Yesterday turned out to be a movie day of sorts. After all its not everyday that you watch three movies in a day (actually four, but i barely saw half an hour of Rockford). So lets go through them one by one.
Movie 1:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
To sum it in one word : brilliant! This has to be the best Harry Potter movie ever. And though I totally despised the book as I found it very boring and very slow, the movie suffered from no such problems. It was totally dark, which I particularly liked as the book was very much the same. It was action packed, even though it had no Quidditch. And I really loved the whole 'revolting against the school authorities' part. That part of the book was really good and it has been brought alive on screen very effectively. Plus I happened to like Harry's new hairstyle. Makes him look much more mature.
But the best part (or maybe the second best part) of the movie was not on screen. It was in the form of a young girl who was sitting right beside me. She was about ten and had come with her mom to watch the movie. She would laugh out loud, and I mean really loud, and that too for no apparent reason. Many a times she would shout out "Mummy usne kya kaha??" after which her mother would very kindly explain it in short in Hindi as she too was very busy watching the movie. Only once did she fail to do so. That was when Ron asks Harry about his kiss with Cho and then asks "She was crying even while snogging?". That was too much for the mum and even she broke out into laughter (and the gift of laughing loud very obviously ran in the family) following which her daughter, who was totally oblivious, asked her the same question very innocently. Actually it's good the mother didn't explain that one.
Also the girl got very bored in between and since the theatre was empty she decided to move from her place and sat on the armrest of the chair in front of her. And I guess the armrest wasn't very comfortable as she started jumping while sitting there and soon came back to her own seat.
But fortunately, or unfortunately, they left with about half an hour to left. I can only think of three reasons why someone would leave a movie theatre before the movie ends :
a. They positively hate the movie, which was certainly not true in this case.
b. They receive an urgent phone call telling them about some emergency. Nothing like that happened.
or
c. I actually forgot the third reason.
But anyways, with half an hour left, the girl just looked at her watch and said that it was noon. And immediately both of them got up and quietly left the theatre. They weren't even in a hurry. They just left very casually. As if it was written in their day's schedule
1200 hrs Leave movie theatre
And they left with all the popcorn lying scattered on their seats and the floor. And a glass of soft drink too. Some people just have no sense I guess and I decided to think no further about the matter.
And that led to the best part of the movie.
MP3 : Mera Pehlaa Pehlaa Pyaar
I generally dont see such films. Honestly. But as I was just lazying around and the fact that all my friends wanted to see it made me watch the movie. And happily enough, it wasn't that bad!
The movie is very obviously a love story, between a guy Rohan and a girl Ayesha, set in high school. A few minutes into the movie you realise that there is absolutely nothing logical about the movie. For eg: Rohan is very rich. He asks his dad for 2000 bucks for his date. He actually drives his dad's car while dropping the girl home. Yet, he goes to school everyday on a bicycle. I guess he must be one of those environment friendly kinds. So basically it's best if you just kept your brain out of the entire matter.
The second thing you realise about the movie is that nobody can act. Not the guy, not the girl and definitely not the gang of boys who are Rohan's friends. I have seen better acting in Inter-house dramatics competitions held in schools for the mentally challenged.
But you know what, who cares about the acting skills (or the lack of it ) of the cast. Because one thing that you definitely notice is that the girl is cute. Really cute. In fact she actually makes the whole movie worth watching. I hope she signs more movies and, if possible , this is just a very polite request, polish her acting skills. Though it must be said that her performance was better than the guy's, though that is not saying much, if it is saying anything at all.
And yes, here comes the best scene of the movie. You have to love it.
Rohan is detained by the Indian embassy in Paris. He is about to be deported. He then starts thinking about what he can do. He reminds himself that he is the man and that he can handle the situation effectively. Then he decides to play tough guy and goes to the officer working there and says
" Aap ye nahi kar sakte. Main ek Indian citizen hoon aur meri rights jaanta hoon. I have a right to make a phone call!! "
The officer thinks for a long while and then quietly says,
" Mr. Rohan. Humne aapko detain kiya hai. Arrest nahi kiya. Aap jitne chaahe utne phone calls kar sakte ho"
Too funny!
Shrek 3:
This happened to be the third movie of the day for me. Before watching the movie I had got a lot of negative feedback about the movie. And though the first two movies were better, I must say that the third wasn't all that bad either. And I'm not gonna repeat the plot as all of you must have obviously seen it but it must be said that the movie was very good, had a good story, had good moments and was very funny. Come on, what else do you want from a movie? And yeah, I just loved the baby ogres that Shrek and Fiona have in the end. They look really cute.
Though not as cute as the girl from MP3. Not even close.
And I'd better leave now. Have to watch MP3 again.
Man, she is too cute!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
So long.... and thanks for all the fish!
Over the last few days I have been charting Arthur Dents's journey through the galaxy through the book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. A totally remarkable book indeed. And possibly one of the best ones that I've ever read.
This post is not about the book.
Well, at least not entirely.
And honestly, those who think that this is a book review which will end in me awarding a rating in terms of coloured shapes with 5 edges ( or "stars") will do much better if they stop reading at this point.
This post is about My journey while reading The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Read on..
I first heard about the existence of such a book about a year and a half ago. It was in some quiz I guess. I would love to give you the exact date, time, what the question was et al but fact is that I have totally forgotten. But as far as I can remember, which is not very far actually, it was in some quiz. And I was confronted with questions based on H2G2 (as I shall now call it) in many a college quizzes since then. And my reaction to every one of these questions was to make a face which would be very similar to the one an earthman would make when asked for directions to the Restaurant at the end of the Galaxy.
But that was not what sparked my interest in the book.
It was the laughter filled discussions that my friends would have about how funny the book is etc etc. And it was during these conversations that I heard that the book consisted of a lot of crazy people with really interesting names like Zaphod Beeblebrox, Slartibartfast, Gargavarr, Zarniwoop and - here's my personal favourite - Wowbagger the infinitely prolonged. That really made me want to read the book. After all, any book with such exotic names is bound to be funny. So I finally bought the book and started reading it.
I really loved the first part and managed to finish it off in three days. The second part I found a bit dull and hence it took me more time. And after some more time, while I was reading the third part, a huge brown coloured humanoid monster who was more depressing than Marvin the Paranoid Android ( I'm talking about Gaurav Singh) converged upon my humble residence and snatched the book away from me. Hence my journey came to an abrupt halt.
And then, for a while , all thoughts of the book vanished from my head as if they had been lost in the eddies in the space time continuum.
But then one fine day the book reappeared in my thoughts when another monster - this time a thin humanoid with spectacles and long hair whose entry in that totally remarkable book Aniket's Guide to the People in the Galaxy reads 'Mostly Harmless' - mentioned to me that he was reading the book and was having a blast. This reminded me of the fun I had had while reading the book until it was snatched by the previously mentioned monster. So I finally decided to confront the monster and after a long and successful war I managed to get back my treasured copy of H2G2. And then I promptly forgot all about the book again.
