Monday, January 23, 2012
I am back...!
The title seems a bit like a movie phrase. :-) I happened to remember this blog of mine through a fleeting reference to it to one of my colleague and friend at work. The first thing I noticed though is, I never blogged when I was in college. And, I have stopped writing after I joined work! Haa...! It's taken me a full 5 years to realise that blatant fact. Goodness gracious. How many other things have I lost track of? Hoping to make up for all the missed things (everything, writing, roaming, chatting, FB ing, catching up with friends).
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Thinking...
Left alone at home for six days, having spent almost the entire money given, with the net connection playing spoil sport most of the time, no fuel in the bike, no balance in the mobile and a dead land line... What do I do now? Is it time to do what I do best? To think about a lot of things, but nothing? I am still thinking if I should start thinking. I have infinite time. I have absolutely no work.
After trying different things, I finally decided I could at least write something... When I started writing, I was unable to decide what to write. I wanted to write about so many things, I still don't know what to write about. I wanted to write about school kids driving bikes, without realising the harms they are exposed to. I wanted to write about a new means of transport; transport of a different kind. Let the roads move instead of vehicles moving on top of it. I wanted to write about a movie and a play I watched. I wanted to write about how we went to send one of our friend off to Hyderabad. I wanted to write about how I wrote a story. I wanted to fulfil one of my friend's wish by writing a 'Malgova Aunty' story. I wanted to write about how I gave up anger in favour of kindness.
Wanting to write about too many things at the same time, I decided, not to write anything for now. So, I once again started thinking what I could do to push time...
After trying different things, I finally decided I could at least write something... When I started writing, I was unable to decide what to write. I wanted to write about so many things, I still don't know what to write about. I wanted to write about school kids driving bikes, without realising the harms they are exposed to. I wanted to write about a new means of transport; transport of a different kind. Let the roads move instead of vehicles moving on top of it. I wanted to write about a movie and a play I watched. I wanted to write about how we went to send one of our friend off to Hyderabad. I wanted to write about how I wrote a story. I wanted to fulfil one of my friend's wish by writing a 'Malgova Aunty' story. I wanted to write about how I gave up anger in favour of kindness.
Wanting to write about too many things at the same time, I decided, not to write anything for now. So, I once again started thinking what I could do to push time...
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Are you afraid of the dark?
Ghost tales? Crap! Who the hell cares?
That isn't too uncommon when talking about ghosts. Even I am the same. There are no ghosts. I neither believe in ghosts nor the ghost stories. I never fear the dark. And I am not afraid to be alone at home. I love it actually.
At times though, some incidents make me feel if there is some unnatural force acting invisibly, constantly watching our every move, waiting for the right time to strike. What I am about to quote are not things that I've heard of. They are things that have happened and I've been there to witness it happen.
I was at my Grandmother's place yesterday night when something eerie happened. I prepared my bed and was ready to lie down in my room when I heard my 'paati' moving around in the hall. I asked what she was doing. She didn't respond. I asked her again what she was doing at this hour. It was close to midnight. But she still didn't respond and walked off to her room. I wanted to know what she did, and went to her room. And was literally knocked off my feet when I saw that she was in a deep sleep!! Then who was it, walking in the hall, scraping the feet on the floor just like how she does!! And I am too sure it wasn't my imagination. I heard it three times! Well... That was one eerie night. I felt afraid to even close my eyes. I let sleep take me away than taking it.
Yet another incident was when we were lost in a forest while going to a place called 'Subhramanya' in Karnataka. It was a long drive from Bangalore to Subhramanya. It took close to 15 hours. We started in the afternoon and darkness descended quicker than we expected and the destination too was too far away than we thought it would be. We had to travel through really dense forests to reach the place and pitch darkness was what we found on the outside. The driver didn't allow us to get out even to take a leak! He said Bear and Tiger attacks were common in that area! After travelling nearly an hour into the wilderness, we realised we were on the wrong route and didn't know how to retract. We were lost for good! That was when, a beautiful, really cute young girl knocked the driver's windscreen. Our initial reaction was, someone else had got lost and the girl belonged to their group. But that was not. She asked us if we had lost our way, and walked in front of our car, asking us to follow her. She lead us for ten minutes and finally we found the road from where we took the wrong exit. Engulfed in that minor excitement, we didn't see where the girl was. A few seconds later, we realised she had disappeared. She was nowhere. There was no way she could have vanished! That was one shocking experience. Don't ask me what it was. I still don't know...
