My pathetic attempt at blogging

This is my first post in almost two years and would have been more had it not been for the fact that I am right in the middle of my semester vacation and I have nothing else to do.When I started my blog,I was thinking of updating my blog at least thrice a week with content that would make for some light reading while unwinding(basically aimed at a few friends and relatives). Why I took up blogging is, it provided an outlet to express myself to myself.If that sounds weird,you have never done deep self introspection.So basically it was an attempt to pour out my thoughts on stuff and happenings that took a large portion of my thinking capacity.

Blog traffic,ads,no of hits.....all of hit made no sense to me....and they still don't.I don't write for people to read and get inspired or make money out of my blog. It was, and still is primarily written for myself and even though this post would not make any sense to a random reader stumbling upon my page,it makes a whole lot of sense to me and that's all I want.If you want to put it in simple words,call it 'self reflection'.

So will I be more regular in updating my blog?Maybe.

Will I stop blogging?Definitely no.

What do I really want to convey by this post?Nothing other than the fact I am dusting the covers of my blog page and intend to update regularly.

Fingers crossed :P

Luck

Luck.... the four letter word that many use to hide their incompetenices after swearing with its similar sounding counterpart.

What really is luck??Is it something that be can be exactly described or is it intangible??What makes some persons 'luckier' than the rest??On an analogous note, I quote Edison who said " Genius is ninety nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration".Now, what does perspiration and inspiration have to do with luck you may ask??Everyone of us would have come to know that there is no substitute for hard work.In reality, Edison was a hardworker who had moments of inspiration to invent stuff that we cannot live without today.

Returning to the topic under discussion but including Edison as well, "Was Edison lucky??"Before anyone starts pondering, the question was purely rhetoric. If Edison was lucky, so was Newton, Galileo et. al without whom 'Physics' as we know today and everything else related to it would not exist.When Samuel Goldwyn spoke those Gold(wyn)en words, "The harder I work, the luckier I get", he would not have known he had hit bull's eye in answering an age old question.

True,people may quote astrology,sun sign,star sign and lucky stones and even swear their life on it when it comes to being lucky,but come what may, it all boils down to two things:

"How badly you want something?"

"How hard are you willing to work for it?"

If anybody can answer these questions truly and I mean TRULY, then my friend you may have just found out what LUCK is. 

Travian

One monster of a game that has got me hooked for the past ten months. 

Yes.

You heard it right.

TEN SOLID MONTHS.

To make matters worse, it is a browser based game :(

Now what it is that got me going bonkers over this game and all blah blah blah is not necessary.Just be sure you have loads of time on your hands if you ever decide to sign up for a server. 

Age is just a number till you are cheese-II

This is a rap on the above topic by my mate Praqxz.

Age is a number until you are cheese

No matter if you are Indian,Swiss or Chinese

People say bless you when you sneeze

I'll lock the door gimme the keys

I have imperians and EI's can i raid you plz ?

Go ahead and croplock me now

I aint afraid

The time has now gone when i was waiting for the freeze

Take my hand and we shall walk to wherever you please

But we must come back sooner coz I got my troop count to increase

Without which council would seem displeased

I am but a mere pawn in the army we breed

Surrender we shall not... fight till we bleed

No matter if I go down , I shall lay to rest my enemy

Weep for me not brethern I shall come again

Age troops and servers.... are all numbers until we are cheese

Age is just a number till you are cheese

The following is a lovely poem written by friend Rachayeta on the topic mentioned above.My mate Praqxz wrote a rap on the same topic which wold be posted subsequently.

Just down the lane
Resides this lovely widow
Beneath her window pane
I stand as the lonely kiddo

I look upto her
She enchantingly smiles
Making my heart throb at a rate
Per hour-1000 miles

Oh! how i longed to reach u
In the wide bright sunshine
Take u in my arms and say
Baby would u be mine??

But alas! the cruel joke u played on me
When i asked u for a date
The biggest disappointment on my face when u said
Baby am 64 and you are 28

How does these numbers matter to u my dear
When love i know is pure,
How numbers could ever jumble up
My love for you, could i know??

Ahh ! Society u say
Would they accept such a union
But let me know my lovely lady
Did it ever help you in your communion??

