I dream of a fishie.

A long time fascination has recently turned into a hobby. It's been over 4 months since i have installed my fresh-water aquarium. And i am totally loving the experience. It might be hard work, as well as a tad bit expensive at times. But at the end of a long day, if you can relax in your chair and be at peace watching these wonderful fishes play, then it's worth it. Every penny spent, every drop of sweat that goes into maintaining it.


Male Yellow Mbuna(Kenyii) cichlids


Male Blue Dolphin Moori

Note: I am yet to master the art of taking photos of fishes in aquarium. These guys keep darting around so fast that it becomes next to impossible to shoot them without flash. And flashes mean the light bouncing off the tank's glass. These are some of the best close-ups i could capture.

Clash of the Titans.

Tonight, two of my favourite football clubs clash in a mouth-watering Champions League encounter. Yes boys, its Arsenal vs AC Milan.
Unfortunately, it is a tad too early for them in the competition. These teams deserved to meet in the later stages.
So many individual battles to look forward to. Kaks vs Flamini/Gilberto, Fabergas vs Gattuso, Adebayor vs Nesta, Pato vs Toure and so on.
The only lowpoints are the list of missing (injured) players ( Dida, Van Persie, Rosicky etc) and the patchy form of both the teams.

But it is gonna be one special encounter. Whom do i favour more? I wouldn't be able to answer that one.

May the best team win!

Better late, than never.

Let's save him, before it's too late.

It would be too much to expect this from our corrupt ,unconcerned and inept ministries. I just hope that for the sake of this magnificient creature, the rest of world does exert pressure on our government to save the tiger from extinction.

We owe it to our kids. And to Hobbes.

Nearing the end of the first month of the new year..

...and it's already curtains for few of the resolutions i took at the start of this year:

1. Thou shalt enroll in a driving school:
It's just been a decade since i started driving two wheelers, so what's the hurry to drive cars? Right, no?
2. Thou shalt go jogging every morning :
It's freezing cold in the mornings over here in Mumbai. Besides, i don't think i am too fat. Also, i got married,so which PYT would even look at me now? I rest my case.
3. Thou shalt go home early from work :
Kaam bahut hai re baba. My company's stocks would dip if i stop working late. It's a question of my dedication.
And oh yes, speedy Internet access is easily available during the evenings.
4. Thou shalt stop making New Year's resolutions :
I wonder why? If only people were as persevering as me!

Mauritian memoirs

If i were to pick one photograph that would remind me of our wonderful honeymoon in Mauritius, then it would have to be this one..

Now, neither will this snap feature as the most scenic one in our collection nor is it well shot. But it just reminds me of the time when we just let the sun fade into the ocean in front of us.

Good music, great weather, and the best companion i could find.

Look for an idiot, and you find ten.

Look for ten, and you become one.

The following is a list of people(s) who have been bugging me no end since yesterday for a variety of reasons:

1. Aussie cric team: Messers Ponting, Symonds , Clarke and rest. Champions, they are, but without the grace and eloquence. Pride is a must but not at a cost of arrogance. Hypocrites, all of them. Give me a Federer anytime.

2. Indian cric team: Cannot last on the crease for mere 10 minutes! Bunch of overpaid and overrated individuals.

3. Steve Bucknor: I will say no more.

4. Common fool protesting on the street: A monk is killed and they try to bring a city to a standstill. I was stuck in a traffic jam for what seemed like an eternity, courtesy a bunch of morons who think that it is their right to disrupt others' lives for no reason at all. Schools are closed, people are afraid to venture alone. All this because someone from some minority community/caste/creed/class/nationality is killed. An opportunity for a bunch of no-gooders to strut their stuff on the street. Shoot them all, i say. Would give me an opportunity to come out on the street and applaud.

5. Mumbai police: Watching the antics of such vermins from the sidelines, with a grin on their faces and tobacco in their mouths. Time for a show of solidarity with their brethrens. Duty be damned.

6. Myself: I let the people listed above affect my mood, my day. Another New Year resolution down the drain.

Look for ten and you indeed become one.

My expectations from the annual appraisal meet this month..

Beam me up, Scotty!