Songs of the not-so innocent

Dear reader, Accompanied by stray and wishful thoughts masquerading as wisdom, my 40th year approaches with relentless inevitability. Diwali day feels like an opportune moment to put down some of these fancies; maybe they will cast illumination and bring clarity later. Today, we received a couple of couriers and it made me sorry for those who have no choice but to work while the rest of the city parties or holidays. Over the years, I've been accused of financial frugality bordering on asceticism. There's no traceable inflection point for this habit; perhaps I simply aped my grandfather who was notorious for saving like a neurotic pack-rat. But, I've come to appreciate rather than question it, as it's given me the freedom to walk away from professional irritation.  The best kind of job is one where you don't face redundancy. I guess that could just as well mean choosing the right profession to target in college. The alternative is to quiver with the fear of a pink ...

Dear reader, It's been a while, yet there hasn't been much to write home about. On a handful of occasions over the past 6 months, my fingers would hover over the keyboard as I wondered about the originality of my thoughts. The piece would subsequently die a quiet death. And today isn't an attempt to get back on the wagon and write more frequently. If ignorance is bliss, then knowledge is agony, in particular, the acute awareness of how unfit you are. Spotting myself in the mirror and becoming increasingly unhappy with the view, I bit the bullet and enrolled in a gym recently. I've been researching a bit on the effect of exercise on the body. You can check them out here and here if you like.  Before the monsoon took over, I did go cycling regularly but not enough to challenge my body. Besides, with the Metro work contributing to nightmarish traffic in my neighbourhood, it simply wasn't pleasurable. There are some great free circuit training apps but here, the issue...