Well for those of you wondering if my new year resolution was never to blog again, here we go. It's been a while since my last post but that's mainly been due to the busy (very busy) holiday schedule followed by a hectic first week back in college. Oh and just in case you didn't catch the sarcasm, well, I was sarcastic. First of all, a happy new year to everyone. Let's hope that this year turns out to be better than the previous one, as we hope every year, and let's also hope that we can actually stick to our new year resolutions this time around.
When it comes to the holidays, calling it a 'sporting' holiday would be THE understatement of the year (however young it may still be). My daily routine was round about the same as that of many sports fans across the country - wake up early and catch the NBA match at around 7, follow that with some highly competitive Ashes cricket till lunch, then enjoy the battle for the No. 1 spot in Test cricket between India and South Africa till dinner and finish the day, rather uncharacteristically, with a movie post-dinner. An absolutely perfect holiday, some would say.
After many long years of following basketball matches online and reading recaps on the website, or at times even streaming live games if they were important enough, Ten Sports has finally, truly brought the NBA to India. With four games telecast every week, there is finally something to wake up for in the mornings (apart from coffee, of course). It's good to finally be able to see live basketball on TV.
The Ashes, this time around, turned out to be a one-sided show. England, after nearly 15 years of torture at the hands of the Australians, managed to do to Australia what was being done to them for a long, long time. And that was total, utter domination. England managed to outplay Australia in all but one of the matches. It was only fitting that in all three of their victories, the English batsmen never had to play a second innings. And for the first time in 24 years, an English team managed to win the Ashes in Australia. That is a really long wait and a job well done by the English team. However one-sided it was, it was still a pleasure to watch. The quality of the presentation was simply outstanding and the cricket was of a fiercely competitive nature.
The afternoon's were invariably spent watching the India-South Africa Test matches. Again, it was a wonderful series. We got thrashed in the first Test and everyone thought it was going to be the same as always - that the Indians are lions at home and mice abroad. The second Test at Durban proved just how far we've come as a team in recent years. A low-scoring game it was, but a pivotal one definitely. Our bowling suddenly looked that much more dangerous and actually capable of taking twenty wickets in a game (which we eventually did). There were three things that turned that game around for us.
The first was Zaheer Khan's bowling on the second day. After being bowled out for 205, India did well to dismiss the Proteas for a paltry 131. Zaheer helped turn around the bowling after the first Test and by picking up three wickets in each innings, was definitely the best bowler in the Test (yes, even ahead of Steyn and Morkel). The second was another Very, Very Special innings from our second-innings savior, Laxman. Cool as a cucumber in the tensest of times, he produced yet another match-winning effort. Having saved India three times in the year already, he came out to bat with India struggling. They were barely more than a hundred runs in front and wickets were falling around him like ninepins! Batting with the tail, he produced a scintillating 96, the kind of performance we are used to, and at times take for granted, to push the lead in excess of 300.
The third and final moment that changed the course of the series was the absolute snorter that Kallis received from Sreesanth. It was truly an unplayable delivery and set India well on course to victory. It was an amazing match and for the Indian spectator, was so much more special. It also showed that though Sachin's 50th century went in vain a week earlier, the series was not yet lost. If anything, it had just begun.
Well, as the new year starts, I guess we could all take something out of that Test match. Even when things don't go right for the first time, never give up. Come back, try harder, and definitely, things can change. I don't know if there's a limit on how long a blog article can be, but I'm sure if you are still reading this, you must be pretty bored. So I'd like to sign off by wishing you a happy new year and a quote that we can all try and incorporate in our lives this year. It's from Kung Fu Panda (a must-watch movie) and is one of my all-time favourite quotes.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the 'present' ".
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Sunday, November 28, 2010
One of life's unrequited questions
Having seen the latest episode of House M.D, it brought up a very curious question. The existence of God. It is a topic of vast ideologies and oft misplaced faith. It is a question, however, that has survived the vagaries of the many centuries and remains, to this date, unanswered. And perhaps, for a long time to come, will remain so. There are many different viewpoints and many varied beliefs. But, in my opinion, that is what it is - belief.
