- After being given "icon" status
W T F. Naku icon status aa. I better renounce it. As it is I don't have a place in ODI team. And my athleticism is being compared to the likes of Dada, Aloo etc. I can't handle this. Ok I can do one thing. Renounce my icon status and use it to bid for better players
- After being made captain
Ayya baboi. Ok, I have Gilly, Monkey,Gibbs,Vaas etc for experience. I will act as though I am at the helm of affairs but will secretly use them for field placing and tactics. I cant even hurt any bowler. I can only cut and slice him unlike others who murder him. So it is pointless to come in the middle order. I'd better use the initial power play field restrictions. I can atleast get 2-3 boundaries by flicks, slices and pushes. Else I am dead. So initially I will go one down and later go and open.
- 2 overs 20 odd to win against Rajasthan.
Goes to RP. (In hyd hindi) Dekh bhai. Merku field setting yeh woh nahi aata. Jo bhi hona bol. Main waisich act kartun aur field placing kartun. Aur thoda Gilly ko bhi pooch. Aur acchi bowling kar. And in the melee of things places an extra fielder in outcircle as a result of which it is declared no ball. RP ( to himself) - Kya c****ya hai yaar.
- 1 over, 17 to win
Discussing with Monkey. Monkey asks Laxman something. Lax ( to himself) - Nee yabba. Nene sastunna ikkada. Inka comedy chestava ra. Nake emi telidu. (You ass. I am myself dead here. And you ask me for tactics and do comedy. What do I know ?)OK do one thing. Just bowl something. Tail enders only no, we can pull it off.
- After losing 3 matches.
Man this is getting ridiculous. We had the best betting odds and Rajasthan had the worst and we lost 3 on the trot. The Hyd ground is also half empty. Goes to DC office. Hey! Can we have some more squads of cheerleaders ? Else no one will fill the ground at this rate. Currently we have 3 porn stars masquerading as cheer leaders at one section. We can have one at every fielding position. And add a desi touch by roping in Mallika Sherawat, Shakila, Rakhi Sawant, Mumtaz. This serves 3 purposes. The proverbial one stone, 3 mangoes
Firstly the ground will be full.
Secondly , the batsmen will surely get distracted. They will concentrate on other balls instead of cricket balls.
No cheering when are batting. Only when we are batting and hit in the deep will we have cheer leaders. Mallika with her fine legs will stand at fine leg. Aishwarya who has a third man ( Sallu,Vivek, Abhishek) will stand at third man. Mumtaz who has had a long off from films will be at long off. Rakhi who is never covered will stand at covers. Tanushree who revels in minis and midis will be at mid-wicket. Anyway I dont have cricketing strategies. Atleast I will contribute in this way.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
NO MORE CLASSES
It started on July 28, 2003 and ended on April 17, 2008. I just attended my last class at IITM. As is my wont, I went in 2 min late. I am sure I can never attend classes on time unless there is a negative incentive in the form of X beside my name.
My first class in 2003 was a core bore subject in Mech and probably one of the worst courses - Materials Science and Engineering . It had this stupid concept of prof in one room and the students in the other, staring at the screen like some movie ,and the profs did not take attendance. It was the foundation for bunking, sleeping in the last bench, killing time etc. Of course I wont be a loser and attribute my lack of enthu to the lectures, but yeah why should I take all the blame . I think I got 5/20 in the first quiz , the least score during my stay here . The best thing being in Mech is that you always have company , and in many cases people who outperform you. So yeah, there were people with binary value level marks also. Btw that course was scrapped the very next year. I guess it was an aftermath of our wonderful 2003 Mech batch. This reminds me of one incident, in another class though. A gets 1 and B gets 0. A goes to B and says - Macha I got infinite times more than you. Thus started the saga of proxies, bunking-and-maintaining exactly 75% attendance, one day internationals, xerox, assignment submission by faithfully adhering to just-in-time policy (JIT) with a six-sigma level accuracy like Mumbai dabbawallas etc.
4th sem had an awesome incident at which I laugh even now. One guy had not submitted the assignment like our entire gang. The prof catches him. Here goes the convo -
Prof - Did you do the assignment ?
Guy - No sir
Prof - I always see you in the last bench and you never have interest. You people slog day in and day out in your 11th and 12th and give up like this. You wake up at 4 am and go to Ramaiah's classes braving the cold Hyd winters and end up doing nothing here. What happened to that dedication, commitment etc
Guy - Sir I was in the evening batch.
The most common graffiti seen were IIT - Insti of Idiotic Teachers, Insti of Infinite Tensions and a coffin with an inscription - In memory of those who died waiting for the lecture to end. My favourite time pass used to be snake on Venky's mobile and arbit drawings on my notebook. A few samples are shown here.
This cartoon was obviously not an original one. A reproduction, but a decent one in my opinion. As you can observe, the girl has a :P expression. I urge my readers to come up with a satisfactory explanation for that. The winner gets to play basketball with that cute girl in her micro minis. In case the winner is a female she can chat with the cool dude below who has a cell phone surgically grafted to his left ear, given the plethora of calls he receives daily.
However, when I do have enthu I scribble down something which generally resembles an aeroplane taking off of every line. A few more samples -
These were about 2 famous playwrights - Arthur Miller and Ariel Dorfman, both of whom had strong Leftist ideologies. This was from a Humanities course - Drama. We actually had to stage a group play at the end of the course. Given that it was my debut, I had the least number of lines. However , I got to play the bridegroom in that play titled "A Matrimony of Errors". It was good fun though.
And yeah, hold your breath, I am about to reveal a tsunami causing news. There was a clamour for my notes in the 8th sem Mechatronics course. Many guys photocopied my notes as they felt mine was very legible. On a personal note I actually put major fight for that course and it was by far the best I had ever written . I can now proudly say "been there , done that" regarding all aspects of classroom life. I am not sad or nostalgic about it being the last class. Infact, there is no feeling at all. I am happy that I had at least attended it. I now bid adieu to the rooms which housed most of our classes - Class Room Complex (CRC) - 101,102,103, Mechanical Sciences Block (MSB) - 257, 357 and Machine Design Section (MDS) - 217,306. I hope my name is scribbled atleast on one bench.
