Honour to be there

I was there.. I saw them live!!! The fact that Deep Purple selected India among all countries in Asia to be a part of their Rapture of the Deep promotional tour was a major surprise by itself. Once we got to know of it, there was no question at all. Tickets were booked promptly and off we went. Till the moment they appeared on stage, anyone could have convinced me that it was a hoax. It is not everyday that one of the pioneers of rock make tours, considering that the average age of the band is 60. We saw glimpses of Ian Gillan walking across the stage and it was reassuring. Once they kicked it off, the pace was electric. The more popular numbers were held back for the end. Things I never said, Into the fire, Rapture of the deep, When a blind man cries, Wrong man, Space Truckin' were all there. Interspersed were eccentric solos from Steve Morse and Don Airey. Then they rounded it off with Highway Star, Smoke on the Water, Hush and Black Night. Two hours whizzed past like twenty minutes.. What an evening!!! Was a privilege to watch the legends in action.

PS: I had promised to post this earlier. But I had to hold it back to appease my buddy laziness.

Fat man........

Dont want to be a fat man,
People would think that I was
Just good fun.

Too much to carry around with you,
No chance of finding a woman who
Will love you in the morning and all the night time too.

I seen the other side to being thin.
Roll us both down a mountain
And Im sure the fat man would win.

-- Courtesy: 'Fat man' by Jethro Tull

A tribute to / criticism of my expanding waistline!!!!!!

A makeover

Blog: Dude, are you there?
Me: Am right here mate.
Blog: I need an image makeover.
Me: Why? You look real good.
Blog: I am worthless, just like you. All I do on the web is to occupy space and no one looks at me.
Me: What about my established readership?
Blog: Ahem....
Me: Ok. Here you go. My belated Diwali gift to you.
Blog: I could have done with a customised one, u dumb ass!!!

Back to square one....

1. Back at Hyderabad after spending an extended Diwali weekend at home. The spiralling aviation fuel costs meant that I no longer had the luxury of travelling via air. The drawling train ride was a major bore. Getting back to work right after such a long trip is not an exciting prospect. The journey home is never too long, but the one back from home, definitely is.
2. The weekend at home was terrific fun. Spent some quality time with Mom, Sis and her kids. And catching up with friends at Coimbatore is one event I always look forward to.
3. The forthcoming 10-15 days are going to be hectic at work.
4. I am almost through with Steve Waugh's 'Out of my Comfort Zone'. No doubt a marathon effort, considering the mammonth size of the book (reminded me of my Fluid Mechanics textbook - it never failed to give me the blues at college), but it is well and truly worth it. An amazingly well written autobiography by one of the greatest exponents of the game. Planning a post on this, when I find time.

Shoaib Akhtar switches to Major League Baseball...

... after testing positive for Nandrolone, a performance enhancing drug, during the ICC Champions Trophy, and due to the repeated reports of his questionable action, the fastest chucker in the world decided to take up a sport in which chucking was official and the offer from Pittsburgh Pirates to be their number 1 pitcher was just the boost that his sagging career wanted. Speaking to newspersons, he was quoted as saying "I want to bowl as many balls as possible for the Pirates", which clearly shows he is not entirely comfortable with the baseball terminologies yet. No wonder the other teams in the league cannot wait to face up to him!!!

Like only ICC can

The BCCI has decided to include Mohammad Azharuddin in a list of prominent cricketers and officials that it plans to honour in a function next month. The ICC, apparently is not amused.

"The ICC has a zero tolerance zone to corruption and we'd like our members to have a similar zero tolerance in this matter," ICC spokesman Brian Murgatroyd told The Associated Press on Friday.

Surprising, considering the fact that Shane Warne and Herschelle Gibbs who have admitted accepting money from bookies, are still allowed to smell the green. And one should not forget Warnie's partner in crime, the graceful Mark Waugh. All that these guys needed to shell out was a pittance as penalty.

To be fair to the BCCI - whom I am not a great fan of, in a lot of other issues - it has dealt with the matchfixing cases in India pretty severely. It meted out strict punishments to Azhar, Jadeja (who was undoubtedly a star in the making)and other also-rans like Ajay Sharma who cashed in.

I think, the ICC just produced a crosscourt backhand, that Roger Federer would be proud of!!!

Coffee anyone

I know you will be surprised and even scared to hear this. The coffee vending machine in the pantry is haunted. It makes strange noises when someone tries to disturb its slumber by pressing a button. The noises can vary from howling of a wolf to the whirling of a turbine. Depends on its mood, basically. It is obvious that it does not want disturbance, but no one seems to mind, except the security guard who was on duty on that fateful night when he saw the coffee machine walking down the floor at 2 am. The guard was admitted and had to be dripped half a gallon of coffee.

Don't think. Just speak out....

Said Meera, when she tagged me.....

