The Final Day of the Streak

Sadly, my amazing walking streak, which began on June 30, 2018, will be coming to an end. It was a tough decision, but it had to end someday.

From June 30, 2018, to February 24, 2023, I walked a minimum of 10,000 steps every day. Walking has helped me overcome various obstacles in the past five years and kept my Avascular Necrosis under control. The pain in my knees, which was at its worst in 2016, disappeared after I started walking actively. A recent X-ray showed that the deterioration in my hip bones has been minimal over the past eleven years.

I have always fought hard to not let pain define me. That's why walking and hitting my daily target of 10,000 steps means everything to me. Ironically, I am pain-free and at peace when I am walking.

Today, I completed 1,700 consecutive days of walking a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. It's a testament to my sheer psychological will that I have persevered despite numerous obstacles.

A few months ago, I started having respiratory issues that were diagnosed as Bilateral Ethmoidal Polyposis. Due to my medical history, I opted for Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) instead of oral steroids. The surgery is scheduled for February 25th, and I will need to rest and recuperate afterwards, bringing my incredible walking streak to an end.

Although I plan on starting my second streak as soon as I am physically able, I am proud of my accomplishment and amazed by the longevity of the streak. Doing it every day for almost five years is no easy feat.

I wanted to create a new record to make the final day of the streak memorable. I have been trying to walk 10 kilometres in under an hour for over two years. Tonight, I achieved my personal best by completing my fastest kilometre ever at 6'14'' - four seconds faster than my previous best. Although I couldn't keep up the momentum and fell short of my personal best by almost four minutes, I am thrilled to have broken one record on the last day of the streak.

This marks the end of the most significant era of my life, during which I achieved incredible success in my personal and professional lives. I have never felt better—physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically.

Thank you, streak. ❤️

The Day of the Operation - Ten Years Later

Date: March 5, 2022

The wind played a gentle but gusty tune on a relatively quiet Saturday night. The dimly lit park, sparsely occupied by a few septuagenarians preparing for their evening walks, couples engaged in public displays of affection on park benches, and parents playing with their kids, created a unique ambience. For over a year, I had envisioned how this day would unfold, and I was mentally and physically prepared for it. Yet, a hint of nervousness lingered as I embarked on something entirely new—a challenge that, if successful, promised to make it one of the finest nights of my life. Conversely, failure would mean risking everything.

Exactly ten years ago, on this day, I endured the most difficult night of my life. Reflecting on the past decade, it's been a journey marked by both trauma and triumph—the initial half marred by despair, failures, loneliness, and chronic depression, and the latter half witnessing a remarkable resurgence of happiness and success.

In the early years of the decade, walking was a painful experience, limited due to the worsening condition of my hip bones. Despite utmost caution, the pain persisted, eventually affecting both my knees with Avascular Necrosis by 2016. Unexpectedly, a minor car accident four years ago, though aggravating the knee condition, served as a catalyst for me to break free from a sedentary lifestyle and embrace active walking. This significant development changed my life forever.

On June 30, 2018, I initiated my 10K streak—committing to walking a minimum of 10,000 steps every day. As of March 5, 2022, the streak boasts of a record-setting 1,345 magnificent days. I meticulously plan my walks and work diligently to maintain the streak. It is the most significant accomplishment of my life thus far.

Being an active walker for nearly four years now, I understand that the briskness of steps matters more than just the numbers. Progressing from eleven minutes per kilometre in 2018 to slightly over six minutes per kilometre in 2022, my journey has been both gradual and significant. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of my Core Decompression procedure, I set the audacious goal of walking 10 kilometres in under an hour—an endeavour fraught with challenges. Although I fell just over five minutes short of my target after surpassing my 10K records throughout 2021 and early 2022, it stands as a testament to my determination and perseverance.