My first class in 2003 was a core bore subject in Mech and probably one of the worst courses - Materials Science and Engineering . It had this stupid concept of prof in one room and the students in the other, staring at the screen like some movie ,and the profs did not take attendance. It was the foundation for bunking, sleeping in the last bench, killing time etc. Of course I wont be a loser and attribute my lack of enthu to the lectures, but yeah why should I take all the blame . I think I got 5/20 in the first quiz , the least score during my stay here . The best thing being in Mech is that you always have company , and in many cases people who outperform you. So yeah, there were people with binary value level marks also. Btw that course was scrapped the very next year. I guess it was an aftermath of our wonderful 2003 Mech batch. This reminds me of one incident, in another class though. A gets 1 and B gets 0. A goes to B and says - Macha I got infinite times more than you. Thus started the saga of proxies, bunking-and-maintaining exactly 75% attendance, one day internationals, xerox, assignment submission by faithfully adhering to just-in-time policy (JIT) with a six-sigma level accuracy like Mumbai dabbawallas etc.
4th sem had an awesome incident at which I laugh even now. One guy had not submitted the assignment like our entire gang. The prof catches him. Here goes the convo -
Prof - Did you do the assignment ?
Guy - No sir
Prof - I always see you in the last bench and you never have interest. You people slog day in and day out in your 11th and 12th and give up like this. You wake up at 4 am and go to Ramaiah's classes braving the cold Hyd winters and end up doing nothing here. What happened to that dedication, commitment etc
Guy - Sir I was in the evening batch.
The most common graffiti seen were IIT - Insti of Idiotic Teachers, Insti of Infinite Tensions and a coffin with an inscription - In memory of those who died waiting for the lecture to end. My favourite time pass used to be snake on Venky's mobile and arbit drawings on my notebook. A few samples are shown here.
This cartoon was obviously not an original one. A reproduction, but a decent one in my opinion. As you can observe, the girl has a :P expression. I urge my readers to come up with a satisfactory explanation for that. The winner gets to play basketball with that cute girl in her micro minis. In case the winner is a female she can chat with the cool dude below who has a cell phone surgically grafted to his left ear, given the plethora of calls he receives daily.
However, when I do have enthu I scribble down something which generally resembles an aeroplane taking off of every line. A few more samples -
These were about 2 famous playwrights - Arthur Miller and Ariel Dorfman, both of whom had strong Leftist ideologies. This was from a Humanities course - Drama. We actually had to stage a group play at the end of the course. Given that it was my debut, I had the least number of lines. However , I got to play the bridegroom in that play titled "A Matrimony of Errors". It was good fun though.And yeah, hold your breath, I am about to reveal a tsunami causing news. There was a clamour for my notes in the 8th sem Mechatronics course. Many guys photocopied my notes as they felt mine was very legible. On a personal note I actually put major fight for that course and it was by far the best I had ever written . I can now proudly say "been there , done that" regarding all aspects of classroom life. I am not sad or nostalgic about it being the last class. Infact, there is no feeling at all. I am happy that I had at least attended it. I now bid adieu to the rooms which housed most of our classes - Class Room Complex (CRC) - 101,102,103, Mechanical Sciences Block (MSB) - 257, 357 and Machine Design Section (MDS) - 217,306. I hope my name is scribbled atleast on one bench.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
I GOT PICKED-2
So, it was well past 10pm now and the lights in the entire bogie were off. No dirty conclusions please. I sat at the edge of the side lower seat, she at the other edge.To add to your mood, let me include stuff like the moon was shining, and it was pretty cool. Everyone was asleep.
*****************
She - So when do you gen sleep ?
Around one. After net goes.
Hehe, ok I sleep at 12 types. I just can't sleep at 10-11.
Yeah, same here. ( She got the message that I was game for more chat)
Then some gen talk about movies, weekend hang outs etc. Since she was scolding Chennai, I too cribbed majorly. Again, I had to score points, right ?
Enter Pongal la Sambhar (PLS). Yes, he was as welcome as sambhar in Pongal. Why ?Because I was seated in his place , and now I had to move further towards her. He seemed to be of my age, and obly yet another s/w guy.PLS and the girl ( ok call her j) had already spoken to each other while I was reading. So, overlooking me ( I was beside her rem) , she talked to him for the next 5 min. I really felt odd. J sensed my displeasure , and well left him now. She resumed talking, that guy left, but intelligently I continued to stay put at my place. A call at 11pm, this surely must be PLM I thought. She was talking for a few minutes. Now, I had to do something. Genly window gazing. Thankfully PLM left in 5 min. I deliberately emptied my bottle of water and asked her. Again we chat for some 10 min. PLM calls again. She cuts, says we use CUG in company, so it is free. This might take time. I now decided to gather some sleep.
****************
Morning, around 6-30. I came down. She - Smiles. GM. I am so sorry, I had to cut you yesterday.
Me - Yeah its ok. So when did you sleep ?
Hmm at 4.
Whattt ?
Yes, phone itself till 1. Then I couldn't get sleep. I was staring at the moon.
I guess you were right. Like Jab We Met Kareena you sure talk a lot.
Hehe. I know that.
And what made you gaze at the moon from 1-4 ?
Hmm it was a beautiful sight.
OK forget it. Coffee ?
No thanks. I had it.
Hmm ok.
**************
It was almost 7-20am by now. She asked me when we would be reaching. I said in ten mins. She was seeing the stations like Falaknuma Palace, Malakpet etc. I said now 2 more mins. We started packing the bags and kept it on our seats. I decided not to act despo. I did not want to ask her no . Now the train started decelerating. I did not even look at her, feigning total lack on interest. And now halt. I picked up my bag, a bit sad. She too picked hers. The PLMs and kids also picked up and I was about to disembark. Voila!
Rajeev, I will be coming to IIT for some work next week. Can I have your no ?
(1000 watt smile) Oh ! Sure.
She takes out a slip and I blurt out.
Me - Why slip ? What happened to mobile
She- Hmm no charge.