I am thinking about...
Err... Lemme think!!!

I said...
U heard it

I want to...
Shoot 'em in the face!

I wish...
..for a pot of gold.

I hear…
..the sound my hair makes when it grows

I wonder...
.. What makes her frigging hot

I regret...
.. being allergic to hot bodies

I am...
.. perfect

I dance...
.. when I wait in front of the occupied bathroom

I sing...
.. so well that not even I can stand listening to it. But u have to do some things in your life for your friends.. Sigh!!!

I cry...
.. Nah.. Not for moi...

I am not always...
... a sick psychopath, all blown up in my head

I make with my hands...
... Namaste, with the hands pressed together, palms touching, in front of the chest... Hehe.. U beleived it?

I write...
... this letter to you with tears rolling down my eyes.. Sniff Sob.. Poda vennai..

I confuse...
... others (Hah. That was easy)

I need...
... sleep

I tag my bro....

$ In love $ ??

I was on the bus back to Hyderabad from Tirupathi. I had been there to attend my friend's wedding. It was around 9 pm at night and they had switched the lights off in the bus. It was dark. I increased the volume in my mp3 player to save myself from the Telugu movie that was roaring at full volume in the bus. The hero, twice the size of a half-burnt matchstick, was beating the hell out of the poor villain who was just about as thick as oak tree, and the background music referred to the hero as a macho man. I thanked God and Sandisk for creating Mp3 Players. I closed my eyes. AR Rahman was singing 'New York Nagaram'.

Am I in love?

I was unable to sleep. All my six (I do have 6) senses were filled with thoughts about her. In my path of stones, is there a flower-bed. Why does she need to disturb me by appearing regularly in my dreams? What is stopping her getting rid of this whole thing and come rushing to me? This was not the first time that my thoughts have swerved towards her. I have been thinking of her day and night. There was something in her that made her and only her special.

I was deaf to the sounds that surrounded me - to the rumbling noise of the bus, to the gyrations of the pair on TV, to the heavy duty snoring of the guy in my opposite seat, to everything...

Am I in love?

The silent environment made my decision making process easier. I am in love. But, what do I do next? Talking to her is next to impossible, because ever since I knew her no one has ever dared spoken to her. Even those who have tried, have done so in vain, without any reply from her. She rarely opens her mouth. Infact, she never opens her mouth!!! Is she dumb?? I dont care. I am in love, and that is all I know. Sometimes standing still can be the best move that you ever make.... But will that help me solve this issue?? My friends, any ideas??

I have been grappling with this question for a while now. I am even contemplating changing the second half of my name to match her name. I love her. I really do love money. I have just a few hundreds in my bank and I have run up huge debts. I could think of nothing else, other than that beautiful vamp!!! And henceforth, when any of you write to me, address me as $aimoney.

Eye am not ant-agonistic

Just about daybreak for him. He opened his eyes, very slightly, to take a look at his clock. It was 7.55 am. He can easily slip in 5 more minutes of sleep. He grinned sheepishly inside and closed his eyes again. He was woken up in a harsh way. It was extremely painful. It was a cowardly act of the highest order, since it was done when he was sleeping. He did not realise what had actually happened at the beginning. Only when he tried to take stock of the situation by opening his eyes, did he realise that his right eyelid was too heavy. "Yikes!! It has a bulge.." he exclaimed. He had just been bitten right on his right eyelid - Yes, thats right, no left - when he had been enjoying the guilty pleasure of the extra 5 minutes of his morning sleep.. He was furious. He could see from the corner of his right eye, the convict running across his pillow. The convict told him that he was repentant for his actions. He forgave the ant, but could not forget the incident because the swollen right eye irritated him while writing this post.

May God bless his eye!!!

If Bridge left Chelsea......

Chelsea's Left back Wayne Bridge should stop feeling insecure of his spot given the blues' new signing Khalid Boulahrouz. There is no way that Jose Mourinho would let Bridge go from Stamford Bridge, because if Bridge leaves, then Mourinho would be left only with Stamford.... And since they do not own any player with the name Stamford, it would effectively mean that Chelsea would be left without a home arena

I am hungry!!!!

Ass u like it...

