Thoughts of my cluttered mind

Sleepy

2012-02-02T23:19:00.000-05:00

His phone rang. It was her.

"Hello."
"Hellooo!!!What's my shonaaa doing!!!???", she asked in her usual bubbly tone.
He hated that word 'shonaa'. So cheesy. It was a word for "blind in love teenagers who have not even seen the real word" according to him.
"Nothing."
"You know what, today I went out shopping. I got this beautiful dress for so cheap."
"Nice."
"And then, on the way back, I had a pastry at this local bakery. It was soo yummy. But now I am not hungry. And so I called you!!", she continued in her excited tone.
"Hmm..." This was his standard reply during any phone conversation, like most guys
"What hmm. What are you doing? Why are you giving me monosyllabic answers?"
"I am very sleepy. Can I call you tomorrow? I am going to sleep"
"What the heck? I have not talked to you whole day today. Both were busy at work all day. We have not even met for the last 4 days. And you want to sleep! OK, fine. Bye.". She hung up.

He could sense from her tone she was pissed.

Silly her! She does not even know that sleep is just an excuse......

.....To meet her. In his dreams.

Yes...But

2012-01-16T19:08:00.004-05:00

He sat at his work desk. He was typing away furiously. Of course, he should be. He had a clear logic in his head, and wanted to finish coding before it all fades away. That is what programmers do. They think and ponder over things for long, and then in an eureka moment, it all strikes them. It could be in the middle of the night. He had experienced those days in graduate school when he struggled with his assignments all day long. Finally, he used to retreat to his bed, tired and frustrated. And then in the middle of the night, it used to strike him. He used to get up and start coding, and the assignment would be done within an hour.

The thought of the graduate school days put a smile on his face. Those were some of the best days of the life. Some great friends were made. Life taught him the survival methods. He learnt it the hard way. He had graduated, and got a job in a leading global software development giant.
He stopped for a second, and pondered over something. Is this what he wants to do in life? Maybe. But that "maybe" might be his answer because of the decisions he had made. Coming to the US, getting his masters degree, living a good standard of living et all. But was it what he REALLY wanted to do in life? Was his head and mind in this at this moment?Would he like a vacation right now, and visit family and friends back home in India? "Yes. But I cannot because of visa issues." YES BUT. Never were more fatal words uttered. "Yeah, but what about my education loan?" "Yes, but what about the job" "Yeah but ......." "Yeah. But........"

“Yeah, but…” is pernicious. Because it makes it sound like we have the best of intentions when really we are just too scared to do what we should.It allows us to be cowards, while sounding noble. The yea-but kills your dreams. It makes you live in constant fear and doubt. Of yourself. People say that childhood is the best time of the life. Why? Because you do not have the yeah-buts and what-ifs in your mind before you do anything. The older you grow, the more they crop up. These will always exist. You are after all a mature,responsible adult and cannot live in denial of the truth. But there are times when you need to become a child again and not think of the yeah-buts.

His thoughts were interrupted when his manager stopped by at his desk.Manager: "So, what's up?" He smiled, shook his head and got back to typing away.

Burn me bright

2011-10-16T02:29:00.000-04:00

The sun drowns slowly in the oceans deep
While I stand silent on the shore and pray
For peace and strength, and the right

The countless stars through the clouds peep
While those tides hit hard and thrust me away
And my feet tremble in this dark night

The white of the moon is too fickle to seep
While solitude strikes I wish to hold one ray
For that will let me stay still with all my might

The fire within is in an unkindled sleep
While I wish for a beacon to hold me if I stray
And all I need is your spark to burn me bright

Premier League teams in school

2011-08-15T20:22:00.000-04:00

-Manchester United is the type of student who jokes a lot in class,but always tops the exam by hook or by crook.
-Arsenal is the type of student who keeps on failing exams but his dad always tells him "my son, am sure you will pass the next time".
-Chelsea is that kid who is disillusioned at school and can't achieve much because a kid whose father is richer has joined the school.
-Man City is the rich, arrogant, spoilt brat.
-Liverpool is that kid whose only pride in attending classes is because his grandfather sued to be a bright student.
-Spurs is the type of student who thinks he is clever and smart, but in reality is a dimwit and never passes a single exam.
-Aston Villa is the type of student who is really nice. No one hates him, but no one is best friends with him either.
-Wigan is the type of student who everyone expects to fail each year, but somehow miraculously manages to pass each time.
-Stoke is the big and ugly class bully who likes to rough everyone up.
-Rest of the teams are the middle and backbenchers who no one really cares about.

My city bleeds (one more time)

2011-07-13T17:36:00.000-04:00

Today my city bleeds, for they bombed it once again
Kids lost their mothers, many a household lost their men
News channels screamed - Terror Attack, Dozens Dead
I watched in horror,helpless; drop of tear I quietly shed

Tomorrow will be a new day, people will leave their home
And there will be stories of how the spirit of Mumbai shone
Investigation teams formed, same old promises made
As days pass by, the limelight will slowly fade

And one fine day it will happen all over again
Until we catch those devils, dressed as men
Oh wait, we did catch one earlier - Kasab
What did we do? Fed him biryani and kebab!

How many more should die before we eventually realize
Unless we kill them all, we will keep paying the price
We have had enough dialogues, its time to act tough
Anything else we do, its not good, just not good enough

Every day I fear the well being of my friends and kin
The patience of an ordinary man is running very thin
If war is the solution for ultimate peace, so be it
It is time to flush out that big pile of shit

Eye for an eye might make the entire world blind
But if not now, then when is the time?That we respond in kind
I would prefer to die in a battle, than a moving bus
At least, we will let them know not to mess with us

I have strong views about tackling terrorism, not everyone might agree with those. But then, everyone is entitled to have their own opinions.

Things we learn from watching CID

2011-05-22T19:25:00.000-04:00

I think that people fall into three categories: those who like CID (genuinely), those who hate CID (genuinely) and ones who absolutely love CID (sarcastically). I fall in the third category. Yes, THAT CID which runs on Sony TV any time you switch on your TV. And that too for the last 12 years. 12 saal jurm ke khilaaf, as their tag line goes.

Here are the list of things I have learnt from watching CID:

People call up CID for any matter, be it murder, robbery or even if they see a dinosaur in Mumbai city. Main CID ko phone lagata hu. They do not believe in the local police. Sorry Mumbai Police, people have lost your trust.
Everyone has the phone number of CID officer on their speed dial. Hello CID?
If you tell anyone that you are a member of CID, everyone will be in shock and damn scared.
Person: Aee kaun ho tum? CID: Dekho hum CID se hai. Person(scared and shocked): CID?yaha?
CID has such amazing and futuristic gadgets, that even James Bond is envious of them.
Dr. Salunkhe has a dual degree. MBBS+BE Electrical Engineering. That is the only way he can be the forensic expert and diffuse bombs too.
In each and every chemical test, Dr. Salunkhe finds out that Boss, isme zeher milaya gaya hai when the color of the solution turns pink, and smoke starts coming out.
ACP Pradyuman needs to wear a suit each day. Strictly formal dress code only for ACP.
Abhijeet is ACP Pradyman's most trusted officer. He tells him in every episode Abhijeet, kuch to gadbad hai. Ermm, isn't that why the CID was called into action in first place?
ACP Pradyman has to roll his fingers around and make a constipated face whenever he says something. Noone, and I say noone, can beat ACP Pradyuman's reactions throughout the show. Bring them on-Johnny Depp or Amitabh Bacchan!
CID officers have to repeat everything which ACP says. ACP: Abhijeet, khooni ne us terrace se goli chalayi hogi. Abhijeet: Us terrace se?
CID officers need to say rhetorical statements. Sir,lagta hai khooni khoon karke bhaag gaya. Yea, like he was going to wait for CID to arrive before running away. OR Is glass pe khooni ke ungliyon ke fingerprints jaroor milenge. Aur kiske fingerprints hote hai apart from ungliya?
Daya can break any door with his brute force. Daya, darwaaza tod do.
CID officers can enter anyone's house without any search warrant.
CID officers always find a clue when they return to a particular site. Hume us jagah pe vaapis jaana chahiye, shaayad koi suraag mil jaaye.
CID officers can match finger prints and search from the criminal database using Microsoft Powerpoint. Even developers at Microsoft are not aware of this feature of Powerpoint.
Daya screeches the tires of the Qualis when coming to a halt, no matter where he is driving,and what speed he is driving at. And, the trusted Qualis has been around for a long long time.
Most of the times, the culprit is someone who is least shown throughout the episode.
Culprit confesses to his crime only when Daya slaps him. I wonder why don't they slap every suspect at the start of the episode itself!
Daya's slap is so powerful that it lands the culprit from the location he was caught at to the chair in the CID interrogation room.

And these are the reasons I absolutely love CID. The best comedy serial ever on television.

We are the Champions

2011-04-09T01:57:00.001-04:00

India won the World Cup. We are the Champions. I cannot write much. Its a very proud feeling. I feel lucky to have witnessed the moment. The boys in blue did us proud. A billion dreams came true, a billion prayers were answered. Indians all over the world rejoiced, the country celebrated and partied like never before. Scenes like this were in every corner of the country. What a night it was! Well played India. Shabbashhh Shabbashhh. Indiaaaa!! India!!!!

The victory did not come easy. We fought for it, and deserved to be the best team in the competition. We beat the arrogant defending champions Australia in the quarter finals, won a battle against our arch rivals Pakistan in the semi finals, and beat the competitive Sri Lankans in the finals. The best thing was it was not one or two individuals who carried us through each game. Everyone played their part and raised their hand to be counted when it mattered.

Sehwag gave us blistering starts in most games. Too sad he could not capitalize on those starts. But then, thats Viru for you. Sachin was one of the top scorers in the tournament. Gambhir and Kohli played important knocks in the finals when the tide was against us. Yuvraj had a dream run in the tournament,both with bat and ball. Raina played a useful and composed knock in the quarters. More than that, he saved at least 15 runs each game with his fielding. Dhoni,captain cool, saved his best for the last. Not having scored much till the finals, he played a captain's knock in the finals, and what a knock it was. Zaheer was the go-to man for India every game. Each time we needed a wicket-new ball.old ball,power play,middle overs-you name it, he was brought on and responded with a wicket each time. Bhajji getting rid of Umar Akmal was, I feel, the turning point of the quarter final game. Bhajji was always giving his 100%, even though he was off-color. Munaf- THE Munaf- was the unsung hero. Quietly bowling his quota without giving much most of the times. The likes of Yusuf, Nehra, Chawla and Sreesanth were as important to the team, irrespective of their under performing. We need people running on to the field with drinks and messages :) .

And all of this would not have been possible without the calming influence of Gary Kirsten and his support staff in the background. I really feel he deserves more credit than he has got. Thank you Gary. You would be leaving us after the world cup. Wishing you all the best with whatever you decide to do in the future.

Special mention of Sachin. This was probably his last world cup. Everyone wanted to win it for him, do it for him. The glee and the joy in his eyes after winning was priceless. It was not a fairy tale ending, with him scoring his 100th 100 in the world cup finals. But then,he will do it another day. Kohli summed up the feeling of billions with his words: "He has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, it is time we carry him". The world cup medal, which was missing from his collection, now has a place in a billion hearts.

I have seen this Youtube clip maybe a hundred times, and I still am not tired of watching it. I can watch it over and over again.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

Why You Should Care About Cricket

2011-03-30T22:06:00.001-04:00

Amazingly written.Must read article.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=110329%2FCricket

I tell myself

2011-03-15T14:16:00.000-04:00

I tell myself to be happy
That everything is fine and okay
That I should live my life
And hope tomorrow is a better day

I tell myself to trust
In myself,without caring for them all
That I made the correct choice
Whether I choose to fly or fall

I tell myself to believe
And hope everything will be right
I am the only one I have
Never to give up without a fight

I tell myself many a things
Both truth and lies I seem to bend
But that does not ease my pain
For thats what matters in the end

Goodbye

2011-02-21T16:44:00.001-05:00

Crimson rivers are flowing,
Down your long, dark path.
Should I come near you?
Just to face your wrath.

There's a glow of the razor,
Laying next to your torn skin.
People ask you questions,
Yet, you're now dead within.

Your eyes closing, silently,
There's nothing else to say.
You speak words,barely audible,
'Maybe it's better this way.'

You find nobody holds you,
But, what is left to hold?
Your smile keeps lingering,
As your skin grows cold.

Your crystal tears are falling,
Down from the velvet sky.
And all you ever knew about,
Was, how to say goodbye.

