A gloomy rainy Sunday in Stockport and I was having my body being cleansed by nature's water wash. Fitness and cleanliness are integral to my lifestyle, always in supreme form; or that’s what I heard my better half brag about me to couple of strangers. One of them looked @ me with all lust in his eyes; may be he wishes to take me along with him :) Off-late loads of people seem to carry that look on me. "I am a huge head turner. I should have been a model or star in next James Bond movie" - while I was totally engrossed in flying my own kite, I trembled from what I heard next. "She’s all yours" - I saw my partner handing over me to that stranger by grabbing my arms.
I am on motorway now with an outsider still shell-shocked in disbelief. The partner whom I thought for life has parted ways. It has happened before, but this time it hurt a lot. I saw my so-called new pal gradually taking me to an isolated town, to a semi-detached country home. Vague image of a crazy lady jumping up and down became clear as we neared the house. Her eyes, to my agony, gleamed in excitement, when she touched me. "I am not a toy" - I choked. "I am going to name her" - she squeaked. "She is our Bluyota" she announced as she hugged her hubby. "I am NOT Bluyota. I am a Blue Toyota Avensis for God Sake" - my tears got washed with the rain.
Oct 2010
It was adventurous 6 years. With new addition to our household gNisa (of course Green Nissan Micra) we share some memorable British voyages, from Scotland to Isle of Wight and from Wales to Great Yarmouth. Time just drifts and within short span we robots age. Mortals do pledge to be organ donors with their full conscience and conscious, whilst we machines pledge ours the moment we are made in the factory. It has been a fulfilling journey though; the day I saved my family from what could have been a nasty accident in motorway, was the notable one. Now, It’s moment - to bid adieu and share what I am left with younger generation. This time there are no tears; just a sense of tranquility and gratification filled within.
September – a big month in our household. Mom’s b’day, Champions league T20 cricket, Hubby’s B’day; too many busy days and too less time!! It has been circa 6 years since we got married and I am running out of options to please my hubby with varied gifts. I finally decided to stick to the basics; T-Shirt and perfume and walked into “The Perfume Shop”. “Exquisite but not Expensive” I heard me say to the saleswoman, who in-turn threw me a “You Wish” look. “Come on! I am not demanding Chanel for £20 budget; a Gucci or Armani will do!” screamed my ego. In return she came up with some liquid in a miniature milk-can with a brand name I’ve never heard of; which she bragged too much about. For some reason I’ve given her the impression that I am a perfume virgin. She made me believe that the milk-can is the ONE for my man.
Adding that to my shopping basket, I started fishing in women’s section. Again she came up with unknown/mediocre products and this time I exactly saw what she was doing. She was teaching me a valuable lesson: Never ask a sales assistant “some” perfume for “some” budget. Go to shop with specifics. Hit with sudden enlightenment I said “Armani Diamonds”. She looked surprised that I can speak brands. With no intension to take the milk-can home I requested to be removed from the bill.
I am sure she was doing what she was told, MINUS a friendly attitude. I could have succumbed to her marketing skills, if she would have worn that trademark smile, every shopping assistant should. Instead she was killing the pleasure of my shopping with her heavy attitude. While stepping outside “The Perfume Shop” I realised that unknowingly I shopped for me instead of my Hubby :) It happens – in a woman’s world. Marks and Spencer’s however came to my rescue. I picked a trendy T-Shirt and small perfume bottle from the classy store.
Every year, to mark our phenomenal entry to this world, we cut cakes and share gifts at night 12 o’clock; it is a tradition - something like having turkey during thanksgiving. The next day we decided to dine fine with wine and chose “Jamie Oliver’s Italian” restaurant in Canary Wharf. For someone who was expecting a routine Italian menu with pizza and lasagne, it was full of surprises. First, The Menu Card – items with innovation and difference. Second, The Quality of food – having huge admiration for Italian cuisine I vouch that I have never tasted Italian dishes with such taste before; it was very unique. Third, The Price – for a restaurant situated in prime location in Canary Wharf owned by a celebrity with tasty menu items, it’s pretty reasonable. Finally, The food portions – for some people this may be a let down, but for me it was just perfect.
I ordered Italian nachos with angry arrabiata sauce (just awesome) and a MUSHROOM PANZEROTTI. My hubby fed on Lamb chop lollipops. On the whole, I loved spending 2 hours with the company of good food and of-course my hubby.
At the end, my hubby was probing on when I would stop this style of celebrating b’days. To be frank, I do not know. Every year these occasions give me immense happiness. I wish this tradition continues from me to my off-springs and last till the end :)
My baby blog had a different look and feel a year ago; she used to be a simple, pretty, wide layout. Suddenly there was a viral attack and I provided her immune, re-invented her with a customized design and christened “ThePanto”. From then on, she became my “silent” newspaper, run and read only by me.
