Friday, January 19, 2007

Big Brother, the West Indies series and Movies

All this hullabulloo about racist taunts on the Celebrity Big Brother show has me quite amused. What's new about racism anyways? We all know that it exists, and most of the Indian's living abroad have faced it, one time or another. And on Big Brother, most of the comments are either because of petty jealousy and sometimes immaturity. But the entire episode has given a great boost to the image of Shilpa Shetty, whose star was definitely ont he wane here at home. Guess all the publicity she's getting out of ths will bode well for her, and hopefully some international offers may also come her way.

The recent squad announced for the West Indies series does not come as a surprise for many. As expected, Sehwag and Pathan got the axe, while Ganguly makes a comeback. But I'm pretty friggin' excited about Robin Uthappa making a comeback into the national team after playing just 2 ODI's the last time around. He's been in great nick in the domestic season this time around, and hopefully he'll carry his form into the national side, putting pressure on Sehwag to retain his spot for the World Cup.

It's been quite some time since I saw a movie, be it on DVD or in a Movie Hall. However, this weekend promises much excitement on that front. I have quite a line-up of movies which are waiting to be watched. Will update and post reviews of the movies later.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Kodachadri beckoned again...

I had to answer the call. Almost 2 years after my first trek there, I got a chance to revisit the place, thanks to my enthusiastic bunch of trekker friends. This time though, I was better prepared for the trek, thanks to my regular work-outs at the gym.

This trek was quite different from all my other previous treks. For one, we had a guide (a local kid called Ganapathi) who ensured that we visited the local Idlumane Waterfalls before we set out on the trail to the top. Secondly, the trail we took was not the most popular one. This one was longer than the other trails. And thirdly, after the trek, we ended up beach bumming in Kapu! All in all, a trek to remember.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Booze and Cricket do not mix

Lots of expensive champagne, wine etc etc etc. And what does our cricket team do? They use it to trash their dressing room. And as a result, there might be an embarassing situation with the BCCI having to foot the repair bill (seemingly beyond cleaning, the dressing room), because the guys did not, in Rahul Dravid's words, drink their drink.

In other cricket news, Karnataka is now in the second place of Elite Gropu A of the Ranji Trophy. With one game to go against Saurashtra, Karnataka, on current form, and with the return of Dravid and Kumble to the team, can be assured of a place in the Semi-Finals.



Friday, January 05, 2007

Depressing

Molestations in Mumbai. Murders near Noida. Attacks on tourists. Quite a grim day to be reading a newspaper. So much so, that I desparately tried to look for some good news. And I found none.

What grabbed my attention though, was the claim by the PWD minster of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh's brother, that these murders were normal and regular occurences. Whoa! What an irresponsible, insensitive piece of shit this guy is! Maybe his kid must be cut up, organs removed, and thrown in a gutter packed in a gunny bag for him to realise how heart rending this can be. And the cops, well, the lesser said about them, the better. Their lack of interest in doing their duty borders on the criminal. I pray for mob fury to boil over, and that they attack and lynch those shitheads.

Apart from a few people, the generation before us has failed our country. Sad, but true.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Karnataka's re-emergence in Cricket?

Venkatesh Prasad was appointed coach of Karnataka, after the erstwhile champions seemed to have lost their way in the wilderness, doing pretty badly in the previous couple of editions of the Ranji Trophy. Also, this season saw the return of the prodigal son, Yere Goud, who gave up his spot in the Railways team, to lead Karnataka.


The scene this season is quite different. Though the season began on an ominous note, with a huge defeat against Baroda, Karnataka has gone from strength to strength, with wins against Haryana, title holders Uttar Pradesh and a draw against Andhra Pradesh, after reaching a seemingly hopeless position. As I write this, Karnataka has scored 420 odd runs in their first innings against Tamil Nadu.

The team packed with younsters is doing a commendable job. Stalwarts Yere Goud, Thilak Naidu and Sunil Joshi are shepherding the flock quite well, with coach Prasad doing a seemingly good job. The star performer for Karnataka though has been Robin Uthappa, with an aggregtae of around 66 in this season. He has been quite consistent in his performances for India A, and a consistent season (and possibly the title) this time around should give him more than a decentchance to make it back into the Indian squad.

