30.7.09

Cricket: Flintoff vs Aussies

The drama continues to unfold as Aussies and Poms lock horns for the third test over the series. It’s an observation of mine, that both Aussies and Poms have had similar nature of problems, similar nature of performances. The injuries to Lee and to Pietersen, the fragile top order, lack luster performance of frontline bowlers, Broad and Johnson, the performance of the offies, Haurtiz and Swann, the centuries by captains, Strauss and Ponting. But I think the Aussies have a better middle order. I think both teams reluctance to beef up bowling i.e. both Stuart Clark, and Harmisson are busy chit chatting on the sidelines. So if someone said it has been an even contest,then the preceding are some proof of that.

The only differentiating the two teams is the colossal persona of Andrew Flintoff who like Ursa Major seems to be guiding the English Ashes conquest.

I have been dearly following and blogging cricket for some amount of time, I haven’t seen too many ex-captains playing in an Aussie team. I mean Indian test team has Tendulkar and Dravid also when Ganguly was also playing, they were all their (and will be there for some time at least) in the playing eleven led by Dhoni, there is Lankan team right now (playing ODIs) where Jaywardene and Jayasuriya both ex-captains are currently playing in the eleven, take Pakis for example in they have had such similar teams. But not Aussies, they keep captains till they retire or get/ forced dropped. I don’t mean that Ponting should be dropped or ex communicated. He is a terrific player, but he is one of the generation kind of Aussie captain who regularly gets beaten in tactics and seems to have just one plan.

I mean Punter is Punk’d. Flintoff retirement was surprise for most, but Ponting is not good at trademark Aussie verbatim, the entire barrage you associate with Aussie cricket players. He is undermining his own case; I wonder if he (Ponting) surely understands the gravity of the situation of this series. Why do you want to incite someone like Flintoff for any reason? Flintoff has been on and off the field with injuries, but when he is on song, he is the best bowler in the two teams combines and looks very lethal on top of his bowling mark with the red cherry in his hand. He won the last test doing it a la Botham style, on the very day, Botham eclipsed Aussies at a test in Headingley (1981), Aussies enforced the follow on and went on to lose (they have been the only team to do so and lose), Botham smacking a century and Bob Willis scything the Aussies bats. The test is remembered as Botham's test and the series the Botham’s Series. The clock did finally turn after 27 years as Flintoff completed the turn by blasting through the Aussies batting on teh final day of the Lords test. Flintoff not only defeated the Aussies, but also history in some ways, as Poms posted there first victory over Aussies at Lords in over 75 years, the home of Cricket’s Holy Grail, The Ashes and also home of English Cricket.

Flintoff isn’t far off, I wonder if he would make a century in this series for the remainder of the three matches (this one included in three)

The series could be more riveting if both captains chose team on merit of abilities. Stuart Clarke and Watson are a must for this Aussie team. Watson seems to have funk you need in cricket, he get something extra to bring it on the table. Harmisson should be there his pace and bounce will upset the Aussies, and also will cut down on load from Flintoff, this making the Pom bowling attack shaper. Swann will play coz Aussies have been traditional very ordinary to off spin bowling, like the English have been to seam and spin bowling.

Let the Test begin and may best team win.

Second edit.

27.7.09

Blog: Pleasant clouds and evening

I wipe my glasses clean and peer down on my laptop screen hoping to word my thoughts and arrange my expressions and thoughts into something tangible, something concrete, and something that is totally trivial and whimsical. There are at times when I genuinely want to write something but nothing appears on the MS Word document that I use to write my blog. The blank document is anything but reflective of my mind, I guess that it is the unbound, unlimited, all encompassing laziness that one tends to get engross in. Not that blog is like a breathing exercise; I will not cease to be a being or think nor cease to exist even if I don’t blog, the wheel of time will continue to turn and tides will rise high and fall low.

