Monday, January 31, 2005

Incredible Open!!

What an Open!! Yeah, I am talking about the just concluded Australian Open. It was not a memorable one just because our very own Sania Mirza reached third round in her very first shot at the slam,not because Serena came back to winning ways but just because of the incredible tennis that was displayed by the players. This Australian open showed some fiercely competitive matches especially in men’s division.

These days men’s circuit has become all the more competitive. All the players who were “promising players” 3-4 years ago are now serving what they promised.

Although I missed most of the matches LIVE but managed to watch the highlights of most of the “best of the best” matches. No. 1,2,3 & 4 reached men’s semifinals. What more can u ask for when the best 4 in the business locked their horns in the semis. Federer Vs Safin match was a gem and that is my pick of the tournament. Although Federer lost the closely fought match, still, I feel he is a notch better than the rest three. He has got a rhythm, a silken touch in his game. He has got all the shots in the book..an elegant backhand, lovely backhand slice, powerful forehand and a strong baseline game. He is the next Sampras. Roddick and Safin are on the same platform right now while Hewitt is there because of sheer determination and because of his never-say-die spirit. He is more like Mohammad Kaif in Indian cricket team. He is not naturally gifted player but he dig in hard, hang there at crucial moments and come out with flying colours. The no. of matches that he is winning from the jaws of defeat because of these qualities is just amazing!! In these 4 players lies the future of Men’s tennis..

Other notable matches were:
Safin Vs Hewitt , Hewitt Vs Roddick , Hewitt Vs Nalbandian , Federer Vs Agassi and Hewitt Vs Rafel Nadal ( he has got some talent too!!)

Women’s circuit is a little open these days with a flurry of Russian women making their mark. Although Serena won the tournament, she is not playing her best while Venus is , quite surprisingly, fading away. Still I would like to see the beautiful Russians and the Williams sisters tested by the Belgian duo of Henin and Clijsters who are still recuperating from injury.

All in all, it was a tournament to remember because of the incredible no. of closely fought matches, because of gutsy performance of Hewitt throughout the tournament, because of Federer – Safin match and because of SANIA!!

PS: If you are commenting, don't forget to post your favourites in Men and Women circuit..

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Are you earning more than your father??

Are you earning more than your father? This is the question that is doing rounds in my mind for the last few days. No no..this is not at all to demean the efforts of a father…but in the answer to this question lies the proof of financial power of Indian youth. Most of my friends who are still in the first half of their 20’s are earning something which is equal to their age multiplied by a ‘k’. Purchasing power of youth is growing rapidly and probably the word ‘rapidly’ here is failing to justify the actual growth. It has not been a linear but an exponential growth.

The Indian youth is making it big (I am considering an age bracket of 18-28 years) For the age group of 18-22, BPO has proved to be a boon to their financial independence. They are studying as well as multiplying their pocket money ‘n’ times by working in call centers while the 22-28 guys are riding on the boom of software and telecom.

And this purchasing power is giving way to ever increasing ‘consumerism’. Every other guy is wearing a pair of Levi’s and red tape sipping Cappuccino in Barista..They are not hesitating to spend a few thousand in a glittery restaurant having Italian cuisine and drinking beer…It is their hard earned money..yes hard earned..because they are the ones who are not doing routine 10-5 jobs in a govt office but are bending their backs on their computers beating the timeline to make the project live. They are the ones who are spending sleepless nights in office working hard to complete the assignments. They are the ones who are willing to learn..to deliver and are not averse to the idea of working 14 hours a day!!

Young , energetic, educated, ambitious, career oriented and financially independent..these are the words which are defining youth of India. They are ready to take the burden on their young shoulders and to make the dream of a developed India by 2020 into a reality.

The time is fast approaching when India will take its due position on the global map and this time not through “Panchsheel” or “Non-alignment” but through the sheer economic prowess of the country. India is ready to take the big leap…

3 cheers to the power of Youth…

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Its marriage time!!

I guess this is another misleading title for you..No, No..I am not getting married…I still have at least four beautiful years ahead of me and that means I still have time before I will be crucified. And for that matter, I have not even proposed Gayatri as of now..so no question of marriage!!

