The Cup of Joy

World Cup fever is on a rise. As usual the Indian team is looking good on the paper but really can this team recreate the magic of 1983? Here are the top 5 factors that can win the world cup for us:

1. Fielding - Grab every opportunity that comes your way! Smart catches, accurate throws, desperate saves, these are the things that create pressure on the opposition.

2. Partnerships - The batsman should not bat individually looking to score all the runs by themselves. The batsman should focus on keeping the scoreboard ticking.

3. Accurate Bowling - The bowlers need to be accurate, especially in the first fifteen overs. don't try too many things just stick to a good line and length.

4. Captaincy - Dhoni's captaincy would be challenged in this tournament. Mostly the pitches will be conducive for batting and hence the field placement and bowling changes need to be spot on.

5. Aggression - The Indian team will be playing at home and that's why they should be aggressive and should try to dominate the opposition rather that playing under pressure.

If Indian team can get these things going for them then there is every Chance that they can win the the cup of joy!

Joy & Happiness

When I went to Pune for my convocation, I took a flight back to Chennai. It was the first time I travelled in an aeroplane and I enjoyed the experience. That day itself when I was returning home from the airport I thought that I should travel with my parents once, since they had not travelled in an aeroplane. This was back in 2007. After 3 years I got to fulfil my wish last month when my parents came to Chennai with me. They were so excited, just like a kid. It was really a joyful experience to see them exploring things and enjoying the journey. When we reached the airport, my wife showed them how the baggage is scanned. My mother was very surprised to see the technology where people can see inside the bags. Our flight was delayed by an hour and so we were waiting in the lounge for our boarding announcement. When we boarded the flight I was worried that my parents might feel uncomfortable during the take off bu thankfully nothing of that sort happened. They were very comfortable and infact liked the experience. Our flight was a late night flight and I was barely able to keep my eyes open but when ever i opende my eyes and looked at my parents, they were wide awake and alert and enjoying the experience. They also liked the view of the city lights from the window :)

I will not forget the expression on their faces throughout the journey, there was pure joy and happiness!

Identity

We just shifted our house from T Nagar to Velachery in Chennai so that we are more close to office and need not travel much. New place means you have to start again from scratch, find new newspaper person, new milk-man, new grocery store, new etc etc...amongst all these things most important is new house maid. Luckily we got one the day we shifted. The problem we face here in Chennai is language. We can understand and speak li'l bit of Tamil and the maid can understand a li'l bit of english, so basically the communication is a mix English words, Tamil words and sign language :-). One day this new maid servant of ours was trying to have a conversation with my wife and she was asking about our native place. My wife told her we are from Maharashtra, but the maid did not know the place and could not understand, so my wife told her names of cities like Mumbai, Pune but the maid did not know these either and we were surprised that she did not know Mumbai. Then my wife asked her, "Do you know Sachin Tendulkar?" and the maid said yes with a smile. So my wife told her that we are from the same region and it's known as Maharashtra. That day I realised that Sachin Tendulkar or any famous personality for that matter can be identity, even if people do not know a certain region/state/country famous personalities of that region provide an identity to that region and it's people outside.

2nd Innings and The Beautiful Game

Yes, this is a start to my second innings on my blog. It's been ages i haven't written anything here and yesterday when I read some of old posts, it felt like revisiting my old home town after a long time and suddenly I felt that I should keep this place alive and kicking :) and hence the second innings!

Football fever was at it's peak the last month. We are down to 2 teams now from the elite 32 (I wonder sometimes how India fared in the qualifiers...if they played any! Never heard anything on this topic). Good to see Spain and Netherlands in the final at least there will be a new winner. But all the teams that I supported went out one by one...England...Argentina...Germany. England payed the price for a very very poor performance. Argentina were very good in the first 2 rounds and then they lost it. But I really feel sorry for Ghana, if only Gyan hadn't missed the penalty. Anyways...now I am supporting the European champs Spain. It would be a deserving win for them if they can do it. Go for it Spain!!!

Discovery day

I have been hearing the name "Volkswagon" since ages but never knew that it's pronounced as Folks-wagon. I am Surprised!!!

It ain't over...till it's over!

Someone should tell this to the Indian crickrt team. I didn't expect India to loose the match especially after doing such a great job of restricting the Aussies to 250. But the Indian team made heavy weather of the target and gave away an easy win. Sachin's wicket was the turning point for me. He wanted to slow down and lost his wicket in this process and bad umpiring didn't help either. (Looking at Sachin it was very obvious that his focus was 17,000 and not 251) Sehwag is back to his old self, smashing the ball to all the parts of the ground and then suddenly giving away his wicket (Hey Viru...quick fire 30s and 40s don't win matches for your country! Do you understand this?) and Yuvi's wicket was due to Punter's brilliance. The only positive thing was Bhajji and Praveen Kumar's batting...they are really playing gem of an innings these days. But I feel by loosing this match India has given a chance to Aussies to win the series and I won't be surprised in Aussies grab at it in style.

Lamhe chura lo na...