July 2004. I was at my Uncle's house in Bangalore. It was a mansion. It really was. Spread across nearly 2000 sq feet, it had more than 10 rooms. It was huge. And haunted..... My brother and I were ready to sleep. We had wrapped ourselves up in nice, thick blankets. We were talking about some girl in his office. He suddenly stopped talking and held my shoulder. I pushed him away. He signalled me to remain quiet. I looked in the direction he was looking... And there it was.... Two identical red dots, on the roof... It appeared for a few seconds and went blank. And again, after a minute, re-appeared in a different corner of the roof. We slept in the hall that night. The following afternoon, everybody except my brother and I had gone shopping. We were watching a football match when we smelled something burning in the kitchen. At least that's what we thought. When we went to the kitchen, we found that the stove was off and the electric cooker too was un-plugged. The burning smell got thicker. We thought something inside the house had caught fire due to some short circuit and checked the rooms. Nothing! We ran upstairs to check the rooms there! There were three rooms in the first floor. We checked the first two. Nothing again! By now we were holding our noses tight, unable to bear the smell of smoke. Though we didn't SEE any smoke, the smell was overwhelming. We opened the third room and in that instant, the smell vanished. Perplexed, we queried that watchman. What he said had us swallowing hard. Few years ago, the house was owned by a politician. During an inter-party fight, one of the politician's kin was burnt to death in the first floor's third room............
Right now, even I feel it all too crazy to believe such things even after experiencing a few mis-haps. Thinking about it gives shivers. There MAY indeed be some force acting upon or against us. Pondering too much about what can't be seen isn't wise. So... What I do is to challenge it instead. "Hey you darkness, come in front of me if you have the guts. Don't act invisibly. Even if you want to kill me, show me your face. Earn your victory." Nothing has challenged me yet. Maybe it doesn't have what it takes to face a courageous young man.
That isn't too uncommon when talking about ghosts. Even I am the same. There are no ghosts. I neither believe in ghosts nor the ghost stories. I never fear the dark. And I am not afraid to be alone at home. I love it actually.
At times though, some incidents make me feel if there is some unnatural force acting invisibly, constantly watching our every move, waiting for the right time to strike. What I am about to quote are not things that I've heard of. They are things that have happened and I've been there to witness it happen.
I was at my Grandmother's place yesterday night when something eerie happened. I prepared my bed and was ready to lie down in my room when I heard my 'paati' moving around in the hall. I asked what she was doing. She didn't respond. I asked her again what she was doing at this hour. It was close to midnight. But she still didn't respond and walked off to her room. I wanted to know what she did, and went to her room. And was literally knocked off my feet when I saw that she was in a deep sleep!! Then who was it, walking in the hall, scraping the feet on the floor just like how she does!! And I am too sure it wasn't my imagination. I heard it three times! Well... That was one eerie night. I felt afraid to even close my eyes. I let sleep take me away than taking it.
Yet another incident was when we were lost in a forest while going to a place called 'Subhramanya' in Karnataka. It was a long drive from Bangalore to Subhramanya. It took close to 15 hours. We started in the afternoon and darkness descended quicker than we expected and the destination too was too far away than we thought it would be. We had to travel through really dense forests to reach the place and pitch darkness was what we found on the outside. The driver didn't allow us to get out even to take a leak! He said Bear and Tiger attacks were common in that area! After travelling nearly an hour into the wilderness, we realised we were on the wrong route and didn't know how to retract. We were lost for good! That was when, a beautiful, really cute young girl knocked the driver's windscreen. Our initial reaction was, someone else had got lost and the girl belonged to their group. But that was not. She asked us if we had lost our way, and walked in front of our car, asking us to follow her. She lead us for ten minutes and finally we found the road from where we took the wrong exit. Engulfed in that minor excitement, we didn't see where the girl was. A few seconds later, we realised she had disappeared. She was nowhere. There was no way she could have vanished! That was one shocking experience. Don't ask me what it was. I still don't know...
July 2004. I was at my Uncle's house in Bangalore. It was a mansion. It really was. Spread across nearly 2000 sq feet, it had more than 10 rooms. It was huge. And haunted..... My brother and I were ready to sleep. We had wrapped ourselves up in nice, thick blankets. We were talking about some girl in his office. He suddenly stopped talking and held my shoulder. I pushed him away. He signalled me to remain quiet. I looked in the direction he was looking... And there it was.... Two identical red dots, on the roof... It appeared for a few seconds and went blank. And again, after a minute, re-appeared in a different corner of the roof. We slept in the hall that night. The following afternoon, everybody except my brother and I had gone shopping. We were watching a football match when we smelled something burning in the kitchen. At least that's what we thought. When we went to the kitchen, we found that the stove was off and the electric cooker too was un-plugged. The burning smell got thicker. We thought something inside the house had caught fire due to some short circuit and checked the rooms. Nothing! We ran upstairs to check the rooms there! There were three rooms in the first floor. We checked the first two. Nothing again! By now we were holding our noses tight, unable to bear the smell of smoke. Though we didn't SEE any smoke, the smell was overwhelming. We opened the third room and in that instant, the smell vanished. Perplexed, we queried that watchman. What he said had us swallowing hard. Few years ago, the house was owned by a politician. During an inter-party fight, one of the politician's kin was burnt to death in the first floor's third room............