Yes, nobody can prove that God exists. Conversely, nobody can prove that He doesn't either. There are many documentaries that discuss religion and how so many religions have so much in common etc. Personally, I do not believe in religion, but I do believe that there is a higher power, some higher authority. It is inexplicable scientifically. But that is where a little bit of faith, or belief, plays a big role.
A very common argument with most people on this question is that if God does exist, and if he is this all-powerful, all-knowing being, why do people get sick or die? Why do bad things happen in this world? In my opinion, this "higher power" is not another being. It is just a way of instilling self-belief in people and giving them the faith that is necessary to get themselves out of difficult situations. We all feel that much safer and secure if we believe that there is someone taking care of us and keeping an eye over us.
It gives us a sense of self-confidence, especially in tumultuous times, to make it through the darker parts of our life. That is precisely why the whole concept of God has always been about belief and faith. It is belief and faith in yourself, not some other being. This is just my opinion, and I may be wrong, but, as this post has been about, I believe this.
Well, on another note, exam week has started and more or less, come to an end. With four done and just one more to go, this marks the ending of yet another semester. Time really does fly when you least want it to. I can almost remember every detail of New Year's day of 2010 (including losing my phone!) and it's nearly time for 2011 already! But well, thats how life rumbles on and like most others, I'm just hoping to get through this semester.
These final year exams have been a different experience altogether. With none of the tension derived from lofty expectations, these exams didn't even feel like a usual exam week. Yes, there were the same old night-outs. And there was a certain amount of studying done. But the difference was, the previous years we studied to get grades. If we wanted an 8, we studied for a 9 and so on. This time was different. This time, it was all about getting through. Anyway, like all other final years, the last but one is done and the final semester is here and surely, we're going to make it one to remember.
P.S - Please excuse the dryness of this post. There has been a caffeinical disaster in college and that has left me with no coffee in over two days!
Yes, nobody can prove that God exists. Conversely, nobody can prove that He doesn't either. There are many documentaries that discuss religion and how so many religions have so much in common etc. Personally, I do not believe in religion, but I do believe that there is a higher power, some higher authority. It is inexplicable scientifically. But that is where a little bit of faith, or belief, plays a big role.
A very common argument with most people on this question is that if God does exist, and if he is this all-powerful, all-knowing being, why do people get sick or die? Why do bad things happen in this world? In my opinion, this "higher power" is not another being. It is just a way of instilling self-belief in people and giving them the faith that is necessary to get themselves out of difficult situations. We all feel that much safer and secure if we believe that there is someone taking care of us and keeping an eye over us.
It gives us a sense of self-confidence, especially in tumultuous times, to make it through the darker parts of our life. That is precisely why the whole concept of God has always been about belief and faith. It is belief and faith in yourself, not some other being. This is just my opinion, and I may be wrong, but, as this post has been about, I believe this.
Well, on another note, exam week has started and more or less, come to an end. With four done and just one more to go, this marks the ending of yet another semester. Time really does fly when you least want it to. I can almost remember every detail of New Year's day of 2010 (including losing my phone!) and it's nearly time for 2011 already! But well, thats how life rumbles on and like most others, I'm just hoping to get through this semester.
These final year exams have been a different experience altogether. With none of the tension derived from lofty expectations, these exams didn't even feel like a usual exam week. Yes, there were the same old night-outs. And there was a certain amount of studying done. But the difference was, the previous years we studied to get grades. If we wanted an 8, we studied for a 9 and so on. This time was different. This time, it was all about getting through. Anyway, like all other final years, the last but one is done and the final semester is here and surely, we're going to make it one to remember.
P.S - Please excuse the dryness of this post. There has been a caffeinical disaster in college and that has left me with no coffee in over two days!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Facebook me?
The Social Network. I was finally able to catch the movie this evening after hearing a lot about it. Luckily, it lived up to every word said about the movie. A superb movie in all departments - short, gripping, intense and neatly done. But above all, it is an extremely inspiring movie. The first idea that comes across one's head as the title credits roll is - so, how am I going to make my ₨45.23 ($1) billion?
