Friday, October 07, 2005

arbit bits

Although my first reaction to the call by the unions to create one for the IT sector was just another grimace (given that the CPI and the like do from time and time, its become routine), I then thought that maybe a union among the companies (biggies and medium scale ones) might be an idea to reduce the attrition rate. But if I had a company, I would not be part of such a thing.

A lot of news seems to be coming out regarding the moral policing in Chennai and subsequent media bashing. Bashing the media does not serve any purpose, since they also enjoy the personal space/freedom of expression that you are fighting for. It is the capitalist or rather just the rule of nature. The probability of you checking out a news article that seems interesting rather than logical is higher. But in any case, I hope aMMa puts these marauding 'tamil-protectionists' in place.

Cricket again seems uninteresting. I think the administrators need to do something regarding getting more countries involved in the sport. Only a third of the stadium for the recent world xi and aussies game was full. When I saw that image, I did not want to read further about the game. I felt embarrassed.

Jacques Kallis has been one of most overrated of sportsmen. Some people, though average, seem to possess a charm that makes people think highly of them. To have him in a team before Inzy or even Nathan Astle is just wrong. They just wanted to have a couple of SA guys in the team I guess.

I read, what arguably has been the finest book I have read. 'The Alchemist' quite packs a punch. It inspires you without sounding like a motivational lecture at any time. And as the boy says Muktab ! I was impressed by the line 'All things are one'. Now that is the example of a seemingly simple yet powerful line. I saw a framed painting a few days back that said 'I am better than you'. I could only grimace.

I watched this movie 'Crash'. A very fine movie. I watched 'Sarkar'. A decent movie. Ramu does have a style, much like Mani and Selvaraghavan. Other directors do have styles but these are the ones that appeal to me. I wish to direct a tamil movie some day. I want to prepare TamilNadu for sci-fi genre movies. Heh!

Another big game tomorrow coming up. It might be a long day for the Vols. I sincerely some1 from the SEC wins the Rose Bowl this year. USC struggled to win against ASU. We will know how good it is when they play Notre Dame. Alabama seems to be giving surprise. But the big question is will the Vols defense contain the Bull Dogs. I have no idea.

I hope Narain gets a chance next year in some team, although it seems difficult given his relative performances. But the recruiting bosses in F-1 have a keener eye for detail that the junta might be missing out on. Hence, I still hope he's not out of the reckoning. I feel he's good material.

I watched 'Mouna Raagam' after a long time 2 weeks back. It was a superlative movie, no doubt.

I went to the Indian restaurant today. I go there, like once every week. I ate heavily. As my stomach was beginning to feel full, I was reading this story.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Ok, So I think I have read enough about the GC-SG issue.

Now, I was a dada fan - an ardent one at that. But GC seems to be making sense to me quite a bit.

Now lets see. I think it will be tough if not impossible for both of them to work together. Hence, either 1 or both have to go.

If dada goes, heavy pressure on GC to perform (victories) and hence vindicate his stand. Not easy.

If GC goes, definite pressure on dada.

If both go, extra-ultra-heavy-pressure on team india, but which could in 2 years, give Zimbabwe a serious run for their money.

So, lets see. Choosing between GC and SG is the final option.

Now before that, it seems team is divided, with supposedly all non-performers with dada..Ha ! If dada returns, bhajji mite stake claim for vice-captaincy for all u know! O my!

Anyways, GC seems to be pretty tough guy who seems to be knowing what he's upto and from his recent interviews, I appreciate his way/approach.

Dada on the other hand is on life-support in playing/tactical matters now.

But Dada does have experience in team-building. He built or atleast helped build a pretty neat team for the 2003 world cup and it did reasonably well. Once he does not have mess-makers in the team (who might be actually talented though!), he definitely works on his tactics/instincts and does succeed, more often than not.

But dada must've surely lost some respect/swagger/confidence after such media exposure of his limitations. And it might take sometime to recover his cool. Maybe even 5 months. Helpfully, WC is a lot more further than that.

On the other hand, if retained, the pressure of performance might not be that high on GC, as compared to SG.

We need some1 tough, some1 like GC or SG in the indian team. People like Vaughan wouldnt work for an Indian team. I am saying this because if both were to be dumped, I dont know if we have a captain who can be tough.

That dada is mentally strong is known. But whether he'll still have that confidence in his ability is questionable.

Ok, I still have not made a decision on whom to side with. Still, I believe the odds of a compromise are rather slim.
It would be quite silly to keep harping on the fact that Alonso's victory this year was in no small part thanks to McLaren's u-know-what!

Reliability is definitely an important factor in the whole set-up and Renault hv managed to do that better as the McLarens have managed to do the same on speed.

Good steady driving Alonso..Congrats!

But absolutely no chance of defending the crown man!

Next year, watch out for Juan Pablo..He's going to take the attack to Kimi, you and Button.
BAR is a team to watch out for, next yr. I dont know about Ferrari because I dont know about Bridgestone.

Among other teams/drivers, Toyota with Trulli would be also be contenders next year. They are fast enough during qualifying but run out of steam in the race. That they will work on and they will be on par with BAR and Renault.

Title contenders for 2006 (in order) : JPM, Kimi, Button, Alonso. ( Dark Horse - Schumi (!))
And hey, one last word..dont count Fisi out..McLaren's ill-luck was distributed..Renault's was lumped onto him!

And boy, finally Narain can breathe a bit easier..Tiago dint finish.Finally!

F-1 needs more quality competition..There's no difference between Bangladesh/Zim'bve in cricket and Minardi/Jordan in F-1, except in the latter the drivers go on to better teams later.
But its still effectively 6-7 teams.

And I am still wondering about the logic of using 1 tyre uniformly for all teams..Might actually not be a bad idea but not easy to slam/support.