Right now, even I feel it all too crazy to believe such things even after experiencing a few mis-haps. Thinking about it gives shivers. There MAY indeed be some force acting upon or against us. Pondering too much about what can't be seen isn't wise. So... What I do is to challenge it instead. "Hey you darkness, come in front of me if you have the guts. Don't act invisibly. Even if you want to kill me, show me your face. Earn your victory." Nothing has challenged me yet. Maybe it doesn't have what it takes to face a courageous young man.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Tricks of the trade
I had been to the Besant Nagar beach with my friends yesterday night. Saturday night fever was running high. What a wonderful place the beach is, esp when you want to have fun without spending much! :-) We didn't find place to even sit! After searching for a few mins, we finally settled down near the real 'shore'. The strong breeze, wet sand, sound of waves, cloudless dark sky with stars... It was so romantic. OMG!! Wait a second!! It was not the time was romance though!! We were all guys!
We all know what guys talk when there is absolutely no work to do [even otherwise ;-) ].. And our talk was no different! Commenting and rating every girl in the vicinity (nice aunties included). Everyone ragged everyone else, exclude me. Reason?? I was the only one with the dubious distinction of having 'girl-friends'!!! Quite funny isn't it!! It is... And the talk moved on to 'Why don't we have even a single girl contact?' Again, exclude me.. :-) I was laughing to myself when they were quaralling among themselves as to how to make friends with girls.
It is quite simple and not as hard as they feel it is. First reason inhibiting them (my friends) is their 'gethu' attitude that girls should talk to them than they approaching the girls. If you feel like talking to someone, just talk to her! They (girls) are not going to slap you (provided you talk the right thing!). Initially you cannot expect them to react the way you want them to react. Most of the girls are inherently slow to respond to fresh 'friendship requests'. And cut out these crappy, childish topics like "What should I do to be your friend?", "Can we be friends?", "I have never talked to any girl, you are the first girl I am talking to.." etc etc. They are spoilers!
Then how else do I start? Is that the question you are asking me?? Yeah I know.. Its a good question.. A lot depends on the situation. Whether she already knows you, how responsive she is by nature etc... Though not too specific, what I am telling is a generic way you can adopt to REALLY make friends with them and not fool around (Eg: talk normally at the beginning with a hope you can vegetable hit as time goes by! I will kill you if you interpret this that way!). If she is someone you see around often, you can approach her just like that and strike a casual, dry conversation. Don't drag it too long, for she might get bored. At the same time, make sure you let her talk too. It shouldn't be a monologue. Even for someone you don't see (hence obviuosly she also doesn't see you) too frequently, I think this should be fine.
After the initial contact has been made, don't be too 'pushy'. Even if your heart pounds, asking you to talk, calm down.. Take it easy... Appear normal. Have a pleasant smile while you talk. Asking me why you have to do so much for talking to someone?? Its because, it is you who want to talk to her. If she approaches you, you can be yourself from the word 'go'. BTW, where were we, yeah, the 'being pushy' thing... Just keep talking at regular intervals, without expecting too much from them. Since this is a generic set of rules, this applies to 'hard to get started with' girls. It might even be easier than how this actually sounds, if the one you want to talk with is a very easy going person. To be on the safer side, portray just your good traits till you find signs that you have entered their 'circle of trust'. Any girl reading this, this is not cheating by any means, even you don't show the 'real you' to us till you trust us! After she starts responding, start being yourself. But that doesn't mean you can take her for granted and stop doing things you initially did. That defenitely IS cheating, and this is the point where, I feel most fights tend to occur. In the period when you both try to discover the 'real you'. OMG!! Again!! We are talking just about friendship ok!!! Not about love!!!!
To sum it all in just a few sentences, just be yourself, understand that you have to do to others what you expect them to do to you. If you feel you cannot let go of the, "Otha free ya vidu, hair gone" attitude, it is better you stick to guy friends and stop worrying why you don't have any 'friends in the form of girls' (so much specification because the word 'girl friend' can be mis-construed). If you show real care, you will get it in return. After all, friendship isn't to be taken for granted you see! It needs dedication. There is a lot I've missed to address in this post. Shall try to compile them in some future post. Till then, have fun and keep enjoying.