The movie is based on the true story of the origins of the popular networking site, facebook.com. From a website started on the computer of a 19 year old Harvard undergraduate student, it now garners more hits in a day than even Google. With over 500 million users and nearly a billion dollars in revenue, it is easily one of the biggest success stories of the new millenium. And at just 24, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder, became the youngest billionaire ever.
Overwhelming facts, the above tend to be. But it also shows you that you don't necessarily need to have a crazily innovative, novel idea to start a company. All you need is for your product to sell, and sell well. When Facebook shot to fame, there was already Orkut, MySpace and Friendster doing reasonably well. Facebook wasn't exactly a novel idea but what they did, they did well. They were clean, relatively ad-free and catered to the adolescent population.
Coming back to the movie, the screenplay was absolutely outstanding. Aaron Sorkins has done an outstanding job when it comes to writing the screenplay for the movie. It keeps you gripped throughout and there is not a point in the movie when your attention isn't captured in its entirety. The dialogues are simply outstanding. One that still remains in memory, not only for its delivery, but for its sheer simplicity - "The internet isn't written in pencil, Mark. It's written in ink."
All in all, a very neatly done movie. An evening well spent, definitely. And even while walking out the theatre, the characters were deeply etched in my mind. And the one question that still remains in my mind - how am I going to make my ₨2,939.93 ($65) million. Now, I am going to get to work to answer that question!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Man from Earth
After hearing rave reviews, I finally got down to watching 'The Man from Earth' today. Its a very interesting movie with a novel concept. What if, hypothetically, there was a man who survived the Stone ages, the Medieval ages and continues to live in the Modern age. This brings up a plethora of possibilities. Would he still be a caveman? Would he be able to communicate with anyone else in any humanly understandable way? Such are the questions brought up by the movie. Answers too, albeit hypothetical ones they may be.
Yes, thats right. The 14,000 year old protagonist is called John 'Oldman'. A very creative pun, indeed. This movie makes you think. What if you could live so long? Would you want that in the first place? Would you want to remain alive while those around you continue to die? Or can you detach yourself enough to enjoy living through all the phases of our planet? These are difficult questions to answer, but definitely worth many a conversation! All in all, a very enamouring and captivating movie. A must-watch for any movie buff and a really good evening for all others. My rating - 85/100.
To put it briefly, the movie is about a man who is actually 14,000 years old and may actually be a cro-magnon. It is an extremely low budget movie. It required only ₨8,804,316.96 ($200,000) to produce. The screenplay was written by Jerome Bixby on his deathbed. It is pretty riveting work for a man about to die. For any man, in fact. The underlying notion through the movie is that even though the protagonist's story is so incredulous, there is absolutely no way to either prove he's right or prove he's wrong. This just arouses added interest, not only in the other characters of the movie, but in all the viewers to know more about John Oldman.
Yes, thats right. The 14,000 year old protagonist is called John 'Oldman'. A very creative pun, indeed. This movie makes you think. What if you could live so long? Would you want that in the first place? Would you want to remain alive while those around you continue to die? Or can you detach yourself enough to enjoy living through all the phases of our planet? These are difficult questions to answer, but definitely worth many a conversation! All in all, a very enamouring and captivating movie. A must-watch for any movie buff and a really good evening for all others. My rating - 85/100.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
October Round-up
Alright, another long break and another crazy couple of weeks! Time just flies when you are in final year, I tell you. It feels like just yesterday that I was sitting in the same place and conjuring up adjectives to describe a particularly fascinating innings by Sachin. And yet, as the clock tells me, its two weeks hence.
However, the last week and a half has pretty much been an entrepot of memories. It started with the trip to Goa. Some six of us had planned on attending the BITS Goa fest, Waves. But after numerous plan-changes and drop outs, just three of us ended up going. And, we only spent the one day in the fest out of three. Nonetheless, it was one hell of a trip! Karaoke, great food and a legion of trips to the many beach-shacks made it all the more memorable.
The weekend after was our annual technical fest, Engineer. But before we could get to that and enjoy a further four days of freedom, we all had to make it through a dreadful assignment. The fear of a fail-grade made everyone that much more careful, so as to not have it seem that their assignment is copied. But once we were done with that, there were no more worries.