The society commands your every action 
And u follow like a flock of geese
But who shall tell u my charming lass
That age is just a number until u are cheese

I am a human in flesh and blood
Standing at your gate
Begging for a little mercy
And asking you to come on a date

And still you stand there motionless
Overlooking at my emotions with ease
Not an ounce did you understand
That age is just a number until you are cheese

And still down the lane
Resides this lovely widow
Underneath whose window pane
I stand the lonely kiddo
My love for her slipped away 
Like a stone smeared with grease
Since not an ounce did she ever understood
That age is just a number until you are cheese

By Rachayeta

Define Racism : Urban violence (New def. by Kevin Rudd)

The first thing that came to my mind when I heard that hag Kevin Rudd speak about the racist attacks on Indians in Australia is "What a load of crap?".When Bhajji calls Symonds 'teri maa ki', it will be misinterpreted as 'monkey' and termed as a racial taunt but when Indian students who come all the across the Indian Ocean to pursue their higher studies are attacked by the deranged Australian youth who get high on beer, dope and whatever shit they can lay their hands on, it is called "urban violence". That's the most poetic justification I have ever seen.

The Australian police,to their part,have also indulged in this ,albeit officially, by dragging and beating up innocent people who had gathered to have a peaceful protest against the attacks.I guess you Australian numbskulls have never heard of "Non-violence". Whatever happened concept of "Adithi devo bhava "?.It surely must have an Australian interpretation.Or what we are seeing probably 'is' the interpretation.Whatever it is, I have run out of decent words to describe this debacle and though the use of unparliamentary words cannot be prohibited,I have something what they call "Writer's decency" and though asteriking one or two words might show what I meant that I didn't want to explicitly write, how would 2-3 lines full of asteriks look to you.Hence I stop here until I gather steam.

Is the change coming?

With countless campaigns highlighting only the achievements of that particular government,taking a dig at the opposition at every single chance,backstabbing everybody,joining hands with people you hated just before the campaigns and the usual hogwash of the promised change that will turn India on its head,the ELECTIONS in India is finally over.

Why put ELECTIONS in caps,you may ask.Simply put, elections in India is a huge huge affair.Not only because of the mind boggling number of people who come to vote in the hope that may be this time around they will see some change(which incidentally happens to be every time) but also the amount of money spent in campaigns is something that if accounted will make our heads spin faster than the earth revolves on its axis.

So with the EC coming down hard on sops this time,it remains to be seen whether people will want a change or prefer to tread the same path.The corruption that exists during the elections,especially offering money to make people vote  makes me so sick that I literally want to throw up.Where the bloody hell is democracy?What happened to the good old times(very few incidentally) when people voted a candidate not because he can provide something that serves a short purpose but rather because they wanted something that will make their living standards better forever.

I specifically want to discuss the money distribution for voters.Now why is the candidate so desperate to win?Is he so inclined to serve people that he will do anything in his capacity to get elected?Will he make people's life a haven after he is elected?.NO.NO.NO is the answer to all three.If such a guy comes to power,rest assured, his first job will be to open a Swiss bank account so that he can hoard his assets.Bull shit is what he is feeding to the hapless people making them believe he is the next messiah.Oh God! I just want to tear my hair and bang myself into a solid concrete wall.Such things make me so mad.Maybe I am a bit sensitive to corruption or maybe I just grew up that way.But all added up,all this big festival is just a facade to secure the next five years for many.After the elections,the motto towards people is ROT IN HELL.I am not vindicating everybody elected but a large number of them sure do want to win for their own purposes.

Are we going to get a party that will work with an open mind and understand what the people really want instead of making the first point of their agenda is to hit back at the opposition with crap talk.As it has been said,opposition is a necessary evil because without it there would be no checkpoints.

Is the change we have hoped finally coming?Lets cross our fingers and hope. 

The Great Train Robbery

The latest sensation in namma singara Chennai is the hijack of a train from the Moore Market station,i.e our Chennai Central EMU service track.How comical is that an unauthorised person is able to sneak into the driver's coach,start a train and take it for a jolly ride just like kids do with other kid's bicycles?

To say that this depicts is the poor state of affairs of security,authorisation procedures and overall accountability is an understatement and words probably won't do justice to the anguish of the relatives of the people who have been killed(I will not say they died because spiritually dying means you are ready to leave the world behind on your own accord and these people  certainly were not).Now don't mistake me for bringing spirtuality and philosphy into this serious issue at hand but just that it makes more sense when you see it from that point,atleast for me.

Everybody can point hands at one another and play the blame game,which is what usaually happens but spare a thought for the people injured and killed.What can offer them solace?Bringing the CBI into the fold of things might seem like a big step forward but what is to be noted is the sheer indiscipline in following regulations that should have been second nature to the guys in charge.