We all know what guys talk when there is absolutely no work to do [even otherwise ;-) ].. And our talk was no different! Commenting and rating every girl in the vicinity (nice aunties included). Everyone ragged everyone else, exclude me. Reason?? I was the only one with the dubious distinction of having 'girl-friends'!!! Quite funny isn't it!! It is... And the talk moved on to 'Why don't we have even a single girl contact?' Again, exclude me.. :-) I was laughing to myself when they were quaralling among themselves as to how to make friends with girls.
It is quite simple and not as hard as they feel it is. First reason inhibiting them (my friends) is their 'gethu' attitude that girls should talk to them than they approaching the girls. If you feel like talking to someone, just talk to her! They (girls) are not going to slap you (provided you talk the right thing!). Initially you cannot expect them to react the way you want them to react. Most of the girls are inherently slow to respond to fresh 'friendship requests'. And cut out these crappy, childish topics like "What should I do to be your friend?", "Can we be friends?", "I have never talked to any girl, you are the first girl I am talking to.." etc etc. They are spoilers!
Then how else do I start? Is that the question you are asking me?? Yeah I know.. Its a good question.. A lot depends on the situation. Whether she already knows you, how responsive she is by nature etc... Though not too specific, what I am telling is a generic way you can adopt to REALLY make friends with them and not fool around (Eg: talk normally at the beginning with a hope you can vegetable hit as time goes by! I will kill you if you interpret this that way!). If she is someone you see around often, you can approach her just like that and strike a casual, dry conversation. Don't drag it too long, for she might get bored. At the same time, make sure you let her talk too. It shouldn't be a monologue. Even for someone you don't see (hence obviuosly she also doesn't see you) too frequently, I think this should be fine.
After the initial contact has been made, don't be too 'pushy'. Even if your heart pounds, asking you to talk, calm down.. Take it easy... Appear normal. Have a pleasant smile while you talk. Asking me why you have to do so much for talking to someone?? Its because, it is you who want to talk to her. If she approaches you, you can be yourself from the word 'go'. BTW, where were we, yeah, the 'being pushy' thing... Just keep talking at regular intervals, without expecting too much from them. Since this is a generic set of rules, this applies to 'hard to get started with' girls. It might even be easier than how this actually sounds, if the one you want to talk with is a very easy going person. To be on the safer side, portray just your good traits till you find signs that you have entered their 'circle of trust'. Any girl reading this, this is not cheating by any means, even you don't show the 'real you' to us till you trust us! After she starts responding, start being yourself. But that doesn't mean you can take her for granted and stop doing things you initially did. That defenitely IS cheating, and this is the point where, I feel most fights tend to occur. In the period when you both try to discover the 'real you'. OMG!! Again!! We are talking just about friendship ok!!! Not about love!!!!
To sum it all in just a few sentences, just be yourself, understand that you have to do to others what you expect them to do to you. If you feel you cannot let go of the, "Otha free ya vidu, hair gone" attitude, it is better you stick to guy friends and stop worrying why you don't have any 'friends in the form of girls' (so much specification because the word 'girl friend' can be mis-construed). If you show real care, you will get it in return. After all, friendship isn't to be taken for granted you see! It needs dedication. There is a lot I've missed to address in this post. Shall try to compile them in some future post. Till then, have fun and keep enjoying.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Chennai 600??? - The team
Our Ground
The Team
Arvind Venkataraman
He is our opening batsman. He is our Sehwag; in every way. 'On his day' he can tear any bowler apart... But his day comes once or twice every ten games... Splendid striker of the ball... If he hits, the ball stays hit. His cricket dictionary doesn't have a word called 'defence'. Whatever the situation, 10 off 40 balls or 40 off 10 balls, he goes for his shots. Playing tennis has given him wonderful hand eye coordination and great power.
As a bowler, he is a batsman's and at times, captain's nightmare! Jus' kiddin!! He is the inventor of the 'pullli delivery'.. ET knows about it all too well than us! Full speed delivery aimed at the batsman's head!!!
Bharath Kumar Jain
Our occasional opener. Guy with great cricketing brains. But seldom gets opportunity to show it. He either gets run out opening the innings or comes lower down the order when the target becomes impossible to chase. A great runner. Both between the wickets and in the field. His size bears no resemblance to the power he generates behind his drives. He thrives by placing the ball in the gaps and frustrating the bowler into bowling a false delivery... But......... That false delivery might be the one to get him... And the bowling team wil call it, 'tactical bowling maamu!'...
