We won the PTL Corp Cup on Saturday beating EMC in the final. I was pretty lucky scoring 35 opening the batting and picking up 4 wickets to be the "Man of the Final". Was a really one-sided game though.
Also was declared "Man of the Match" for our Qtr final game for my 58 opening the innings.
I just started reading "The World is Flat" by Tom Friedman. I must confess, Im a little let down by his need to devote an entire chapter (or the better part of it) to explaining why he chose this name. Nandan Nilekani, the Infosys CEO apprently said to him "Tom, the playing field is being levelled". From that, this guy seems to have derived "The World is Flat" in a blaze of astonishing brilliance that borders on the transcendental kiss of intelligence that got the earth living at the end of the sixth day.
Yes, Tom Friedman is a little delusional ... he almost has the tenor of a schoolboy titling an essay he thinks will kick ass. He likes a bombastic title because he thinks it sounds cool and it will help sell his book to all North Americans dreaming of working in a Call-Centre. It does help sell his book - as much for the title and content as much as for the perceived fading of that particular American dream!!! It's a clever piece of marketing. Where Tom just trips, falls and lands on his nose is by justifying the title and making it sounds like a natural evolution of a conversation with an Indian business leader...and making it sound like the synaptic singularity when God touched Adam in that famous painting. That's plain silly.
Nevertheles, the book is defintely readable... the journalist and reporter in Tom does a good job of mapping macro-economic developments and social phenomena. Not an impossible task, but its noteworthy because of its timing and pertinence.
Read the book by all means - but be aware of the misreprentations. The book, for e.g. ignores altogether the Indian view that outsourcing of low-end jobs is not necessarily the greatest thing for India - for one, it is going to restrict our youth from achieving their true potential. We have engineers and Masters' degree holders sitting in Call-Centre for Christs sake.
Stop with your counter arguments - you dont need to sell them to me. I am well aware of the arguments of economics that justify the call-centre phenomenon that we are witness to.
I simply would encourage the country to start delivering higher quality services rather and utilize our super-potential rather than pick the low hanging fruit.
It seems that one cannot post cover versions of songs to mp3.com. Only original music can be posted on a royalty-waiver basis.
Given that I have only cover versions so far, I dont think mp3.com is going to work for me. I looked around for alternatives but could not find any. Does anyone know of anything else out there that can work?
I covered and posted the hit song "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. Let me know if you want to know where it is. you can write to spa1976 at gmail dot com.
Today was a really interesting day's cricket. Kumar, Phanish, Ganesh and I joined Subbu from the GFIC team. Subbu called us frantically last night since their side was running short on players. There are 2 main teams at Oracle. The strongest and oldest is the IDC team and GFIC comes second. We were playing iFlex in a league game at one of the local inter-company tournament games. iFlex batted first.
We bowled badly for the most part. Strangely, I was the exception, getting in my overs at less than 5 per over. They got to 199 in their allotted 23 overs.
While we were getting hit to all corners of the ground, I kept smiling to myself. "Wait till you blokes have to bowl to us" was the simple thought revolving in my mind. Watching the other team cheer every boundary and six, and observing their excitement can be unnerving in most cases, but for us, it is something we simply flick off the cuff. If we batted even half as well as we can, we are always pretty sure we will end up winning side. This holds good against all but 4 or 5 teams in Bangalore. iFlex was not one of those. Most teams in Bangalore are aware of our batting lineup. I dont think iFlex was.
200 was a stiff target and I was surprised when I was asked to open especially since I hadn't played for over 5 weeks. I padded up and looked for a helmet. There was nothing I could use. The opening bowler was about 6'2" and the wicket had unpredictable bounce. Never a good idea to walk out on an unpredictable matting wicket without a helmet. The turf wickets are usually so dead in Bangalore that you never need a helmet, except maybe at the Chinnaswamy. Anyway, without an option, I simply put on my trusty blue cap and walked out to open with consolatory self-affirmation that my reflexes would ensure that my arm would get in the way if the ball did misbehave and zeroed in on my face or head.
I was hit on the back of my head by a stray throw from a fielder once and I can tell you its not a great feeling.
The guy at the other end didn't want to take strike so I did. The first ball was a leg bye for 4. The second one was a late outswinger which I did well to watch closely and block. Sure enough, the third was dug in short and was directed headward. I steered it over short fine leg for a boundary. What kind of idiot bolws a short one with fine leg and square leg up? I cracked the next one through point for another four.