Cricket World Cup 2011

2011-02-21T01:18:00.001-05:00

while (date<= '4/2/2011'){
eat cricket;
drink cricket;
sleep cricket;
live cricket;
}

Indiaaaaaa Indiaaaaaa.Sachinnnnnn Sachinnnnnnn.

Few Rules for Men

2011-02-01T01:52:00.000-05:00

1. Unless he murdered someone in your family, you must bail a friend out of jail within 12 hours.

2. Moaning about the brand of beer in a buddy's fridge is forbidden. However, you may complain at will if the temperature is unsuitable.

3. One may eat anything and everything when it is free.(free includes from a friends's fridge)

4. No man shall ever be required to buy a birthday present for another man. In fact, even remembering your buddy's birthday is strictly optional,unless it is on facebook.

5. On a road trip, the strongest bladder determines pit stops, not the weakest.

6. Only in situations of moral and/or physical peril are you allowed to kick another guy in the nuts.

7. If a man's fly is down, that's his problem, you didn't see anything.

8. Women who claim they "love to watch sports" must be treated as spies until they demonstrate knowledge of the game and the ability to drink as much as the other sports watchers.

9. In a bathroom, an almost imperceptible nod is the only conversation you may have with the guy urinating next to you.

10. It is acceptable for you to drive her car. It is not acceptable for her to drive yours,unless you are too drunk to be able to stand.

11. There is no reason for guys to watch Men's Figure Skating or Men's Gymnastics. Ever.

12. It is permissible to drink a fruity alcohol drink only when you're sunning on a tropical beach...and it's delivered by a topless supermodel... and it's free.

13. If a guy is watching any game on the television, you cannot even dare to touch the remote. No matter even if he is watching Chelsea play.

14. You ignore any quarrel or fight you buddy is having with his girlfriend/wife, and do not interfere in in. You cannot ask about it, nor shall he talk about it. Offering a can of beer to him is the only way you can offer any kind of sympathy to him.

15. You hang up your telephone call with your girlfriend/wife within 3 minutes when in company of other guys.

U for Unique,U for Useful

2011-01-11T17:04:00.000-05:00

I saw this image somewhere on the internet today. It really made me think. A lot.

How many times have we heard someone say "He is special,because he is unique" or "His uniqueness is an asset" or something similar. Special he may be, but being an asset or being useful is questionable and depends on many circumstances. Your uniqueness has nothing to do with how attractive you are, how well you do your job, or how much of an asshole you are. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Your usefulness is probably directly related to how well you fit into the surroundings and work together with others. A square peg amongst thousands of round pegs is unique alright, but it is ineffective when it is put in a round hole. Using your uniqueness to be useful is what matters the most.

I'm better than you

2011-01-07T00:41:00.000-05:00

All this talking takes us nowhere
How does it matter? You just don't care
You lied, you cheated, you broke my heart
But everyone had warned me from the start
I guess it was my destiny, or did I err?
I know I should have known far far better
I had painted a beautiful dream for you and me
Its now in pieces, scattered around clumsily
It is all over, I walked in on you two
Getting cozy, there is nothing I can do
I'll get out of this mess my life is now
I will manage, don't ask me how
I will move on and find someone great
My heart will be filled with love and not hate
Good luck, goodbye, I wish you well, I really do
You know why? Because I'm better....
I'm better than you!

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T19:56:00.000-05:00

On the eve of the new year,tonight`s forecast in most parts of the world - Mostly drunk,scattered shots,relays with slight chance of being steady on feet.Occasional falls or tumbles can be expected.

Wishing all a Happy New Year 2011. Be safe and party hard! Me off to the party :D :D

Warne,Liz Hurley and the Ashes

2010-12-15T06:51:00.000-05:00

The drama surrounding the three mentioned things above can be summarized in one single sentence:
"Shane Warne: The only Aussie to be on top of a Pom since the Ashes started" :D

What do you want to be in life?

2010-11-18T00:25:00.001-05:00

When someone asked me "What do you want to be in life?"

In school: I want to be an engineer(Why?I don't know.I was too young and naive to know or think about it)

In junior college: Maybe an engineer (Why?I don't know. Because everyone says he wants to be an engineer or doctor?)

In engineering college: I am on my way to become an engineer. I want to go to US and complete my Masters. (Why?I don't know.Big American dream, and it is "cool"?)

The answer to the why's at all the stages of life was, knowingly or unknowingly, to have enough money to enjoy life. Let's be honest, that is the only thing everyone seeks. Anyone seeking anything else is either telling a lie, or is Gautam Buddha - seeking the path to spiritual awakening and nirvana and etc. etc.,or is plain out of his mind.

When someone asked me "What do you want to be in life?"
Today:

Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar!!

On a serious note, at the end of it all, one should be able to look at himself in the mirror without a feeling of guilt or remorse about anything he has done in life. When I die, people should say "He was a good man"

Nature

2010-10-26T19:06:00.000-04:00

What started as a beautiful fall day......

.....gave way to a windy afternoon.....

.....which turned into a gloomy, overcast evening.....

......before ending as a cold, stormy night.

Ah, the unpredictable wonders of nature!!

Murderer

2010-10-10T21:16:00.000-04:00

Walking through the dark
Carrying your mate, the gun
That voice in your head
It has only just begun

Confused, you do your rounds
Tears in the eyes blur your vision
The mute gunshot sounds
You have to carry out your mission

BANG!
Closing your eyes to the sight
You could hear his scream
His body hits the ground
You wish it was just a dream

You wish you could just end it all
But the anonymous voice stops you cold
You slowly return to the dark hall
Doing exactly what you're told

The Ultimate Experience

2010-09-09T17:16:00.002-04:00

I always wanted to write this, but stuttered each time I thought about it. For this is something which is not to be written, read or imagined. This is something which is to be experienced. This is the ultimate experience. This is the first experience in the North Stand at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai with Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar walking out to bat. If you have not experienced this, you have not lived your life.

It was a mild, foggy February morning in Mumbai, not too different from others. Mumbaikars were in the usual haste that morning. Local trains to Churchgate were packed as always. But today, they were a little more crowded than everyday. There were 30 odd thousand people in a hurry to reach Churchgate station and take the 3 minute walk to Wankhede stadium. India were playing South Africa in the first test of the series.

The decision to forego a day of academic enlightenment to watch a test match was an easy one to make. Finding company was not too difficult either, The trip from the northern reaches of the city to the stadium for our group of three cricket fanatics was a long one and the match was underway as we reached. Scrambling to locate the right gate for entry, we had overheard someone say India were batting. Oh my God!! Those were the days when Indian opening batsmen were more of sacrificial lambs than an actual spot in the team. Those were still the days when the Indian batting was prone to abject collapses against pace bowling and the first day of a series against an attack comprising Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis and Lance Klusener was a disaster waiting to happen from an Indian spectator’s perspective. Thankfully, India had lost only one wicket when we reached. The stadium was full and noisy, with the notorious North Stand making the most noise as always. Just as we were settling in our seats, Allan 'White Lightning' Donald snuck one through the defences of Rahul 'The Wall' Dravid and clattered the off stump.

From the time the off stump was disturbed as Dravid started walking back to the pavilion, you could heard a pin drop in the stadium. The stage was all set. And then it began. As Dravid was halfway to the pavilion, there was a smattering of applause. It sounded a low rumble, like a bunch of super-bees had descended on the stadium. Then a definite rhythm was audible in the rumble. The chant grew louder as Dravid reached the boundary. The volume rising at an exponential rate. The whole stadium was in a frenzy. And then it happened. Mumbai’s favourite son emerged from the pavilion. The short frame, the MRF blade, the blue helmet, the trademark look at the heavens while walking out. The stadium erupted. This was what they were here for.

As the thousands of pairs of eyes followed him to the crease, each pair of lungs seemed to want to outdo the next. As if to eradicate any doubt about the cynosure of mass hysteria, the chant went…"Saaaacaaccchiiinnnnnn......Sachin!!!". Everyone seemed to be in a state of trance. Forgetting everyone and everything else in their life, each and every person in the stadium was chanting his name. It was a decibel level I had never experienced before. It was like the people of the city were making their claim known, this is Mumbai and this is Sachin Tendulkar! As Sachin took guard and Donald started his run, it went quiet again. I can’t prove it, but am fairly sure all the breaths were held. The delivery pitched on a good length and was met on the back foot, with a straight bat. The reassuring thud of bat on ball went around the stadium, and everyone breathed again.

Sachin scored 97 that day, an innings full of drives, cuts and pulls. He was the lone warrior battling, like most times, in an otherwise miserable Indian batting performance. The fact that he missed his century was an anti-climax, but it did not matter. Even if he had got out that first ball from Donald, it wouldn't have mattered. He would have got as grand an ovation as he got when he came in, no matter what. India went on to lose the match over the next couple of days. But on the way back home that evening, I experienced a joy like never before. Like I said before, something you cannot describe, but can only experience. And that's what Sachin has been doing since 1989- bringing joy to the lives of every ordinary Indian.

Common DD

2010-08-13T09:41:00.003-04:00

No DD is not Door Darshan. Or Designated (Drunk) Driver. Although the post is related to being drunk. I am talking about Common Drunk Dialogues.

I have noticed that people (including myself) talk much more when they get a little buzzed. They tend to repeat the same thing over and over again, up to a point when you(if you are sober/less drunk) feel like punching him in the face. Here are a few common lines after people get drunk.

- I miss you.(sounds good if a girl says it to you)
- Tu to mera bhai hai...bhai !!!(doesn't sound good if a girl says it, heartbreak :P) / Tu hi mera saccha dost hai.
- You know i am not drunk.(yea right,5 glasses of whiskey and 3 shots of tequila does not affect your nervous system one bit)
- I will drive. (DUI in waiting)
- Aaj saali chad nahi rahi hai kya baat hai?? (Maybe because you are spilling more than you are drinking)
- Main aaj tak talli nahi hua hu. ( Or maybe, you don't remember puking all over the lawn and passing out in the bathroom two weeks back!)
- What do you think?I am drunk? (No, I KNOW you are drunk)
- Sach baat bol raha hu, sach baat bol raha hu. Tu bura mat maan. (OK,I won't take any offense about any shit you say)
- Main teri dil se izzat karta hu... (Bill se bhi kar de)
- Yaar magar tune mera dil tod diya.Tu woh din aaya hi nahi (Dude, WOH DIN happened 2 years back, get over it now)
- Kya tu aaj kal hamare saath pita hi nahi. ( What am I doing now?)
- Bahut din baad yaar ke saath pee raha hu. ( Didn't we drink just yesterday?!!)
- Tu bolna bhai, kya chahiye?Jaan haazir hai. ( I would prefer if you stop drinking, but then you want to drink more so that you can die sooner and haazir your jaan to me)
- Chal aur ek ek maarte hai. (You sure?)
- Yaar aaj uski bahut yaad aa rahi hai. ( Was she your bartender or something?)
- Abe bol daal aaj usko, aar yaa paar. Nahi to main bolta hu, la phone de. (Kisko?)
- Usko saale ko $%@#&**^% la idhar, dho daalunga ( I think you need to wash your face first)
- Dude.........apun na...........woh na..........leave it. (?????)
- Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha (What's so funny? : )

And Finally........

- Saala...aaj se daru band...............!!! (and the guy passes out)

These are just some of the common lines. People come up with gems when they are inebriated. However, I would refrain from putting them here, since such gems are meant to be hidden away from the view of the world. So until next time, CHEERS!!

Leave a comment about more such lines you say when you get drunk :P , or your friends for that matter.
Try to leave the comment when you are drunk, so that you don't have to think about what to comment, it will come naturally :D

Just Like That

2010-08-10T14:20:00.001-04:00

Alpha Mike Oscar Golf Hotel

Thats my name spelled according to ICAO spelling alphabet :P

5th July

2010-07-22T09:44:00.003-04:00

I know it is a little late to post this, but better late than never.

I was having lunch in a restaurant with a few friends on 5th July.4th July being Sunday, Monday was a holiday. For the un-Americanized, 4th July is America's 15th August(independence Day). And if it falls on a Sunday, Monday is declared a holiday. They do not have holidays here in the US like we do back home. Of course, with 4 major religions(33 million gods in one of them) and countless festivals for each of the religions, all the warriors and leaders, we just need an occasion for a holiday. And I am not even counting the holidays one gets because of the rains, bandhs or political tension. So with only a handful of public holidays, Americans make sure that they get a long extended weekends on all on them. This gives them a chance to sit in front of television one whole more day and drink beer, or drive to some place and drink more beer there.