Finally what F-1 needs is a race track in India. I dont care if you lay it in the border between Assam and Sikkim or the banks of the Cauvery. Just get it started man.

BTW, do they share a border ..I doubt it.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Full day researching the headline story..dada vs. GC.

Read on a few blogs..What nerve GC has got to use Sourav to get in as coach and then back-stab him!

Count me out of such groups ! For godsakes!

Dada is bringing out the blogger in me (!)
Raj Singh Durgapur says (via Outlook)
"Chappell is a genius. Sourav is much below Chappell in stature," Dungarpur told newspersons here"

Dude, this is a serious insult to my intelligence that I have to keep hearing statements as primitive as this from a guy who's supposedly in the upper echelons of powers-that-be concerning indian cricket.

I know durgapur isnt the best of buddies with dalmiya and consequently with sourav. But this is pure nerve,to make such a sweeping statement. I can almost assure you this guy has no idea why he called GC a genius..

I smell a conspiracy theory.
I know this is becoming like a 'desis for dada' kinda blog!

Dada should've considered steve waugh's advice/warning that GC mite not be a good choice as coach and that moody was a better one.

Maybe steve knew that given dada's nature,it will be tough for him to adjust with another tough, aggressive guy like GC. Heck, dada even struggled to impose himself on Murali karthik, who was dada Jr. at the time. So GC is another ball game altogether.

When SRT comes into the team and seems like a sucker for form, lets see if GC does the same. We'd get to know if this GC's no-nonsense approach is for real.

I am thinking dada will not be sacked.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Just as I expected, the indian media goes gaga over greg chappel's dont-care-about-reputation-but-current-form' logic and villifies saurav.

Well, given the pseudo-intellectual rantings that have always been there to see from the media, this is not surprising that they think they have a logical and public accepting argument.

But isn't this all presumptous..Like Ravi Shasthri says, we need to know the context in which the coach made these remarks..Absolutely correct.

Its a good idea to crack the whip, no matter what the reputation, like Greg thinks. But to change the system all of a sudden is not a great idea..Meanwhile, my dada could definitely have averted some of this happenings but if he did make a calculated move (!), i got it. But the greatness of dada went down a notch.

Indian cricket must be thankful to Rahul Dravid in all this. He's truly worthy of respect. A more ego-driven/me-first vice-captain and I dunno where this team would be now.

Friday, September 16, 2005

It is a shame that we need to introduce reservation for more women representation in the indian parliament.

But nonetheless I would tend to think of it as necessary.

Sometimes this is where my each-man-for-himself (little dependence on social welfare a.k.a captialist) beliefs are at confict with social ideals. There are sections of people who cannot compete with other sections of people, unless they are given a positive offset. Sometimes, government can do wonders..But they must know when to stop interfering in other things.

Now why am i thinking of others progress anyway..Oh well, maybe iam just a pseudo-capitalist !

Thursday, September 15, 2005

There are people you can mess around with. But then there are others you dont want to mess with.. Like Saurav da.

Hope the indian board does not come up with some seemingly interesting decision like making kaif captain..Maybe, he could be made Vice-captain, but thats that.

Go dada !

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Was scrolling through the Onion archives and chanced upon this article.

God, did I laugh !

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

The last ashes test is gonna be a wash, 1 way or the other.
Provided there's no nature-wash, I am thinking Aussies will white-wash england.
Phew! Some prediction that..

Lets just hope warney does it for me..As some newspaper cited, if the aussies win this, the urn must go to Warney..Dude, is that guy awesome or what !
I make an attempt these days to respect people's POV rather than people themselves, in any discussion/thinking.

But as I read interviews like these (on instapundit), all such feelings are flushed down at once.
A fan of Ray Kurzweil just became a die-hard fan. I love his realistic optimism. I hope to get the book soon.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

At the rate at which aMMa is going about things ( this and this ), I am thinking about starting a Rasigar Mandram for her here..
Deduced the following from the 2 articles.
The former article - Dont mess with me !
The second - most transparent sign of progress, to the voter.

I am beginning to kinda empathize with her M.P's falling at her feet..Maybe they feel they have a genius in their midst or something.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

The comments on this SepiaMutiny post were sincerely stimulating.

Among other things, am just hoping JPM, Button and Trulli rise to the occasion and beat alonso hereafter. I think JPM and Button will do that.
At the rate at which JPM's going, I doubt if the McLaren car's next versions and all will be as much suited to him as it is for Kimi. Kimi's been exceptional so far. JPM needs to buck up. He's an excellent driver and I hope he dominates the other cars consistently soon.

Because of this Ashes and all, my interest in cricket increased again and I chanced on this World XI vs Aus XI article. I cant even believe you have players like Pollock, Kallis and even Sachin in the team while Inzy is left out. Ok, atleast Sachin has some past glory which could carry him for another year I guess..

I used to love Aravinda De Silva in his prime (his last few years esp). He was a batting god !

My fav conventional players (might be a few ex players here n there. )
1.Brian Lara
2.De Silva
3.Adam Gilchrist
4.Inzy
5.Mark Taylor (C) - (I dunno why he isnt mentioned as 1 of the great captains. He really was 1 !)
6.Wasim Akram
7.Waqar
8.Warne
9.Akthar
10.Yuvraj
11.Mark Waugh (His batting was 1 of the most stylish things in all sport i've seen)

Hows that for a XI..I know, not balanced and all..But still good enough. Just watching Lara and DeSilva square-cutting for six at both ends would be ...am at a loss for words!
Days ago, I was thinking how I was going to catch hold of the Volunteers first home game against UAB, as I work my butt off coding for some snazzy hi-tech company in downtown San Jose.

And here I am, today, thinking of where to eat in a couple of hours - McDonalds or BurgerKing !

