Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Bhooka Naan ...

Came across this link on Times of India website. I guess now with KKR performing so bad seems buchanan bashing wont stop either. Please read this 

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Addictions/entry/why-kkr-coach-john-boka

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

God bats for India

Truly said Cricket is the religion and Sachin is god. They way Sachin batted yesterday against Kolkata Knightriders, I guess all the speculations about he is past his prime have subsided. Media, Fans, Bloggers and everyone else even having slightest of interest in the game have been showering praises on him. 

That majestic pull against Ishant for six, reminding of something similar against Andy Caddick in WC 2003 and the towering six of Mendis which went outside the stadium, making the mystery spinner forget all this tweaks and turns were pure vintage tendulkar, class apart. 

Had read an article a few months back by Peter Rebouck on cricinfo, about how cricket will never be the same when he quits the game. Cricket is religion in India just because Tendulkar comes out to bat. There have been Dravids and Gangulys in Indian cricket but no one has been able to match the aura of the god. He is the man who unites this deeply divided country. When he is batting, no1 cares who is around, we are all Indians. At common places you can easily observe the difference in attendance when he is batting and he is out. 

If you are a cricket fan I bet your ultimate desire is India winning the world cup with Tendulkar playing a majestic inning. When he retires there will be Dhonis, Sehwags and Yuvrajs but I doubt I have seen someone in this younger generation who can fill his boots. For fans like me, for whom cricket matters because Tendulkar playes this game, cricket will never be the same once he quits. I agree people will move on but the little master padding up and coming out to bat will be missed by all. The cricketing world will be overwhelmed when he quits and world will see a
 farewell which no1 has ever seen. 

I came across a very interesting post on Facebook, a collection of comments people have made about Sachin Tendulkar. I have copied it here for you guys. 

PS: Offcourse this misses the legendary one form The Don himself "He bats like me"

@Hashim Amla:
"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin
Tendulkar on it."
Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a
flight
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
@yaseer hameed:
"Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid
and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job."
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
"To Sachin, the man we all want to be"
- What Andrew Symonds wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed
specially for Sachin
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium,
there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure.
Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us,
even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom.
When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their
lives "
BBC on Sachin
------------------------------ ------------------------------ -----------------------------
But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds
or a game - until Tendulkar was out.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ -----------------------------
"Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?" Wasim Akram to Abdul
Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
@Brian Charles Lara again
Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
"We did not lose to a team called India...we lost to a man called
Sachin" -
Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ---------------------------
@M. L. Jaisimha:
"The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his
best knock."
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ---------------------------
@McGrath:
"The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with
which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate
humility - all make for a one-in-a-billion individual,"
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ---------------------------
@Wife Anjali:
"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute
longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out
there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play,"
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ---------------------------
@ HAYDEN - 
"I HAVE SEEN GOD, HE BATS AT NO.4 FOR INDIA"
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ---------------------------
"Even my father's name is Sachin Tendulkar."
Tendulkar's daughter, Sara, tells her class her father's name after the
teacher informs them of a restaurant of the same name in Mumbai
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ---------------------------
KUMBLE : I am fortunate that I've to bowl at him only in the nets!
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ---------------------------
@ Shahrukh Khan -
quoting Shahrukh from an interview

Que: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shahrukh: There was a big party where stars from bollywood and cricket
were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching
Amitabh Bachhan.
Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a
grab of the GENIUS!!
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
@Navjot Singh Sidhu:
India me aap PrimeMinister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte
hain..Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte..
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
@waqar younis:
He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also .
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
A banner once said-' I WILL SEE GOD WHEN I DIE BUT TILL THEN I WILL SEE
SACHIN ' that quiet defines Sachin-The greatest.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has
many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over
the world -- Allan Donald
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------
And i remember reading in one of Allan Donald's interview. This
interview was in Cricket Talk and 7-8 yrs ago.