When I played the same bowler again, in the following over, he pitched the first ball up and I cannoned it to the point boundary, driving on one knee. Thats something I always like to do, and I dont think I've done it better. That must have really got to him. He pitched the next one up and I edged it. The ball flew to first slip who spilled the hot chance. The bowler said something. I smiled at first and then decided to teach him a lesson. I flicked the next one for four and hit the following one over his head for another boundary. I ran up to him and asked him if he had anything left to say. Then I went to their Capt at the end of the over and told him to have him to have the idiot shut up in the future. That took care of it. Of course it helped that I was belting it all over today.
Tangles on a cricket field dont look as effective when you are at the receiving end. I always avoid them, but I've always made it a point to go after a bowler who is stupid enough to get after me or my team-mates. Thankfully, I have always come off better so far.
I got to 41 off 26 balls with 8 fours and six and then played a silly sweep shot to the first ball of a spinner and lost my wicket. It was a really poor shot, but I was high on confidence and I really believed I would connect. Difficult to always make the right decision when the momentum is with you. The opposition Capt and bowler tried to make amends for the opening bowler's indiscretion by applauding my innings. Nice touch.
Kumar Kannan was at the other end and mine was the second wicket to fall. We were going at 10 an over or so. We lost a couple more wickets but Kanna was going at those hapless blokes with all guns blazing. At the end of 12 overs, we were at 110+, but still needed 80 odd off the last 8. KK said something about the situation being poised and I remember agreeing. Kanna and Ganesh were at the crease. 20 minutes later it was all done and dusted. Kanna came back on an unbeaten 74 to be Man of the Match. Ganesh finished with an unbeaten 33. We had got the 80 runs in 5 overs. We won with 3 overs to spare.
Its fascinating, how satisfying some wins are. Its also amazing to be part of a super-team, which we have been for the last 3 years or so. I have so many memories and learnings which I will carry forever.
And there is nothing better than the feeling that you are going to end up on the winning team no matter how big the total of the opposition is going to be. When you know you belong to a team that simply kicks ass. That simply doesn't care about the bowlers in the opposition because they just know they are better.
That feeling doesn't come very often in life. It's a great feeling that we must cherish, no matter what form it arrives in.
Been a while ... hello all ...nice to come up for air after all those weeks of sheer stress .... demos, presentations, speaking... gosh ... enough. THe low point has to be a demo completley blown to pieces on an analyst call...the damn demo environment was down.... was up even 5 minutes before the call began.
On the positive side, I got to visit one of my favourite places again ... the sight of the Big Sur is burned again in my memory. More musings as I see the diversity in experiences and diversity in people and diversity in the experiences of people.
Before I hit the sack I have to mention something.... everytime I visit the US, I hear one great song. This time, it has to be "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. Brilliant! I absolutely intend to do a cover version at some point, which I shall post with the others, but to truly appreciate the soul of the song, you should listen to the original.
I'm submerged by a burst of work these days and its going to last pretty much till Oct ... strangely enough, listening to the songs I recorded, esp 'Creep' gives me a sense of calm ... maybe it brings memories of a calm day when I recorded the song
Recording per se is a lot like meditation or like batting ... I can't remember working so hard ever to get something right ... everything has to work for the duration of the song. You have to hit the notes, you cannot miss a chord... its like watching the first ball of a cricket match when the bowler runs in... there is no room for doubt - you just have to be in a state where it works! You have to let go, and then engage and then let go as your mind proceeds to complete execution.
If you put a foot wrong, you simply have to get back to the start and begin all over again ... and after the 4th or 5th attempt, it can really get a little tiring.
Unable to record anything this weekend since my wavepad subscription ran out. I added a few more tracks last week though. Was able to cover versions of 'Iris','You say it best', and an abbreviated version of U2's 'One'.
Also managed to drive all the way to the Art of Living ashram, something that had aroused my curiosity a while ago. The first thing that strikes you about the place is the amount of land it occupies. Really something! How did he manage to get that much space? I spent some time walking around the halls and suchlike, and watched a huge number of people in some course in the main temple. All of them were visitors from different parts of the country and are apparently staying in the accomodation provided.
So, this is what new age spirituality looks like. The place is a theme resort in many ways. They have their own book/souvenir stores, which are rather poignantly called "Divine Shops". Is divinity for sale? I guess there is a fundamental dichotomy between economics and spirituality, and any attempt to bridge that is instantly blatant.
As with any other spiritual place, this one too has its share of white people seeking to experience India's oldest export. Several look happy in their assurance that they are trying. Others look bewildered.
The view from the main temple is really something. That part of Bangalore has a wonderful undulating relief which is very easy on the eye indeed.
And this, I dedicate to a character who came out of nowhere to be the best pirate in the world.