I cannot believe that I have been writing snippets for a year now; well, do they convey any message? Do I have people following my rants? – Frankly, I don’t want to go there. One’s scribbling is an art for self :) For me, beyond all encumbers, I have survived for one year. That’s significant - brags my inner voice.
To gratify the animal inside, I torment my hubby at times to read my write-ups. His favourite (and so is my couple of friends) is “An Evening in Wimbledon".They feel that it has a subtle humour intertwined which makes a pleasant read. Well, if they say so :)))
Its time to stop boasting about my baby and acknowledge others work. Here am I to present, as an anniversary token, the three articles which I enjoyed recently.
1. “Its on the internet, It must be True” - This is referred by entrepreneur extraordinaire Vinodh Khosla, in twitter. The Article screams on how media is now run by people like you and me, the information explosion without a credibility check, its consequences and the publicity the owner gets on spreading a hoax (instead of punishment and embarrassment) . A very crystal clear write-up on how technology explosion has disabled media.
2. "Newsman Rajdeep Sardesai" - He drew all news viewers attention, including mine, when he was associated with ndtv’s “The Big Fight”. Man!! - I used to wonder the way he handled big shots like normal contestants in the show. He oozed confidence and exuberance; brought in necessary control to the program which may have gone a disaster otherwise. His blog is always worth a read.
3. “Dharma in public place” - By Gurcharan Das. It is a beautiful interpretation of modern take on Dharma in comparison with epic Mahabharatha. Taking the whole Lalit Modi issue as undercurrent, he has drawn a numerical balance sheet and weighes mathematically the outcome. Must read!!
Well finally - thanks blogpot for creating this medium for expression.
Last evening while I was performing the ritual of “Cleaning the apartment”, the CSI Vegas guys went on to investigate a murder in air. Interesting and thought provoking episode it was.
Situation – Few people were travelling in flight, first class allocation. Suddenly, a guy behind another traveller, starts kicking the back of his seat hard, really hard. Loosing patience, the traveller in receiving end, gets up and starts raising his voice against the kicking passenger. The kicker, not explaining reasons for his action, yells, screams, pushes anyone and everyone blocking his way, refuses to listen to airhostess and others, bangs the door of cockpit and finally, tries to open the exit of the flight which still flies high at 30,000 feet. And what happens next - the in-evitable. Nearly 4-5 passengers, pulls him away from the exit door, brings him down and as a reflex, all of them starts stamping him at the back. Unfortunately, the guy who should have been just tamed and hurt ends up dying, because of the stamping and his fragile medical condition.
CSI comes in and cracks the case, adjudging that all 5 passengers travelling along with the victim as guilty. (It is revealed later that the victim was suffering from severe medical condition making him go frenetic). However the passengers eventually left free on the grounds of self-defence. Our CSI team end up divided in their opinion on the verdict. Couple of investigators vouched that they might have done the same as the other passengers did, while the others insisted “A murder is a murder; be it self-defence or not, accused should be punished”
Well, I am asking self; was the verdict justified? What will I do, if I were in that flight? What will I do when my scared child is nearby me while a fanatic tries to open the door of a vessel, flying 30,000 feet high?
Here comes a very grey area – a thin line – a line between right and wrong – a line between should and should not - a line between survival and humanity. May be all 5 of those passengers and airhostess left free of charge against murder, but they know they had other options than stamping him down; they know that they could have tied him to a seat and given him some water and made him speak; they know that they could have been more humans than hooligans. And that’s what I would have loved to do if I was in their shoes; but what actually would have happened – I have no clue. So will many.
But this is a thoughtful story – a lesson in crisis management – do not loose your nerves; try to think and act even during extreme circumstances.
Choices we make @ every crucial point in life, pretty much screws our future in instalments. To weigh one of the few damages I induced in my journey, I looked back into the “not so” interesting/intelligent past – a serious attempt to measure the dent. A vague picture of me walking to school in double plaits (with red ribbons), holding my mom’s hand came before my eyes, by-passing few concentric circles. Carefree with no responsibilities and clueless of what to achieve in future, I somehow pushed to finish second top in high school.
Too much cook spoils the broth and too many ideas kill the mission. In my case it was lack of (or NO) ideas that messed my future. Coming out in not so flying colours from Junior college, I caused the first disarray of my life - “Rejected an Engineering berth” as I did not get it through merit with the super mediocre marks I scored. I also named it as PRINCIPLE. I neither realised then, how over-rated that word was, nor yielded to the pressure from my cousin and mom to take up the course – Though I cannot say that my mom gave enough push; in a way she did not want to see me leave her wing and settle in a hostel for four years – her hidden agenda. I still remember how I autopsied and cursed the verdict I pronounced; say for the next 10 years of my being, after every rejection I faced for not holding a professional degree to qualify for something or the other (mainly for a decent job).
