There sure is

some element of truth in the rant by Atanu Dey.

Something

Something happened on Thursday night. It really did and I hope the change I feel lasts forever. I really do!

Good Will Hunting

Pretty awesome movie. Do watch it!

Interesting

piece on Obama's policy in the economist

Pretty good

huh!
Very awesome!

Rob Steen

worries about the state of cricket in his piece on cricinfo. Cricket has been around for so many years that I believe whatever format comes up its longevity is ensured. There will always be enough purists to appreciate Test Cricket. So, it will live on. If the number of matches reduce its not a bad thing after all.

Wait

The wait is over and things haven't exactly panned out as I wanted them to. Lets see. As always I believe its for the better. I hope to clearly see that in sometime! Like I always do in my life!

Academia

As some of you who read the blog would know I have always been interested in a career in Academia. I strongly believe, despite doubts expressed by people who should be supporting me, that I have the drive and passion for working in academia. I, not for once, believe or am sure if I have the ability to succeed in the academic career. I have realized with time that the way I look at a career in academia is very different from how my adviser or even many of his students perceive an academic career. I have observed that the primary motivation for most of the people I have interacted with are driven by strong sense of acceptance (or also called fame) among the research community i.e. research and publishing. Somehow this I think isn't my primary motivation. There is a part of me that does not believe in making it big. Don't I want to be successful (or well known) in my research area? Well I do. But somehow that is not any larger than other components such as mentoring students and teaching. I don't see teaching as a necessary evil (I am aware that this does not mean I am a good teacher!). All I am saying is if my students (if I ever teach) consider my class to be useful I will be satisfied as much as publishing a couple of papers! May be with time teaching and mentoring might lose the charm and I might become like the people I am talking about. I want to make it clear I don't for once think what they are doing isn't right. All I am stressing on is how I am different from the conventional guy interested in getting to Academia (in my relatively brief exposure in transportation).

Lets see if I ever get a chance to exercise some of the choices that will drive me towards being a different kind of academician. Well, if I don't may be its because it is not meant to be. May be not yet!

Turmoil

The last five days have been one of the toughest phases in my life. Yes I am not overstating it. It has been really hard. Tension about one thing, frustration at another and pure desperation in the third one. Don't know how this week will pan out. I know it can only get better. May be it won't. But I have to tough it out. But as always I will still speak my mind and do things as I usually do!

Lets see!

Hmmm

The lesson in this -- for players, franchise owners, all of us -- is
that success and failure are transitory, but hope must be eternal.

from here
True, ain't it?

Interesting

problems for IPL players related to advertising (oh yes not cricket!) discussed here!

Sometimes

the wait becomes a pain. The thought of finishing it seems better than waiting. Lets see!

Stressbusters

A long discussion letting off some steam of what I am going through. Hopefully things will be better soon!

Escape

I really want to escape to a place where I don't have to see so much ridiculousness. Hopefully someday I will. May be all I need is to take that one step! I really hope to take that step. It is wreaking havoc on my life in Austin.

Everybody

from a common man to the economist feels the stability offered to the incoming congress party should allow them a free hand to improve the condition of India. I really hope Manmohan Singh and his cabinet ministers can deliver that! Basically this time if they goof up they will find it hard to come up with excuses. So I hope this will be the ultimate test to the PM's resolve and his chance to put India, its economy and everything on the road of growth and development!

Really?

I am surprised at the extreme feelings I have gone through in the last two days. Oh and I am an emotional guy even before. The last two days kinda scares me that I am capable of such thoughts. They really do. The spectrum of thoughts makes me happy at moments and ashamed at others. But what the hell knowing yourself can only help you. Yes that can only be helpful!

Isn't it nice

to see a nice straight forward guy who is balanced about the game!

Nannes' wife helps him out. She comes up with a smile, and as she takes her elder son away, says, "You know, I didn't
even know that he used to play cricket when I married him!"

Where did he meet his wife? "Through mutual friends. She is a snowboarder, and that's how we met. You know the best compliment I got in this IPL? It came from AB [de Villiers]. He said, you have a beautiful family, fantastic kids and a wonderful wife. What more can I ask for?

Once you look at things this way

everything makes a difference. See how Tishani Doshi feels South outperformed the North in IPL.
Yes... I know its funny! In fact one of my friends at UT did make a reference to this!

Do see this

Be it a saint or a simple comedian the funda about life is simple!

Two people

My life in Austin has always been controlled by one person in my first year. It altered my moods and caused me pain. I worked very very hard to strengthen myself and start enjoying life. Now in the last one year i have given that control to another person knowingly and even willingly. Today after what transpired I realize how wrong i am to let the other person control my life. I not for once think my decision to proceed the way I did a year ago was wrong. But I was wrong about according so much importance to that person. It's the same mistake I made in first year all over again. I hope to learn and work towards the strength i built in the early part of my Austin life. I know I can and I will very soon.
Well to top of the pain from the second person the first person to whom I was immune also caused me pain today. Well, I realized i have weakened there too and let the person hurt me. So, I need to work hard on two fronts now. That I will do!

An interesting piece

comparing Squash and Tennis here. Very well written!

Awesome Technology

I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.

Link via ipatrix!

Back from Vermont

Was out of town for a couple of days. Just came back today. Well, and as if i might forget everything comes back today!
Anyway!

Lawrence Booth

gives 10 reasons why IPL needs to be taken seriously!

A must read

interview of Gautam Gambhir here.
Some excerpts

Best friend in cricket?
Virender Sehwag, Munaf Patel, Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma. People outside always feel I'm reserved, but when I'm with these guys I'm the only one speaking. I'm very comfortable with each of them and all of them are special to me.

Who's the nicest man in cricket?
Sehwag. He thinks about the team. The way he gives others confidence, his character, and the way he approaches his cricket and life is an inspiration.

ok these are because they are about Sehwag

The best sledge you've heard?
One comment that made me turn a lot of things around came from Ricky Ponting during the Bangalore Test last year. He said, "You haven't [yet] set the world on fire." That was something I took seriously, and it helped me do well.

Kumble

he might have retired but with the ball in his hand he is competitive as usual
see these words for proof (from cricinfo)

Kumble roared even as he pumped up his arms into a furious arc. He reserves that only for the tensest moments and mostly when he has got rid of pesky big-hitters who have gone after him. It's a moment thoroughly relished by the most fiercely competitive bowler in Indian cricket history. It's also his way of offering tribute to the batsman - 'Thanks for trying to take me on, I enjoyed it. Do visit again'.

We have seen that when he took on Andrew Symonds in Australia. We witnessed it when he once removed Shahid Afridi. He later he joked about his reaction. "You have to do it; otherwise they will say you are too old for this format!"