Let's hope that the glory days of Karnataka cricket are back.

Get more info about the Ranji 06-07 season here.

The Quick Guide to classy insults


This is good fun. I got this in a forward, and thought i must put it up. Read on, enjoy and make sure you use them at least once everyday.


He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
-- Winston Churchill


"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
-- Clarence Darrow

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
-- Winston Churchill


"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."
-- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"
-- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)


"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it."
-- Moses Hadas

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know."
-- Abraham Lincoln

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
-- Groucho Marx

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."
-- Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
-- Oscar Wilde


"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring a friend... if you have one."
-- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second night...if there is one."
-- Winston Churchill, in response


"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here."
-- Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."
-- John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."
-- Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others."
-- Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."
-- Paul Keating

"He had delusions of adequacy."
-- Walter Kerr

"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure."
-- Jack E. Leonard

"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt."
-- Robert Redford

"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge."
-- Thomas Brackett Reed

"He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them."
-- James Reston (about Richard Nixon)

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily."
-- Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."
-- Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?"
-- Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
-- Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
-- Oscar Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts...
for support rather than illumination."
-- Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music."
-- Billy Wilder


"Sir, if you were my husband, I'd give you poison." (Member of Parliament to Winston Churchill)

"Madam, if I were your husband, I'd take it." (His response)

Here without you...

To my love...

A hundred days had made me older since the last time that I saw your pretty face
A thousand lights had made me colder and I don’t think I can look at this the same
But all the miles that separate disappear now when I’m dreaming of your face

I’m here without you baby but you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time

I’m here without you baby but your still with me in my dreams
And tonight it’s only you and me ...................


This.

Befuddled

Somethings, you have to believe,
The others are puzzles, puzzling me
- Coldplay , Speed of Sound
At last count, there were a million or so Shanthi Sagar hotels in the whole of Bangalore. For those who do not know what i'm talking about, Shanti Sagar refers to those "self-service with service wing also" hotels that serve reasonably good food, at reasonably cheap rates. But somewhere in the last century most of them came out with a new avatar. They started calling themselves "New Shanti Sagar". And ten-twenty years down the line, they still remain new.

I'm puzzled. I really am.

Update: They even have a website! OK, this is the real deal i guess, but there are lot of fake Shanthi sagars then. After all, i guess the original dudes were not smart enough to copyright the name.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

The Best of 2006, according to moi

Movie : The Departed, undoubtedly. Martin Scorsese's Cops-and-robbers drama not only stunned, but also made a lasting impression. Truly, there is no dierctor who can do a better job of blurring the line between good and evil. Also, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Leonardo di Caprio formed one of the most potent acting combos ever. In short, the best ever Scorsese movie. And for this reason, Scorsese is also the Best Director of the year.

When I was your age they used to say you could become cops or criminals. What I'm saying to you is this... When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?

Song : Masti Ki Paathshala. A.R Rahman and Prasoon Joshi get together for Rang De Basanti an give a great album, but the track that stands out is this, purely because the title of the song is something that every fun loving person (young or old) would relate to. Of course, the lyrics dont make much sense, but the dance moves in the song make sure that you have a good time anyways.

Actor : This one's a tie between Arshad Warsi for the Munnabhai movie and Leo Di Caprio for The Departed. Bot these actors could have hammed away to glory, considering the roles they had to play. But Warsi, as the lovable sidekick Circuit, and Di Caprio as Billy Costigan, the gangster who's actually a cop, exercise remarkable restraint, and in the process give their best performances ever.

Actress : I just cannot think of any woman artiste who's made an impression this year. Sorry.

Sporting Spectacle : Sreesanth. India vs SA. Down the pitch. Bat in air. Pelvic thrusts. The new age Indian cricketer has arrived. Not only does he take shit, he also dishes out some. Watch here.

Happy New Year!



'tis the new year. Wish you all a great year ahead. May all your dreams and wishes come true (unless it's that of me being roasted over a slow fire).