Some strategies people define in their lives end up like their project plans – Precisely nothing goes their way. In early 2000s’, happily settled in a better job, never worrying about raise in my fellow colleagues’ pay while mine staying stagnant, I giggled through to witness some of the hilarious moments. One of those - An ex-colleagues’ (miss) adventure in deciding his life partner. When most of us then were eligible to fly to U.S of A for an IT job with authorized H1B visas, cleared interviews and packed suitcases, this guys’ dad offered him an alliance of a Singapore based girl. Our boy, the H1B holder, who may leave anytime to America, refused to wed a mere Singapore (dollar) based girl and gave a good lecture to his dad on impeding elevation in his lifestyle and earnings. And then, the inevitable happened. Two flights swiftly cruised through his WTC life, creating boulders in his path towards American dreams, on 9/11. Coming from a Muslim family, made his dream literally crumble down like actual WTC. 1 year, 2 years – we all waited to see our H1Bs’ expire. Some of our friends started unpacking their suitcases and some even sold out for a good profit! Our friend, who by now given up on American dollars, slowly instigated his father to question the current status of the girl based in Singapore, only to realise that his dad would rather wait another 20 years to see his son go to settle abroad than asking a girls’ hand from Singapore. Well, his lecture on American dollars did work on his dad – at the least!
We all make decisions – the more input from experienced, the better. Still the outcome never resides in our hands. May be, that’s what the French call it “Force Majeure”. 10 years before, I never thought that I would be in a place where I am now currently. Does that surpass or in least ways, near to what I dreamt 10 years ago in terms of achievement and lifestyle? Well, I can assure that I am not unhappy and feel blessed to be what I am now. This is what age and experience does to one as days go by :)
Though my ultimate desire is to have a romantic rendezvous with tennis @Rolland Garos, it is as well, certainly, a rewarding experience to visit Wimbledon -THE PRESTIGIOUS tournament in tennis history, on a bright sunny Saturday. Making no pre-plans, I and hubby set out to Wimbledon at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, expecting nothing but "No-Entry". Our satellite navigator vouched on taking not more than 30 minutes from our place to the venue; and as normal we took 1.5 hours to reach there. Impressed by the very helpful sign boards on parking, towards Wimbledon Lawn Tennis, my hubby pulled a Schumaker to land in one of the parking gallery entrance. “25 pounds please sir for parking” – Guard in the entrance dropped a bombshell on my hubby’s little sparrow heart. With cars lined behind, barrier in the front and guard with ticket by the side, my hubby, no way to escape threw a defeated look at me, eventually me handing over his wallet to him.
Grumbling at the treachery committed by the car parking authorities, my hubby vowed to extract every penny of £25 back, by spending as much time as possible in Wimbledon. We were directed to join a queue @3 o'clock and to our shock were told that it would take good 2 hours for us to reach the ticket counter. We carried no food or water, and with just 2 minute maggi noodles in stomach, we started feeling the real heat. Fuel on the fire - families behind and front of us has packed their pre-lunch, lunch, tea snacks, refreshments and dinner – all for that 2 hours queue journey. It took circa 45 minutes for us to move 200 feet in snails pace where a cute little volunteer gal gave a refreshing black-currant juice and aggravated the situation with her expert opinion that our journey would take another couple of hours. And then came the horrifying 10 minutes in our line up – sewage workers cleared the nearby toilets evoking FRAGRANCE, which nearly brought our small intestines out. The only consolation throughout the trek was a lady walking in front of us tripped and fell down twice :)))
At 5:15 pm, I was walking bare foot with my fancy shoes on hand, my hubby drank as much free black-currant juice as possible eventually started sneezing and with the family behind us moaning about shortage of food they brought, we were just half way through. Suddenly the movement in queue took its pace and I was dancing to put on my shoes back. We were able to see the light at the end of the tunnel – the ticket booth. Miraculously @5:30 we were in the ticket counter, purchased two “after 5” tickets and went inside. Obviously we were not allowed to visit Centre court and courts 1 and 2, where the good matches normally happen. So, I was routing to find a decent court, sit in an apt position to watch at least one full match and experience Wimbledon. However my hubby had very different plans. Suddenly I saw an urge in him to leave me in some place where I felt comfortable and take-on, on his own. Unable to fathom and no desire to question his intentions, I settled in Court 18 (which saw the iconic Isner Mahut ordeal few days before) in a very apt position to watch the forthcoming mens doubles.
