I've shifted to Wordpress

Hey everyone, I've now shifted my entire blog to
Wordpress. Hope to see you on the other side..Reasons for my switch have been explained there..I mite come back here though when Blogger gets better...I have faith in Google!

The End of an Era

Finally i can blog in peace!!...something I've been waiting for desperately ..I've also crossed another milestone in my life...a big one that.. aka i'm a graduate..(well almost leaving aside a few minor technicalities the details of which are pretty much trivial right now :p)..and its about time I graduated..considerig that all of my batchmates from school have already graduated and got on with other pursuits..And added with the fact that the rest of the students in my college were done two days back and their celebrations just made me feel all the more unhappy about my plight!...It was a painful and tiring wait till the 18th of June, 2008...the day i gave my last exam in engineering.

When just two minutes were left for the bell to ring, most of us simply put down our pens and were just staring at our watches. My entire class let out a collective sigh of relief and joy when the invigilator finally took our answer sheets from us. Everyone just could not stop smiling. People were seen congratulating and hugging each other, with the occasional whoops and jumps in the air. I was pretty indifferent to all the outpouring of sentiments and just wished everyone good luck for their future endeavours. The emotional detachment continued for some time until the hard truth hit me like a ton of bricks some time in the night. But more on that later...

My good friend and classmate Anurag had called all of us to Zaha's (a popular disc in the city) for a final party before we all go our own ways. The disc was packed to its seams. The number of people who turned up was huge!!. Many people who were never seen before in the “PICT party circuit” came for this one. It was a good party. The DJ played some really good Bollywood numbers which kept everyone on the floor. It was all going very hunky dory until the DJ who apparently got infected with the “graduation virus” started playing some senti tracks like Yaaron by KK. And then it all started.

The disc's atmosphere switched abruptly. The girls started sobbing hysterically and were in a tight embrace for a long time. I even saw a few guys surreptiously leak a few tears. It was akin to scenes you generally witness in airports or railway stations. It was slightly amusing to me at first. Yes you can say that I have the emotional range of a teaspoon :P. I will no doubt miss all my friends and will miss all the good times we've spent, but that's all I felt till then. But then I started wondering why everyone was raising such a hue and cry. I realized that such strong bonds of friendship and love were created at nurtured here in my college. It really hurts when someone you love so much is going away from you. It hurts when you realize you are not going to see the person you saw everyday, hung out with, studied with etc..at the same frequency as now. I know that I will be devastated when the most special person in my life here will part ways with me. I cannot even begin to imagine not seeing her for even a day or speaking to her everyday. How am I going to deal with it is something God alone knows. I do hope though, that some plans and promises we made turn into reality (Please God please!! )..That brings me to another relevant issue in this regard. Promises...

People solemnly pledge stuff like “We'll definitely keep in touch” or “We'll surely meet up during Diwali/New Year's”...I am sure people will do their best to keep up to their promises but who knows what life has in store for us. Promises of keeping in touch are the worst kept promises in the world and its mostly because people rarely get time to be in touch with their old pals when they move on. Its human nature I guess?. I learnt it the hard way when I left school. I have been negligent myself towards my old school buddies though I can say that I've been well in touch with a couple of my closest pals. The rise of social networking websites like Facebook and Orkut is also a great way to keep in touch and find long lost pals. Plus a majority of my friends are going to be in the southern states i.e Maharashtra and below (atleast for now) and that gives me a glimmer of joy that meeting them sometime would not be a major issue and we could definitely choose a common place to meet (read Goa :) )...Anyway, I also know many relationships in my college that are not going to be affected by physical barriers and dont need Orkut to survive!... I just hope I can adequately be in touch with the ones I love and the friendships I built and maintained till now...remain for life...Inshallah!

I raise a toast to all my friends. Happy graduation and I wish you a very successful life ahead. May the force be with you. :)..God Bless..And please be in touch and read my blog :P..

Class Portrait :)

Now that college is coming to an end, people like me are heaving a sigh of relief and are in anticipation of something new and exciting that lay ahead. But memories always remain, and I hope to keep some of them up here...and I start with this amazing piece of work done by Kedar..Photoshop?..I dunno really..but forgive my ignorance..anyway..I really appreciate Kedar for putting in so much efforts... Great job buddy!.

Why do I always do this??...

Damn.its the 3rd of June already. The mere thought it hurts so much. What big dreams and hopes I had of studying systematically and thoroughly and referring many "phoren" authors and blah blah..Sheesh!!...Nothing worked out..not even a bit..I'm not even close to finishing half of the target I had set. I have no idea why i put my self through this routine during every goddamn exam I have given in my entire life. Why don't I ever realize that my life right now would have been much easier and much less stressful had i put in a little effort everyday of my PL's. But no..this fact just does not get into my head and only when panic strikes do I actually sit down and study for a decently long time at stretch. But its just too late...and its too difficult right now to reach my set goals at this juncture...Please God help me! :(

