low and everyone can try and get into it!

I had a bad week last week, and I managed only one session (I have my excuses, but it’s still no excuse!)… so I have scheduled my sessions this week… and I plan to go over 20 push ups by the end of the week!

Caped Crusader…..

The last act of my weekend was to take my two of my cousins and one of my brothers to watch The Dark Knight. Teabelly has a decent review here too…. but get there after you have read mine!

The movie itself – pretty good I think; not brilliant, but good. The disappointment of the movie? Well, the 2 villains (yes, there are 2 villains (to my surprise)) had a higher profile and better performances than Batman. I also kept thinking that Rachel Dawes was played by Kirsten Dunst – of course it was played my Maggie Gyllenhaal from Secretary (that’s no disappointment in any way).

A lot has been said about the performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker. Michael Caine went to the extent of claiming that it was the best performance in a negative role that he had seen by any actor in his entire career. Actually…… I think he is right. He was too damn good. In fact, I would go to the extent to say that the movie has been held together by his performance alone. His character in the movie is definitely stronger than that of Batman. I don’t think I have watched a Heath Ledger movie before, but I think its a real shame that he is no longer with us. His performance was almost legendary!

MA (Changing Direction without my GPS) suggested Johnny Depp as a possible replacement for the Joker in a future sequel…. but I don’t think that Ledger’s performance could be matched. In the age of multiple sequels for any movie, I think that Hollywood should appreciate the performance of the Joker in this movie, and just draw a line at the end of The Dark Knight; the pinnacle of Ledger’s career one might say.

As for the movie – well as always, I won’t spoil it for you. It’s definitely worth watching, over hyped I guess, but it has a good plot, sharp dialogues by the Joker, and a wicked twist towards the end of the movie…. The second villain was totally unexpected, and adds a very good dimension to the movie. I must say though, the Bat suit was pretty disappointing; does anyone else remember the Batman series with Adam West? Now that outfit was something!

All in all a very good movie I think, but I really hope that there is no sequel to this movie. Now… go read Teabelly’s review!

The week that was…..

My paws have been itching to post all weekend…. alas, I was on the road again, and have gone without the net for 3 days now…. yes I know – shocking! The cause which is strengthening though, is the acquisition of a blackberry…. I think I will hold on to that thought for now. The good news is that the handset which I really want, has been launched in the UK this week… I want to get this for sure!

In other news, I have fallen behind on my one hundred push-ups challenge… I only managed one session this week where I managed to push 10 consecutive push ups. Although it is an excuse.. I was really really busy this week – work has drained me. I will definitely look to pick it up in the coming week – albeit an anticipated toughy of a week too.

One good news of sorts this week is the fact that although there is damage on 2 parts of my ankle joint, I don’t need an op or pain killing injections. I will have to manage it with physiotherapy, loss of some weight, and some sensible rest, as the specialist put. I want to achieve weight loss via sensible eating really, I don’t see the point of working so hard and converting fat to muscle…. which really doesn’t lead to weight loss… so – is exercise required to get fit, or to lose weight? I don’t really understand…..

Today, I got a taste of what I will experience while I will be on holiday….. 175 unread posts…. I must say – I actually missed reading what you guys have written over the last 3-4 days…. I need to catch-up!

It’s the week before I go away for a couple of weeks; I still haven’t decided what clothes I want to take, the things I want to do while I am down there, and the people who I want to meet while down there. I guess I will have to quit reading for a couple of days, and work on these on the train.

The final act of my weekend was to go and watch the Dark Knight….. A seperate post on that is coming right up!

How has your weekend been?

p.s. Lhjunkie posted an “extension” to my original idea of the blogging challenge. The idea is to put together a set of questions every week – the point being to fill in those posting days when the ideas are low, or encouraging some bloggers to post more frequently. Eitherways – join in to the fun, don’t forget to tag both Lhjunkie and myself, and let’s spread this idea into the blogging community!

Books…..

I have always been an avid reader – be it books, newspapers, blogs or even the odd mind…. I just love reading! As some of you know that I will be off on holiday soon (7 days to go woo hoo!), and although I am planning to run around and try and relax and enjoy myself, I do plan to read a little as well. I don’t think I ever travel anywhere without a book; I think reading keeps the mind fresh.

So the timing for the holiday read couldn’t be more perfect; I have just completed Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father, which has become one of my all time favourite books. It’s definitely one which I can easily read again and again! Prior to that, I read The Audacity of Hope – also by Obama. This is more of a political biography, which details Obama’s rise through Chicago, and then Illinois, and now challenging for the White House.

I spent about an hour and a half, on Tuesday, looking for a decent book to take on holiday. I am more of a non-fiction reader; the only fiction which I would possibly embrace is something like The Kite Runner – which can easily be narrated as a true story.

I picked up four books in particular, and although I would have ordinarily bought all of them – I wanted to make sure that I actually read through at least one of them before I possibly lost interest. The books that I picked were A Thousand Splendid Suns, No Country for Old Men, The Satanic Verses, and Midnights Children.