The need of the hour is to bring into force a stricter implementation of policies and safety regulations(all it requires is personal dedication and the thought in the back of the mind that if the work is not carried out properly it may reult in mishaps and people can get injured ).

Whether it was a prank gone horribly wrong or a calculated execution of pre-laid plans,we may or maynot never know.But the sheer thought that something like this can happen to anybody sends shivers down the spine.

Temptations

Having given myself to the regimen of taking a walk in the early morning on the basis that it is healthy for your life,I have found its side effects.Now talking of walking side effects may bring ankle sprains and leg cramps to the imaginative mind but the answer is no.Not any one of these.

My side effect is sleep.Yes SLEEP.Waking up at 5 in the morning takes a good 2 hours off my time devoted for sleep and while I would love to crash on my bunker when I return from my walk it is totally off limits as that would result in a nice archanai from my mom.So while I'll be able to ward off the remaining sleep in the morning hours,when it comes to the late afternoon say between 4 to 5, I would be totally washed.It would be like I have gone without sleep for 2-3 days and my eyes close on their own accord.That is also the time when everybody is busiest because it is near to office closing hours and naturally all would like to show that they are hardworking just as the office ends.Imagine my plight trying to keep my eyes open while having to concentrate on the work on hand.For a good understanding, try to remember your most boring professor's class just after lunch.You will get the point.

Hence not only am I tempted to catch a quick shut eye but my body metabolism also seems to gone into overdrive with my stomach grumbling every time i think of food since I started walking as an exercise.And on way my back home,the biggest task is to force my legs away from the chat shop near my house and mentally pound myself to think of  chapathis and dal instead of the sinfully good bhel puri or the delicious pani puri that the guy can whip in a jiffy.Sigh!Sigh!Sigh!.I really wonder how people try to attain nirvana when the simple task of keeping yourself healthy and monitoring your junk food consumption is taking a big toll on my senses.That is why maybe those enlightened ones are called mahans.

Exams

Attended my ISRO exam yesterday and it was actually fun to write a competitive exam, you know it makes those grey cells work a wee little more and the feeling of working with your mind rather than physically as we do in our daily jobs 90% of the time is immensely satisfying.It gave me almost an "on-the-top-of the world feeling"  because recollecting the wonderful time I had spent in college learning while going through the question paper concotes a heady mix of inexplicable enjoyment that just makes you want to grin at everybody.

All in all,a very nice Sunday I have had in a long time which would otherwise have been spent on waking late and whiling away the time on the idiot box and its cousin,the PC.

Of Hot Summers and Power cuts

When the Tamilnadu EB announced that there will be very less power shortage this year and as a result there will be fewer power cuts,I was the most happiest person in TN,believe it or not as I am one of those guys who would even on a chilly winter night like to have the fan running at full speed.

But I don't use the AC because my bronchus is a little bit sensitive to chillness that the AC produces.Hence however sweltering it may be I would like to sleep just with the fans on and the windows open. 

However for the last week or so,there has been a regular power cut in our flat especially between 10.30 and 11.00 in the night.When contacted the EB told that they were not carrying out any maintenance work.Left with no option we called them  to come and check our mains.After an hour one guy finally decided to show up.

He came,he saw and he proclaimed "Fuse poiduchu saar".As pompous as Julius Ceaser when he spoke those 3 immortal words "Vini,Vidi,Vici" .

After changing the fuse we paid him the usual amount that is mandatory unofficially.I could have kicked myself for that but the flat association saw it fit to pay him what he asked so where is the opinion of one person going to hold water.The reason "Ippo kudukulana adutha vatti vara mattanga".

Hollering about bribes and overcharging will take this post quite of context which is not what I intend to do.

Anyway the next day,the same thing happened and the same routine was enacted.The same guy came,said the same thing(why am i using so many "same"s) and fixed the fuse. 

Day 3. Repeatuuu

Day 4. Repeatuuu

Now, before you think I am going to proceed till 365, hold your horses because this where the proverbial twist in the story takes place( God, I sound like an amateurish screen play writer).

The next day the events repeated themselves(haha,I have not used "same" for 40 words) and in my sweat filled anger I felt like putting my fists through the mains a la Jackie Chan in some kung fu movies that they show in Vijay TV on Saturday nights,which I gratefully did not because the only result would have been shattered knuckles.