But the book resurfaced once again in my mind sometime in these vacations. And hence I decided to take a shot at reading the book once again. I spent the first day in trying to find out where I had left reading the book but after a day of false starts I realised the futility of te whole exercise and decided to start off from scratch again. That was about twenty days ago. As I started reading the book for a second time, I somehow liked it more than I did the first time, despite knowing about most of the jokes which form the crux of the content. And slowly, day by day, I once again charted Arthur Dent's totally remarkable journey though space and time in quest for the Ultimate Question about Life, the Universe and Everything! And coincidentally during the same time I was involved in one of those totally useless activities which people indulge in when they have a lot of free time - retrospection. So while Arthur Dent went around the Universe searching for the Ultimate Question, I spent time searching my soul for something like an Ultimate answer to Life, the Universe and Everything! And all of a sudden I began to relate to Dent, as we were both searching for something that somehow remained elusive. And then I decided to finish the book as soon as possible as I thought the knowledge of the outcome of Arthur Dent's quest might just help me in my own search. And so with great hope in my heart I set about finishing the book as possible.
Which I did today.
And on doing so I realised that what I had expected from the book about the quest and the search and the Ultimate answer all was just a lot of shit. And that relating to Arthur Dent was also a lot of bull shit.
So much for the hope.
But then I realised that I did gain something from the book - a lot of fun. And maybe that's what life is all about - having a lot of fun.
I shall accept that as the Ultimate Answer in want of a better one.
And for those who had to tolerate another dose of my philosophy, all I have to say is:
WE APOLOGISE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE
This post is not about the book.
Well, at least not entirely.
And honestly, those who think that this is a book review which will end in me awarding a rating in terms of coloured shapes with 5 edges ( or "stars") will do much better if they stop reading at this point.
This post is about My journey while reading The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Read on..
I first heard about the existence of such a book about a year and a half ago. It was in some quiz I guess. I would love to give you the exact date, time, what the question was et al but fact is that I have totally forgotten. But as far as I can remember, which is not very far actually, it was in some quiz. And I was confronted with questions based on H2G2 (as I shall now call it) in many a college quizzes since then. And my reaction to every one of these questions was to make a face which would be very similar to the one an earthman would make when asked for directions to the Restaurant at the end of the Galaxy.
But that was not what sparked my interest in the book.
It was the laughter filled discussions that my friends would have about how funny the book is etc etc. And it was during these conversations that I heard that the book consisted of a lot of crazy people with really interesting names like Zaphod Beeblebrox, Slartibartfast, Gargavarr, Zarniwoop and - here's my personal favourite - Wowbagger the infinitely prolonged. That really made me want to read the book. After all, any book with such exotic names is bound to be funny. So I finally bought the book and started reading it.
I really loved the first part and managed to finish it off in three days. The second part I found a bit dull and hence it took me more time. And after some more time, while I was reading the third part, a huge brown coloured humanoid monster who was more depressing than Marvin the Paranoid Android ( I'm talking about Gaurav Singh) converged upon my humble residence and snatched the book away from me. Hence my journey came to an abrupt halt.
And then, for a while , all thoughts of the book vanished from my head as if they had been lost in the eddies in the space time continuum.
But then one fine day the book reappeared in my thoughts when another monster - this time a thin humanoid with spectacles and long hair whose entry in that totally remarkable book Aniket's Guide to the People in the Galaxy reads 'Mostly Harmless' - mentioned to me that he was reading the book and was having a blast. This reminded me of the fun I had had while reading the book until it was snatched by the previously mentioned monster. So I finally decided to confront the monster and after a long and successful war I managed to get back my treasured copy of H2G2. And then I promptly forgot all about the book again.
But the book resurfaced once again in my mind sometime in these vacations. And hence I decided to take a shot at reading the book once again. I spent the first day in trying to find out where I had left reading the book but after a day of false starts I realised the futility of te whole exercise and decided to start off from scratch again. That was about twenty days ago. As I started reading the book for a second time, I somehow liked it more than I did the first time, despite knowing about most of the jokes which form the crux of the content. And slowly, day by day, I once again charted Arthur Dent's totally remarkable journey though space and time in quest for the Ultimate Question about Life, the Universe and Everything! And coincidentally during the same time I was involved in one of those totally useless activities which people indulge in when they have a lot of free time - retrospection. So while Arthur Dent went around the Universe searching for the Ultimate Question, I spent time searching my soul for something like an Ultimate answer to Life, the Universe and Everything! And all of a sudden I began to relate to Dent, as we were both searching for something that somehow remained elusive. And then I decided to finish the book as soon as possible as I thought the knowledge of the outcome of Arthur Dent's quest might just help me in my own search. And so with great hope in my heart I set about finishing the book as possible.
Which I did today.
And on doing so I realised that what I had expected from the book about the quest and the search and the Ultimate answer all was just a lot of shit. And that relating to Arthur Dent was also a lot of bull shit.
So much for the hope.
But then I realised that I did gain something from the book - a lot of fun. And maybe that's what life is all about - having a lot of fun.
I shall accept that as the Ultimate Answer in want of a better one.
And for those who had to tolerate another dose of my philosophy, all I have to say is:
WE APOLOGISE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE
Sunday, June 17, 2007
The perfect day
Got up late.
Didn't exercise.
Slept off again.
Chatted on the phone.
Watched TV, slept off while watching the mindless nonsense that was on.
Spent time with my friends.
Had a heavy lunch.
Slept off again.
Started reading a new book.
Slept off again.
Chatted on the phone.
Went to the library.
Had lots of junk food.
Had Tandoori chicken.
Had a heavy dinner.
Followed it up with a lot of ice-cream.
Watched a good movie.
Spent hours online doing nothing.
Still doing that.....
All in all, a perfect day.
Didn't exercise.
Slept off again.
Chatted on the phone.
Watched TV, slept off while watching the mindless nonsense that was on.
Spent time with my friends.
Had a heavy lunch.
Slept off again.
Started reading a new book.
Slept off again.
Chatted on the phone.
Went to the library.
Had lots of junk food.
Had Tandoori chicken.
Had a heavy dinner.
Followed it up with a lot of ice-cream.
Watched a good movie.
Spent hours online doing nothing.
Still doing that.....
All in all, a perfect day.
Borat
Well I agree it took me a long time but I've finally jumped onto the Borat bandwagon. I wanted to see the movie for a long time but somehow could not find the time. Finally I managed to see the movie yesterday. I obviously couldn't watch it with my parents around so I had to stay up late at night to watch. But it was worth it!!!