Anyways back to the restaurant.So, I was having dinner and there was a group of American guys, all in their late teens, sitting on the table next to us. There was nothing out of the ordinary until the following exchange:
Dude 1: Is July 5th, like, a federal holiday each year?
Dude 2: Ummm. I don't fuckin know. I know 4th July is.
Dude 1: Then, why do we have off?
Dude 3: I think it is a holiday each year man. Maybe it's because, like, it was the first full day they really got to celebrate the Declaration of Independence you know.

And he wasn't even joking. I nearly choked on my lunch.

Time Machine

2010-06-25T17:38:00.002-04:00

Time machines exist in life.The one which takes you in the past is called memories.The one which takes you to the future is called dreams.

Dreams

2010-06-01T13:07:00.004-04:00

Image clicked at Rochester Institute of Technology,my alma mater

That Night

2010-05-24T15:22:00.003-04:00

You left the bar feeling high
Alcohol and memories made you cry
The head spinning,your vision hazed
Staring at emptiness,you were too dazed
You stumbled and tripped on the way to the car
The walk to the parking lot seemed so far
As you laughed while you sped
Your friend screamed,LOOK OUT AHEAD
You hit the brakes,and screeched to a halt
You thought to yourself,it was not my fault
Sitting still,feeling numb and staring out
You saw a bloody body lying motionless about
The sound of the siren and the flashing lights
You get no sympathy for your stupidity that night
Why should you?Is it worth?
To take the life of someone dear
Just because you had that extra beer

DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE

When 'Night Insomnia' Strikes

2010-05-11T03:13:00.007-04:00

in·som·ni·a [in-som-nee-uh]
–noun
inability to obtain sufficient sleep, esp. when chronic; difficulty in falling or staying asleep; sleeplessness.

I have been suffering from a different version of insomnia from the past few years.It might be called 'night insomnia'-inability to fall asleep at night.Its not that I suffer from sleeplessness.I can sleep for hours at a stretch.Ask my roomies if you don't believe me.They would tell you that waking me up is the second hardest thing to do in life-the hardest being able to refrain women from shopping at the slightest given opportunity.I honestly believe that a minimum of 12 hours of sleep is important for a human being to stay healthy.I have slept for a record of 20 hours straight.I would not blame my roomies if they thought I was dead or something.However,I cannot sleep early in the night even if my life depended on it.

I think the cause of this habit dates back to school days when I would stay awake to watch 'movies' late in the night.During the college days,I would rather study late night than wake up early morning.Yes,the above mentioned point acted as one of the incentives too :P.During my masters,it became a necessity rather than a habit,given the vast amount of workload.Talking about insomnia,I am the founder and president of the 'Night Owls Inc.'-a prestigious organization,known only to few, for those who suffer from night insomnia.

Rather than mope around frustrated at the inability to sleep, here is a list of 10 things to do to make use of your precious time when rest of the world sleeps(including the society watchman).From the master himself.

1.Watch back to back movies.A movie marathon of sorts.You can watch movies of a particular genre(war/horror),actor(Govinda,Mithun da),types(American Pie types nonsense adult comedies) or entire movie series(LOTR,Rambo,Harry Potter et al).
2.Watch porn.Best time to do it.No one awake,no one to disturb :P.Warning:Do not indulge in movie marathons for this genre of films.Might be harmful for your health.
3.Grab a post-midnight meal.It helps keep you healthy.If not,let us assume so.Because you are going to be hungry if you are doing 2. and craving for pop corn if you are doing 1.
3.Surf the web.Catch up on random blogs,news,sports,social networking websites(facebook/orkut etc) and whatever interests you.
4.Watch terrible,stupefying videos.There is something about watching people do weird and/or stupid things that really blows my mind. That is why night time is the perfect time to watch them. Some of the crap you'll find on the internet is so bad that it'll induce a coma-like state almost instantaneously.Some of my favorite videos I have watched in this phase include Gunda movie intro sequence,amazing dancing skills of this guy,the legendary dr.k chaudhary,watching zillions of funny videos/ads/bloopers/accidents out there and many many more.
5.Install applications/download movies you wanted to for a long time.Internet speed will be faster since no other users will be using the wireless connection.
6.Online window shopping.
7.Study.For those who are forced to.
8.Lie on your bed,stare at the ceiling and ponder over the questions in your life.Amazingly,you will find that you find the solutions to your problem more often than not.
9.Go out for a walk.It is amazing to walk on the silent streets and lie down on the grass gazing at the stars.
10.Wake up your roomies from their sleep and ask them if they are sleeping.Apologize to them and get back to doing any of the above mentioned things.

FYI,this post was posted at 3:58 am EST.

Good night world (in sometime).Till then listen to this

Twitter

2010-05-06T01:06:00.001-04:00

When I first heard about Twitter,I was curious to know what it is.I first thought it was another social networking website like orkut,facebook etc.But this was different.And honestly,I did not like the idea of ranting about what you are doing and thinking in 140 characters.I thought to myself,"No.I am not joining this ever."

But then,Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar joined Twitter(sachin_rt).And I joined Twitter just to follow him.Things GOD does to mere humans,unbelievable.He can change the outlook of an individual(me).Sachinnnnnnnnnnnn Sachinnnnnnnnnnnn :)

Final Leap

2010-04-13T02:22:00.000-04:00

As I stroll towards the ledge,
I stop,and gaze down off the edge.
Life and its pressures I cannot stand,
I cannot fulfill this constant demand.
I no longer want to breathe this air,
I have been treated unjust and unfair.
Beneath the smiles,kisses and hugs so close,
Lies a heart burning with hatred and remorse.
I do not fear death,for I am its comrade,
I want to walk with it in the final parade.
As I close my eyes and consume my fears,
I draw a blank,leap and shed my final tears.

Hope

2010-04-01T16:04:00.000-04:00

Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.Hope is not an illusion but a way to make your dreams a reality.Never deprive somebody of hope,as it might be the only thing they have.I hope,I live.(The comma makes so much difference to the sentence)

Chemistry

2010-03-31T05:11:00.000-04:00

"How about a walk?",he asked.
She smiled and replied, "Sure."

Both of them started walking on the pavement.It was late night and the road was quiet.Neither of them spoke anything but the silence was not suffocating either. They enjoyed the silence and savored each passing second, spent in each other’s company.She held his hand after walking for some time.Both wanted to just keep walking.Walk into the stars they were gazing at.

It was cloudy.Her long,flowing,soft tresses gently moved with the cool breeze which was blowing.Suddenly,the weather changed its mind and rain started pouring!She started running and took the shelter under the big banyan tree nearby.He started laughing and stood right there, enjoying the feeling of the raindrops on his face.She gave him that smile again.He looked at her and suddenly saw something in her eyes.What was it?The same look of love, which he had in his eyes.For her!!

Both of them looked at each other, transfixed on the spot. He took a step towards her.She went a step back.He smiled and went near her.Slowly! Suddenly, she turned away,smiling to herself. He smiled and touched her tender hand.She shivered.Not because of the cold rain,but because of his warm and loving touch. Then she slowly faced him.Yes,he was right!

He could see the love in her eyes. Love for him!
He could see the desire in her eyes. The same desire, which he had!
He could see the longing in her eyes. It didn’t hint any lust, but mere passion!

Both of them came closer to each other.On one side was her shy face,passionate eyes and drenched body.On the other was his pure love,caring touch and muscular physique.It seemed like their souls were going to meet through the lips.

"OK,CUT",the director shouted,"Good Shot,both of you.I could almost feel the chemistry."

The hero and the heroine smiled at the director and went to their respective chairs, while the spot boys cleaned up the so called "rain" on the sets.

Other one

2010-03-16T18:16:00.000-04:00

A friend called me in the middle of the night.He is in India,so did not find anything surprising about it.

Me:(sleepy drowsy voice)Hello
Friend:Hello,soya hai?
Me:Nahi,bol
Friend:nahi,soya rahega to bol,baad me karta hu
Me:M*%&$#@$* bol na (:x)
Friend:Me and her broke off
Me:What!!wtf!!??(sitting up in my bed)

This friend of mine was in a relationship with the girl for 7 years.They looked to be a sweet couple,looked destined to marry and start their own little family.I mean,you would assume that without thinking after a couple has been in a relationship for 7 long years.

Friend:Yes,that bitch dumped me(sob sob)
Me:Err...what happened?(I didn't know how to react)
Friend:She dumped me for another guy.What wrong did I do(sob sob).I am so hurt
Me:Yea.I understand

I was never good at offering condolences or apologies or stuff of that sort.I could listen to people rant about stuff for hours with :| expression on my face,laced with the occasional hmm,yea,ok in between.

Friend:No,you don't understand.She cheated on me.She told me about it when we met today.She said we cannot be together any longer blah blah blah
Me:Hmm(zzzzzz)
Friend:At the end,I parted her goodbye with a heavy heart.I asked her,"So is there another guy in your life?" She replied," Darling,you were always the other one,always"
Me:(ROFLMAO) Oh (I could not laugh at his face,but I seriously fell off my bed laughing my ass off) Don't worry,everything will be ok.Dude,I need to sleep,have work early morning.I will call you in the morning.Bye(hangs up)

HOHOHOHOHOHO.HAHHAHAHAHAHAH.other one....HAHHAAHHAHA

One either has to be blindly in love or be too foolish not to realize he was always the other guy in her life for the last 7 years.I wonder how many 'others' were there in her life though.Anyways,life moves on.Other one...roflmao

Disclaimer:The characters in the story are non-fictitious and any resemblance to persons living or dead is no coincidence

Kissed by a dream

2010-03-08T16:26:00.000-05:00

I was kissed by a dream after I met you
The reason to live my life is nothing but you
To turn the dream into reality is all I care
I won't at any cost let it go up in a flare

Agreeing with you knowing you are not always right
Just to watch you sleep,I would stay up all night
Why would a rationalist like me do such things,you tell me?
If it wasn't for a sweet,sweet dream which I see

Dream....it is such a beautiful dream,what can i say
The sunshine glows in my heart like early month of May
The sadness and despair which once followed me like a shadow
Has been replaced by stars in the sky as seen from the meadow

I have known the peace of love,and the tumult too
They complete each other like sun and moon
And in their collected beam,I hold hands with you
I am kissed by a dream,but so are you.

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar-The first to score 200 in ODIs

2010-02-24T13:53:00.002-05:00

Bow down to the CHAMPION,bow down to the GOD.The first ~~man~~ to score 200 in ODIs-none other than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.Wait,he is no human being,he is GOD(strikes man out from earlier line).YET another record for the greatest batsman ever to have played this game.A friend suggested that I had a great topic to blog about. But I said no,it would be blasphemy for a mere ordinary mortal like me to even write about God. This post is out of respect and celebration of his 200.Having seen him in Gwalior today,I feel I can die in peace.No other batsman deserved to score 200 first than him.Here is THE moment.

Sachin Tendulkar-World Record 200 Runs

Superstitions

2010-02-23T03:04:00.000-05:00

I must be about 10 years old.Like all kids of that age,I followed cricket as if my life depended on it(and I still do).I remember it was India vs Australia match. Watching the Indian bowling performance,I was pretty sure India would win this one comfortably.India started their innings quite well.I got up for a glass of water.When I came back,I saw,to my dismay,that India had lost an important wicket.Disappointed.This sequence continued a couple of times.Every time I left my seat, India lost a wicket.I got desperate and fear of losing started grappling my mind.I decided not to leave my seat until the match gets over.With more ups and downs, however without losing any wicket, India won the game.I was probably more happy than than the Indian captain.However,I became a victim of the most incomprehensible phenomenon in the world.Superstition.

dictionary.com defines 'superstition' as
su·per·sti·tion
–noun
1.a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance,occurrence, proceeding, or the like.
2.a system or collection of such beliefs.
3.a custom or act based on such a belief.
4.irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, esp. in connection with religion.
5.any blindly accepted belief or notion.

