The mind is willing, but the body... protests!

Younghusband and Cu-Unjieng. We may share the name Phillip, but am so certain that would be as far as it goes if it came to comparing physical fitness, and our respective body parts. Of course, my disclaimer would state that I am not a professional athlete, and there is at least a 30-year gap, no  a chasm, between the two of us. Given that, however, it doesn’t mean I can’t live my life of denial, putting in an hour of tennis almost every morning, and heading to work right after. My work, the meetings and events I have to attend, preclude my being able to play regularly in the evenings, so I drag my weary carcass of a body to the court by 7 or 8 a.m., and am doubly pleased when the sun is shining and I get my hour of tan-nis.

I consistently read, and hear about guys my age going in for strenuous forms of physical activity; whether doing marathons, trail-biking, spending hours in the gym or entering Ironman competitions. It’s like there’s an epidemic of being fit in a big way, and going beyond the round of comparatively placid golf, that most sensible people my age should be indulging in. Inevitably, the face of pain rises as our aged bodies cry in protest. Oftentimes, we subject our body parts to renewed stress when a more sober approach would have been to rest, or space these days of activity. I know I’ve had my share of sports-related pain and injuries. For the last three weeks, my right knee has been giving me problems, and my trainer says it may be tendinitis  but of course, I refuse to go to a doctor, and prefer to play through the pain, knowing that if I gave the ortho doc a visit, he’d tell me to stop playing for now. I noted how Novartis had enlisted Phil Younghusband to endorse its Cataflam, so got curious and having tried it, I can say it helped me.

Now available in its 25 mg form as an Over-the-Counter (OTC) brand, Cataflam is an analgesic that comes from the Diclofenac family. Diclofenac potassium is a non-steroid anti-inflammatory, used for sprains, strains and other sports injuries, and is considered the gold standard when it comes to pain management (Ibuprofen and naproxen being the other pain relief families). Thanks to its good solubility and rapid absorption, Cataflam regularly takes effect in just 15 minutes. (For best results, consult your doctor. -Ed.)

I know it’s been a godsend, and while I may not be ready to take on the other Phil in a game of soccer; who knows, would he take a set off me in tennis?

Back to the future

Two peeks into the future and a surreal glimpse into the past, as provided by these three novels.

The three novels today all have a surreal quality to them, and it works to their favor. Ready Player One and Machine Man are set in the near-future, one a rip-roaring gaming fantasy, while the other is an incisive psychological portrait.  Night Circus does take place during the turn of the century, 19th to 20th, but there is something otherworldly about the treatment.  

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (available at National Bookstore): Futuristic, but shot through and through with nostalgia for the 1980s, this is one highly entertaining read. If you’re into gaming, or want to understand the fascination and the culture, or are just out for an adventure story that’s set in the virtual world  this is the book for you. In the near future, OASIS is the word in virtual worlds and with the bleakness of reality, most everyone is hooked up via their avatars. When the OASIS creator dies without an heir, an intricate game is set in motion, and to the winner goes control over OASIS. The game is fascinating, because clues involve the era when these games all began  the films of John Hughes, Devo lyrics, and knowledge of Pacman and D&D. Fast-paced, and with fully fleshed characters... from the “real world” and avatars, had a lot of fun reading this one. Film options, anyone?

Machine Man by Max Barry (available at National Bookstore): Scientist Charlie Neumann works in a chemical testing facility, and when an industrial accident occurs  he loses a leg, a bizarre change in his psyche takes over. That prosthetics can be seen as an improvement over nature takes over and becomes the obsession! He intentionally loses his second leg and some fingers, and with a team of lab assistants goes on a quest to make the better, improved New Man (yes, a pun on Charlie’s name). There is something of an Inspector Gadget premise to the novel, but rather than play for laughs, this is a searing look at how pervasive technology can become, and about sacrifices some can take in the name of science and obsession. How science is also perverted in the name of Big Business takes its share of the spotlight. As always, Barry levels a critical eye on Humanity in this modern world.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (available at Fully Booked): If ever one wanted to look for a novel that beautifully captures the magic of the modern circus and involves a love story/rivalry that puts so much  life and our notion of reality itself  at stake, then this surreal fantasy by Morgenstern would be the perfect book. Two rival magicians concoct a competition that takes place within the confines of a circus that mysteriously appears all over the world, and has acts and exhibitions unlike any other. One magician’s daughter and the other’s protege end up as the protagonists in this competition, and while we may have sensed it a mile away, the love that blossoms between the two carries ramifications even we could not have anticipated. Dark, infused with mystery and foreboding, and interspersed with the brilliance of the circus, this is one astonishing debut.