Thought would sign off the year with one last blog. A look-back (early one at that) at some of the things in 2010 - the first year of this decade or the last one, depending on which algorithm you follow to define decades – and what a year it has been. It was a year when Ravindra Jadeja scored 130 more ODI runs than someone who goes by the name of Sachin Tendulkar - and still people go gaga over Sachin and call for Jadeja’s head. Well, life is never fair, is it? (Now don’t you dare point out that Jadeja played in 19 more matches than Sachin did – this is the only time I’ll write something ‘positive’ about Jadeja, please let me do it.)
It was not the fairest of years if you are a Yuvraj, or A Raja or have anything to do with the movie Prince - all these were ‘royally’ screwed in the year. The Chennai Super Kings were an exception though, winning the IPL and Champions League. (Even Larry King chose this year to retire).
This year was also a year of shameful scams and controversies. Towards the end of the year, JPC replaced IPL as the most abused three letters. As Cyrus Broacha put it in TWTW, "When our leaders don’t work in Parliament, the nation loses ` 250 crore; and when they do, we lose ` 17000 crore”. And, given the way, our chosen leaders behave in Assembly; the time has come to start a swearing-at ceremony instead of a swearing-in ceremony.
Talking about money, the rupee also got a new symbol this year, and a cool one at that. Am I the only one who gets reminded of the Roger Federer logo, after looking at the rupee symbol? Perhaps Mr Udaya Kumar was also a fan of the great man.
I won’t end without a word about Swami Nityananda, someone we all secretly admire and wish to be. Now, this was one of the rare controversies this year which was not exposed by WikiLeaks. I was actually wondering why didn’t Julian Assange expose Swami Nityananda. You got to watch HIMYM to get the answer. It’s called “Bro Code”.
Enough said for now. Wish you all a Merry Christmas, an entertaining Boxing Day and A Happy New Year. Enjoy Maadi.
PS – As the countdown to the new year began, the world waited for two milestones to be knocked off – Sachin getting his 50th test ton and Anshat getting 2000 Facebook friends. Sheer genius Sachin is, whaddaplayya. Now I know why the world will end in 2012 - Sachin might just announce his retirement then. Coming back to the two milestones, The God has done it today, now it’s your turn Prabhuji.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
If my first post didn’t impress you, this must.
Well, my first blog post was a review of the 2009 Ashes, so thought would write one previewing the next one. You know - the circle of life, and all that. So Ashes is here again, and this time, after ages, it is a contest between two evenly matched sides (I’m not talking about the rankings – No 4 and No 5 – alone).
If you look at the team line ups and compare them man to man, there is nothing separating the two teams. Only Greame Swann enjoys an edge in the spin department when compared to his counterpart Xavier Doherty, the surprise inclusion in the Aussie squad. On current team form, England look better, but Australia’s home advantage neutralizes this. The bookies are sure going to have a tough time going to predict the favourites (for a moment let’s forget that they might have other means to help them decide on their favourites). Who are you putting your money on?
Ricky Ponting has been at the receiving end of criticism from all quarters. Even his old buddy Warnie did not spare him. He surely isn’t the best of captains to have done duty, but then, a captain is as good as his team is – and his team lacks good players. It becomes evident when you see them struggling to replace someone like a Marcus North. The following line from Andy Zaltzman’s blog perfectly sums up Ponting’s state.
I have heard rumours that every night Ponting goes back to his hotel room, makes little papier-mâché dolls of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, and says to them: “Right, Glenn, you bowl from the bathroom end, and Shane, you take the bed end. I’m going for a snooze, and when I wake up I expect you to have bowled the opposition out. Night night.”
But you have to give it to Ponting for allowing Laxman a runner in the Bangalore test. He was well within his rights to deny him one. Andrew Strauss had denied Greame Smith a runner not too long ago.
Ricky Ponting said in an interview before the India series that teams produce their best cricket against the Australians. This can’t be very far from the truth. It can’t be merely a co-incidence that most come-from-behind victories in the history of the game are against the Australians (be it winning after following-on or last wicket wins). There sure is something about the Aussies which spurs an opposition on.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul had once said (during the era of Australian dominance) that Australians had all the marginal decisions going their way, which was greatly instrumental in their success. Remember all the drama surrounding the Sydney test? Has the situation reversed now? We know the Bangalore match could have tilted either way if any of the close umpiring decisions been any different. And remember, it is not the Aussies who oppose the umpire decision review system.
