Good Bye.
Hello World.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Friday, April 07, 2006
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Encounter with Captain
Now Playing: "Return to innocence" by Enigma
When i woke up last Sunday morning, something told me that the day is going to be very special. I was in Chennai and i was feeling a bit low as that day marked the end of a long weekend. As i skimmed through the Newspapers, i came to know that Captain Vijaykanth would be making a visit to our neighbourhood! I was so glad that atleast one "Politician" would be visiting my relatively calm neighbourhood for election campaigning. I went out for some shopping in the morning and on my way back home, i was surprised to find around 20-30 policemen on the street. There was an announcement that "Karuppu MGR" (Black MGR) aka Captain will be around in 5 mins. I decided to stay and listen to Captain's "Misan and Visan"(Mission and Vision, for those ignorant ones) for the nason(Nation, guess you can make it now). He came there in a White tempo traveller with a typical "Biriyani packet" crowd of about 20 people. He started with his views on "Pudget", "Depicit" and Global Economy. After realizing that his speech was not fetching enough "claps", he did what he was best at: throwing Statistics! He started giving vital statistics such as the number of Ministers who dont pay taxes, Number of districts with No electricity, Number of suitcases that were exchanged between the ruling party and its alliances, TamilNadu's position when compared to other states on parameters like Industrialization, poverty, per capita income etc. The 20+ crowd loved it and started clapping for every number uttered by him! Finally, he begged for vote and he even accepted that he was begging. The entire speech lasted for about 30 minutes and after that he and his battalion proceeded for their next destination. Overall, it was a dream come true for me, to watch Captain Live :)
Now Playing: "Return to innocence" by Enigma
Friday, March 24, 2006
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
The Greatest one dayer ever!
All those folks who watched the Aus-SA cricket match last Sunday should consider themselves extremely lucky, for having witnessed a spectacular batting performance by two of the best teams in One-day cricket! I did not watch this match in its entirety, but i guess i watched about 60-70% of the match. When i came back home on Sunday afternoon, i saw Love Elephant watching Ind-Eng Mohali Test and while he was channel surfing, i noticed that Gilchrist was doing what he was best at, belting the bowlers with no mercy. We then switched back to Ind-Eng Test match, hoping for a miracle from Kumble - Bhaji duo. After about an hour, when we switched back to ESPN to check score, we were literally thrown out of our chairs! Ponting had literally massacred the South African bowlers, the score was increasing exponentially! Incidentally, this is the same ground where he slaughtered a toothless Indian bowling attack in a World Cup final. After 50 overs of Aussie innings, I was feeling sorry for the South African bowlers. Little did i know then, that i would be feeling the same for Aussie bowlers by the end of the day! I dont know what was in Smith's mind at that point, but i gave up watching that match!!
I went out for a quick visit to a nearby temple (to pray for world peace of course :) ) and when i came back, i switched on the TV, expecting to see Ponting holding the cup. But it was a terrible anti-climax when i saw the SA scorecard, it read 187/1 in 18 odd overs!! I was trying to calculate the required rate and i just couldn't believe that this is happening! And i continued watching the game, what would later on be called as the greatest one-dayer ever played in the History of International cricket.Gibbs was having a blast, perhaps the only chance that he gave was not utilised by Bracken. When Bracken dropped the catch of Gibbs(when he was at 130), i was just reminded of 1999 World Cup semifinal (when Steve "God" Waugh made the historic statement 'Mate, you have just dropped the World Cup' to the victim- Gibbs ). Every single run was important in the chase. Perhaps the most important contribution was from Ntini, when he made that crucial single run that tied the scores. The rest was ofcourse, history!
What impresses me (and the rest of the world too, i believe) is the attitude of the South African team to go for the chase. At no point of the chase did they display a defeatist attitude, they were thoroughly positive and they were determined to prove a point to the Aussies (there is a lot of background to this chase, if you had been following the SA tour of Aussies and the last 4 one-dayers in SA). Here is what Smith said, when asked about the team strategy that was decided during Lunch break for the chase: "Well, when someone has made 400+ on board, there is no such thing as strategy. All you need to do is just go out and have a go at every ball".
After seeing all this, i switched back to CNN-IBN to watch LOC (Lagaan of Cricket). The show was at the near end and the host made this funny statement :"Dont forget to watch 98 overs of nerve-wracking Test cricket between Ind and England at Mohali tomorrow". I couldn't control my burst of laughter!