He is our opening bowler. He bowls both medium pace and leg spin. Bowls very well at the beginning and tends to tire after the first spell, resulting in few hits in the second spell. His 'wrong-ones' and slower balls are the ones people are still trying to figure out.. And batsmen beware. This guy has got a great throwing arm! He can hurl the ball from the boundary at such speed, you will mostly be caught napping.
KP Arun
He is our Dravid! MR. Solid, Mr. Wall etc etc. If you want to stem the fall of wickets, call KP (at times stems the flow of runs too ;-) jus kiddin). He has a wonderful technique and it will reflect in the way he times his shots. Pretty lethargic when it comes to running between the wickets. A close in fielder, mostly at short cover. His role is very important when chasing huge scores. He'll hold one end up, allowing batsman at the other end to play confidently.
Jeevaraj
He is our all rounder! Express pace while bowling; slogging yet steady while batting. He opens the bowling with Bharath and is THE most economical and wicket taking bowler in our team. With the pace he generates, the tennis ball skids off the surface at such speed, the batsman should have the reflexes of a snake if he has to hit this guy!
While batting, he can hit the ball in all directions with the same power. He is the only one, whom I have seen playing the inside out shot over the cover. Great team player; every team's dream player.
Hayawardh
The only 'leftie' in our regular team. An elegant player. Compare him to David Lloyd or Laxman. He does not believe in hard hitting. And with regards to timing the ball, he is at par with KP. Off side is his strength (maybe because he is an ardent Dada fan). His flicks 'off-the-hip' are so graceful, you will admire it even if you are the opponent. Not a great mover on the field, hence fields close to the stumps. Keeps rotating the strike with such ease, you won't know that the score is constantly increasing.
Balamurugan
Let me start off with an advice: Never test his temper. He loves perfection. He wants to do it right every time. Be it bowling or batting or fielding. And fielders, be extra careful not to mis-field or drop a catch off his bowling!!! He will burn you with his eyes! He can throw the ball from one end of the ground to the other. Makes me wonder if he has got some kind of motor inside his shoulder.
Bowls in the middle overs. He is the only one who makes full use of the slower ball. While setting a target, he loses his mind when batting... Cracks every ball! And with his power, it WILL fly out of the park. He does not pull the ball! He straight drives it on the leg side!! While chasing, sanity prevails. He bats according to the situation. As a captain, let him do what he wants. Don't try to restrict him. If you do, you'll get his sting...
Annush
Just one word to describe him. Talent! He is like Yuvraj. Simply superb... He can hit hard. At the same time, time his shots too. Match is never over till you get this guy out. Keeps the players active with his natural comedy. He seldom talks. But when he does, it will surely make you laugh whatever the situation of the match. As far as I've noticed, playing with Jeeva at the other end tends to bring the best out of him. These two together have authored many partnerships than most of us..
Raghu
Our team's new found wicket keeper. Better than Moin Khan at irritating the batsman! Causes so many disruptions to play by challenging umpire's decisions, it will make the batsman concede to his call (imagine waiting for three to four mins in the scorching sun to play one ball!!)... He opens the innings at times, and does the job of not letting the score stagnate. Tends to overly stress his views at times.
Sridhar
Supposedly the off-spinner in our team. But I've never seen the ball spinning when he bowls. LOL!! He bowls fast off spin, just like how Chris Harris used to bowl fast leg spin. A great mover on the field. Batting... Well... Errr... No comments... But just one advice.. Don't bowl short... ;-)
Dhana
A keen observer of the game. Too modest. Never demands either batting or bowling. A very good fielder. (Esp. at point!! Can we forget the catch he took!!!) Has the ability to bat. Since he always bats last, never gets an opportunity to bat for long.
Eashwar
An occasional inclusion in our team. Not that we don't include him! He is tooooooooo lazy to move himself to the ground from his house! Bowls medium pace and always wants to bat at last!! But he does both well! A terrific close in fielder. I don't know if the ball sticks to his hand, or he really catches it, he fields well.. :-) Has all ingredients to be a good player, but his laziness hampers it.
Lavan
Misses most of the matches because of logistical problems! :D Keeps wickets and does that well. Avan periya player nu sollipaan... Aana innum engaluku adha kaatala!!! Dude... We are waiting for one such match from you da...
Me
Well..... Actually.... If I am talking so much about everyone, you should know who I am.. WINK WINK..
This is how we play.....................................
