In hindsight, I regret for not watching the whole innings. I never thought Sachin has got it in him that is needed to get the double in an ODI and I always thought it is going to be Sehwag but the little master did it what noone else on this planet had done. What an innings it was!

Now, I know its in a long time, the worldcup please and I would be content. Or not!

So it Starts.

Finally I had the first accident experience. Some people may say this should be your second but hey, hitting a cow on a rainy day when you are driving insanely slow doesn't count as one and moreover I wasn't hurt then. Leaving that aside, as I have a reason for almost everything I have one for this too. I was speeding as I saw the green turn yellow where I usually take the right turn and there was an accent on the left lane which was parked or so I thought which upon realizing the yellow, almost like someone pushed a thrust button, changed gears and tried to turn to the right by coming into the right lane where I was happily accelerating. I panicked (not my trait) as its almost into my way and I just applied whatever got in my mind, the brakes that is. I slipped and fell. This is common. It happens.

Now the lady from the car to open the door and ask "You fell all by yourself. No?" Thats uncommon. Its more uncommon than anything else that could be uncommon. Here is someone on the road dusting himself checking the bruises and all you could muster is a question reflecting your innocence in what has happened! I laughed with all the pain.

The good thing is I got away with what could be a serious one with just a scratch on my hand. I still can't believe I got away with such a small injury.
The reason this happend is that somehow nature wanted to make sure I know I am still not 'that' perfect. So much for the arrogance!

Lovely article about the famous defence we 'had'.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article2462721.ece

Wenger needs to get his magic hat out and procure someone in the league of the fabulous four. Its disheartening to see his face after the repeated defeats although it was brought upon by himself and there is none to blame for. Change, any sort of change, is a must.

Why should it be like this? To be caught in different minds while filling up self-performance sheet. I mean why should we do when it is our superiors who should do the performance measuring. I just don’t get it. I have to mark myself as in how I performed the task that was given to me which would always be: I did the best. Nah it can’t be like that, they say, you are supposed to be pragmatic in filling it up. What the heck does that mean? I am good at whatever I do, I say with a smile. Do you want it to be relative and if so I am not the one who should be doing it instead, you should be evaluating us. They would have none of it. It is the process, they answer. I know when to keep quiet. So, how do you fill it up?

This is going to be a real problem especially if you are working in the IT. What you do is code and may be test it and then you fix the bugs(if any). Oh! we prepare docs too. Now the code you 'write' might be a very good job done from the perspective of your boss while you think its just a small task which is being given unnecessary prominence. When its time for the self-appraisal as they call it, you cannot be pretty sure about what your boss thinks about that job you did in the last month. So you might go with a lower grade and he actually who thinks it to be genuinely good job would be surprised to see yourself grading it less and might alter his opinion just because you don’t think that was your best job or dangerously leave it as you graded without a second thought and am sure the latter happens the most. And the next criteria which you graded high might be scaled down to a lower grade as your boss shares a different view. All get together and you are in deep s**t. You might actually go with grading best for all the criteria and the idea itself is really sympathetic as everyone knew very well that it cannot be true especially in a company as huge as ours. No one is going to do all the jobs in the project and hence you can be sure your testing is inferior to the person next to you whose main job is that while yours is documentation. Don’t ask me how can one portray something good in his appraisal if documentation is the only job in his 4 month project time. That is irrelevant. Anyway I digress. Show something you did under each criteria and grade it, they say. So if you attend certain lectures irrelevant to your project or even to your domain it is not going to matter. Mention it and everything that you did under the sun and yes even the two lines script that you copied from Unix forum to do a simple task would do. Sigh!

During my school days we used to have a teacher who used to give tests and then ask us to change the sheets with others and correct them. Who in his right frame of mind in this world would do that, I used to think(no morals and ethics), and now looking at the big corporate doing it I am going to take it with a pinch of salt when they say they are going to use the statistics.Throw some ‘A’s and some lower grades to compensate as to show that you actually care for the process and truly doesn’t think it to be another frivolous task. Yes that would do and that is what I did. Now I await my manager’s opinion. I would say he would better go with it. Who wants another hour of unnecessary argument rather fight.

what a day in the IPL. Finally got to see two close finishes. More of that would do no harm.