Fortunately, the EB officials were alerted due to the curious repeat of the same problem over and over again and they decided to send a senior technician.

The guy who ambled over to our flat said that in his analysis(yes!! he used the word analysis),the issue was overloading of the mains,the reason for which was the use of AC's in all our 12 flats in the compound.This sounded ridiculous as last summer there was no such issues and I told him so.

Naturally, he got angry, said I didn't understand how the power transmission works and et al. before I finally waved my engineering tag before him and shut him up for good.Man, that felt sweet, you know to shut up someone who acts like a know-it-all with that one remark "I AM AN ENGINEER".

That night the problem was temporarily fixed and the next morning they promised to send someone to look into the issue.The next day,3 people actually turned up and went through the rigmarole of looking at the connections from the transformer to the pole and from the pole to the flat mains and that was where the culprit lay.

You see,the week before we started having this phenomenon of isolated power cuts the Corporation people had dug up our road for laying out pipes for the storm water drains and they accidentally had punctured one of the cables going to our flat mains,which in reality had caused us to have only 2 phases rather than the 3 phases which is normal and this was responsible for the overloading as the load of that phase had been diverted to be shared by the other two.

As the problem had been identified,it may seem it was a simple matter of replacing that cable and setting things right but alas it was not to be.The difficulty in moving ahead was that though EB had the power to change cables overhead, if they wanted to do something with cables that ran below the ground, you(meaning the person who has the problem not the EB) have to take the permission of the Corporation by giving them a request letter in writing for digging the road.After it was approved,the EB would then carry on their work.

Funny how two wings of the corporation act like separate autonomous bodies with no communication between them.Anyhow that is the state of things and it wasn't until two days ago that the problem was totally rectified be relaying that cable.

My nights have been much better since then and I have actually managed to blog regularly,which given my predisposition to slacking is quite a feat by itself.Not that blogging is a feat,but trying not be a slacker is.

 

Oops!I did it again

Yes.I did it again.After so many resolutions,daily remainders on my mobile and what not,I have succesfully missed out yet again to update my blog in more than a year.
That awful feeling you have when you know that you must have done something that was entirely doable and yet you didn't do it  is now washing in waves over me.It is not disgust,it is not self-pity nor it is some sort of guilty feeling.
It is something that makes you so angry that you want to rage around for hours at yourself yet you don't simply because of the fact that you know the reason is you slacked and biting your own head off isn't going to help matters.
I don't know whteher my ranting is in the least bit coherent but sometimes just writing what you exactly want to convey even if it doesn't make sense to others is very cathartic.

Why do my blogs always meander towards cricket???

My God!Why do I always take such a long break between posting blogs.This is a question I have asked myself umpteen number of times and the answer is no where near than the ICL being recognized by the BCCI. That the question is not philosophical or rheotorical is well understood but to coin a term that exactly defines my inability to update regularly is beyond my reach.Perhaps like the 'Lazy eye' syndrome,I should term it as something scientific sounding like 'Lazioblogalis', which cut down to its barest form means "I am a moron so lazy that i can't even update blogs regularly".

Now enough of self-criticism.

Let us come to the topic of the day which is why do my blogs always contain some cricket or other.The reason is simple.I love cricket and blogging about it and reliving those moments of glory is always a welcome proposal.

Now that India had toured Australia,being beaten in the test series 2-1 which we should won by the same scoreline thanks to Australia playing with 13 players on the field(Yup!You guessed correctly,the umpires are whom I am referring to),I have arrived at the conclusion that either India is extremely unlucky with umpires whenever we go abroad(for further details refer my India tour of England blog)or those who officiate should be renamed 'MORONS' because even a blind man will officiate better.Not that it mattered a whole lot for we literally and royally ****** Australia in the ODI series.How it must have felt for Ponting in the last edition of the series,one can only imagine.

Coming to other matters,my job is going good,got myself a new mobile and I plan to write regular blogs,not just something that involves cricket but something philosophical, idiotical, or whatever crap that i can churn out of my mind that makes it worth reading.

A lot of things

Its been a really really long time since i had updated my blog, 3 months and 17 days to be precise.Not that i was really busy, it was just the exact opposite .I had so much time time and so little to do that I didn't know what to write in my blogs except the following : "Eat,Sleep,watch TV".And posting it over and over even though it was what i had been doing might make people think i am off my rockers.