After this incident,I have always stayed put in a particular position while watching India play.Not based on reason or knowledge,but in significance of a particular occurrence.I always have my fingers and toes crossed when Sachin Tendulkar is batting in the 90s.An act based on my above belief.I am very superstitious about wearing my Arsenal jersey while watching the Gunners play.Blindly accepted belief in my case that Arsenal will play well if I wear the jersey.These are just a few examples.Its not just me or my neighbor who is superstitious.Great and famous people have been superstitious too.
Steve Waugh always carried a red handkerchief in his pocket when he went out to bat.It is well documented that Sourav Ganguly did not move from his position in the pavilion during that epic win against England at Lords,when he took off his shirt and waved it from the famous balcony.Not just that,it is said that he ordered fellow team mates not to move from their positions too.Michael Jordan(a graduate of North Carolina) always wore his blue North Carolina shorts under his Bulls uniform for good luck.John Terry and Tiger Woods have this superstition that cheating on their (own) wives gives them good luck during the next match or tournament.(OK,I made that one up,but can even be true,you never know :P).There also are the universal superstitions like Friday the 13th is unlucky,breaking a mirror brings 7 years of bad luck,black cat crossing your path is cursed,writing an exam with a lucky pen etc.

Indian traditions and rituals have a part in making the Indian society superstitious.Reliance on position and state of planets in doing some work is something I have never quite been able to come terms with.How can Mars affect what I am going to do on the face of planet Earth?Is there an alien monitoring my movement and affecting it remotely?Even agnostic guys do once in a while resort to weird practices like having a tablespoon of curd before going for an important exam.I won't even go into the hoards of people visiting temples right before an exam or the results.It is one thing to believe in God and having faith in the Almighty,and another thing to pray and give offerings just before the exam.There is a very fine line between faith and superstition,and that would be a separate discussion altogether.

Most superstitions are usually harmless,and that is the reason why people don't think about them.What difference does it make to wear my 'lucky' shirt or socks to the interview instead of any random one?
Right?So what exactly is the problem with being superstitious?It has forced people in believing in something which cannot be explained using normal equations of cause and effect.The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.Superstition is so powerful that it leads you to attribute your successes to something outside yourself.This essentially means that you are held back from unleashing your own inner strengths and abilities.After a period of time,your superstition turns into an habit and that can damage your outlook and outcome.Also,one never gets rid of old superstitions,but keeps piling new ones as times goes along.You should not let superstition rule your mind.Instead,you should try your best to overcome your fears by inspiring confidence in yourself,inspiring authority in your decisions and inspiring trust in your actions.

However,that all being said,it is still not going to stop me crossing my fingers and toes when Sachin is on 93 or sleeping in my Arsenal jersey for 8 am kickoff :)

P.S. I would really be interested in knowing what your superstitions are if you want to share them :)

25

2010-02-19T04:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday.25th birthday.Makes me kinda feel old.25,quarter century,silver anniversary.About half my life has gone by(~~considering~~ assuming I would be living not more than about 50 odd years).They say at 25,an average person are on their way-settled into a place of their own,having a job and maybe even think of starting a family.But in my case,none of the above is true.No home,no job and no thoughts of starting a family.It surprises me how people think about you differently when you are 25.My mom talked about me getting married after she wished me.Hello!!??As if I was not an eligible bachelor a day before,and became one the day i turned 25.Your uncles and aunties start reminding you of your responsibilities,whereas your younger cousins start taunting you about turning into an old man.The pesky aunties keep questioning you about your relationship status and how they should start looking for a suitable bride for you if you are single.Anyways, I think age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

This reminds me of the childhood days when birthday was the most anticipated day of the year. Today,its just another day. Back then,it was a pretext to buy new clothes and gifts.Today,there was no such feeling. Back then,I used to wear new clothes to school.Everyone in school wished you and made you feel special,albeit for that one single day. Today,I went to school in the same ragged pair of jeans. No one wished me "Happy Birthday". Back then, I used to distribute chocolates in the entire class.Today, I treated myself to a Snickers bar from the vending machine. Back then, mom used to make special food for me. Today, I was making food for others in the cafeteria. I went out for dinner with friends, but the food tasted nowhere as good as the home cooked food. Back then, friends and family came home to wish you. Today, except my few special friends (love you guys), all I got were the stereotypical one line wishes on facebook and orkut. Back then, dad used to bring cake from Merwans' bakery,careful not to spoil the cake in the train crowd. Today, there is no dad to bring it for me. Even the most exotic cake here does not taste as good as that simple cake which he got. Back then, at the end of the day, I used to think about the year to come ahead and go to sleep. Today, I am thinking about the years gone by and not getting any sleep.How I wish I could get my childhood back. As a child, I wanted to grow up and become an engineer. As an engineer, I want to be young and become a child again.

OK,I think I got a little too nostalgic there.I had a wonderful birthday and still suffering from the after effects(hangover,sore bum, bruised elbows and knees).I would like to thank everyone for their wonderful wishes(even those who forgot and might call/text/scrap after reading this).

PS:I am still accepting gifts.

And yes, I have decided to stop counting at 25. Cheers to another year of midlife crisis.

Here is what one looks like after a birthday bashing.Add the above mentioned after effects and clothes smelling of cake,eggs,juices,syrups,ketchup etc. and that sure makes it a night to remember.

Sometimes I cry

2009-12-19T18:54:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I cry when I am alone
I don't have anyone with me,I am on my own

The tears from my heart so torn
Flow with life but find no form
If I had an ear to confide in
I would sob my heart out in lights so dim
But who do I know who is there for me
And help me achieve what I want to be
Time flies by,people pass by
Without stopping to know why you cry
The pain is gulped with a glass of wine
The next morning I am all happy and fine
But it's true that sometimes I cry
But no one knows or cares about why

Best quotes about Sachin Tendulkar

2009-12-03T23:58:00.016-05:00

"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it."
Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight

Yaseer Hameed:
"Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job."

"To Sachin, the man we all want to be"
What Andrew Symonds wrote on an Aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin

BBC on Sachin:
"Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives "

"But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds -or a game - until Tendulkar was out."

"Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?"
Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch.

Brian Charles Lara:
"Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal."

"We did not lose to a team called India...we lost to a man called Sachin"
Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1998)

M. L. Jaisimha:
"The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his best knock."

Glenn McGrath:
"The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility -all make for a one-in-a-billion individual"

Anjali:
"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play"

Matthew Hayden:
"I have seen God, he bats at no. 4 for India"

Anil Kumble:
"I am fortunate that I've to bowl at him only in the nets!"

Shahrukh Khan(quoting Shahrukh from an interview)
"Q: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shahrukh: There was a big party where stars from Bollywood and cricket were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching Amitabh Bachhan. Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the genius!!"

Navjot Singh Sidhu:
"India me aap PrimeMinister ko ek baar katghare me khada kar sakte hain,par Sachin Tendulkar par ungli nahi utha sakte.."

Waqar Younis:
"He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also."

A banner once said:
"I will see God when I die,till then I will see Sachin Tendulkar"

Allan Donald:
"Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world"

Allan Donald again:
"I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting i told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and i know a way to pin Sachin. And i delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delivery outside offstump. And i shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin.His reflex time is the best I have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec.To get his wicket better not prepare. Atleast you wont regret if he hits you for boundaries."

Peter Rebouck, Aussie journalist:
"On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations.The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century.This genius can stop time in India!!"

NKP Salve, former Union Minister (This was when he was accused of ball tempering):
"Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It's clear discrimination. "

Andy Flower:
"There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others."

A placard at the SCG when Sachin Tendulkar was on his way to a magnificent century
"Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching."

Hansie Cronje:
"I had to remind Gary Kristen often that he was in the covers to field against Sachin not to applaud him"

Shane Warne:
"You have to decide for yourself whether you're bowling well or not. He's going to hit you for fours and sixes anyway."

During the Bangalore Test, frustrated, Michael Kasprowicz went to Dennis Lillee and asked, "Mate, do you see any weaknesses?" Lillee replied, "No Michael, as long as you walk off with your pride that's all you can do."

"Cricket is my religion, Sachin is my God"

"What do you call a critic of Sachin Tendulkar?Atheist"

"Indian defeat was God's way of saying... 'I exist'. He was threatened that Sachin would take over"

Ravi Shastri:
"Sachin has been sent by God to play cricket and then go back."

Ajay Jadeja:
"I can't dream of an innings like that. He exists where we can't."

Shane Warne:
"I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player"

Adam Hollioke:
"In an over I can bowl six different balls. But then Sachin looks at me with a sort of gentle arrogance down the pitch as if to say 'Can you bowl me another one?'"

Paul Strang:
"What we (Zimbabwe) need is 10 Tendulkars."

Dennis Lillee:
"If I've to bowl to Sachin, I'll bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard."

Sir Donald Bradman:
"I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...his compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel !"

Desmond Haynes:
"In terms of technique and compactness, Tendulkar is the best."

Sir Viv Richards:
"I think he is marvellous. I think he will fit in whatever category of Cricket that has been played or will be played, from the first ball that has ever been bowled to the last ball that’s going to be. He can play in any era and at any level. I would say he’s 99.5% perfect."

Mohammad Azharuddin:
"The more I see him, the more I want to see him."

Steve Waugh:
"We won with ten, but lost to one"

Harsha Bhogle:
"For every ball Sachin has two shots in his mind. And he gets out when he plays the third one".

"People say they saw Christ walk water..People say they saw Gandhiji win us freedom..People say they walked alongside Buddha 'The Enlightened One'. I will always say ~~ I SAW SACHIN BAT ~~"

Greg Chappell:
"He is a perfectly ablanced batsman and knows perfely well when to attack and when to play defensive cricket.He has developed the ability to treat bowlers all over the world with contempt and can destroy any attack with utmost ease"

Mark Waugh:
"The pressure on me is nothing compared to Sachin Tendulkar.Sachin,like God,must never fail.The crowd always expects him to succeed and it is too much pressure on him.But,he rarely disappoints them"

Brett Lee:
"You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind midwicket.His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick"

Shane Warne:
"Don't sledge Sachin,rather befriend him"

Michael Kasprowicz:
"Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours."

Wasim Akram:
"Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime, and I am privileged he played in my time."

Mathew Hayden:
"When Tendulkar goes out to bat, it is beyond chaos - it's a frantic appeal by a nation to one man."

Shane Warne:
"You have to watch India in India truly to appreciate the pressure that Sachin Tendulkar is under every time he bats. Outside grounds, people wait until he goes in before paying to enter. They seem to want a wicket to fall even though it is their own side that will suffer"

Geoffrey Boycott:
"Technically, you can't fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow nothing is a problem."

Time magazine:
"We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never will."

"To err is human,not to is Sachin"

"Sachin Tendulkar - Reducing the number of atheists since 1989"

David Shepherd:
"If he is not the best then I want to see the best"

Shane Warne, when asked about who he thought the greatest batsman in the world was:
"Sachin Tendulkar. Then daylight"

Mike Marqusee:
"Tendulkar is one of that narrow stratum of elite sports stars whom people will clamour and even make great sacrifices to watch, regardless of their national identity. If you care for cricket, you must love Sachin. In this regard, his peers are few - and mostly found in other sports, and certainly in other lands."

Shane Warne:
"You have to watch India in India truly to appreciate the pressure that Sachin Tendulkar is under every time he bats. Outside grounds, people wait until he goes in before paying to enter. They seem to want a wicket to fall even though it is their own side that will suffer. This is cricket as Sachin has known it since the age of 16. He grew up under incredible weight of expectation and never buckled once – not under poor umpiring decisions or anything else. I place him very slightly ahead of Lara because I found him slightly tougher mentally."

Daniel Vettori:
"He has been in form longer than some of our guys have been alive."

Some article:
"The silence in an Indian cricket stadium when he gets out is said to be the loudest in the world."

Adidas print commercial:
"When Sachin plays, big-city roads are easy and trains and buses ply empty at rush hour and the markets take a beating... When Sachin plays, grandmothers who know next to nothing about the game forget knitting and resting and medicines and pray to their gods as they sit frozen, staring nervously at their television screen... When Sachin plays , busy, ambitious executives ignore their calls and cancel their appointments and avoid their clients and miss their deadlines and put their careers on hold... When Sachin plays, college common rooms are dense and tense and hushed as an entire generation sits on pins and needles... When Sachin plays, school-yards are silent and playgrounds are deserted because those who normally make such a racket imitating their hero are all too busy watching him make batting look so ridiculously easy... When Sachin plays, fathers who want the news and daughters and mothers who always want soft stuff and brothers who fight for action, for once all agree on what to watch... When Sachin plays, bowlers and fielders and opposing captains feel their impotence and inadequacy like at no other time and curse themselves and wonder what they can do, if anything, to end the shame, the nightmare, the humiliation... When Sachin plays, commentators and experts run out of adjectives and expressions of wonder and comparisons... When Sachin plays, lay spectators have no need for words at all and just jump and scream and whistle and clap and hug each other and cry and wave their flags and banners and thank their lucky stars for being there... When Sachin plays, India forgets its differences and divisions and teeters between tensions and exhilaration and breaths and laughs and cries as one, as its heart fills with pride and joy and patriotism... WHEN SACHIN PLAYS, ALL ELSE IS IRRELEVANT"

US President Barack Obama:
"I don't know about cricket but still I watch cricket to see Sachin play..Not because I love his play, its because I want to know the reason why my country's production goes down by 5 percent when he is batting."