Khalid Hosseini seems to be an excellent author. Although he has penned only a couple of books, his style of writing really captures the reader and draws them into the background which he is talking about. A Thousand Splendid Suns has received good reviews, but if it anything similar to the Kite Runner, then I think I will spend my entire holiday just reading!

I have never read Cormac Mccarthy. He seems to be a distinguished writer, and I hope the book is better than the movie. The movie was excellent; I watched the entire movie from the edge of my seat… really… I most probably didn’t touch the backrest once. However, I don’t think I would read No Country for Old men on holiday because I think the effect would be the same as the first book. It would be too intriguing a read!

Which left me with Salman Rushdie. There was a very very simple reason as to why I couldn’t read The Satanic verses on Holiday. I am travelling to Dubai - an “Islamic” state. I dont think I would want to be stopped at the airport with a book which has been blasphemous to the religion of Islam. Which left me with Midnights Children…..

Salman Rushdie is a very difficult author to read. The language in his books is intense. I think reading an author like him would be perfect because there is no way that I could be lost in the book all the time, yet his writing is claimed to be such, that the reader always wants more!

I have started reading Midnights Children, but I seem lost on the first chapter already… perhaps I should start again.

So what are you guys reading at the moment?

Blogging Challenge….. Take 2…… Action!…..

So, my Soul Sista LhJunkie (i’m watching Jackie Brown as I post this….) has an interesting take on the Blogging Challenge which I kinda got going…. as she mentions in her current post – the idea was a touch “random” to say the least…. and since it was concieved in the early days of this blog – I hadn’t quite thought it through either. Nevertheless – somebody else has!

The rules are simple – tag another blogger, let them know that they have been challenged – but with the catch that it’s a weekly set of questions which they may or may not post about. Here are the questions for this week….

1. What will I try to improve on next week?
A. Winding down and getting into relaxation mode…. Too many people are saying that I will burn and fade away faster than I think I will… I need to learn how to switch off.

2. What was I most proud of this week?
A. I cooked a full Indian dish by myself – and it turned out pretty good! Rogan Josh is the name of the dish. Also, I feel good about my One hundred Pushups challenge, I can feel slight physical changes…. *edit* – I have now cooked 2 indian dishes, and it’s 2/2 on success factor… I cooked Chicken Jalfrezi *edit*

3. What was my biggest accomplishment this week?
A. I turned up to work on Wednesday after a couple of days off, and on my table lay 2 days worth of issues, which the guys working on one of my projects, were hitting. Three and a half hours later – ALL issues were resolved, and all were systems go. I am really loving my work at this moment in time – I personally think that I am performing a step higher than I would expect… dunno if that’s a good or bad thing based on question 1….

4. What have I done to get closer to my life goals this week?
A. The 2 days which I was at home (alone) gave me a lot of time to reflect on how the last 3-4 months in particular have gone for me. I am working on settling things in my life and carving certain paths for my future. Quite how I want to do this…. Well I still do not know…. I think I am as far away now as I was at the start of the week.

5. What was hard for me this week, and why?
A. A sense of lonliness…. Lack of companionship… it’s really hurting me at the moment…

6. What was my biggest waste of time this week?
A. I try and maximise every waking moment which I have… so no time wasting for me… no sir-eee…… Well actually…. I watched the movie 21…. not such a good movie – seriously…..

7. What did I do this week that made me ashamed?
A. Nothing so far… Fingers crossed I wont get myself in that position either…..

I will tag…… Maxie, Chickbug, Alice, Auburn Kat, Amanda, Freshly Squeezed, Sandy, The Strange Musings of a Distracted Spunk and Sara. I am still trying to sync my google reader with my blog roll….. I am getting there!

*Update* – I wrote the above post late last night….. At work today – I got a cool pair of cufflinks from one of the clients. One of my directors were around when I got the box and opened it.

Some appreciation….

Hey people who come here and find a post to read

I would like to thank you for a few things and milestones….

1. A HUUUUGEEEEE Thank YOU for reading and commenting on MA’s post. All those who commented on both blogs – your words support the issues which were highlighted in the post. If you haven’t yet read MA’s post, I would recommend reading it… it’s an eye opener! I would also really appreciate it if you left a comment on his post (since he is the originator of the issue/discussion).
2. It’s been about 2 months since I posted my maiden post. In this time, I have racked up 25 posts – that’s almost one every other day. I never ever thought in all seriousness that I would reach 10 posts. I think it’s down to the people who read what I write, and to those who comment on my words. THANK YOU!!!!!
3. Speaking of which – a big whoop dee doo to lhJunkie; she had been hibernating for the last month or so, but seems to have woken up ahead of winter…. she wins the prize for the 50th comment on the blog…. your surprise gift is in the post….
4. Finally, a big thank you to Lisa (who I believe got 20-Something Bloggers going….). It’s an immense website, and my reading list has gone up 10 fold in the last month! Anyone looking for me…. I am Cookie Monster….

