Falling Slowly

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My first time...

We all remember our first time....its always the most special...this was my first time ever...

Wasn't sure if I should be doing it at all....I mean what if I wasn't physically ready for it...but more than that...I had to be mentally prepared...

Well sometimes these things happen on an impulse...you just get carried away by the whole idea of the experience....

I knew the first time was going tobe difficult and maybe painfull...I was anxious...yet everyone who had done it said it would totally be worth it....it would last a moment...the moment when you feel the high...and that moment of the first tim would remain with me for life...

They say boys boast about their first time...talk about it with the other boys....how did it start....how long did it take....were you nervous when you started out, etc...etc...!

For more than a month now I was reading enough....taken the right kind of protection.....and for the whole week (just to be safe!) before had even eaten the right foods to give me more energy to last longer...as they say....you can never be too prepared!! ;-)

I had got the right clothers, right shoes....everything...everything had to be perfect for the big day....

And then the moment finally started....it took me a bit of time to warm up....I had to set the right pace...not too slow yet not too fast just right to get me through....I mean its not like I was a pro...but soon I was over all the anxiety and the pressure and the stress...I had to...I had to focus....I had to be my best...I couldn't let go mid-way....I couldn't screw-up what was going to be an "out of the world...breathtaking experience"....literally and figuratively....

I came...I walked...and walked...and walked...and walked...and walked some more before finally conquering!!

They say that often the pleasure is in the pain....they also say you see hell when you die....I ain't dead but I did experience hell....and well yeah...I did come out of it alive...and might I say kicking...or..err...limping?

37 hours and 58 minutes, 4 bars of Snickers, more than 200gms of raisins, more than 25 litres of liquids later....I had finally done it....

I had finally completed, for the first time....the arduous 100 km Oxfam Trailwalker....walking through some of the most difficult mountains of Hong Kong......for almost 38 hours non-stop...
The pain, the sweat, the sleeplessness, the fatigue, the blisters, the soreness....and yet the one step on the other side of the finishing line....and I knew I would remember this for life...

Sweet Pain...aah...now I know what its all about!

Big Weekend coming up...

Not the coming weekend....the next one...it's huge....Need ALL the good wishes I can....yes...I know it's Diwali...and I sure hope it helps!

Apologies for this cryptic message...but just need for the next weekend to go well.

Leh, Ladakh

We had an absolutely incredible trip. I won't say a word. I will let the pictures tell you the incredible journey.The itinerary was:

Delhi - Manali by Bus : August 18-19

Manali - Leh by Car : August 20-21

Acclimatise in Leh : August 22

Trek : Leh-Spituk-Stok : August 23-25

Return : Leh - Delhi by flight : August 26

Looking forward...

Can't wait for the next 6 days to get over!

Am then going on a trip that has been on my mind for the last almost 10 years or more. I always wanted to go to Leh, Ladakh in Kashmir and finally this dream is coming true. Unfortunately, The Wife is unable to get leave so she' won't join in. In rather filmy style, she said that "mein Leh tumhari aankhon se dekhoongi...!!" My subsequent fits of laughter didn't help at all!

Anyways, here's the itenerary. Fly to Delhi. Next day take a 16-hour bus journey to Manali. Stay over for a day and then go on what I reckon will be the most unbelievable part of the trip....a drive from Manali to Leh where we reach a height of more than 17000 ft. So Altitude sickness is something that I am told to worry about, but hopefully it won't be a problem, lets just see how it goes.

I then go on a 4-day trek from Leh. So this is the staying in tents, pottying in the woods type of trek (that's not going to help...given 1 of my quirks!!), but will have to adjust-madi.

Will put the snaps online once am back as well!

Quirks...

To write my tag within an 8-hour deadline or To crown Anuja Queen of the Universe.

1. I have to do potty naked. Don't know how this started. But I am at my most comfortable on the pot naked. This ofcourse is a profound problem while I am on treks or out in the open wilderness!
2. While eating normal home food, I cannot eat roti with dal. Dal is meant only for Rice.
3. I clean my tongue every morning till it is red. I have a fear of bad-breath. So I make sure that my brushing and tongue-cleaning are an adventure every morning (and sometimes evenings) by almost gagging myself each time.
4. While writing a document, I have to have one space after a comma and two spaces after a full stop. I know this is a normal way to write, but I am obsessed about it.
5. Kind of related, wrong spellings absolutely annoy me. The worse is 'seperation' and 'separation'
6. Pages in books cannot be folded. Paperbacks cannot be bent (you know how people roll certain magazines/small books and carry them?) or folded.
7. All names in my address book, ipod, handphone have to be in Title Case.
8. While driving, cars cannot be in wrong gears at different speeds. I have a problem with revved-up cars.

Tag Rules

1) Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.

2) People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.

3) At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

4) If you fail to do this within eight hours, you will have to acknowledge Anand as the King of the Universe

I tag
Minita
Amrith
Freespirit
Allie (you could do it with your inimitable pictures)
Ron
Abhishek
Nostalgic Moments

Technically, I saw the comment only this morning. But anyways, Anuja is the Queen of the Universe.

Irony

The irony lies in the solidarity after the betrayal.