This job search seems to be a humbling phase..But maybe, thats what makes it exciting.
Rediff's business section is one sane tab in an otherwise 'India shining' gibberish..
This article was actually good

I especially like the way Haq talks about setting up the place with the proper ambience/tools to make things happen, as in Si valley.
And I think he has a point about Pune being the place in India. Personally I think Chennai/Coimbatore is as good a bet. Ofcourse, you need to figure in the fact that the only place I have been outside South India is Bombay..I saw Pune's railway station on the way though..Not a bit better than Arakkonam though!

I love this Venture Capitalist kinda positions..Risk-taking in all its glory, it sure is! I wish I'd be one some day (just a try atleast!)
Pramod Haq went to North Western univ; I am at a univ in the South East..Hey, we seem to be sharing something..like antonyms or something..atleast, thats a start.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Whenever I do something out of obligation, the end result of the effort takes a severe hit.

Like this blog post for instance.

I love Jack Nicholson.

The gap between Alonso and Kimi is actually smaller than it looks. Provided kimi does a top2 finish and ferrari are again resurgent and along with trulli/ralf, can create a sandwich b/w kimi and alonso for atleast 4 races, I am sure its gonna be decided in China. I think Alonso will be defensive, which anyway he is. I doubt if he's a good driver. These next 6 races will let me know. I guess Tiago would be alonso-2...steady,reliable finishing,consistent etc etc..
Ok, this analogy doesnt mean i put narain ji together with JPM...

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Accepting my limitations
And living up life as per the norm
Is a stupid bane
I can do well without.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Like the columnist Sainath once wrote about drought, every1 loves a good whipping boy.

Kamal Haasan, Kobe Bryant, Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara, Shoaib Akthar.
They all have 2 things in common.. They are some of my favorite stars.
Another common thread - all whipping boys !

But I hope I just dont always like stars because they are outcasts( well, sorta..). Sometimes, I hate the notion 'the people know best', used mainly, to explain box office success, that can be applied to this superstar scenario as well I guess. Well, I dont first believe in that notion I stated before.

People have made a supermegagigastar out of Rajinikanth and just another actor out of Kamal Haasan. Well, Rajinikanth doesnt make sense to me at all. Talks about spirituality to the extent that makes believers wonder if they are believers indeed (on a more serious note, without any effective meaning, atleast to me). Burnt his hand trying to venture into politics. Made 2 mega excuses for a movie (Valli and Baba were the ones). Says he is not interested in money/movie success but inner peace(yes, he said that a few days back) . KamalHaasan talks the talks and walks the walk (ok..ok, atleast he's frank and lives for himself, not trying to put on an image for society). Did rajinikanth correctly understand/analyze the mass thinking and come up with stuff that they liked..I dont think so ( Well, if he did that indeed that well, I would just think he's really clever, thats all. Too many ppl credit rajini with doing that, although i think its being overdone). Ok, I guess I am a little confused for my own comfort here..Maybe, you see the point am trying to make already. Most of the mega stars seem to ppl who though clever, seem to be living for the society. Most whipping boys seem to living their own life. Living your own life and being a mega-star seems to be a no-no for the masses.


Currently listening: Pudhu Vellai Mazhai (Roja)

Saturday, July 30, 2005

Its been a while since I followed cricket. But i just dont understand why ppl/media are going so 'ooh..aah' abt greg chappel. I dont know if half the guys who wax eloquent about him have seen him in action, of some sort.

I would go with some1 like arjuna ranatunga for a coach.

And btw, I guess Schumi is light on fuel. If that is the case and given the hungary circuit, not unexpected stuff from ferrari, who though lacking in technology, are still strategy champs.
I am bullish on bar for next year..Button's cool.
Hoo boy! Its been quite some time now..Schumi vs. Montoya.
Watch out for the first corner tomorrow!

Friday, July 29, 2005

One of the patrons of this blog (can hear gasps) suggested that I stop using this a personal diary and start some active serious blogging. That thought has been doing the rounds in my mind.
Maybe after I get set here, which could take quite sometime, I am going to start some real serious blogging. Maybe I guess I will rope in a few of my friends to have a collective issues/ideas based blog.

On another note, I think blogs have become an overrated phenomenon, ofcourse mainly due to the mainstream media. I liked blogs initially and used to read a lot of them. But most of the good blogs nowadays are no different from MSM, in that a lot have lost objectivity, beyond a point. On my personal puking scale, posts devoid of objectivity would top it all, suburban Chennai girls a close second and Tennessee whiskey a distant third.

Monday, July 25, 2005

I think I was never really demanding, as a kid.
One of the very few things that I politely demanded at home was quitting complan and switching to coffee. This was refused because I was in Class IV then.
3 years on, my demand was accepted. I have since, taken to coffee in such a way that the quantity I consume sometimes even stupefies me.

And why O why does poor kimi have no luck? He really does have some ice in him, for such a season as his would have made a retard out of any normal driver. I guess the next 3 races could dictate narain's progress in F-1. If he does well now, I guess some teams dont hv too sophisticated a technology to refuse him for the next season or the one after.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Each man fending for himself rather than for the society at large sounds like a sensible foundation for a successful society or whatever you want to call it.

I watched Yuva yesterday, again. Michael mukherjee's wish to transform politics/society is his own self. His supporters' wish to transform society is not. Rather they are wanna be good samaritans. This is evident when after the life attempt on Michael and his recovery, they all gather and say they would not contest the elections, fearing for life. Because, their thoughts earlier on the same topic was not 1 of conviction but of feeling good by doing something for society. Although I am not making any revelations here, Maniratnam's potrayal of this was just remarkable. It is clear that trying to do social good for the sake of feeling good will lead nowhere.