While reserving a seat nearby and waiting for the match to commence, I (and others assembled in court 18) realised that one of the doubles guys, Philipp Petzschner was currently held up in a match against Rafa in centre court and doing good. It took sometime for the officials to re-schedule another match, a mixed doubles between Kas/King and Fleming/Borwell. Crowd slowly started filling in all the seats and I had to request the slot nearby for the apple of my eye. Grumpy old guard agreed to do so, provided, my hubby shows up in another 15 minutes. My hubby came back, full of zest, bragging on a game from Davenport/Bryan match. Also he acquired information that Sania Mirza, so-called Indian tennis ace (who never serves aces off-late) playing in court 12 and wished to see that match. To check the strength of the court he woke up again from his seat, only to grab grumpy old boy’s attention. The guard strictly warned that if my hubby leaves now, the seat is gone FOREVER. Clearly not happy with the verdict, my hubby settled in his place unwillingly, to watch couple of games in court 18. Promising a good match, he took me away from court 18 and walked me around Wimbledon letting me not to settle with any match. Court 12 was full, with people queuing outside to watch women’s doubles between Sania/Wozniacki and Black/Hantuchova. My hubby, to keep up his promise, directed me to witness Sania serving, from a small hole on the green blanket in security entrance and he eventually started doing the same.
Clearly infuriated by the proposal, I took-on to watch mixed doubles between Sa/ Zvonareva and Dlouhy/Benesova. It was an excellent ordeal where the women counterparts outplayed men in their own teams. Dlouhy’s game was littered with errors while Benesova was fantastic. She almost took the match till the second set single-handedly. And then Dlouhy, from nowhere, lifted his game way up, to finish third set with ease. In the middle of this match we saw Serena, Sania, Wozniacki, Black, Hantuchova all walking behind towards their locker rooms. We even saw Richard Williams (Serena and Venus’s dad) who was simple and alone, smoking. Of course, we did follow the tradition of collecting souvenirs in Wimbledon shop and brought the day to formal end.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience (missed to have strawberries and cream though) and at the end was left longing for another visit (may be next year). For me, it was made f(u)ntastic only by the presence of my hubby. :)))
Well!! Long 2 months with considerable changes in my personal and professional front. And the world has changed as well – with Gulf oil spill, WC Football extravaganza in South Africa and of course Mr Cameroon’s warning to common us, “Start managing your lifestyle”.
BP is the huge offender since mid April here for USA, Mexico, Environment, British economy, Water inhabitants in Gulf of Mexico, Oil consumers all over the planet and taxpayers like us. Never thought one organisation could damage and annoy so many genres of sectors at one time. Kudos to BP!!! They are hitting news headlines almost everyday either with their untimely quotes or getting lashed out by media, President Obama or some representative from Louisiana.
According to the latest reports, it is the third biggest oil spill ever (do not forget its still ongoing and they can move to numero uno slot any time), killing 11 workers, fouling 120 miles of US coastline, slaughtering sea turtles, dolphins and birds eventually driving tourism away. But the biggest of all damages is yet to happen. The distance for common man to pay the price for BP’s blunders is just a mile away. And their attitude – BP’s tips and tricks to reduce the onus on them is not working. Misquoting the swarming amount of oil and politicizing the quotes of genuinely upset Obama as anti-British are not working for the corporation. With USA congressmen summoning BP’s chief and the man-in-action Tony Hayward to provide explanations on taking so-called cost cutting shortcuts on this crucial issue leading to mis-managing the crisis, is making them constipate further.
BP loosing 40% of its value as a firm in less than 2 months boast to have controlled just 50% of the oil spill and in total 10% of their problems. One may comment that it is very simple to sit outside the consortium under catastrophe and criticize, but for sure the crisis management, be it from BP or the USA government is near to mediocre. GOD SAVE the WORLD – World!! - Its World cup – a treat for football loving fans all over the globe.
With tournament favourites Spain yet to make their entry in WC2010, from out of the blues South Korea stunned one time Euro champions Greece in their opening match. With South American teams Brazil and Argentina in draw with Euro stunners England, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Italy, it is going to be a non-stop treat for the footie fanatics. It’s a pity that Wimbledon may get un-noticed during the football extravaganza. More disappointing factor, I am sitting in a place where there is no television!!!
I would love to draw some write-ups on on-going World Cup football, forthcoming Wimbledon and never-ending Gulf oil spill saga, when time permits.
Till then it’s Sivi signing off with a good quote below.
Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business. - Tom Robbins
I was kind of disappointed when Lalit Modi vs Shashi Tharoor episode started surfacing, eclipsing the actual cricket being played with the whole world watching. Awaiting the brawl to succumb to draw a write-up, I lost circa 2 weeks of good cricket. Not only the cat and mouse game lasted till the final match of this edition and after, it brought in some cringing accusations of match fixing, betting, illegal money laundering, income tax raids, political wrong doings, illegal stake holdings and more to say, on IPL. Lots of big names - Shahrukh Khan, Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel, Preity Zinta, Shilpa Shetty, were taken for ride and some faced IT raids and got served notices from the department. Though this straightening out considered mandatory for IPL to survive tidy, there was strong consensus that all these happenings were targeting one person directly or indirectly to be removed from being the face of IPL.I wonder after the expulsion of Lalit Modi, the above mentioned corruption charges be continued on respective people!!