I decided to give a final parting shot. Avunu mari. Raatiranta fone matladute charge ela untundi. ( If you talk through the night, how will charge be there)
Hehe.
Her sis comes, and she introes me saying this was the guy I was talking to. Thankfully my dad had not come yet. I gen aa smiled.
Bye Rajeev. Have a good time
Thanks. Wishing you the same . Bye
******************
The next time I am traveling in train, I have a ready pick up line for F 23.
Innocent face, a bit tensed, stumble here and there - " Excuse me. I am travelling along this route for the first time. Does this go up to Egmore? I really have no idea. "
blah blah
I shall update as and when I get a call reg her "work" at IIT :)
*****************
She - So when do you gen sleep ?
Around one. After net goes.
Hehe, ok I sleep at 12 types. I just can't sleep at 10-11.
Yeah, same here. ( She got the message that I was game for more chat)
Then some gen talk about movies, weekend hang outs etc. Since she was scolding Chennai, I too cribbed majorly. Again, I had to score points, right ?
Enter Pongal la Sambhar (PLS). Yes, he was as welcome as sambhar in Pongal. Why ?Because I was seated in his place , and now I had to move further towards her. He seemed to be of my age, and obly yet another s/w guy.PLS and the girl ( ok call her j) had already spoken to each other while I was reading. So, overlooking me ( I was beside her rem) , she talked to him for the next 5 min. I really felt odd. J sensed my displeasure , and well left him now. She resumed talking, that guy left, but intelligently I continued to stay put at my place. A call at 11pm, this surely must be PLM I thought. She was talking for a few minutes. Now, I had to do something. Genly window gazing. Thankfully PLM left in 5 min. I deliberately emptied my bottle of water and asked her. Again we chat for some 10 min. PLM calls again. She cuts, says we use CUG in company, so it is free. This might take time. I now decided to gather some sleep.
****************
Morning, around 6-30. I came down. She - Smiles. GM. I am so sorry, I had to cut you yesterday.
Me - Yeah its ok. So when did you sleep ?
Hmm at 4.
Whattt ?
Yes, phone itself till 1. Then I couldn't get sleep. I was staring at the moon.
I guess you were right. Like Jab We Met Kareena you sure talk a lot.
Hehe. I know that.
And what made you gaze at the moon from 1-4 ?
Hmm it was a beautiful sight.
OK forget it. Coffee ?
No thanks. I had it.
Hmm ok.
**************
It was almost 7-20am by now. She asked me when we would be reaching. I said in ten mins. She was seeing the stations like Falaknuma Palace, Malakpet etc. I said now 2 more mins. We started packing the bags and kept it on our seats. I decided not to act despo. I did not want to ask her no . Now the train started decelerating. I did not even look at her, feigning total lack on interest. And now halt. I picked up my bag, a bit sad. She too picked hers. The PLMs and kids also picked up and I was about to disembark. Voila!
Rajeev, I will be coming to IIT for some work next week. Can I have your no ?
(1000 watt smile) Oh ! Sure.
She takes out a slip and I blurt out.
Me - Why slip ? What happened to mobile
She- Hmm no charge.
I decided to give a final parting shot. Avunu mari. Raatiranta fone matladute charge ela untundi. ( If you talk through the night, how will charge be there)
Hehe.
Her sis comes, and she introes me saying this was the guy I was talking to. Thankfully my dad had not come yet. I gen aa smiled.
Bye Rajeev. Have a good time
Thanks. Wishing you the same . Bye
******************
The next time I am traveling in train, I have a ready pick up line for F 23.
Innocent face, a bit tensed, stumble here and there - " Excuse me. I am travelling along this route for the first time. Does this go up to Egmore? I really have no idea. "
blah blah
I shall update as and when I get a call reg her "work" at IIT :)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
I GOT PICKED - 1
Girl ( F - 23. I had already checked the reservation chart) - Totally tensed, in full chaos. "Excuse me, does this train go to Sec'bad ? I am travelling for the first time in this train and don't really know !
Me- "No, it does not. Kacheguda is the last stop."
(OMG W WAR 3 has started level reaction) Oh shit ! But I was told every train goes and told my parents to wait at Sec'bad.
Hmm. You can catch a local train from Kacheguda.
Yeah that's there but we stay at Sec'bad.
Anyways you can always call them and tell them to come to Kacheguda.
Yes , I will do that now.
(Break for one hour)
*****************
I would have traveled atleast 15 times along the Chennai -Hyd route over the last 4 years and never had a Jab We Metish, DDLJish or Before Sunriseish conversation. This was the perfect chance. Seat no 36 - F 23, upto Hyd; Me M-23 Seat 38 ;Seat 39 - F 23, Hyd. Neither great looking , but still great stuff.
*****************
Girl - Hmm so where are you working ?
I gave a similar WW-3 has started reaction. I am a student.
(Girl as shocked as Prabhu in C'mukhi when he discovers that Jyo is going to kill him.) Student aa ?
Hmm don't I look like one ?
No way. With your french beard and all you look like a 25 yr old corporate executive.
Hehe ok I am in final year, engineering at Chennai.
Hmm. Meeku telugu vaccha ( Do you know Telugu)
Yes.
Oh ok. Native Hyd or Chennai ?
Born, schooling Hyd. Engg Chennai.
Oh. Why not at Hyd ? Didn't get a good rank in CET or gen you wanted to study here ?
Hmm I got in IIT.
IIT aaa. You never told.
Hmm you didn't ask.
Aha. I thought you guys flaunt that tag liberally.
Yes. If you haven't noticed, I am wearing an IIT T-shirt.
Hehe ok. Btw, I am so sorry I haven't introed myself. I am (beep- censored) , stretches out her hand
Oh pleased to meet you. I am Rajeev.
****************
I am sure I had a kick-ass start. I had to have a six-pack middle now. The initial brownie points had been scored and enthu sustained. Obviously some pesky creatures have to intercept and poke their nose. Lets call them Pongal la Milagu (PLM) as Kabab mein haddi is passe. Milagu is the extremely despicable black balls in the delicious Pongal which gen aa people discard, but it's a huge pain. I think the analogy suits well. PLM-1 then majorly started paining me about tips for IIT as his kiddo was in 9th.