All those folks who watched the Aus-SA cricket match last Sunday should consider themselves extremely lucky, for having witnessed a spectacular batting performance by two of the best teams in One-day cricket! I did not watch this match in its entirety, but i guess i watched about 60-70% of the match. When i came back home on Sunday afternoon, i saw Love Elephant watching Ind-Eng Mohali Test and while he was channel surfing, i noticed that Gilchrist was doing what he was best at, belting the bowlers with no mercy. We then switched back to Ind-Eng Test match, hoping for a miracle from Kumble - Bhaji duo. After about an hour, when we switched back to ESPN to check score, we were literally thrown out of our chairs! Ponting had literally massacred the South African bowlers, the score was increasing exponentially! Incidentally, this is the same ground where he slaughtered a toothless Indian bowling attack in a World Cup final. After 50 overs of Aussie innings, I was feeling sorry for the South African bowlers. Little did i know then, that i would be feeling the same for Aussie bowlers by the end of the day! I dont know what was in Smith's mind at that point, but i gave up watching that match!!
I went out for a quick visit to a nearby temple (to pray for world peace of course :) ) and when i came back, i switched on the TV, expecting to see Ponting holding the cup. But it was a terrible anti-climax when i saw the SA scorecard, it read 187/1 in 18 odd overs!! I was trying to calculate the required rate and i just couldn't believe that this is happening! And i continued watching the game, what would later on be called as the greatest one-dayer ever played in the History of International cricket.Gibbs was having a blast, perhaps the only chance that he gave was not utilised by Bracken. When Bracken dropped the catch of Gibbs(when he was at 130), i was just reminded of 1999 World Cup semifinal (when Steve "God" Waugh made the historic statement 'Mate, you have just dropped the World Cup' to the victim- Gibbs ). Every single run was important in the chase. Perhaps the most important contribution was from Ntini, when he made that crucial single run that tied the scores. The rest was ofcourse, history!
What impresses me (and the rest of the world too, i believe) is the attitude of the South African team to go for the chase. At no point of the chase did they display a defeatist attitude, they were thoroughly positive and they were determined to prove a point to the Aussies (there is a lot of background to this chase, if you had been following the SA tour of Aussies and the last 4 one-dayers in SA). Here is what Smith said, when asked about the team strategy that was decided during Lunch break for the chase: "Well, when someone has made 400+ on board, there is no such thing as strategy. All you need to do is just go out and have a go at every ball".
After seeing all this, i switched back to CNN-IBN to watch LOC (Lagaan of Cricket). The show was at the near end and the host made this funny statement :"Dont forget to watch 98 overs of nerve-wracking Test cricket between Ind and England at Mohali tomorrow". I couldn't control my burst of laughter!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Memoirs of a Geisha
I wanted to write about this for quite sometime, but somehow did not have the energy to blog :) Here it is anyway, i watched Memoirs of a Geisha sometime back in theatre. It was simply awesome, it was such a visual delight! The Costumes and the art direction just take you to the early 20th century. But the major highlight of the movie that scored over Cinematography and art direction was Music. I am surprised why John Williams didn't grab the Oscar this time(even though he had two nominations). The Cello Solos were just too good.
By the way, if you have read this blog entry that i wrote some two years back, you can realize that Memoirs of a Geisha has 5 of the 6 factors mentioned in this checklist! Here is the checklist:
1. It should be narrated by a drawling gruff voice
2. It should have at least one flashback scene
3. It should begin in a tragedy and end with healing or vice versa
4. It should have an amazing soundtrack.
5. Somebody important must die in the end.
6. It should have at least one character in one of the leading roles
from a different race/ethnicity.
I am dumbfounded to see the importance of item #6 with respect to this movie, this movie became so controversial for its casting of Chinese actresses as Japanese Geishas. I am yet to see the other Oscar winning movies, but i am pretty sure that my checklist will still be valid.
Someone better nominate me to the Academy committee. :)
Now Playing: The Hounds of Winter by Sting
I wanted to write about this for quite sometime, but somehow did not have the energy to blog :) Here it is anyway, i watched Memoirs of a Geisha sometime back in theatre. It was simply awesome, it was such a visual delight! The Costumes and the art direction just take you to the early 20th century. But the major highlight of the movie that scored over Cinematography and art direction was Music. I am surprised why John Williams didn't grab the Oscar this time(even though he had two nominations). The Cello Solos were just too good.
By the way, if you have read this blog entry that i wrote some two years back, you can realize that Memoirs of a Geisha has 5 of the 6 factors mentioned in this checklist! Here is the checklist:
1. It should be narrated by a drawling gruff voice
2. It should have at least one flashback scene
3. It should begin in a tragedy and end with healing or vice versa
4. It should have an amazing soundtrack.
5. Somebody important must die in the end.
6. It should have at least one character in one of the leading roles
from a different race/ethnicity.
I am dumbfounded to see the importance of item #6 with respect to this movie, this movie became so controversial for its casting of Chinese actresses as Japanese Geishas. I am yet to see the other Oscar winning movies, but i am pretty sure that my checklist will still be valid.