A lot of things have also happened since my last blog.India won the T20 world cup,its biggest triumph since the 1983 World Cup and that with a young side led by the awesome Dhoni and ably aided by that swashbuckler of a batsman,Yuvraj Singh.What a tournament it was!The first match washed out,the second against Pakistan going on to a bowl out,losing the next to New Zealand and making sure that all of India was going crazy not knowing whether we would reach the semis or not.Then came the innings of a lifetime by Yuvraj.Carting a bowler of Chris Broad's pace(not that he is a Lee or Akhtar, but a still pacy) for six sixes in over must be what most batsmen think of but very few achieve.And it was indeed a scintillating display from Yuvraj in that match that settled the issue in our favor.The next against SA was a clear example of choking bowling making the batsmen play their shots out of desperation. India's bowlers were progressing fast and this match clearly illustrated their level heads in a pressure match against the home team.

The semifinal against Australia was a cracker of a contrast with our batting showing its class and a total of 189 was always a winning total against any team but Australia.And why it was considered like that was shown by Andrew Symonds especially after Australia lost early wickets.Carting the bowlers around the park with disdain,he almost single handedly guided Australia to victory if not for that peach of a delivery from Irfan Pathan that crashed into Symonds stumps.Then came Bhajji,"Turbanator" as he was affectionately called by Australia to bowl the 18th over with 33 runs required and bowled the most magnificient over of his life giving only 5 runs and crashing through Clarke's guard with a magnificient yorker.That settled the match and we would take on arch rivals Pakistan in the final, a dream final which was anticipated eagerly by many but not expected to happen given the appalling inconsistency both the teams are capable of.

As for the final, there is no need to to elaborate.No Indian who watched it could forget the nail biting finish with India being crowned Champions.Back home, the series against Australia was closely fought even though we lost 4-2.

The series against Pakistan saw some exceptional batting by Jaffer, Yuvraj and the most grittiest cricketer you would ever see after Steve Waugh , our 'Dada' Ganguly.His bat conducting a symphony with the Pakistan being the box seat audience, Ganguly showed us why he was gifted enough to score a century on debut,that too on the hallowed turf of Lords.His shots through the offside were majestic to say the least and proved beyond doubt that he is indeed the 'God of Offside' as Boycott rightly termed him. With Dada entering what they term as the 'zone' and our batting looking solid, the tour of Australia promises to crackling.If our bowlers live up to our expectations, the results are going to be too good to imagine.

All my wait for my joining date has been spent in the detailed analysis of these matches and now that it has been resolved I can hardly wait to join.

Rahul Dravid "The Moron"

Can it get any worse?Having made the opposition kneel at your feet with 114 on the board and 3 wickets remaining,it was a simple matter of wrapping up the match.Instead we get to see a record 8th wicket partnership that not only clinched the match for England but may also have put the series beyond our reach.All thanks to Dravid's ineptness in bringing about bowling changes and horrible field settings in the latter half of the game.How could a person so experienced setup such a field in which the batsmen take runs at liberty when they should be poking at the ball afraid that they may not last the next ball.India's response to its low total was fantastic to start and till Bopara and Broad came together everything clicked.But the killer instinct that we had seen missing on too many occasions came to the fore and once again India lost.This is so similar to the third test against Pakistan in which Pakistan was 26/5 and instead of bundling them out Rahul Dravid's shoddy fielding setup and improper bowling changes let Kamran Akmal score a century and Pakistan drew the match.

Its really pathetic to see the Indian team's poor fielding and Dravid's uninspiring captaincy,not to mention lacklustre batting be on display just when the test series was won so convincingly.Its better to have someone else as ODI captain while Dravid remains the test captain.Not because of this performance alone but starting from the World Cup debacle.If Australia had been bundled out for 192,it would have trounced Bangladesh by bundling them out for a sub 100 total,not because they have a superior bowling attack but they possess the killer instinct so abudantly and which we as a team,especially the captain lacks so much.This was not the case when Sourav was the captain because Ganguly loved challenges and took it to the opposition.Also his skills as a leader are definitely superior,which indicates that a team is only as good as its captain.

A lion leading a bunch of rabbits will squash a pack of lions led by a rabbit.

Horrendous

The last one week was terrible with frequent power cuts and a slowing down CPU that lets you work at the speed of ENIAC.The only saving grace was my birthday when I had a realtively nice day(i.e. there were no power cuts that entire day and my CPU decided not to act up!!!).