Firstly, I loved the movie's name. To state it in full, it is: Borat, Cultural learnings of America for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan (Hopefully I've got it right). What a name!! And then of course the movie itself. I've never seen such a vulgar, obscene, gross and yet completely brilliant movie in my whole life! And mind you, I've seen quite a few of the above stated genre but somehow Borat towers above everything else. The movie starts off brilliantly with a scene depicting Borat's house in Kazakhstan and then reaches greater heights. I loved the live gags in the news studio and also the fake interview with the feminists. Another scene I loved was where he dines with a few high society people. Absolutely hilarious! And though the scenes in which Borat and Azamat go running around (and a lot else mind you) naked in the hotel are mind bogglingly gross and makes an ugly contortion to appear on your face , which was last seen when you were four years old and were force-fed green leafy vegetables , it still remains a very good movie. I know many will loathe and despise it but for the ones who can take it, it is an unforgettable experience. So if you think you belong to the latter category, go out and get a print of Borat. And if you belong to the former, I advise you to kindly stay away.
Firstly, I loved the movie's name. To state it in full, it is: Borat, Cultural learnings of America for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan (Hopefully I've got it right). What a name!! And then of course the movie itself. I've never seen such a vulgar, obscene, gross and yet completely brilliant movie in my whole life! And mind you, I've seen quite a few of the above stated genre but somehow Borat towers above everything else. The movie starts off brilliantly with a scene depicting Borat's house in Kazakhstan and then reaches greater heights. I loved the live gags in the news studio and also the fake interview with the feminists. Another scene I loved was where he dines with a few high society people. Absolutely hilarious! And though the scenes in which Borat and Azamat go running around (and a lot else mind you) naked in the hotel are mind bogglingly gross and makes an ugly contortion to appear on your face , which was last seen when you were four years old and were force-fed green leafy vegetables , it still remains a very good movie. I know many will loathe and despise it but for the ones who can take it, it is an unforgettable experience. So if you think you belong to the latter category, go out and get a print of Borat. And if you belong to the former, I advise you to kindly stay away.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The new-look Indian team
Let's move away from the topic of who's going to be the next coach for a while. And let's move to the people who actually make more of a difference than the coach - the players ( though a quick scan through all the news channels would make you think otherwise).
The Indian team for the forthcoming England & Ireland tours has been announced. And it has some new faces. Firstly, Ranadeb Bose. I've read his name so many times in domestic cricket scoreboards, and many times the last column in his bowling figures had a 4 or a 5 in it. It's nice to see that he has finally got a chance in the national team. Secondly, Rohit Sharma. This lad has been scoring heavily domestically too. Let's hope he can make the step up.
The one-day team features Piyush Chawla & Robin Uthappa which is great news since these two might well be the stars of the team for the next few years . I also liked the selection of Gautam Gambhir in the one-day side. He is definitely NOT a test match specialist. Also it is much better to have a stable player like him rathe than have both the slashers - Sehwag & Uthappa in the same team. That brings us to Sehwag's omission. You can't say it was totally unexpected, he was out of form for quite a while. He should learn from Ganguly and try to get his form back in domestic cricket. I'm sure that he'll make a comeback , it's just that he needs time out now. The same applies to Harbhajan Singh & Irfan Pathan. All of them have quality and real quality cannot be kept out for long. It's only a matter of time before they return. However this does create a rather interesting scenario - two of the Indian players in the Asia team (Sehwag & Harbhajan) for the recent Afro-asian cup are not in the Indian team. Good enough for the Asian team but not for Team India? Strange but true!
It has to be said that the team looks well-balanced on paper. We have enough fast bowlers, technically sound batsmen & experienced players to be successful on the England tour. Let's see what happens..
The Indian team for the forthcoming England & Ireland tours has been announced. And it has some new faces. Firstly, Ranadeb Bose. I've read his name so many times in domestic cricket scoreboards, and many times the last column in his bowling figures had a 4 or a 5 in it. It's nice to see that he has finally got a chance in the national team. Secondly, Rohit Sharma. This lad has been scoring heavily domestically too. Let's hope he can make the step up.
The one-day team features Piyush Chawla & Robin Uthappa which is great news since these two might well be the stars of the team for the next few years . I also liked the selection of Gautam Gambhir in the one-day side. He is definitely NOT a test match specialist. Also it is much better to have a stable player like him rathe than have both the slashers - Sehwag & Uthappa in the same team. That brings us to Sehwag's omission. You can't say it was totally unexpected, he was out of form for quite a while. He should learn from Ganguly and try to get his form back in domestic cricket. I'm sure that he'll make a comeback , it's just that he needs time out now. The same applies to Harbhajan Singh & Irfan Pathan. All of them have quality and real quality cannot be kept out for long. It's only a matter of time before they return. However this does create a rather interesting scenario - two of the Indian players in the Asia team (Sehwag & Harbhajan) for the recent Afro-asian cup are not in the Indian team. Good enough for the Asian team but not for Team India? Strange but true!
It has to be said that the team looks well-balanced on paper. We have enough fast bowlers, technically sound batsmen & experienced players to be successful on the England tour. Let's see what happens..
A huge sigh of relief!
The truth is finally out. Nobody killed Bob Woolmer. And I, like millions of cricket fans around the world, heave a huge sigh of relief. After all, cricket can't be so evil. Any other sport, maybe. But not my beloved cricket. It may not be a gentleman's game, but it isn't the devil's pastime either. Long live the game!!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
A day of two quotes
Yesterday was a good day. I got up real late(umm no surprises there I guess). I came third in a quiz (COEP Nexus Quiz for the stastically inclined). My laptop finally got a net connection. And I didnt have to worry about the general useless stuff like studies, college, attendance etc
But most importantly, yesterday was a day of two quotes. And to understand why these two quotes were so important, I have to give you a flashback.
Act I:
Flashback:
It's 14 February. Valentine's Day. Today happens to be the 18th V-Day of my life for which I've had no reason to celebrate. And I'm only 18 years old. Every year around this time I feel sad that I'm still single. A beggar in a city of riches. A blind man in a world of sharpshooters (ok, bad example I agree but I'm in no mood to replace it). And many such more sad metaphors. Believe me you don't want to hear them. I guess it's got something to do with the weather.
But this 14 Feb turned out to be different. Today I made a vow - this shall be the last Valentine's day I shall spend alone. And I'm not alone in this, four of my friends join me in this oath-taking ceremony. So there!!
Act II:
Back to the future:
It's been 10 days since the vow. And I've made no progress on this front. I feel kind of gloomy. Pune Times doesn't help by printing an article that states that all those are single are made to feel like losers. Everyone's just rubbing it in. But then there's this flash of sunlight from out of nowhere. One of my friends makes a remark. "I guess I'm in a phase of my life now where I don't really need a Girlfriend".
That just made me feel a whole lot better.
Act III:
The other quote
I'm out with my brother. Now my brother is an E&TC engineer himself. But unlike me, he's a true E &TC engineer. He actually knows the stuff they teach in class. He's a guy who loves his field. And because of him I've always had an inferiority complex. He's the guy who knows everything while I know nothing. And come to think of it, we were brought up in the same house. But today he says something that really shocks me. He says , "Look. Just because you are an E&TC engineer, it doesn't mean that you have to pretend to be seriously interested in the co-curricular events like Robotics etc. It doesn't mean you have to like your subjects. You can't force yourself to like your subjects. That'll never do. If you think that your future lies elsewhere, don't bother about such things. Keep on doing the things that interest you. It is not a rule that you have to a job in a software firm or in an electronics company. You can go into something totally different. And don't ever for a moment think that you are wasting your time studying engineering since your future lies elsewhere. Its the attitude that matters. And once you have the right attitude, no one can stop you".