By the way just for the record, today was one of the more pleasant evenings I have had. The reason of the pleasant evening was a cool, fresh gale of air that went around after a shower a dusk. I admit this isn’t the first pleasant evening of this season, perhaps the Monday made me appreciate it better than most other evenings. So otherwise in a hapless life gave me a moment to just stop worrying about the crowded train in which I was travelling.

I thought of reading a novel, finished reading Brida by Paulo Coelho three weeks back I think. Brida the story swayed from one end of pendulum to another, but with restraint and some patience I managed to finish reading it. The restraint was perhaps my own constraint simply because I often wander if some notion of a book or a novel made me thinks. However, like most people who are not so religious about reading books/novel. It was a good read.

Is life a series of serendipitous events? If everything happens by chance where does fate come in? Do we trace back everything back to fate apart from failures? I am sure of one thing that failures are stepping-stones of success. Often one is tested for patience alone. I mean you may be doing everything correct, in correct manner at the appropriate time and still may not see result in your own favour. One possible reason is to be patient.

Of course there is an argument then, how would I (read you) know? The wise in me would say that when situations progressively get tough and you are motivated to move on and face those tough times rather being held back by conscience who dissuades you and guilty takes over reason and rationale.

I don’t know what I was born to do. I don’t think I have met many people personally who understand/know quiet early what they wish to do. I am not sure whether I was born to blog, but I enjoy it thoroughly. It helped my put some sense of coherence in my life. By no means much to my own embarrassment I blog regularly. I want to, at times this is an excuse and sometimes it is the reason. However, after having blogged for a while, and posted more than few posts, including a few cricket matches, a few snaps, a few tags, I am only looking forward for more. The reason is pretty apt and clear. An avenue convinces me that I have a will and urge to write, of curse you aren’t reading a Shakespeare, but I don’t see many people lining up to read either Shakespeare or me. Logic can make that two of a kind. Then, you can go phlegmatic if not stoic about you own blog.

At times you just want to sit on the floor, layback with your arm under head, just wondering, listening to some song, or watching the clouds float by in the evening sky. I wonder if someone who conceived idea of life actually wanted things so complex, so inexplicable so hard to express and so difficult understand?

23.7.09

Blog: Nobody wants to be lonely



Yesterday was 22/7/2009, aka Pi day. Google if you want u want more pie of the Π or Pi. Just incase u want to know more,if I may ... Π sates the relation between the diameter and the perimeter of the circle, meaning if the diameter is 7 units long then circumference would be 22 units. It seems Π was first letter of the word perimetere and periphery. Chinks define Π as 335/113, the convention is to use 22/7. It has host of other notion the deeper you dig into Maths>Calculus>Trigonometry>Imaginary numbers>Etc. it tend to be fun working out sums on Definite Integrals.

Today/Pi Day/22-7-2009 was also a Solar Eclipse otherwise a rare phenomenon and like all things rare and phenomenal its awesome to experience. I had my doubts about the eclipse. No, I knew the logic and the reason and the cause and the effets and all. I was just wondering that Solar eclipse is the time when you see the Moon in the day and don't see it in the night. It's so simply because the Solar eclipses ought to happen on a New moon Day. There was a pdfs I had got on how stock markets tend to dip in the fortnight between the new Moon day and full Moon day and the trend reverses in the next period.I believe that the study was done in one of the Scandinavian countries which took the data of stock markets across Europe. It was a thirty years of data,so it was a pretty exhaustive study. It just suggest a trend, a tendency or market's rather something written on stone.I was just thinking about it this morning, it felt a bit weird till the point stocks markets ran up the hill till noon and then later skewed to red, in literally an eye wink.

So much for the Pi Day and markets and numerology and Astronomy and Astrology. One think is for sure, our life is the only one example in which assets side and liabilities side will always match.I must be honest for someone who is tempted by numbers and may take up finance for earning bread and butter. I might never ever go much beyond just think about it, but spirituality and philosophy are so fun. Yes it is for people who are a bit into idolatry. I believe spirituality is one experiment which if you try, then you wouldn't fail. Philosophy like spirituality is dynamic, changes every moment, but does guide you to finding way to what you think and what makes you think.

