...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!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
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..
Good music, great weather, and the best companion i could find.
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.
Monday, January 7, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Monday, July 16, 2007
In a galaxy far, far away..
Once upon a time, there was a budding blogger. He dreamt big. He thought he would become a ‘regular’. A regular at blogging. Hah! What does he know of HIS ways? Life had different surprises in store for him.
The dream died. He was no regular, after all.
But hope lingers. Like a ray of sunlight after a dark thunderstorm.
The regular may have died, but the blogger survives.
The dream died. He was no regular, after all.
But hope lingers. Like a ray of sunlight after a dark thunderstorm.
The regular may have died, but the blogger survives.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
So the inevitable has happened. Our team of ‘super heroes’ has just been knocked out of the World Cup. They have been beaten by teams like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (yes, i don't rate them as highly as some of the other top teams). The whole nation is in mourning. How could a team of champions lose in this manner? One didn't hear a tiger's roar or a leopard's snarl. The only sounds we heard were that of a kitten purring in fright. We all love to live in a dreamland, don't we?
Honestly, it has come of no surprise to me. This team was never a bunch of all conquering gladiators that they were made out to be. They are a bunch of ordinary players with rich natural talent but poor mental strength. They have always succumbed in the face of adversary. No point in comparing them to the Aussies, who save their best for the biggest occasions. Pressure is like a blacksmith's coal fire. The best come out shining and stronger, the rest turn into ashes.
Predictably, the media has gone into an overdrive in blaming the players and coaching staff. Every former player/expert worth his salt has been called upon for airing his views on this debacle. The very same people, till a few weeks back, were hailing the Indian team and were favorably rating its chances to win the cup. Their changing colors would put a chameleon to shame. They conveniently forget that they were involved in similar debacles in their playing days. As I am prone to say often, the media is the biggest culprit behind all the hype. They pick a promising guy, place him on the altar all too quickly and then sacrifice him the moment he falters. Ordinary men's ordinary feats are extra ordinarily portrayed by the media. And the same media ravages these players when they fail to perform to the lofty expectations bestowed on them.
And then, we have the all too familiar sight of demented men on the streets vandalizing public/private properties, burning effigies and shouting slogans. Such acts are a way of venting out the frustrations of personal failures in life, rather than the team's performances. How often would you see a fairly successful and content man coming out on the streets to protest on things as trivial as a fun sport? Moreover, we don't get to see these people protesting after a bomb blast or for rise in prices of basic commodities. Ironic as it may seem, such men talk of national pride being hurt by the team's performances and then showcase their savage and boorish acts in front of national and international television. A whole nation's honor resting on the shoulders of 11 contracted individuals? Naah. India is much, much more than a cricket team.
The common fool on the street is a mere pawn. The real brains are behind the scenes; the ones in the television studios, raking in all the moolah.
We will now hear the need to dump the older players in favour of younger ones. These younger players will then be pushed up the pedestal by all and sundry, and brought down to earth when its their turn to be sacrificed. It's a cyclic process. The faster we get used to it, the better.
Another common grouse we hear is of the players shooting for ads and promoting products instead of honing their skills. If we don't like them doing it, then let's stop watching these ads. The ad-agencies will automatically stop using the players for their campaigns. As simple as that.Is it the player's fault when people and companies demand such adverts? The players can't be blamed for capitalizing on this hype. Who, in his right mind, would turn down an opportunity to earn good money? Not me, not you. Then why them?
Cricket like any other game, is a team sport. If the individuals click as a team, then they win. Else the other team wins. It's not a matter of life or death or even national pride. The media won't change its ways, so its up to the common man to see reason. Our team was never good enough to win this World Cup. And in any case, its just another tournament. Its better to be a good test team winning all around the world, than being a one-cup wonder. Probably the worst thing to happen to Indian cricket was winning the 1983 World cup. Not because it has set a bad precedent for the public to expect the team to win every world cup despite form or talent. But more so, because we all are tired of seeing and hearing from that group of players, on how well they played, how great they were, blah blah. An event that occurred more than 20 years ago is still being celebrated at every given opportunity. That probably highlights our failures as a sporting nation. Who wants to see Kapil, Madan Lal, Amarnath, Shrikanth etc go on and on about that win? Give us a break guys!
Honestly, it has come of no surprise to me. This team was never a bunch of all conquering gladiators that they were made out to be. They are a bunch of ordinary players with rich natural talent but poor mental strength. They have always succumbed in the face of adversary. No point in comparing them to the Aussies, who save their best for the biggest occasions. Pressure is like a blacksmith's coal fire. The best come out shining and stronger, the rest turn into ashes.