The Team
Arvind Venkataraman
He is our opening batsman. He is our Sehwag; in every way. 'On his day' he can tear any bowler apart... But his day comes once or twice every ten games... Splendid striker of the ball... If he hits, the ball stays hit. His cricket dictionary doesn't have a word called 'defence'. Whatever the situation, 10 off 40 balls or 40 off 10 balls, he goes for his shots. Playing tennis has given him wonderful hand eye coordination and great power.
As a bowler, he is a batsman's and at times, captain's nightmare! Jus' kiddin!! He is the inventor of the 'pullli delivery'.. ET knows about it all too well than us! Full speed delivery aimed at the batsman's head!!!
Bharath Kumar Jain
Our occasional opener. Guy with great cricketing brains. But seldom gets opportunity to show it. He either gets run out opening the innings or comes lower down the order when the target becomes impossible to chase. A great runner. Both between the wickets and in the field. His size bears no resemblance to the power he generates behind his drives. He thrives by placing the ball in the gaps and frustrating the bowler into bowling a false delivery... But......... That false delivery might be the one to get him... And the bowling team wil call it, 'tactical bowling maamu!'...
He is our opening bowler. He bowls both medium pace and leg spin. Bowls very well at the beginning and tends to tire after the first spell, resulting in few hits in the second spell. His 'wrong-ones' and slower balls are the ones people are still trying to figure out.. And batsmen beware. This guy has got a great throwing arm! He can hurl the ball from the boundary at such speed, you will mostly be caught napping.
KP Arun
He is our Dravid! MR. Solid, Mr. Wall etc etc. If you want to stem the fall of wickets, call KP (at times stems the flow of runs too ;-) jus kiddin). He has a wonderful technique and it will reflect in the way he times his shots. Pretty lethargic when it comes to running between the wickets. A close in fielder, mostly at short cover. His role is very important when chasing huge scores. He'll hold one end up, allowing batsman at the other end to play confidently.
Jeevaraj
He is our all rounder! Express pace while bowling; slogging yet steady while batting. He opens the bowling with Bharath and is THE most economical and wicket taking bowler in our team. With the pace he generates, the tennis ball skids off the surface at such speed, the batsman should have the reflexes of a snake if he has to hit this guy!
While batting, he can hit the ball in all directions with the same power. He is the only one, whom I have seen playing the inside out shot over the cover. Great team player; every team's dream player.
Hayawardh
The only 'leftie' in our regular team. An elegant player. Compare him to David Lloyd or Laxman. He does not believe in hard hitting. And with regards to timing the ball, he is at par with KP. Off side is his strength (maybe because he is an ardent Dada fan). His flicks 'off-the-hip' are so graceful, you will admire it even if you are the opponent. Not a great mover on the field, hence fields close to the stumps. Keeps rotating the strike with such ease, you won't know that the score is constantly increasing.
Balamurugan
Let me start off with an advice: Never test his temper. He loves perfection. He wants to do it right every time. Be it bowling or batting or fielding. And fielders, be extra careful not to mis-field or drop a catch off his bowling!!! He will burn you with his eyes! He can throw the ball from one end of the ground to the other. Makes me wonder if he has got some kind of motor inside his shoulder.
Bowls in the middle overs. He is the only one who makes full use of the slower ball. While setting a target, he loses his mind when batting... Cracks every ball! And with his power, it WILL fly out of the park. He does not pull the ball! He straight drives it on the leg side!! While chasing, sanity prevails. He bats according to the situation. As a captain, let him do what he wants. Don't try to restrict him. If you do, you'll get his sting...
Annush
Just one word to describe him. Talent! He is like Yuvraj. Simply superb... He can hit hard. At the same time, time his shots too. Match is never over till you get this guy out. Keeps the players active with his natural comedy. He seldom talks. But when he does, it will surely make you laugh whatever the situation of the match. As far as I've noticed, playing with Jeeva at the other end tends to bring the best out of him. These two together have authored many partnerships than most of us..
Raghu
Our team's new found wicket keeper. Better than Moin Khan at irritating the batsman! Causes so many disruptions to play by challenging umpire's decisions, it will make the batsman concede to his call (imagine waiting for three to four mins in the scorching sun to play one ball!!)... He opens the innings at times, and does the job of not letting the score stagnate. Tends to overly stress his views at times.
Sridhar
Supposedly the off-spinner in our team. But I've never seen the ball spinning when he bowls. LOL!! He bowls fast off spin, just like how Chris Harris used to bowl fast leg spin. A great mover on the field. Batting... Well... Errr... No comments... But just one advice.. Don't bowl short... ;-)
Dhana
A keen observer of the game. Too modest. Never demands either batting or bowling. A very good fielder. (Esp. at point!! Can we forget the catch he took!!!) Has the ability to bat. Since he always bats last, never gets an opportunity to bat for long.