Gutted to see Ganguly suffer loss after a brilliant display. Buchanan has lost the plot. Mendis is always a fine option but you should consider the opposition strength before you strategise and KKR coach was naive in allowing mendis to bowl the super over even though he knew Pathan is going to bat. 2 points thrown away rather silly. Warne is rather brave to bowl kamran khan but he is always like that.

Three days of the IPL and not a single match worth the excitement I felt after the IPL 1. The crowd is dull and so are the commentators. Mandira Bedi! Why God why? Isn't it enough we have Arun Lal, Ravi and Gavaskar with their tracer bullets and cool cucumbers! Why on earth do we need her? For the stammering or the carbon copy of mayanti lancer's dress sense? And the rain is almost a certain not that I blame Modi for that. Yuvi probably hates it much now that his team has lost twice as the games have been reduced over efforts. 6 overs! Even in our galli we used to look down on those who played less than 8 overs a match and we are talking about something called a global game(cue: Modi)!! As of now I feel its not worth bunking office and definitely not worthy of sacrificing sleep. Ahh you get the gist.

PS: Harsha Bhogle on SET MAX!!! I am being candid when I say I am surprised with his inclusion but its the way forward for them. Now dispatch Mandira to India: wouldja please.

I have always believed people change; all the time. Did I change? I am sure I did. Not that I noticed much of it till my plus two. It went unnoticed by me. The first time I observed something different was in my second year of engineering when my long time friends met and I just couldn't get to be myself among the group. It might be because of the different atmospheres everyone was in at that time but I could see the difference by a mile as in how suffocating it was. And when my school class teacher pointed out that I changed a lot since we last met. After that, I was conscious of the changes albeit inadvertently. There might be something about me that has been changed which I didn't know and still don't but I can say it would be in the minority because, if I didn't, there is always my grandma to point out everything and I believe her except for one when she says I have become thinner.
That’s impossible. Simply out of question!

But from last year something has been changed unconsciously. I just didn't know; that's until now.

I am averse to any kind of change that might happen to me or to anyone (anything) surrounding me in the past few months. I just want everything to continue to be as it is, not like the world being still for ever but something in similar lines with the earth rotating and everyone aging. Call it routine if you will. I like that. I dreaded to change the pattern of what I do on my weekends, what I do in the office, the way I work, the people I talk with, the channels I watch, the phone calls I make.. everything everything.. even the sleep. I was never like this. I am not saying I am not much of a sleep person but timing is a bit too much. Not that I was an outgoing person before but never this reluctant to change or meet people and talk to people. I previously used to say NO to almost everything only to say Yes a few seconds later. But now I just say NO to almost everything. Be it the extra work that my boss wants me to do or the weekend they want me work for support or the little amount of cricket, colleagues want to me to join in or the trip my roommate loves to go on or the new place to dine in or the idea of catching the new movie. Everything goes with a firm NO these days. Okay the movies might be exempted as everything is crap these days. But the rest... people stopped asking me now. And worst, I ould find reasons to say NO. Valid or invalid doesn't matter as long as I wanna say NO.

This wasn't like any other time where my grandma points out my abnormal behaviour or the change she saw in me and I laugh it off. Something new, that I recognized the hard way. For the first time in my life I missed home. I felt alone. For the first time I guess. Until now, I never missed home!!! Both my parents work and me living without them around me was not a seldom occurrence and I never missed them. I stayed for almost one and half year in the college not going home. I was never homesick. And I never felt alone. Ever! That wasn't me. So I thought but this time it was different. Something has changed.
I wanted to talk to someone so bad that I browsed through my phonebook only not to call anyone. Not even home. May be that’s what you get once you leave the comforts of the college. Not the bed, food and shelter but the other: Friends. I thought so. May be four years of stay after all made me feel like this. But no, not even that. I didn't want to go meet them even when I had a chance; chances if I tried a little hard. That is when I realised I kind of grew out of talking to others, caring for others in one way or the other (call it socialization?) and started living a lonely life some time back, of which I was completely unaware of. And I watched a season of desperate house wives!!!!! That should have been the final nail in the coffin but it wasn't.