Australia find themselves at No 5 in the rankings and the cricketing world is loving it. Nothing better than watching Australia lose, right? But I will be supporting them in this Ashes. India play Australia in 4 away tests end of next year. I hope to see India beat an Australian side which is No 2 in the world. It will be some series if that happens. Plus, I have a gut feeling it could be Sachin’s last test appearance (on second thoughts, nah.. Sachin won’t probably retire so soon).
Well turned out to be another blog in defense of the Aussies. Enough said about Australia, let us look at the English perspective now. On second thoughts, let’s drop the idea - even the English media does not write about their team, why should I bother.
May the best team win.
After all this seriousness, thought would end with a joke: PCB
If my first post didn’t impress you, this must.
Well, my first blog post was a review of the 2009 Ashes, so thought would write one previewing the next one. You know - the circle of life, and all that. So Ashes is here again, and this time, after ages, it is a contest between two evenly matched sides (I’m not talking about the rankings – No 4 and No 5 – alone).
If you look at the team line ups and compare them man to man, there is nothing separating the two teams. Only Greame Swann enjoys an edge in the spin department when compared to his counterpart Xavier Doherty, the surprise inclusion in the Aussie squad. On current team form, England look better, but Australia’s home advantage neutralizes this. The bookies are sure going to have a tough time going to predict the favourites (for a moment let’s forget that they might have other means to help them decide on their favourites). Who are you putting your money on?
Ricky Ponting has been at the receiving end of criticism from all quarters. Even his old buddy Warnie did not spare him. He surely isn’t the best of captains to have done duty, but then, a captain is as good as his team is – and his team lacks good players. It becomes evident when you see them struggling to replace someone like a Marcus North. The following line from Andy Zaltzman’s blog perfectly sums up Ponting’s state.
I have heard rumours that every night Ponting goes back to his hotel room, makes little papier-mâché dolls of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, and says to them: “Right, Glenn, you bowl from the bathroom end, and Shane, you take the bed end. I’m going for a snooze, and when I wake up I expect you to have bowled the opposition out. Night night.”
But you have to give it to Ponting for allowing Laxman a runner in the Bangalore test. He was well within his rights to deny him one. Andrew Strauss had denied Greame Smith a runner not too long ago.
Ricky Ponting said in an interview before the India series that teams produce their best cricket against the Australians. This can’t be very far from the truth. It can’t be merely a co-incidence that most come-from-behind victories in the history of the game are against the Australians (be it winning after following-on or last wicket wins). There sure is something about the Aussies which spurs an opposition on.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul had once said (during the era of Australian dominance) that Australians had all the marginal decisions going their way, which was greatly instrumental in their success. Remember all the drama surrounding the Sydney test? Has the situation reversed now? We know the Bangalore match could have tilted either way if any of the close umpiring decisions been any different. And remember, it is not the Aussies who oppose the umpire decision review system.
Australia find themselves at No 5 in the rankings and the cricketing world is loving it. Nothing better than watching Australia lose, right? But I will be supporting them in this Ashes. India play Australia in 4 away tests end of next year. I hope to see India beat an Australian side which is No 2 in the world. It will be some series if that happens. Plus, I have a gut feeling it could be Sachin’s last test appearance (on second thoughts, nah.. Sachin won’t probably retire so soon).
Well turned out to be another blog in defense of the Aussies. Enough said about Australia, let us look at the English perspective now. On second thoughts, let’s drop the idea - even the English media does not write about their team, why should I bother.
May the best team win.
After all this seriousness, thought would end with a joke: PCB
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sorry, but I missed the point
First some ads:
Yahoo! has launched a new version of its mail. If you’re still using Yahoo! Mail, I strongly recommend you to migrate to the latest version. You can try it here. Trust me, it is fast and GOOD – and FREE.
Then the news:
Herschelle Gibbs recently came out with his autobiography ‘To the point’ and like most people do, he had to write something controversial about an Indian cricket star in a bid to publicize his book in India. (Remember Gilly’s comment about Sachin in his book and the subsequent cry of being misinterpreted?). Gibbs wrote that Dravid had panicked in the IPL 2009 finals, which was responsible for RCB’s loss. Perhaps he is justified because we all know how calm Gibbs can remain during pressure situations. He sure was an embodiment of composure when he dropped the all-important catch of Steve Waugh in the 99 World Cup (see video here) which eventually led to South Africa's ouster from the World Cup, (and also gave birth to the most abused clichés in cricketing circles – dropping the World Cup). And did he forget that it is he who plays for a team known for being chokers. Dude, when you take a stab at someone after whom even Mark Zuckerberg named the main page of his website – The Wall, do make sure the recoil of the sword does not hurt you.
