2007 in review

Disclaimer: This post is an attempt to remind myself of the highs and lows of the year 2007. This presents me a means of reflecting for myself the year that has gone by.


January
Personal
I was working on getting a survey website up and running. We had our TRB conference. I went early to DC, met friends there and attended the conference. Completed my unexpected presentation reasonably well, freaked out with friends in DC and left to Boston. Visited MIT campus in the freezing weather. Caught up with some of my nice friends from IITM and UT. It is always nice to spend time with old buddies. The weather was amazing for a person living in Texas. Incidentally there was snow in Austin too!!

Sports
January started off with India's famous win in South Africa. We lost the series, however the year's most poignant comeback was on cards. Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, whose cricket obituary has been written almost all cricket writers came back and started his dream run! Also at the same time, sehwag started loosing it on th international scene!
Federer won Australian with relative ease. I was all worried abd looking forward to French

February
Personal
My first journal publication was something to really cheer about!!

March
We released the online survey that we developed
The spring break trip to Arkansas was fun with junta from austin and california
Cricket world cup begins. Unfortunately our campaign ended very early

April
Lara retires after a glorious cricket career

May
My travel begins
I visit the Atlantic in Daytona beach followed by a trip to California and Pacific. The California trip was amazing. The drive on US 1, the saravan bhavan food, the hosts..
June
The California trip ended :P
Wimbledon starts. One of the tensest periods of my life begin :P

July
Federer win the "tournament"
loved some great matches.... apart from the final.. soderling Vs Nadal was nice..and many more

August
Nice party and dinner for my b'day
Completed the submissions for TRB and started planning for my trip back home

September
Went to India, had a great time there
Started running long distances abt 6 miles or so
India win T20 competition

October
running improved... registered for a half marathon

November
Completed my race successfully

December
interesting month with lot of fun interspersed with work. One of my closest friends has found the partner. I am so happy for the friend.
Tomorrow I intend to celebrate with lots of drinks :P

Interspersed with all this was some visits by friends from other cities, many interesting conversations on the phone and new friends in austin. All this and my work has made 2007 a significant year in my life.

An important thing thats bothersome

as clearly outline by Raja Mohan

Well a very nice

article by Mukul Kesavan.

I don't know if I feel Yuvraj is that bad a batsman, but Sehwag needs be drafted in for sure!!

Down Under 4

Well, the inevitable has occurred. Australia won the first test comfortably. Their batting, bowling, and fielding were way above the Indian teams performances. The importance of fielding was celarly illustrated in this test match. On a number of occasions the Indian batsmen could not get runs of a good shot and lost their wicket the next ball. In the first innings, Ganguly turned down a two and settled for a single resulting in Yuvraj batting against Clark. Yuvraj was out next ball and Dhoni 2 balls later. In the second innings, Laxman hit a splendid cover drive that was wonderfully fielded by Clarke and the next ball he lobbed a catch to Clarke himself. It is very difficult to field like that. If you add that fielding to such a disciplined bowling attack and splendid batting line-up it next to impossible to beat them.
I will still rei-iterate, India has the team to beat Australia. However, the batting line up needs to be at its best. the only way I see this Australian team defeated is by putting them under pressure. You can do that if you play aggressive cricket and score runs/ or take wickets.

I will wait for Sydney. India needs to find a place for sehwag. He might not click but if he does he can do something no other Indian batsman can do - give Australian bowlers a run for their money. I would love to see a brave decision from Kumble.

Money and Marriage

Disclaimer: These are the personal views of a single desi guy. So, please give it some thought before taking offense

Today an interesting topic of discussion was started regarding money in marriages. I initially didn't even understand why that is an issue. Then I started hearing arguments like "I want to spend my money the way I want to". Well, thats right and you should have that freedom. But what I don't understand was why a couple cannot possess money together and yet maintain their financial freedom. May be I come form an old school, but for me a married couple should always have their money together. Its not his or her money. It is their money. You will spend it when you need to. I believe the individuals would be mature enough to spend responsibly. But, people think it will work only in a perfect marriage. This beats me!! If people can't even manage their money responsibly (and maturely) in a marriage, I can't see them raising a family (with kids I mean)!!

Thats how I am.

PS: I want to make sure here that the couple spend money together (I am not saying the guy should control it !!)

Tare Zameen Par

An amazing movie. Aamir Khan the director has really arrived.
A very well made movie, on a topic that is very relevant to current situation. The emotions were very well captured. The movie with its colors and sceneries is very pleasing and likable to the eye.

Some scenes of the movie were directed towards people who have no information on Dyslexia. The way the movie was directed enhances my respect for aamir khan!!

A nice article by

Arun Shourie

Regarding how many so called secular parties employ vote bank politics to minorities. Applying the same vote bank politics to majority becomes non-secular.

I like the way Shourie thinks. I agree with some of his views in the long article

Down Under 3

India's trip down under is not going according to plan. But i believe the great Indian batting order has a chance for redemption tomorrow. Ponting set India a target o 499 in a little over 2 days. I agree its a fourth innings and it might not be possible to achieve but with the talent in the Indian batting ranks nothing is impossible. As an eternal optimist I will hope for India to play well and win it. If India has to win they will have to bat well into the 5th day. So if I am writing a blog update for the 5th day it mostly will be Indian victory!!

A forthright answer

Geoffrey Boycott was asked on his question show
"Do West Indies have a chance to become the force once they were?"
His answer:
"Its more easier for pigs to fly than West Indies become the force they were"

Forthright isn't it ?

A nice article

lambasting the congress way

Amit Varma

does what he does best - bashing socialist moves of Indira Gandhi
And I think he is right!

Killing Benazir Bhutto

This does not augur well for Pakistan. May be not even for India !!

India Down Under 2

Well, the familiar negative attitude of Indians has resulted in a collapse. The openers played for 30 overs scoring next to nothing. Consider the fact that Hayden and Jacques scored 111 in the first 30 overs it is very clear where we lost the plot. Now it is very difficult for the bowlers, who did such a good job earlier, to put the ball in the right areas. However, the only chance India has in this match is to bowl out Australia and produce a batting display of monumental proportions.

The eternal optimist that I am will wait for tomorrow to unfold to see how it goes!!

India Down Under

India heads to Australia this year with more optimistic chances of achieving something that no Indian cricket team has been able to achieve - a series win. This year could be the last tour for 5 Indian stalwarts - Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly and Kumble. The Indian team chose to drop Sehwag and decided to let Dravid open with Jaffer. The no 3 position of Dravid is taken by Laxman. The best chance for India would be to win the toss and bat well. With their bowling line up and the pressure of runs they would try to choke Aussie batsman. However, things did not go to plan at toss. Ponting won the toss elected to bat and there was India facing a daunting task. The openers started nervously with Zaheer bowling very well hitting the right line and length. Well, luck was not on our side. The edges did not go to the slips and the batsman were beaten a number of time. The Australian batsmen went to lunch at 111 for no loss. The the match changed on its head. India started the fight back when Kumble picked Jacques. From then on it was kumble show. He bowled very well to get the wickets and was ably supported by Zaheer. Harbhajan was a big disappointment.

Now day 2 has begun and Indian approach is a cautious one. I am not a big fan of wearing down strategy. But, the Indian team manages to get stuck with that strategy a number of times. I hope they will try to do away with that attitude.

But, there is one nice thing about watching Test cricket. It is enthralling and captures my attention so much that I find it difficult to do anything else. I am so tense to watch the Indian batsmen bat its disturbing. But thats what makes the game watchable and enjoyable. Well, now I will get back to cricket.