Capitalist socialism might be a really cool idea.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

I was listening to 'Margazhi poove' - an ARR classic. Its been like half a decade since I last heard it. Felt like I had re-discovered ARR.
Roja and MayMaadham were a little different from ARR works - they were sublime. Somehow, down the line, ARR's music became a tad too commercial for my liking I guess.

On an unrelated note, I just saw my room today which looked like a 'dress garage'. I havent done my laundry for 1.5 months now i guess. This bachelor life so totally rocks!

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

As I try to scramble through every possible job search portal, the only thing that pops in my head is "Why doesnt google have a job portal?"

Heck, I thot i would be selecting a nice job from a few offers sometime back.
Although that seems as far-fetched a thought as Uncle Pai being selected for the Pulitzer, this job search phase seems exciting nonetheless.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Pretty informative interview
Indiscriminate projects and clearances in the name of development for political showmanship and political gains is pathetic.

I dont know why jayalalitha is not taking this seriously.

Its interesting that while TamilNadu has had some really smart politicians, it's never had, in recent times, a head of the caliber of s.m.krishna or the street-smartness of c.naidu who had pretty good vision for development. (Although whether what c.naidu was indiscriminate and intent only on s/w is another debate altogether). But even through all this, the state has somehow managed to be in the top 5 states, on the economic front. Well, thats a tribute to something that the state possesses..i dont know what.

It would have been interesting if rajaji was CM for a longer time. I think rajaji was a visionary, although 1 of his ideas (regarding education based on father's occupation i think) seemed a little confusing to me.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

When will raaga understand that their advertisements in between songs are downright irritating. Its become an automatic reaction these days..i dont even think before clicking the fwd button when they play some money sending ad.
Not too much of a thot process goes on in these kind of advertisement creation and stuff i guess..I mean, raaga's not the loser, the advertisers are.

I am all for a good ad, if it sounds cool. I hated watching ads in between programs when i was in india. But here, the ads are actually pretty good that I infact enjoy them at times.
I guess, the huge ad on rediff page covering all the news sets another low in showcasing advertising skills.

Look at blogger..Even though the ads on different blogs dont exactly make the page look great, they are atleast on the sidelines. Atleast, you arent irritated; infact get some 'good samaritan like feeling' (though such feelings go against my recently acquired capitalist leanings) when you click on some random guy's blog.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Ideally tomorrow should go this way.

JPM catches up with Alonso, overtakes him and keeps him behind.
Meanwhile, Kimi charges from 12th to 3rd. (how easily said :) )

Aah. Battle royale for 10 laps!
Then, Alonso sandwiched b/w the Mclarens and gives in to the pressure. Now, its battle time b/w JPM and Kimi. Am just waiting to watch if there would be team orders in this case. If there are, I might not root for McLaren anymore.

Keeping my arms, legs and finally fingers crossed.
Lets see.

Friday, July 08, 2005

Read 'Digital Fortress' by dan brown. Sucked.
Not unlike Anniyan. I am yet to get over the mental trauma of watching tht movie.

btw, i am beginning to see too many patterns in life/events these days.. Feels wonderful.

I am beginning to understand communism more and more. And my appreciation for capitalism continues to grow with it.

Pink Floyd's liberating.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Was Chirac's joke abt English food any reason at all for Paris losing out to London for the olympics bid??
Anyways, European news has never been this interesting in a long time. As some daily pointed out, Blair seems to winning his gambles with the poise normally shown by the French.

Enough of Asian and SAARC games, New Delhi..Bid for Olympics, atleast by 2030..
Heck, if C.Naidu was still CEO of Andhra, I guess we would've seen Hyderabad's name on the bid, sooner than later.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

I guess I've become too much of a regular at the coffeeshop in the library that am being given free coffee once in a while these days. Free Brazilian coffee..talk abt luxury!

Continuing on my quest for 'classy' music,
Currently listening - 'Elangaathu Visudhe' -Pithamagan(nothing to rant and rave abt..come to expect it of the Maestro).
Somehow, I lost interest in following tennis sometime back. But today afternoon, i decided to catch up on some action when i learnt venus was playing. Venus, to me, was always like an underachiever for her talent. And she was playing sharapova!
The first set was just too good. Shots which would've been winners against other players were being returned!
I then realised maybe why i lost interest in tennis. After sampras and rafter retired, maybe i had no1 to root for.
I think among the current lot, I remember having seen safin's game before. He is one guy who can beat federer.

BTW, Listening to Mun Paniya (Nanda) at 9:20 pm is sheer bliss.
I watched the movie 'kaadhal' some time back. Stunning. I guess this was the same director who made 'Samurai' which was a lot of hogwash though it had great music and visuals.
Sane movies like Kaadhal are needed to retain my interest in tamil movies.

I watched Anniyan some time back. I cant even believe I was comparing shankar with maniratnam before i saw this movie. I liked Sachien(note the correct spelling!) better.
Basically, I was in awe of shankar coz of Indian mainly, which was in good measure due to kamal also.

From the trend he's shown, Shankar seems to want to convey some social msg. Pointing out problems in society like corruption, red-tape and apathy is by now known to ppl and not a big deal. However, plausible solutions to these problems in the form of a movie would be interesting. I cant watch re-hashed Matrix stunts when I'd initially set out to watch thinking some decent social msg was going to be shown. For the first time, grandeur in a movie seems cheap.

The funny thing is I cant even understand what media reviews are talking abt when they say shankar's now salvaged lost ground after the boyz fiasco. I believe Boyz was a very well made film and also was really entertaining. If Thulluvadho Ilamai can become a hit and accepted, i dont know y boyz cant.

Currently listening : Kannamoochee (A.R.R ..whoa!!)

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

An F-1 race never ceases to amaze me; Its top-tier management however, do.