Visited a close friend of mine during the weekend, who gave me the vital piece of information that there were absolutely no donkeys in China... The conversation went like this:

Moi: How was ur China trip?
Friend: It was great!!! A lot better than I expected??
Moi: Did u get to eat all those exotic dishes??
Friend: Yep!!! i ate ..... (She went on with the list of dishes which included almost all of the existing species, except horses, donkeys and a few wild animals)
Moi: Now, that is quite a list.. Why did u miss out on horses??
Friend: Too big for me to digest. I thought u would be more interested in the places I visited, u a**hole!!!
Moi: Ah, that reminds me.. What about donkeys??
Friend: There are no donkeys in China!!!
Moi: Why, have they already eaten up all of them??
Friend: I really dont know, man!!! I sometimes wonder how people can exist without asses...
Moi: Machaa!!! Its just that donkeys and asses are mutually exclusive. An ass can take multiple forms, but a donkey is always a donkey.
Friend: I am deliberating...
Moi: About what??
Friend: Whether to skin u alive or to roast u??
Moi: That would make u an 'Ass''ass'in.. U just refuse to come out of the asses debate, do u!! Now, u would say that England and Australia would be competing for 'The Asses' instead of 'The Ashes'...
Friend: Aarrgghhh!!!

I was in the bus back to Hyderabad within 5 minutes of the conversation...

An Untold Story: Part II

This is Part II of 'The Untold Story'. Read the Preface and Part I before reading further.

Kaptaan, in the meantime, was already preparing himself for the battle ahead. He knew that this would not be easy, even for him. He called for a meeting with his loyalists and explained his plan of action. His comrades, like always, did not get a word of what he said during the meeting due to the omnipresent ear jarring music that goes on in the background whenever Kaptaan delivers an inspirational speech. They nodded indicating their approval of the plan.

Leaders world over were not convinced with Kaptaan when he refused to reveal his plans to them, at the emergency meeting at Kondichettipatty - KCP.

'Huh.. This is absurd.' chuckled Gargle 'Who gave u this idea?'

'Mr.Gargle... There is only one person in this world who gives me ideas. And that is my Sengamalam.'

'Senga...what!!! yuck.... Whatever... Who is this? Your wife, girl friend??'

'Nope!!! Sengamalam is my cow. I can be without anyone, but my Senga'

Sengamalam was listening to this via the Radio Frequency Decoder Headphones designed just for her. Kaptaan had gifted it to her during the previous Maattu Pongal. She was moved and her eyes filled with tears!!!!

The leaders had no other option left. Reluctantly they gave a go-ahead to Kaptaan's mizzon. Kaptaan, as expected, completed the mizzon successfully. He not only saved the planet, but also killed all the aliens. People all over the world were relieved, and Madurai was acknowledged as a superpower. The US President, however, was curious to know how Kaptaan managed to outwit the aliens.

'Kaptaan, Tell me something. How did u do it?'

'Gargle, Dont u know how to do it??'

'Ah, Kaptaan. No jokes please. They suck!!!'

'Ok. I came to know from reliable sources, that the aliens were planning to unleash a high-intensity Laser beam that would destroy the Planet in seconds. So I kept a mirror in the path of the beam.'

'So, u are the real Beam-boy, eh!!! But how come the aliens did not notice the glass??'

'Huh, Gargle... It was SAINT GOBAIN'

Gargle faints.

Kaptaan says 'When in doubt, dont shudder. Just grab the rudder and milk the udder'

Senga felt happy!!!

I am sorry!!!

The American submarines refused to sink because they defined the variables as float....... How distraught can a man get when he was unsuccessful in improving the performance of his search engine even after pouring 2 litres of Engine Oil into the floppy disk. He even tried the CD-ROM. Alas, it was read-only. Gimme a break... You seem to be expecting Pepsi to come up with a new and improved Pep-C++ soon... I really apologise for my insanity.. Its just that my computer is not booting up. Maybe the internal buses are on strike!!!

I am sorry!!!

An Untold Story: Part I

This is Part I of 'An Untold Story'. The preface can be found here

Rains have been quite hard this year and the entire city has been flooded at this point of time. But the Rain Gods were in no mood to relent, with rains lashing across all parts of the state. It was 2 am on a Sunday morning. It was a time when the entire Dumeelkuppam locality was asleep, except one man. He was sitting in front of his computer, and analysing the globe's latest developments on crime, using a Windows media player (Yes, Thats our hero). Random mouse clicks and Enter key strokes marked his acknowledgement of the impending grave danger to Planet Earth. He typed some stuff furiously on the monitor and then turned to show his face. Out of nowhere, a garland of roses came flying to grace his shoulders. He thanked the Almighty, let out a little smile and went to sleep. Deep within, Kaptaan knew that he was 'The One' chosen to save Mother Earth.

Tomiyaami Aguckhi saw an email with priority level set to 'Highest' flashing on her desktop. Aguckhi was 22 year old, a bit short, but nevertheless very good looking. She did her graduation in the Tom Yum Kum University in Japan, and she was working as the seceretary to the Japanese President. She opened the attachment in the email, and she could see, ofcourse on the Windows Media Player, Kaptaan speaking in Tamil. Aguckhi was well versed with the Tamil language, so were the thousands of Presidential seceretaries across the globe. Kaptaan had proactively arranged an intensive training camp for them in Madurai, the previous year. Kaptaan said "Aliens from planet XXX are planning to launch a massive attack on our planet. The date though not very clear is not too far. We are running out of time."