December

December has flew away very quickly. My professor has asked me to target for my proposal last week of January or first week of February. I worked hard for a good number of days before the weekends started becoming very involving. Lots of Friday discussions extending till dawn.
The discussions always are fun and very enjoyable. What can be better than getting know your friends better. surely I am loving it. I know the time I spent on work has reduced but I hope the time away has provided me with enhanced focus.

We went on a one day trip on monday to Garner State Park. The group was small and the trip was very enjoyable. Watching people you like happy is one of the important ingredients of a trip. The natural beauty and the hills were very pleasant and enjoyable. All the trip party were very sporting and made it through some tough patches of hiking. That made the job of trekking easier and fun. The drives were good. The discussions even more pleasant. The trip what with the pre-night out session and the impulsive trekking of a gorge has left a very pleasant impression.

Today, we went to visit the temple for no reason in particular. May be the trip to God has resulted in the conversation that followed. We started discussing life, its purpose and our perspectives towards conquering it. The different opinions I heard today were so surprising. Everybody in their own way attempt to solve the problem. Some choose company to solve, some think and analyze, some do not allow any time for thought process to start. I am not here to judge and suggest ways to conquering the questions. It is necessary for every individual to ask questions that matter to him/her and answer them on their own. However, talking to friends present you with alternate hypothesis and more importantly it is comforting to learn that people around you thing in similar lines (though varying degrees of extremities).

The important goal seems to be striving for excellence. As long as, the goals are reasonably set based on your abilities there is potential for happiness and contentment. At the end, all that matters is to do things that make you feel contended. I hope the thing I choose to do will lead towards that path!!

I am still planning my year end blog. Lets see how that pans out!!

A nice article

by Mukul

That's what you call a life

A person who lead his life the way he wanted

Time Person of the Year 2007

The Time's person of the year is the Russian President Vladimir Putin. I have always been fascinated by this man. Born into a poor family of no prominent lineage, he has risen through to become the President of a nation in trouble and if the views of people around the world are to be believed has done well. Russia was in tatters when he started off as acting president from Boris Yeltsin. He has been in power now for 8 years and has decided to step down as president sometime next year. He will appoint his loyal chief of staff as the next president ensuring power still stays with him.

Russia under Putin has made progress. From the time when the Soviet bloc collapsed he has taken control of Russia and provided stability. The people of Russia respect him for that as indicated by popularity ratings of 70% or so. His methods might not always be transparent. He does not run a government similar to a an open democracy. His style of functioning is of a clever monarch with contemporary views of the world. He prefers to worry only about Russia and expects the same from super powers. Interference is not something he will tolerate. Unfortunately, this also extends to journalists attempting to find out stories involving corruption. It is widely believed that he has sanctioned the killings of some journalists. Also, freedom of democrats in Russia is very limited. In fact, all opposition to him and his policies are clinically dismantled. Yet people of Russia respect him for what he has done for them. No doubt the rich are getting richer in
Russia and there is widespread corruption, but the life of common has also improved. This has allowed Putin to continue his stronghold. Sure, he is helped by rising oil prices and a fluctuation in oil prices might affect Russian economy.

Youth in Russia love Putin. He is a cult figure for the youth groups. Another interesting aspect is that these youth groups hate USA for meddling or trying to undermine Putin's rule in Russia. Clearly, Putin has managed to capture the hearts of Russians through his verve, energy and pride for Russia. He undertakes anything (i mean it) possible to ensure he is on top of things. How well is he succeeding!!

A Mighty Heart

Just watched the movie "A Mighty Heart"
The movie is about an American journalist kidnapped in Karachi. The scenes of the movie highlight a very important but concerning issue for Pakistan (or any Islamic country) in general. It is clear that there is clearly a huge support (surreptitious or otherwise) for Islamic Jihad related groups. What is surprising is to see how this support runs across people irrespective of the education levels. You would have expected the less educated to be involved. But to see well educated (most of them in the West) individuals so whole-heartedly support these extremist organizations is a growing concern. The issue is no longer only relevant to the United States of America. There are enough instances of violence sparked of by Islamic organizations all over the world. America is not helping matters by their cold attitude towards jihadis or Islam in general.

Lets see what the future holds!!

Somehow I agree with

Sambit Pal

Another nite out conversation

Typical random discussion for 6-7 hours. nothing important, and at the same time nothing relevant to life, state, language, religion, country were left out. It was fun for sure !

It is interesting to see 4 people with such different perspectives argue vehemently and everybody thinks why the others can't see his/her point. Thats life I guess.

The discussion veered towards personal relationships and I realized all I want is a person who is exactly similar to _____. I have changed as a person in the last 2-3 years and that has affected my choice too. So, at this point I am not really sure what I want. May be time will come to my rescue again as it has done so many times before!!

anyway, now its time to move on to work

A very interesting

perspective by Amit Varma

Very nice video

Hilarious one there

by Shoba

Catch me if you can

Good movie !!

Very good point

Amit Varma describes why subsidizing art is not the way to go

Unbelievable suggestion

An excerpt from a blog on the potential gift for the first marriage anniversary

So yesterday evening I am sitting hunched over the laptop wondering what to get the wife on the soon-to-be-here first wedding anniversary.

While I may be tall, dark, handsome, have immaculate chest hair and nearly odourless sweat, gifting has never been a strength of mine. I
suck at it. And when it comes to gifting women I take that sucking to plunging depths. So, in a moment of weakness, I asked Arty Lady for a anniversary surprise idea.

The mystery is this. She doesn’t even pause to think. It’s as if her brains has ideas for any possible scenario just cached in somewhere.

Without as much as a pause to suck in air she launches into the description of a plan unlike any I have heard before:

“Sidin what you do is this. First I will give you the number of a friend. He is a broker for elephants and other trained animals. You

book a nice big elephant for your anniversary day. You then rent a good Indian prince type Sherwani. You dress up, take the elephant, go to her office and wait with the animal till she comes outside after work. Then you pick her up and begin a slow yet extremely regal elephant ride to South Mumbai. On the way you can stop at a cafe or something and share a coffee of some kind. Leave the elephant prominently outside. You must have booked a table at the TAJ for dinner obviously. Then you take the animal right upto the entrance of the TAJ. The valet’s face! The idea is to give the woman an experience she will never ever forget for the rest of her life. Awesome no?”

I paused for a second in order to retract chin and a lion’s share of tongue from the floor.

“Yes. Yes. Awesome. Awesome. Elephant. Awesome. Very good. Give me that bottle of water please…”

“What were you planning Sid?”

“Handbag…”

Marriage

Seems like marriage is the buzz word among people around me. The spirit has rubbed some enthusiasm on me too. So, what do I do? Start thinking about things that might take place about 4 (or may be 3) years from now. Well, I have to admit thinking about such stuff is very pleasant and makes you feel good. Slowly but surely I am getting ready to move on in life. Hopefully another person is also feeling the same way.

Another year comes to an end

I think this will be the 4th new year after I started blogging. I have started writing an year end summary for the first time last year. I intend to continue doing that this year. This way I can recollect my year and the highs and lows!!
It shall take some time. I will need lots of small breaks from work. So each break I can cover a week :P

A very good post

on individuals freedom by Shruthi

A very nice post

on sportsmen (including viru) !!

