Interesting Times Ahead...
Neither Dravid and his boys nor Bermuda could answer to the 'billion' prayers and India crashed out of the world cup. I thought we sent our best team, but unfortunately our best wasn't good enough. So our players get an extended break till May - but I am sure this is one break they didn't want and wouldn't enjoy.
So what next???
These are interesting times for Team India. It could get a new captain, a new coach and a different core management team. It is difficult to single out anyone for this collective failure but am sure a few scapegoats would be sacrificed.
Could this be a new dawn for Indian Cricket? It could well be.
We are eternal optimists, we even believed this team was going to bring back the trophy :)

Bengal Tiger roars again!
The Bengal tiger aka Saurav Ganguly roared again and scored a majestic 98 in his comeback. Self belief, confidence and fighting against all odds has always been the man's strong points and thats what I believe has pulled him through. [come on guys, we all know how much talented he is as a fielder anyway]The comeback could not have been scripted any better than this and he deserves all the plaudits that he is getting now.
Everything happens for a reason--he was dropped, humiliated and now he has come roaring back and has a even more stronger support.
But again, he just believed in himself and wanted to play for India again. Did he really care what other "experts" were thinking and writing about him? NO.
If he did, he would have turned to an "expert" by now and been seen on TV with a mike in hand.
Thankfully, he listened to only one voice - the inner self!

Adieu Warne, McGrath...
It is already a week since Warne and McGrath played their last days of Test cricket for Australia. Australia has always had replacements ready for most players who are either out of form or about to retire. We thought Bevan can never be replaced, but they hardly seem to miss him from the outfit with the introduction of the ever-flexible Mike Hussey. In fact we did not think it was possible to replace even Ian Healy, but they got an even better deal with Gilchrist. They always seem to have someone ready. But I believe it is difficult even for Australia to find someone to fill up Warne's shoes.
He was a total entertainer with his magical wrist and a true Aussie attitude. He might not be a role model, but do you think he wanted to be one? I don't think so. He lived life his way and I bet he has no regrets about it.
However you look at it, he will always be remembered as one of the greatest bowlers of all time, if not the greatest.

Thank you Shane!

Interesting lines!
"You or nobody, ain't NEVER gonna hit as hard as life...
but it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can GET HIT, and keep moving forward,
how much you can take, and keep moving forward,
if you know what you're worth, go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to TAKE THE HIT"

--From the latest Rocky Balboa movie

"Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. If you want something, go get it..."

--From the movie Pursuit of happyness

Losing the battles and Winning the war!
The last couple of years could have been extremely tough on the man, but the fighter that he is, he proved that all is not lost. He would have lost many battles along the way (captaincy et. al.) but I am sure he will be a winner when the war ends (as a cricketer).
Saurav battled to score a 50 in the first innings, which neither batsmen on either side could achieve. He also played his part in the second innings with a short cameo. The odds were stacked against him and even his ardent fan (including yours truly) would not want to bet their money, leave alone lives, on his batting skills against fast, short-pitched bowling. But he did manage to surprise all his critics and fans alike. Not that he has overcome those shortcomings by any means, but he will fight and learn from his mistakes.
After all, experience did count!

Quote: Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes. - Oscar Wilde

Nanya!
You are in the middle of a family get together, happily chatting with everyone and that stupid cell phone rings. You silence the ringer and get back to talking, but that old man who has been paying your school fees and bills for a while now, asks you about the call and the whole room is waiting for your answer with anticipation. what would you do?
"Nanya" - pat came the answer. Few people were satisfied that they at least got a reply and continued to chat. But he again interrupted and added - it meant "None of ya'll business".
Who is this guy and what's he doing? - NANYA :)

Are quitters losers?
Winners never quit;quitters never win!
Agreed, quitters never win. But are they losers?
Yes, Trescothick cannot win (or be a part of winning team) , because he is not even playing. It is difficult to win when you are not playing!

Trescothick had to quit the Ashes team and return back to England due to a stress related illness. I think England is better off now and it could have been even more worse if he did hang around in Australia and perform poorly. He has at least given an opportunity to another player who can commit 100% to the team and game. The media has been very understanding and respectful of his decision so far and I hope it stays that way. He can still win a lot of things. Win back his strength and resolve, his self-confidence, his place in the side and his team mates trust.

He cannot lose, he cannot win, but he will also never know if he could have made the difference to the scoreline!

Yet again!
Certain people refuse to go away without a fight. Few others refuse to go away even after the fight! For most people Saurav Ganguly is a closed chapter in the Indian team. For a handful of people like me who follow his travails - we refuse to read his "cricket obituary" though we know its already written. It can be secured inside the envelope, atleast for the time being.
Yes, Saurav is amongst runs!!! atleast at the domestic level. He scored a fluent century for East Zone and did what he does best - throw open passionate arguments. Given the recent performances of the Indian team and the form (or the lack of it!) of some of the batsmen, maybe...just may be we can see light at the end of the tunnel.
Can he make another comeback?

Digesting Information!
If you have already heard this term "alphabet dosas" before, it means you are a creative (South Indian) parent of a 3-5 year old. I heard this term for the first time yesterday and was curious to know about it. The mom was more than excited to explain that she makes the dosas in different shapes resembling alphabets so that the kid learns the alphabets and also has fun while eating different shapes.

idhuku peru dhan padippa karachi kudikiradha???
(Is this what they mean when they say digesting information???)

I don't have to try hard, all my dosas are alphabet dosas. May be you will have trouble figuring out the alphabet:)

Reconfiguration...this one not for FPGAs!
A 10 minute conversation with a dear old friend can really go a long way in recharging your batteries and getting your system ready for a new set of tasks. May be because this reconfiguration needs no overhead, I should actually increase the frequency of my reconfiguration:)

idhu konjam over dhan(bit too much), I accept it. but you can't help it if you have been thinking about the same research problem for years.

Just do it!
I am the guy who looks before leaping and then looks again. after all, I am a Libran, that too a cautious one. There are times when you(shouldn't it be I) take more time than required to think and weigh the options, that you miss the moment. I was in one such situation and when my internal scales were trying to balance and come up with a decision, my friend took the initiative before it was too late. We ended up doing the right thing. Made me realize that my scales need not start to operate at the slightest opportunity and there are instances which call for spontaneity. Sometimes you got to go with your gut feeling.
Thanx da machan, I will always remember this.

Oh my, the irony is the quote that I posted only yesterday. how true!!

Lateral Thinking
You would not expect to see any logical reasonings in a mass masala Indian movie, least of all some ideas for lateral thinking. But there were quite a few "thinking out of the box" by 'Chiru' in Stalin. The applause and screams said it all. Having been used to watching films under the comfort of my comforter for a long time now, it was a different experience to watch a mass movie in a theater. Oh yeah, it was also different beacuse I dont understand telugu:) and I did manage to finish my pop corn.

Yet another attempt!
My previous blog had two posts, I am pretty sure I will do better this time around.
Thank you guys!
Surprises are always sweet, its even more sweet when its a chocolate cake;)
I already had a long capri, big biceps, and sleeve less t-shirt, and thanx to my friends I also have a new racket today.
I get the hint...its high time I do something about the game:)

"ini vetri meedhu vetri vandhu ennai serum"
(Success is going to follow me)