The thing about power cuts that pisses me off so much is that sometimes there is no official announcement of a power cut due to maintenance reasons and everytime the EB office is contacted there is a permanent engaged tone(In case you are wondering whether the EB officials are very busy,let me correct you,they simply take the receive off the hook!!!).Or someone must have comeup with the brilliant idea of using the engaged tone as the ring tone so that people are fooled which is highly capricious. To add to that the officials who collect the bi-monthly bills are the most complete set of morons I have ever come across in my life.This, I say, because a new EB card is due for us for the last four months and whenever I go to get the new card I return empty handed because there is no stock!!!Yes, you heard me right,NO STOCK!!!.Guess EB cards are now hot property.How much more pathetic can you get?I can't even imagine what could be the real reason even if my life depended on it.Come on guys,a card of 8"x15" ain't that hard to make.Siiiigggggggghhhhhhhh!!

Rounding off,India's horrible batting made me lose a good night's sleep(No,I am not worrying about India,its just that I watched the entire match when I could have nicely tucked myself in for a good sleep).

Mom's love

When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you.
You thanked her by crying all night long.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk.
You thanked her by running away when she called.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 3 years old, she made all your meals with love.
You thanked her by tossing your plate on the ground.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons.
You thanked her by colouring the dining room table.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays.
You thanked her by plopping into the nearest puddle.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 6 years old, she walked you to school.
You thanked her by screaming "I'M NOT GOING".
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 7years old, she bought you a baseball.
You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbour's window.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream.
You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons.
You thanked her bynever even bothering to practice.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 10 years old, she drove you all day, from soccer to gymnastic to one birthday party after another.
You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies.
You thanked her by asking her to sit in a different row.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 12 years old, she warned you not to watch certain TV shows.
You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 13, Vshe suggested a haircut.
You thanked her by telling she had no taste.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp.
You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 15, she came home from work,looking for a hug.
You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 16, she taught you how to drive her car.
You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 17, she was expecting an important call
You thanked her by being on the phone all night.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 18, she cried at you high school graduation.
You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 19, she paid for your college tuition, drove you to the campus, carried your bags.
You thanked her by saying goodbye outside the dorm so that you wouldn't be embarassed in front of your friends.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 20 ,she asked whether you were seeing anyone.
You thanked her by saying, "Its none of your business".
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future.
You thanked her by saying, "I don't want to be like you".
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation.
You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment.
You thanked her by telling your friends it was ugly.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 24, she met your fiance and asked about your plans for the future.
You thanked her by glaring and growling, "Muuhh-ther,please!".
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding and cried how deeply she loved you.
You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 30, she called with some advice on the baby.
You thanked her by telling, "Things are different now".
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 40, she called to remind you of a relative's birthday.
You thanked her by saying you were "really busy right now".
___________________________________________________________________

When you were 50, she fell ill and neede you to take care of her.
You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.
___________________________________________________________________

And then one day she quietly died.And
everything you never
did came crashing down like thunder on your
HEART.
___________________________________________________________________

IF SHE'S STILL AROUND,NEVER FORGET TO LOVE HER

MORE THAN EVER....

AND IF SHE'S NOT,REMEMBER HER UNCONDITIONAL

LOVE AND PASS IT ON.

ALWAYS REMEBER TO LOVE THY MOTHER,

BECAUSE YOU HAVE ONLY ONE

MOTHER IN YOUR LIFETIME.!!

Glory after 21 years

The Indian team emulated its performance in the 1986 tour of England by winning this series and making sure that the Pataudi trophy remains in India.Quite a few noteworthy performances were seen in this series especially Zaheer Khan and Dinesh Karthik.Not that the others were useless,they too had contributed magnificiently,just that these two were consistent in terms of performance.

Amongst the most scintillating moments,the century by Jumbo,our dear old Kumble,stands out for its grit and effort.Who said that bowlers make lousy batsmen?Some of his cover drives were text book shots and beauties to watch.A significant achievement in his last series in England,getting a hundred,a dream for all bowlers that turns into reality for very few like Wasim Akram and Chaminda Vaas.Poor Warne,for all his amazing talents,the three figures eluded him all his career.His highest score was 99,something that would be excruciatingly painful in hindsight,when you sit by the fire with a cup of coffee and a newspaper.Kumble may not be as gifted as Warne but his hard work more than made up for it by helping him achieve his dream.