And now a mandatory ‘phatta’:
Gibbs also wrote in his book that South African team had indulged in sex orgies in the past. On hearing this, out of inertia, the Pakistan team and board denied it. It was only later when someone told them that the accusation was not directed at them, did they deny the denial.
Kuch meetha ho jaye:
Diwali is here. Wish I were at home. Really missing everyone and everything there. Anyways, hope you guys have loads of fun. Do eat lots of sweets and stay healthy. Hope you all have a safe and crackling Diwali. By the way, Sehwag did make sure today’s day was crackling and Dravid ensured it was safe. What synergy! What players! Just hoping that we get a good Diwali gift tomorrow in the form of a 50th Sachin ton.
The Post Script:
I’m just quoting Gibbs - “I think that they should cut down on the amount of 20-over cricket played worldwide so that the interest levels are even higher when the IPL comes around”. Oh Lord, what has the world come to!!!
Yahoo! has launched a new version of its mail. If you’re still using Yahoo! Mail, I strongly recommend you to migrate to the latest version. You can try it here. Trust me, it is fast and GOOD – and FREE.
Then the news:
Herschelle Gibbs recently came out with his autobiography ‘To the point’ and like most people do, he had to write something controversial about an Indian cricket star in a bid to publicize his book in India. (Remember Gilly’s comment about Sachin in his book and the subsequent cry of being misinterpreted?). Gibbs wrote that Dravid had panicked in the IPL 2009 finals, which was responsible for RCB’s loss. Perhaps he is justified because we all know how calm Gibbs can remain during pressure situations. He sure was an embodiment of composure when he dropped the all-important catch of Steve Waugh in the 99 World Cup (see video here) which eventually led to South Africa's ouster from the World Cup, (and also gave birth to the most abused clichés in cricketing circles – dropping the World Cup). And did he forget that it is he who plays for a team known for being chokers. Dude, when you take a stab at someone after whom even Mark Zuckerberg named the main page of his website – The Wall, do make sure the recoil of the sword does not hurt you.
And now a mandatory ‘phatta’:
Gibbs also wrote in his book that South African team had indulged in sex orgies in the past. On hearing this, out of inertia, the Pakistan team and board denied it. It was only later when someone told them that the accusation was not directed at them, did they deny the denial.
Kuch meetha ho jaye:
Diwali is here. Wish I were at home. Really missing everyone and everything there. Anyways, hope you guys have loads of fun. Do eat lots of sweets and stay healthy. Hope you all have a safe and crackling Diwali. By the way, Sehwag did make sure today’s day was crackling and Dravid ensured it was safe. What synergy! What players! Just hoping that we get a good Diwali gift tomorrow in the form of a 50th Sachin ton.
The Post Script:
I’m just quoting Gibbs - “I think that they should cut down on the amount of 20-over cricket played worldwide so that the interest levels are even higher when the IPL comes around”. Oh Lord, what has the world come to!!!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
All is not well
Cricket is going through a tough time - again. As if the placid wickets, the one-sided matches and the half-filled stadiums were not enough, we now have cases of ball tampering and spot-fixing, in newer ways that could make any out-of-the box thinker proud. While we may go on cracking jokes on it (like I have done here), the truth is that it is upsetting for a cricket fan. While the Pakistani authorities have accepted ‘Ignorance is bliss and deny to stay in biz’ as their tried and tested mantra, it would be foolish to imagine that the plague has been confined to Pakistan only. Thanks to the ICC Anti Corruption Unit (ACU), for a moment the CWG organizing committee can perhaps celebrate because they might not be the most inefficient body after all.
Talking about the CWG organizers, their attitude hasn’t been something that one can be proud of. Check out this still from the movie Prince (it’s showtime) – the greatest movie ever made (ain't it Ankit, Ashish?). The greatest tragedy and the difference between Vivek Oberoi and Manmohan Singh is that while the former can’t act, the latter just refuses to do so. It is worrying that no one in the administration is even worried about it. The icing on the cake came from Lalit Bhanot who said that Westerners have a different standard of hygiene than the Indians. Yeah right. Perhaps the Congress headquarters has two bathrooms – one for Sonia Gandhi and another for all the Indian members.
All said and done, like every Indian, I pray that the event would eventually be remembered for the right reasons and that the organizers are not the only Indians who walk away with gold.