Like all I too have certain naivete, notions and premonitions evolve and break everyday and that happens more than once in a day.

When was the last time one song made you write a blog post। It is not about the the singers, it is about the words and emotions that they is the singers convey. It buzzed for a while in my years, I thought why not pass it one, you know the Butterfly Effect.

I don't know if your blog is an extension to yourself or your personality. Is it just a mask that we put on? OR it is an echo meandering within us, that wishes to finds a way out in forms of what we couldn't (read wouldn't) have normally expressed. Blog friends are weird "species" of friends. You know them (at least you think so) but you haven't met them (not all, I guess) you look forward to their posts and comments, at times go far to expect them to comment or blog what you wish to read or write. But I think my blog is kinda canvas for me. While I paint what I like, it is free for other interpretation. Other may interpret the painting with the same intention as I would have drawn/sketched it. They may have another interpretation of it. They may not understand it at all, but at least they (people who blog hop) at least would agree that the post was written. They may not willingly accept and rather grudgingly disaprove, but being indifferent to a post is something difficult, provided the blogger blogs and someone reads it.

20.7.09

Blog: Lonavala snaps


Terrific view from terrace



Three good men,me in the centre



One of my favourite snaps which I took in this trip



Mountains and valley



Sceneic view while coming back




I wanted to get myself a cartoon made for a long while,so when I saw a cartoonist making some cartoons couldn't wait to see how would I look like.Just like to tell one and all this is one of the most hilarious cartoons I have ever seen,it is just a coincidence that the cartoon is mine. I will try to get it scanned and then upload it again. I imagine just the face of it would make a good profile pic!!!

Blog: Retreat to Lonavala

I and a group of freaking out friends packed and left for Lonavala on Saturday morning, it now feels just like day before, yesterday. Well the current status is howling winds, swirling rains and crashing waves. It was howling and swirling rains and winds all weekend as all one and sundry kept going to much needed unwinding to one of the more famous tourist places out of the many place which are a few hours drive away from this chaotic, turbo charged mega-polis. The drive was smooth and there were and odd cheer of laughter and some banter as always as the road hit the Hills aka the Ghats the chill of the altitude, sight of distant water falls, hovering clouds and honking cars greeted us.

Lonavala being dotted with resorts and many company guest houses is an easy place to go and come back. But you would love to go on week days to avoid the dense maddening crowd. We reached there by lunch, unloaded. We went to this very small water fall of a rivulet which was close by to our lodging place. We played and jumped, the water was cold to touch and almost gave and tingling feeling. We were there for a while. No moment was spared of the flash light as the digi was kept busy all day. We then had lunch, and we ate like we were there for just that lunch, packed your self then hit the mountainous road again. We went to this place high up on the hills and it was getting colder by the minute meanwhile we continued to flash lights and click the snaps. Some of the snaps are breath taking; some of the views were once in life kind of an experience. It was were delightful and soothing to the eye. We were not chilling we were freezing after it rained and within counting one two three all of us were wet and drenched in the hilly rain, it was only the comfort of the worm corn that we found ourselves back to normal mode again, the drive back to the lodge was bit lazy, there were other cars trying to meander their way, the rest of the evening was spent of the terrace, and around the dinner table awaiting dinner.

The rain and howling winds were more intense then I would have liked to imagine, but my Sunday’s, good morning was a bit later then usual. I went to terrace and saw an odd sun ray breaking thru the clouds and the rains clouds taking a usual morning walk up the hills, the gentle breeze swayed all over. The good morning cheer; the whole day was then just spent lazing around sleeping and dozing all over the place, with little affinity for action or any other labour intensive activity.