I figure out, since my initial finding of changes associated with our lives, changes exist in life and phases too which fade out as quickly as they come or stay for a while lingering that extra moment to exasperate you. I really hope this is just a phase in my life. And not a sure shot change. That would be truly dreadful.

I got a call from the BSNL Engineer asking me whether I would be available at 11.30 AM tomorrow so that he could send someone to give us a new connection

After kicking myself to make sure it isn't a dream, I hurrahed only to see someone from the other project wondering what the hell happened to the silent guy!! I just can't believe it. I persisted them all these days calling each and every day only to hear some random reason and certain days, they wouldn't even answer the phone.May be the whole office is on leave. It can happen, I assure you. People told me to give it atleast three months. And they still insist not to count before the chickens hatch. But noone can stop me enjoying the moment they called. They called!!!

US TV Schedule:
http://www.zeesports.co.in/sports/TVTimes/tvtimes_us.aspx
Indian TV Schedule:
http://www.zeesports.co.in/sports/TVTimes/tvtimes.aspx

Last time I heard ZEE was an Indian Channel. Or is it, still?

Did anyone from the ZEE had an analysis done with an outcome that states: there is no need to update the schedules at this end of the world as no one would be looking at.Or is it because no one would question? or is it because the channel itself is shit not to mention the commentary team and they knew it.

I ached to watch the awesome gunners Carling cup team and I had to endure this shit. Anything for one more gem of a performance.

Long time indeed.

Delicious Treat It was Yesterday

That was a gem of a match. If if if if Federer's backhand, at any stage of the match, matched the same of his previous year it would have been another runners up trophy in Nadal's trophy cabinet and Borg's record would no be more. Alas it didn't.

And did I mention I hate it. I am no fan of Nadal but he is one of the best athletes I have ever seen. Federer would play an outrageous cross court short opening up the complete court and yet Nadal covers whole length of the pitch. Mind you even after 4 hours 40 minutes, he was doing the same. He would have played another three sets if asked to. Such is his stamina.

I am no astrologer but is this the end to Federer's era? May be. His forehand is of course out of this world and his serve is the best. 29 aces! But he is making lots and lots of unforced errors these days. His back hand isn't what it was. And when he faces Nadal, am I the only one who feels like there is a bit of mental pressure? Its sounds odd for a five time champion. I want him to comeback strong. Love to see him lifting the US Open trophy. Let us see.
The game is changing. I love Federer's game for his great technical ability but when its between Sampras and him its always the former. There is no serve and volley game in Federer's that I like. Now its Nadal who is much much much more reliant on the physical fitness than technical abilities and I hate that. May be that's the reason I cheered for Federer. Next time I would be rooting for Federer yet again. This time around I hope he doesn't get it wrong.

I waited for Borg's record to be broken and here I am not knowing how many years it might take. May be decades!

PS: I made a good decision not to watch the Asia cup as we made ourselves look like complete fools not chasing 273 on that pitch!!!! Mind you, on that pitch!!! Who ever is singing the name of mendis, I found his bowling way too normal and its the erratic shot selection by us that handed over the wickets and the win. So its 18 finals that we lost. No wonder there though.

Yesterday everything went wrong, I was talking about my predictions. I thought Kimmi would win, India would thrash SriLanka and arrogantly thought I would be pleased seeing Federer hammer Nadal.

When I look back at yesterday's events, I look like a total schmuck.
Hamilton dominated the race completing it almost 69 sec's ahead of others.
Jayasurya thrashed us.
Federer fought fought and fought only to loose the battle to a well deserving champion, Nadal: Take a bow!

Cricket now-a-days

Asia Cup pitches are a joke. And it’s schedule: pathetic.

What is with Danny Morrison and ‘Rhythm’?
What is with Wasim Akram and ‘whatsoever’?