I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from
point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and
the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting i told Jonty (Rhodes)
to be alert and i know a way to pin Sachin. And i delivered the first ball of my next over
and it was a fuller length delevery outside offstump. And i shouted catch. To my
astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His
reflex time is the best i have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket better not
prepare. Atleast u wont regret if he hits you for boundaries.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------
Peter Rebouck - aussie journalist:
On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the
stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual.
Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway
officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the
century.
This Genius can stop time in India!!
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ -----------------
Andy Flower:
There are 2 kinds of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all
the others.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Sports Review :)

PFA Awards were declared yesterday and what a tribute to Ryan Giggs. The glittering career he has had, being the most successful player in English football, he truly deserves it. Although many people might argue that he should not have got that award for this seasons display, I think the impact he has had in important matches, most importantly completely outshining Lampard, Ballack and company at old trafford, he deserves it. If united win the two trophies this season to play for, I guess he will be in line to be awarded Knighthood. Sir Ryan Giggs .. sounds good !!

Had a look at the PFA team of the year as well and seems fine to me. Although I am bitterly disappointed with my favorite player "Wayne Rooney" missing out again in the list. Since last 3 years united have dominated the list, still rooney hasn't featured once. I agree Torres has been excellent and truly deserves it, while anelka was the leading goal scorer till last weekend, should be in the list for central strikers role. But rooney offers much more extra, a total team player which any coach in this world will like to have :)

Apart from it, I am religiously following FakeIPL blog and loving it. The guy is truly a genius and the nicknames are awesome. Still wondering who is Mangal Pandey thou in this latest post. Any clue about that?

IPL may not be generating the same TRP's as last year, still after a few rain interruptions and one sided affairs, the excitement is back. Recently almost every match has been close calls, down to last over of the second innings. Last year powerhouses like Rajasthan. Chandigarh and Chennai are struggling while Hyderabad and Delhi and rocking the table. I am betting on Chennai or Delhi, lets see how it goes!!

Last but not the last there is something amiss from this years formula 1. Traditional powerhouses like Ferrari, Mclaren and Renault are struggling badly and Brawn and RedBull are setting up the times. Common Ferrari, a win at Barcelona please!!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

pain in the ass !!

  • Facebook updates
  • Liverpool & Rafa Benitez .. second to only facebook updates
  • Ever increasing number of network invitations
  • Tactical breaks, DLF Maximum, Citi moment of success :P
  • My wait for the next assignment !!
  • Daily routine .. refer to my previous post

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Childhood memoirs

Just for fact, a saw a milkman feeding thums up to his pregnant cow give her relief. Can you imagine this thing happening say 15 years back? Not a chance !!

Was wondering how much the world has changed in last 24 years of my existence. There is a stark contrast between our childhood and one experienced by kids now a days. What people from our generation experienced, things that were integral part of our childhood are more or less left only in the back of our mind. I would like to list a few ...
  1. Naagraj and Super Commando Dhruv .. am not sure they are as popular now a days!!
  2. Watching "rukawat ke liye khed hai" on Doordarshan :)
  3. Endless discussions on Tendulkar vs rest and who is the best !! Discussing that in every spare moment we got during school hours. I will be with Tendulkar any day!!
  4. Byomkesh bakshi .. desi answer to Sherlock Holmes :P
  5. Nirma jingle and "maan gaye deepika jee .. apki parkhi nazar n nirma super .. dono ko"
  6. Collecting trump cards of wrestlers and cricketers from Big Fun / Boomer / Big Babool
  7. Old telephone sets ... I dont remeber any specific term .. anyways U know what I am talking about .. and thinking cordless phones were so cool :)
  8. Contessa on road used to make our day .. the coolest car ever :)
  9. Street Hawk :) .. Wud miss anything to catch it on Sundays !!
  10. Rangoli n Chitrahaar .. :D .. most awaited
  11. Rotating those antennas to get proper signal for Doordarshan ... not in Patna, but for sure in Netarhat, in the jungles of Jharkhand
  12. Lamberetta .. the scooter even we used to think antique :)
Still trying to remember a few more. Any more ideas?