Eashwar
An occasional inclusion in our team. Not that we don't include him! He is tooooooooo lazy to move himself to the ground from his house! Bowls medium pace and always wants to bat at last!! But he does both well! A terrific close in fielder. I don't know if the ball sticks to his hand, or he really catches it, he fields well.. :-) Has all ingredients to be a good player, but his laziness hampers it.
Lavan
Misses most of the matches because of logistical problems! :D Keeps wickets and does that well. Avan periya player nu sollipaan... Aana innum engaluku adha kaatala!!! Dude... We are waiting for one such match from you da...
Me
Well..... Actually.... If I am talking so much about everyone, you should know who I am.. WINK WINK..
This is how we play.....................................
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Discovery; a bit too late...
From school to college. From times of healthy spoon feeding to mal-nutrition. It is a big transition.
Big aspirations, big hopes, big dreams - big achievers... Numbers in favour of the former will run in millions.. But the latter? Hardly in the hundreds. Every child (referring to all school students as children), will carry into college all its wants and hopes. But how many of them actually achieve it? Or even try to achieve it? You read the answers even before I put the question. A few hundred maybe...
Even I was such a child (long back :-) ) But am I an achiever? Certainly not in my opinion.
What went wrong? Five things? Ten things? Twenty? I might quote umpty number of reasons to tell what went wrong.. What is the one thing among these countless reasons that I could have done right? The way in which I prepared for the exams. Sitting awake all day, all night, the day before the exam.. Is it worth the torture? I don't think so... After having finished it, I can tell this with contempt.. B.E. isn't as difficult as it sounds.. If you look to gain knowledge, three to four hours every three to four days will suffice. If you look to get marks, hardly twenty hours is all you need. Twelve hours the day before the exam. And some six hours on the penultimate day (ultimate day being the day before the exam :-) ). However new the subject might be, these few hours of dedicated studying will make the difference between 'reading' continuously to secure a 70+ score and the same 70+ or maybe even a few more, with half the stress.
I missed a lot of fun because of my mind set that only continuous learning helps. Neither did I achieve anything great by missing all that fun.. I am a normal mid-seventy grader, placed in a company along with everyone else who had great fun all these four years.
Intelligent learning helps more than 'hard' learning. I learnt this the hard way. And when I learnt it, the fun was over... My undergrad was over...
Big aspirations, big hopes, big dreams - big achievers... Numbers in favour of the former will run in millions.. But the latter? Hardly in the hundreds. Every child (referring to all school students as children), will carry into college all its wants and hopes. But how many of them actually achieve it? Or even try to achieve it? You read the answers even before I put the question. A few hundred maybe...
Even I was such a child (long back :-) ) But am I an achiever? Certainly not in my opinion.
What went wrong? Five things? Ten things? Twenty? I might quote umpty number of reasons to tell what went wrong.. What is the one thing among these countless reasons that I could have done right? The way in which I prepared for the exams. Sitting awake all day, all night, the day before the exam.. Is it worth the torture? I don't think so... After having finished it, I can tell this with contempt.. B.E. isn't as difficult as it sounds.. If you look to gain knowledge, three to four hours every three to four days will suffice. If you look to get marks, hardly twenty hours is all you need. Twelve hours the day before the exam. And some six hours on the penultimate day (ultimate day being the day before the exam :-) ). However new the subject might be, these few hours of dedicated studying will make the difference between 'reading' continuously to secure a 70+ score and the same 70+ or maybe even a few more, with half the stress.
I missed a lot of fun because of my mind set that only continuous learning helps. Neither did I achieve anything great by missing all that fun.. I am a normal mid-seventy grader, placed in a company along with everyone else who had great fun all these four years.
Intelligent learning helps more than 'hard' learning. I learnt this the hard way. And when I learnt it, the fun was over... My undergrad was over...
Monday, May 14, 2007
An evening with my friends
14th May, 2007, Monday.
Hi! I am Easwar. This is my first experience at writing a blog; and it might show.
College days just came to an end. I didn't feel anything different about when it actually ended (the college of course). But as days go by, it is beginning to hit hard; to take up the fact that, friends who were with me during joy and sorrow are going away. Though we can still stay in touch, the feeling of togetherness will surely be missed. We've sat together in class, we've 'lunched' together, we've played together, we've laughed together and at times, felt a pang of sorrow, even that together. Who are they? 5 friends who have helped me and been with me more than anyone in all these 21 years. Eashwar (a) Coffee. Lavan (a) L. Bharath (a) Butt. Arvind (a) Pullli. Dhanasekar (a) Dhana. Harish, Balamurugan, Karthik Neelakantan are few other friends whom I won't fail to mention.
