As a kid, up until 10 or so, you were always looking forward to “Happy Birthday”. That’s how I called it. “Birthday” somehow did not convey the import of this very important day of my life, then. It was a day when you were supposed to have all the attention at school, wear the best dress, give away the best chocolates, sport the most stylish hairstyle and be in vogue. That was one special day when you will get away with not returning your homework, getting late to classes, having longer than permitted breaks and so on. I remember how I disguised a different day as my birthday if it ever fell on a holiday or an exam day. Exam days when people are busy and do not have the time to shower all the attention you want is not a good “happy birthday” day! New Year’s Day and Diwali also used to very special, because you get to wear new clothes hang out with those cousins who were the best pals.
Gradually, interest reduced. Diwali was just another day when you get to chit chat, see TV programs and such. It was still enjoyable, but not like the only time that you looked forwarded too. New Year’s brought back memories of the lovely last year and how I have not grown a bit mentally in the last one year! Never have I thought that the earth has completed one rotation of the Sun and now set for the next. Birthday only reminded of how old you have become. However since last year or so, any of these things stopped being a vintage date. They stopped reminding me of a bygone time period. Seemed like my calendar just continued into eternity without any periodical returns. What if no one discovered the periodicity and regularity of the seasons?
I would attribute two reasons for that. For one, nothing spectacular and worth remembering happened on these days. Secondly, lazy life is one big lump of time that dies a little by little without any kind of planning for the future. There is no future, present will soon be past and past is the only thing that remains vaguely as a memory. You won’t know the difference between a week back and a month back as both these times; you must have been a couch potato, with a bag of chips, staring at the ceiling fan, browsing endlessly on Orkut or laughing at FRIENDS. If this lazy and purposeless life continued for a long enough time, you will know what I mean – how you have lost track of calendar and dates and most importantly the return of the season as none was worth remembering!
Instead life must be divided into chunks of time based of what you accomplished or simply what your purpose was. If you have had that kind of lazy eras in your life, if you have cursed and blessed yourself at the same time for the elapsed time that went past unnoticed, you will understand what I mean!
I have and hence this blog.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Apr 15, 2007
If India fails to make it to the Super8s, the much anticipated and eternally hyped India Pak encounter on Apr 15th will be Ireland vs Bangladesh!!
ok, remotely it may even be Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh !!
All those guyz from the US who spent worthy $$$$ as they must have thought, to watch Dravid and Dada batting away to glory against Imran and Inzy will be kept 'entertained' by Bashar and band battling against the Brien brothers!!
Wow, what a match !!
Also, as Anusha says, line cleared for Shivaji followers !!
ok, remotely it may even be Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh !!
All those guyz from the US who spent worthy $$$$ as they must have thought, to watch Dravid and Dada batting away to glory against Imran and Inzy will be kept 'entertained' by Bashar and band battling against the Brien brothers!!
Wow, what a match !!
Also, as Anusha says, line cleared for Shivaji followers !!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Cricket !!
I remember watching the 1987 world cup as a six-year old. I will ask my folks at home as to whom they wanted to win and then offer my faithful prayers in the Puja room seeking the help of God to make that team win whatsoever. I did not understand the game and all I was worried about was my folks at home being happy!
1992 and 1996 were my best world cups when I followed every match of the tournament. I was still a little too immature that I would make trades with God that he can fail me in History revision exam, and instead make that up with an Indian victory! The Pakistan vs India - quarterfinals at Bangalore is something that I still cherish. Then, I had these amazing friends, with who discussions always revolved around the new boys -Dravid, Ganguly! I was even excited to watch Srinath play for Gloucestershire!!
Then, 1999 and 2003 I was a busy with other things and cricket was sent to the background. I followed the happenings from the next day news and that was it. Guess I grew-up and did not matter really if India won or lost. I never remembered any game until it happened and results were out. If I do get to watch a game, it was fun but that was it – it was no religion that I was so used to following fanatically!