Amidst all these bewilderment, the finals between Majestic Mumbai Indians and Charming Chennai Super Kings, took place following closing ceremony extravaganza (I cannot understand why loads of money spent on calling bollywood to give a mediocre performance? Instead kids and youths of India can be channeled to perform something innovative). Mumbai being consistent throughout the tournament, playing in home considered favourites over shaky chennai super kings. However, Chennai showered their batting, bowling and fielding prowess all over Mumbai to prove that on a given day any team can beat any. It was shocking to see no spectators left for the presentation ceremony to cheer the winners in Mumbai, again assertingthe fact that Semi finals and Finals should be held in a common venue.
Congrats CSK. As a consistent team through all seasons you guys deserve to win. Congrats MI on reaching finals.
IPL3 according to me, the most eventful till date for both off-pitch controversies and on-pitch acts. Thanks IPL for providing such an entertainment spoiling 45 days in my life :-)
The historical first election debate in ITV4 saw three leaders of Britain - Prime Minister and Labour Party Leader Gordon Brown, Conservative Party principal David Cameron and Liberal Democrat chief Nick Clegg, going head-to-head on Immigration Policy, Law and Order, Expenses Row, Education Prospects and Dealing Budget Deficits leading economic growth.
Well, when Clegg opened his introduction urging people “to try something new” and choose democrats, Brown made a threatening note on “double dip recession” if Labour did not come back to power. Cameron tendered an apology on expenses row and suggested Tories as the best alternative to Labour in the current climate.
Answering question on immigration, Cameron quoted the raise in number of immigrants in the last few years, pointed out Labour’s failure in controlling the number and suggested a Cap (Limit) to be set on the number of immigrants entering Britain. Clegg on the other hand very wisely spoke about Good and Bad immigration. However his regional approach on immigrants job (can work only in particular region in UK) may be a success in bigger countries like Australia and U.S, but not in a small island like UK where one can travel from one end of the country to another in just a day. Brown defended his party based on stats of decreasing immigrants in the past few years. He also came up with a reasonable point on hiring immigrants to train resources in Britain rather than to do a job, making us wonder why this is not implemented yet when Labour is still in power!!
Moving to Law n Order Clegg and Cameron left no stone unturned to mention the failure of the current system and insisted on more police patrol on streets rather than 400+ officers sitting in HR department in Metropolitan Police. Brown again brought his stats weakening his argument, but made a very valid statement on how parents should take some responsibility on derailed teens committing crimes.
And then the amusing expenses row was under fire - It was hilarious to watch all the leaders who had their share of corrupt MPs, speak about honesty. Brown promised more power to people by introducing “Right to recall MP” and “Petition Parliament” schemes. Then he strategically moved the argument accusing Tories for not supporting the reduction of candidates from House of Lords. Cameron in reply suggested ministers undergo pay cut and agreed on 10% reduction of House of Lords’ strength. The clear winner however in this argument was Clegg. Clegg came very clean, frank and forthrightly accusing both Labour and Tories for not supporting him when he, on the first place, brought the proposal of “Right to recall MP” in House of Commons. Unable to answer him Brown engaged Cameron again in House of Lords issue and be-friended Clegg with maximum possible effort. This is when Clegg started taking control of the debate and proved why he shares dais with huge Tory and Labour party leaders.
Clegg continued to outshine his contemporaries in the subsequent arguments on Education and War. And interesting debate came with topic “Dealing budget deficits without compromising economic growth”. When Brown defended Labour’s stand on not taking any money out of the system to save the country, Cameron promised £6 billion by cutting waste expenses (there may be lots of waste expenses but GOD knows what Tories are actually after). Clegg not only promised near to £15 billion save, but also bravely put forward of how it has to be achieved. Straight to the face Clegg talked about scrapping CTF, cutting 10% from Tax Credits and imposing 10% tax on profit from banks who lead us to this recession. He has got guts to put this proposal of cutting benefits in the debate, while public watching.
At the end of this first round, for many Clegg emerged clear winner in voicing his refreshing ideas. When all thought he will be lost in the presence of Cameron and Brown, he stood tall and brought something new to the table. However it's always easy to argue sitting outside not running the countries’ office. PM Brown succeeded here by taking a good debate defending the ups and downs of the Labour party in the last 13 years. Not an easy job at all, but he kept his cool and was the only person to bring some smile and humor to the discussion. The wonder here was Cameron who was expected to fire from all directions, was even vaguely remembered at the end of the debate. He totally failed to make feel his presence.