'Houston.. We have an issue here... An impending alien attack not far away... Wake up the President, the White House Resident.. Yay!! That rhymes... Over and Out...'

The American President's dreams on the German Chancellor were cut short by the SOS message. The President was understandably not pleased. He called up the British Prime Minister.

'Trony. Did u hear the news?'

'Yes Gargle'

'Damn you Trony. Didn't I tell you to call me Gorgeous?'

'Duh, huh!! Yes yes.. Just that calling you by that name is a bit difficult to Gargle, err digest'
'Anyways, What do you mean by aliens?? Are they Lebanese?'

'I am not very sure. Intelligence reports say they are from some other planet. Is there a Lebanon outside Earth'

'May be. You never know!! What do we do now??'

'What about an emergency meeting with all the G8 members or the UN Security Council or an Al Jazeera statement?'

'I do not think those ideas will work. The only solution lies in calling up Kaptaan'

'Kaptaan!!! Who is this Kaptaan?'

Before he could finish the question Sin a time Sittaal, the famous footballer appears out of nowhere and drills his head right into Trony's chest.

'You deserve this for your ignorance about the world's saviour Kaptaan'

'Xavier?? Is he Xavier or Kaptaan??' queries Gargle, apparently confused between saviour and Xavier.

.... to be continued ......

An Untold Story: Preface

Hi folks!!! The following is my report of the undercover operation that took place very recently. I realise that most of you would not be aware of this event. This operation was deliberately kept secret from the public, as even a speck of information leaked could have proved fatal for the future of mankind. Now sit back and try to enjoy!!!

Warning:
This article is not recommended for non-pregnant married women. If you are a non-pregnant married female, you have better things to do than to read this stupid story.

The original names have been changed to protect the identities!!!

A special thanks to all the mosquitos of Chennai's Dumeelkuppam, for helping the hero to accomplish his mizzon (spelling intentional), by keeping him awake at night.

So here goes!!!

I walk a....

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone

Cows are demure

You thought cows were supposed to roam around in farms, eat grass and get rained on. Think again

Not for the faint of heart ;))

Anyone needs a headbutt!!!!

The last couple of days have been really tough, and I needed a break... On the lookout for some lighthearted stuff on the net, I ran into a couple of good links.

It is easy to criticise Zizou for his headbutt on Materazzi. This is precisely what everyone is doing. On the flip side, Daniel Davies of the Guardian wonders at the amazing technique of the Zidane headbutt. Read his article and challenge your friends for a headbutt match...

And if you want to know what Materazzi said to provoke Zidane, check this out and ROTFL....

I really needed this!!!

No subject...

7 bomb blasts rocked Mumbai yesterday. Though I do not belong to Mumbai, it is a city which is very close to my heart, and the Western Rail Line is the one I take very often when I visit my folks at Andheri. I share the grief with the millions of people in the city. I really really feel terrible for Mumbai. Hope there is a meaningful breakthrough soon.....

Take care friends.....

Are you feeling lucky???

Check out Google's latest product.... Good LUCK :-)


Link via India Uncut

The Finale

9th July 2006, Berlin, Germany. Match 64 of the FIFA World Cup 2006 - Finals - ITA 1-1 FRA a.e.t 5-3 PSO

Italy -The World Champions

FRA vs POR

5th July 2006, Munich, Germany. Match 62 of the FIFA World Cup 2006 - Semifinals - POR 0 : 1 FRA

The second semifinals was not as exciting as the first one was. France scored the lone goal of the match through a penalty kick and the 1998 champions were happy to sit back, absorb the pressure and defend for the rest of the match. The move was a dangerous one, what with Fabien Barthez, one of the worst goalkeepers in the tournament manning the French goal. But 'Les Bleus' managed to ward off the occassional surges from the Portuguese and theaterics from Christiano Ronaldo - the most overrated player around - to hold on to the lead. The most striking feature of the match was the manner in which Zidane converted the spot kick. There he was standing on top of the ball, as cool as a cucumber, took one step towards the ball and netted it home. He never looked like missing this one. Zizou is back in form. Though he can no way be remembered as a Maradona or a Pele, he does deserve his place alongside the Platinis, Rijkaards and Linekars. That his final international match is a World Cup final is a fitting tribute to the legend.

Figo had the hair, but Zidane had the flair....

ITA vs GER Moments

Grosso's goal

Del Piero in action














Sorrow and Ecstasy















The jubiliant Azzurri















The despondent German heroes: Klinsmann and Klose














Buffon - Champion at the Italian Goal















Jens Lehmann at the other end was not far behind, unfortunate to end up in the losing side
















Pirlo - The FIFA Player of the Match













The impregnable Cannavaro was the Player of the Match, thinks me.....

