13th May 2008

Well, if I come to think of the tasks that I have to finish before the 23rd, my head spins. I am already juggling between so many to-do things and never in my life have I ever made a to-do task list for every coming day in the week. But, that’s how life is. Somehow, I wish I had 1 more week after 23rd to finish all my tasks....

Skandagiri (Kalavarahalli) betta

Skandagiri (Kalavarahalli betta)

Recently, some of us did a night trekking to Skandagiri. The trek was amazing and joy-filled. Sunrise view was breath-taking and made our trip worthwhile...

Spams i get

These are the kind of spams i get in my inbox. Everyday, scores of people around the world find innumerable ways to cheat the innocent and gullible using email as a medium. Read some of the examples below...

1. I am Mr Gustafson Hamza, suffering from cancerous ailment.It has defiled all forms of medical treatment according to medical experts,I have given most of my assets to my immediate family members.I have decided to give alms to charity organizations.I cannot do this myself anymore because of my health.I have a huge cash deposit with a finance House abroad.I will want you to help me collect this deposit anddispatch it to charity organizations.You will take out 20% of this funds for your assistance.If intrested kindly reply Mr Gustafson Hamza

2.
MICROSOFT PRIZE AWARD DEPT 2007Award Prize DeptP O Box 1010Liverpool,L70 1NL UNITED KINGDOMDear Beneficiary,Your email address just won you 600,000.00 pounds sterlings in Microsoft Annual sweepstakes draws held today 23rd of November 2007.Your email address was attached to:(¡) Batch No: WNTO/7416/VA/ES(¡¡) Ref No: FMLES/2007/FPlease you are to contact our claims agent for your claims:Claims AgentSir Terry Smith,Tell:+44-7045770700Contact email: mr.terry_claimsdepartment@yahoo.it You are to provide your full Names, Sex, occupation, Age, presentcountry, Ref Number and Phone number.ONCE AGAIN CONGRATULATIONS!!!Best regards,Mr.Steve white.Online Co-ordibator Microsoft Word Lottery

Nervous 90s

For the sixth time in 2007, Sachin Tendulkar, the master blaster, got out between 90 and 100 yesterday- that includes 2 times in the ongoing ODI series between India and Pakistan.
Though the man himself says it’s no big deal as long as he can contribute to India’s win, the jitters in his batting can easily be seen once he touches 90. Yesterday was an exception. An inside edge on Umar Gull’s ball did him in.
If he had completed his centuries all the times he touched Nineties, he would have been sitting on top of 100 centuries.

Long live Sachin Tendulkar! He is not called GOD of Indian cricket for nothing.

9 Kms in gym

Today was a good day. I ran in gym for an hour at the speed of 9 Kilometers per hour. I felt ecstatic running 9 Kilometers at a stretch. Hope I continue it...

Games Indians play

Over the long weekend of Diwali, I read V Raghunathan’s ‘Games Indians Play’- Why we are the way we are. This book was gifted to me by KK.

I found it very interesting- his approach to the subject, I mean; the subject itself is nothing to be proud of.

He has tried to throw an insight into problems affecting our country (or countrymen) like corruption, traffic jams, defecating on the roads, jumping queue, pollution, no self- regulation, lack of basic amenities – the list is endless- thru game theory and I think he has been successful in doing so.

You will not encounter any feeling of joy while reading this book not because of the book but because of the hopeless and depressing state of our country. I particularly liked one line in this book, which read, ‘A glorious past is no consolation for the sorry present’.

Except for the application of game theory to understand the psyche of Indians, there is nothing new you are going to read in this book. This book makes one realize the ease with which one accepts the filth spread around, the ease with which one adjusts with the non-existence of any kind of established system in any field in India.

I would say a must read. The author also goes on to stay that we mistake words for action.

The weekend of CW 43

This weekend was particularly different from the monotonous ones that have passed by of late. We played corporate soccer tournament . A team lost against us by a whopping 15-0 and we drew against another finally topping the group.