Cant there be any better creativity in thought than to say the michelin teams need to slow down on corner 13 if they were concerned abt safety? I mean, this is the sport whose perennial quest is to become popular in USA, but only achieved notriety with such brain-racking decisions.

Agreed, I too think it was Michelin's fault not to be prepared but you dont have an F-1 race every weekend. What happened at Interlagos in 2003 is well-known. Why now some kind of 'I am a stickler for perfection' kinda image?

I am so very angry now when I think Ferrari (and with the car they've got) are level with McLaren. And to think McLaren should've been leading the constructors by atleast a clear 25 points. I seriously think De La Rosa must be tried out sometime. I am pretty convinced he is a sure podium finisher with that McLaren.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Am getting pretty prophetic these days..Had just said 4 posts back that Narain would have a top 10 finish this season soon..

And he gets a top 4 finish, if it can be called that.
The scariest thing when the race was over was that Michael was on 34 points, 3 off Kimi.
Vow! This is going to be one of the best seasons in a long time. Schumacher is one of the fiercest competitors in all sport.
I have always liked comparing Europe and the US.

The US right now seems stronger, economically and politically. But Europe always has its charm - a super blend of old world and modernism, left-right diversity(economically), fashion, vibrant life-style and most of all style.

There are a couple of crude analogies that come to mind - Soccer and NFL. Formula 1 and Nascar.
Football and Nascar are fun to watch but somehow come a cropper against Soccer and F-1 for sheer style and substance. I cant even begin comparing Indy to Monte Carlo or Spa.
Style has been one of Europe's best exports to the world.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Its just around 75 F here and I already cant take this heat.
I cant even imagine how I was so normal at 105 F just 2 years back!

I was cursing winter all along (it was snowing the week before Spring break!) and now summer.
Guess April is my month. Actually, September wasnt bad either.

Somehow, happenings in the E.U have been interesting me lately.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

I read 2 books in the last month - Deception Point and 'House for Mr.Biswas' - 2 books that couldn't be any further content-wise.
After 'Da Vinci code', Deception Point, although a fast read, was a let down.
On the other hand, I took around 20 days to finish House for Mr.Biswas. It was my bed-time story. Initially, it seemed drab and I lost interest when there were no plots, as is the norm in other books i read. But somehow, the flow was there..When I finished, I felt it was one of the better ones I have read in a while, along with Tharoor's Riot. I have discovered V.S.Naipaul!
Being an avid Lakers fan, I wanted them to get a big name and I think Phil fits the bill. That Lakers had a below par season would be an understatement. I dont know if Phil can correct that too soon with the current crop.
But I feel if Phil can make a Pippen Version 2.0 with Lamar Odom, Phil-Kobe-Lamar combo could be pretty lethal and entertaining. Not exactly showtime, but good nonetheless.

Monday, June 13, 2005

I think 75% of important news worldwide is generated by the Northern Hemisphere.

Kimi keeps winning..Vow! I became a big fan of Hakkinen and thats how I started liking Mclaren..Now, i root for Kimi. He's really good. Iceman..Meanwhile, our own 'babu' seems a little bored by his stint in f1 or something..karthikeyaa, I am still hopeful you'll hv a top 10 finish this season soon. Guess he's like JPM(!)..All or nothing..Coming 12th,13th or last is for lesser people like his teammate.
Thats why I like McLaren too..'No fancy math..We are going to try only to win'..Whew!Thats my team. Ferrari or Renault would've tried to get into strategic math and infact, if a ferrari or renault driver had been in kimi's position at the Euro GP, they would've taken a stop in the end and tried for second..
I love McLaren !

Friday, June 10, 2005

Heck! Bashing ToI is on every blogger's to-do list or what!

That was the common theme among many blogs that I read today.

As for me, I dont believe in showing my intellectual prowess butchering mediocrity. (romba jaasthi dhaan..ok)
Spelling bee..
I know your next reaction...indians.

Tunku Varadarajan does a super analysis of why Indian-Americans win this
http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110006801

Nice write-up. Once upon a time, I was interested in learning new words and all. Then came Barrons word lists.


P.S: I gave a good account of my verbal self though, in the GRE!
Pistons winning gm 7 was a very heady feeling..Watching the game, I became more and more a fan of 'Detroit' basketball. 'Sheed was shooting 3 ptr's with defenders hands on his face..Hoo boy!

Anyway, they dutifully lost gm 1 to the spurs. Was on expected lines..I dont know why Spurs dont excite me at all. Maybe because they are so methodical. Detroit somehow put themselves in a hole and wriggle out of it almost all the time..That certainly is entertaining. Lets see who wins..Mind says Spurs. But only the mind.

Narain seems to be throwing some attitude now(the race incident with JV) . And I am loving it. I hope he somehow makes some points. Go narain!

Sports is such a huge reliever.

Friday, May 27, 2005

This is my first summer at school and I can tell you its not pretty.

BTW, i've been here for only 2 summers.

On a sidenote, Tayshaun Prince could be the most critical aspect to the Pistons winning the East. Talk abt defending 'The Flash'

Monday, May 23, 2005

Some great news if ur a kamal/mani fan. Long overdue, time!

Somehow, I liked 'Iruvar' the most among mani's movies..Prakashraj and mohanlal really outdid one another. A.R.R's tunes were top-notch, one of his best.

Friday, May 13, 2005

The last 3 days have been a maze,
Reading 'Core dump' over a 1000 times has left me in a daze.
Masters Thesis is not for the faint-hearted,
I say so to myself whenever I am greeted by 'Program Terminated'.
From segmentation faults to core dumps to motivation,
I sincerely hope these dont play too many pranks with my plans of graduation.

Heck, Its going to be quite a summer!