What a game!!!!

4th July 2006, Dortmund, Germany Match 61 of the FIFA World Cup 2006 - Semifinals - GER 0 : 2 ITA (after 120 minutes of nerve wracking football)

The magnificient stadium at Dortmund

What a game it turned out to be. Before the WC started not many gave a chance to both these teams. Italy torn apart by the club scandal back home and Germany suffering from poor form, which almost cost Klinsmann his job. But during the course of the finals, both teams managed to stamp their class on the tournament and the Germans were considered favourites, following their mind-blowing run in this World Cup. Very little seperated the tewo teams, and it was an even contest al the way. Most of the fascinating battle took place in the midfield. But there were some great attacks by both teams, The Azzurri getting the better of the opportunities, and hitting the bar twice. It all seemed to be heading towards the penalties, and it seemed like it was going to be one of those days when Italy were not just destined to be. They were playing in front of the partisan crowd, created chances, but failed to convert them, unlucky at times and to top it all unlike the Germans, they had a terrible record in WC penalties. But Fabio Grosso had other ideas. With just 3 minutes of the final extra time left, he drilled a terrific Pirlo pass into the net from an angle. What a goal!!!! With it sank the German hopes... To dress it up, Del Piero made it 2-0 in Italy's favour in the last minute of injury time. Italy are through to the finals. Germans, coached by the energetic Klinsmann played their heart out and deserve a third place.

'To win in front of such a partisan crowd is something to tell your grandchildren about. We’ll concentrate on the Final now. We want to win it!' - Luca Toni

Its him !!!

0400 hrs, Airport

Arjun threw the Tropicana pack into the dustbin. He detests the so-called soft drinks, and always prefers packed juice. Tropicana is his favourite. He was careful not to spill the left over juice on the dustbin because it looked so clean. He walked towards the row of check-in counters and found his airline counter. There was one old man and a woman talking to the cute looking airport staff at the counter. There were two counters for Information. He went to counter number 2, as it was manned by a beautiful female. He could see her name on the badge. He enquired about the delay in the scheduled flight. He was informed that the flight is delayed by an hour due to some technical snag. "Varsha, tell me something" he said. "Yes Sir". "Can't they do anything proper in this Goddamn country" he walked away from the counter.

He saw the old couple struggling with their handluggage. He felt sorry for them and walked towards them and helped them carrying their luggage. He took them to the check-in gate and had them seated.He took a seat near by to them.

"You are also waiting for the same flight?" the old woman asked with lot of love.

"Yes Mam" he replied.

She offered him a cookie. He took it and tasted it.

"Thanks for the cookie Mam it is very tasty."

"She always makes the best cookie" the old man told, which made the woman blush.

He kept his bag between his legs and took out a magazine and poured over it.

His attention was brought back to the real world by a child crying. He turned to see a small child was getting beaten by its mother. His fists clenched on seeing the lady's act and he immediately got off from his seat and went to the lady and stopped her act.

"Are you crazy? Such a lovely child" he took the crying child in his arms and kissed it.

The mother angrily took the child back from him gave him a cold stare and went to her seat.

"Crazy people" he shook his head and walked back tohis seat.

The announcement came that the flight was ready for boarding.

He saw people rushing to the boarding gate. He saw the old couple struggling. He helped them get in.

Everybody was seated. The child who was beaten by the lady was now smiling at him. The child had a toy in his hands. The doors shut and the flight started its course on the runway.

"Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen. This is the Pilot." the voice came through the internal speakers.

The flight took off without any issues. He sighed and unbuckled his seat belt. He felt uncomfortable wearing it. He walked towards the restroom.

The old lady smiled at him. He smiled back. He walked past the kid and gave a light pinch on its cheek. He looked at the mother of the child and said "Sorry."

He came to the restroom and closed the door. He washed his face, took the paper towel and dried his face. He could still smell the cookies in his hand. He smiled to himself. He removed his shirt. There was a flat plate attached to his stomach. It had a feather touch button with inscription "Press to blast".

He pressed.....

The Greatest Show on Earth

Widely touted as the Greatest Show on Earth, the FIFA Football World Cup 2006 got off to a cracking opening on Friday. Many feel that watching a UEFA Champions League would make for more interesting viewing, since the players gel more with their teammates at their respective clubs where they play throughout the calender, year after year than with their country teammates, with whom they play more often as rivals rather than mates. Though it a valid argument that should be accepted and also the teams are more equally balanced at the club level and the real action in the World Cup starts only after the first round of group matches get over, the sheer passion of the fans makes the WC special.