Someone better nominate me to the Academy committee. :)
Now Playing: The Hounds of Winter by Sting
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
We the Living
Yes, I did it at last ! I finished reading an Ayn Rand book !!
As some of my friends might remember, i used to mention that i have reserved the works of Ayn Rand for my post-retirement life. My opinion on Ayn Rand changed(as though i had some initial opinion on her principles ;) ) when i met one of my school friends. He literally forced me to read the works of Ayn Rand earlier in life, as he felt that it would definetely make a big impact on young minds. After a serious thought, i decided to have a go at it, i chose "We the Living" just because of its volume (or the lack of :) ). Well, after 465 pages and 3.5 days, i realized that size doesn't matter!
The first thing that came to mind after reading this book was Orwell's Animal Farm. One can easily make out that even though both the writers have taken different routes, they have reached the same destination. Orwell takes a comical, jocular approach in his Animal Farm using Pigs and other farm animals as the main characters, while Ayn Rand uses a serious approach to narrate the travails of citizens of erstwhile Soviet Russia. Both the writers conclude why Communism wont last long. I would say i liked "We the Living" more when compared to "Animal Farm", probably because of the powerful story line and the emotional intensity. This is a truly remarkable book, considering the fact that Ayn Rand was only 25 when she wrote this book!
Ok, here is a small connect , connect Dilip D Souza and Torino Winter Olympics.
As some of my friends might remember, i used to mention that i have reserved the works of Ayn Rand for my post-retirement life. My opinion on Ayn Rand changed(as though i had some initial opinion on her principles ;) ) when i met one of my school friends. He literally forced me to read the works of Ayn Rand earlier in life, as he felt that it would definetely make a big impact on young minds. After a serious thought, i decided to have a go at it, i chose "We the Living" just because of its volume (or the lack of :) ). Well, after 465 pages and 3.5 days, i realized that size doesn't matter!
The first thing that came to mind after reading this book was Orwell's Animal Farm. One can easily make out that even though both the writers have taken different routes, they have reached the same destination. Orwell takes a comical, jocular approach in his Animal Farm using Pigs and other farm animals as the main characters, while Ayn Rand uses a serious approach to narrate the travails of citizens of erstwhile Soviet Russia. Both the writers conclude why Communism wont last long. I would say i liked "We the Living" more when compared to "Animal Farm", probably because of the powerful story line and the emotional intensity. This is a truly remarkable book, considering the fact that Ayn Rand was only 25 when she wrote this book!
Ok, here is a small connect , connect Dilip D Souza and Torino Winter Olympics.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Street Cricket
Just as i am writing this entry, the Indian cricket team would have returned home, after defeating their arch rivals at their home turf! I guess after a long long time, Indian cricket team has "thrashed" a decent opponent ( for a change, it wasn't one among Zimbabwe, Kenya or Bangladesh). Though some of my non-Bong friends conclude that absence of dada did the trick, i feel Yuvraj and Dhoni literally broke the back of Pakis!
Here is a wiki entry that talks about a much popular form of cricket down south, especially in the streets of Chennai. This used to be popular 7-8 years back,when budding sachin's and dravid's play cricket in terrace/ streets with tennis ball or rubber ball. Sometimes, to better utilize the leisure hours in school, some blokes prepare a makeshift ball out of papers, plastic cover and rubber band(borrowed from some girl of course !). For some reason Maths classwork would be used as cricket bat (Length and breadth factor??). Thanks Veva for the link !
Here is a wiki entry that talks about a much popular form of cricket down south, especially in the streets of Chennai. This used to be popular 7-8 years back,when budding sachin's and dravid's play cricket in terrace/ streets with tennis ball or rubber ball. Sometimes, to better utilize the leisure hours in school, some blokes prepare a makeshift ball out of papers, plastic cover and rubber band(borrowed from some girl of course !). For some reason Maths classwork would be used as cricket bat (Length and breadth factor??). Thanks Veva for the link !
Friday, January 27, 2006
LGMF
It was summer of '99, as i walked down the muddy path in Pallasena village, something hit my ears with a sharp sting. Immediately, my right hand rushed and crushed the little beast with a brute force! I just looked at that puny devil in my hand, a green round thingy, which i blew off with a sense of pride. Little did i know then that those green things would stick with me for another 3.5 years of my life...
By the end of '99, i got so used to those Little Green MF's that i let them live despite they troubled me whenever i stepped out of my hostel room or walked across the institute lawns. Whenever we guys came across LGMF, we just gave them a dirty stare and said " LGMF MF's"...
After Y2K, we almost forgot those species, there was no mention of it anywhere by anyone. Soon, people started ignoring and hating them. It was as though they had signed a MoU with all the human folks or probably because someone in BioSci dept declared them as an endangered species.