You have to agee with Sambit Bal

about Ganguly

I can't agree more

with Ian Chappel

The Mist

Please do not watch "The Mist" by Stephen King. It was pathetic to put it mildly

Ganguly

Well, for a man dropped at the age of 35 he is comeback and showed how good he is. Today he finally scored a Double hundred, considered an important mark for a good batsman. Its good to see the smile back and he deserves a lot of credit for the fight and hard work that went into his comeback. I always liked Ganguly as a captain. Now i seem to enjoy his fightback too!!

My Phd

I met my prof today. I was describing the "progress" I made in my dissertation. He looks at me for a second and tells me you should proposes by January last week or latest by February first week. The nice obedient student that I am I agree. Yes, so its decided, the second test of my PhD will be in January/February next year. Well I hope I can do a decent work towards that day!

Why free speech needs to be free

a nice article by Amit Varma

Interesting quote

"In India there are two things you don't do - argue with your wife or the media "

Well, I guess its true

Running

Looks like I screwed my knee temporarily.
I have the Runners Knee (Inflammation of the Illiotibial band -ITB)
started so as to run 15 miles and once I did close to 10 miles my knee just locked itself :(
So will have to rest my knee and should be more careful warming up!!

Very nice article

by raja baradwaj

Some gyan on curreny issues

by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha

Well, What can I say

One of those days where you feel your life is good. Heard some kind words from a friend that made me feel so happy that the disappointment from a day back seemed irrelevant.

Well, life moves on.

Second one?

So, I get my the second bump in the course of my Phd. Should I get used to it?

Hmm !!

Hmm

One of those weird horoscopes

You can't be everything to everyone, even if you try. You may be very talented and able to do many things well. Still, you can get into something too deeply now if you don't pay attention. If you are in over your head, consider withdrawing from the situation. Make your escape plan, but wait a couple of days before spoiling the party.

Quotes

from Wikipedia

• "The trouble with me is that every match I play against five opponents: umpire, crowd, ball boys, court, and myself."
• 
  
• "I wouldn't want to go to a sports psychiatrist, because when you're finished, you come out more crazy than you go in."
• 
  
• "I still break racquets, but now I do it in a positive way."
• 
  
• "My fines? I pay more fines than some guys' career prize money on the tour."
• 
  
• "I think it's interesting, you have three movies in one match: horror, comedy, drama. It's fun. I enjoy it. I am like that. I don't like to change. And if I could choose, I would be the same again. Just me, and I like who I am."
• 
  
• "In every game I play there are three players in me that could surface anytime, Good Goran, Bad Goran, Crazy Goran! They can all serve aces."
• 
  
• "I have so many runner-up cups that I am thinking of starting my own tea shop."
• 
  
• "I do not want that 'plate' again." - coming into his fourth Wimbledon final having lost the three others.
• 
  
• "Today's players, they do not know how. If you are going to throw it, you break it. You have to show commitment." (on throwing rackets)
• 
  
• "I go kill myself" (after losing the Wimbledon 1998 final against Pete Sampras)

Obviously they are from Goran Ivanisevic

Random

Well, another b'day of a friend. It was fun. watched some random stuff
House - Could not understand that you make comedy out of others health problems ! surely not my type of fun!
Ninth Gate - Good movie. Surely not foolish action. Somehow movies that make me use my brain appeal to me more (of course not so for Telugu ones :P)

Now its time to start work again!!

Impressive videos of UT Austin

Minds


Sole Purpose


Change


Soul


Gutenberg

A very good post

of an ABCD's experience

Interesting article

Though I cant make out exactly whats gone wrong, you see some pointers from this article on Nandigram

A goal in life

Was watching some of the past tennis videos. I saw the Goran Wimbledon final in 2001. He wanted to win it so much and could not finish it with his strongest suit in Tennis (his serve). But, it meant so much to Goran that it was as if his life depended on it. Of course for a man who lost 3 Finals on those courts he knew he wont get another chance. It is such a nice feeling to see someone achieve what they have lived for all their life. At the same time, it raises a very relevant question. What are you living for? What is the goal? When will you feel as happy as Goran felt when he won Wimbledon?

I don't have an answer. I wish I had one!! But I hope to find it

Pure bullshit

like this can occur only in India. If this is how democracies work, you might prefer dictatorship !!

Can you believe it?

I just can't. I ran for 3 hours. Yes not 3 miles, 3 hours and 14.5 miles.
A little slow, but I will take that!!

Fed wins one more

Ferrer sums it best:
"Maybe I play with a little bit nervous, but
him do it all, no? Serve, volley, slice. It's very difficult. My game,
it's difficult to play with him, no?"

Go Fed !!

Interesting horoscope

"The tension between your inner world and your need for a relationship can take a lot of your attention today as you try to find the proper balance. This dilemma could reach new heights as you are intrigued by the idea of forgetting your responsibilities to others and doing something for yourself. No matter what, just getting the facts out into the open can be helpful to everyone."

runs

Today I ran for 90 minutes in hilly terrain. It was good fun, especially the huge houses around the river!!

My schedule

My Marathon schedule

Om Shanti Om and Saawariya

Well, two big budget movies released for this Deepavali.
Saw OSO completely. Its a huge hit in India. Well, I personally felt it was an ok film. I liked the fact that SRK finals admitted he overacts. Apart from its an ok movie.

Saawariya is an experiment gone wrong and I won't complain or crib against the director for trying. At least it was not a routine love story. But the problem with trying something new is its either very good or pathetic. Saawariya falls into the latter category.

Anyway!!

Well wriiten piece

by Sumit Bhattacharya on Nandigram

General rant

I simply find it very difficult to understand what has changed. I am unable to work at the level that will please me. I am here to a PhD and I am supposed to be highly motivated. What is wrong with me? Why am I not working hard enough!! I am taking things too lightly. I might have to graduate this coming August. If that has to happen I do not even know what will happen to me. What about my future plans. Still, I am cool about everything working and thinking of things that never mattered to me earlier. I just cant see how to change back to the mood that I was in earlier.

Hopefully soon I will fall into the groove!!

Milton Friedman explains in a amazingly

simple way why government spending will never work !!

Brilliant!!

Why Free Markets Work

I am amazed at the clarity with which Milton Friedman describes the advantages of free market

Really moving

An autistic child REX

Indian squad for the tests

I am disappointed because sehwag is missing!!

A real nice article

on why Americans in general can't get cricket

Oh God

You won't see a more God fearing/loving cricket player other than Robin Uthappa

What more can you say

A comment on the India Vs Pakistan match

"This has to be the conglomeration of the worst 22 fieldsmen one can possibly assemble on a field. The London Bridges, the butterfingers, the Gateways, the mosquito nets, have all arrived. And although they have been putting up their wares for the last two games, they reached
their absolute crescendo in RP's fourth over. When Salman Butt punched the first ball, Ganguly first dived over it at short cover, and Yuvraj
Singh, at point, instead of diving tried to stop it with his foot, which lost all the gravitational pull and arrived late. Immediately, Ganguly was moved to mid-on.

The next ball RP bowled was full and driven straight to Murali Kartik at mid-off. Kartik went down in slow motion, the ball came at live speed and RP had given eight runs off two balls for no fault of his.

It was fitting that the only piece of brilliance turned into a run-out by chance and not by design. When Yuvraj Singh dived to save a sure boundary, Mohammad Yousuf had taken off for a run. Zaheer Khan, running to collect the throw [slow and loopy], missed it completely and somehow it hit the stumps."