And,to add to that,who can forget the devastative piece of swing bowling dished out by Zaheer and RP Singh in the second test that stood out for its agression,innovation and perseverance,bamboozling the English batsmen into playing down the wrong line.A very improved and consistent bowling performance from the team which was found wanting in that department whenever we toured overseas.

Of course,how can we leave out Sachin and Sourav for their awesome batting displays,though it was in patches doesn't matter.Dravid's astute captaincy came to the fore in this series though in hindsight few decisions could have been better.All said and done,the team has picked itself after the disastrous World Cup campaign and shown that we are no longer wimps when it comes to travelling abroad.A truly cherishable moment that will remain etched forever among India's greatest triumphs.

P.S:Umpiring standards have seen a new low in this series.I have to refer my dictionary if I have to write about those moronic decisions without using unparliamentary words.

Thought provoking

01.If all the nations in the world are in debt(am not joking. Even US has got debts), where did all the money go? (weird)

02.When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it? (to be given a thought)

03.What is the speed of darkness? (absurd)

04.If the "black box" flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of that stuff? (very good thinking)

05.Who copyrighted the copyright symbol? (who knows)

06.Can you cry under water? (let me try)

07.Why do people say, "you've been working like a dog" when dogs just sit around all day? (I think they meant something else)

08.Why are the numbers on a calculator and a phone reversed? (God knows)

09.Do fish ever get thirsty? (let me ask and tell)

10.Can you get cornered in a round room? (by ones eyes)

11.What does OK actually mean?

12.Why do birds not fall out of trees when they sleep? (tonight I will stay and watch)

13.What came first, the fruit or the color orange? (seed)

14.What should one call a male ladybird? (No comments)

15.If a person suffered from amnesia and then was cured would they remember that they forgot? (can somebody help)

16.Can you blow a balloon up under water? (yes U can)

17.Why is it called a "building" when it is already built? (strange isn't it)

18.If you were traveling at the speed of sound and you turned on your radio would you be able to hear it? (got to think scientifically)

19.If you're traveling at the speed of light and you turn your headlights on, what happens? (I don't have a change to try)

20.Why is it called a TV set when theres only one? (very nice)

21.If a person owns a piece of land do they own it all the way down to the core of the earth? (this is nice?)

22.Why do most cars have speedometers that go up to at least 130 when you legally can't go that fast on any road? (stupid, break the law)

First Taufel,now Howell!!

The umpiring horrors of the Engish summer continues.Simon Taufel kickstarted this blunder campaign and Ian Howell has followed nicely in his footsteps,proving that he too is as demented as Taufel was when it comes to judgement of LBW's.Perhaps they should be sent back to training class.

Sourav Ganguly.The guy who launched his career in the hallowed turfs of England thought he had a chance to finish his last tour of England nicely but the umpiring gods had other plans.Two tests and two bad decisions including the fact that he was well set in both cases would make for a good tragedy.The rueful smile that came when the Howell gave him out,inspite of the ball having nicked the inside edge,conveyed it all:the disappointment,the frustration and the anger. Why the hell did God give Ian Howell a pair of eyes that would put a blind man to shame?When you can't pick up an inside edge when giving LBW decisions,sorry mate,you are not fit enough to be a umpire.This probably will be the last time we will see Dada swing his bat in England and the finish expected from his bat was not intended to be.

Now we will come to the curious case of "Dinesh Karthik And The Un-Nicked Ball".Ian Howell,poor guy,what a handicap it must be,not being able to see clearly compounding his hearing problems.Damn!I thought umpires were intelligent but here we see a clear anamoly of that.The decisions were third rate,to say the least.Poor Karthik.Yet another century gone begging.He must have been so hopeful when he reached 90.We should give those deaf idiots headphones capable of delivering 2000W PMPO and see perhaps if that helps.The Snicko clearly registerd nothing and yet our dear Howell heard something.Perhaps it was already poor eardrums that popped,unable to take in the deafening silence when the ball passed the bat, making him believe that it was a nick that he had heard.

All said and done,you cannot overrule the umpires decision so it stays.But the abysmal standard of umpiring ought to make the ICC sit up and take notice of the pathetic state the umpires in the Elite panel are.Ironic,isn't it.The ICC pick the best and the picked turn out to be the worst(I don't blame the entire umpire community.But when respected people like Taufel start making awful decisions,that,guys,is the limit).

P.S:Does the ICC have a quota for the handicapped in umpire selection like they do in academics?Coz Ian Howell definitely qualifies for the "Blind and Deaf" category.