Yeah...i feel like singing the Limca ad jingle. The daily schedule is getting more and more hectic and 24 hrs. seem so less. There are so many things that I want to do other than the daily routine but there seems to be no time at my hand to do those things.

So what will I do if I do steal some precious moments?
> Call up my buddies! There was a time when we used to call each other at least twice a week. Now we only speak once in a while.
> Read the books that I have bought couple of months ago but haven't touch them yet!
> Blog more frequently! There are many topics on which I can put up a post.
and much more...

?

While googling for forecasting methods i came across this website. The name "John Galt" rang bells in my mind but couldn't recall anything apart from a vague memory of reading some question about John Galt on some blog. So i googled for John Galt and then I found this.

Isn't this quite similar to Waiting for Godot?

Wanted:Consistency!

It's been more than five months that I've penned down my thoughts here on this space and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since my last post here. My last post also was an attempt to keep the place alive with something. It's not that I had forgotten about this blog or there was nothing to write. This blog is dear to me and there was lot of stuff to write about, I just didn't write. That's it! (yeah...as simple as that).

When I was going through some of my old posts about weekends, cricket and life incidences I realized, however trivial may be the subject or content of the post they are all very wonderful and dear to me and that made me write this post. I feel I have lots of stuff to write about and I also want to write more consistently. But when I start writing the thoughts whither away and I can't write more than couple of sentences. Then I end up saving it as a draft which ultimately goes into the recycle bin (sigh...).

So let's see. How I can manage this and get into a habit of writing.

Movies and Books

Movies & Books! This would be my answer if someone asks me what do I do in my leisure time. I like to watch movies. Genre, language, cast, crew and film setting is no bar for me. The only criteria is that it should interest me. As far as books are concerned language is a barrier as I can read only three languages Marathi, Hindi and English and generally don't like reading translations. I tried doing that once and read Gulzar's poems in English and I did not enjoy it at all. But I feel these two media of story telling have a strange connection between them. Sometimes a movie prompts you to read a book and sometimes a book prompts you to see the movie.

A lot of books have been made into movies and many of them have been successful also. "The Namesake" being the only one which I have read and watched. I found the book more interesting than the movie because I felt more close to Gogol and his world while reading the book than seeing it in the movie. The movie is kind of bits and pieces of story put together from the book.

The latest sensation "Slumdog Millionaire" has already received it's share of bouquets and brickbats. I never quite felt like watching the movie in spite of it's popularity. But I decided to read the novel "Q and A" by Vikas Swarup on which the movie is based, and I must say the novel is very interesting and now I am curious to watch the movie.

I recently saw the movie "Capote" which is based on author Truman Capote and his research behind his book "In cold blood". A brilliant movie, the way Capote gets involved in the case and then uses the culprit to his own advantage is quite shocking to watch. And now I am eager to lay my hand on "In cold blood".

So here's the my list of books/movies to read/watch:
1. The Kite Runner (Movie)
2. In cold blood (Book)
3. Slumdog Millionaire (Movie)
4. Hello (Movie)

Additions to the list are welcome :)

P.S: "Da Vinci Code" is another one which I have read and watched.

Jai Hind!

Tomorrow India celebrates her 62nd Independence Day. Like the Valentine's Day post here are my favourite 3 patriotic movies.


1. Border

Cast: Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Akshaye Khanna.

A J.P. Dutta classic based on a true story from 1971 Indo-Pak War. The movie has a powerpacked performance by Sunny Deol who plays a major in the movie. His dialogue delivery is very impresive in this movie and gives you goosebumps at times while watching the movie. The was scenes are brilliantly shot and though it's a war film music is also great. "Sandese aate hain..." was chart topper for months.



2. Sarfarosh

Cast: Aamir Khan, Nasseruddin Shah, Sonali Bendre.

This was John Matthew Mathan's directorial debut and what a debut it turned out to be. This movie is a good watch because of two things, a neat, strong script and polished performances by Aamir khan and the veteran Naseeruddin Shah. I liked the way in which the story unfolds in this movie. Aamir khan looks good as an ACP in Sarfarosh (He tried doing a cop in Baazi too but failed miserably). Nasseruddin Shah gracefully performs the dual role of a ghazal singer from across the border and the bad guy. Songs also are decent ones.



3. Prahaar

Cast: Nana Patekar, Dimple Kapadia, Madhuri Dixit, Gautam Joglekar.

Actor, Writer, Director Nana Patekar is at his best in this movie. Nana Patekar plays the role of major Chauhan, who trains cadets in the triainng academy. In one such batch he meets Peter D'souza who loses his legs in a rescue operation. When Major Chauhan visits Peter D'souza's house he finds that Peter died fighting with Gangsters because he refused to pay money. So Major decides to stay there and take revenge. A great storyline and a great actor take this movie to a next level. One of my all time favourites.

Yes, I know..there are many more like..Roja Bombay but these 3 are my all time favourites.

Wish you all a Happy Independence Day in advance!