2 movies 1 ticket

A interesting evening began with my trip to school to work. I worked for a couple of hours and did good progress. Then we thought about going to the movie OSO. However, we had very little so we hurry around to get something "to go" and eat on our way to the theater. Once we reach the theater we realized the show for OS was house full. Not a bad thinga s far as I was concerned. But my friends felt bad. Then after considerable deliberation we decided to watch "Lambs for Lions". It was a very nice movie. More importantly it was a short one too. As soon as LFL was done we went into the OSO theater and watched that one. Luckily, for me, the most important parts were still there. I would not have survived for 3 hrs of OSO for sure. So clearly I got the best deal.

Good way to finish would be to work for a while, chat at home and sleep!!

Surely emotional

"One of the most emotional days in cricket history, as South Africa played their first international match for 21 years, against India at Calcutta. Global opposition to apartheid had seen South African cricket ostracised since they beat Australia in 1969-70, but four months after rejoining the ICC they began a speedily arranged tour with this one-dayer. India's victory was more comfortable than the three-wicket margin suggests, despite Allan Donald announcing himself to the world with 5 for 29. Defeat hardly mattered though, and South Africa's captain Clive Rice whose three matches on this short tour were his only official internationals - summed up everyone's feelings when he said, "I know how Neil Armstrong felt when he stood on the moon.""

His humility evident

in this interview

A cricket rant

to illustrate the differences/similarities among a bunch of India's greatest match winners in my generation (of cricket watching).... I
agree statistics don't tell the full story... but still Kumble is never mentioned in the same level as a Sachin or a Dravid.... but his performance in Indian victories clearly highlights what a great match winner he is !!... hopefully he will get his due .. may be now that he is the captain.....


Anil Kumble

                     Mat  Runs  HS   BatAv 100  50   W    BB  BowlAv 5w  Ct St

All                   118  2212 110*  18.13   1   4 566 10/74   28.73 33  53  0
Victories              40   687  45   20.20*  0   0 272 10/74   18.50 20  23  0

*Kumble's batting average also improves in victories :P

Rahul Dravid

All                  112  9492 270   56.50  24  48   1  1/18   39.00  0 153  0
Victories             36  3674 270   76.54  10  18   -   -       -    -  70  0

Sachin Tendulkar

All                  140 11150 248*  54.92  37  45  42  3/10   50.83  0  93  0

Victories             44  3736 248*  64.41  13  13  13  3/31   41.76* 0  33  0
*Sachin's bowling average too improves in victores

WebCam

Finally the internet at home worked. I could chat with my parents with a webcam. The looks of happiness in their faces made my day.
Its great that I can talk to them more often this way!!

Funny ain't it?

From one of the cricinfo blogs
"What always used to amaze me, knowing Courtney Walsh's propensity for ducks, was that he used to bat at number TEN in the order, ahead of Pat Patterson.

And then I saw Patterson bat. And realised just why it was that he
was possibly the only person on the planet to bat lower than Walsh...

Happy Diwali

Well, another festival comes by. Happy Diwali to all the people in India and everywhere else.
Time moves very fast. It is my 4th Diwali in the US!!

Today

One of my friends recently pointed out I write every small detail of my life (for example brushing my teeth) on the blog.Well, I write my blog as a recollection for my sake. So nothing will change.

Today after 3 months of swimming I finally swam a lap - yes 50 yards. Until today I used to swim 8 lengths of 25 yards. But today I managed to swim for 50 yards in one go :P I just have to increase the number of laps to 10 soon !!

Indian Cricket

After playing for 118 tests and in my view, never ever considered a potential captain, now becomes one. Anil Radhakrishna Kumble will lead India against our arch-rivals Pakistan. I wish him all the best.

Well, I never thought he was captaincy material. But may be he is. I hope he will prove me wrong. But he is for sure the greatest competitor India has ever produced.

A refreshing take on the child labor issue

by Amit Verma

A very nice read

on the Rizwanur case

Interesting strategy

An article on how too much is made of sports psychologist in cricket is here

An interesting excerpt
A sports nutritionist attends a team meeting and begins to espouse the benefits of reverse eating (consuming more food earlier in the day - providing more energy during the waking hours, and lessening the traditional emphasis on a large meal in the evening).
Before the nutritionist explains his strategy, the big burly fast bowler instantly replies “does that mean we have to shove our food up our arse”.

I seriously want Congress

to be ousted, in Karnataka, as stated here

At least he is sane

about the capataincy. I appreciate that

Yes did it

I successfully completed my first half marathon. Am I happy!!
Now, I can proudly claim to be a half-martahoner. Some time in the near future I will try to get rid of the half too. Lets see how that goes.
One thing I have to admit though is that i was slightly under prepared for today. So have to rectify that in the future.

My wait

As I wait for my race to start, I have many weird feelings. May be I am tense and nervous. I just want to run the race and complete it.
Run boy run.. The destination is only 13.1 miles away!!

A realistic assessment of Tehelka

A very nice article by Kishore Asthana on the recent Tehelka Expose.

I agree with most of the arguments there. Very well written!!

My specifications

Off late, I have become so rigid that I can't tolerate so many things. May be it is time I consider living alone. But may be if I get my room for myself I shall be fine. So 2 more weeks!!

13 miles

i successfully ran 13 miles and man it was tough!!

He is back

So happy to see Sehwag back. I hope he can play like he used to in his glory days. The more important of the announcement, however was the dropping of Dravid. If he has been rested thats fine. But if he has been dropped because of his performance over the last ten ODI's nothing is more ridiculous. We are talking here about a great performer over the years and a guy who just renounced his captaincy. He should at least be given to settle back in his own team. Somebody please put some sense into the selectors!!

Weeping

Many of you might laugh at this, but for me weeping is one of the nicest forms of relieving stress and even finding a special kind of happiness. Watching good movies that touch you, for the way they connect with society or the issues that they tackle will move you, and if they can make you cry there is no good substitute for such tears. It makes me feel light hearted and much better. I don't know why!!

I still remember the day I read Kite Runner. There was something in the book that I connected so deeply I was crying for more than an hour and after all that I finally realized what I connected with and it made me exactly identify my mistake. I know I don't have the chance or the power to correct it but at least I can now clearly admit it.

Movies and life

Was watching movies of various types. "Kannethal Muthu mittal" and "Shankarabharanam".....

Watching them you realize there are so many pressing things in the world and yet you carry on in your life as if everything is fine and work on solving research problems that actually amount to solving nothing but trivial issues. I know I am ranting but being a Phd student and working on "research" yoiu sometimes feel is it all really worth it. It is not because I am finding it hard, but it is because I am not sure if this is what I was meant to and should be doing.

I am yet to find a goal and I hope it is something I can be satisfied without any qualms when I am close to the end of this life.

Well, was it right?

I would not have accepted what happened today during my first year at UT or any time before. Am I becoming so liberal? or is it being ... I even don't know what it is. But I am sure it was inappropriate

Life however moves on

Three mails today

Well, It is surely time I needed to move on in life with my Degree. This is what I learned today. Three mails were waiting for me today morning. Two made me happy and the other one could not affect me. Clearly, I need to start doing what I think is important !! Hopefully in a year or two.

Trip to DC et al

Went to Dc for the nth time this year. The conference was short and sweet. The weekend was amazing fun with lost of movies, tennis, chit chat with old buddies and a very interesting argument. By the way food was awesome.