PLM-1 (to kid) : This uncle is doing IIT. Talk to him
Kiddo, with friends : Uncle, uncle blah blah
In my mind , as pained as SRK and John Ab in the new pepsi uncle ad- Enna rascala. Mind it. Use your Saravana Bhavan chutney sized brain . I am a student. No uncle business
It went on for a few minutes.
***************
She - Hehe see everyone thinks the same.
Me - Hmm blame the beard.
Hehe.
Ok forget it, so what do you do ?
Engg at beep college Hyd, passed out last year, employed with beep firm , posting in Chennai at beep
Oh actually even I belong to 2003 engg , I am doing Dual Degree. I get Btech and Mtech, hence 1 year extra.
Hmm. Good. You save 1 year.
Hmm yeah its good.
***************
PLM-1 ( I didnt know he was eavesdropping) Final year aa.Got placed aa ?
Yes. With SCB
Why bank blah blah
What package ?
Now this was getting uncomfy. I didnt want to reveal, kinda dicey situation. I thought ok ditch I wont even see him ever again and told him a reduced arbit amount.
***************
She - With a :O expression. Hey thats awesome.Congrats
Me - Thanks :)
She -Hmm, so have you read 5 point someone ?
Yes. Its good fun. But exaggerated.
I thought as much. Stealing question papers and most stuff seemed too much.
Yeah. But life is more or less like that. We do major time pass.
Ah !Please don't bluff. I am sure you spend hours daily digging your nose into books.
No. Free net in room plus single room. I am online 20*7 ( No net from 1am-5am :P) . LAN is there. Orkut,gtalk,movies,sitcoms this is what we do.
Oh thats cool. You said gtalk.
Yes. Majorly
That means you have a gf. Why else will you chat so much ?
Hmm. I am jobless. I have many friends. Chatting need not mean gf.
Bluffing. I am sure you have a girl.
I think, therefore I am single.
Aha interesting !
Me, or the quote ?
The quote . Nice one.
Hmm so I am not ?
Hehe now please dont do nitpicking.
Ok, I am single.
Hmm, it beats me how you guys are left !
No answer. Smile. Blush.
Ok. Do I remind you of Jab We Met .
As in , you look like Kareena ?
Hey no ! Do I talk like her ? Ekkuva sollukodutunnana ?
Hmm so far you have been tolerable
What do you mean !
Whatever I just said.
Ah, you are free to resume reading .
I will, if I find this boring. ( Bring on my super smile)
Kinda laughs. Ok you can go then.
Hmm so you find me boring ?
Hehe ob I didnt mean that !
Ok. So do I have the liberty to read at my will or need your consent ?
Hey I am very sorry. You can do whatever whenever you like !
Hmm. What if I really pick up the book now ( Smile again)
Oh god! Can we please digress.
Hehe ok so how many months in Chennai ?
Oh 2 full months.
Liked it ?
Majorly cribs. This that etc
***************
It was around 10 now. I had finished my dinner . I had the upper berth, she had the side lower. Now PLM-1 enters, says he wants to put up the middle berth for his kid and he wants to sleep. I now had no place to sit. The best strategy at this moment was to buy time, so that she herself calls me over to her place. Take out cell (zero signal) . Act as if some message. Go drink water and come back to original place and look helpless. She HAD to offer a seat now beside her.
***************
Me- "No, it does not. Kacheguda is the last stop."
(OMG W WAR 3 has started level reaction) Oh shit ! But I was told every train goes and told my parents to wait at Sec'bad.
Hmm. You can catch a local train from Kacheguda.
Yeah that's there but we stay at Sec'bad.
Anyways you can always call them and tell them to come to Kacheguda.
Yes , I will do that now.
(Break for one hour)
*****************
I would have traveled atleast 15 times along the Chennai -Hyd route over the last 4 years and never had a Jab We Metish, DDLJish or Before Sunriseish conversation. This was the perfect chance. Seat no 36 - F 23, upto Hyd; Me M-23 Seat 38 ;Seat 39 - F 23, Hyd. Neither great looking , but still great stuff.
*****************
Girl - Hmm so where are you working ?
I gave a similar WW-3 has started reaction. I am a student.
(Girl as shocked as Prabhu in C'mukhi when he discovers that Jyo is going to kill him.) Student aa ?
Hmm don't I look like one ?
No way. With your french beard and all you look like a 25 yr old corporate executive.
Hehe ok I am in final year, engineering at Chennai.
Hmm. Meeku telugu vaccha ( Do you know Telugu)
Yes.
Oh ok. Native Hyd or Chennai ?
Born, schooling Hyd. Engg Chennai.
Oh. Why not at Hyd ? Didn't get a good rank in CET or gen you wanted to study here ?
Hmm I got in IIT.
IIT aaa. You never told.
Hmm you didn't ask.
Aha. I thought you guys flaunt that tag liberally.
Yes. If you haven't noticed, I am wearing an IIT T-shirt.
Hehe ok. Btw, I am so sorry I haven't introed myself. I am (beep- censored) , stretches out her hand
Oh pleased to meet you. I am Rajeev.
****************
I am sure I had a kick-ass start. I had to have a six-pack middle now. The initial brownie points had been scored and enthu sustained. Obviously some pesky creatures have to intercept and poke their nose. Lets call them Pongal la Milagu (PLM) as Kabab mein haddi is passe. Milagu is the extremely despicable black balls in the delicious Pongal which gen aa people discard, but it's a huge pain. I think the analogy suits well. PLM-1 then majorly started paining me about tips for IIT as his kiddo was in 9th.
PLM-1 (to kid) : This uncle is doing IIT. Talk to him
Kiddo, with friends : Uncle, uncle blah blah
In my mind , as pained as SRK and John Ab in the new pepsi uncle ad- Enna rascala. Mind it. Use your Saravana Bhavan chutney sized brain . I am a student. No uncle business
It went on for a few minutes.
***************
She - Hehe see everyone thinks the same.
Me - Hmm blame the beard.
Hehe.
Ok forget it, so what do you do ?