Now, in 2007 thanks to a cricket-buff hubby, I am once again pulled into the magic of cricket, its drama, the fun and feelings. Just as I was thinking that the inclusion of minnows in the world cup diluted the competitiveness of the game, Bangladesh hit me right on and proved a better team than India on a given day in all departments of the game. With the precarious position India is placed now it will be interesting to see if they will make it to the Super8s. The batting looked good against Bermuda yesterday, but you cannot forget the fact it was Bermuda. Even against Bermuda, bowling looked very weak failing consistency and penetration. Fielding was lethargic, compared to those of Ireland, Bangladesh and even Bermuda. With this pack, will this team see through the Sri Lankan line up on Friday? In either case, I hope it turns out into a nail biting contest! Well, not exactly as that will not send us to Barbados. I want a thumping victory, letz see!
Speaking of this, I guess that much of the resentment of Indian fans on the loss to Bangladesh was subdued because the arch rivals Pakis failed to qualify to the Super8s. It was very upsetting to note Pakis’ coach Bob Woolmer pass away after their dismal performance in the world cup especially because we were having a fun time seeing the posters that read – death to Woolmer and death to Inzy by the Pakis’ fans the previous day as they lost to Ireland. It is just a game and it will be good if it is treated so. Anyways, hope his soul rests in peace.
Well, that was a blog that started out nostalgic, got all funny and filled with excitement and finished on a sad note distastefully. That was not how I intended it to be. :)
1992 and 1996 were my best world cups when I followed every match of the tournament. I was still a little too immature that I would make trades with God that he can fail me in History revision exam, and instead make that up with an Indian victory! The Pakistan vs India - quarterfinals at Bangalore is something that I still cherish. Then, I had these amazing friends, with who discussions always revolved around the new boys -Dravid, Ganguly! I was even excited to watch Srinath play for Gloucestershire!!
Then, 1999 and 2003 I was a busy with other things and cricket was sent to the background. I followed the happenings from the next day news and that was it. Guess I grew-up and did not matter really if India won or lost. I never remembered any game until it happened and results were out. If I do get to watch a game, it was fun but that was it – it was no religion that I was so used to following fanatically!
Now, in 2007 thanks to a cricket-buff hubby, I am once again pulled into the magic of cricket, its drama, the fun and feelings. Just as I was thinking that the inclusion of minnows in the world cup diluted the competitiveness of the game, Bangladesh hit me right on and proved a better team than India on a given day in all departments of the game. With the precarious position India is placed now it will be interesting to see if they will make it to the Super8s. The batting looked good against Bermuda yesterday, but you cannot forget the fact it was Bermuda. Even against Bermuda, bowling looked very weak failing consistency and penetration. Fielding was lethargic, compared to those of Ireland, Bangladesh and even Bermuda. With this pack, will this team see through the Sri Lankan line up on Friday? In either case, I hope it turns out into a nail biting contest! Well, not exactly as that will not send us to Barbados. I want a thumping victory, letz see!
Speaking of this, I guess that much of the resentment of Indian fans on the loss to Bangladesh was subdued because the arch rivals Pakis failed to qualify to the Super8s. It was very upsetting to note Pakis’ coach Bob Woolmer pass away after their dismal performance in the world cup especially because we were having a fun time seeing the posters that read – death to Woolmer and death to Inzy by the Pakis’ fans the previous day as they lost to Ireland. It is just a game and it will be good if it is treated so. Anyways, hope his soul rests in peace.
Well, that was a blog that started out nostalgic, got all funny and filled with excitement and finished on a sad note distastefully. That was not how I intended it to be. :)
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Travelogue !
It was one of those eventful weekends that happen once a while. It started with me hauling two pieces of innocent looking luggage that turned very bulky when I had to lug to the PATH station five minutes from home. We met at WTC, boarded the A train –fairly straight forward and we were at the JFK airport in roughly an hour. The flight took off after an apparent delay due to closing of gates ;) an hour beyond schedule. Reached one of our friends’ places for the night, fought through cold and had an early morning around 9am. Can you believe?? AZ does not provide homes with heaters!!