I also caught up with a friend at Cha Bar in Leela Palace and while we were having our coffee, we sighted the very graceful Simran Bhargava going around the book store glancing at the books. For those of you who don’t know her, she presents a program on NDTV called ‘one life to love’.

Federer wins Wimbledon 2007

Sunday evening was a feast to eyes seeing Federer win Wimbledon 2007 for the fifth consecutive time equaling Bjorn Borg’s record in the presence of the master himself.

Nadal is closing in on the gap between himself and Fedex. The score read 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. I saw Federer showing so many emotions in one match for the first time. He quite literally broke down and tears were rolling down his cheeks as soon as he had realized that he had won ‘it’. In between, Federer also shouted at the umpire asking him to shut off the faulty system of showing whether the ball was in or out as he was down 3-0 and it was killing him.

Roger Federer hit 24 aces to 1 by the Spaniard. Federer also commented in post-match ceremony that he has the highest of regards for Rafa and he also told Rafa at the nets after winning that Rafa deserved it as well and that Federer was just lucky that day.
Federer already had some signed mementos inside his bag. Wow! What a confidence!
Way to go Roger..

Yesterday, I watched this movie called Spy Game on ZStudio. I have watched this movie God knows how many times. The plot is hard to believe because I am sure it is not easy at all sitting in America and trying to stop an execution in a jail in China even if you are a CIA agent working on the last day of your job that too when all you have got are twenty four hours. Despite all this, it makes for an interesting storyline which carries the movie. Robert Redford is charismatic and Brad Pitt is as usual a perfect cut out for such kind of spy movies.

It’s a dark and cloudy afternoon and it may rain but given that we are in Bangalore, it might not rain as well. The last sentence was in no way connected to Spy Game.

Dark Bangalore

Electricity plays hide and seek most of the times these days- rains and high velocity winds being some of the culprits. Come home to find no electricity, fumble for the torch, tread cautiously in house so as not to hurt yourself, wait for the rains to stop so that you could go out for dinner and then come back and try to sleep early because there is nothing else you can do…That’s how evening are when there is no electricity. Apart from that the weather is enjoyable and very pleasant.

Yesterday, windspeeds in Bangalore were recroded at 90KMPH (data as per TOI) whereas the windspeeds recorded in June were 13.6 KMPH. Some old trees fell down claiming one or two lives in the city. Traffic was blocked on many roads because of such trees, as reported by newspapers. Luckily, I did not get stuck in any of the traffic jams in the city. But, as I was needling through the traffic on the way to the bank, I was reminded of the earlier Bangalore and the earlier me.

How both have changed gradually and how both still remain the same. I also started to think about one of my friends, Sachin, with whom I exchanged mails over the same topic few months ago. He loves Mumbai. That’s digressing from the topic.
Sometimes we remain the same while the circumstances (or nature of things) around us change. My question, though, is do we change substantially over the years? Is it the circumstances that shape a person or is the person who creates the circumstances so that he can change himself.

It’s about twelve noon and the Sun, of whatever was there in the morning, is perhaps hiding somewhere behind those dark clouds, which very likely will pour soon. It makes me think if the decision of washing clothes this morning was a wise one. I had no choice though. The clothes are not on clothesline yet. They are waiting for someone to come and take them out and dry them in the cold air outside, which is not happening because the one who is supposed to do is feeling very lazy.

A chain of thoughts has started me to think that almost everyone has his or her own way of washing clothes. I first wash clothes in clean water for 5 minutes so that clothes become less dirty making it easier for detergent, which is next in line, to act on them. Next, as said, I put the detergent in water and rinse the clothes for 15 minutes. Drain the dirty water. Fill the machine with clean water and rinse the clothes in it again for five minutes and viola, the clothes are ready to cling to the clothesline.

I am going to get up in another 10 minutes and put the clothes on clothesline. The Sun is trying hard to come out of clouds while I am watching this strange movie called 'Marie and Bruce' on zstudio. It stars Julianne Moore. I can’t recall the name of the hero.

Guess, I have written enough for the day.
Adios