And I thought I was the one who gives long philosophical lectures. Rushikesh, you just went up many a notches higher in my book. You're the greatest brother a guy can have.
But most importantly, yesterday was a day of two quotes. And to understand why these two quotes were so important, I have to give you a flashback.
Act I:
Flashback:
It's 14 February. Valentine's Day. Today happens to be the 18th V-Day of my life for which I've had no reason to celebrate. And I'm only 18 years old. Every year around this time I feel sad that I'm still single. A beggar in a city of riches. A blind man in a world of sharpshooters (ok, bad example I agree but I'm in no mood to replace it). And many such more sad metaphors. Believe me you don't want to hear them. I guess it's got something to do with the weather.
But this 14 Feb turned out to be different. Today I made a vow - this shall be the last Valentine's day I shall spend alone. And I'm not alone in this, four of my friends join me in this oath-taking ceremony. So there!!
Act II:
Back to the future:
It's been 10 days since the vow. And I've made no progress on this front. I feel kind of gloomy. Pune Times doesn't help by printing an article that states that all those are single are made to feel like losers. Everyone's just rubbing it in. But then there's this flash of sunlight from out of nowhere. One of my friends makes a remark. "I guess I'm in a phase of my life now where I don't really need a Girlfriend".
That just made me feel a whole lot better.
Act III:
The other quote
I'm out with my brother. Now my brother is an E&TC engineer himself. But unlike me, he's a true E &TC engineer. He actually knows the stuff they teach in class. He's a guy who loves his field. And because of him I've always had an inferiority complex. He's the guy who knows everything while I know nothing. And come to think of it, we were brought up in the same house. But today he says something that really shocks me. He says , "Look. Just because you are an E&TC engineer, it doesn't mean that you have to pretend to be seriously interested in the co-curricular events like Robotics etc. It doesn't mean you have to like your subjects. You can't force yourself to like your subjects. That'll never do. If you think that your future lies elsewhere, don't bother about such things. Keep on doing the things that interest you. It is not a rule that you have to a job in a software firm or in an electronics company. You can go into something totally different. And don't ever for a moment think that you are wasting your time studying engineering since your future lies elsewhere. Its the attitude that matters. And once you have the right attitude, no one can stop you".
And I thought I was the one who gives long philosophical lectures. Rushikesh, you just went up many a notches higher in my book. You're the greatest brother a guy can have.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
My new cricketing heroes
Everybody loves attacking batsmen, or sloggers if you happen to be a purist, everybody. Even the people who turn up their nose to a cricket match, come running back to see a really explosive player batting. Adam Gilchrist is obviously the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of attacking batsmen. Other cricketers who fall under the same category amongst current players would be Kevin Pieterson, Andrew Symonds, Sanath Jayasuriya & Shahid Afridi. But in the last month we have seen the emergence of two new cricketers to this illustious list - Mal Loye & Robin Uthappa.
At first sight there seems nothing similar between them - Robin Uthappa is a youngster who got through after a string of good performances at the under-19 level while Loye has been playing for ages and made his debut only at the age of 34. But the way they play is pretty similar - they show no regard towards the bowler and try to hit every ball out of the park. Every ball. That's why they're not as successful as other batsmen in the team. However, no one can match their entertainment skills. I'd rather see Loye slog-sweeping Shane Bond (though he did get his jaw broken when he tried the same to McGrath) & Uthappa hitting the poor Bradshaw all over the place than see Collingwood sneak singles. Let's hope that both of them have a long career ahead of them so that we get to see more such memorable moments.
At first sight there seems nothing similar between them - Robin Uthappa is a youngster who got through after a string of good performances at the under-19 level while Loye has been playing for ages and made his debut only at the age of 34. But the way they play is pretty similar - they show no regard towards the bowler and try to hit every ball out of the park. Every ball. That's why they're not as successful as other batsmen in the team. However, no one can match their entertainment skills. I'd rather see Loye slog-sweeping Shane Bond (though he did get his jaw broken when he tried the same to McGrath) & Uthappa hitting the poor Bradshaw all over the place than see Collingwood sneak singles. Let's hope that both of them have a long career ahead of them so that we get to see more such memorable moments.
I'm back
Just when all of you thought that I've left the blogosphere for good, I'm back to trouble you!! Why? Well that's a question that even I can't answer... Maybe the only reason why I'm back is that I like shocking people now & then by doing something that they I'd never thought do. Though of course this doesn't even compare to the last shocking thing I did- which was getting up at six in the morning today. Yep, on a saturday. In fact I was so shocked that I immediately went to sleep again, hence my virtuoso performance went unnoticed by the rest of the world.
Well so much for why I'm back. Another interesting question would be what the hell WAS I doing for so long? Well the last time I made a post was on November 30 last year. But since then there have been many occasions on which I've felt like writing a post & have even managed to come up with a title for a few of them. But unfortunately due to the lack of internet access, an extremely long bout of laziness (Hell, I was more active than this during the first six months of my existence) & a general disregard about my blog has lead to this enormous delay.
Publishing the posts which I should have made earlier at this time makes no sense. Hence I wont be doing that. Those posts are now forever lost to mankind. However I shall try to take care that the next time I feel like writing, I'll actually go ahead and publish it without being fettered by my laziness. But that's not a promise. In fact it's also very unlikely since I'm getting bored of this whole blogging business already.....
Well so much for why I'm back. Another interesting question would be what the hell WAS I doing for so long? Well the last time I made a post was on November 30 last year. But since then there have been many occasions on which I've felt like writing a post & have even managed to come up with a title for a few of them. But unfortunately due to the lack of internet access, an extremely long bout of laziness (Hell, I was more active than this during the first six months of my existence) & a general disregard about my blog has lead to this enormous delay.
Publishing the posts which I should have made earlier at this time makes no sense. Hence I wont be doing that. Those posts are now forever lost to mankind. However I shall try to take care that the next time I feel like writing, I'll actually go ahead and publish it without being fettered by my laziness. But that's not a promise. In fact it's also very unlikely since I'm getting bored of this whole blogging business already.....
Thursday, November 30, 2006
A Royale treat!!
Taking into consideration that I'm a movie buff, it was shocking to note that I hadn't ever seen a Bond movie in a movie theatre to date. In fact the only Bond movie I had ever seen was "Tomorrow Never Dies" on a friends laptop. Unfortunately laptops haven't evolved enough yet to give the same effect as movie theatres. Something which I noted when I finally went to see Casino Royale.
There was a lot of talk about Daniel Craig not being worthy of holding a candle to the previous Bonds like Sean Connery, Roger Moore or even Brosnan for that matter. Fortunately all such fears were unfounded - I loved Daniel Craig as Bond. He is ruthless, which I feel is the basic quality you seek in a 00 killer. Compared to him, Pierce Brosnan looks like more of an accountant. Also the new Bond is much more human than superhuman & that is what will endear him to his fans.