Virat Kohli after the Indian team carried him on their shoulders after winning the World Cup:
"He has carried the burden of the nation for the last 21 years, it is about time we carry him."

M.S.Dhoni:
"What can i say about him? He has scored more than 17000 odd runs. I have not even faced 17000 balls."

As long ago as 1998, the Bombay poet C. P. Surendran wrote:
"Batsmen walk out into the middle alone. Not Tendulkar. Every time Tendulkar walks to the crease, a whole nation, tatters and all, marches with him to the battle arena. A pauper people pleading for relief, remission from the lifelong anxiety of being Indian, by joining in spirit their visored saviour."

Martin Crowe:
"The shot played on this ball is possible only for the God of cricket."

Ravi Shastri:
"This is the stuff champions are made of. I have to repeat that word time and time again,because that's what he is."

Brian Lara:
"For me, the best batsman in the world is Sachin Tendulkar. I admire Jacques Kallis' consistency and Ricky Ponting, with the purple patch he's going though. Everybody gets 15 minutes of fame. But if there's one person I've admired over a 15-year period, it's definitely Sachin."

Wasim Akram:
"Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and I am privileged he played in my time."

Will keep adding as and when I find more :)

At the pearly gate

2009-10-01T04:17:00.000-04:00

There I was,standing in front of a gate which seemed so different,yet seemed so familiar. Then,from the corner of my eye, I could see God walking right towards me.

Me: "God!!Is that you?"

God:"Yes, it's me.Here is my ID."

He showed me his ID. It read "God,CEO,Heaven Inc."

Me:"Oh My God!!!!!"

God:"Yes??"

Me:"Never mind,it was just an expression."

God:"Dude,completely missed you,good to see you here.How are you?"

Me:"I think dead that I am standing in front of you :"

God:"Happy realization."

Me:"Good thing,I was a bit tired of life anyways. By the way where is the nearest 24/7 located?Need to buy some beer before its 2 am."

God:"Its just round the corner,take first left after the entrance."

Me:"Cool, just the way it was in good old Rochester.Take a left and just round the corner..nice. Is NY state license a valid ID in heaven?"

God:"You left it on earth dude.But don't worry the guy in there knows you are above the legal age to drink."

Me:"Hey,is that 24/7 wala Sri Lankan guy dead too? He never checked my ID on earth too...nice. Will be fun to make fun of him here as well when Sri Lanka lose their next game against India."

God gives me a blank look.

God:"btw i have a few questions for you, care to answer? "

Me:"Shoot.Be quick please. Need to reach before 2"

And that is when the conversation got a little serious.

God:"Don't you get angry at me for all the pain you suffered?"

Me:"I was, at some point,terribly pissed off. But in that pain you taught me the meaning of life and gave me some valuable lessons. At some point of time, I wanted to give up. But you gave me the courage and the desire along with the pain to keep me going."

God:"Do you really think I am so bad to be hated by so many people?People blame me for all the bad in the world,but rarely thank me for whatever good happens."

Me:"No father.Its just that you were too kind that you allowed them the freedom to think that way. And people tend to think of you only when they are in the dust, and not when they are soaring in the skies. I have a question though. Why don't you meet people face-to-face? This will help them realize your existence every day of their life."

God:"I am present everywhere. You just need to see me. You can find me in a beautiful sunset, or when I go walking in the woods and see beautiful birds and hear them chirping. I also can be seen in innocent children's eyes, or someone doing something genuinely nice. I answer all your prayers. You just need to find the answer yourself. It is right there. All you need is the vision."

Me:"Ah!!So you ask me questions and then hand over the cheat sheet. All I need to do is find where the answer lies. You give an assignment but you give a sample code. I just need to modify it.Ah, why didn't I realize this when I was alive.You are smart!"

God gives me a disgusted look. I realized RIT had taken its toll on me. Maybe,it was the cause of my death.

God:"Have you sinned in your life young man?"

Me:"Uhh..yes. More times than I can count. But,I regret all the sins I have done. I tried to compensate for them as much I could. God, I am sorry. Sorry for hurting people with my senseless and unthoughtful acts."

God:"I appreciate your honesty son.Proceed.Hope you have a good time in here. You need to ring the bell there to get into heaven."

Me:"Thank you."

I took a few steps,paused and looked back at God.

Me:"You knew I answered all those in hurry.I was really thirsty.Don't you?"

God:"Ofcourse boy!"

I started ringing the bell. It kept ringing and ringing and kept growing irritatingly loud. I rubbed my eyes to see my cell phone ringing. Without my chasma,all I could see is "G....".G??God?What is happening?Am I alive or dead? Where am I? I picked up the cell hesitantly. The voice on the other side said,"Hi Amogh, this is Diana from Gracies. You had a 10:30 shift,you have not shown up yet. Are you coming or no?"

Me:"Yes, I am on my way. I had kinda an important meeting going on just before this :)"

Murphy's Laws

2009-07-26T01:45:00.001-04:00

Most of us are familiar with Murphy's Law."If anything can go wrong,it will".In our daily lives,the above statement holds true without us realizing it.Here are some of the Murphy's Laws I have observed:
1. Sugar gets over only when you are making tea(and not when you are making kheer).
2. Toilet paper roll always gets over when you take a dump in the morning(not any other time of the day).
3. Your cell phone battery always drains out when you are in middle of a call.
4. People ping you only when you are busy.
5. Your boss will give you work when you are about to leave the office.
6. Your boss is already in the office when you are late,and never there when you are on time.
7. If you are following a friend's car for directions,you will stop at the red light while he zooms away on yellow.
8. Bugs will appear in one part of a working program when another unrelated part is modified.
9. Your installation/download will encounter some error/loss of internet connectivity when it is about 90% complete.
10. Your internet connection is always crappy when you are submitting an assignment/online exam.
11. You wake up earlier than usual during vacations(I don't think it holds true for me though :P)
12. Cop cars are always present where you least expect them to be.
13. All urinals are taken when you need to take a piss real bad.
14. If you are running late,the bus is too.
15. If you arrive early at the bus stop, the bus is never on time.
16. Someone puls out his car from the nearest parking lot after you have parked your car in the farthest parking lot.
17. If you are having a bad day in the field,the ball will follow you(Yes,cricket here too).
18. The elevator is always going up when you want to go down.And converse.
19. Severity of the itch is proportional to the difficulty of reaching it. More the difficulty,more the itch.
20. If you are looking for something,you will never find it inspite of searching for over half an hour.But someone else will come in and find the same within a minute.
21. The lane you shift to in a multi-laned highway always seems to be the slowest.

ME

2009-07-12T02:12:00.000-04:00

The rules of the world,
Are but so strange,
I love myself and what I am,
Yet I am forced to change,
Yes, I am a new person now,
For the world to see,
But deep down inside,
I will always be "me"!!!

Graduate

2009-05-28T00:05:00.000-04:00

I had my graduation walk and convocation last week. Officially, I am now Masters in Computer Science from Rochester Institute of Technology. In reality, I still have my masters project left. Although I want to get over with it and get the heck out of this hell called Rochester, I intend to prolong my project till the job situation improves. Lets see how it goes...

Speaking of hell, RIT has been one hell of a ride. It has been a journey which has seen some good days, some bad days and some worse days. Nevertheless, it has been one amazing experience. From the day when I left Mumbai and landed in the US, till the day I heard my name called and going to the stage in front of thousands, it has been a fruitful journey. The sense of satisfaction and pride I felt at that moment is something I cannot describe in words. But this has not been a piece of cake.

I was sitting on the couch in the lobby of the CS department after giving the last final exam of my MS curriculum. Reflecting back, I still remember the day when I was sitting at the exact same place in the first quarter and thinking if I can even pass the C++ exam. And here I am now. I think all of this happened too fast. Blame the notorious quarter system at RIT for that. None of this would have been possible without the great friends at the CS department-Bhaiyya, Nana, Gabba Gabba, Manan, 1su, Issu beta....sorry to all others whom I have not mentioned in here. I still remember those nights when people used to get up in the middle of the night and start coding. And those all nighters before an exam or a submission. Or those "Ae code bhej na" wala phone calls and "ok,but change karke submit kar" replies. Or those 11:58 pm submissions for 11:59 deadlines. Or those meals together. And late night drives to nowhere with music blasting and people dancing in the back seat(Ban than chali bolo..... :D). And those visits to Tim ki tapri aka Tim Hortons after the submissions. Those booze and hookah sessions at home or those visits to Macgregors. And those visits to Seneca/Turning Stone (NANA FORCED ME INTO DRIVING HIM THERE!).And much much more. More than all these, I remember the people who have made a difference to my life in many ways than they could have imagined. Thanks for the memories guys.

Congratulations to the Class of 2009. We finally did it. :)

India Rising-The New Empire

2009-05-01T15:07:00.000-04:00

100 Truths

2009-04-27T02:20:00.001-04:00

100 Truths About Me..!!!
Read this on some random blog, Sounded pretty interesting.And more than that I do not have anything better to do in life :P
So Here Goes...........

LAST TIMES…
1. Last beverage: Water
2. Last phone call: Mom
3. Last text message: Manisha
4. Last song you listened to: If today was you last day-Nickelback
5. Last time you cried: When I lost my dad

HAVE YOU EVER...
6. Dated someone twice: No
7. Been cheated on? : No
8. Kissed someone & regretted it? Errr... Nooo......
9. Lost someone special? Yes. Read 5.
10. Been depressed? Yea, I have my emotional attacks
11. Been drunk and threw up? Just twice till now

LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:
12. White
13. Blue
14. Black
15. Red

FIRSTS :
16. Made new friends: Yes,many. Right from school days and still continuing
17. Fallen out of love: Yes
18. Laughed until you cried: Yes, when my roomie couldn't stop laughing and I started laughing seeing him laugh
19. Met someone who changed you: Yes. Have met some people who have changed my outlook towards life
20. Found out who your true friends were: Yes. I know who they are, and in times of need, they prove me right
21. Found out someone was talking about you: Surprisingly yes

HAVE YOU:
22. Kissed anyone on your friend's list: Yes
23. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: Nearly all of them
24. How many kids do you want to have: One... maybe two :)
25. Do you have any pets: Nah, I hate fidos n fifis
26. Do you want to change your name: No.I like it
27. What did you do for your last birthday: Got my ass kicked, had a great time with friends and completed my DBSI project
28. What time did you wake up today: 12:30 pm (pretty early after a crazy night out with the gang)
29. What were you doing at midnight last night: Drinking and controlling drunk people
30. Name something you CANNOT wait for: graduation(not really)
31. Last time you saw your father: 16th august 2007
32. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: Learn to say NO to some things
33. Most visited web page:Facebook/Orkut/Gmail/mymail.rit.edu

WHAT'S YOUR :
34. Name: Amogh
35. Nicknames: Bunny or Bani :), tintin, moghlee
36. Zodiac sign: Aquarius
37. Male or female or transgender: Male :
38. Elementary: St.Thomas High School (Miss it, the best time of my life)
39. Colleges: Patkar College, Vidyalankar Institute of Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology
40. Hair color: Black
41. Long or short: Short
42. Height: Bit above 6
43. Do you have a crush on someone? not reallyyyyyyyy a crush... no i dnt think so...
44. Ever been in love? Yes,once was
45. Piercings? Not really, had pierced years when I was a baby (I think)
46. Tattoos? Nah. Won't exactly go with my 'muscular' physique
47. Righty or lefty: Righty
48. First surgery: Fortunately none
49. First piercing: At the age of 2 I guess.... maybe even before that
50. First best friend: Vikrant
51. First sport you loved: and still love - Cricket
52. First pet : NO PETS ALLOWED
53. First vacation: Dont remember really, I thik it was Bangalore or Goa,one of the 2
54. First concert: Jagjeet Singh. Legend
55. First crush : A girl in my school named Ruhi
56. Eating: Nothing right now
57. Drinking: Water
58. I'm about to: Finish writing 100 truths and update my blog, and then get back to reading a paper(maybe)
59. Listening to: Never gonna be alone-Nickelback
60. Waiting for: a job

YOUR FUTURE
61. Want kids? Yes, ofcourse. Didn't I answer this before?
62. Want to get married? Yeh sure..... the question is When? n to Whom?
63. Careers in mind? I am doing my masters in CS,so I guess I have decided it long back right?