Engg at beep college Hyd, passed out last year, employed with beep firm , posting in Chennai at beep
Oh actually even I belong to 2003 engg , I am doing Dual Degree. I get Btech and Mtech, hence 1 year extra.
Hmm. Good. You save 1 year.
Hmm yeah its good.
***************
PLM-1 ( I didnt know he was eavesdropping) Final year aa.Got placed aa ?
Yes. With SCB
Why bank blah blah
What package ?
Now this was getting uncomfy. I didnt want to reveal, kinda dicey situation. I thought ok ditch I wont even see him ever again and told him a reduced arbit amount.
***************
She - With a :O expression. Hey thats awesome.Congrats
Me - Thanks :)
She -Hmm, so have you read 5 point someone ?
Yes. Its good fun. But exaggerated.
I thought as much. Stealing question papers and most stuff seemed too much.
Yeah. But life is more or less like that. We do major time pass.
Ah !Please don't bluff. I am sure you spend hours daily digging your nose into books.
No. Free net in room plus single room. I am online 20*7 ( No net from 1am-5am :P) . LAN is there. Orkut,gtalk,movies,sitcoms this is what we do.
Oh thats cool. You said gtalk.
Yes. Majorly
That means you have a gf. Why else will you chat so much ?
Hmm. I am jobless. I have many friends. Chatting need not mean gf.
Bluffing. I am sure you have a girl.
I think, therefore I am single.
Aha interesting !
Me, or the quote ?
The quote . Nice one.
Hmm so I am not ?
Hehe now please dont do nitpicking.
Ok, I am single.
Hmm, it beats me how you guys are left !
No answer. Smile. Blush.
Ok. Do I remind you of Jab We Met .
As in , you look like Kareena ?
Hey no ! Do I talk like her ? Ekkuva sollukodutunnana ?
Hmm so far you have been tolerable
What do you mean !
Whatever I just said.
Ah, you are free to resume reading .
I will, if I find this boring. ( Bring on my super smile)
Kinda laughs. Ok you can go then.
Hmm so you find me boring ?
Hehe ob I didnt mean that !
Ok. So do I have the liberty to read at my will or need your consent ?
Hey I am very sorry. You can do whatever whenever you like !
Hmm. What if I really pick up the book now ( Smile again)
Oh god! Can we please digress.
Hehe ok so how many months in Chennai ?
Oh 2 full months.
Liked it ?
Majorly cribs. This that etc
***************
It was around 10 now. I had finished my dinner . I had the upper berth, she had the side lower. Now PLM-1 enters, says he wants to put up the middle berth for his kid and he wants to sleep. I now had no place to sit. The best strategy at this moment was to buy time, so that she herself calls me over to her place. Take out cell (zero signal) . Act as if some message. Go drink water and come back to original place and look helpless. She HAD to offer a seat now beside her.
***************
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
AUSTRALIA DOWN-UNDER
Finally after a long and tiresome tour , infested with plenty of on and off field incidents, we have triumphed over the Aussies. The papers and cricinfo will give you plenty of reviews , I would like to point out my personal favorites and power plays , in no particular order though. It will obviously have an overdose of Sachinism, but I shall try to be fair and unbiased
1) Sachin's counter attack 60 odd at MCG, 1st test and Dada's fluent 40 in both the innings.
2) A very very special 109 in the 2nd test at SCG by Laxman - What an innings ! Silken drives, wristy flicks everything had a touch of class. Sachin broke the jinx of hundreds thanks to his patiently grafted 154* rallying around with the tail enders, though the 90s were in ODIs and he had a couple of snail slow centuries in tests against Bang in June 2007 though. Obviously it was reported that he played for averages, but then he had clearly mentioned that the field was spread for him. Again solid half centuries by Dada. He never looked so comfortable and at ease. In fact even his defence had the touch of authority and confidence.
3) The hour that shook Ponting ! A sensational spell by Ishant at Perth and the pacers setting up a historic and famous test victory at WACA. As Sunny said, a 19 year old rookie made Ponting perform Kathakali. What a sight ! Sandeep mentions the 2nd innings by Laxman also deserves and rightly so I acknowledge that. Just forgot to add it
4) Sachin's 153 and Viru's 151 in the Adelaide test , both at pretty good strike rates.
5) Gambhir cementing his place in the team with very good innings at No 3. The centuries against SL and against Aus while chasing 313 were awesome. He is very good while facing spinners and as mentioned by him started playing in the cover region also , which earlier used to go square as he tended to open the face of the bat. I guess Dravid can retire from ODIs now. His return is almost ruled out, which is actually a very unceremonious exit for The Wall. Actually I would prefer his return. No one can pull off a victory like he does while chasing when the chips are down.
6) Ishant again ! Totally bamboozling Ponting and Symonds repeatedly in the ODIs. Actually when Aussies toured India for the ODIs , Symonds made a whole lot of a difference with his 70s and 80s . We got the top order quickly but this guy( no, not guy. use f***er, b*****d anything you like) was the thorn in the flesh . Ishant sorted him out and we were able to restrict Aus in most of the matches. Ponting's comment - I am happy that Ishant is playing in the same team in IPL :P
7) Praveen Kumar's crucial spells in the 2nd finals and in the ODI where he bagged MoM.
8) The icing on the cake !Finals. Chasing. Huge pressure. 80 odd for 3. Top class fielding. A sell out crowd under lights at the majestic SCG. And an unbeaten, chanceless, no slog , superbly crafted match winning century by my hero. I couldn't ask for more . This should rank right beside his best efforts like Sharjah, 98 against Pak etc. One innings which I rate very high, which unfortunately is not remembered by many is the 90 odd scored against England last Aug-Sept. Uttapa's 50 helped India clinch a cracker of a match, but Sachin's blitzkrieg had laid the foundation for that. Full marks to Rohit Sharma for his great knock and 100 plus partnership with Sachin. This guy is very calm, composed , has a great technique and can hit the big shots. His 50 against SA in the T20 WC was a class innings. He can try recreating a Dravid for India in the near future.
9) Bhajji snapping up the right handed obnoxious fat ass twice in the finals and the left handed obnoxious fat pig once. Happy that his run out was also in Bhajji's over.