My whole life I have studied only at the last minute. By God's grace I have passed all my exams and never failed (barring a few practicals)..But i realize had i put in a little effort..just a little every day..then that last minute hustle-bustle could've been easily avoided, revisons could've been done a lot more thoroughly rather than the usual frantic page-turning an hour before the exam...And maybe I would've remembered some stupid definitions and diagrams a lot more clearly.. effectively fetching me a few more marks..In fact, cumulatively speaking, it would've resulted in a massive jump in my engineering career graph...But naah..Here i am..barely managing to complete the course once even on the morning of the exam..I realize its sheer negligence and utter irresponsibility on my part. It is entirely my own fault and no one else's...Anyway there is nothing that can be done about my past results. They are over and they wont change now..But there is one last exam left. And its still the same situation. Moutains of Workload still left to do...Sighhh..When will I learn?..Well what's the point of improving now eh? This might just be the last exam I am giving in my life..(I am not considering my future studies now)...But I had promised my mum I would score well. And I hope I realize this soon and work hard...in whatever little time is left.wish me goodluck guys..this exam is for my mom..

(Aww man..what the hell am i doing here on Blogger..K pple..m signing out..cya later..mebbe in 3 weeks??...)

Cheers

UCL '08 Finals .... in darkness :(

The Champions league final this year was something i was looking forward to earnestly..Man u Vs Chelsea..The first all English Champions league final..Two of the best clubs in the EPL..with tensions already running high after Man U's Premiership victory this year..the stage was set for a high voltage match between the two sides...but alas, it turned out to be a frustrating affair for me...

I was poking and persuading my friends to find some pub or bar that would show the match..but that unfortunately did not work out. So i was preparing to watch it at my home itself. The match was scheduled to begin at fifteen minutes past midnight on 21st..It was just about to turn on the TV when .(click,click,tsssh), (beep,beep,beep [the comp's UPS])..the damn lights went out...

I am sure you can understand what I was going through at that point of time..I was cursing MSEB at the top of my voice...The entire day electricity was stable..in fact it was pretty stable for the past few days and it wasnt even a load-shedding day. I was praying real hard hoping that the lights would come back on soon but it did not even after 15-20 mins. I gave up then and rushed to my friend's place who did not have a TV but i was hoping to atleast be updated to the match through the net. I reached his place when the score became 1-0 with Ronaldo scoring. I was frantically texting my friends asking what happened and how he scored n stuff and was still upset coz i could not watch the match...I probably was there till the end of the match..missed Lamp's equaliser too :(..anyway..my flat-mate finally texted me to inform me that the lights have come back on. I rushed back to watch atleast the extra time. But luck just did not seem to be with me that day..I dont know which blasted SOB made Ten Sports disapper from the TV...i was so angry that time because i had to waste time tuning the fu%#$ing TV. Holy shit..I dont think i was so irritated ever in my life...then finally the damn channel came on channel no 76..bloody took so long to get there..I was able to watch a few minutes of extra time..since the score was still tied I was hoping that the game would go to penalties and it did..Extra time came to and end and i was just about to get a glass of water for myself when it happened again..(click,click,tssh)...no beeps this time as the comp was shut..:(:(..

I gave up then and went to my room...I tried to remain calm and tried to reason with myself thinking maybe God did not want me to watch it live :P:P...but no i could not console myself..i missed what i think was a nail biting penalty. My friend messaged me and told me that Man U won..Im not a fan of either teams but still i felt bad i missed the penalty...i then tried to sleep..but since mosquitoes were sucking every drop of blood from my body i could not sleep at all. Moreover it was also quite hot. I realized that sleeping was out of question right now and just sat in balcony waiting....

Electricity finally came back at 5 am. With the fan back on, i could finally get some sleep. Thankfully then All-out was taking care of the job of killing the mosquitoes for me..(though i feel mosquitoes have evolved and have grown to be immune to such chemicals)...I finally saw the match at 10 am the next day..They were actually fighting tooth and nail for the cup.. Man U dominated the first half and Chelsea the 2nd.. Tensions were running high with Drogba slapping Vidic and being sent off. But the highlight was no doubt, the penalty shootout. I was sitting on the edge of my seat watchng them. I feel sad for JT though, with the poor guy undergoing therapy to recover from the pain of his penalty miss. And Chelsea's also without a manager now..The last i heard almost 10 players are going to exit during the forthcoming transfer window with Abramovich wanting a new set of players to up the ante further.I heard he'll be trying to entice Milan with loads of cash for Kaka..Anyway..lets hope something good happens for them next year...For now, its Man U all the way...:)...Glory Glory...

PS: MSEB should be sued to inflict such pain on people...

The Title Picture

The title picture had been taken on top of Chapora Fort, Goa. Its the place where the famous Dil Chahta Hai spot is situated. Personally, I feel it is one of the most beautiful places to go to during sunset. I was completely stunned by the beauty of the view of the Arabian Sea. It was one of the most magnificent sights I've ever witnessed. Everyone who visits Goa should definitely not miss this one..

IPL - the new phenomenon to hit India

IPL -

Its is the new buzzword all over town. People everywhere are making it a point to tune in to Set Max every day to catch their favourite cricket stars in action. Skeptics were saying the IPL would not be successful in India, a country where people value the national team more than any other team. But the concept of supporting the home city/state team has caught on and people have taken to it like a fish to water. The stadiums, which were a bit empty on the first couple of days, have been packed ever since..tickets are sold out for every game..