A new punishment should be enforced: Commentary of Ramiz Raza, Ali Khan, Aamir Sohail, Arun Lal.
Dhoni was bowled by an off spinner but not by a doosra for God sake. Even after the replays, it’s the same comment: I expect way too much from Ramiz.

BCCI saying players should have opted out if they couldn’t cope with the schedule is the worst ever statement I heard in the recent years, may be not: they make statements every day.

Gunners Crashed out of Europe!

Absolutely gutted! I am. Seriously I am! How I wish the referees in the football games to be robots that will makes decisions with at least some precision and won’t make decisions based on the atmosphere surrounding them. How, how on earth can that be a fucking penalty!!!
Anyway, it had to be the gooners on the losing side. We are already told that, some may say, but I will say the better team just didn’t win. It didn’t. Not because they couldn’t but because of sheer injustice on the field. Simply they were outclassed by the officials letting Liverpool play with one another extra man. We could have tolerated that if he is a player but he is the decision making referee and even God cannot cope with that.

Delightful Umpiring

Yesterday I saw some of the highlights of the second test and I got to know as to why Australia was invincible in their own turf for a very long time.

Question remains: What happens to their 'record' after Steve Buckner's retirement?

I don't get it. Whats wrong in calling a monkey a monkey?
It might be wrong in the sense that he was called just a monkey.. should have been called long haired monkey.

I say call off the tour and come back. Eight decisions which simply costs us a test match and some indisputable player of cricket says its great to win a test and shows the team's determination. Yes it shows how much 'good work' your 'fourteen' players had done. Hats off! Now BCCI please please do something if at all you can do something other than thinking, drinking and eating money.

!!

Australia: 136/6 in the second session!

Australia: 376/7 by the end of first day.

Come on everyone. Bash every one in the team and start the talk of we being complacent yet again and we 'Indians' always lack the killer instinct.

Have a look at the decisions! Even the third umpire got the stumping, clear stumping mind you, wrong! Amazing stuff from the ICC panel of umpires. I don't know what world they are from but sure Australians would be jumping with joy as of now.

A clear edged catch not once but thrice. A clear LBW.. ok let us leave this as LBW's are something umpires have the 'right' to get wrong 'occasionally' - They are after all humans.

Clear Stumping. This was given not out by the third umpire!

I would have been devastated if i was the bowler and fuming if I was the captain.
For all those who say these are all part and parcel of the game! Stop it you morons. It is not just one decision(which umpires seem to claim having as a birth right) but many which by every means took away the credit from our bowlers. How and how could even the third umpire get it wrong is beyond my understanding!

People who say rick ponting was wrongly given out for a thick inside edge of bajji's bowling on 55. If he was in there it would be even worse for india.

Loosers. He was clearly caught by dhoni of dada's bowling on 17! 50/3 before lunch and that would have definitely been worse for Australia then.

Shitty Arguments and yet I hope our team would fight to comeback as the Aussies are wrongly poised in an absolutely good position in this second test.

Dravid get your batting straight please please..

Those swinging behaviors and moods

Shame! isn't it? When you know that first impressions don't matter because its almost sure that you would be(were) wrong but still you carry on and behave as if you just cannot be wrong.

I still can't stop falling into this category and am i cursing myself? Hell yes!

Seriously, its not a good feeling to be in.

Them , Us, Me. wtf!

Firstly, I kept aside my traveling plans to Kerala for the weekend just because I would be getting something new for the first time and have to be here in Mysore. They, so coldly, said it’s going to be delayed further when I clearly mentioned that I am in need of that more than anything else, more than the urge to toss this tie that surrounds my neck as a snake; highly uncomfortable. They say the load isn’t yet delivered as it’s having a field trip from Haryana and they actually don’t have the truck driver’s number to confirm where the load is.
Don’t give me that Bull! I couldn’t convey the same to ‘them’ and I blame my lack of knowledge in Kannada and theirs in English as the option of Hind is chalked out as both knew the same Hindi and I am not so fluent with the rough words. Now I am left out to mouth certain abuses at imaginary them, in my mind.