The lunch followed repacking and leaving plans, a quick trip to the local temple, perhaps thanking god for good life and asking a few days more for extension of some good hours spent gazing at greens of the trees and greys of clouds, steep slopes and gushing waterfalls and rivulets. Then we stopped for one of the many crowded points and just went around with a sense of futility till I saw a cartoonist practicing caricatures, I wanted one done for me for eternity, got one done, and I was all laughers, all my friends followed suit. We had the most laughter since we started on Saturday morning. I was damn happy of the cartoon that was made of me and perhaps would find its way on the profile pic soon. It is hilarious to see but amazingly done. I have had highest regard for people practicing any form of art. It was done in minutes.

A quick coffee and we marched towards Mumbai, although the roads were jammed the traffic was thin and bit silent. I reached home, had dinner, edit some snaps, checked a few forwarded mails and went bed rather late and started my Monday morning a bit early.

16.7.09

Cricket: Spirit sorcery and Ponting

Ponting has been a good batsman. He has been lucky one too,for a while he use to come one down following a swash buckler like Langer or the Big Oak like Colossus in Hayden. One loves to hate him and grudgingly accept that he has done well. He likely to zoom past Tendulkar’s record in test cricket on current form. His record as a batsman and his fielding skills will remain enviable for the next couple of years.

Ponting now has to steer a ship in the absence of big sails like Hayden, McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist, Langer and Martyn, who have retired from the game that’s a tough task in itself. But absence of these once in a generation players proves how much the team he use to captain was pretty much on auto pilot. India having dented Aussies in Australia, Ponting has turned from being excellent batsmen to a decent captain, to a poor sorcerer,he has started invoking spirit of the game at wrong points in time.

I mean to hell with the spirit of the game, most fans who have followed Australia have explored too deep in the new territories pushed the envelope a bit too far. Peter Roebuck had something nasty to say about him when India lost the infamous test which Steve Bucknor won’t forget any easily either. I think that whole match was a turning point in starting of descent of Ponting & Co. The subsequently lost to SAFs.The fallout of that was Andrew Symonds who was mentally disintegrated.

The following season Indian tour gave Ponting enough opportunity as a leader who could challenge none other than George (W) Bush himself to some of the most bizzare, un Aussie like judgments. I think it is from that point onwards that I started to believe that if anyone can give George W Bush a run for his money it has to be Ricky Ponting. I won’t be surprised if they both go for it and it is photo finish. Ricky Ponting has to be what Bush is/was to politics. You want to disavow what he said or does but wanna have a hearty laugh as well

I think he tried to provide every justification is Australia losses other than accepting the fallacy of him as the captain. Sorry Ricky just gets on with the game. Invoking spirits of the game wont help, you made horrendous tome of it some of the decision by leaving out Stuart Clarke one of the things that decided the out come of the game. Aussies would have done anything if they were in the spot which English found or almost forced themselves into. Bopara is good (no doubt?), but Collingwood should be batting one down, he is the best English batsmen on current form. Pietersen being the stroke player will get you runs make foundation of scoring big and quick but it is people like Collingwood that will finish it for England.

I think the first test was drawn because of improper team selection.

I think more drama is expected in this Ashes series.

This was a second edit.

13.7.09

Blog: Weekend story

It is over now. It begins by rushing out of a workplace on Friday evening, frantic phone calls, long delays of traffic and waiting for mates to meet and then something u dream of eating/having all week and then some me time. I prefer to spend some time alone by the sea side. I love the sea shore. You have gotta spend an evening at the Marine Drive, pack some salted peanuts, behind your back let the world go places and run around crazy, while you can look forward to the glitter of sun rays of the setting sun making the water shimmer and then see the Queen’s Necklace sparkle as dusk smoothly transits to an evening. I love it for the breeze, for the span of the horizon, for the scene changing ever second, literally. Let s just say that it is no coincidence that the best properties around the world are besides a water body, most of capital city around the world are also by a river side. I said most and not all. I have been visiting that place, albeit infrequently but never for once felt bored and tired wanting to just fade away in the bustling crowds. Never ever am I likely to do that.