Now its back to work again

One of the many moving

stories in the Real India

Hopefully somebody will read

this article on www.livemint.com

After many days its back

The orkut fortune
"You are going to have a very comfortable old age"

Interesting Map

Link via Indiauncut

Happy Days

A very nice movie. Enjoyed it !
However I just can't exactly place it, but something surely is missing in it. May be its the too much stress on girl friends :P. Of course I agree the movie would not have clicked if the story just has guys. But looking back at my btech life I can't find many girls in any of my friends life. Or may be I was in a bunch of guys without girls. Not that i mind though especially being in IIT M (is it any different anywhere?).

But looks like I will watch it some more times! Lets see if it grows on me like "Anand" did.

An integral part of a grad student

happens to be his/her professor. So many things are influenced by that individual. His interests, biases, idiosyncrasies affect the grad students life so significantly that it is necessary to be a grad student to understand it. For some its a pleasant and smooth relationship. For some its a very rough ride.

I know how mine is! I guess everybody does :P

8 miles and more

Yes I successfully ran a little more than 8 miles today. Good job no?

India and Caste

A nice article from economist

What more can we say

about the state of politics

A great article

by shoba naraya on livemint.com discussing mathematics and more

A little long

just like most of his books.. but the end is awesome - Orhan Pamuk's speech at the Nobels

Not bad huh?

How to become a famous blogger
Link via ipatrix

A nice post

on relevance of Gandhi and how its misused

Good Job

I managed to successfully complete my first long distance (if 10k can be called so) run!

Love....Marriage

This is a summary of a nice story

"They say 'Marriages are made in heaven'. Made or not, I do not know, but one thing is for sure - the one whom you're going to marry, would have already been decided by The One above. No matter how many crushes you have in your life, no matter how many infatuations you go through and no matter how much you try to get into a relationship with someone, you're going to marry the only one you're destined to. If that 'one' happens to be the one you're already in love with, then you sure are lucky, or else, better luck next time! ;-) "

A walk across the woods

or so it felt. I just took a small walk around my house for 30 minutes and I feel I should do that more often. I do run around my house but there is something to do with doing it slowly that appeals to me.

I have a 6 mile run tomorrow. Last year Vibha was the first time I began considering running as an exercise seriously. Now this year it is apt that I begin my season (Don't laugh, I will run some races!!) with the 6 miler tomorrow.

Hoping for a good start!!

Really nice one

Letterman... making paris hilton feel why she came

Articles giving reasons why there should be more reforms

by Amit Varma
http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/the-myth-of-indias-liberalization/

http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/william-easterly-on-inequality/

A nice article

on gifts to people (the haves mostly)

Will something be done

It is really sad to see the state of affairs

Simply unbelievable

Really an interesting

approach to batting

A nice article

by Amit Varma

One of those sad pieces

from cricinfo
1862
Birth of the tragic Johnny Briggs, a brilliant slow left-armer who achieved the sort of penetration that modern English finger-spinners can only dream of. His 118 Test scalps came at the Waqar-esque strike rate of a wicket every 45.19 balls, and his 21 wickets against South Africa cost just 4.81 runs each. At Cape Town in 1888-89 he returned match figures of 33.3-16-28-15 (14 of the 15 were bowled) as South Africa's tyros were skittled for 47 and 43 in only their country's second Test. But in 1899 Briggs had an epileptic fit after being struck over the heart, and he ended up in an asylum where, so the story goes, he would imagine himself bowling down the ward and tell the nurses his bowling figures at the end of each day. He died in Cheshire in 1902.

So nice to see this orkut fortune :P

"You and your wife will be happy in your life together"

Hehe

A nice article

by S Narayan and if you read it you realize BJP states are well governed relative to Congress led states even when Congress is in power at centre. What more can I say!!

Quick weekend

This was one quick weekend. Friday night was long and fun chatting for hours with friends. Makes you realize after all you still can talk!
Saturday was short because of the friday night chat session but it was ok. we played volley as usual and i had a quiet dinner and a visit to mozarts

When we play volley I sometimes worry if people realize that the game is not just about getting the ball to the other side of it. If they don't realize its as good as writing an exam without using your brain.
anyway!!

Good to see

this article on Federer

Hmmm

Are these really started to achieve what they state? If that had been the case things would not have been so bad even after 60 years of congress rule. I just cannot understand why the people of India cannot see this!!

Well, I am back

It has been 3 days since I landed in the US. My India trip was awesome. a great break. When you are home you realize so many things about yourself and your family that you feel is it really worth it coming here. Anyway, we come here for a particular purpose and once its achieved you might feel it is worth it. Anyway.
I had lots and lots of great home cooked food. Lots of sweets and much more at home. It felt good to stay at home and do nothing for so many days. Now it is time I get back to work. Hopefully I will be able to do it efficiently!!

Reporting from India

The trip this time has been more relaxed with less traveling. However, with my driving classes, India vs England and US open it has been busy all the same. After 3 years in US you realize there are many things that have changed your perception in life that you sometimes feel really weird in some situations in India. However, as long the basic intentions of what and where to spend your life are clear there won't be any dilemma in making the important decisions. It is important however to realize living in any country for 3 years will change you in a small but significant manner. It is necessary to be conscious of those changes.

Went to my dad's native place today. Was tense to go there and as I expected the meeting did take place. It was not pleasant and I don't know if I handled it correctly. But there is a lasting image in my eyes that I will remember all my life! However, I have moved on and there is no going back. That much I am sure. I don't know if the decision is correct or wrong but it has been made a year ago. I am now working on accepting it and will work hard towards that!

Tomorrow will be another trip. Should be fun!!

India

Reached India safely. Was a nice trip back home. Finished "English Patient". Nice read, Then watched "The Namesake". As expected a really good movie to watch when you are going home. Have been on an eating and shopping spree. will go to shop again today. Will meet some friends before going back to my native place. Once I reach there I will loose connection with internet for sometime.

Till then have fun

A nice argument

of economics (though lot of which is just jargon for me)

A nice read on

Roger Federer

Another weekend flies by

Another decent weekend before I leave for my trip. Volley was bas as it has been the last 3-4 weeks. Saturday night movie was decent. The dinner Sunday was awesome. Went to meet my friend. It felt nice after such a long time. It is always a pleasure spending time with the friend. I always wonder if only we could meet more often. I do understand the reasons for that not happening! the house really impressed me. Good to see your friends doing well in life! It sure does give you some hope :P

As an aside Federer wins his 50th title. I have very little to add to my earlier posts about the genius. Well done!!

Well its already monday and I have 2 more days to go!! Bring them on.

Well, this is why

Zidane headbutted!!
I feel Zidane did the right thing.

4 days to go

I am waiting now for wednesday when I can start my journey to India.
Until then have a bunch of things to complete. will finish them soon!!

Another good Kumble moment

"Shane Warne and Anil Kumble. Both quality legspinners but neither, until today, had a century. Warne went through 145 Tests without a hundred (his highest score was 99 at Perth). "Warnie came really close. That thought was definitely there when I was batting that I should not slog and get out on 99," said a cheery Kumble at the end of the day. Now he has 10 in a match and a hundred. Surely we can forgive him for not spinning the ball (actually he does that too...but anyway)."

Link from Cricinfo

Watching Yes Minister

I am a big fan of "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister". Some how British comedy is very good. I love it. Have been watching 2 episodes everyday. Good fun! You need it especially if you are waiting to go home!!

Can't question this..

good to see people recognizing Ganguly's determination

Death?

I have thought about this for many years. Yet I am unable to accept it easily. I thought I was weird and was the only one who thought about some meaningless issues. But I talked to some people and realized I am not alone. In fact Leo Tolstoy refers to similar feelings in his book Anna Karenina. That was comforting. However, I still don't have an answer. Well, until i get an answer I will be frustrated many a times.