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
64. Lips or eyes: Eyes
65. Hugs or kisses: Can't I have both?
66. Shorter or taller: Shorter (hard to find girls taller than 6 ft)
67. Older or Younger: Hard to say
68. Romantic or spontaneous: Both..!!!
69. Nice stomach or nice arms: Nice Arms
70. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive
71. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship
72. Trouble maker or hesitant: Neither

HAVE YOU EVER :
73. Kissed a stranger: Yes
74. Lost glasses/contacts: Yea, lost my contacts in my wash basin
76. Broken some one's heart: I think
77. Had your own heart broken: Yes, for sure
78. Been arrested: Nope, but I have been in a police van once
79. Turned someone down: No
80. Cried when someone died: Yes
81. Liked a friend that is a girl? Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
81. Yourself: Yes... Completely ... quite blindly
82. Miracles: Miracles happen if you make them happen
83. God: Yes. There is someone out there. Also,cricket is my religion,sachin is my GOD :)
84. Love at first sight: No, you need to know someone to love them
85. Heaven: I believe in hell
86. Santa Claus: No. That big fat guy is just to fool the kids
87. Kiss on the first date? Nah
88. Angels: Sweet people=angels
89. Devils: Yes-I am the big one :)

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
90. Is there one person you want to be with right now? Yes, but won't tell who ;)
91. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? Never
92. Wanted to kill someone ever? Yes (a list is already coming in my mind)
93. Among your friends, whom would you like to kiss? Some of them
94. Committed a blunder and regretted later? Yes, many a times
95. Wanted to steal you friend's boyfriend / girlfriend? : NEVER

ASSOCIATE WITH SOMETHING YOU WEAR :
96. White: Cricketing gear
97. Black: T-shirt
98. Red: Arsenal jersey
99. Pink: NO PINK :

100. Posting this as 100 Truths? Yes. :)

Don't Quit

2009-04-12T20:23:00.000-04:00

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must... but do not quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must NOT QUIT.

—Anonymous

http://www.thedontquitpoem.com/

Adhantari

2009-02-14T03:43:00.001-05:00

Makes me cry everytime I listen to it....
(If the video doesn't work here,double click to listen to it on youtube....some embedding issues)

My Battle of WaterLoo

2009-02-01T02:30:00.001-05:00

I came home from Tim Hortons at 1:15 am. I had gone with a couple of friends to have some coffee. Just having submitted a project deliverable at the stroke of midnight hour, I was planning to go to sleep. My roomie was still up doing probably what he does the best - nothing (just kidding Munna). I went to the loo before going to bed. I did whatever is done in there (no yucky details),flushed and washed my hands. And just then tragedy strikes. After flushing, the water started filling in the commode, never to stop. And thus began the Battle of WaterLoo.

The enemy forces had caught me unaware. I panicked, and called out for my lieutenant(roomie). He was shocked to see the water gushing out and wondered what I had at Tim Hortons which made the toilet choke. I told him that this is not the time to ask such questions and dispatched him to get some ammunition and I myself started collecting some. Our arsenal to fight this battle consisted of a mug, loads of classified newspapers which lie around outside our post box and a toilet brush.

I perched myself on top of the bath tub (enemy had taken control of the foothills), and tried clearing the toilet with the brush. Alas, this weapon couldnt stop the progress of the coalation forces who continued to attack in full flow(literally :P). I asked my lieutenant to call up higher authorities (apartment complex emergency phone) for some backup. The guy on the phone asked "Is yours a 1-bath or 2-bath house". "2-bath". "Oh good. Use the second toilet meanwhile since the toilet guy comes tomorrow morning 9 am" and hung up. Thus, we were left to fight our own battle. We cleverly laid the plans (I mean to say papers on the ground). Meanwhile, I had started the use of my most important ammunition, the mug, and stopped furthur damage by throwing the water from the commode into the bath tub. And then, I played the trump card. I closed the knob at the back of the toilet to stop the flow of water. I know this should have been our first step, but we were too startled to think right at that moment.

Slowly, but surely, the enemy backtracked. I surveyed the damage around. It was catastrophic. We decided to cordon off the site of attack till backup arrived the next morning. I was totally exhausted after this battle. I had a couple of beers after this, and went off to sleep. But before that, I needed to use the loo again. You know what beer does to your urinary baladder. Fortunately, ours is a 2-bath room :)...

Intimate moments

2009-01-24T00:26:00.000-05:00

She was just inches away from a really personal part of my anatomy. She was looking straight into my eyes and I was looking into hers. I had no idea what she was thinking,but for me this was the first time being in a situation like this. I had read about it, heard about it and even seen it a couple of times; but never been a part of it until today. She was breathing hard, so was I. I thought to myself...Is this really gonna happen??? I expected this moment since the time she moved in next door,but didn’t expect it to happen this soon. Should I just stay like this or move away? The latter was hardly an option.

There I was standing helplessly with two grocery bags in both my hands with my neighbor’s dog sniffing all over me. And this lady nonchalantly walks towards me,and says with a smile…don’t worry she wont bite. Yea right!!What the fuck should I do incase she does..BITCH. I almost blurted it out, but abreast of the compromising position I was in, I stayed quiet. And the bitch was not intended to be for the owner, but for the actual one.

All you dog owners, if you are listening, LEASH YOUR DOGS. Contrary to what you may think, they actually bite. They have been designed to bite…then why wont they? They don't have those razor-sharp teeth just for nothing. I really have nothing against dogs(only if I am at a safe distance away). In fact I love them. I think about them many a times in my life. Every time a professor gives my assignment/exam marks, I go "Damn..son of a bitch". Every time my boss orders me to complete the work within the next two hours,I go "Saala kutta". Whenever I see a female driver driving in the horrendous way typical to the female species, I go "Bitch!!". This is not all…whenever I do a self-appraisal of my life, I go "Ya right! It’s a dog’s life".

And ofcourse, we have a certain mr.pqR obsessed with dogs. Every example of his has the dogs Fido and Fifi who have tags, are given bones and stay in doghouses colored red,green and yellow. (If by any chance that person is reading this, I am screwed :P)

Going back to my intimate moments with her (her name was Vicky,just incase you are curious), this was the first among many. However, none of those moments felt the same way as this. Maybe because I knew later, that she does not bite :)

Kaka Transfer Saga

2009-01-20T03:18:00.000-05:00

Over the past few days, the news in the January transfer market in the BPL was about Kaka's possible move from San Siero to Manchester City. The offer was an absurd 120 million Euros. I do not even know how many zeroes that would contain, but all I know is that its a lot n lot of money.

At the end of it all, I am very happy that Kaka decided to stay at AC Milan. Money can bring you everything except loyalty. Here is a man committed to stay loyal to his club, his fans and supporters, and most importantly, to himself. It would be obvious to believe that he would have been tempted to move to Manchester City with this amount of money. I have always been a huge fan of Kaka the player. However, his decision has made me a fan of Kaka the person.

However, Milan should not escape criticism though. They have been tempted by the devil and, like Adam, they could not resist the juicy-looking apple. Its true that the money from the deal would have been used to get 3-4 excellent players to AC Milan and making the team stronger than before. However, the second symbol of Milan, after Paolo Maldini, was to be sacrificed for a pot of dirty money. So much for ethics! Had this deal gone through, it would have truly been the end of the beautiful game and the start of a dirty commercial market.

I feel there are many reasons why Kaka decided against joining Manchester City.Why on earth would a world-class player leave a huge club like AC Milan, who have been one of the top teams in Europe consistently for the past so many years, for a team languishing just 2 points above the relegation zone in the premiership? Also, if this deal would have gone through, the tag of "I belong to money" would have been on his shoulders for the rest of his lifetime. Milan fans have a special place for him in their hearts. More than any of this, there was one main reason why Kaka wanted to stay at Milan - his heart said so.

As far as Manchester City and its bloated rich sheikhs are concerned, it is a slap across their face. Do they really think that money will bring them trophies? The greed of money created one devil named Chelsea and its band of gloryhunters, we do not want another one. To win trophies, one needs dedication, commitment, discipline and desire. Not 120 million Euros!

Back on road

2008-12-18T07:31:00.000-05:00

I drove my loving Alto on Mumbai roads after so long. Here are the 10 things by which you know you are back on the Mumbai roads.(Note: These are my own personal observations and I do not claim any responsibility if you think it as your own thought in motion)

- Bhaiyya rickshawalas.
- Traffic.
- You honk at least once every 2 minutes.
- You abuse at least once every 3 minutes.
- Your mom(and all females in general) still drives the same horrid way
- You feel a strong urge to break traffic signals and signs just for the sake of it.
- Western Express highway is still jammed because of some road work.
- You see signs reading "Work in Progress.Please bear with us" everywhere.
- People strolling in the middle of the road, and giving a sheepish grin after being abused and honked at.
- 93.5 Red FM....Bajate Rahoooooooo.

For someone who was...

2008-12-18T07:12:00.000-05:00

Whenever I am sad,
Whenever I am lonely,
My fatigued mind,
Thinks about her only.

Whenever I am down,
Whenever I am low,
She does something,
Which makes my face glow.

When I fear breaking down,
and desperately need a hand,
Its always been her,
Who makes me stand.

But whenever she has needed,
She has found me too,
I have always done the magic of,
Bringing out her from the blue.

Depression has never reached her,
Whenever I am around,
In my arms she feels,
Safe and sound.

Back Home

2008-12-18T07:05:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog from the comforts of my home...yes my home in Mumbai.

It has been 4 days since I landed in Mumbai. And have enjoyed every moment of it here. It feels so great to be back home. I now realize what they mean when they say "Home is where heart is".

I look forward to these 15 odd days here. I already have this feeling that its going to be a too short a trip. But I am enjoying while I am here. :)

Countdown

2008-12-09T00:13:00.000-05:00

Countdown has begun.....3 days to go.

Going back home after nearly an year and a half. I am too excited to even write this properly. Last night, I was tossing in my bed till early hours of the morning. I was tired, but had this strange feeling of excitement and energy.

I went on a shopping spree, buying some thing or the other for the close ones and friends. I got a helicopter for my 2 1/2 year old nephew. Sorry Sarvesh,couldn't buy a "vimaaaan". Those guys at the toy store did not have a simple aeroplane. They had all kinds of helicopters and combat planes, but could not find a simple white colored Air India plane.

Lots has changed over the past year and half I have been here. When I reach home, things won't be the same either. There will be someone missing - dad. Dad, I really miss you. I still remember the last hug you gave me at the airport. However, I did not realize it would be our final one. I remember your last words to me. "Know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Whatever you do, believe in yourself and put the effort. Success will come." Dad, you were a man of few words. But, how I long to hear those few words from you. I saw my friends buying shirts and ties for their father. Even I wanted to buy one for you.....

I feared

2008-11-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

I feared being alone,
Until I learned to like myself what happens may.
I feared people's opinions,
Until I realized they will have them anyway.

I feared failure,
Until I realized that I fail only if I don't try.
I feared success,
Until I realized I could reach the sky so high.

I feared rejection,
Until I learned to believe me.
I feared pain,
Until from all hesitations I became free.

I feared life,
Until I saw it as my ally.
I feared death,
Until I saw it eye-to-eye.

I feared my destiny,
Until I realized that I am its creator.
I feared fear itself,
Until fear became a traitor.

I feared the past,
Until I realized it no longer could hurt me.
I feared the future,
Until I realized it is the only thing I could look forward to see.

Stuff Desis Like

2008-11-12T21:14:00.000-05:00

Ok,I got my "inspiration" to write this blog entry from another blog entry by the same name, which I found somewhere browsing through the Internet. Some of the stuff MIGHT be copied from there (I am saying might, since I have just started writing this.And yes, so far its all original)

When I refer to "desis", I'm referring to Indians who are temporarily/permanently settled in the US. Some entries in the list below come from self experience, some come from observations, while some come from the Internet. Here is the list of some stuff which desis like, not necessarily in the order in which it is listed.

1. Toyota/Honda: This HAS to be the first entry in the list. I have rarely seen a desi driving a car other than Toyota or Honda. Some distinguish themselves from this lot by owning a Nissan. But the reason for it is obvious - high mileage, low cost of maintainance and "Arree, even xyz bought the same car a few months ago, he is having no problems with it so far."

