Getting the kick!

I got into kickboxing when my girl Tanya was a year and a half. Partly because I worried that I lacked the skills to save her when danger strikes, and partly because then I could get an hour-long break from her demands three times a week!!

I still remember feeling pretty timid and small walking into the mean looking Titan Fitness which was lovable for its high energy and general mess and chaos. I can also clearly recall the shock I felt when I got punched and kicked for the first time, and the pride from learning how to master (somewhat!) the moves and survive the classes.

Little did I know that I was preparing myself for the toughest battle so far in my life. It came silently one morning, when I woke up paralysed from some rare illness called Guillian Barre. All the training of my body and mind suddenly had a new meaning, because it helped my fight this terrifying illness. Thanks to my training, I could calm my mind when I was scared or uncomfortable, and push myself into rehab when I felt discouraged.

The training paid off when I recovered within 20 days enough to return home, and within a month after that to resume my job which required 3 hours of commute.
That summer I returned to Titan Fitness against all predictions that I couldn't, with a renewed sense of love and respect for the sport.

To all you sporting enthusiasts, I urge you to look into this extreme form of exercise, which is not violent as it appears. It is a way to strenghten your body and mind to tap into potentials you never knew you had. A training session is like a vacation (a difficult one!), because for the hour you cannot have any other worries. All your mind and body is totally focussed at what you are doing.

I hope to get Tanya into the sport as soon as she is old enough, and learn to "Absorb what is useful" (Bruce Lee).

I buy my MMA gear at EliteMMA.com

How does an induction cookstove work (Technical)

A small note on how an induction cooktop works. Picture is courtsey theinductionsite.com/how-induction-works.shtml
The electronics of the induction stove send an a/c to an electromagnet below the cooking vessel. The magnetic field generated by this electromagnet(1) passes through the bottom of the magnetic cooking vessel (2), producing an current flow in the metal of the vessel. The current flow through the resistance of the metal vessel generates the heat for cooking.

Its not fair (Social)

Ever wondered about the term "Its not fair"? A simple phrase, but very racist, since it says that "fair" or "white" is right, and "unfair" or brown/black is wrong. Probably your reaction is "Give me a break!". I wish I could be easy about this seemingly harmless comment. But I couldn't, hence this post! You may have heard comments such as "its mighty white of you to say that" or "its very Christian of you". Many of us would not use such comments, and would probably raise an eyebrow when we heard it. But maybe that's just because these comments are still new, while "its not fair" has been in use for a long time. In the beginning, maybe people raised an eyebrow, but then let it slide, and slowly it entered the normal conversation to such an extent that white, brown, asians and black freely use it now without a thought. It is possible that some years down the line the other comments find their way into everyday conversations as well. Personally, I don't use "its not fair" because "its not correct"!

Meat Industry (Social)

Welcome to my first blog. I recently came across this great website, www.meat.org. This website shows a video titled "meet your meat". And what a meeting! Although I knew that the animals are mistreated, for some reason I hadn't paid enough interest to the issue. I would urge you to check it out. It is relevant for vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians, as it talks about animals used for meat, milk and eggs. Please realize that everytime we make an unthinking decision by buying some random meat, milk and egg (that is without knowing where it came from) we are supporting and endorsing everything shown in this video. The guys that the video shows who throw the animals in the trucks, beat them with a stick, brand and castrate them in the brutal manner are NOT GUILTY. They are supposed to do their work fast, and hauling huge chickens is not so easy. It is us who are guilty, through and through.
Today I went to subway, and saw that everyone other than me ordered meat in their subs. I wanted to ask people to just eat meat twice or thrice a week, instead of everyday. Is that so difficult?
Our choice is to go local. We can get eggs and meat from the local farm, and milk also locally, and ensure that the cows that give the milk are free roaming. Meyer dairy in State College, for instance, told me that their milk is from free roaming cows, though of-course, the best solution is to drive to the farm to get the info first hand. Although this might sound tedious, it really isn't, since we only have to find out once if the farm is acceptable, and then can buy every time from the same farm.
I hope this video will affect everyone as it affects me, and move people to take action.
Thanks!