It was time for Engineer. Touted as one of India's biggest technical symposiums, it sure did live up to its name this time around. Although a vast majority of the people around had either gone home or on other surreptitious trips, those who did stay had a good time. Last time around, Engineer brought about a sort of manic depression. However, this time, we attended quite a few events, and in high spirits at that.
To cap it off, there is a chance of a tournament being there this weekend. That would be a perfect finish to a good month, one that started with basketball and may very well end with it, but had so much more in between. Until my next post, adios.
However, the last week and a half has pretty much been an entrepot of memories. It started with the trip to Goa. Some six of us had planned on attending the BITS Goa fest, Waves. But after numerous plan-changes and drop outs, just three of us ended up going. And, we only spent the one day in the fest out of three. Nonetheless, it was one hell of a trip! Karaoke, great food and a legion of trips to the many beach-shacks made it all the more memorable.
The weekend after was our annual technical fest, Engineer. But before we could get to that and enjoy a further four days of freedom, we all had to make it through a dreadful assignment. The fear of a fail-grade made everyone that much more careful, so as to not have it seem that their assignment is copied. But once we were done with that, there were no more worries.
It was time for Engineer. Touted as one of India's biggest technical symposiums, it sure did live up to its name this time around. Although a vast majority of the people around had either gone home or on other surreptitious trips, those who did stay had a good time. Last time around, Engineer brought about a sort of manic depression. However, this time, we attended quite a few events, and in high spirits at that.
To cap it off, there is a chance of a tournament being there this weekend. That would be a perfect finish to a good month, one that started with basketball and may very well end with it, but had so much more in between. Until my next post, adios.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Assorted Tidbits
It's been a week or more since my last post. And a hectic week it has been, at least by final year standards.
It started off with our trip to Chikmagalur for the Divisional district-level basketball tournament. Our college was chosen to represent D K District by virtue of winning the qualifier tournament the previous week. A walkover, a win and a loss summarises our tournament. But for all of us, it was more than the results. We were able to pin-point our weaknesses at the end of the tournament and we were reasonably impressed with our game throughout. Ofcourse, it also included the formal 'induction' of our freshers into the team! All in all, a good game, a great trip and some amazing memories.
The day that followed was supposed to be one of those traditional lazy days where you just wake up at your own will and laze around while moving within a maximum radius of 100 metres from your room. Instead, we found ourselves in Mangalore carrying out plans that had been in the works for more than two weeks now. It also meant we had no choice but to see Anjaana Anjaani as there was nothing better running (read 'Endhiran is not a movie I'm willing to shell out that much money to see!'). The movie was your typical, run-of-the-mill Hindi rom-com. The plus point, a big one at that, was Priyanka Chopra. Her recherché body exudes pulchritude in every scene of the movie!
A bit of running around after the movie eventually resulted in us finally finding the TV Tuner card we were looking for. The TV in our wing was finally functional. It also meant the end of any form of studies henceforth, but that's a consequence we shall deal with later on. As of now, we're busy watching the TV. The week also included the first episode of the returning show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. It's been a while since we've all seen the Big B in his familiar role opposite the 'Hot Seat' and it was pleasantly refreshing to see that again. It does, however, get repetitive after a day and that was all that most of us could handle.
To round it off, we were also really lucky to see a few records broken in the cricketing world. Twenty one years in cricket and one would think his hunger for runs and his passion to dominate opposition bowling attacks would die down. And yet, here he is, ever hungrier and renascent after the debacle of the 2007 World Cup. It also happened to be the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of the new century. Only once in a 100 years does this happen. And it was on this day that a man, whose lucky number is ten and whose name contains 'ten' in it, came out to bat and once again, try and rescue India from a potentially risky situation. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
This diminutive Mumbaikar has been India's go-to guy for the majority of his career. The mere fact that at the age of 37, twenty one years into the game, his is still the wicket the opposition bowlers value the most tells us why he is considered God by many in India. In a special innings for the Little Master, he surpassed the mountainous stratum of 14,000 runs in Test cricket. He also notched up his 49th century in Tests and his 6th double hundred, tying him with Virender Sehwag for most double hundreds by an Indian. A simple statistic for those that say he is beyond his prime, Tendulkar has achieved two of those six double hundreds and crossed 1,000 runs yet again in the last ten months. And there appears the number ten again. Coincidence? Some would say it is destiny. Either way, it is a strong substantiation of the famous saying, 'Form is temporary, but class is permanent'. And Sachin is sheer, out-and-out class.