After a cereal breakfast, it seemed like the Grand Canyon will be taken over by Wii and playing tennis using the Nintendo software seemed more attractive than the purpose of the trip. In sometime, all the people that were to gather arrived, after battling over some lost baggage we finally decided to start around 4pm, Saturday by two cars to the much awaited two day Grand Canyon trip. The first scheduled stopover was at Sedona, which we together vetoed against due to lack of time. It was a fifteen mile detour from the rest of the plan. On second thoughts, No! There are no second thoughts. We were late to see the sunset anyways. The next pit stop at Flagstaff was at the call of our tummies – had delicious Italian fettuccini pasta for breakfast/lunch/dinner.
Ala! There was also Wal-Mart. People who lost baggage had every reason to do some quick shopping, but the others followed suit too. I can’t pardon myself for the confusion caused over my missing handbag which was eventually found safe in the car. Finally we were off for another two hour drive to Page where lodging was booked for the night. Our car developed an acute shortage of fuel some 30 minutes from Page. The fuel meter reads red and all one could see was a vast expanse of nothing and beyond a couple of miles into the nothingness were mountains. Panic set. Top it all, there was no signal detected by the cell phones. We tried dim-dipping to the car in front, apparently to no consequence. Finally, after reducing gas consumption by switching off music, heaters, (we could have tried the head lights too ;) ) we did reach Page, with a few drops of petrol still intact. :) After the gas station, we checked into our hotel rooms, had a long evening of moonshine, Mafia- the game and gag. We finally hit the sack around 2 am. The next day to the pleasant surprise of everyone present, we checked out at 9: 30 am after a filling breakfast.
The first place we actually visited was Glen Canyon dam. It is on the eastern sides of north rim. There was some disagreement if it was the state of Utah or Arizona. Whatever it was legally, it was a treat to watch the steep sides of the canyon. The depth was close to 600 feet and it looked dizzyingly precipitous. Photo session started there.
The next stop was at Horseshoe Bend. It involved about half a mile hike down slope to the edges of the rocks. From there, the view was breathtaking. A disconnected crater in the middle surrounded by waters at that depth was spectacular and scary. It was both a little cold and a little hot from the sun - too unhealthy for the camera and ours passed out. It was frustrating to lose the camera in the middle of the trip, it was quite depressing. The hike back to the car on the upslope was a fitness test that we barely passed ;). We started driving south and the next scheduled stopover was for Monument Valley.
After a brief and unfulfilling lunch break over BK’s fries and some grocery stores’ croissant, we drove further to an Indian town – Goulding. This place supposedly preserves the Navajo way of life, sandstone buttes, spires and mesas of South West. Monument Valley is a Navajo Nation tribal park, straddling the border of northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah of the Colorado Plateau. There was some recognizable sandstone natural structures – three sisters, King’s throne etc and not-so-discernable ones that we named ourselves! We also took pictures on the border of Arizona and Utah :) Yeah, the camera was resuscitated!
After a looong drive south, we retired for the day at Williams overnight. The next day, Sunday started at 4 am. We were to drive an hour and a half north to the South Rim to catch the Grand Canyon at sun rise!
At this point, we were too exhausted and too cold from the winds and winter, that waiting for sun rise seemed too stretched. However catching the sunrise was an awe-inspiring experience. In the depths of rocks, and more rocks that looked layered and worn-out with age, heat, cold and drought, there was some vegetation that was destined to survive the desert and cold. It was like a life lesson to stand up in unfamiliar surroundings to be announced the winner! As the day broke, there were photos and more photos. At this point, people were too very fatigued and the trip was cut short by a few hours and we started driving drown to Phoenix. Somewhere in between we caught some good shots of Humphrey’s Peak, Arizona’s tallest - 12.6K feet high. We witnessed pencil slopes, the shaven trees and some hard snow. It was like a good trip ending on a fine note.
Around 3pm, we reached Phoenix, looking like sleep deprived maniacs. The cheese on the Enchiladas for dinner looked TOO cheesy for the first time ;) That was the effect. Finally we flew out at midnight and reached JFK Tuesday morning.
A fine trip, something that I looked forward to for a long time is so suddenly over ;)!