Why is the second movie so poor? The squid/octopus thingy rules the screen and poor Jack is near invisible. I simply loved the first movie ... this one was really disappointing. Depp is brilliant, as brilliant as he was the first time around, if such a thing may be possible probable or plausible, as he might venture to assert.
As a parting shot on a familiar topic, the crowding and suffocation of my pretty city bangalore, I must say the problem has reached epochal proportions. Enter the stupid forum mall on a saturday at your own risk. It is infested with human life :-) ... If I walked through the railway station, I'd probably have fewer visitors bump into me.
One of the institutes I went to in Bangalore was Christ College, where I spent two years in Pre-Univ between School and Engineering. It was a beautiful place and still is, although it has way too many new buildings for my liking.
Once in a way, I walk into the campus for a brilliant cup of freshly ground coffee that a vendor there provides. In my previous trips I didnt see too many students there. It was possible I went there during the holidays.
Today, there was a football match waiting to begin. As it was all those years ago, a crowd began to gather as well. Most students after finishing class went through the popular routine of finding a place to sit with their friends. I remember the time I used to be under the bar as goalkeeper for the team ... aah fond memories, now, so long ago.
It was an imposing experience given that it was a long time since I'd seen such a large number of teenagers all together. I sat around to watch the start of the game and in the process heard and observed a lot more than I had in the past few months given my monochromatic corporate existence.
Here are the changes 0. There are sooooo many more girls now ... much more than before!! :-) 1. The girls have become so much prettier & hotter than they used to be. 2. All of them seem to wear perfume 3. All of them seem to dress in the tightest clothes they can fit into! 4. A number of them smoke. 5. Quite a few of them have no problem with giving you a long stare and holding it. 6. A number of them openly discuss who their new boyfriends are - right out of 'Sex and the City' or one of these other controversial tv shows. 7. The culture seems really permissive - a lot of them sit fairly cosied up with guys who all look like they want David Bechkam hairdos but just dont have enough gel :-) 8. All of them have cell phones, and most of them are more expensive than mine (where do they get the money from??) 9. Many of them look into the distance, without looking at the game (are they merely in contemplation or are they just there in an effort to be noticed?)
Lastly, I sensed that a certain innocence had disappeared. The simpler joys no longer matter. Looking at the someone in the distance is no longer the source of any pleasure when the girl is practically sitting in your lap, I guess.
There also is a severe polarisation, probably more than there ever was. The number of yuppie kids in those days was very few, but now the number has grown. While the non-yuppies in those days (I was one of them), merely assumed that we were the norm and the yuppies were an aberration. We didn't think there was anything wrong with having little or nothing to spend and didn't really bother about fitting in .... we were everyone, or almost everyone! The student demographic no longer supports that security or state of mind.
There seem to be as many yuppies as there are non-yuppies, and I wonder how much more difficult it is these days for the non-yuppies. At an age where perceptions can be so much stronger than at any other point in life, I hope they walk their paths with faith in the future. It cannot be easy for them. The polarisation in India is usually terrible at the best of times, since it is so readily correlated with prospects and expectations relating to everything, not to mention a place in the world. I hope enough of these folks stay alive to the awakening economy and draw strength from that instead of getting mired in assessing and being drawn into a shell created by a lack of confidence rooted in their present states and comparisons, as they walk through a student car park everyday, filled with shiny cars beyond the reach of even most well paid professionals.
Finally, I wanted to show my friend a new natural park built in the back of the college (showcasing several beautiful birds of the feathered kind). A super addition to the already beautiful campus. As I walked onward I was stopped in my path by the sight of someone approaching. Prof. Gangadhar who taught me Mathematics back in those days. I was so pleased to see him. He had the same look of kindness in his eyes and gentle manner than endeared him to us back then. We were among the first batch of students he taught. He must've been about 24 then ....14 years abo. He looked a lot older than I expected, although it could just be my memory unwilling to join the dots. He recognised me instantly and we chatted for a while. I made my inquiries about his other friends among the teachers. I was amazed to know that they all still taught there. A snapshot I will cherish for a while.
On my way back, I did catch a few more glimpses of the football ... the quality seems to have dropped quite a bit ... not everything gets better, does it?
Another fork in the road hisses a now familiar war cry ... 'Decide' The drizzle gathers a rain And stars peer through clouds
I stand my ground, to stare down the fork Before too long, my mind winces As the first arrows find their mark, Burning through my present
I retaliate, and send beams of thought down each side To illuminate both flanks of the darkness To vanquish ... a foe, a friend, my own turbid silence
A battle drains a mind, As a war drains a spirit. They work in perfect harmony, To clear a path for the Universe
But for now, the Gods wager, Indulging in their favourite sport. In the distance, constellations smile at another mind, hypnotised by itself
Such is the nature of the world That dazzles an unenlightened mind, through dilemmas, faith and fear Watching it carry its burden - a perfect soul, Slowly to a promised land.