Moving on to something else, Google came up with a ‘new’ feature (which was actually started by Yahoo! some 5 years ago). I don’t want to start anything on that because that would trigger a ‘Being First’ vs ‘Being Best’ debate, But I happened to read the following statement by their PR – ‘If every Google user around the world switched to Instant, we'd save 3.5 billion seconds a day, or 11 hours per second.’ Now, if there was ever a moment where one particular acronym perfectly summed up a statement, it is this - WTF!!! So what’s next? I guess Kayam Churn coming with a line that will say, “If every individual around the world had Kayam Churn before sleep, they would have quicker motions which would save ‘googols’ of seconds per second”. Ah, this would give us enough time to organize a Common Wealth Games Event every second.
Coming back to the cricket fiasco, I am devastated not because they cheated, but because it would be difficult to trust them again.
Talking about the CWG organizers, their attitude hasn’t been something that one can be proud of. Check out this still from the movie Prince (it’s showtime) – the greatest movie ever made (ain't it Ankit, Ashish?). The greatest tragedy and the difference between Vivek Oberoi and Manmohan Singh is that while the former can’t act, the latter just refuses to do so. It is worrying that no one in the administration is even worried about it. The icing on the cake came from Lalit Bhanot who said that Westerners have a different standard of hygiene than the Indians. Yeah right. Perhaps the Congress headquarters has two bathrooms – one for Sonia Gandhi and another for all the Indian members. All said and done, like every Indian, I pray that the event would eventually be remembered for the right reasons and that the organizers are not the only Indians who walk away with gold.
Moving on to something else, Google came up with a ‘new’ feature (which was actually started by Yahoo! some 5 years ago). I don’t want to start anything on that because that would trigger a ‘Being First’ vs ‘Being Best’ debate, But I happened to read the following statement by their PR – ‘If every Google user around the world switched to Instant, we'd save 3.5 billion seconds a day, or 11 hours per second.’ Now, if there was ever a moment where one particular acronym perfectly summed up a statement, it is this - WTF!!! So what’s next? I guess Kayam Churn coming with a line that will say, “If every individual around the world had Kayam Churn before sleep, they would have quicker motions which would save ‘googols’ of seconds per second”. Ah, this would give us enough time to organize a Common Wealth Games Event every second.
Coming back to the cricket fiasco, I am devastated not because they cheated, but because it would be difficult to trust them again.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
When you are on the wrong side of 25, even the good titles betray you
I would start by congratulating Aashish who has just ‘lit his own bulb’. While others in SMDO were busy discussing trivial things like who would be the first to get married in the group, Aashish had other plans. He is now officially the first entrepreneur in SMDO. Kudos dude! May you have all the luck (and of course, clients) to take your venture to new heights. Make us prouder.
Meanwhile, the Indian team did nothing to make us proud at Dambulla today. But while India lost miserably, there were a few silver strings attached. India won’t be playing Sri Lanka again for quite some time (at least not unless they meet in the knock out stage of the World Cup). Isn’t that what you call relief? Also, India FINALLY dropped Ravindra Jadeja from the squad today. Isn’t that what you call justice? Just hope this isn’t like those Spiderman movies where the villain is killed in the end, only to be back in a sequel. Hope there is no Ja'deja vu'.
Also wanted to write about my visits to a government-run school in Bangalore where I go to teach on Saturdays. Not sure how much I actually help them learn any spoken English, but it sure is a wonderful experience being with them. It feels great with the way they greet you when you enter the room, or hang by the bus just to shake your hands (or even make fun of your hand-writing :( ). Trust me, these kids are so full of energy. They always remind me of the following lines which I had read somewhere: (a web search did not reveal any concrete source, so I was tempted to take the credit myself)
“Haath badhakar in bacho ko kuch taarein choo lene do
Chaar kitaabe padh kar hum jaise ban jaenge”
Meanwhile, the Indian team did nothing to make us proud at Dambulla today. But while India lost miserably, there were a few silver strings attached. India won’t be playing Sri Lanka again for quite some time (at least not unless they meet in the knock out stage of the World Cup). Isn’t that what you call relief? Also, India FINALLY dropped Ravindra Jadeja from the squad today. Isn’t that what you call justice? Just hope this isn’t like those Spiderman movies where the villain is killed in the end, only to be back in a sequel. Hope there is no Ja'deja vu'.
Also wanted to write about my visits to a government-run school in Bangalore where I go to teach on Saturdays. Not sure how much I actually help them learn any spoken English, but it sure is a wonderful experience being with them. It feels great with the way they greet you when you enter the room, or hang by the bus just to shake your hands (or even make fun of your hand-writing :( ). Trust me, these kids are so full of energy. They always remind me of the following lines which I had read somewhere: (a web search did not reveal any concrete source, so I was tempted to take the credit myself)
“Haath badhakar in bacho ko kuch taarein choo lene do
Chaar kitaabe padh kar hum jaise ban jaenge”
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