Few could have asked for a better match to kick off the WC, with Germany taking on Costa Rica. Costa Rica have traditionally been good competitors in the WC finals and here they gave Germans a lot to think about. Its a known fact that defense was Germany's weakest link, but inspite of winning 4-2, Friday's match clearly exposed them and they need to do a lot better if they dream of matching up against tougher opponents. England seem to have a much more balanced side, but even they were a bit unconvincing against Paraguay. But there is something in this English side that makes them a hot favourite for lifting the trophy a second time after 1966.

Brazil, France and Italy are yet to play, but call it anti-incumbency or whatever, I somehow have the gut feeling the Brazil would not be winning this time round. Italy especially would be the team to watch out for. The fact that they are ranked a lowly 13 makes them all the more dangerous, though they will be missing the services of the irreplaceable God of Italian football, Paulo Maldini. They missed out on penalties during 1994 and 1998 and were done in by the referee in 2002. This might just be Italy's WC. So if I am asked to pick a winner, it would be a tough call between Italy, Argentina and England. But who knows, the unpredictable nature of the sport might just pop up an unexpected winner. Lemme know your pick for the winner, and as they say, let the game be the winner :)).

Democracy??

The Government banned the screening of 'Da Vinci Code'. Can you see the wry smile on Mona Lisa's face??

Disaster Sunday

This Sunday was an absolute drab.. Schumi had to start from the pitlane after he was penalised for delaying tactics in the closing stages of qualifying. That he fought back to finish fifth was, but a small consolation.

Then in the evening, off we went to watch the eagerly awaited Fanaa.. A lot was expected out of this flick which starred Aamir Khan, fresh from his RDB success and Kajol, the numero uno heroine making a comeback... It turned out to be one of the all time great movies ever to grace Indian Cinema. The same love story, remade prehaps for the 45698th time, uncreative music (been hearing the same from Jatin-Lalit, Anu Malik and the other also-rans for ages), admirable over acting by Rishi kapoor and Kiron Kher are some of the high points of the movie, which makes it fascinating to watch. There are some amazingly insipid fight sequences and a gibberish child character, who keeps on repeating the same lines throughout the movie to keep the viewer interested. If you get bored inspite of all these, then try figuring out one thing - other than the lead cast - good in the film, and I am sure that you will have a rocking time, like I did... One of my friends had taken his girlfriend on a date to watch this epic. So depressed was the girl, that she actually threatened to shoot him like Kajol does to Aamir at the climax.. Oops, have I revealed the climax.. Dont bother, you aint missing on anything... So if you are looking for a plan to extract revenge on your mother-in-law, then do not bother to look any further. Just sponsor her tickets for Fanaa!!

And to top off an uneventful day, the Indian cricket team orchestrated a sens(ex)ational collapse, to go down 1-4 to boost the confidence of a sagging West Indies side. Uthappa, Raina and Kaif deserve due appreciation for their efforts to keep the West Indian flag flying high...

There she goes....

Seems that Papa Bear has brought along with him all of his family members to visit us.. The Indian Stock markets are witnessing an amazing fall over the last 3 days of trading. Experts attribute a myriad of reasons for the plunge. Rising Interest rates across the globe, the US Consumer Price Index, the weakness in FTSE due to metal stocks leading to losses in India, Brazil and Mexico are some of the causes being stated. But for all the small retail investors whose love affair with the markets has gone rough of late, the only real matter of concern is 'Will all my f***ing money ever come back? Or Will she desert me like the vamp who comes in the movie I saw this weekend?'

Last Thursday when the stock markets crashed by over 800 points, the sharpest fall in history, Finance Minister termed it as a 'manufactured crisis'. Calling it uninformed reporting, which led to the market crash, he said: "There is a lesson for everybody. Uninformed reporting and reaction to uninformed reporting is not a desirable thing." If the stock market slumped because of the "uninformed reports", put out by a news agency, the logical thing would be for it to bounce back with a vengeance this week onwards. Instead, it haS slumped even more today. Smell something fishy here??

I found a few of the folks here heading to Antartica. They seemed to have taken the statement 'Markets heading south' too seriously. And they also seemed to know that polar 'bears' are not found in the Antartic :-)

Beating the heat

Phew... The summer has arrived and it seems that it is here to stay. Each passing day is getting hotter than the previous, and folks are flocking to the comfort of the air-conditioned office to escape the sun. Here are a couple of tips to beat the summer heat:

1. Shut yourself inside a room. Because it does not matter what temperature a room is, it is always room temperature.
2. Learn to enjoy the heat. They say that you need not be a nut to ask for a screw, but if you are a nut, then you'll definitely enjoy the screw :))...
3. I just said a couple of tips and I am a man of my words!!!!

Anointed Parrots

Its kind of funny to see how these player interviews and opinions are becoming too drawling and monotonous. A few years back, I remember us queueing in front of the TV, when a Kapil Dev or a Sachin Tendulkar used to come on TV for interviews. But today. one gets to hear the same thing after every match from almost everyone. You can hear Rahul Dravid - with all due respect - explain how well the boys played as a unit, and how brilliantly matchwinners like Dhoni, Raina and Pathan performed. And invariably, it would be followed up with a query on the poor form of a couple of greats, to which you would hear that they have won India many matches in the past and Team India believed in them.

