Gym 1.36

14th Feb 2012: Tuesday - Attended Ben's Stepper class after a longish gap... :) .. but, Not bad!

My 1st ever Muffler/ Scarf .... :D

Continuing in that crafty last week, though this took me more time than the hat I knitted... but managed to make an over-sized but really savvy Tea-berry coloured scarf /muffler ( as you may want to call it).

The fringes in the end just look damn neat! :) ... Again, making this made me feel very happy ... as creating something from scratch is a lot of fun!

Gym 1.35

10th Feb 2012: Friday - I went late to Ben's aerobics class and saw it to be brimming full of people ... so lack of space drove me to do my usual cardio routine.

Sat and Sun skipped.

13th Feb 2012: Monday - what a shame = skipped coz of a very zzzleeeeebeee me.

A crafty week that was :D....

A pretty pink woolen cap with a biggish rim.

Always wondered how it would be to knit something from scratch... :) apparently not too difficult and looks pretty too! Made in a day and half including time to scratch head on how to proceed at certain moments during the knitting process. You Tube certainly is a good place to look for guidance.

All that I'v read till date - Part 3

8.) Liar's Poker, by Michael Lewis - If you have any inclination towards Bonds and equity trading - its a Must- Read. I identified with it completely and re-read it numerous times... and felt sooo soooo much better with my trading career. Trading is a window into the worst side of people, coz money is directly involved and emotions raise and fall in a matter of minutes... As a trader - one moment you are the hero and your client loves you to smithereens ... and in split-seconds.. you will hear swear words that can be best described as being from the slums.. :D... its a bad, mad world and the book is a hilarious real life narration of the author's experience at Salomon Brothers.

9.) The Last lecture, by Randy Pausch - Hmm... its a sad story but an awesome teaching. The author was a teacher and was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and wrote the book as a memoir of himself and his thoughts, especially for his children ( so that they remember him well after he is gone) .... He lists instances of how he planned everything in life for it to happen... ways to get around BIG hurdles ... how to love people you care about - record and express it. Basically he takes you through step-by-step method of doing whatever the hell you want to accomplish in your life. Its a senti-read, no doubt! Good one though for anybody...

Gym 1.34

7th Feb 2012: Tuesday - Skipped

8th Feb 2012: Wednesday - Skipped

9th Feb 2012: Thursday - Cardio.... 

wasted week till now.. :/ 2 out of 4 days only. 

All that I'v read till date - Part 2

5.Fooled by Randomness: The hidden role of Chance in Life and in the Markets, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - A very good read indeed, marginally technical in case you don't understand Probability and the markets in general. I liked reading it  - tells you how human mind is always looking for symmetry in all events and circumstances - we believe that history repeats in a certain way - which it perhaps does not. Events are random and so are our "chances" - Worth grabbing with both hands as and when you do get!

6. Zen and the art of Motocycle Maintenance - An Inquiry into Values, by Robert M. Pirsig - I cannot handle philosophy ... and this proved a tough read for me. Some of it made sense, but basically I wont be reading it again for sure. :) 

7. Illusions, by Richard Bach -  I AM MADLY IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK, I keep it with me where ever I go.... 

Some lines stuck to me like super-glue, for example

"You define your own limitations".... 

Reading and re-reading it has helped me get over a lot of mental blocks, get over people, get over tough situations... with ease. Fill yourself with positive people, there should be no space for "can not" and "should not".

Gym 1.33

3rd Feb 2012: Friday - Ben's Aerobics session .... always so damn cool! :) 

Weekend skipped

6th Feb 2012: Monday - A general Cardio

All that I'v read till date... :) - Part 1

Here's a running series I tried maintaining on LinkedIn - the professional network, but I discovered that they delete the books' list and my comment remains but the name of the book disappears. Hence, I CHOOOOOOSE to blow my own trumpet here and list everything I have read :D... Its a nice list and I am proud of it!! :)

In random order:

1. The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1), by Jonathan Stroud- Madly in love with Bartimaeus a witty and powerful djinnie that takes you to ancient times along with his magician called Nathaniel  and a very powerful commoner girl called Kitty and they spin a story which is fast paced and an absolute delight to somebody who loves reading adventure stories. It falls under the category of kids' stories but I disagree - anybody of any age will surely and thoroughly enjoy it! Bartimaeus claims to be a follower of Ptolemy and associates himself with greats like Archimedes .... and the way he puts it is nothing less than an absolute hoot! 
2. The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2), by Jonathan Stroud
3. Ptolemy's Gate (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 3), by Jonathan Stroud
4. River God - A Novel of Ancient Egypt, by Wilbur Smith - There is a character called "Taita" - he is an eunuch who was castrated by the then Pharaoh. A story that takes you to ancient Egypt set along Thebes and Nile... Its mythical, its fantastic! Taita is a resourceful being, multifaceted , multi-talented and he is hardly ever fatigued. When I read it, I wished the novel would never finish... :)... If I am even a 100th part as efficient as Taita, my life would be truly awesome! 

Gym 1.32

30th Jan 2012: Monday - :D Monday Bluezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

31st Jan 2012: Tuesday - Weirdly I thought going to gym on my own Birthday is demeaning ... Tell me how weird is THAT! :D... Thank you, I'm an idiot.

1st Feb 2012: Wednesday - Ben's Katabox ... and after class I tripped on a reversed set of rowing benches that was turned without warning... :/... stupid rower machine ..thing..

2nd Feb 2012: Thursday - General Cardio