10) Obviously the 2nd finals and the winning moment.
What a feel ! I want to meet the Indian team and shake hands with each and every bloke who was instrumental in this victory . The MCG 1st test aside, I think we matched the Aussie side on almost all occasions and on many days on top of them. Full marks to Dhoni/Kumble and co. Chak De! India :)
1) Sachin's counter attack 60 odd at MCG, 1st test and Dada's fluent 40 in both the innings.
2) A very very special 109 in the 2nd test at SCG by Laxman - What an innings ! Silken drives, wristy flicks everything had a touch of class. Sachin broke the jinx of hundreds thanks to his patiently grafted 154* rallying around with the tail enders, though the 90s were in ODIs and he had a couple of snail slow centuries in tests against Bang in June 2007 though. Obviously it was reported that he played for averages, but then he had clearly mentioned that the field was spread for him. Again solid half centuries by Dada. He never looked so comfortable and at ease. In fact even his defence had the touch of authority and confidence.
3) The hour that shook Ponting ! A sensational spell by Ishant at Perth and the pacers setting up a historic and famous test victory at WACA. As Sunny said, a 19 year old rookie made Ponting perform Kathakali. What a sight ! Sandeep mentions the 2nd innings by Laxman also deserves and rightly so I acknowledge that. Just forgot to add it
4) Sachin's 153 and Viru's 151 in the Adelaide test , both at pretty good strike rates.
5) Gambhir cementing his place in the team with very good innings at No 3. The centuries against SL and against Aus while chasing 313 were awesome. He is very good while facing spinners and as mentioned by him started playing in the cover region also , which earlier used to go square as he tended to open the face of the bat. I guess Dravid can retire from ODIs now. His return is almost ruled out, which is actually a very unceremonious exit for The Wall. Actually I would prefer his return. No one can pull off a victory like he does while chasing when the chips are down.
6) Ishant again ! Totally bamboozling Ponting and Symonds repeatedly in the ODIs. Actually when Aussies toured India for the ODIs , Symonds made a whole lot of a difference with his 70s and 80s . We got the top order quickly but this guy( no, not guy. use f***er, b*****d anything you like) was the thorn in the flesh . Ishant sorted him out and we were able to restrict Aus in most of the matches. Ponting's comment - I am happy that Ishant is playing in the same team in IPL :P
7) Praveen Kumar's crucial spells in the 2nd finals and in the ODI where he bagged MoM.
8) The icing on the cake !Finals. Chasing. Huge pressure. 80 odd for 3. Top class fielding. A sell out crowd under lights at the majestic SCG. And an unbeaten, chanceless, no slog , superbly crafted match winning century by my hero. I couldn't ask for more . This should rank right beside his best efforts like Sharjah, 98 against Pak etc. One innings which I rate very high, which unfortunately is not remembered by many is the 90 odd scored against England last Aug-Sept. Uttapa's 50 helped India clinch a cracker of a match, but Sachin's blitzkrieg had laid the foundation for that. Full marks to Rohit Sharma for his great knock and 100 plus partnership with Sachin. This guy is very calm, composed , has a great technique and can hit the big shots. His 50 against SA in the T20 WC was a class innings. He can try recreating a Dravid for India in the near future.
9) Bhajji snapping up the right handed obnoxious fat ass twice in the finals and the left handed obnoxious fat pig once. Happy that his run out was also in Bhajji's over.
10) Obviously the 2nd finals and the winning moment.
What a feel ! I want to meet the Indian team and shake hands with each and every bloke who was instrumental in this victory . The MCG 1st test aside, I think we matched the Aussie side on almost all occasions and on many days on top of them. Full marks to Dhoni/Kumble and co. Chak De! India :)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
RESTAURANT REVIEW ( WEEK UPDATE )
The week was good - covered 4 restaurants, 3 being first visit and one a revision. The weekend was particularly good.
Vrindavan, Woodlands , R k Salai , Mylapore - This one is a pure veg multi cuisine restaurant with a very good ambience. The place has many beautiful paintings of Krishna and the different aspects of his life , thus justifying the name. The soup and starters were good. I assume roti/naan cannot be murdered by any one but the side dishes can surely be and that is what happened. We ordered kadai paneer , and thanks to the overdose of capsicum it was almost kadai capsicum. Thankfully the finale was good - veg pulao and raita both were good. I have read / heard that the desserts are also good there, but couldn't check it out. Overall a nice place. A 3-course meal for two should cost around 500.
Breakfast buffet, Savera, Just beside the above hotel - This is a 4 star hotel . The dinner buffet was a total disaster, especially because of the high cost (Close to 400 per head) , had very few items, not so great taste and limited desserts. I am actually kind of saturated with these grand buffets. There is absolutely no enthu at all. However, the breakfast buffet turned out to be really good, the high cost notwithstanding (200 per head) . I suppose the extra psychological satisfaction was due to the absence of any burden on my wallet . Idli, Vada,Pongal,Masala and Plain Dosa, Paratha-pickle-raita, fruit juices, toast, coffee and a plethora of non veg dishes. I did full justice. Ideally go on a weekend around 9-30 am thulp for about 45 min, go home and and crash. You can peacefully skip lunch. It was better than the breakfast buffet at GRT , which I think was the last wing treat last year just before our Kerala trip.
Mathsya , Near Hindi Prachar Sabha, T Nagar - Another good restaurant with a buffet option. We had a lunch buffet , it was not the grand GRT level but a thoroughly satisfying one . The items were limited, tasty and not very costly. ( 150 per head). Strongly recommended. It gets pretty crowded by 1-30 on weekends, so better to go early. I went there on my friend C2's 200 cc red beast - Bajaj Avenger. It scorched the roads on a scorching afternoon. It surely was a head turner, but then I was strongly dissuaded from owning one. Looks like Pulsar it is by July-August.