I wanted to get this post out for a few days, but it feels good to time it with a milestone. I will probably be posting far less over the next 3 weeks; a combination of guests and me being on holiday contributing to the lack of activity…. I want to blog more frequently, or save my thoughts to drafts, but it’s a little impractical right now. I am also getting to the stage where I am seriously weighing up – iPhone3G or Blackberry. I would really love a blackberry…. I already have a smartphone… but I miss the keypad…. Anywho….

MA’s words of wisdom….

I mentioned in my earlier post that one of our fellow bloggers, MA, was going to post an awesome post – one which I am sure will prompt a lot of discussion – and I expect one or two “unwanted” comments….

So here is the deal – MA is based in the Middle East, so he has a better view of some of the ongoing events compared to what is relayed around the world. As we all know that the global media loves to report back from the angle which causes controversy, I think I would listen to someone more “regional”; although it is still one man’s words.

When MA shared the videos, which he has blogged about in his current post, with me – I was as shocked as he was. I think people need to start understanding and recognising the idiocracy which the ALLIED troops are trying to spread around the world – trying to make it a better place. Although the videos depict the actions of 3 people (as such), this can easily be multiplied a thousand times over!

I would appreciate it that you readers view MA’s post, and both of us would love comments on what people think about the actions and words of these 3 muppets.

two days at home…..

So I have been at home for the last 2 days…. after a hectic weekend, I wanted to catch-up on a few things. I have only one weekend before I go on holiday, but I think I wont get that time to sort stuff out before I get away…

I went to the opticians today to get me some contact lenses before I went away on holiday; it turns out that I was wearing lenses and glasses of a higher power in both eyes than I should have… That explains why I kept bumping into things for the last year! I have my new glasses on, and things appear a little wobbly for now!

I am almost into holiday mode, but am dreading to go to work tomorrow…. I have 8 working days left, and have to complete and deliver two projects within that period. This is the part of my job which I enjoy most (delivering under pressure) but the fact that its at the cusp of when I go away – it makes me nervous, really really nervous… Generally, I always feel confident in whatever I do; but the last 3 months have changed me somehow and I have become quite a cautious person all of a sudden. It’s something which I have to desperately snap out of…. but I kinda don’t know how to….

In other developments, I have a link to an awesome blog post coming up from MA… so either check him out later today, or check the short post which I will be posting later on tonight!

She’s HERE!

(the following set of events took place on saturday….)

As my eyes opened… I knew it was early*…. I slept quite late**… I was quite tired when I hit the sack…. but my alarm didn’t go off, and I was wide awake… I swung out of bed like a cowboy off his ride…. jumped into the shower, and was ready in an hour… but she wouldn’t arrive until after midday…. how do I control my excitement for the next 6 hours? I seemed like a little kid on xmas eve…. anticipating the arrival of Santa…. I thought about going for a run to calm my nerves…. but then decided against it – I was going to have a really long day… I didn’t want to use up my energy… but having to wait was going to kill me…………..

Who is this person who got me all super excited and anxious…..? (I hear you ask….)

Well……. only my favouritest aunt in the world ever She is my mom’s sister (step sister technically); I basically grew up around her when my mom was pretty ill when she was pregnant with my second brother. Aunt K, as we will call her, used to feed me, wash me, and I used to hold on to her and get dragged around pretty much….. I also used to get my other aunts and uncles into trouble because of Aunt K’s mischief…. so you see we have a special bond!

Aunt K lives in Nairobi… with her hubby, 2 wickedly excellent boys, and in-laws….. She has turned her family into that model family which everyone dreams of. I admire her disciplinarian nature which has resulted in her kids being the top ranked kids in both education and sports in the whole of Kenya – yes you heard it right…. in the whole country! The younger one, who is now 12, is the team captain of his school cricket team, and toured the West Indies recently. When you hear him speak, you wouldnt think that it’s a 12 year old speaking, such is his maturity, but also his laid back nature which makes him uber cool! The older one is way beyond his years too…. as kids they used to be quite geeky…. but since I last met them four years ago, I have found them to be much more mature and laid back in whatever they do….. almost very suave….

I went with my dad and another aunt to pick her and the boys up at the airport, and then drove an hour to my grandparents place where they will be based. Although, I didn’t get any chance to spend time with her over the weekend (grandad had knee replacement surgery, and he was coming home at the weekend, so there was a lot of running around, and a lot of people coming in to visit him), Aunt K is here for 7 weeks…. so hopefully amongst all the other relatives… I will get my moment too….

oh, p.s. ……. don’t tell my other aunts and uncles that Aunt K is my favourite…… I love my ass and it doesn’t deserve a kicking!

p.p.s…… for the record…. (and you can ask Aunt K….)… I am her favouritest nephew too

*530am

** 2am