After a cereal breakfast, it seemed like the Grand Canyon will be taken over by Wii and playing tennis using the Nintendo software seemed more attractive than the purpose of the trip. In sometime, all the people that were to gather arrived, after battling over some lost baggage we finally decided to start around 4pm, Saturday by two cars to the much awaited two day Grand Canyon trip. The first scheduled stopover was at Sedona, which we together vetoed against due to lack of time. It was a fifteen mile detour from the rest of the plan. On second thoughts, No! There are no second thoughts. We were late to see the sunset anyways. The next pit stop at Flagstaff was at the call of our tummies – had delicious Italian fettuccini pasta for breakfast/lunch/dinner.
Ala! There was also Wal-Mart. People who lost baggage had every reason to do some quick shopping, but the others followed suit too. I can’t pardon myself for the confusion caused over my missing handbag which was eventually found safe in the car. Finally we were off for another two hour drive to Page where lodging was booked for the night. Our car developed an acute shortage of fuel some 30 minutes from Page. The fuel meter reads red and all one could see was a vast expanse of nothing and beyond a couple of miles into the nothingness were mountains. Panic set. Top it all, there was no signal detected by the cell phones. We tried dim-dipping to the car in front, apparently to no consequence. Finally, after reducing gas consumption by switching off music, heaters, (we could have tried the head lights too ;) ) we did reach Page, with a few drops of petrol still intact. :) After the gas station, we checked into our hotel rooms, had a long evening of moonshine, Mafia- the game and gag. We finally hit the sack around 2 am. The next day to the pleasant surprise of everyone present, we checked out at 9: 30 am after a filling breakfast.
The first place we actually visited was Glen Canyon dam. It is on the eastern sides of north rim. There was some disagreement if it was the state of Utah or Arizona. Whatever it was legally, it was a treat to watch the steep sides of the canyon. The depth was close to 600 feet and it looked dizzyingly precipitous. Photo session started there.
The next stop was at Horseshoe Bend. It involved about half a mile hike down slope to the edges of the rocks. From there, the view was breathtaking. A disconnected crater in the middle surrounded by waters at that depth was spectacular and scary. It was both a little cold and a little hot from the sun - too unhealthy for the camera and ours passed out. It was frustrating to lose the camera in the middle of the trip, it was quite depressing. The hike back to the car on the upslope was a fitness test that we barely passed ;). We started driving south and the next scheduled stopover was for Monument Valley.
After a brief and unfulfilling lunch break over BK’s fries and some grocery stores’ croissant, we drove further to an Indian town – Goulding. This place supposedly preserves the Navajo way of life, sandstone buttes, spires and mesas of South West. Monument Valley is a Navajo Nation tribal park, straddling the border of northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah of the Colorado Plateau. There was some recognizable sandstone natural structures – three sisters, King’s throne etc and not-so-discernable ones that we named ourselves! We also took pictures on the border of Arizona and Utah :) Yeah, the camera was resuscitated!
After a looong drive south, we retired for the day at Williams overnight. The next day, Sunday started at 4 am. We were to drive an hour and a half north to the South Rim to catch the Grand Canyon at sun rise!
At this point, we were too exhausted and too cold from the winds and winter, that waiting for sun rise seemed too stretched. However catching the sunrise was an awe-inspiring experience. In the depths of rocks, and more rocks that looked layered and worn-out with age, heat, cold and drought, there was some vegetation that was destined to survive the desert and cold. It was like a life lesson to stand up in unfamiliar surroundings to be announced the winner! As the day broke, there were photos and more photos. At this point, people were too very fatigued and the trip was cut short by a few hours and we started driving drown to Phoenix. Somewhere in between we caught some good shots of Humphrey’s Peak, Arizona’s tallest - 12.6K feet high. We witnessed pencil slopes, the shaven trees and some hard snow. It was like a good trip ending on a fine note.
Around 3pm, we reached Phoenix, looking like sleep deprived maniacs. The cheese on the Enchiladas for dinner looked TOO cheesy for the first time ;) That was the effect. Finally we flew out at midnight and reached JFK Tuesday morning.
A fine trip, something that I looked forward to for a long time is so suddenly over ;)!
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