For me there is no clear winner after this round of debate, but the country now knows that a new kingmaker is in the making. Lots expected from Mr.Clegg in the coming rounds of the debate!!
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
RCB being the clear favorites to win the match left nothing for CSK fans to ask except a question "Can CSK fight back after the psychological defeat they swallowed against KXIP ?". Well, on hearing the playing squad from Raina during toss, the answer became pretty obvious - NO.
However CSK gave banging start, by shaking unconquerable Kallis, who did not open his innings convincingly. After giving 3 chances, CSK took the honor of bowling out Kallis. Wickets started pouring after his dismissal and CSK were right in the match till the 17th over. Robin Utahpah played his brilliance scoring an unbeaten 68 in 38 deliveries. In last 3 overs RCB smashed circa 51 runs to take the contest to a new level.
CSK might have had their chances if they would have contained RCB within 150, or had tried Perera instead of Bailey or had experimented by sending Albie Morkel up the order, or ... - oh!! The list goes on of what they should have done to win the match. But none of the above happened and they suffered another convincing defeat in the hands of RCB. No batsmen except Hayden and Badrinath showed maturity and responsibility in batting.
Watch out KXIP, KKR and RR (Rajasthan Royals) - you guys have a tough competition here for the last spot in the points table.
Kings Eleven Punjab (KXIP) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
With no heart to post my thoughts on this match, my friend L Karthik has come forward with a write-up.
L Karthik
It was 4th match for Chennai super kings and their 2nd home game. Having lost their first home contest last Sunday, CSK was all geared to makeup for that loss. CSK were preferred side to win with history favoring a 5-0 lead against KXIP in IPL; on the other hand KXIP yet to put their name in Points table.
CSK squad considered one change from previous game by bringing in Manpreet Gony in the place of Joginder Sharma who displayed an ordinary bowling show in his previous opportunity. KXIP to do some damage control were forced to replace Bipul Sharma, Sreesanth and Adrian Barath with Ramesh Powar, Pacer Srivastava and Juan Theron. Raina the stand-in captain for CSK won the toss and invited KXIP to bat first, sighting the dew factor.
Albie morkel opened bowling for CSK against Ravi Bopara and irfan Pathan (promoted up the order following his scintillating performance against DC). Some tight bowling from Albie prevented KXIP from having a flying start and eventually resulted in Bopara loosing his wicket (expensive upper cut, edged to balaji in third man). Gony who supported Albie from the other end was struggling as irfan took him on for some special treatment. Gony’s awful fielding form continued by dropping Sangakara at third man misjudging the skier. Luckily for the home team it was not a costly miss as wild old fox had sangakara stumped very soon.
Balaji the home boy bowled some stump to stump line which made life difficult for even the settled batsmen on the crease. The fall of Irfan Pathan followed by Jayawardane, brought old friends kaif and yuvi back together on the batting pitch. Yuvi was in his Midas touch seeing the ball right and sending some boundaries, scoring a valuable 43 helping his team finish with 136 in their 20 overs for the loss of 8 wickets.
With everyone expecting a simple win from CSK they started their batting innings very slowly. Hayden and patel took their time to settle down to score some big shots. CSK looked very comfortable chasing 136 until they started loosing wickets (especially after Raina’s dismissal) panicking defeat. They needed 10 runs of final over bowled by irfan. Albie slashed first ball to four and then scrambled for 2 runs as irfan missed a run out chance. Score was leveled with 1 run to score in 2 balls with Aswin to bat. CSK missed this golden opportunity giving a dot ball, followed by Aswin’s wicket.
The match was tie and went to superover. CSK batted first and scored 9 in 4 deliveries as their batsman got out in pursuit of big runs. KXIP 10 to win with Murali to bowl. Jayawardane scored a big six in first ball setting up the match and Yuvi finished it in style.
It was a match in which both teams played some awful cricket. However viewers (especially CSK supporters) had our hearts in our mouth. As a CSK fan I was disappointed over the batting failure but as a cricket fan I cannot ask for more thrills. When the match ended it was 20 past midnight in India, but still all houses were awake.
The opening match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Deccan Chargers (DC) initially laid foundation to another KKR embarrassment. However Knights Owis Shah and Angelo Mathews delivered some magic in batting department in the last few overs posing a decent target of 162 for DC to chase. Chargers on the other hand who started with explosive batting went on to loose wickets in cheap manner only to throw an easy win onto Knights' lap.
When DC finished last in table in the first edition of IPL, they came back strong and won the second edition IPL. Can the knights deliver the same magic? Long way to go!!!
Well from a CEO monk to a SEX Monk - This is one hell of a transition.