A second ambitious objective was to complete a distance of 21.0975 kilometres in a single session—a Half Marathon. Until March 5, 2022, I had never walked more than 12 kilometres in one go. Acknowledging the risks of putting my hips and knees under such pressure, I embarked on a breezy Saturday night with the goal of etching this day in my memory forever.

During the Half Marathon, the pace was deliberately slower, gradually increasing as the race progressed. Guided by the inspiring music of the love of my life, I surpassed walkers of various age groups during the initial hour. By 9:30 PM, most park-goers had left, leaving me as the sole occupant.

After an hour and forty-five minutes, I realised this was the longest I had ever walked in a single session. The job, however, was far from done; nearly an hour's walk still lay ahead. The windy conditions spared me from profuse sweating, but fatigue set in. At the two-hour mark, having covered 16 kilometres, exhaustion was palpable. Yet, determined to overcome physical limits, I summoned every ounce of strength to complete the remaining distance through sheer psychological will.

The culmination of this marathon effort occurred after two hours and forty minutes—an overwhelming victory in the form of completing the Half Marathon. Waves of emotion swept over me as I reflected on the pain and disappointment of the past decade.

As the day concluded, fatigue and pain prevailed, but nothing could alter the fact that I had just lived through one of the greatest moments of my life.

Squid Game - A Review

"I am not a horse; I am a human."

Amidst the brutality and violence, Squid Game, at its core, is a social commentary on human beings' ethical and moral ambiguity. It makes us question our existence. Who are we? What values do we stand for during our lowest points? 

The theme of Squid Game is not new—we have seen such dystopian themes in films like The Hunger Games, Battle Royale, or 13 Tzameti. But the compelling, diverse, and relatable characters—and the tenderness of their bond—will make you root for them. 

A group of desperate individuals, in dire financial straits, are manipulated into participating in children's games with a cash prize of roughly $40M. But, they leave out one tiny detail—the games have deadly consequences. The commentary on the class divide and the perils of capitalism are apparent throughout the series. 

After the horrors of Red Light, Green Light, the participants unanimously quit. Not only they're compelled to return but are made to believe they did it voluntarily. 

During the course of the series, Seong Gi-hun, a gambling addict in serious debt, tries hard to be honest and self-righteous in a place of continuous moral decadence. 

Oh Il-nam, as Player 001, is delightful. During the initial few episodes, he was my favourite character, and I wished to have his zest for life despite suffering from a terminal ailment. 

Kang Sae-byeok is the most enigmatic character among the main characters. She begins to open up during the latter half of the season after she is paired with another girl with a tragic past, Ji-yeong, who helps her open up. 

Cho Sang-woo is a selfish person who will descend to any depth to survive and win the game. On the other hand, Abdul Ali is a kind-hearted, easily manipulated, but physically powerful immigrant. 

Episode 6, Gganbu, is one of the finest hours in the history of television. This episode wrecked me and moved me to tears. The set-up of Game 4 reminds Il-nam of his childhood home and is disinterested in playing the marble game, but Gi-hun eventually convinces him to play. With Il-nam on the verge of winning, Gi-hun takes advantage of the former's dementia to cheat, even though he feels guilty about it. The scene—where Il-nam reveals he was aware of Gi-hun's betrayal but allows him to win anyway—is absolutely gut-wrenching. 

Meanwhile, Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok discuss their lives before playing the marble game. After their poignant interaction, Ji-yeong loses the game on purpose and makes the ultimate sacrifice as she believes Sae-byeok deserves to live more than her. 

Ali, who unwittingly gets the upper hand in the game, is made to believe by Sang-woo that both can survive the game. He deceives Ali into giving up his marbles. Sadly, Ali's innocence eventually leads to his downfall. 

I loved the tug-of-war episode too, which had one of the best cliffhangers. Despite lacking physical strength, Gi-hun's team comes out on top—thanks to Il-nam's experience and Sang-woo's quick thinking. 