Predictably, the media has gone into an overdrive in blaming the players and coaching staff. Every former player/expert worth his salt has been called upon for airing his views on this debacle. The very same people, till a few weeks back, were hailing the Indian team and were favorably rating its chances to win the cup. Their changing colors would put a chameleon to shame. They conveniently forget that they were involved in similar debacles in their playing days. As I am prone to say often, the media is the biggest culprit behind all the hype. They pick a promising guy, place him on the altar all too quickly and then sacrifice him the moment he falters. Ordinary men's ordinary feats are extra ordinarily portrayed by the media. And the same media ravages these players when they fail to perform to the lofty expectations bestowed on them.
And then, we have the all too familiar sight of demented men on the streets vandalizing public/private properties, burning effigies and shouting slogans. Such acts are a way of venting out the frustrations of personal failures in life, rather than the team's performances. How often would you see a fairly successful and content man coming out on the streets to protest on things as trivial as a fun sport? Moreover, we don't get to see these people protesting after a bomb blast or for rise in prices of basic commodities. Ironic as it may seem, such men talk of national pride being hurt by the team's performances and then showcase their savage and boorish acts in front of national and international television. A whole nation's honor resting on the shoulders of 11 contracted individuals? Naah. India is much, much more than a cricket team.
The common fool on the street is a mere pawn. The real brains are behind the scenes; the ones in the television studios, raking in all the moolah.
We will now hear the need to dump the older players in favour of younger ones. These younger players will then be pushed up the pedestal by all and sundry, and brought down to earth when its their turn to be sacrificed. It's a cyclic process. The faster we get used to it, the better.
Another common grouse we hear is of the players shooting for ads and promoting products instead of honing their skills. If we don't like them doing it, then let's stop watching these ads. The ad-agencies will automatically stop using the players for their campaigns. As simple as that.Is it the player's fault when people and companies demand such adverts? The players can't be blamed for capitalizing on this hype. Who, in his right mind, would turn down an opportunity to earn good money? Not me, not you. Then why them?
Cricket like any other game, is a team sport. If the individuals click as a team, then they win. Else the other team wins. It's not a matter of life or death or even national pride. The media won't change its ways, so its up to the common man to see reason. Our team was never good enough to win this World Cup. And in any case, its just another tournament. Its better to be a good test team winning all around the world, than being a one-cup wonder. Probably the worst thing to happen to Indian cricket was winning the 1983 World cup. Not because it has set a bad precedent for the public to expect the team to win every world cup despite form or talent. But more so, because we all are tired of seeing and hearing from that group of players, on how well they played, how great they were, blah blah. An event that occurred more than 20 years ago is still being celebrated at every given opportunity. That probably highlights our failures as a sporting nation. Who wants to see Kapil, Madan Lal, Amarnath, Shrikanth etc go on and on about that win? Give us a break guys!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Move over, all the Yokozunas..
..Dwayne Leverock is here! Who would have imagined a player of such proportions would ever grace the World Cup? He makes Ranatunga, Romesh Powar, David Boon and company look like anorexics.
But don't let his huge frame fool you. He is a handy left arm spinner and evidently an agile fielder, as his stunning catch against India proved. And oh yes, he is a mama's boy.
Cricket,at the moment, needs such characters. This edition of World Cup would probably be remembered in the future for the unfortunate events surrounding Bob Woolmer's untimely demise, protests/violence of the fanatic Indian and Pakistani supporters, Flintoff's drunken misdemeanors etc. Characters like Dwayne are needed to draw the attentions of people to where it should rightly belong. On the field. After all, it's just another game.
The attention Dwayne is getting is another argument in favour of the inclusion of minnows in the World Cup. I love watching countries like Kenya, Bangladesh, Ireland beat the likes of Pakistan, India, Australia, NZ etc. There is a certain romance in seeing the underdogs beat the favourites. We all love David more than Goliath, don't we? The only difference here is that in Dwayne's case, we have a David who looks like Goliath. Triangle will no longer be the shape that i would associate with Bermuda again. No sir, never ever :-)
But don't let his huge frame fool you. He is a handy left arm spinner and evidently an agile fielder, as his stunning catch against India proved. And oh yes, he is a mama's boy.
Cricket,at the moment, needs such characters. This edition of World Cup would probably be remembered in the future for the unfortunate events surrounding Bob Woolmer's untimely demise, protests/violence of the fanatic Indian and Pakistani supporters, Flintoff's drunken misdemeanors etc. Characters like Dwayne are needed to draw the attentions of people to where it should rightly belong. On the field. After all, it's just another game.
The attention Dwayne is getting is another argument in favour of the inclusion of minnows in the World Cup. I love watching countries like Kenya, Bangladesh, Ireland beat the likes of Pakistan, India, Australia, NZ etc. There is a certain romance in seeing the underdogs beat the favourites. We all love David more than Goliath, don't we? The only difference here is that in Dwayne's case, we have a David who looks like Goliath. Triangle will no longer be the shape that i would associate with Bermuda again. No sir, never ever :-)
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