Why Patel should have been the PM

instead of the "esteemed" Nehru.

A week to go

The countdown to my India trip has begun. I have 7 more days to leave austin for a month. I am really looking forward to the trip. It is important in many ways to me. In a way I hope to recover my drive for work with this trip. Also, personally it is a very important trip for me. I hope it will go well. That is n't too much to ask for no?

A nice article

especially on the eve of independence by Prakash

Independence Day

What does it mean to me? I am slightly scared. After staying in the US for three years (a little less than) have I lost touch with what's happening in India. Well to know that I have to go back and start living there. Hopefully in 4-5 years I will be back home and celebrating the independence day at home. Until then I will celebrate it here on my blog!

Happy Birthday India.

Well.... What can you say

The advantage of serials

Chak De again

Very close to what I felt
"And that leaves us to talk about Shahrukh Khan who I must admit I haven't been the biggest fan of because I'm often bored by the filmshe chooses. But for the first time since "Swades", Shahrukh plays a role without any of his typical trappings, without any of his trademark quirks. He sinks his teeth into the part of the determined coach and comes up with such a terrific performance. He's hopeful at times and despondent at others, he's humorous at times, and stern at others. He plays Kabir Khan like a real flesh-and-blood human being. Look at him in that scene where he's moving out of his house with his mother after being publicly shamed -- Shahrukh has seldom been this
good."

For the full review read this

Thats not bad

Jelly beans issue.. its repercussions, albeit not very serious :P
"Sweet manufacturers Jelly Belly have said that their online sales of
their "sport beans" category has seen a 20% increase since the
Nottingham Test. Who'd have ever thought that a cricket match would
lead to better jelly bean sales."

Can you believe it?

A good take on

Chak De

Chak De India

Simply amazing movie. I just loved it. For the first time I liked SRK's action. (For people who know my dislike for him that is a huge complement for SRK). The movie is well directed and well made striking the exact chords that make you happy or sad at the appropriate moments. There were scenes where your eyes are filled with tears when something happens. I, as an avid sports watcher, can really understand the ecstasy or agony that a sportsman is filled with when he/she wins/looses. There were very many good scenes. And of course, as one of my friends expected, one of the best lines of the movie came from a gult girl. That line itself made my day :P

The plot was decent and the way it was executed was perfect. To put it simply i am impressed and happy!!

Running

The last two weeks I have been running on Sundays. Today we were supposed to do a 3 mile loop and I ended up running for about an hour. The speed at which I run will ensure the distance I ran close to or above 5 miles. So, its pleasing. Especially I did that after a night out preceded by volley. Not bad huh?

This is purely bullshit

You just can't believe this happens in a democracy

Interesting

Today's Leo lunar light show is playing on your center stage and features five planets in your very own sign. This brings the attention of the world on you, as others seem to follow your moves. Meanwhile, you could be a bit lost in the Neptunian haze, somewhere between chasing a dream and reaching spiritual enlightenment. You may need to look back one more time at a recent disappointment before you are allowed to move forward again.

Volley Ball

Well, another saturday another day of volley ball. The scoreline today was 4-1. Well I do remember whenever my team looses. The last two weeks have not worked out well. My friend remarked today, so you lost again. Well, my team lost implying I lost too. But there is a very big point when you play a team game. There is only something anybody can do with their game, so whenever I play volley bally I look to give my 100% and encourage (may be force!!) other members of my team to do so. So, I feel I am doing good. The day I don't give 100% is when I will feel bad.
Anyway life moves on

Anil... Well done

Simply aweosme

article by Amit varma

I hope this happens

"With three days to go, and the odd plume of dust already rising from the pitch, it's Indian cricket's often-unheralded hero who could leave the old country with the loudest swansong of all"

Unbelievable yet so amazing

Believe it or not Anil Radhakrishna Kumble has achieved batting immortality today with a wonderful unbeaten century. I still remember the day he got out on 88 (The match against South Africa where my other favorite destroyed the South African attack at Eden Gardens) I felt so bad for him. I felt he had lost his chance of reaching a 100. After 9 years he proved me wrong. I am so happy to be wrong for once. I have always been a great fan of Kumble his determination, his resolve and grit. Today with his century he clearly showed all that and more. Well done man. Now you just have to get some wickets to win a deserving Man of the Match. Go do it dude!!

A nice article

regarding black money in India

So true

The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish.
- Robert Jackson

Growing up never ceases

Well can't agree more!!

really nice pic

see this


bananas committing suicide

Link via ganesh

Very well written article

on P.Sainath by gaurav

My professor

There are very few people whose thought creates a stir and a feeling of happiness in you. My prof I worked with in India is one of them. I will look forward to meet him in India soon!!

Well

I did not know such things still happen

Capitalism Vs Socialism

Coming from India a socialist country (in principle at least after 1991 liberalization) I believed socialism is a necessity for nearly 20 years of my life. But after reading and experiencing how socialism stops achieving the goals of equality rather than helping it I have come to the conclusion that capitalism is a better option. In spite of working towards the progress of the individual capitalism drives innovation, offers challenges thus bringing in economies of scale. Though the aim is individual profit (or few stae holders) it helps collective upliftment and the effects trickle into the entire society. I know there will be people who will debate this and I am ready to fight!

An interestng

dilemma I guess

Viru

I surely see signs of a well deserved comeback very soon

A nice weekend

A really hectic but work free (mostly at least) weekend. I met many married people and also had a chance to watch movies, go shopping (get some stuff for my sis), eat lots of food, run, play volley (though I sucked big time!) and of course with all this activity sleep less. the shopping was fun too. Now I sympathize a little with women for taking so long to decide what to buy. There are simply too many ncie options!! Anyway, I had company of a couple of nice people to help me. So it made the 4 hour process successful and enjoyable at the same time. Now I will hope my sis will like the things I bought.

Count of Monte Christo

A very long novel but an awesome read. It is a very Masala kind of story but it is intriguing enough to make you feel you are reading a very nice classic. So after the book I feel like reading more of Dumas. So may be Three Musketeers is next.

By the way the best line from CMC (Count of Monte Christo) is "Wait and Hope". Simply amazing, Isn't it?

Hmmm

Some things are really funny. That is all I can say

A nice video

depicting the imbalance in this world

link via lalbadshah

This is scary

A potential tennis scandal

Well

This post is not aimed to blame anyone. It is purely my observation over the last six months or so of how different are the ways people treat their "friends" and how I deal with my friends.

Before getting into it - I decide who I will treat as a friend. There are some criterion for me to decide whether he/she falls into it. It is regarding these friends that I talk.

It could be a pessimistic view as well. But i will have to express it. So here it goes!!

For me, very rarely do I not find time to go out with a friend when i know the plan well ahead. I always make time because saying no to a friend is not in my nature. If I know I wont be able to make it I make sure my friend knows even before the plans are made. Further, if I say I will do something for some friend I remember to do it and most of the times have done it. But when I observe people I feel that is not the case universally. I have heard no's after every detail has been planned and I have heard people change their plans after everything is assumed to be fixed. I remember days when I was tight pressed for time but yet I went out. I always believed it just depends on the way you plan your day to work. But I have observed many (if not all) people give so much precedence to their work. Sometimes I nearly tell them even I work. But the reason why they behave like that is (to put it very bluntly) "They don't give a damn about how you feel when they have work". Well, there is nothing right or wrong in this. I am not making judgments here. I never even realized this until very recently. i was always ready to place friends above my work, but when I see so many people and moreover see how it is widely accepted you tend to reflect. After these six months now I am really working hard (yes I am!!) to put work above friends. Many things have changed for me in the last year n half (after my last India trip). The most important thing changed because I am a loser. Another thing that has changed is I have started to do things that make me happy. For many days I did things that my good friends liked (Well this is something I feel, may be my friends might beg to differ). Now, I make sure I have time to do things that I want. If somebody also likes it fine, else I will do it alone!!