And coming to the movie - its awesome to say the least. It has more of pure action rather than the gadget wizardry that was the highlight of the previous Bond movies. It starts off with an amazing chase scene which proves that chase scenes needn't always have fast cars or bikes. The pace of the movie is really good too, never do you get bored by the proceedings. And most of all - it actually has a story! And a good one at that. So this was one movie I really enjoyed - despite the handicap of watching it in Hindi & also despite the fact that I was watching the movie right in the middle of the exams. So my advice, go ahead and watch it - it's Royale!!
There was a lot of talk about Daniel Craig not being worthy of holding a candle to the previous Bonds like Sean Connery, Roger Moore or even Brosnan for that matter. Fortunately all such fears were unfounded - I loved Daniel Craig as Bond. He is ruthless, which I feel is the basic quality you seek in a 00 killer. Compared to him, Pierce Brosnan looks like more of an accountant. Also the new Bond is much more human than superhuman & that is what will endear him to his fans.
And coming to the movie - its awesome to say the least. It has more of pure action rather than the gadget wizardry that was the highlight of the previous Bond movies. It starts off with an amazing chase scene which proves that chase scenes needn't always have fast cars or bikes. The pace of the movie is really good too, never do you get bored by the proceedings. And most of all - it actually has a story! And a good one at that. So this was one movie I really enjoyed - despite the handicap of watching it in Hindi & also despite the fact that I was watching the movie right in the middle of the exams. So my advice, go ahead and watch it - it's Royale!!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Go on Kev, we are with you!
The Britney-Kevin divorce saga promises to be the most public private affair of our times. And there is no doubting on which side my loyalties lie...
The video of Kevin getting a text message from his wife makes for really interesting viewing. And then again there were reports that Britney actually called Kevin "a nobody". I mean, how much more insulting can you get? After all Kevin is a dancer & singer par excellence. He has performed as backup dancer for Pink, Christina Milian & the band LFO. So its not as if Britney picked him up from obscurity and decided to marry him, thus breaking the hearts of millions all over the world. And after marriage Kevin has been busy. Though he hasn't done any backup dancing since ( a sensible decision on Britney's part considering that he fell in love with the last singer he danced for) he was nominated at the 2006 Teen Choice awards (Teen Choice Award for Male Red Carpet Fashion Icon). He then launched his debut album - Playing with Fire - released by Federline records which, shockingly, sold only 6500 copies in its first week, followed by 1200 in its second. But then, not everyone starts off with a hit. His NYC concert attracted a huge crowd of about 300 (possibly including some obsessed Britney fans with loaded handguns. Unfortunately no shootout took place..)So Kevin is a celebrity in his own right after all.
And he is perfectly right to threaten oops... warn Britney that he may release some of his Sex tapes with Britney. Considering that Britney actually ruined his whole life, thats the least he can do. And since then he has also filed for custody of their children. This was made in a statement in which he says that he is a responsible father and is not doing it for money or fame. We believe you Kevin, we really do. So go on Kevin, sue her. We're all with you!!
P.S: Q:What's Kevin's new nickname?
A Fed-Ex
The video of Kevin getting a text message from his wife makes for really interesting viewing. And then again there were reports that Britney actually called Kevin "a nobody". I mean, how much more insulting can you get? After all Kevin is a dancer & singer par excellence. He has performed as backup dancer for Pink, Christina Milian & the band LFO. So its not as if Britney picked him up from obscurity and decided to marry him, thus breaking the hearts of millions all over the world. And after marriage Kevin has been busy. Though he hasn't done any backup dancing since ( a sensible decision on Britney's part considering that he fell in love with the last singer he danced for) he was nominated at the 2006 Teen Choice awards (Teen Choice Award for Male Red Carpet Fashion Icon). He then launched his debut album - Playing with Fire - released by Federline records which, shockingly, sold only 6500 copies in its first week, followed by 1200 in its second. But then, not everyone starts off with a hit. His NYC concert attracted a huge crowd of about 300 (possibly including some obsessed Britney fans with loaded handguns. Unfortunately no shootout took place..)So Kevin is a celebrity in his own right after all.
And he is perfectly right to threaten oops... warn Britney that he may release some of his Sex tapes with Britney. Considering that Britney actually ruined his whole life, thats the least he can do. And since then he has also filed for custody of their children. This was made in a statement in which he says that he is a responsible father and is not doing it for money or fame. We believe you Kevin, we really do. So go on Kevin, sue her. We're all with you!!
P.S: Q:What's Kevin's new nickname?
A Fed-Ex
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Top 10 sledges
Well everyone who has played a decent bit of cricket knows that cricket is not much fun without at least some sledging. In fact it does tend to make the game interesting especially at times when not much is happening. A real good sledge can serve many purposes - demoralising the opposition, provoking them or sometimes just provide some real good entertainment.
So here are some sledges that I found on the net. They're taken from Simon Briggs' new book - Stiff upper lips and baggy green caps which I'm pretty sure hasn't released in India yet. So till you get to read the book, read these sledges. Nice warmup for the ashes I'd say.
Warning: Colourful languages. Regular KSBKBT viewers may not appreciate the genre of humour on show.
Top 10 sledges:
So here are some sledges that I found on the net. They're taken from Simon Briggs' new book - Stiff upper lips and baggy green caps which I'm pretty sure hasn't released in India yet. So till you get to read the book, read these sledges. Nice warmup for the ashes I'd say.
Warning: Colourful languages. Regular KSBKBT viewers may not appreciate the genre of humour on show.
Top 10 sledges:
1 Mark Waugh to Jimmy Ormond on his Test debut, 2001: “Mate, what are you doing out here? There's no way you're good enough to play for England.”
Ormond: “Maybe not, but at least I'm the best player in my own family.”
2 Merv Hughes to Graeme Hick et al: “Mate, if you just turn the bat over you'll find the instructions on the other side.”
3 Hughes again: “Does your husband play cricket as well?”
4 Mike Atherton, on Merv Hughes: “I couldn't work out what he was saying, except that every sledge ended with ‘arsewipe’.”
5 Dennis Lillee to Mike Gatting, 1994: “Hell, Gatt, move out of the way. I can't see the stumps.”
6 Derek Randall to Lillee, after taking a glancing blow to the head: “No good hitting me there, mate, nothing to damage.”
7 Ian Healy, placing a fielder yards away at cover when Nasser Hussain was batting: “Let's have you right under Nasser's nose.”
8 Tony Greig, England’s South African-born captain, to the young David Hookes, 1977: “When are your balls going to drop, Sonny?”
Hookes: “I don't know, but at least I'm playing cricket for my own country.” Hookes hit Greig for five consecutive fours.
9 Rod Marsh, late Seventies: “How's your wife and my kids?”
Ian Botham: “The wife's fine – the kids are retarded.”