One of those cases where a song's acoustic rendition is far superior to its plugged-in version. This has got to be one of the most amazing acoustic performances by a heavy music band. Wonder why Live didn't do more of these.
Ive spent most of my weekend so far recording songs... unfortunately mp3.com says they are going to take time to validate the account, etc etc. I uploaded my files to esnips ... the file sharing site.
If you want to know where they are, leave your email address here and I will invite you. alternatively send me an email at spa1976 at gmail and i will get back to u
Its strange. Three people I know have reported a strange injury. The metatarsals are the bones which constitute the foot, specifically the long bones between the ankle and the toes.
All three have broken the same bone in the most innocuous manner possible. One guy broke it while walking from his car to the pavement, as he stepped on a pointed stone.
Another guy broke it while going jogging, again, as he stepped on a stone.
I can't remember the third case, but it was something similar.
Strange, isn't it ... these injuries are extremely rare. And for them to happen all together to people I know all at roughly the same time ..... hmm .... please keep your eyes on the road.
I also look forward to hearinng anyone sing "Creep" by Radiohead. On Rockstar, this guy, Lukas Rossi, who so far was an arrogant punk sang it like a dream. Must say he really redeemed himself. It has to rate as one of the most stirring performances of Creep I have ever seen.
A good friend shifted from Chennai to Bangalore and is going to live here for the next few years. He and his wife invited me to their new place for dinner on Sat night. They have rented this 'Total Environment' built apartment called "Shine On". I just found out that most of the properties built by Total Environment are named after Pink Floyd songs. This is the builder known for its their attention to creating greenery around the living areas. For e.g. this apartment they rented has a lawn on the balcony .. on the 4th floor!!!!
Great evening ... I will remember it as the night I gave my first solo performance if you can call it that ..... turns out I have learnt quite a few songs on the guitar ... following were some that featured
Wish you were here - Pink Floyd Love will keep us alive - Eagles The Scientist - Coldplay Hazard - Richard Marx Dreaming my Dreams - The Cranberries Drive - The Cars The First Cut is the Deepest - Cat Stevens Wherever You May Go - The Calling When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating Losing My Religion - R.E.M Stand By Me - Ben E King Nothingman - Pearl Jam Your Song - Elton John Wonderwall - Oasis On the turning away - Pink Floyd The Sad Cafe - Eagles
Came back pretty late .... wondered however... pristine apartment, chaos all around on Old Madras road... incessant noise, dust, nuisance, no street lights .... reminded me of something a friend once said. ... all these high priced apartments in BLR(most homes are in excess of $140,000) simply are restricted to the 4 walls of your house, the moment you step outside, a leveller awaits.
What he meant, is better understood when you know that apartments in parts of US and Canada are around $100,000 and provide very different surroundings. When is our Govt going to wake up?
An old friend of mine .... hold on ... I got to know him when I was doing my Pre-Univ, in 1992, so that takes it back 14 years, is getting married.
What began as an arranged marriage effort turned quickly into great love from both sides and these two send each other SMSs non stop ... recently his telco charged him 1700 bucks for a month, most of which was spent on SMS ... can you believe that!!!!
Anyway, he was saying something interesting today ... well not that interesting to me since it is something that I have analyzed in sufficient detail .... he was saying that both he and his fiancee are so full of emotion on email and sms, but when they meet, its not as emotional as it is in the virtual world. I guess this is mostly because they always meet in the presence of families and I imagine they cannot be themselves.
However, this reminded me of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez line, a variant of which I had enunciated in a conversation with a friend several years ago... I was thrilled when I learnt that GGM had said the same thing ....
"I love you not for who you are, but for who I am when I am by your side".
I think this is pretty true .... so often we know someone who fundamentally remains the same yet engenders an attraction after a while. The line must ring true here .... we are enchanted by a conception of ourselves that suddenly is born or reborn from time to time, triggered by our ability to use another as a mirror and see this aspect of ourselves.
Probably also explains why we fall out of love so easily as well ... the enchantment disappears and so does our interest in the mirror.
This attraction game seems driven by the need of the soul to entertain itself.
Nevermind, life is supposed to be an illusion anyway ... this is but a manifestation of the greater cover-up job :-)
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
shiv_arya's journal
good
contemplative