Monday, April 25, 2005

Resistance to 'Change' is the reason for being stuck in mediocrity.

Knowledge of the above and still being resistant adds just another adjective - agony.

As I enter the last of my boyhood years (huh !), I am feeling that my thought process is being refined in a way that should have happened 10 years ago!


Signed.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

I was a Rajni fan for most of my school days and also in college.

And then Anbe Sivam happened. I watched it again 2-3 hours after I first watched it. Most of my thinking for the next 2-3 days was about the movie. It was supposed to be directed by Sundar.C but who was behind most of the scenes was no secret. My 'thalaivaaa' changed to Kamal. And its been him ever since.

I was desperately hoping that the movie would be a hit because there are directors who could make nearly as good movies as this but dont want to do so for commercial reasons. It would've been ushering in a new era in Tamil Cinema if this had happened. But..

Still, I am amazed by Kamal and his restless energy. I think I loved every1 of his movies in the last few years except for PKS. Panchathantram left me in splits like none other including MMKR.

Rajni is some 1 who gives you plenty of 'feel good' doses when you watch him on screen - he endears himself so much that you dont even care about the logic in the movie. But it doesnt affect me once the movie is done.

Kamal's movies can actually keep you thinking days after you've watched the movie, and when you finally connect to his ideas, it's an experience in itself.

Hope I get to meet my Thalaivar sometime !
Saw ChandraMukhi. Not a bad time-pass.
But for a guy who makes 1 movie in 2-3 yrs, it could've been much better.
Though should admit that Rajni looks 'not bad at all'. I was totally reminded of his '16 vayathinile' when I see him as the villain Raja. Boy, was he a super villain or what! I would rate it somewhere between Arunachalam and Padayappa. P'appa rocked and moreso, coz of A.R.R. They should've roped in A.R.R for this too.

Somehow, quietly confident Mumbai express would only be better than CM. (Kamal fan(atic) you see)

I dont know why most of the city youth look down upon vijay as if it conveys their sense of sophistication. Granted, he did some cheap movies earlier on, but that was an entry level thing.
Even now, there might not be much logic in his movies but in whose movies other than Kamal's do you have a truckload of logic? If you dont expect logic in a superstar movie, then ...
Though I dont like Vijay as much as Madhavan, I am sure he's not bad at all.
There are some roles only he can play. He would fail if he does something like surya in KaakaKaaka. He's best at doing roles like in Gilli. I thought Gilli was so much fun, which might not have been with Surya/Maddy instead of Vijay.
Someone who loves rajini but hates vijay would be interesting to meet.

vArtA

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Pakistan would've lost both series' by now if it had played against the T.N ranji team instead of this Indian team.

Or do I smell something here??

Gasp!
Read this
$181000.
Gasp!

Thats what maybe even the cream at Harvard and NorthWestern would get !

After such a media-blitz in recent times about the salaries for mba grads, me thinks parents back home are going to ask their college kids to study for CAT and other mgmt exams and get an MBA from some good school rather than study for GRE/MS hereafter.The children know that unforutnately, it is not as easy to clear cat/other exams as it is to get an arbit score in GRE, get into an arbit university in some arbit part of USA. I dont know if the parents would realize that ! Some of my college friends have been writing CAT for years now.
It would not be bad to have fewer desis to see here so that the notion that am in USA might atleast stick then ;)

chill.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Even like 2 months back, I used to laugh at people watching golf of all sports on TV.

Today, I think I witnessed one of the finest moments in all sport that I've seen. Of Tiger winning at Augusta. More than that was his shot on the 16th hole. It was drama, high-octane drama seriously; the ball stayed near the hole for a moment and then went in after a few teasing moments.
My heart went out for DiMarco. He did a great job in taking the competition to a play-off but Tiger was sublime. I dont remember the last time when a moments in sport have sent me into fits of tension and ecstasy as this one. Maybe these two come close.
1.'Desert Storm' @ Sachin.
2.Sampras outgunning Ivanesevic at Wimbledon (dont remember the year.)

Have watched some really good Hindi movies of late. Have always been prejudiced w.r.t Hindi movies after watching some cry-fests . The ones that I saw of late include Page 3, Ab Thak Chappan, Swades and Rog. I thought Page 3 and Swades are pretty well-made movies. Swades, especially so. My friend asked me as to what I dint know that Swades showed. I said Swades had almost everything that I knew. I could relate to it which really cannot be said about the cry-fests.

When I think of a genius, few people come to mind as quickly as Brian Lara time and again. He came back and scored in a fashion that is uniquely his. When Lara is on song, it is good for world cricket. His batting could even be a graduate coursework in Arts. (ok..ok)

vArTa

Friday, April 08, 2005

Today was some day..

I had little sleep the previous night. had to get up for a class from 8 to 9:30. Then had a class at 2 and then a meeting with my advisor. Was talking about my thesis with my advisor; I think i confused him a bit or so; He suddenly asked me as to who my advisor was ! Even I felt that my speech was incoherent. Fortunately, my advisor was in a pretty jovial mood.

Then, was walking past the University center and stumbled on 1 of the sofas in the lounges and thought I'd do my 'nap' thing. There were a few students, I think Chinese students working on some stuff. 2 hours into my nap, I was woken up by a roar and realized it was me snoring. There have been a few occasions when I get into subconscious fits of sleep or something that I hear myself snoring. Not a very nice experience. There was no1 when i woke up. Must tender an apology soon to those guys. The lounge was supposed to be 'Quiet Study Lounge' !

Then hurried to starbucks and felt a coffee was the sureshot way to clear this muddled state of affairs. I felt good until I realized I had done nothing the whole day with just a month to go for finals and projects. Then thought of checking out some wacky stuff on raaga as I'd come to the point where I decided nothing normal would do for the day. Checked out 4 students.
I listened to Lajjavathiye once, twice,..and have been listening to it for like 4 hours straight. Jassie Gift is something. The song borders on the sublime. With some traces of normalcy returning to my attic, felt blogging would make the process complete.