For people who does not know what a monk in Hinduism means ... The crux of a "swami (monk)" is Brahmachariam. A Brahmachari lives his life in conformance to the creative aspects of the ONE, shuns all the existing worldly pleasures to secure a place close to the divinity - The GOD himself. To attain this ultimate bliss a monk should hold continence towards pleasures from sex, longing for material profits etcetera.
However the new age monks not only distant themselves from sexual continence but also seem to crave for more material profits on the name of Ashrams and Preachings. The new valuable addition to this list is Swami Nityananda. The young swami who brags about his life as a selfless monk and enlightens souls through his preachings in his official website http://www.dhyanapeetam.org/web/default.aspx , also very recently amused millions of viewers, with his latest sex scandal.
Sadly, this swami who in his early 30s, attained sky heights in popularity before this downfall. There is nothing wrong about an young lad craving for a normal life. To me, being "Swami" is/was Nityananda's job profile. And that job gave him an honorable identity, huge respect, immense wealth at a very young age. Lets get real here; who does not fancy a job with such an outcome? So whats Nityananda's mistake here?Nothing. If a well-read eloquent guy with some backing and affluence, cliams to be a monk, then let him be. Its his designated lifestyle.
Do not make him a demi-GODand cultivate huge devotion and expectation,for what he chose to be, at one point of time in his life.Remember ! Its his life and he has every right to modify his lifestyle the way he wants, anytime. We should never ever have problem with that.
Christian R. Fabre aka Swami Pranavananda Brahmendra Avadhuta, is one of a kind business man. A documentary about this monk CEO, in Travel and Living channel, narrating his rags to riches tale, blew me away. Fabre (or should we pronounce Swamiji) residing in Chennai India, who sans FASHION from his personal life, runs a multimillion dollar fashion empire “Fashions International” in Ekaduthangal, Chennai.
The irony here is, me, having brought up in Chennai for 26 years, I very recently came to know about this European born – Chennai settled icon, through a TV channel in England. Born in haven of new trends - France, Fabre moved to Chennai in 1971 with his family to pursue an assignment in leather factory. It was said that he suffered an unfortunate decade by loosing his job in Chennai and support from this family. With no heart to quit India, he joined a clothing company for a mediocre salary, to push his day to day living; and that’s where he met his current business partner.
During this time, to control his frustration and anxiety from his personal and professional front he took solace in spirituality. Drawn by Hinduism and YOGA, he gradually went on to become a monk shedding worldly pleasures. Despite being in clothing industry with international tie-ups, Swamiji always clad saffron robe around, even while meeting his high profile global clients. Living in a modest apartment in Chennai and drawing a minimal salary (worth $200 per month) to lead his simple life, he enjoys being one of the highest tax paying business men in the city.
Fashions international is now nearing 25 successful years with her very recently launched brand called DUDE, in city. Living a content lifestyle, Swamiji is said to work only 10 days in a month from office. This devoted disciple of Lord Shiva, spends majority of his time in an ashram near Kolli Hills (kollimalai), from where he depend on internet technology to connect to his business colleagues and clients around the world.
Here is an excerpt of Swamiji’s addressing to a gathering in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
One of the agendas in my next call to Chennai is to visit the ashram in Kolli Hills, or the least as a minimal means to show my respect to this great soul, I would surely purchase a product from their fashion house – DUDE in Besant Nagar.
A chirpy discussion in orkut community among young generation hijacked my thoughts through those holy years of my matrimonial hunt. Hailing from the southern part of India, I serve witness to our conservative background and the pulse of those parents who still believes that a woman’s life is undoubtedly destined to enjoy the Marital Bliss and produce off-spring. The process of bundling a girl to her in-laws starts from the moment a baby girl is born in a family. Relatives, kin who visit the new born start scaring the proud parents with frightening quotes of wisdom; “You guys should start acting responsible. It’s a baby girl”! “Start investing smart and devout in gold. It will be handy while sending her off to a good family”. The infant would give an innocent coo, never knowing that her plight is being planned right next to her baby-cot by everyone else but her.
The paradigm of "hubby hunting" involves a series of procedural steps. Once the girl finishes her education, giving no consideration to her consent, her horoscope will be circulated through agencies and contacts. The crux of an arranged marriage is astrology; whether people are compatible or not, horoscopes MUST be compatible. If otherwise, the parents would not even consider speaking to the boy’s family, no matter how good he is. However the actual fun starts once the horoscope matches. THE RENDEZVOUS - Boy’s family visit the girl’s family. This will include episodes – “BOY meets the GIRL”, “An informal interview - conducted by the elders with habitual questions like – Can the girl cook traditional food? Can she sing? Will she be working after marriage? Etcetera”, “Customary dinner - served to the visitors”, “Embarrassing moments (There will be at least one in each of these meetings)” and “The Outcome”. If both the families are happy then the big day is decided, again by elders – The Engagement Day followed by Grandeur Wedding ceremony. This is pretty much how weddings happen in Eastern part of the world, till the last decade. A Girl gets to know the guy with whom she is to spend the rest of her life, only after marriage. However, things did take a turn in the last decade or so. A class of parents have become more considerate in accepting the choices of their children, after some minimal screening process though.I extend my beatific acceptance to this transformation.