Three years after i passed out, i happened to meet a beautiful stranger, while i was driving my bike. The runty beast commited suicide just to bring my attention towards itself, he hit my eye with so much power that i had to bring my bike to a grinding halt! I just blinked very fast to get a feel of what hit my eye. The damaged body of LGMF came out amidst a pool of tears! "Shit, LGMF MF's", i blew it off and proceeded to my destination with a sense of Nostalgia...
By the end of '99, i got so used to those Little Green MF's that i let them live despite they troubled me whenever i stepped out of my hostel room or walked across the institute lawns. Whenever we guys came across LGMF, we just gave them a dirty stare and said " LGMF MF's"...
After Y2K, we almost forgot those species, there was no mention of it anywhere by anyone. Soon, people started ignoring and hating them. It was as though they had signed a MoU with all the human folks or probably because someone in BioSci dept declared them as an endangered species.
Three years after i passed out, i happened to meet a beautiful stranger, while i was driving my bike. The runty beast commited suicide just to bring my attention towards itself, he hit my eye with so much power that i had to bring my bike to a grinding halt! I just blinked very fast to get a feel of what hit my eye. The damaged body of LGMF came out amidst a pool of tears! "Shit, LGMF MF's", i blew it off and proceeded to my destination with a sense of Nostalgia...
Monday, January 16, 2006
When God became one of us..
"What if God was one of us..": Well, that's what one can expect when you see Pete Sampras break down in Center Court! Sampras was often criticized as the most boring player on the ATP circuit, for the stiff face and dull body language that he displays on court. Some of the sports journals used to mock him as Samprazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... But have you seen him cry?
The Event: 1997 Australian Open Quaterfinal
The Opponent: His close buddy Jim Courier !
I had the privilege to witness this battle live on TV then. Last night, i happened to watch highlighths of this game again. This was one of the greatest moments in Tennis history, especially if you know the background of this match. Sampras's Coach and his best friend Tim, who was diagnosed with brain tumour, had to leave for US the previous day. Sampras lost the first two sets and was struggling to save the third. Overcome with so much grief about his Coach's illness, Sampras broke down in front of the audience! When someone in the crowd shouted "Do it for Tim, Pete", he started weeping like a kid. Jim infact asked Sampras whether he would like to play the remaining part of the game, the next day. Sampras then pulled himself out of the grief and fought the rest of the battle like a true Champion. He won the game, a marathon five-setter, which stretched well beyond midnight.
Courier did play his heart out, but he lost to a man who wasn't willling to give up under such tiring circumstances. Though every journal talked about how Sampras came back from behind to win this game, very rarely they offer Courier's perspective on this incident. In the interview last night, Courier spoke about this. Only then, i realized that he was as much stressed out as Sampras was! Infact, the day before the game, Courier, Sampras and Tim had been to dinner together. Tim was their Davis cup coach and was a close associate of Courier too! Courier couldn't sleep well the previous day and moreover, he had to mentally prepare himself to face his best friend in the quarterfinal. After the interview, i felt that Courier was as heroic as Sampras on that day!
Here is some write up on that game.
"What if God was one of us..": Well, that's what one can expect when you see Pete Sampras break down in Center Court! Sampras was often criticized as the most boring player on the ATP circuit, for the stiff face and dull body language that he displays on court. Some of the sports journals used to mock him as Samprazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... But have you seen him cry?
The Event: 1997 Australian Open Quaterfinal
The Opponent: His close buddy Jim Courier !
I had the privilege to witness this battle live on TV then. Last night, i happened to watch highlighths of this game again. This was one of the greatest moments in Tennis history, especially if you know the background of this match. Sampras's Coach and his best friend Tim, who was diagnosed with brain tumour, had to leave for US the previous day. Sampras lost the first two sets and was struggling to save the third. Overcome with so much grief about his Coach's illness, Sampras broke down in front of the audience! When someone in the crowd shouted "Do it for Tim, Pete", he started weeping like a kid. Jim infact asked Sampras whether he would like to play the remaining part of the game, the next day. Sampras then pulled himself out of the grief and fought the rest of the battle like a true Champion. He won the game, a marathon five-setter, which stretched well beyond midnight.
Courier did play his heart out, but he lost to a man who wasn't willling to give up under such tiring circumstances. Though every journal talked about how Sampras came back from behind to win this game, very rarely they offer Courier's perspective on this incident. In the interview last night, Courier spoke about this. Only then, i realized that he was as much stressed out as Sampras was! Infact, the day before the game, Courier, Sampras and Tim had been to dinner together. Tim was their Davis cup coach and was a close associate of Courier too! Courier couldn't sleep well the previous day and moreover, he had to mentally prepare himself to face his best friend in the quarterfinal. After the interview, i felt that Courier was as heroic as Sampras on that day!
Here is some write up on that game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