I am a great fan of Rahul Dravid, both as a player and as a captain. Very few have contributed so much to the progress of Indian cricket. He is perhaps the best player India has to offer when playing on foreign pitches, because he handles the short ball very well. One can often see Rahul, all of that steely determination we associate him with, ducking with ease under a Brett Lee bouncer. But as a captain, when you are faced with bouncers from the media, you are expected to hook the odd ball for a boundary, instead of ducking underneath every single one of them.

Every cricket follower in India, with the exception of a few former cricketers who need to comment to earn their bread, realises that the amount of cricket played these days is too much for any player to handle, no matter how fit he is. But try questioning Rahul on player burnout, the reply would always be a diplomatic 'Yeah. Its like that nowadays and our job is to play and win every match'. Agreed, his job is to win every match, but playing in worthless tournaments throughout the year can really take a toll on players' fitness level, during a tournament like the World Cup. Secondly, Saurav Ganguly was one of the finest one day player, the country has ever produced. It was for everyone to see that his form was deserting him, and he did himself no good by blurting out after his painful century against Zimbabwe, but still the way he was handled by the board, leaves a lot to be desired. He was sacked ignonimously, brought back into the Test team, then for no apparent fault of his, was sacked again. Question Rahul on this one, and the answer would be as diplomatic as his previous one, if not more.

A couple of days back, the vice captain of the Indian cricket team Virender Sehwag, when queried by the media, said that there is too much cricket played and that the players needed a break, and then he went on record saying that the team missed the relinquished Saurav Ganguly. A day later, he gets a warning from the BCCI stating that as a player, he cannot put forward his comments on another player. And Sehwag is not the first to be pulled up. Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh have faced warnings earlier. What is wrong in supporting a captain who had groomed you and invigorated your careers? To make it worse, as per the BCCI, even taking the name of the former captain is taboo, and if you happen to praise him by mistake, then one should be ready to face the music.

All in a democratic country, known for its freedom of speech. If only we had it our way, in a country of free speech, there would be no phone bills :)........

Burp....

Consider this..... Manchow soup, Vegetable Fried Wantons, Schezwan Fried Rice, Vegetable Soft Fried Noodles and a dish which consisted of eight different vegetables - cauliflower, baby corn, broccoli, carrot, i dont remember the others, but u name it, it was there in it and to top it all a Schezwan Date Pancake... My lunch today was a treat by a friend for his new job..... And I have a presentation scheduled for the evening... Forgive moi if I am blabbering.... I am zzzzleepy, and I really need to get working now!!!!

My element

Since this was on almost every blog, I decided it was time for 'My element' to grace my blog too... Does the element resemble me?? Hmmm.. Lemme think!!!

The Shawshank Redemption

This weekend, I watched 'The Shawshank Redemption'. It was not the first time I am seeing this classic.. I do not even remember the number of times, I have been through this incredible film, but this one is one of those movies, that gets better every time I watch it again... The plot is the story of a brilliant banker Andy Dufresne, wrongly convicted to serve two consecutive life sentences at Shawshank Prison.

The backbone of the movie, apart from the storyline, are the dialogues. Here are some of my favourites:
- Andy: On the outside I was a man straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to become crooked.
- Red: When they put u inside the cell and those bars slam home that is when u know it is for real. Old life gone in a blink on an eye . Nothing left but all the time in the world to think about it.
- Red: Andy Dufresne, he crawled thru 2 miles of shit and came out clean on the other side
- Warden: Praise the lord, your ass is mine. Welcome to Shawshank.
- Red : These walls are funny, first u hate them , then u get used to them and as time goes by u get dependent on them

Best of the lot:
- Red: I hope to cross the border. I hope to see my friend. I hope the pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope....
- Red: Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and good things never die.

Bridge over Troubled Water

One of my all-time favourites from Simon and Garfunkel. One of the best lyrics ever written for a song.

When you’re weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I’m on your side. when times get rough
And friends just can’t be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

When you’re down and out,
When you’re on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
I’ll take your part.
When darkness comes
And pains is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

Sail on silvergirl,
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.