2. Maggi: Lifeline of desi students.

3. Orkut: Tell me a desi who does not check orkut every hour, if not more frequently. Desis also like to change their name on Orkut to something like "Happy Diwali to all" or "India beat Australia,yippee" or "Three days for semester break" or the more concerned "Raj- Im bck,redefyng mah lyfe" . Incase you are searching for a friend and do not find him, chances are he will be one of the people above.

4. Orkut pics: Wherever a desi goes, he should have a pic taken and displayed on Orkut as a display pic, or create a seperate album for it. If a desi goes along with his gang of friends(which is usually the case) to Statue of Liberty for example, each will have 5 types of pics taken- only the monument, desi and monument, desi and best friend and monument, desi and entire gang, desi and entire gang and monument.

5. Russell Peters: RP ROX \m/..Desis relate to him since he is the only desi standup comedian they know, and his jokes are for the desis.He is just awesome. If you do not know who Russell Peters is, then search on youtube. "Somebody is gonna get a hurt real badddd"

6. Successive use of a word: Come,come!!Read this,read this!! Get the drift? Repeating a word or a phrase is the most preferred way of stressing importance , being polite, being assertive, passionately agreeing, requesting a favor or wherever suited. Examples of it include ordering at restaurants ("bring two,two"), welcoming guests ("sit,sit"), appreciating someone or something ("good,good"),or just generally("hmm hmm,yes yes" and "sure,sure").

7. Cricket: Ah, how can I forget cricket. Its a religion, and most desis follow it. Inspite of the time difference, desis regularly follow the Indian team matches. Desis hunt for all possible websites for live streaming ("live-cricket-links.com"). And incase they are unable to watch the live streaming at work/university, then Cricinfo to the rescue. Cricket is religion, Sachin Tendulkar is God.

8. Fellow Desis: Desis love fellow desis. They are comfortable with them, irrespective of the part of India the other person is from. At any given place, desis will be looking around to see if there are any other desis. Even in case of chicks, a desi will look at a desi chick for a second longer than any other blonde/redhead/black(?) chick. And it is not too difficult to strike up a conversation with a fellow desi. Common questions include "Where in India are you from?"," How long have you been here?","So, doing your masters?ohk,what is your major?ohk CS,so are you into databases/distributed networks/security?"

9. Staring: Lets face it. Desis stare, with or without realizing they are doing so. And it is not just the female gender we stare at (we ogle at them,hehe), we stare at one and all. We stare at fellow desis to see if we know them or which part of India he/she is from. We stare at firangs and then wonder why they go around saying hellos and his to you. What else do you expect them to do if they are stared at??They are not desis, they are not used to it. Desis probably do not stare at our Afro-American big brothas, since they will stare back at you. This leads to uncomfortable sitations for the desi, since he has been told to stay away from these supposedly nasty people(no offence).

10. Desi restaurants: Desis love desi restaurants. But obvious. They love it even if the food is bad, ambience is pathetic and its far away from where you stay.

11. Saunf: For the uninitiated , saunf or fennel seeds are the thin little ridged green grain-like thing that desis love to chew on after hearty meals (often times in alarmingly large quantities, almost constituting a large after-meal) . While desis swear by its “mouth freshening” qualities (altoids, be gone!), it also gives them an opportunity to weild their toothpicks to achieve instant dental pleasure (otherwise achieved by the “hygiene no bar - whatever it takes” rule. hint: it grows on your fingers :P). 4 desis going to a restaurant means the small(in desi terms) cup of saunf kept near the exit is empty when they leave.

12. Copying: Desis love copying, and it is a well known fact even across the universities in the US. I doubt if there will be a single university in the US which has not had a case of a desi involved in plagirism. If not his friends, desi will look for answers on Google. And copying is not just restricted to academics. Some part of what you have been reading has also been copied from the Internet. We are well aware of the desi films copying storylines, music and what not from foreign films.

13. Torrentz/Limewire: Desis love these things for free downloads. With the high speed internet which they did not get back in India, desis love these for downloading anything and everything possible. The free downloads include music albums, just released films, porn(ofcourse, did you think you were the only one?) and much more. As RP would put it "You fucking filthy downloaders!!"

14. Google: Desis love Google. To know the reasons a desi uses Google for, please Google it out.

15. White friends: All desis like to be friends with white people. More than being friends with them, they like to show off and talk about them. How many times have you heard a desi rant "You know last weekend when I had gone out WITH MY FRIENDS ADAM, MATT AND HIS GIRLFRIEND RACHEL.......". Some desis would call you near them and show their facebook profile saying "Hey, look at this chick. She is a friend from university". 85% of these white chicks wouldn't even have said anything excpet the courteous hi's and hellos. But our desi friend thinks that she has the hots for him.

16. McDonald's: Desis love McDonald's for 3 main reasons: Dollar menu, dollar menu and dollar menu. Typical order from a desi at MacD "I will have 1 burger, 1 fries and 1 coke. Chicken burger haa. And coke refill is free na?"

17. Swearing: Desis love to swear. Infact, all Indians are genetically potent swearers. Desis add a special twist to the usual swearing - "Fuck you biatch,bhaindchod". And they say this to even the firangs. As if that poor guy is gonna understand the last word of the sentence.(Although firangs in Gracies' cafeteria at my university would reply back "Gaand mara chodu"...hehe).

18. Sharing: Desis love to share - be it pirated softwares, books, clothes or cars. If a desi finds something interesting on the net, he will share it with other desis - "hey..look at this new mms clip. mast maal hai" or "hey,look at this website, it contains the code for our assignment;but make sure you change it a bit". Not only is the virtue of sharing used to save money but it is also used to save space. Desis achieve this by making sure that there is at least one more person than the legal number of people allowed to stay in the apartment.

19. Desi parties: Desi parties can be held in various locations ranging from offcampus apartments to downtown night clubs, with many reasons or no reasons whatsoever. The party is hyped weeks in advance, mainly through word of mouth publicity. Gals with skimpy costumes and dudes with jackets and gelled hair are present everywhere. 'Mundiya tu bachke rahi' is the DJ's most favourite song at every desi party. A desi , free-style, everyone-is-invited brawl is as much a necessity of every party as the punjabi music :)

20. INDIA: Last but not the least, each desi loves India, his homeland. No matter how much they crib about India, deep down each and every one of them loves it.

Ofcourse, there are many more things which desis like. However, these were the few which came to my mind when I thought of it.

Proud to be a desi :)

Oh Gilly!!

2008-10-27T18:44:00.000-04:00

"Gilchrist accuses Tendulkar of lying and raises questions over his sportsmanship". At first glance, this could have easily be taken as a headline of 1st April newspaper. Thats because Gilchrist & accusation,accusation & Sachin,Sachin & cheating-none of these go together. But he said it.Gilchrist-one of the few Aussie players whom I repsected(not any longer, though)- accused Sachin. This is nothing but blasphemy to millions of worshippers like me of GOD Sachin. How can someone accuse him of lying and showing no sportsmanship?? The man in question is the highest run getter in ODIs and Tests, so that makes him the greatest player in cricket,statistically speaking. More than that, over the period of 18 years and more in which he has been playing, he has not been invloved in any controversy whatsoever. OK,one if you take the Mike Denness incident in South Africa, where Sachin was ACCUSED, and I repeat, ACCUSED of ball tampering. When the truth was that he was just cleaning the grass in the seam with his nails. This is not me saying, but the pictures on TV, where you can clearly see it. Someone should have told poor old Mike Denness that you tamper a ball by picking across its seam, not running your fingers through the gap between the stitching. Or better, he could have consulted the Paki fast bowlers for knowing how its done ;)

Coming back to Gilchrist, they say any publicity is good publicity. What better publicity for his autobiography than the one you get by questioning the sportsman spirit of the person whom most people consider to be an ambassador for the game. Having said what he did, I feel he has dug his own grave. Remember, he will be coming to India for IPL later this year, where he will be leading the Deccan Chargers side. People in India might have a short memory about most things, but certainly not when it comes to anything said about and to Sachin. And just to make things interesting, he has a player in his team who resembles a tailed simian primate, but hates it when he is called anything similar to it, even more than motherly abuses( teri maa ki....). For those who might be suffering from bouts of amnesia, Symonds too plays for Chargers. And just if matters were not spicy enough, add Harbhajan Singh who plays for Mumbai Indians team. So, we have the 4 people for the Sydney saga crossing swords-Sachin and Bhajji vs Gilchrist and Symonds.

How I wish I was in Mumbai for the upcoming IPL so that I could shout out what I felt about Gilchrist. But I am very sure that fellow Mumbaikars will not spare Gilli and Monkey from the famous North Stand doses of verbal assault. Oh wait, Aussies like to call it 'mental disintegration', ain't it mate? Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers in Mumbai will be something the two Aussies will remember as long as they rest in their grave.

I am no William Shakespeare, but I have come up with this poem (if you can call it that), which I am more proud of than Shakespeare would have been of any of his writings.Enjoy!!

Gilly,whatever you said against Sachin was really bad,
By the way,does ur kid know yet who is his real dad?

You do not say a word against our GOD on any day,
North Stand at Wankhede will teach you this the hard way.

Face the fury of the North Stand in the IPL when you come to play,
Gilly and Monkey with your Team Hyderabad so gay.

Going by the judge's review,we all know what happened down south,
How you will wish you had never opened your big fat mouth.

When Mumbai Indians defeat you and you get fucked by the North Stand masses,
You will have a feeling as if a horse gave you one up your asses.

When you go away,mouth shut and slipping through the back lane,
There will be one man who will still be saying "aaila, plane" :)

CRICKET IS MY RELIGION, AND SACHIN IS MY GOD

A Tribute to an Unsung Hero

2008-09-16T03:11:00.001-04:00

My blog would be incomplete without having a post about cricket.In fact,I have been myself surprised on how I could resist myself on writing about cricket for so long.My favourite cricketers are Sachin 'THE GOD' Tendulkar(but obvious),Rahul 'THE WALL' Dravid,Shane 'THE WIZARD' Warne and VVS Laxman.

To write about the God himself would be blasphemous.I would pay a tribute to the most unsung Indian cricketer-VVS Laxman.I consider myself lucky to have seen the Fab 4 bat for India.Of course,Sachin is Sachin.People talk about Dravid being the Wall of the Indian team-calm,resolute in defence,always at the front.People talk about Ganguly the leader,the one who taught Indians to take on the world,to battle hard and match eyeball for eyeball and sledge for sledge.But behind all of this was one man who was there when it mattered.The unsung hero,one of the most under-rated cricketers,someone who has not been given the respect and support he has deserved.He might also be remembered as the perennial underachiever of Indian cricket who never did justice to his immense potential.

The first time I remember seeing VVS bat as against Pakistan way back in 1998 I think.All I remember of him back then was a wristy flick for 4,and being castled by Wasim Akram the very next ball.I started liking VVS from the innings he played at Sydney against Australia in 2000 when he scored a memorable century with India following on.The result of the match was a foregone conclusion,but the way he batted was a treat to the eyes.Among my heroes,I think my batting resembles Laxman's the most(or so I think).

And then one hot afternoon at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in March 2001,things looked all too familiar for the Indian team-being thumped by the Aussies once more.Not even the most optimistic Indian fan would have thought that Australia would lose.But,VVS in company of Dravid went on to prove them wrong.India had been on the brink of an innings defeat but went on to win the Test and the series, denying Steve Waugh conquest of the "final frontier". It has become one of the most celebrated tales of Indian cricket, and the innings is ranked the sixth best Test innings ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.VVS did not only score 281 runs in that innings,he hurt the Aussie pride and arrogance and in doing so walked to greatness.

At his sublime best, VVS Laxman is a sight for the gods. Wristy, willowy and sinuous like his statemate Azharuddin, he can match - sometimes even better - Tendulkar for strokeplay.A ball 13 cm outside the off stump can be dismissed through the covers to the boundary,and the same ball can be flicked through midwicket.Shane Warne bowling round the wicket was flicked against the turn for 4,and driven inside out through the covers too.This is VVS at his best.He might score only 20 runs in an innings,but those 20 runs are worth watching.I would pay money to see him bat for those 30 minutes than watch someone else toil around for a century.