Over n out.

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

There was this post on The Hindu some time back
http://www.hindu.com/2005/03/28/stories/2005032803920300.htm

Basically about the big I.T co's hiring like there's no tomorrow.

I was a little amused to see a strong reaction on different blogs to this news item, generally opinions against the s/w companies with even 1 comment on a blog saying "India will only improve if its free of these companies" .
Gulp !
I seriously cant still understand the big deal about this. Why should this mass-hiring be a bad thing at all? Why should not civil engineers write code in TCS if they get paid better and presents them a good chance of settling down quick and easy. If at all the bloggers feel the 'core technical' junta is dwindling, we can always 'outsource' those core jobs over a period of time. The actual 'core' junta ( my definition of core is only R&D junta ) would not change that much. And we dont have a sizeable 'core' population anyway right now.

The only thing that concerns me about IT in India ,from what little I know, is the fact that the big 3-4 companies contribute too significant a chunk to the total s/w mkt share. The smaller companies must evolve and contribute proportionally in the long run for a healthy I.T India.

Monday, April 04, 2005

Was reading an IEEE Proceeds paper today.

Suddenly was reminded of the undergrad days when every third person i knew in college did like a paper presentation. It was a hot thing at 1 time, like in the 3rd year i guess. The wildest things - like , design of optimal blue-tooth technology ( o yeah..papers with such 'explosive' titles would find takers at umpteen colleges), State of the art Neural network (this was another perennial topic at different presentations) along with an occasional HVDC/AC topic !
Even I did some stuff on some design of super-efficient resonant converters (phew !) . Preparations were no laughing matter ! Most of the focus was on using the best software tools to write our stuff and do plots (what plots !) along with some occasional reference on google as to what some scientist in Estonia was actually upto on our paper topic . Our lecturers would be very encouraging and appreciative when we used to tell them about working on a paper presentation. They werent amused, however, when we asked them a few questions on whatever we understood from that publication from Eastern Europe !
The best part however was the trip to the college. Most colleges always had some culturals going on at the same time ;participate in them. I cant forget once at Mepco engg college, when we pocketed quite a cool sum in all this but dint actually win anything in the event for which we actually went there ! Then, collect the bus/train fare from the organizing committee with a smug smile; watch a movie and make umpteen jokes on any/many of the organizers on our way back home !

Boy, that was fun. Paper Presentations.

Thursday, March 31, 2005

"But the insatiable expectations of the people always look for Sachin to produce magical innings every time."
http://in.rediff.com/cricket/2005/mar/30srinath.htm
Hey wait! Diplomacy in writing is fine as long as it is bearable. Srinath, in doing so borders on the ridiculous.
Leave along magical, not many people even expect a match-saving knock from him these days.


After reading that, this one was refreshing though a bit cocky (like the Ganguly of the past)
"In my mind I felt that the rest would be able to draw the game but I was the only one capable of winning it"
http://sify.com/sports/columns/fullstory.php?id=13706068

Go Sehwag !

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Was reading a bit about the 3rd test b/w India and Pak.
I guess the supposedly elite batting line-up quit when sehwag lost his wicket. It was a 1 man team some 10 years back. There was a time 2 years back when the team performed. Now again, it seems to be a 1 man team. I dont know what strategy sachin or sourav or dravid had when they came to play!
That sourav is being accorded some preferential treatment now while the other veterans have been spared is not very amusing. Sachin and Dravid had a great opportunity to come up with a challenging innings and they both failed.
Persisting with sourav for the next couple of series' would not be a bad idea is my guess. Dependance of sehwag has to be removed to a good degree if the team is to improve.
One player I felt happy for was Balaji. I think he has a good future.

-r

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

I've almost stopped following cricket. But I do follow sachin tendulkar quite a bit.

Read http://in.rediff.com/cricket/2005/mar/14sachin.htm

This stumped me inside out..Time and again he talks about his injuries to reporters more often now than before and says he played in this or that match with some pain. I know he was pretty fussy about sightscreens even in his prime, but this time seemed more like cribbing.
I read about his batting on day 3 or something during the mohali match which only india could possibly lose (atleast thats what the media says)..What would have been the reaction of 'experts' if some 1 other than sachin had slowed the scoring rate?? Surely, they dont wanna risk spoiling their good names trashing sachin!! And his statistics get bigger as ever..10K runs.

To me, he's ceased to be a factor in indian cricket right now. Sehwag is the go to guy for the next few years definitely.

Interesting thing abt sehwag: When i talk to ppl abt sehwag, common refrain - he's inconsistent, cant score like sachin on a regular basis etcetera..Know what, some arbit stat states he's getting 1 ton every 3 games..Er, what else is consistently good? 1 in 1.? It is interesting to note that when ppl talk about a flashy player, they are prejudiced by the fact that flashy corresponds to inconsistency. Nice!

-r

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Things have been so random in the last 1 week that even infinite samples of weeks like this wouldnt yield anything close to a gaussian.

On another arbit note, I saw S.M.Krishna's interview on rediff sometime back. It still baffles me how 'supposedly wise voters' decided he shouldnt continue. Karnataka's loss, I conclude.

-Ravi.

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

ARBIT NOTES

1. Its March ! Is nature playing or what? It's almost snowing here.
2. Its March ! I am getting freaked out. Time flies.
3. I have started hating using stuff like 'u' instead of 'you' etcetera in e-mails . Am I getting mature or what?
4. I tried taking some notes in a class today after a really long time. My handwriting has degenerated almost beyond recognition. Blame it on the laptop. I remember having won a handwriting competition in school.
5. Lakers lost to Knicks! Jayhawks beat OkState in a classic. I think I prefer watching NCAA Ball than NBA. Its March dammit and the madness has begun.