Of course, I do know people who go out of their way to see that friends are happy. But sometimes I feel it is rare!

Anyway, i want to reiterate this is not aimed at any person. If it was I would directly go at the person (I am not afraid to do that, because i will show it on my face anyway!!).

Of course in spite of all this life moves on, doesn't it?

You surely

can't question his commitment

A nice article

by Amit Varma
The reason why India has so many problems is outlined precisely!!

My Birthday

Yes, it is the 25th. I guess it should be a significant birthday in once life. I had a small yet nice party. It is a nice but indescribable feeling and I am enjoying it !!

Good to see this

P Sainath wins the Magsaysay Award

A good test match

for India. 63 more runs to win. Should be done comfortably. This will be one of those famous wins overseas. Hopefully this time they will manage to hold the lead and win the series

Update: We win!!

Indian press

Sensationalizing at its best
Read this on the Zak jelly bean issue

Splendid

My fortune
"The Moon is still opposite your sign today, reflecting your need to be more involved with others now, even if they are confusing you. Don't
just let them distract you from your feelings. Invite them to join you in quiet time so you can benefit from the richness of shared imaginative realms. You have been given a spiritual elixir, but whether you take the journey is your choice."

Could not help but laugh

So hilarious

"If you die a virgin, in heaven you have to have sex with a terrorist."
via indiauncut

India trip

My shopping for the India trip has begun. Also, I am planning a number of things to do in India. I plan to watch a number of movies. I have to create a list on English and Hindi movies to watch with my sister. Also, I need to make a list of books I need to buy for her. some i can take from here. Some I will buy in India. Of course I do need to take a lot of cosmetic stuff. I need to give more thought about other stuff to take home.

What pity!!

What can you say about this?

"July 29th 1892

Birth of the luckless Dr Roy Park. It's said that when his wife dropped her knitting at Melbourne in 1920-21, she missed her husband's entire Test career as a batsman. He'd been kept up all night before his debut for Australia against England, and was dismissed by the only ball he faced in Test cricket."

A Nice article

on the now rare breed of Test number 11's.
from Cricinfo

People and their idiosyncracies

You know people for a long time. You know what they like what they don't, things that matter to them, their idiosyncrasies and many qualities that you do not like in them. You learn to live with the positives and negatives and work towards moving forward. Yet so many times, in spite of knowing how a person would act in a particular situation the person's actions make you wildly angry. My problem with this anger is, you all along knew it, so why get angry. You expected it right? instead of being angry you should handle it better. However, I handle it worse because i am angry even before the person acts. Anyway have to change this!!

Before that I have work to complete.

After a lot of effort

Finally I moved into our new apartment. It was a tedious task of 4-5 days of stupid work. But now I am done with my stuff. So can just relax and get used to my new home. I hope I will have a good time here

A good one

"I don't understand the meaning of moral victories" -- Saurav Ganguly

Watching cricket

It is so difficult (and painful) to see the way the Indian batsman play overseas. Utterly ridiculous ways of getting out!!

Jaggery

Yeah, you read it right. It is jaggery. I am big fan of jaggery. As a kid I remember eating lots of jaggery with ground nuts and sometimes just pure jaggery. It was so good. Finally after so many years I am doing that. Somehow the jaggery with its distinct sweetness appeals to me. So even though I have grown up I will continue eating!!

Richie Benaud at his best

Watch the video...... especially the last words from benaud at the end

What can you do when its as tough as this

David Loyd on his Australian tour
"Lloyd wrote letters to his mother during that series, one where England went down 4-1 after being dismantled by Lillie and Thomson. “I remember writing a letter saying, ‘I got a half-volley today for the first time in three months and have no clue what to do with it. All the rest have been bouncers’. "

Another Saturday

As every saturday yesterday we played volley and it was fun and tiring. I remember diving once full stretch and falling so hard on the sand. But it felt great!! Would love more such dives!!

Now back to work again

After a long time

a full scale night out. I have been up till 5 most of this week. However, today for the first time i am till 6.32. It is actually a nice feeling.
Anyway.

Nice piece on Geoffrey

Boycott, one of my favorite commentators

Good one there

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan's take on Indian bowling on the first dat at Lords
"India's weakest link kept them afloat. Now whether that's a good thing or a bad one is anybody's guess."

Really scary

fortune:

You continue to move forward with your life with great intent, but it's wise to stop long enough to take stock of what you have accomplished. Take the necessary time to analyze what you truly want and reevaluate your plan to reflect your adjusted desires. Don't worry if joy seems out of reach now. Do what you must while believing that the good times will return.

How will the reservation problem be ever solved

Everybody has their reservations

Finally somebody talks sense

comparing dravid vs tendulkar

An interesting perspective on

rupee value appreciation by niranjan

A while

Haven't blogged for a while by my standards. Have been on a trip to DC, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and back. It was slightly hectic what with mails from my advisor and night outs and lack of sleep. But I enjoyed every bit of it. As I have been realizing more and more off late there is nothing better than meeting your undergrad friends. Somehow there is a sense of understanding and respect for one another. Also got a chance to meet a senior who recently got married. Man!! he was awesome and I am happy for him and wish him a very happy married life.

Niagara was fun and beautiful. The power of the great waters make you intoxicated. I loved it while it lasted. Then the night out at Buffalo and time with my friend were also nice. Of course the great hospitality at psp's home with his mom cooking great food was as usual unbelievable.

Now that I am back here I have lots of stuff to do and occasionally it scares me. But now I feel better I have deadlines to work, so I can work without any thoughts.

Back to it then

A very interesting perspective

into the Musharaff angle. Something I never expected

A very good analysis

of the different directions chosen by cricket and tennis (or Wimbledon rather) on Cricinfo by Tim de Lisle

Very good news

Today i woke up to hear a great news from my sister. She got placed in Patni Computers. I am very happy for her!! Her happiness and excitement made it even sweeter. Her hard work has paid off. I guess it is a great feeling to get a job!!

Wimbledon 2007

Well, what a Wimbledon it was.

Roger Federer was going for his 5th Wimbledon. Under immense expectations and pressure he played a thriller of a match against Rafael Nadal. Clearly, the match was close but Fed held his nerve at the most important moments and made it to the finish line. Now, I think a huge burden is off his shoulders (off mine too). He has proved that he is the best ever Wimbledon champion by winning it 5 successive times. Also, he has seen Nadal improve as a grass court player. However, from next year Federer will not have to fight the pressure of making it 5 in 5. Now that he has achieved it he can play more relaxed and may be improve his game further. Lets see.