Monday, April 13, 2009

democracy ka mahaparv :)

What a time to be in Bihar. The election fever is rising as the dates are coming closer. The fun part is what you get to read in the local news papers. Politicians trying to woo voters with taunts on rivals. i would list a few of my favourites:

नरेन्द्र मोदी: कांग्रेस 125 वर्ष पुरानी बुढ़िया पार्टी है, जवान भाजपा को वोट दें|
प्रियंका गाँधी: क्या मैं, राहुल और सोनिया बूढे लगते हैं?
नरेन्द्र मोदी: आज से बुढ़िया नही गुडिया पार्टी बोलूँगा|


लालू: नीतिश को जेरो पे आउट कर दूँगा चुनाव में|
नीतिश: लालू ख़ुद जीरो है इसलिए हीरो (संजय दत्त) को लेके चुनाव प्रचार करते हैं|

Will come up with a few more soon. The point is what spicy things you get to read in regional hindi newspapers, you will never get in elite Times of India / HT.
Guys subscribe for a month and grab your copy now. :)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Uphill task on the cards !!

I cant believe this is the same Manchester United defense which kept 11 consecutive clean sheets in the premier league. May be players were damn tired after the Aston Villa game. Whatever be the reasons but fact of the matter is we allowed Porto 2 away goals, so crucial in the champions league.
Sloppy defending and out of sorts midfield for major part of the match may cost us the trophy.

ManU now face an uphill task at Porto in a weeks time, and they have to do what no other teams has done before this season, beat Porto in Porto.

The ammunition at our disposal, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Giggs etc can turn the things around, but we will have to play like champions :)

We can do it, this is the philosophy of the club and fans believe in it.
Viva Ronaldo & Win at porto :)
cheers !!

Monday, April 6, 2009

back on top !!

I am in wonderland and just thrilled how Macheda turned and fired home the last gasp equalizer to send Red Devils back on EPL summit. What an eventful weekend as EPL action resumed. Yesterday Liverpool scored in injury time and ManU returned favor today.

I thought we were in control when Ronaldo scored his first goal but all credit to Aston Villa to lead 2-1. What happened after 75 minutes was stuff of dreams. I was too bloody nervous thinking losing streak will be 3, the squad however showed grit, wtf if we had 6 7 first team players missing through injury and suspension. All thanks to Ronaldo and Macheda, two wonder goals out of no where, we are back on top. Thats the ManU spirit!!

Viva Ronaldo & ManU for EPL & Champions League :)

Liverpool and Chelsea, show us what you have got!!
Cheers !!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

8 x 10 Tasveer

13B, Aa Dekhen Zara n now 8 x 10 Tasveer !! Bollywood's tryst with time shifts continue .. 
8 x 10 is Aa Dekhen Zara with real actors .. 

and offcourse Akshay's mom is the killer !!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

go for nano !!

Finally nano is on display and I was lucky enough yesterday to had a detailed look at it. To me it seems to be an ideal city car, but for sure no way for highways. Test drives are not allowed as of now, so can't comment about engine performance but by looks its really cool.
Contrary to the size it has ample boot space. Smartly designed, no matter you are on driver / passenger seat, its way more comfortable than alto / zen / 800. I am 5' 11'' and I felt quite comfortable inside. But the boot space is small and you can hardly put in a laptop bag or a small suitcase. 
But for indian roads, where traffic hardly moves above 50 in peak hours this is the car to go for :)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

for what?

Read newspaper today .. "Aishwarya Rai Bachhan" receives Padma Shri from President Pratibha Patil
Since then I am trying to think for what? All because Samajwadi Party is supporting the UPA in the center? The Padma award are a mockery now !! After ministries, this is a new way to satisfy your alliance partners I guess.
Why should Aishwarya get it anyway apart for the reason of being Big B's bahu?
1.  Remove a few Bhansali movies and with SRK, I can't even count a good movie of her .. is her contribution to Indian cinema that great? She is not that great an actress anyways!!
2. Brand ambassador in Hollywood .. common .. now way .. we have been reading quite a bit about her hollywood projects .. well I cant remeber of except 2 mins in Pink Panther 2. :)
3. For living her life to the fullest, having countless affairs and then marrying abhishek for bachhan surname? I guess this is the real reason. 

I wonder what PR activity can do for u !! :D