The grey skies kept turning dark, it was a threatening looking dark-blue-black with winds howling and tide picking up and slight rain. The lightening was missing the action and thunders were silent too, only the wind made its presence felt along with whizzing cars. We friends met and then ate and drank; I made it home, a touch too late, but had a good sleep.

Next day a few more phone calls, morning cup of cold coffee and the trip to the optician for getting my specs not sun glasses but specs. I am already pretty timid and hopping to get used to glasses. I felt so bad that left eye saw everything blurred until correct type of lens helped enhance the picture and sharpen the colours. I was happy to see what I was missing, although I knew had to have glasses, perhaps wrong types of surging namely Net and channel did me in. I never the less got one and realized with you have limited amount on capital, everything seems to be a capital investment rather than another splurging expense. At least I would like to believe so.

Movie: Hangover


On Saturday saw Hangover, it was a phuckin good movie. A typical movie about guys, bachelor party, lots of swearing. If a bunch of guys wanna hang around, they have to check it out. It wasn’t just a comic flick, it had it sense of drama, action and thrills and spills. But it was definitely worth the fun. I was planning to watch it for sometime before I final did manage to see it. It was followed by a good hefty dinner and deep sleep. Sunday was pretty much relaxed at home, deeply thinking about getting early on Monday. I did manage it and life came to almost a full circle when I reached on time for a change.

The video added in the second edit.

6.7.09

About: A temporary title.




You Are Intuitive



You are very sharp and shrewd. You can see the best and worst sides of people.



Right now, you are seeking peace and tranquility in your life.



You are drawn to people who are passionate and deep.



You feel like there is nothing in your life that needs to be changed.



You are quick to react. You are courageous and bold.



Sitting on the sea shore counting the waves looking beyond the stretched horizon. The horizon being the place where the sky meets the seas, in reality they part being of the same system, seemingly looking at each other and touching each other all the time, but never happen to meet. I often feel that as the waves approach me, I also reach out to those waves. The clash of the waves with rocks or their run up the slope of the sandy shore, the different colours the light refracts into the different hues, the gentle whizz and whirl of the winds in your ear that brings a eternity to mind and timelessness in the heat.The sense of so many things happening when everything around seems full of subtlety and simplicity. Is evolution something dynamic and yet so silent, changes so slow that you don’t notice it change and all of a sudden you say to your self, Oh Hello!! Where have I been?

I often ridiculed people who said change is painful, I was good or thought I was good at adopting changes, but didn’t ever realising it was about adopting changes, it is chosing what you have to change and the gruel and struggle that is painful. Giving up pain can be painful too, nothing is given up or earn with the stir of magic wand. If you get things luck when good luck blesses you, then those things would be snatched when ill fate curses you when you cross path.




You Are Mostly Virtuous



You are a good person, or at least as good as you can be.

You try to do the right thing, and you have ended up with many virtues.



While you are virtuous, you aren't a saint.

There's definitely a bit of devilishness deep in your heart!



Where You Are Virtuous



You have the virtue of Temperance. You don't eat or drink excessively.



You have the virtue of Industry. You know how to do what's useful and avoid time wasters.



You have the virtue of Justice. You treat other people fairly, even when you don't feel like it.



Where You Are Not Virtuous



You lack the virtue of Moderation. You are attracted to extremes of all sorts.



You lack the virtue of Order. Many aspects of your life are chaotic and a total mess.



You lack the virtue of Frugality. You tend to spend and waste money freely.



I suggest anyone who has a blog block,should try blog things. I am not sure if I am going through a blog block, I am simply unable to blog of pretty ordinary regime aka daily routine I have adopted and meaninglessly wandering about. I guess I need to be more firm with myself.Although I did finish reading Brida - Paulo Coelho but I think I had set a stiffer target only to brush off things nightly again. This post is one from teh draft and I would love to take it further on the second edit. Meanwhile, this one is almost past the thought of post before I mended ways and decided to post it.