The weekend was very tense and for me it was as if I am playing the final. I don't know how Federer can handle all the pressure. Jut being a fan is so emotionally draining. For the entire duration of the match I sat like an idiot so tense that I would not have moved even if there was an earthquake. I decided to watch this final alone because it meant so much to me. And good that I did it. Because nobody will ever understand why it means so much to me. It is as if Federer is on war with my enemy and so there is no place for compassion or appreciation for the opponent. Most tennis fans appreciate both players (in this case Nadal). Appreciating an opponent when Federer is playing is sacrilege. He is the God of tennis. He looses points because he makes a mistake, not because someone creates an opportunity. He gives them a chance because of his mistakes. I know people will not accept this (I know it is upto them). But thats how I treat federer. Federer is a genius, an artist and much more. I cannot accept his defeat. (Please don't give me it is after all a sport argument!!)

For me he is the greatest tennis player ever to have played. I have had the privilege of watching Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras. (I was not fortunate to watch Rod Laver or Roy Emerson). Among these three champions I have watched I am sure that Federer is the best. For me his victory gives utmost pleasure. This final will mark the end of my tension whenever he plays. From now on, I will enjoy his game like I did in the first two years of his meteoric rise. His great forehand, his wonderful backhand and those athletic runs he makes, the cross court passing shots he can hit, his sublime serve and most important of all Roger Federer the man!! Go Federer, Make your total grand slams beyond 20!!

Of course if there is a small thing missing that will be the French Open. I just hope he will win it some day!! For me thats immaterial and he is already the greatest tennis player whether he wins French or not.

Well, now I have one dream, before he retires I want to watch him play at Wimbledon ("The Championships" in tennis). The thought of watching him play at Wimbledon itself is unbelievable. I hope I can fulfill it.

A good post

by an Indian muslim LalBadshah on the recent attacks

Link via indiauncut

Awesome Video

Marion Bartoli

This simply makes her more affable

Bartoli in her speech after loosing on the greatest stage for a tennis player

"Then as her voice shook, she said she had “one person to thank and one
person only – my dad”. Dr Walter Bartoli, who introduced his daughter
to tennis at the age of six, nodded at her from the players box, and
then covered his eyes as his loving pride in his daughter overtook him."

There are few things that move you. That line from bartoli was one. Not that I haven't heard such lines, but the genuineness of the words makes it moving.

Anyway Bartoli, you have time on your side, just keep fighting miss!!

Well

looks like I got my answer.

Poor Roddick

is out of Wimbledon. This time it is because of a Federesque performance of Richard Gasquet.
The irony is he will face Federer. Lets see how it goes.

A stirring article

by Harsha Bhogle

A nice article

This is a very nice article portraying the wonderful relationship of parents and children. The article depicts the tensions associated with living far away from parents.

Soderling Vs Nadal

Soderling lost the match but what a fight it was. He served amazingly on tough points and finally he ran out of ammunition. Lets see how Wimbledon pan out from now on

A nice review

of AKS by greatbong

Swimming

I took a 2 week swimming course. They taught us ways to swim. However i felt I learned nothing. Today I went and worked on some things I learnt. I saw some progress (not much but a little). Hopefully in a month or two I hope to swim :P

Lets see.

Somethings to settle

There are so many things that I spend time on. Most of these are trivial and stupid reasons and I have to work on not wasting my time on such issues. anyway life moves on

Work

Work has not been very attractive of late. The reasons are not clear. I have to write a code and start estimation and do not feel like starting the work. I find ridiculous reasons not to work and especially with Wimbledon going on the reasons are abundant. Anyway....

Tomorrow is a b'day of my roommate. Also a friend from Cal is coming, so more reasons not to work. But hopefully by the weekend I will have something done!!

The day at SW19

is over adding to my frustration!!

Rain in England

is literally screwing up my day. If only it will stop soon and for 30 minutes!!

Long Hair

I don't know how many of you have tried to grow long hair. But there is something nice about it especially if you have hair that is slightly silky and bounces when you walk/run. I was running today and the bouncing of my hair was making me so happy. It is so cool. but unfortunately I can't see how cool it looks. I was planning to get a haircut sometime soon till today, now i have doubts. It is a topic I need to give more thought to.

Another 45 minute run completed. way to go dude!!

Nice article on screams in wimbledon

Read it if you know Maria Sharapova

Link via GK

Well

Some things are so screwed up, i never understand how they work. All you can do is sympathize.

A nice chat

It is very difficult to get to talk to a person these days because of the person's tight work schedule and commitments. But whenever I get to talk with the person it puts me so much at ease that I wonder i would be in a much better state if I am in regular touch. Life is weird so you got to accept it and move on.
I think I made a decision regarding some issues that have been bugging me off late and I just hope I can manage to control myself and work on them.

Safin

I like him even more after reading this

Iphone

It looks cool and i simply love it. If not for the price I would have purchased it (obviously I am a graduate student!!)

A nice review by lev grossman

A brief note I really liked
" Voice mail — you pick and choose visually what messages you want to hear — and Google Maps are ridiculously useful. The user interface is crammed with smart little touches — every moment of user interaction has been quietly stage-managed and orchestrated, with such overwhelming attention to detail that when the history of digital interface design is written, whoever managed this project at Apple will be hailed as a Michelangelo, and the iPhone his or her Sistine Chapel (Steve Jobs can be Pope in this scenario). If you're not a reviewer, chances are you won't even bother to look at the manual. Translucent, jewel-like, artfully phrased dialogue boxes come and go on cue. Window borders bounce and flex just slightly to cue the user where and how you're supposed to drop and drag and scroll them. When you switch the phone to "airplane mode" (no electronic transmissions, for use on planes) a tasteful little orange airplane slides into the menu bar, then zooms away when you switch out again. (This was so pleasurable that I repeatedly entered airplane mode while using the iPhone, even though I wasn't actually on an airplane.) As soon as my phone realized it belonged to someone with a nonsense-name like Lev, it started correcting typos like "Leb" and "Lec" to match."

Awesome one

You can take all the sincerity in Hollywood, place it in the navel of a firefly and still have room enough for three caraway seeds and a producer's heart.
    - Fred Allen

An interesting potrayala of Opera

Link via IndiaUncut

What am I doing

Why do I let stupid things affect me? I just dont understand!! How to stop it man?

Somethings affect you

I still cannot understand why somethings affect me so much. I am trying so hard. I feel I was a much cheerful person than what I am now. Right now I am a guy with temper. Why? what is affecting me so much. I have to end this stupid issue forever and that too very soon. I think I know how to and will do it!!

More importantly the fact that people take you for granted and do not seem to understand (or may be do not have the time to even think) what you go through you are wasting time. Its better late than never.

Impressed

Orkut fortune
"Your principles mean more to you than any money or success"

So true.

Well

Wimbledon has had one of those rainy where nothing goes on plan and all matches are washed out. I decided to take a break watching many matches and well without tennis I took a break. Well, it is not a bad idea to spend some time with people around you I guess.
Watched Primal Fear. A decent movie especially if you see the idea for the first time. I knew the idea before and was expecting it so it was ok types. The action was good making it fun.


Looking forward to Volley as usual

David Miliband

41 years old appointed as British Foreign Secretary. That's a welcome decision From Gordon Brown. He is not the son of a prime minister!! He earned his position on his own merit. When will we see such ministers in India in such important positions. Until that time we have to be content with Pratibha Patils and Rahul Gandhis. What pity!!

A decision to be made

Well, from a person who detested exercising to a person who has to choose what to do. A drastic change in one year. Now I have three options of exercising. Running, Swimming and Weights. It is nearly impossible to fit in all three into my schedule. Especially with Volley on Saturdays. Further, I am still learning swimming so doing swimming for a day will take me no where (literally no where in the water). So, I decided I will improve my swimming ability by spending two days on that and the other two days for running with Friday a rest day. Lets see how it pans out from next week.