Its March. The month of Madness.

Go get mad.
-r


Thursday, February 17, 2005

I read this everyday(well almost)..Its one heckuva laught riot..Though maybe this was written quite some time back, still it seems too good..

(From Ramesh Mahadevan - An Algorithmic Approach to ModernTamil Verse)

Algorithm number 1 is very simple. Just take any object. Think for a second and discover one of its attributes. It doesn't matter if there is anything creative or poetic about the attribute and the object. You simply say 'Object-kku attribute azhagu'. For example,
Rasathukku uppazhagu, vishathukku warning azhagupazhathukku juice azhagu, kizhathukku thadi azhagu(Salt beautifies rasam; 'warning' beautifies poison; juice beautifies a fruit and a walking stick beautifies an old person)
You can carry this one step further and compose the next stanza,
Wire-kku current azhagu Vaigaikku karai azhaguVayatrukku thoppul azhagu, vairathukku muthazhagu(current is cute for the wire bank is cute for Vaigai river bellybutton is cute for the belly and diamond is cute for pearl)
Here, the 'Vaigai' line is important - so that old fashioned, conventional guys are satisfied that you are not Picasso-like modernist when it comes to crafting verses. And 'vairathukku muthazhagu' is one of those phrases you quietly slip in, hoping that no one would analyze it, because it sounds 'meaningful' and cute itself, even though it doesn't mean a damn thing.


Read the whole thing <here>


joot.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

As Ravi reads this article (over and over again), he rubs his hands in glee and just cant wait for April 14 when he is sure to expect explosive ecstacy. There arent better things to do in life than listening to Maestro's works of art when he's at the peak of his powers...

Neways, http://in.news.yahoo.com/050210/54/2jjgy.html

Thursday, February 10, 2005

This was a really good interview..I think i totally agree that indians always overstate success and w/o any doubt are over-sensitive..He really speaks like a guru !

Well, its been quite some time since i watched television so much.. the past few days, i was at home most of the time and back to watching 'malcolm in the middle','general hospital(!)' etcetera ! Television can certainly be addictive..At home in the afternoons, eating, watching some sitcom and having a good nap -- nothing to beat it ..3 out of these 4 weekdays was spent like that !!

Finished my day on a high y'day as the lakers finally won 1 on the road..Much more satisfying that they won a thriller..Kobe, plz come back soon. This is getting too close for comfort..

I have listening to music from the movie 'April Mathathil' - maan..super-duper songs some of them..I caNT believe it has taken me so much time to discover this..

Currently listening to -- Manasu rendu (kathal kondein)

Varta

Monday, February 07, 2005

I was talking to a guy y'day about getting F-1 racing to India and especially abt C.Naidu's attempts to get 1 at hyd'bad..I am all for it..I believe it would be a good revenue/job generator.
But the other guy said we should address more pressing issues at hand like poverty and other socialist stuff..Even after i tried to make him understand that the govt is not going to pump in all the money and it could be done in part by FII's for instance.
Talking to pseudo-socialists is tough ! They try to relate everything to social issues, often much more than a proper socialist .




Sunday, February 06, 2005

If narain does put on a good show and consequently the viewership ratings in india go really high, i would then tend to think that some good team in f-1 would be asked by the f-1 mgmt to take narain..If narain gets to say BAR Honda next yr, that would be a great thing..I mean, his performance would also improve, being in a better car..Hence, his performance would be critical to F-1 revenues itself..

Kovai kusumboda schumi ku thanni kaaminga vaadhiyaare !

-ravi.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

She gave me great hopes,
She gave me sweet dreams when it all began,
She made me hard-working,
Everything about her was so sweet, I was in love with her..

Fast forward 4 months...

She gives me anything but hope,
She gives me nightmares in bed,
She's made me think about fate and luck,
And mate, I anything but love her..



My thesis, although getting disasterous by the day,seems to be making a poet out of me !

Sunday, January 30, 2005

All you guys (Esp guys in the US) are going to love me for this gr8 link (Trying to think u guys hv not seen this !!)
http://openscroll.org/ramesh/

Very cool articles..Being a senior grad now(final year la), tending to appreciate it a lot more !

Watched Shaq after a long time toDAY..he looked good w/o doubt..Lakers are in quite some trouble this time, esp after kobe's injury..Lets hope they come back or atleast kobe comes back.

Watched Baba again in the spaCE OF 1 week..Some movies are not meant to be comical but they actually are nothing but that.This 1 fits that bill very well. The main problem i think was that the screenplay was by rajni..(thinking rajni was my favorite at 1 time!!)

JooT..
ravi

Monday, January 24, 2005

Back to the land of honey from Singara Chennai..
1 month went by in a flash and it just feels like I was doing all the Thxgiving shopping y'day !
Madras was really cool..I mean, the climate was warm and sunny..Tht makes it cool..
Had been to Mysore/B'lore, Pondy/Cuddalore and T'pathi..Ofcourse, Mandaveli was infinitely better for me than any of the other places tho !
hmm..Another 2 more yrs before i get back to Kozhambu chaadam with the combo..mmm..Talk abt being spoon-fed !
Any1 who likes reading mystery shudnt miss out on the Da Vinci code..Amzing flow with continued high tempo of suspense/thrill..Dan Brown makes Ludlum look ordinary. Heard there's a movie adaptation of the same.
Back in Knoxville..Back to freaky weather..-12 Degrees sometime last weekend..Too much for a kabaali like me who was lazing in 30 degrees to adapt to suddenly..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/sherlock for all those holmes fans out there..

Varta
rAVi