Ramu (Eash) is off to Hyderabad in 2 more weeks, to do his MBA at ICFAI. Bharath and Lavan to Infy in a few more days. Dhana and Arvi to the US; Boston and California respec. Lavan might even join the Indian Army; his goal. I will be the only one in Chennai.
I don't know when we will meet again. Don't know if we will have the time to go out together even if we all are in the same town by chance. And that was the reason for tonight's outing. To be together one last time before we start travelling in different directions.
The party started at Fruit Shop, Anna Nagar. While waiting for pullli to arrive with the cam, we had ordered a lemonade. The guys running the place thought we had come to the shop to drink just ONE lemonade! And when we called one of them to place the actual order, he gave us the bill! After 2 pineapples, two lemon and a 'true blue', we went to the 'Subway'. Lavan and Dhana were talking about a 'Veg. Patti' when Pullli proposed a treat. And their choice changed from the Veg. Patti to a Paneer Tikka and Chicken Kali Mirchi!! Ramu was the one with largest appetite (as always eh?). Bharath was due home at 7 00 PM. But was released by us only at 9 00! :-) My order cost Pullli the most... :-) An Aloo Patti and Iced Tea. After the Sub, we invaded the 'Cake Point'. Actual intention being, settling scores with Butt by 'caking' his face. But when he suggested the option of buying us a Black Forrest, we obliged! And the Butt escaped 'caking'. Once out of Cake Point, we got ready to leave. Not before one last round of 'galeej'. And it was Pullli who was at the receiving end. What is the best size of toilet seat to fit the swift dicky, was the topic being debated upon. And the conclusion, A BATH TUB!
They say friends are like people travelling with us in train. And they alight when their destination comes. But the memories they leave behind are etched forever. I've never told my friends how much they mean to me. I will miss you all...
Hi! I am Easwar. This is my first experience at writing a blog; and it might show.
College days just came to an end. I didn't feel anything different about when it actually ended (the college of course). But as days go by, it is beginning to hit hard; to take up the fact that, friends who were with me during joy and sorrow are going away. Though we can still stay in touch, the feeling of togetherness will surely be missed. We've sat together in class, we've 'lunched' together, we've played together, we've laughed together and at times, felt a pang of sorrow, even that together. Who are they? 5 friends who have helped me and been with me more than anyone in all these 21 years. Eashwar (a) Coffee. Lavan (a) L. Bharath (a) Butt. Arvind (a) Pullli. Dhanasekar (a) Dhana. Harish, Balamurugan, Karthik Neelakantan are few other friends whom I won't fail to mention.
Ramu (Eash) is off to Hyderabad in 2 more weeks, to do his MBA at ICFAI. Bharath and Lavan to Infy in a few more days. Dhana and Arvi to the US; Boston and California respec. Lavan might even join the Indian Army; his goal. I will be the only one in Chennai.
I don't know when we will meet again. Don't know if we will have the time to go out together even if we all are in the same town by chance. And that was the reason for tonight's outing. To be together one last time before we start travelling in different directions.
The party started at Fruit Shop, Anna Nagar. While waiting for pullli to arrive with the cam, we had ordered a lemonade. The guys running the place thought we had come to the shop to drink just ONE lemonade! And when we called one of them to place the actual order, he gave us the bill! After 2 pineapples, two lemon and a 'true blue', we went to the 'Subway'. Lavan and Dhana were talking about a 'Veg. Patti' when Pullli proposed a treat. And their choice changed from the Veg. Patti to a Paneer Tikka and Chicken Kali Mirchi!! Ramu was the one with largest appetite (as always eh?). Bharath was due home at 7 00 PM. But was released by us only at 9 00! :-) My order cost Pullli the most... :-) An Aloo Patti and Iced Tea. After the Sub, we invaded the 'Cake Point'. Actual intention being, settling scores with Butt by 'caking' his face. But when he suggested the option of buying us a Black Forrest, we obliged! And the Butt escaped 'caking'. Once out of Cake Point, we got ready to leave. Not before one last round of 'galeej'. And it was Pullli who was at the receiving end. What is the best size of toilet seat to fit the swift dicky, was the topic being debated upon. And the conclusion, A BATH TUB!
They say friends are like people travelling with us in train. And they alight when their destination comes. But the memories they leave behind are etched forever. I've never told my friends how much they mean to me. I will miss you all...
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