10 Bill Woodfull, Australia’s captain in the Bodyline series of 1932-33, responding to Douglas Jardine's complaint that a slip fielder had sworn at him: “All right, which one of you bastards called this bastard a bastard?”
Friday, November 17, 2006
Life through a lens
I know I haven't written anything here since a very long time but since you must be used to my apologies for such delays, I wont bother with putting up another one.
But I must say that one of the reasons why I haven't been posting regularly in the last few weeks is the fact that I was having a series of bad headaches everytime I used the computer for long. And me being me, I never bothered going to the doctor, thinking that the pain would go away soon. However in due course of time the pain became more and more unbearable. In fact at times it got so worse at times that my roomie - the ever loveable Rishikesh Baviskar - immediately gave his prognosis - Brain tumour. This shows the adverse effect that Bollywood movies have on our innocent minds...
Then I had a break for Diwali in which me & my tumour travelled together to Nashik. There we met an opto-whatevero-logist who gave an entirely different prognosis. He said that my tumour was not a tumour at all (much to my tumour's discomfort) and that the only thing that was ailing me was my poor eyesight. Well that shouldnt come as a surprise considering that all of my recent addictions - watching movies, orkutting & reading - were not exactly eye-friendly. It so happened that my eyes finally got tired of the constant crap that I made them see & as a sign of protest started bending in places. That (according to my doctor) meant that even though I had 6/6 vision in both vision (something that my dartboard would confirm), my eyes were suffering from a lot of strain . And then he gave the worst news I'd ever had in my life (since my T2 results) - that I had to wear SPECS, day in day out. I almost fainted.
And well since then, my life has been confined to whatever I see through a pair of spectacles which are a constant pain in the ....er nose. And adjusting to this greatly reduced field of vision took a lot of time. But thankfully thats over, I'm finally getting used to my specs. However I still wake up occasionally thinking that the whole spectacles incident was all a great nightmare. How I wish that were true! But what I had feared most was the backlash that I might expect from the spectacled people whom I had constantly abused throughout my life. Thankfully nothing untoward has happened so far & my entry into the spectacled community has been welcomed gladly albeit unspectacularly.
But I guess having specs does have its advantages. It might get rid of my consistently low grades in practicals. And it makes people take me a bit more seriously than they used to. But these two are the only pros that I can think of, and even they're not much.
Hence a last bit of advice to all those who dont have specs - GO EAT CARROTS!!
But I must say that one of the reasons why I haven't been posting regularly in the last few weeks is the fact that I was having a series of bad headaches everytime I used the computer for long. And me being me, I never bothered going to the doctor, thinking that the pain would go away soon. However in due course of time the pain became more and more unbearable. In fact at times it got so worse at times that my roomie - the ever loveable Rishikesh Baviskar - immediately gave his prognosis - Brain tumour. This shows the adverse effect that Bollywood movies have on our innocent minds...
Then I had a break for Diwali in which me & my tumour travelled together to Nashik. There we met an opto-whatevero-logist who gave an entirely different prognosis. He said that my tumour was not a tumour at all (much to my tumour's discomfort) and that the only thing that was ailing me was my poor eyesight. Well that shouldnt come as a surprise considering that all of my recent addictions - watching movies, orkutting & reading - were not exactly eye-friendly. It so happened that my eyes finally got tired of the constant crap that I made them see & as a sign of protest started bending in places. That (according to my doctor) meant that even though I had 6/6 vision in both vision (something that my dartboard would confirm), my eyes were suffering from a lot of strain . And then he gave the worst news I'd ever had in my life (since my T2 results) - that I had to wear SPECS, day in day out. I almost fainted.
And well since then, my life has been confined to whatever I see through a pair of spectacles which are a constant pain in the ....er nose. And adjusting to this greatly reduced field of vision took a lot of time. But thankfully thats over, I'm finally getting used to my specs. However I still wake up occasionally thinking that the whole spectacles incident was all a great nightmare. How I wish that were true! But what I had feared most was the backlash that I might expect from the spectacled people whom I had constantly abused throughout my life. Thankfully nothing untoward has happened so far & my entry into the spectacled community has been welcomed gladly albeit unspectacularly.
But I guess having specs does have its advantages. It might get rid of my consistently low grades in practicals. And it makes people take me a bit more seriously than they used to. But these two are the only pros that I can think of, and even they're not much.
Hence a last bit of advice to all those who dont have specs - GO EAT CARROTS!!
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Help!
As of now, I'm trapped outside my room without my key. One of my room-mates has told me not to worry, he'll be back in 2-3 hours, whereas of the other two, well let's not talk about them. So this leaves me stranded outside my room, all sweaty from a game of basketball and also without my cell and my wallet. So if anyone has, mistakenly, stolen the key of my room or has a duplicate of it, PLEASE give it to me. I shall be very grateful.....
This must count as the one of the most dumb excuses to come online. But what the heck, I'm not even paying for this (I don't have my wallet remember? All I have is 2 bucks that I stole from Apoorv). So might as well shut up and keep surfing before they kick me out of here.
Sigh, just another regular day at the hostel...
This must count as the one of the most dumb excuses to come online. But what the heck, I'm not even paying for this (I don't have my wallet remember? All I have is 2 bucks that I stole from Apoorv). So might as well shut up and keep surfing before they kick me out of here.
Sigh, just another regular day at the hostel...
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Tasting defeat..
Let's face it. All of us lie. Every single day we lie to our friends, family, colleagues et al. We lie about everything. Hey Dont worry, it's not the Lage Raho Munnabhai effect and nor am I trying to preach Gandhi-ism to you. I just want to tell you how I, for one moment, rose above the rest of mankind by not lying. Read on...
I guess the people we lie to the most are beggars. I mean if a beggar approaches you and asks for a rupee, how many of you actually say, " Sorry Dude, I have money but I'd rather have a Coke instead"? Nobody, right? All you say is, "Chal kucch nahi hai aage jaa". But day before yesterday I was on the Z-bridge (no forther inquiries involving questions like Who? and Why? shall be entertained) at night when a small kid walked up to me and begged me for some money. I reached out for my wallet and realised that it wasn't there. I mean I had my cell and my keys but my wallet was not there. Then I realised that I was, for one moment, just like the little boy - no money in my pockets and no one around who's ready to give me even a single buck. So for the first, and hopefully the last time, I looked the little beggar boy in the eyes and said in an honest voice, "Dude, I REALLY dont have anything. I'm not lying, I dont have a single buck. Believe me". And that he did, 'cause he walked away without a word. Too stunned to say anything.
But I was wrong, I wasn't like that boy. For ten minutes later, he walked past me again and this time he was happily munching on some chaat that he had in his hand. And not just that, the moment he saw me, he pointed at the chaat, laughed at me and left. And I spent the next half an hour trying to find a chaat-wallah who would give me something to eat. But I found no-one. I was beaten by a beggar kid. I feel like s**t.