In hindsight, it was a great week on the whole. Receiving my offer letter made it that much better. As I said before, getting placed is like a hurdle. Passing all your interviews and getting the job is like jumping the hurdle. Getting your offer letter is comparable to landing safe on the other side. All eyes are now on the fifth day of play of the second Test match tomorrow. Should be an interesting one!
It started off with our trip to Chikmagalur for the Divisional district-level basketball tournament. Our college was chosen to represent D K District by virtue of winning the qualifier tournament the previous week. A walkover, a win and a loss summarises our tournament. But for all of us, it was more than the results. We were able to pin-point our weaknesses at the end of the tournament and we were reasonably impressed with our game throughout. Ofcourse, it also included the formal 'induction' of our freshers into the team! All in all, a good game, a great trip and some amazing memories.
The day that followed was supposed to be one of those traditional lazy days where you just wake up at your own will and laze around while moving within a maximum radius of 100 metres from your room. Instead, we found ourselves in Mangalore carrying out plans that had been in the works for more than two weeks now. It also meant we had no choice but to see Anjaana Anjaani as there was nothing better running (read 'Endhiran is not a movie I'm willing to shell out that much money to see!'). The movie was your typical, run-of-the-mill Hindi rom-com. The plus point, a big one at that, was Priyanka Chopra. Her recherché body exudes pulchritude in every scene of the movie!
A bit of running around after the movie eventually resulted in us finally finding the TV Tuner card we were looking for. The TV in our wing was finally functional. It also meant the end of any form of studies henceforth, but that's a consequence we shall deal with later on. As of now, we're busy watching the TV. The week also included the first episode of the returning show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. It's been a while since we've all seen the Big B in his familiar role opposite the 'Hot Seat' and it was pleasantly refreshing to see that again. It does, however, get repetitive after a day and that was all that most of us could handle.
To round it off, we were also really lucky to see a few records broken in the cricketing world. Twenty one years in cricket and one would think his hunger for runs and his passion to dominate opposition bowling attacks would die down. And yet, here he is, ever hungrier and renascent after the debacle of the 2007 World Cup. It also happened to be the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of the new century. Only once in a 100 years does this happen. And it was on this day that a man, whose lucky number is ten and whose name contains 'ten' in it, came out to bat and once again, try and rescue India from a potentially risky situation. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
This diminutive Mumbaikar has been India's go-to guy for the majority of his career. The mere fact that at the age of 37, twenty one years into the game, his is still the wicket the opposition bowlers value the most tells us why he is considered God by many in India. In a special innings for the Little Master, he surpassed the mountainous stratum of 14,000 runs in Test cricket. He also notched up his 49th century in Tests and his 6th double hundred, tying him with Virender Sehwag for most double hundreds by an Indian. A simple statistic for those that say he is beyond his prime, Tendulkar has achieved two of those six double hundreds and crossed 1,000 runs yet again in the last ten months. And there appears the number ten again. Coincidence? Some would say it is destiny. Either way, it is a strong substantiation of the famous saying, 'Form is temporary, but class is permanent'. And Sachin is sheer, out-and-out class.
In hindsight, it was a great week on the whole. Receiving my offer letter made it that much better. As I said before, getting placed is like a hurdle. Passing all your interviews and getting the job is like jumping the hurdle. Getting your offer letter is comparable to landing safe on the other side. All eyes are now on the fifth day of play of the second Test match tomorrow. Should be an interesting one!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A Very, Very Special Day
Yes, as the more perceptive of you might have realised, the title refers to the recently concluded Test match between India and Australia. It was a historic win for India in more ways than one, but the stand-out factor, no doubt, was another scintillating performance from VVS Laxman under immense pressure. Usually the first person to get axed even with the slightest doubt over fitness or form, VVS has proven time and again why he deserves a spot in the middle order of a batting-heavy lineup.