Secondly, I stay in my friend’s room instead of going around Mysore to watch Arsenal beating the hell out of Boro and what I get is to watch us playing like shit. I never ever watched them play so bad and would never ever want them to play like that from now on. I was so disappointed and dejected last night. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Is it the England team on the pitch? Nah, reality strikes and it’s Arsenal who lost vital lead and I am dumbstruck.

Thirdly, I get to my cubicle to get some papers and return back to my room and instead of doing what I wanted to do end up logging in and the computer ask to change the password for security reasons as if I was given access to something highly confidential, if there is any! All I get to have is nothing in the hard disk which can be stolen in computer science sense. Why do I need to change my password every few days is beyond my imagination!
Anyway, I end up spending twenty minutes to find a new password. It says: You are not using all the secure measures given in the password tips and there I was banging my head all over to find a password which I can actually remember and isn’t in the list of my previous 12 passwords. Can you believe it? Twelve previous passwords! To do a ‘Asim benerjee’, how did they decide the number to be twelve? Huh!

Fourthly, I get a call from my roommate to buy toothpaste while coming back to the room and he specifies it to be ‘Pepsodent’. Ok. I get to the lift door in the third floor and press the down button. I see first lift resting in the second floor and the second in -2 which is moving up. The first never stops resting and the moving one starts moving so slow that I keep on smashing the button, not that it makes the lift move fast but... it’s simply unexplainable. Those of you who spotted me at that moment... don’t panic. Nothing is wrong with me as of now and I assure you there is no need of moving me to an asylum. The second one actually went up to the fifth floor and then while coming down stopped to pick me up. All this while, the first was still resting. Kudos to whoever designed that system!

Finally, I get to the dhobi to get my clothes back and he shouts at me saying washing and ironing clothes take one week time and tomorrow will be that day. Me to myself: ‘Oops! Wrong time. He is having an off day!’ Yours truly walks down to the loyal world to find no toothpaste.

Last but not the least, I reach the room to find it dark and deserted to find out the loss of power only in our house while the whole locality is beaming with lights shining. After all these, I didn’t find anything better than to spend the whole night fighting mosquitoes and cool breeze. To think in those terms, silly me! Of course I was wrong. The water! You don’t have power; you can’t pump water into the tank.

Hahahaha . Someone up there is having a laugh.

“Who is having an off day?” I retrospect.

The Prince

I thought
He lost his touch and timing.
He is no more a potential candidate to be in the one day team and also the test team for obvious reasons.
He should give up his effort to come back into the team and pave way for the youngsters.
He should retire and start coaching; his commanding abilities are always there even when he was going through the rough patch of his career.
He will never be back into the team after he lost his place in the side.
He is back in to the test team but he definitely has no comeback into the one day team; too much talent pool on hand to keep him out.

Being his ardent fan, I wished I was wrong in the first place but I never ever dreamt it to become true. How wrong I was!!!!

Now I don’t
Have to show people statistics and give links of videos in which he batted against good fast bowling attack and timed the ball so well.
Have to convince people that he is no more a liability but an asset to the team.
Have to argue anymore with anyone.

Still if someone says he isn’t the right person to be in the team, to hell with You!

He is the prince.

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, I bow thy attitude.

What has infy done!

Coming out of the darkness occupied basement area into the sunlight filled lawns I heard this

Manohar: Abey, I thought this to be a grey color shirt but it has some purple shade too! With an expression which when translated to our language says !@#!#@!#!@.

Rakesh: purple is gayish.

Manohar: That’s what I wanted to convey.

Rakesh: On another note.. even ‘gray’ contains gay in it.

Manohar: !!! What? How?

Rakesh: Remove ‘r’ from gray and its gay.

Manohar and me: !!!!

Manohar: Its color ‘grey’ babu, bangari rakesh babu.

Rakesh: Arey. If you write that in telglish, it should be ‘gray’

Me: enuff.... do you think of any need to undo the damage? This would definitely make its entry into ‘Dobbudu Gang’.

*evil laugh*