I guess the people we lie to the most are beggars. I mean if a beggar approaches you and asks for a rupee, how many of you actually say, " Sorry Dude, I have money but I'd rather have a Coke instead"? Nobody, right? All you say is, "Chal kucch nahi hai aage jaa". But day before yesterday I was on the Z-bridge (no forther inquiries involving questions like Who? and Why? shall be entertained) at night when a small kid walked up to me and begged me for some money. I reached out for my wallet and realised that it wasn't there. I mean I had my cell and my keys but my wallet was not there. Then I realised that I was, for one moment, just like the little boy - no money in my pockets and no one around who's ready to give me even a single buck. So for the first, and hopefully the last time, I looked the little beggar boy in the eyes and said in an honest voice, "Dude, I REALLY dont have anything. I'm not lying, I dont have a single buck. Believe me". And that he did, 'cause he walked away without a word. Too stunned to say anything.
But I was wrong, I wasn't like that boy. For ten minutes later, he walked past me again and this time he was happily munching on some chaat that he had in his hand. And not just that, the moment he saw me, he pointed at the chaat, laughed at me and left. And I spent the next half an hour trying to find a chaat-wallah who would give me something to eat. But I found no-one. I was beaten by a beggar kid. I feel like s**t.
Friday, July 21, 2006
The week after
July 16, Sunday:
I like to call Pune or rather COEP 'Neverland'. Thats basically because I never thought that I'd land here. And also because after every vacation I feel like never coming back to this land. But unfortunately today marks my return to Neverland and also to the closest experience of jail that I've ever had - the hostel. And to make things worse, there were about 16 of us crammed into one room where usually 3 live. How we actually managed to sleep is a great example of Human Resource Management. Maybe this'll help me while I'm doing my MBA.
July 17, Monday:
Now the real stuff begins as they say. Today happens to be my first day of college. No more studying useless subjects like Graphics, Civil et al. From now on I shall study subjects like DESC, NAS, EDLC, PS & CSTL, the long forms of which still elude me. The college or rather the dept manages to shock us and there is a lecture conducted, before we get another shock - we're gonna have pracs from tomorrow. Surely they wouldn't....
July 18, Tuesday:
But they did, I just had my first practical of the year and surprisingly I actually learned something today. Did you know that on the CRO....naah, forget it. No electronics stuff here. There's enough of it in college already.
And life just got better. I started playing football again. Finally I'm doing something I like..
July 19, Wednesday:
I moved into my new room. I-104 is the address for those unfortunate souls who might have to visit it. The room happens to be right next to the toilet. Awesome. And when I enter, there's so much shit left by the previous inhabitants, that I feel as if I'm IN the toilet and not next to it. It takes us the better part of three hours to clean the room so as to make it hospitable. But it does feel better to have some place that you can call your own.
July 20, Thursday:
Nothing special. The day consists of going to college & playing football. By now I'm sick of the hostel food. And it's only been 5 days since I've come here. What will I do during the rest of the year?
And now I realise that I seem to have become a loner and am avoiding most of my friends. Or is it the other way round?
July 21, Friday:
Today. The plan for the day was great - fill the fees and get admission as soon as possible so that I can bunk college later when all others are taking their admission. It totally backfires - thanks to a late 9:30 AM start to the day. I go to college at 10:30 and am stuck there till 3 PM. I thought that once you pass your FE exam, you enter SE. But now I know better. You ain't in SE, till you've taken admission. And taking admission is by far the most boring thing to do. Needless to say, I doze off in the auditorium. And while everybody around me gets their job done quickly, I seem to be stuck. And by the time I leave, all others have completed their admission process hours before and have gone home. I guess I must be the only person who didn't break into a queue and followed all the procedures to the letter. No doubt I came out last. So much for honesty.
I like to call Pune or rather COEP 'Neverland'. Thats basically because I never thought that I'd land here. And also because after every vacation I feel like never coming back to this land. But unfortunately today marks my return to Neverland and also to the closest experience of jail that I've ever had - the hostel. And to make things worse, there were about 16 of us crammed into one room where usually 3 live. How we actually managed to sleep is a great example of Human Resource Management. Maybe this'll help me while I'm doing my MBA.
July 17, Monday:
Now the real stuff begins as they say. Today happens to be my first day of college. No more studying useless subjects like Graphics, Civil et al. From now on I shall study subjects like DESC, NAS, EDLC, PS & CSTL, the long forms of which still elude me. The college or rather the dept manages to shock us and there is a lecture conducted, before we get another shock - we're gonna have pracs from tomorrow. Surely they wouldn't....
July 18, Tuesday:
But they did, I just had my first practical of the year and surprisingly I actually learned something today. Did you know that on the CRO....naah, forget it. No electronics stuff here. There's enough of it in college already.
And life just got better. I started playing football again. Finally I'm doing something I like..
July 19, Wednesday:
I moved into my new room. I-104 is the address for those unfortunate souls who might have to visit it. The room happens to be right next to the toilet. Awesome. And when I enter, there's so much shit left by the previous inhabitants, that I feel as if I'm IN the toilet and not next to it. It takes us the better part of three hours to clean the room so as to make it hospitable. But it does feel better to have some place that you can call your own.
July 20, Thursday:
Nothing special. The day consists of going to college & playing football. By now I'm sick of the hostel food. And it's only been 5 days since I've come here. What will I do during the rest of the year?
And now I realise that I seem to have become a loner and am avoiding most of my friends. Or is it the other way round?
July 21, Friday:
Today. The plan for the day was great - fill the fees and get admission as soon as possible so that I can bunk college later when all others are taking their admission. It totally backfires - thanks to a late 9:30 AM start to the day. I go to college at 10:30 and am stuck there till 3 PM. I thought that once you pass your FE exam, you enter SE. But now I know better. You ain't in SE, till you've taken admission. And taking admission is by far the most boring thing to do. Needless to say, I doze off in the auditorium. And while everybody around me gets their job done quickly, I seem to be stuck. And by the time I leave, all others have completed their admission process hours before and have gone home. I guess I must be the only person who didn't break into a queue and followed all the procedures to the letter. No doubt I came out last. So much for honesty.
Fun, Frolic, Friends, Football, Freedom..........Finished!!
I sit here in Pune, writing this post. It's been almost a week since I'm here and I'm still suffering from the holiday hangover. Lets recap what happened over the course of the last 2 months:
To begin with, I slept a lot. And mostly during the day, I was awake till almost 3 AM every single day of the vacations. Then I'd sleep through the morning. Ah! Those were the days!
I played lots of football. Every single evening, I'd be out playing with my friends. It was great fun!! And so was the football world cup.
I read 'The Godfather' which happens to be an awesome book. I liked Michael Corleone so much that while reading the book (mostly in the loo) I'd be saying his dialogues out aloud. That was fun too.
I hung out with my close friends and did all sorts of crazy stuff.
I spent hours online chatting.
I saw a bus being burned by a crazy mob of rioteers.
I slept more.
I spent hours watching TV. I was watching Discovery channel at 3 AM!! I also realised that TV only gets interesting after 11 PM
I listened to Pink Floyd for hours everyday. It's too good!!
I saw all the movies that were released, even if they were crap.