Statistics would just say that he scored 73 off 79 deliveries and would just be one more among the 46 fifties through his career. They do not take into account the fact that he is nearing 36 years of age. Nowhere in his numbers will it be mentioned that he batted through with a sore back. And it will soon be forgotten that he has saved us on two consecutive occasions - today and the third Test against Sri Lanka barely a month or two ago. But such is the spirit of a man who has by and large been sidelined by a more stellar and star-studded batting lineup throughout his career.
There is something to his batting that is so aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It is a real delight to watch a free-flowing Laxman innings. His innings are never about his scores, but about the way he scores. When he does retire, the world will surely miss those ravishing drives and stunning flicks. His presence at the crease, even in dire situations, brings about a calm serenity in the midst of a fiery tempest. His teammates would definitely concur.
Another unsung hero of the Test match was Ishant Sharma. This tall, lanky fast bowler from the suburbs of Delhi has yet again proved that grit and determination go a long way in swinging the fortunes of a team. Ruled out of the first innings with a knee injury following a bad spell of bowling, he did brilliantly to come back in the second and literally bowl India within striking distance of the game. Not only did he account for three important Australian batsmen, he also came out to bat with 92 runs required and just a couple of wickets left.
He batted with exemplary patience to compile 31 important runs. More importantly, when he departed, falling to a wrong decision, he had left India needing only 11 runs. What followed was a tense finish which could have gone either way. A little bit of luck and a slightly misdirected throw made sure the valiant efforts of Laxman and Ishant would not go in vain.
At the end of the day, sheer determination and a greater hunger for victory is what set the two teams apart. After the last ball of the Test, even a staunch stoic could not have held back his emotions. Yes, one may ask why I singled out only the performances of these two even though everyone did contribute to the victory. I did so because a lesser performance from either of these two would not have led me to write this post in the first place. Ironically, neither of them was awarded the Man-of-the-Match.
On a completely unrelated note, Happy birthday GShah! :)
Statistics would just say that he scored 73 off 79 deliveries and would just be one more among the 46 fifties through his career. They do not take into account the fact that he is nearing 36 years of age. Nowhere in his numbers will it be mentioned that he batted through with a sore back. And it will soon be forgotten that he has saved us on two consecutive occasions - today and the third Test against Sri Lanka barely a month or two ago. But such is the spirit of a man who has by and large been sidelined by a more stellar and star-studded batting lineup throughout his career.
There is something to his batting that is so aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It is a real delight to watch a free-flowing Laxman innings. His innings are never about his scores, but about the way he scores. When he does retire, the world will surely miss those ravishing drives and stunning flicks. His presence at the crease, even in dire situations, brings about a calm serenity in the midst of a fiery tempest. His teammates would definitely concur.
Another unsung hero of the Test match was Ishant Sharma. This tall, lanky fast bowler from the suburbs of Delhi has yet again proved that grit and determination go a long way in swinging the fortunes of a team. Ruled out of the first innings with a knee injury following a bad spell of bowling, he did brilliantly to come back in the second and literally bowl India within striking distance of the game. Not only did he account for three important Australian batsmen, he also came out to bat with 92 runs required and just a couple of wickets left.
He batted with exemplary patience to compile 31 important runs. More importantly, when he departed, falling to a wrong decision, he had left India needing only 11 runs. What followed was a tense finish which could have gone either way. A little bit of luck and a slightly misdirected throw made sure the valiant efforts of Laxman and Ishant would not go in vain.
At the end of the day, sheer determination and a greater hunger for victory is what set the two teams apart. After the last ball of the Test, even a staunch stoic could not have held back his emotions. Yes, one may ask why I singled out only the performances of these two even though everyone did contribute to the victory. I did so because a lesser performance from either of these two would not have led me to write this post in the first place. Ironically, neither of them was awarded the Man-of-the-Match.
On a completely unrelated note, Happy birthday GShah! :)
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