After the sixth episode, the quality of the series dipped a tad due to the introduction of VIPs. Acted horribly, the VIPs sounded like poorly dubbed American characters in old Chinese movies where the dialogues were written by someone with Chinese sensibilities. In this instance, the dialogues of the VIPs were written in English with Korean sensibilities. And, that's why they sounded more like caricatures instead of normal people. Also, the actors playing these characters were horrible, and that didn't help either. 

That twist, in the end, involving Il-nam was unexpected and it ruined that wonderful moment in Gganbu to a certain extent. Overall, I enjoyed the show. It was my first K-Drama, and I had a wonderful experience. 

My Rating: 9/10

A Journey of 1,000 Days

March 5, 2021

June 30, 2018, marked the beginning of the 10K streak—a journey culminating in a significant milestone: completing 1,000 consecutive days on March 25, 2021.

During this period, I logged an impressive tally of steps and kilometres, totalling 11,101,932 steps and covering 8,605.5 kilometres.

Several months before initiating the streak, I grappled with the challenges of Avascular Necrosis for over six years. My hips were a constant source of discomfort, with a clicking sound accompanying every step, signalling the inevitable collapse of my hip joints. Concurrently, my knees endured immense pressure, overshadowing the pain in my hips.

On March 24, 2018, a minor car accident exacerbated the condition in my knees, intensifying my discomfort. Rather than succumb to despair, I opted for a radical approach—active walking. Starting with a modest 1,000 steps daily, I swiftly progressed to consistently achieving over 8,000 steps within months, undergoing a profound lifestyle transformation from a sedentary existence.

By the conclusion of June 2018, I routinely achieved 10,000 steps, prompting me to challenge myself to maintain this benchmark throughout July of that year. With unwavering determination, I surpassed this initial hurdle and sustained the streak month after month thereafter.

Walking amidst persistent pain became my norm for nearly a decade, but the strain I imposed on my legs during the streak far exceeded prior thresholds. In the initial stages, my body struggled to acclimate to this rigorous physical regimen, resulting in inflammation in the heel tissue and agonizing bouts of Plantar Fasciitis. Despite these adversities, I persisted.

By October 2018, not only had I consistently attained 10,000 daily steps, but I also began to derive enjoyment from my walks. Engaging in weekly 5 km GPS challenges injected a competitive edge into my routine, facilitating my progress from an 11-minute kilometre pace in July 2018 to under 9 minutes by January 2019.

Around the 200-day mark, a pinched nerve in my left foot presented yet another hurdle, compelling me to persevere through weeks of discomfort. Overcoming these obstacles bolstered my resolve, ultimately enabling me to partake in the TCS World 10K race on May 19, 2019, where I earned my inaugural medal in the Majja 5K Run category. Brisk-walking and briefly running amidst a sea of people is an experience I will never forget.

The summer of 2019 witnessed another milestone when a routine indoor walking session transitioned into a full-fledged running session. I ran for an hour without a break, achieving my highest step count in an hour (close to 8,800) and likely covering 10 kilometres in under an hour—an accomplishment unimaginable a year prior.

The year 2019 proved monumental, with statistics reflecting over 3,000 kilometres walked and 4 million steps taken, setting a remarkable benchmark.

Despite the onset of the global pandemic, which necessitated lockdowns and confinement, my walking streak persisted. The challenges posed by the pandemic failed to deter my determination, and for the second consecutive year, I surpassed the milestones of 3,000 kilometres and 4 million steps.

On March 5, 2021, commemorating the ninth anniversary of my Core Decompression procedure, I embarked on a new challenge—walking 10 kilometres in a single GPS session, a feat I had yet to attempt outdoors. Reflecting on the events preceding my surgery imbued this endeavour with profound significance, evoking a torrent of emotions upon completion.

Embarking on such a journey requires not only courage, motivation, and determination but also an unwavering commitment to consistency. I am immensely proud of my mental and physical fortitude, having endured pain and overcome formidable odds throughout this remarkable 1,000-day journey.