I ate like a hog and put on almost 6 kgs, which I hope to lose sometime in the next millennium.
I was bitten by the Orkut bug and suddenly wanted to increase my friends. As a result, I now have 250+ friends on orkut, a leap of about 150 in the last months or so.
And lots of unmentionable stuff...
But now I sit here, and I'm staring at this list. And I realise that for the next one year, I'll be able to do nothing of this sort.
Life sucks!
To begin with, I slept a lot. And mostly during the day, I was awake till almost 3 AM every single day of the vacations. Then I'd sleep through the morning. Ah! Those were the days!
I played lots of football. Every single evening, I'd be out playing with my friends. It was great fun!! And so was the football world cup.
I read 'The Godfather' which happens to be an awesome book. I liked Michael Corleone so much that while reading the book (mostly in the loo) I'd be saying his dialogues out aloud. That was fun too.
I hung out with my close friends and did all sorts of crazy stuff.
I spent hours online chatting.
I saw a bus being burned by a crazy mob of rioteers.
I slept more.
I spent hours watching TV. I was watching Discovery channel at 3 AM!! I also realised that TV only gets interesting after 11 PM
I listened to Pink Floyd for hours everyday. It's too good!!
I saw all the movies that were released, even if they were crap.
I ate like a hog and put on almost 6 kgs, which I hope to lose sometime in the next millennium.
I was bitten by the Orkut bug and suddenly wanted to increase my friends. As a result, I now have 250+ friends on orkut, a leap of about 150 in the last months or so.
And lots of unmentionable stuff...
But now I sit here, and I'm staring at this list. And I realise that for the next one year, I'll be able to do nothing of this sort.
Life sucks!
Monday, July 10, 2006
It's all over
The World Cup was one event I was looking forward to with great anticipation right from the time my vacations began. I had watched the previous World Cup too but Germany 2006 was way more enjoyable than KJ 2002. Firstly, there were fewer upsets which meant that the top teams were competing in the knockout phase unlike last time around when lower-ranked teams like Korea & Turkey were playing in the semis. Also was the fact that the coverage was much better than last time. I've been watching sports for almost a decade now and I feel that the coverage provided by ESPN-Star Sports is by far the best, be it any sport. They bring to sports broadcasting a perfect mixture of fun and serious analysis and hence please both the purist and the new follower. Bravo ESS keep it up!!
There were obviously other reasons why I liked this WC more than the previous ones. Firstly, all of the matches were played at night(IST) and this gave me a great opportunity to see all the action live, something which I was unable to do last time around when the matches were played in the evening. And of course this gave me a chance to actually improve my footballing skills by playing football every evening. Lets hope my football playing doesnt become a one-off, WC only activity. Because that would be a real pity.
Then again this time around my favourite teams played pretty well, though they didn't go that far in the WC. Spain & Holland both showed that they are very good teams and went out early only due to a tough draw. I also found a new team to support - Germany. Their attacking style of football made me a big fan. I just loved their striking pair of Klose & Podolski and also the new players like Lahm & Schweinsteiger. Klinsmann turned out to be a great coach and I have a feeling that in the years to come, this team might be the best in the world. Ditto with Argentina & Holland, both of whom had extremely young squads. And finally one of my old favourites - the Azzuri - managed to win the title, so I'm in a great mood now. And my favourite - Andrea Pirlo - also had a great WC which was the icing on the cake for me.
I guess I loved the WC so much because I finally got to see some top-quality football, which I was deprived of during the last year. And also because I had a blast throughout the WC as in coincided with my vacations. Heck, I even missed Wimbledon just to see the WC. I must have seen about 50 or more matches during this World cup, out of the 64 played. And thats a lot of TV watching. But the fun that I had during that is simply unmatchable.
But it's all over now. Time to move on. Feels sad that it's over, and even sadder to know that one of my all-time favourite footballers - Zizou - will never play again. But the show must go on. However irrespective of what happens later, I shall always remember the WC 2006 as one of the happiest months of my life. Cheers!!!
There were obviously other reasons why I liked this WC more than the previous ones. Firstly, all of the matches were played at night(IST) and this gave me a great opportunity to see all the action live, something which I was unable to do last time around when the matches were played in the evening. And of course this gave me a chance to actually improve my footballing skills by playing football every evening. Lets hope my football playing doesnt become a one-off, WC only activity. Because that would be a real pity.
Then again this time around my favourite teams played pretty well, though they didn't go that far in the WC. Spain & Holland both showed that they are very good teams and went out early only due to a tough draw. I also found a new team to support - Germany. Their attacking style of football made me a big fan. I just loved their striking pair of Klose & Podolski and also the new players like Lahm & Schweinsteiger. Klinsmann turned out to be a great coach and I have a feeling that in the years to come, this team might be the best in the world. Ditto with Argentina & Holland, both of whom had extremely young squads. And finally one of my old favourites - the Azzuri - managed to win the title, so I'm in a great mood now. And my favourite - Andrea Pirlo - also had a great WC which was the icing on the cake for me.
I guess I loved the WC so much because I finally got to see some top-quality football, which I was deprived of during the last year. And also because I had a blast throughout the WC as in coincided with my vacations. Heck, I even missed Wimbledon just to see the WC. I must have seen about 50 or more matches during this World cup, out of the 64 played. And thats a lot of TV watching. But the fun that I had during that is simply unmatchable.
But it's all over now. Time to move on. Feels sad that it's over, and even sadder to know that one of my all-time favourite footballers - Zizou - will never play again. But the show must go on. However irrespective of what happens later, I shall always remember the WC 2006 as one of the happiest months of my life. Cheers!!!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
The crowning glory
Zinedine Zidane is considered by many, including myself, to be the greatest footballer of his generation & arguably the best French player of all time. He has won all there is to win - the World Cup, the European championships & the Champions league. He has been both World and European world footballer of the year. But today, two days before what might be his greatest footballing moment ever and surely his last international, comes his moment of crowning glory. For today, in honour of his great contribution towards French and indeed World football, I change MY nickname from 'Khazu' to 'Zizou', at least till the World Cup final. I'm sure that he'll be touched by this enormous gesture of goodwill. A copy of this declaration has already been sent to the heads of state of all the countries in the world so that they can make the necessary changes in their contact lists. I request you to please do the same. And for one last time, Go Zizou!!
Am I going insane?
During the last three days, I haven't played football. I have actually woken up before 8 AM. I have been regular in all my daily activities. I actually spent two hours chatting with my college friends. I haven't met my school friends. I havent played Basketball. I haven't gone for swimming or even for cycling. I have actually helped others a lot. I have driven safely at extremely slow speeds (by my standards). I have gone to bed early (again by my standards). I have exercised every morning. I have done all that was asked of me. I haven't done anything which I might have to hide from my parents. I haven't spent hours doing nothing on the net. And worst of all, I actually missed the semi-final between France & Portugal because I fell asleep!!! In fact I have behaved like an ideal boy, almost. So that has once again raised the world's most popular question - Am I going insane??
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