31

"The Life Express" is running fast and I am enjoying the joy ride. It's a new phase of life with new experiences. I, me, mine has given way to we, us, ours. 9 July 2008 marked the beginning of our journey together and every moment since then has been of joy, of happiness, of excitement, of love.

Thank you A for making my life so beautiful.

Guide to Happiness?

Today as usual I was late to wake up and as usual i was hurrying through may morning chores so that I can reach office in time. As I was hurrying around something caught my eye, a book to be precise. I saw "How to be ever Happy?" on my roommate's table. I read the title and laughed out loud. Really...i mean how can a book teach you to be happy ...(err!) ever happy?
Hapiness is an emotion it's not a skill which you can acquire by reading guides. We are happy when we are doing things that we like, we are happy when we are with people that we like, Isn't it simple?
I wish life was as simple as finding answers from a guidebook.

Yorker!

"So you are from Maharashtra?"
"Yes."
"You don't want people from other states in Maharashtra then how come you are here in Chennai?"
"..."

Crazy Weekends!

Last four weekends have been really crazy. I have travelled a lot, not for official purposes just for fun ;)...yeah otherwise I am a total LLB...Lucky Lazy Bum :) give me nice cozy bed I will sleep off the whole day. It was a bit hectic but I really enjoyed the trips and had loads of fun. First weekend I spent half a day in Mumbai and then aweek in Roha at my bro's place. After a long gap of almost 5 years I enjoyed the festival of colours...and it was awesome. And thanks to family functions in that week I spent some real quality time with my family, lots of home food, chit-chat and loads of fun. Then the next weekend we celebrated my bro's birthday on Kashid Beach near Alibagh and on Sunday evening I was back in Chennai. I was getting bored thinking that fun is over and I am alone again but it was'nt so. The third weekend I found myself enjoying a delicious Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani in Hyderabad on Saturday and a lovely Gujarati Thali in Mumbai on Sunday :) That was some trip! Last weekend became memorable due to two short trips to Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry. I have been at both the places earlier but this time I was in exploration mode and visited many new places. Yes I did get a big hole in my pocket but I am content and happy with time I spent. Looking for more such weekends :)

Hail the GOD!!!

India Vs Australia...final...at SCG and an Indian victory. This is what I call a perfect Sunday! And the icing on the cake was Master Blaster's 42nd century. After a long long time I saw him play at his supreme. The innings reminded me of his innings in Sharjah in the final of Coca Cola cup against the same opposition where he went after the bowlers and completely dominated them, it was an attacking inning. But this inning was a complete contrast, he didn't go all out at the bowlers but waited patiently for the bad balls. This inning was all about class and maturity. Loved every bit of it. I guess another one is on the cards at Brisbane...
Hail the God...Sachin Tendulkar.

Happy New Year

Wish you all a very happy new year...may all your dreams come true this year.

Raat ka Shauk Hai...

Raat ka shauk hai...raat ki saundhi si khamoshi ka shauk hai...

The real player plays the song in a loop...1...2...3...4...n. The raindrops outside are contributing to the music in their own way. Its well past midnight and he is still wide awake...lost...lost in memories. He desperately wants to sleep but as his eyes close he enters the wonderful world of memories. He remembers something and laughs to himself and again tries to sleep but in vain. Then it hits him...a desperate urge to speak to someone. He gets up, puts on the light, finds a calling card and dials the number...but...no luck there to. He gets irritated now. Usually music gives him the high and he sleeps listening to songs but not today (or tonight?). And suddenly he starts liking it. The loneliness...the silent night...the slow song...and he wonders which one is more slow...the song or his own life?

And just then...the phone rings. A short call...and he goes to sleep...humming...

Raat ka shauk hai...ho...shauk hai...

Visiting USA...

First time in my life, I am out of my country...India. I am in USA for 2 months.

How does it feel?

It feels great...beatiful...weird and lonely! All at the same time. Just one week has passed and I am already counting days to go back. As usual there are lots of questions at the back of my mind. And as usual I am struggling to find out answers for them or perhaps I have got answers which I did not want. When I was in India preparing to get here...I had never thought that it would be so difficult. But now I know...that it's very difficult. I am just hoping that this exposure would be helpful for me. But as of now I feel I am in loss. And this makes me more sad

Am I sounding like a cry baby?...perhaps I am...I should leave this here...

Smiley Moments :-)

I am on my way out of a departmental store when a baby sitting on her father's lap puts out a hand and tucks at my shirt, smiling.

And I smile.

I am on my way to office when I notice a lady wearing those retro style HUGE sunglasses of 1960’s. I find it very funny.
And I smile.

I am sitting in my office getting bored. Suddenly the IM message pops up and says ‘Hi :-)’.
And I smile.

I am walking down the road and I hear my favorite song playing somewhere.
And I smile.

I put up a post on my Blog. Next time when I check my Blog I see “1 were here”
And I smile.


These may seem like very ordinary moments of the life but sometimes moments like these bring a smile on your face and make your day. You forget all your tensions, fears and worries for that one moment.

That’s why these are smiley moments…smiley moments of happiness!!!