Cream Center, Near Park Sheraton, R A Puram - A 10 min walk from Park Sheraton , situated amidst greenery, this one was the icing on the cake. One of the best places in Chennai, and of course that comes with a price. It is damn expensive. Continuing the legacy of wing treats (a gang of 8-10 for some job treat), this time I went with the dear old Alak hostel wing guys. We caught the 5C and reached there @ 3 bucks per head. Totally wonderful I say. I get a great sense of accomplishment when I do not use these lousy autos. In fact I am trying my best to avoid it as much as possible. The restaurant is in a house, much like the Mocha joints. The menu was damn impressive - it literally covers all genres, albeit with limited items. It is very similar to New Yorker in my soon to be area Nungambakkam opp Hotel Park, but notches higher. This surely will have a few revisions soon. Very strongly recommended. The only warning-A proper meal for 2 will cost a cool 700 !
Btw, I just realised all the above were treats. Wow ! That aside, I am totally in love with the Alwarpet-R A Puram-Mylapore and surrounding areas. R A Puram has a thick green cover and I would love to take a furnished 2 BHK apartment there. That will cost just about 25-30k per month. A 100% hike in my salary might allow me that, till then let me keep dreaming :)
Vrindavan, Woodlands , R k Salai , Mylapore - This one is a pure veg multi cuisine restaurant with a very good ambience. The place has many beautiful paintings of Krishna and the different aspects of his life , thus justifying the name. The soup and starters were good. I assume roti/naan cannot be murdered by any one but the side dishes can surely be and that is what happened. We ordered kadai paneer , and thanks to the overdose of capsicum it was almost kadai capsicum. Thankfully the finale was good - veg pulao and raita both were good. I have read / heard that the desserts are also good there, but couldn't check it out. Overall a nice place. A 3-course meal for two should cost around 500.
Breakfast buffet, Savera, Just beside the above hotel - This is a 4 star hotel . The dinner buffet was a total disaster, especially because of the high cost (Close to 400 per head) , had very few items, not so great taste and limited desserts. I am actually kind of saturated with these grand buffets. There is absolutely no enthu at all. However, the breakfast buffet turned out to be really good, the high cost notwithstanding (200 per head) . I suppose the extra psychological satisfaction was due to the absence of any burden on my wallet . Idli, Vada,Pongal,Masala and Plain Dosa, Paratha-pickle-raita, fruit juices, toast, coffee and a plethora of non veg dishes. I did full justice. Ideally go on a weekend around 9-30 am thulp for about 45 min, go home and and crash. You can peacefully skip lunch. It was better than the breakfast buffet at GRT , which I think was the last wing treat last year just before our Kerala trip.
Mathsya , Near Hindi Prachar Sabha, T Nagar - Another good restaurant with a buffet option. We had a lunch buffet , it was not the grand GRT level but a thoroughly satisfying one . The items were limited, tasty and not very costly. ( 150 per head). Strongly recommended. It gets pretty crowded by 1-30 on weekends, so better to go early. I went there on my friend C2's 200 cc red beast - Bajaj Avenger. It scorched the roads on a scorching afternoon. It surely was a head turner, but then I was strongly dissuaded from owning one. Looks like Pulsar it is by July-August.
Cream Center, Near Park Sheraton, R A Puram - A 10 min walk from Park Sheraton , situated amidst greenery, this one was the icing on the cake. One of the best places in Chennai, and of course that comes with a price. It is damn expensive. Continuing the legacy of wing treats (a gang of 8-10 for some job treat), this time I went with the dear old Alak hostel wing guys. We caught the 5C and reached there @ 3 bucks per head. Totally wonderful I say. I get a great sense of accomplishment when I do not use these lousy autos. In fact I am trying my best to avoid it as much as possible. The restaurant is in a house, much like the Mocha joints. The menu was damn impressive - it literally covers all genres, albeit with limited items. It is very similar to New Yorker in my soon to be area Nungambakkam opp Hotel Park, but notches higher. This surely will have a few revisions soon. Very strongly recommended. The only warning-A proper meal for 2 will cost a cool 700 !
Btw, I just realised all the above were treats. Wow ! That aside, I am totally in love with the Alwarpet-R A Puram-Mylapore and surrounding areas. R A Puram has a thick green cover and I would love to take a furnished 2 BHK apartment there. That will cost just about 25-30k per month. A 100% hike in my salary might allow me that, till then let me keep dreaming :)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
SING LIKE NO ONE IS HEARING
I will try a Mani Ratnam type post. So, lights off, minimal dialogues, (x,y,z,t) etc. Unfortunately no first night description (It is seen in almost every movie of his)
1996 , Hyderabad - I was inducted into Carnatic music classes . This was despite my infinite resistance and refusal. I couldn't even bunk because the teacher was just a few metres away and had to go with my sister. I totally despised it. Also, since it was in the evenings 5-7 types I had to miss my daily gully cricket session. It was a total torture. And the teacher's constant praises about my ability to sing high pitched tones , esp to my grandpa made matters worse. I certainly contest those praises and I strongly feel she had ulterior motives - retention strategies. So I had no reason whatsoever to avoid the classes . In hindsight I think I did a decent job, surely not the way she used the retention- strategies-accolades , but fair enough. It went on for a full year. An epic struggle bordering on the lines of 1857-1947 level freedom fight occurred at home and my August 15th was sometime in the beginning of 7th grade in July ,1997.
1996 , 31st Dec - I think Sandeep and I won/ were runners up in some Antakshari competition conducted in the colony.
1999 , Hyderabad- Some arbit singing stuff in classroom where every student had to sing. I think I sang "Woh Pehli baar" from some Dino Morea / Rinkie Khanna campus movie. Praise from teacher again, as usual that was surely because those were the days when we were the oiled hair- notes writing-shiny teeth-goodie goodie children.
2003,Alak hostel,IITM - There was this pain max lit sec who used to sing at the drop of a hat at every hostel function. Function is an overstatement,he used to croon at any place which had more than 5 guys assembled. He had organised Antakshari in the hostel and I teamed up with 2 northie guys. I think we qualified for the inter hostel finals but some senior funda thing and we were not able to participate in the finals.