Having settled in western part of the world, the cultural divergence in matrimonial significance definitely evokes chortle in me; or should i say its knocking my socks off! Here there is independence to choose your own partner; there are cute ways of proposing a girl with rock-diamond and make the Engagement Day a special memory to cherish all long life and there is less intervention from elders on how and where the wedding has to happen. Everything any young girl and guy would wish in terms of self-governing their life is available here, except the longevity in reliationship. Forthrightly being, I have travelled from one extreme conservative society to the other extreme liberated society. Independence Distorted is the appropriate way to describe the lifestyle. Here the following episodes may take place in jumbled fashion - “BOY meets GIRL”, “They DATE”, “They LIVE TOGETHER – They scream on top of the world about their relationship”, “HAVE kids”, “The PROPOSAL”, “WEDDING”, “BREAK-UP” , “BOY meets the next GIRL”. Every person in this side of the globe gravely denies the existence of monogamy.
The irony is, despite all the flaws in so-called arranged marriages, they last long. Beyond reasons, very less break-ups or divorces, and happy family livings sighted in the age-old system of matrimony when compared to the liberal ones. Is this the lack of resilience and understanding here or immense de trop tolerance levels there? Can there be a balance between the matrimony systems from both the worlds?
Despite of me wanting to visit either Athens or Disney Land Paris, my hubby booked tickets to Brussels promising a good travel and an enjoyable new years eve. Well, with all havoc in Eurostar lines due to extreme weather conditions we were almost in the verge of cancelling the trip. However the train services resumed normal and helped us reach Brussels on 31st night.
This is my first ever journey in Eutostar, maiden visit to Brussels and first stay in Sheraton group of hotels. “Sheraton Screams Luxury” is an understatement. Be it a spacious room in seventh floor with city views, swimming pool and gym in 30thfloor or a stylish bar in ground floor; Sheraton vouches for extravagance and elegance.
Our new year began with a bang showcasing spectacular fireworks in Grand Place. The square gradually fills people from 11 o’clock and by midnight you find self amidst mammoth gathering of cute families, dancing middle aged folks and drunken youngsters whose primary mission was to burst firecrackers in the middle of enormous crowd (Surely this act dropped some jaws and popped quite a few eyes out). Speaking about fireworks, this was the second best I have ever witnessed.London new year fireworks still occupies the numero uno slot in my book.
For me the audacity of Brussels lies in its layout and architectural bravura. Some of the highlight attractions are:
St Michael St Gudula Cathedral: This Roman Catholic cathedral was the first architectural extravaganza we visited in Brussels. My hubby and I were awed by the impeccable designs in stained glass interior windows. We were also surprised to witness renovations happening within this historical site. We did pay respect to GOD by lighting candles on the first day of the year.
Hotel de Ville: The hotel with ornate carvings occupies prominent space in the square surrounded by shops. By night the laser light show with refreshing music entertains the dancing tourists in the square.
Restaurants on the Rue des Bouchers (by Grand Place): For people who love sea food, this is the Mecca. Circa 20-30 restaurants in one street, in one row evoking phenomenal competition amongst the eat-outs, forces them to have sales personnel outside each restaurant to sell their product to the tourists. My hubby and I were lured into one restaurant with a free drink promise.
Besides above Mannekin Pis, Mini Europa and RoyalPalace are worth a stop.
It would be unfair if I do not point out some disappointments here.
Atomium: Huge disappointment. 335feet tall nine sphere shape iron crystal, is arguably the magnificent structure from outside. Having said that, visiting the only open 5 spheres inside, after paying 9 Euros per head, is a waste of time and money. The potential of using space in each sphere is undoubtedly ruined and the interior maintenance is awkwardly done. The only worth sphere to enter is the topmost one, which provides vision feast with aerial view of Brussels.
Language Barrier: Again if one loiters inside Brussels, with no travel agency group, exploring city on own gets tough without being either French or Flemish. English did not help us much inside city.
Our return journey in Eurostar luxury class drove all our 3 days exhaustion away. The food and hospitality was remarkable. On the whole, it was a cheerful start for New Year 2010 and my hubby did keep up his promise on making this voyage a delightful one.
On the whole, my verdict – visit Brussels and travel in Eurostar. Because, we are worth it ;-)
I will be posting my detailed views on this rendezvous, in near future. But, how gifted are these students from Columbia university to meet the most brilliant philanthropic modern capitalist legends, eye to eye, mind to mind, and post questions on investments and economy?