There has been a huge talk about IPL and the impact it has on cricket and especially local Indian cricket. The amount of money pumped into this league is of herculean proportions, with corporate powerhouses like Reliance and Vijay Mallya's UB group along with bollywood A-listers like SRK, Preity Zinta etc paying huge amounts to buy the teams and bidding for the players of their choice.

I really appreciate the way BCCI came up with this idea of involving young talent from different states and making them play with some of the big guns from around the world. The concept of a cricket league is not BCCI's brainchild though, as the idea was originally conceived by Zee's ICL. But nonetheless, it is there for all to see which league is turning out to be the successful one (read: money-spinner). But on another note, there are some glaring facts which show gross misconduct on part of the BCCI.

It stepped so low that it asked all the other countries' national cricket boards to ban their players from the their international team if they join ICL. How can BCCI ask other boards to ban the player from their team and how can other boards even accept this ridiculous request? Did BCCI pay all the boards in this world to do that. Does BCCI control world cricket??...Secondly, it is using the grounds which were supposed to be used for international encounters. I have no issues with that, but when ICL requested for permission to use the grounds, they sent a note to all the grounds in India not to permit ICL matches. Is that the way they encourage a new idea. Is BCCI trying to encourage cricket and youngsters in India or are they trying to make as much money as they can.

Well, I am glad that local players are getting recognition for their efforts and I am hoping a few of them get seats in the national team. Indian selectors should reward the players for their performances in the IPL, even though Twenty20 calls for a different set of skills and requires a different mindset and style of play. I hope some of the newly discovered talent gets some consideration when the selectors decide who plays in the tri-series between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The IPL has produced players who can be put in all forms of the game, be it the limited overs version or test cricket.

Another point i wanted to say was the players' salaries which is stratospheric and somewhat ironical and in a way, not morally right too. Experienced players of proven caliber and skill are being paid lesser than what some might call "One hit wonders" and some not even that! With the salary caps being raised to 20 million dollars from the current 5 million dollars next season onwards, we can expect the players' salaries to be comparable to what football stars earn in the wealthy clubs of the BPL in a couple of years. The English Cricket Board (ECB) will also sooner or later be forced to step down from their stubborn stance of disallowing players from featuring in the IPL and will make exceptions for star players like Kevin Peitersen and Andrew Flintoff to play, grudgingly or otherwise. There are reports of Kevin Peitersen being approached by one of the franchisees for a whopping sum of 16 crores, which provided the deal is inked, would turn make him the costliest player in the IPL..

Well updating you on the current scenario in the IPL, we're running into the fifth week and its already the end of the road for Bangalore,Hyderabad and KKR. Bangalore got some saving grace when they beat Chennai on Wednesday. Its beyond me how such an explosive team like Hyderabad cannot produce a win. How they manage to lose every game is something that is difficult to digest!... Rajasthan and Punjab have definitely confirmed their slots in the semi-finals which leaves Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi in contention for the remaining slots. The latter teams mentioned are fighting tooth and nail and its difficult to say which team will make it now, though we will find out soon enough. The contest is only going to get more thrilling and unpredictable from now on. Rajasthan continues to lead the points table and look to be unrelenting in their momentum towards victory. I support Chennai...though i feel only Mumbai, Punjab and Rajasthan have some solid chances of reaching the finals.

On another note i would like to mention a story i read online about SRK , still reeling from the failure of his IPL team and his show KAPPSTH ( did i get that acronym right?).I read that SRK has told Dada to get out of the tourney in style.."with a bang" quoting SRK. Guess Vijay Mallya should take a leaf out of SRK's book and should learn to support his team through thick and thin. It was grossly unjust on Mallya's part to blame Dravid on the selection of his team and also his team's inability to create a win. He also blamed him for bad team selection. Hell! who told him not to select his own set of players. If Mallya says that he trusted Dravid's judgement that he has to live with it. He can't blame him for his judgement now!...And to add salt to the wound, he went public with this annoucement. I am sure Dravid must have been deeply disturbed as he is someone whose known to be deeply affected by criticism. I would not be surprised if Dravid hands over his resignation after the season though i hope that does not happen as he is the only good player in the team. I cant believe though that he selected players like Boucher and Kallis who were rejects in their own national Twenty20 league...Anyway lets hope something good happens for them next year..

Also commenting on the Bhajji controversy, I totally support the IPL ban and the 5 ODI ban on him. It is high time he is taught a lesson for his continual misdemeanours on the field and learns to behave like a mature player like the other seniors in the team. But Sreesanth is no less, his punishment is seeming like a slap on the wrist. He too should be punished for his outrageous antics on the field. He seems to have no respect for any player at all..

With the BCCI requesting the ICC to keep the IPL window every year free from other national tours, all the players, national and international, should be free during the IPL time period..and with that i hope Chennai can recreate the magic of their first 5 games :) With the IPL proving to be a bumper success, it is going to be a fixture every die-hard cricket fan will be waiting for every year.

Cheers!