2008, Pongal, Hyderabad - I met the aforesaid paatu teacher after eons. The usual oh-my-god-so thin-so dark level reaction aside , she asked me if I had any enthu in music. She lamented about how she lost a super student with great voice , grasping blah blah. In reality the grief was out of the 100 per month *12 rupees she lost since 97 , consider inflation and make it 250*12 in 2006 , assuming I would have continued for 10 years like my sis. One other reason why I presumed she showered encomiums then was that she found a potential son-in-law in me. I have to admit though that her daughter is a perfect Tam beauty. Tall, fair, very beautiful, sings well, studies well etc. Ok, tall is not a desired credential in my case and I had to strike off a potential candidate from my list when she came home recently as I found her a full 1 inch taller. Really sad ! Anyways as an elderly advice she told me to restart singing, which for a change I feel was genuine and devoid of monetary undercurrents as she knew there was no way I could go to her. Atleast try singing filmi stuff , she said. Yeah, as if A R Rahman is waiting for me.
2008 , Saarang ,LM pro show, IITM - I totally fell in love with Karthik , the voice behind "Girlfriend"in Boys, "Oru Malai" in Ghajini, "Unnale unnale" and many hit numbers in Run,New (nani in telugu) etc. I rushed to my room, checked Wiki and downloaded almost all of his songs.
So this is the background. My mom and sis are huge music rasikas. Inadvertently I have some knowledge of carnatic music, singers, marriage songs etc. Advertently have always had a huge passion for desi filmi music though it was never apparent. I am a total devotee of A R rahman (a) , huge huge fan of Harris Jeyaraj (b) , Karthik, Sonu Nigam, Unnikrishnan, SPB, Hariharan (c) Harini,Shreya Goshal, Aruna sairam (d) and any song involving a-c-d or b-c-d combo. Tam-Gult-Hindi music blares 24*7 from my system , though these days it is strictly Tamil. I actually,really think I am a good bathroom singer and repenting now for having fought for my August 15th then ( and of course missing ogling at the then shorter than me beauty) . Music is a great hobby and de-stresser and singing some Rahman song at some public place with >=50 members now figures in my things-to-do-before-i-die.
I now seriously want to learn music and sing, but strictly no Carnatic stuff. I have infinite free time now. Any suggestions ? For starters, I am practicing Unnale Unnale with lyrics and might soon inflict torture on you guys by posting it here :)
1996 , Hyderabad - I was inducted into Carnatic music classes . This was despite my infinite resistance and refusal. I couldn't even bunk because the teacher was just a few metres away and had to go with my sister. I totally despised it. Also, since it was in the evenings 5-7 types I had to miss my daily gully cricket session. It was a total torture. And the teacher's constant praises about my ability to sing high pitched tones , esp to my grandpa made matters worse. I certainly contest those praises and I strongly feel she had ulterior motives - retention strategies. So I had no reason whatsoever to avoid the classes . In hindsight I think I did a decent job, surely not the way she used the retention- strategies-accolades , but fair enough. It went on for a full year. An epic struggle bordering on the lines of 1857-1947 level freedom fight occurred at home and my August 15th was sometime in the beginning of 7th grade in July ,1997.
1996 , 31st Dec - I think Sandeep and I won/ were runners up in some Antakshari competition conducted in the colony.
1999 , Hyderabad- Some arbit singing stuff in classroom where every student had to sing. I think I sang "Woh Pehli baar" from some Dino Morea / Rinkie Khanna campus movie. Praise from teacher again, as usual that was surely because those were the days when we were the oiled hair- notes writing-shiny teeth-goodie goodie children.
2003,Alak hostel,IITM - There was this pain max lit sec who used to sing at the drop of a hat at every hostel function. Function is an overstatement,he used to croon at any place which had more than 5 guys assembled. He had organised Antakshari in the hostel and I teamed up with 2 northie guys. I think we qualified for the inter hostel finals but some senior funda thing and we were not able to participate in the finals.
2008, Pongal, Hyderabad - I met the aforesaid paatu teacher after eons. The usual oh-my-god-so thin-so dark level reaction aside , she asked me if I had any enthu in music. She lamented about how she lost a super student with great voice , grasping blah blah. In reality the grief was out of the 100 per month *12 rupees she lost since 97 , consider inflation and make it 250*12 in 2006 , assuming I would have continued for 10 years like my sis. One other reason why I presumed she showered encomiums then was that she found a potential son-in-law in me. I have to admit though that her daughter is a perfect Tam beauty. Tall, fair, very beautiful, sings well, studies well etc. Ok, tall is not a desired credential in my case and I had to strike off a potential candidate from my list when she came home recently as I found her a full 1 inch taller. Really sad ! Anyways as an elderly advice she told me to restart singing, which for a change I feel was genuine and devoid of monetary undercurrents as she knew there was no way I could go to her. Atleast try singing filmi stuff , she said. Yeah, as if A R Rahman is waiting for me.
2008 , Saarang ,LM pro show, IITM - I totally fell in love with Karthik , the voice behind "Girlfriend"in Boys, "Oru Malai" in Ghajini, "Unnale unnale" and many hit numbers in Run,New (nani in telugu) etc. I rushed to my room, checked Wiki and downloaded almost all of his songs.
So this is the background. My mom and sis are huge music rasikas. Inadvertently I have some knowledge of carnatic music, singers, marriage songs etc. Advertently have always had a huge passion for desi filmi music though it was never apparent. I am a total devotee of A R rahman (a) , huge huge fan of Harris Jeyaraj (b) , Karthik, Sonu Nigam, Unnikrishnan, SPB, Hariharan (c) Harini,Shreya Goshal, Aruna sairam (d) and any song involving a-c-d or b-c-d combo. Tam-Gult-Hindi music blares 24*7 from my system , though these days it is strictly Tamil. I actually,really think I am a good bathroom singer and repenting now for having fought for my August 15th then ( and of course missing ogling at the then shorter than me beauty) . Music is a great hobby and de-stresser and singing some Rahman song at some public place with >=50 members now figures in my things-to-do-before-i-die.
I now seriously want to learn music and sing, but strictly no Carnatic stuff. I have infinite free time now. Any suggestions ? For starters, I am practicing Unnale Unnale with lyrics and might soon inflict torture on you guys by posting it here :)
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