Of Mocking Birds and Reservations

To Kill a Mocking Bird' by Harper Lee is one of the all-time favourites for many. Its on my list too. The book makes a deep impact on the reader and is arguably, the best of the lot, when it comes to taking up cudgels against the torture and pain people were subjected just because they were not born with white skin. The title of the book is taken from the advice given to the main protagonist Jean Louise Finch and her elder brother Jem by their dad Atticus about firing their air rifles at birds: "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". The blue jay is a very common bird, and is often perceived as a bully and a pest, whereas mockingbirds do nothing but "sing their hearts out for us". Metaphorically, several of the book's characters can be seen as "mockingbirds", because they are constantly attacked despite doing nothing but good. The mockingbird represents innocence, and to kill one is to metaphorically kill innocence. Superstar of yesteryears Gregoty peck won the Oscar for best actor, playing the role of Atticus Finch in the movie adaptaion of the novel.

This was a 1960 novel, and to some, it might seem irrelevant in the present day. But come to think of it, one could easily draw a parallel with the arm twisting going against the 'so-called' forward class of the present day society. By introducing reservations against them in every sphere of development is very much similar to killing mocking birds just because they are easy prey. And the proposed reservations in IITs and IIMs is the limit. The reservation system is spreading its wings and it is sometimes scary to imagine what the future has in store. A few years down the line, do not be surprised to see the boundary rope shortened for a non OC player the next time India is playing Pakistan, a four hit by him is counted as six and he is allowed to get out twice in each innings.

Random Thoughts - Volume I : Voices

Cicking, typing, computer sounds, and some machine thts blowing wind, perhaps an air conditioner, 054. - Track01.mp3 playing on winamp catering to my ears through my headphones, every once in a while I hum softly, and then I realise that I am in the office and suppress the singer in me, the rumbling sound my tummy makes when its 1 pm, a group of guys chatting on their way to the pantry, the photocopier humming, phone ringing, the girl sitting in my opposite cubicle describing to three other females, listening in rapt attention, on how she manages to have a good eye brow done every single time, and then one of them screams as if she has just discovered Columbus himself, my neighbour struggling with his chewing gum chup chup chup, folks logging into the meeting place for a conference, the voices in my head, the sound of my hair growing (yeah, am concentrating real hard) and the sound of silence... Now save me, I am going insane...

Its time to wake up

I wake up in the morning at 6 o clock, take a quick refresh and off to the gym at my office, workout for an hour, go to the recreation area, play pool for sometime, come back, take bath, have breakfast and then leave to office. This is the Plan of Action everyday.. But how many days start off as planned??? When my cellphone tries to wake me up at 6 thrrough its irritating alarm, the number of times it has succeeded can be counted by fingers. My roommates try to kick my ass and wake me up (on days when they manage to wake up) and thankfully they succeed 50% of the time. But on other days, its me and my beauty sleep till 8 am... But hey, I am still workin on it...........

Life is bugging, but....

Ever wondered how - if you work in software development - your life and thoughts are filled with bugs. They are there everywhere, hidden inside every piece of the Goddamn code, making life difficult for everyone. To bug is to pester or to annoy. So technically bugs get their name from that little insect or microorganism which infects human beings and animals causing that irritating disease. Software bugs are in no way less threatening than their biological counterparts. While the biological ones drive down ones' physical energy levels, the software bugs make life a living hell for the person who develops the software, the one who tests it and last but not the least the user himself... Imagine a world without bugs, so peaceful and serene... There would be no time wasted in solving those and it would spare many a broken heads and punctured noses. But hey, will we still be able to retain our jobs if there are zero bugs??? On second thought, the answer is a 'No'... So maybe bugs drive employment in the country and they help me earn a living.. They aint too bad after all.......

The Decision Maker - Part II

Do you enjoy solitude?? If you aint sure yet, its high time you took a decision on this.. Ok, I'll cut the crap and jump to my topic. This is Part II of my previous post. There are moments in life when we want to just stop, take a deep breath, run away from the maddening crowd and be alone all by ourselves. Just me and myself. Its definitely a wonderful experience and it helps out in straightening quite a few things out.

But in our routine, we hardly find time and a place where we can be all by ourself, without anyone interfereing and self evaluate, except maybe the toilet commode.. So next time you wanna make that difficult decision, where do I see you heading to???

Genesis of a Decision maker

Decision making is the cognitive process of selecting a course of action from among multiple alternatives. Every decision-making process produces a final choice. This is how Wikipidea defines the process of decision making, considered by many management gurus as the most important criteria to judge a manager. The importance of decision making holds true even in our everyday life, ranging from deciding on what to eat to which career to choose and what to study. Its all about making the right decisions at the right time. Another important aspect that should be taken into account is the interdependence of this ability with other factors like confidence, courage and self belief. It is said that Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others. So it becomes imperative for us to be courageous to be able to make decisions. And decision making is all about believing in yourself. As Henry Ford smartly puts it " Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.". Yes, so we just need to make a beginning somewhere. After all, it is not as difficult as it seems to be.....

Yep!! Its me..

Hey!!! I am here, finally... This is my second blog. I never used to update the previous one because of one simple reason. I was just tooo lazy. I intend to be more active this time around. Lets see how it goes..............