The best tribute to Laxman can be that the Australians respect him very much. He reserved his best against the best.This is one man feared by the entire champion Australian team.He defied them not just once or twice,but virtually every time he went out to bat against them.'Very Very Special' is what they named him.The sight of McGrath mouthing off at Laxman was not a mean fast bowler's idea of intimidation; it was an agitated soul sledging a statue.

In a team full of forceful personalities with no shortage of alpha males, the Hyderabadi is an ephemeral presence. His No. 6 spot in the batting line-up is often mulled over and there are grumblings from the youth-first brigade about his knees, his fielding and his running between wickets. But to his team, this old-fashioned, unprepossessing, deeply devout man is what they want.Laxman's walk to the crease is calm,but all purposeful. Once there, he combines a stillness of demeanour with a bustle of run-seeking.He can stabilize an innings,which he does most of the times in company of the tail.No one,I repeat,no one can fight with the tail without losing hope in the most hopeless situations.In times of dire need,there is a sense of relief when he comes in to bat;a feeling that the damage will stop,even if it is to delay the eventual.And on some lucky days when the top order fires,he can add salt into the injuries already inflicted on the bowling side.However,he does that like a silent,expert surgeon and not like a brutal murderer.He stands at second slip, virtually invisible, except when a catch goes his way which is pouched on most occasions.

Over all these years he has played,VVS has never been involved in any controversy.He has been the saint of Indian cricket-humble,learned,respected,committed,saviour and performer of miracles.All hail St.Laxman!

Things I miss about Mumbai

2008-06-10T14:11:00.000-04:00

It has been nearly one year since I came to the USofA.Life has changed drastically during this period, on a personal fold and in general too.More than any time since coming here,I am missing home the most right now. The thought of going to India in November/December, no pressure of assignments,quizzes,exams or submissions and the fact that there is lots of free time........ Initially, there was excitement of coming to US, then the rigorous schedule at RIT, but now nothing of that.I am longing to go back home, with family and friends.To Mumbai, where my heart is, where I belong.

Mumbai is known as the economical capital of India, known for Bollywood, underworld, its hectic pace,cosmopolitan city etc etc. It is the city of opportunities, the city that never sleeps and so on. But there are small things which make Mumbai what it is, and those are the very things I miss. Yes, there is family and friends. People will say you miss them the most. Of course yes!! I do. But, home is not JUST about them. Its about the things that make you stay there, make you think you belong there, make you happy.

I miss the food I used to get back home. Everyone believes that his/her mom is the best cook in the world. Its not just about the taste, its about the sense of passionate affection and personal attachment that comes with it. Nowhere else will you get that. Even simple dal and rice cooked by her will taste better than made by someone else. Apart from the home cooked food, I miss the Mumbaiyya food.Vada pav (any day better than Mac). Chaat which tasted awesome in spite of that bhaiyya making it with the very hands he scratches his head (and don't know what not). Sandwiches(not the ones you get here, they are tasteless). Nothing like veg. cheese toast sandwich made by Viju (the sandwich guy near my house), and ofcourse with a little slice of batata after it. Idlis,dosas (Mani's with unlimited sambar), pani puri(Elco),dabeli.....the list goes on and on. I bet even the misal pav we used to get in our college canteen, which was more of farsan masala pani pav, would taste awesome when I get to eat it. I have eaten in all kinds of places,some which even made me question myself "What the heck, did I just eat in there????" From eating Seekh Kababs and naanchaaps in shadiest of places outside Bandra station and Mohd. Ali road, to Bade Miya, Delhi Darbar and Cafe Noorani, to Olive Garden,Rajdhani and Moti Mahal, I have been there. Wow...I am feelng hungry just at the thought of all this. And of course not to forget Mulla for burji paav at 3 o'clock at night and then coffee or a cutting at Anna. Miss all of them.And also how can I forget Venky, the waiter at Upkar, where we had many a,lets say, 'social evenings', with friends. The poor guy always used to be running away from us since he knew people will pick on him once they are high.

Miss those times and those people. I have found more great friends here. But, spending every Sunday on the ground for cricket tournaments, hanging around outside Pinto Panbeedi shop(uska 38 rs. udhari baaki hai,Pinto I promise I will pay you whenever I come back to India), going on mindless long drives with nearly empty fuel tanks, boozing in Aarey colony jungle with music blaring out of the car with them, that was something different. And then driving back home, not oblivious of the consequences if anyone was still up at home, is a feeling that I cannot duplicate here. There were the customary abuses hurled at rickshawala bhaiyyas, but that of irrespective of the time of the day or the condition I was in. I firmly believe rickshawalas, and bhaiyyas in general, are in Mumbai to be abused. I miss those bhiayyas as well, although I found one here to abuse :). It won't be long that we will have hordes of them coming here too. Bhaiyya(a.k.a. Saurabh,it took me a while to remember his name), if you read this, please don't mind. But those bhaiyyas added a different flavor to Mumbai(chameli ki tel ka flavor?)

Among the other things I miss are the local trains. Going by the same train and same compartment and same darwaja every single day for most part of 4 years surely makes you miss it. 08:20 am Goregaon local to Churchgate(semi-fast). Borrowing sports page of newspaper from the neighboring uncle, the fights, the abuses, 4th seat(although I rarely went in to sit), smell of fresh sweat, smell of fresh,errmmm,human excreta in between Mahim and Matunga(not that I really miss it,but just mentioned it), the bhajans(or rather the prasad after that for which I used to wait for),'chala chala pudhe chala','bhaisahab goregaon utroge?','maar dhakka','madar**** pair hata bh*******','dadar kaunse side ayega?'............miss all of that :) One can easily strike a conversation with anyone in a train on any topic. That is what I miss the most. That is real Mumbai. Yes, the people here in US are friendly and always eager to have a chat, but back home, one gets a feeling of apnapan(didn't get the English word for that,par shabdon me kya hai...bhavnaaon ko samjho :D).I miss Wankhede stadium(North stand),miss cheering for the Indian team and 'Sachinnnnnnnnnnn Sachinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn'(GOD) or 'ganapati bappa morya',miss singing the North Stand anthem 'sutta' and hurling abuses at opposition players(or even our own for that matter),miss shouting 'neem ka patta kadva hai,xxx bha*** hai' and abusing pakistan no matter which team is playing,lol. I remember abusing Pakistan in Wankhede in a Ranji trophy game Mumbai vs. Banglore I think, and even the players were laughing. I really wish that Sachin plays his last match at Wankhede. I will come down to watch the match no matter wherever in the world I am, or no matter how much money it costs. Thats a dream. As of now, I hope Sachin keeps playing for as long as possible.

There are loads of such things and I can keep rambling about them for long. But the most important thing I miss about Mumbai is the spirit of Mumbai. The famed spirit of Mumbai. Its the place where strangers will help you in troubled times be it the bomb blasts, the 26/7 floods or anything else. Its only Mumbaikars which can stand up to everything thrown at them. Bomb us however times you want or let mother nature be at her ferocious worst, we will not lie down.People will be leaving their homes for work the very next morning. You can call it their helplessness or whatever you want, but show me one city like Mumbai. You cannot, because there is simply none. I am proud to be a Mumbaikar. Thats the place I want to be. It will be atleast 6 months till I come back for a few days. Have to keep missing till then.....

Gooner till death

2008-05-03T20:52:00.000-04:00

To be a Gooner!!

Over these 3 years without any trophy,I have realised that you need to be special to be called a 'Gooner'.You need a strong heart and courage to come over these 3 years where everyone gets over your head where you feel like being killed mentally.Times like these for a club identifies how strong the club itself is and how faithful their supporters are.How many times do you see in club football that a kid,Gooner,died of a heart attack simply because the ball struck the bar at WHL against Spurs & being a Gooner it's tough to survive the scares of a defeat when you're 1-0 down against your arch rivals.That's the emotion you have and sometimes they over flow.

You need to be special to face the taunts of the supporters of Man Utd,Liverpool and Chelsea.They run at you and slaughter you emotionally for a moment.They insult your identity of being a 'Gooner'.They batter you in numbers for our team's failure over these 3 years.You flee away after going through that but it is the love,the passion,the emotions and the attachment that never lets you lose the faith and believe in your love for Arsenal.I know how it feels being a roommate of 3 diehard Man Utd fans.

It's only the fan that knows how much it takes & how many sacrifices you make to support the club.I see a 15 year old kid sitting in front of TV at 3:00am watching his love play against AC Milan.He forgets he has a maths exam the other day.He forgets what the aftermath of his failures would be.All he does is silently jumping all over the lounge,screaming soundlessly with his heart up to the dry throat and biting his nails just to see his passion coming out as ultimate warriors.And yea,at the same time being careful enough not to wake up his mom sleeping in the bedroom.

We see a 75 year old man up at night watching his 65 years of faith playing on the field.He's so indulged that he forgets he has some blood pressure tablets to be taken.All he has on his mind is to see the men in Red and White tirelessly running on the field making you realise that your love will never be disgraced,your love is immortal!!!

You need to be stronger than anyone else to see your team's hard work for 7 months collapsing in 28 days.You need to be more strong to watch the referees denying you at a big stage and awarding the opponents the visa to the semis of Europe.You watch and pay the price for someone else's wrong doing but you never throw away the faith.I am not complaining or cribbing or giving excuses,thats for the Chelshits to do.But you tend to feel the way I am when it happens over and over again.But then such is life.

After being through all the thick and thin,from all ups and downs,after all the crticism from media...after all the ugliest you've experienced,you wake up in the morning with the label of "Gooner" on your head.You don't know any supporters from The Kop,you don't know who Red Devils are and you dont know who are the supporters dancing on the billion bucks of Chelsea.All you realise that you're a true Gooner..the best,the best in the world.

My love for the club can wait even for a century to see the trophies coming into our club's cabinet.I'll wait because I know I will reap the fruit for my faith,passion and patience.We stood by Arsenal during the 'Invincibles' era and we stood by Arsenal when they finished 4th twice on the trot and we still stand by Arsenal even if they are trophyless for the 3rd year. Arsenal FC means much more than trophies,its a way of life.Or rather its my life.

Thank You Arsenal....thank you for everything!! I'll stand by you till the end of time!!!

And did those boots of Arsenal's team
Walk upon Emirates's turf so green?
And did they play with great esteem
The best football we've ever seen?

And with a cannon on our chest
We play with heart, mind, and zest
And we are proud to be Arsenal
In Victory Through Harmony

-- -- Victoria Concordia Crescit -- --

GOONER TILL DEATH!!

heart touching

2008-04-02T00:01:00.000-04:00

I was a just-born and she was Twenty-Five,
Though we were we, we were one.
I would cry out in Latin and she would respond in Greek,
I would learn nothing but she never got tired to teach.

I was surrounded by monsters eager to pull my cheek,
but they would vanish the moment I was wet and weep.
She would come running and hold me in her arms,
as if I had won the contest of the charms.

Now I was able to walk and chew,
and hey, I was two.
I and she could now understand each other,
I was her everything and she needed no other.

I would try to walk and fall down,
But knowing she was with me,
the fear of getting hurt was now gone.
We still could not converse that effectively,
But she would understand my needs so easily.

I could now roam about free,
because now I have turned three.
I was ready to join a new world,
my academic life was now gonna mould.

She would dress me as best as a prince,
but when I would come back,
she would need at least an hour to rinse.
I was now able to talk,
I was a ferry and she was my dock.

I still remember the child, whose shirt I had tore,
Hey buddy, I have turned four.
I now came home a little late,
Nevertheless finding her waiting at the gate.
She would hug me and carry me in her arms,
it felt like flying through the farms.
We now did the homework together,
I would spoil the home and she used to work.

Years passed and now I was fifteen,
and with each year I would forget to lean.
I wouldn't care for what she said,
because now I had become mean.
She would ask me to study for a good future,
but I was busy in a different culture.
Now I had many shes in my life,
I dreamed of having one of them as my wife.

I changed a lot which she did not teach,
She would try to hug me but I was out of reach.
She still waited for me at the gate,
but I would look at her with utmost hate.

She would be awake till late in the night,
because I wasn't home, I was in a fight.
She had so much to scold, but she never did say,
hoping to find me better the next day.

Time went on and now I am grown,
lost in the world of my own.
I and she, between us have a river,
I have left her for my career.
When I was young, for me, she sacrificed her ambition,
but I don't care, I now have my own mission.
I am not with her now, I am in a different city,
she is so old now but I don't even pity.
She needs me now but I am nowhere to find,
in the race for appraisal, I have become blind.

In a few years from now, I will be two,
there will be in my life someone new.
Then I'll forget even to bother,
I am her son and she is my Mother.