Two of my classmates, during engineering, are tying the knot (with each other). So, another love marriage is in the offing. Seven of us are going for the marriage celebration from Bombay. Marriage is in Pachor, somewhere near Indore. And we are scheduled to leave on 20th and what more; our tickets (Anurag’s and mine) are not booked yet!! Actually, we two had some other plans. It was the time when our adventurous souls were still at large, when we decided to travel the entire journey on our “thunderbird”. It’s a distance of 756 kms and the to and fro journey would have been more than1500 kms. We were pretty geared up and excited for yet another joy ride, before Anurag leaked the program and then “don’t-go-on-bike-on-such-a-long-journey” slogans came pouring from all quarters. They were concerned (rightly so) that we will be dead tired after the long ride and hence will not be able to take part in the ceremony. But all those concerns were falling on our deaf years as we had put a “NOT gate” on our ears on such suggestions!! Then came the final nail in the coffin of our program. It came from a dear friend of Ours, Kaveri. This unfortunate guy happened to meet her last Sunday and when she heard about the program, she came out firing all cylinders. She went on cursing with all sorts of adjectives and the last words were like “You will be the biggest idiots if u decide to go on this journey on bike” . Now, I don’t know about Anurag, but “the biggest idiots” is not the coveted title that I would like to associate with me. So, now that idea is buried six feet under. Still, our tickets are not booked!! We lazy bum!!

We are planning to spend a day at Indore during our return trip. The place where we spent our four years of engg. We are planning to go to some of the cafes where we were regular during our college days. That’s gonna be a nostalgic feeling.Looking forward to the trip.

Now my resolution part. I have been brave enough to wear washed clothes till date. But now I have exhausted all my “Surf washed” stuff. It will either be a hard time for me today washing my clothes or it will be the end of my resolution!!

Lets hope for the best…

Cheers..

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Oops!! I did it again..

Yes..I did it again. I can say that i have attained unscalable heights now. I have reached the pinnacle. And what more, i am still getting better day by day!!

Yes, i am truely at the top as far as Absent Mindedness (??) is concerned. I have a history of AM but what i did two days back compelled me to accept the fact that my future will not be any different. I was about to leave for shopping on sunday when i decided to boil milk before leaving so that i can have a cup of tea in the evening after a tiring day. Not a bad thought at all!! But what followed was a complete nightmare..I forgot to "put off" gas burner and left. That was aroung 12 noon. I came at 10:15pm!! Fortunately, my roomies reached flat at 5:00 pm only to find some black thing on the gas burner with the temperature touching 150 degrees!! and fortunately i was not there at that time so i managed to skip their wrath..

Now let me give you a glimpse of my AM...

1. When i was a kid, i went to near by shop by my cycle to purchase some item and came back walking without even realising that i was on two tyres during my onward journey!! It was only in the evening when i was about to leave for stadium that i realise what i did!!

2. During 1st year of my engg, i went to Globus, Indore, decided on a T-shirt, went to the changing room, bought the T-shirt and came back. Now what went wrong here?? Oh! Just a minute..I came back in one piece minus my spects!! I didn't even realise that i was without my eyes!Spects were lost forever...

3. Went to a shop, bought a pack of twin blade and came back..Anything wrong?? Nothing except that i forgot to pick tha blade pack!! That damn thing for which i was there at the shop!!Never got back the blade pack...

4.Had a no. of incidents when i left "iron" or " Geyser" in ON state for the whole day..

5. I have a record of sorts for leaving and getting back my spects from the most happening and crowded places of Indore..Left my spects at a road side stall "Sanchi Point" and at "Mugs-21" , a cafe ...Now SP must be catering to atleast 2000 customers a day!! Still i got back my spects..and these are just two spots that i mentioned from a list of million!!

6. Yesterday, i forgot my cell on HDFC Bank's counter while cashing a cheque...I mean i can go on writing such incidents! This just shows how stupid and careless a guy can be..and the worst part is..there are no signs of improvement...or i shud say, i am getting better and better with each passing day...the frequency of forgetting things is just increasing!!

ALL THE BEST TO ME!!

Friday, January 07, 2005

Breaking News!!

Its the time to break the all important news... I dont think this will be that important for some of u guys but i can easily see its importance...Probably some of the hostelers or bachelors might appreciate what i have achieved..

Yesterday, i washed 5 shirts, a t shirt and 2 trousers...Can u believe that...8 clothes.. that too at one go..i know..its not that exciting for u all...but i am pleased that i am keeping my new year resolution...i.e. to wear washed clothes daily!!

I know this resolution is going to break sooner or later..but i m trying to break it as late as possible..very late..sometime in Late January!! ;-)...

and if u really think i have done SOMETHING...do pour in ur comments in appreciation...

PS: Those who are regular with my blog might be in a little better position to understand this sudden rise in my happiness level..;-)

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

BADLY MISSING...

1. …MY MOM....who used to wake me up every morning and when I used to pray for an extension of 15 minutes, she would play the Ace..”Chai taiyaar hai”..and there I was ..out of bed in a flash to brush my teeth…

2. …MY SISTER..3 years elder to me..with whom I used to discuss every girl I met or spotted in school, college or even on streets!!

3. …MY BROTHER..5 years elder to me..A father figure to me…My pillar…

4. …THE CHILLING WINTER OF GWALIOR..where the temperature used to drop to 4 degrees..and even an inner, 2 sweaters and a jacket would be a total failure in preventing grinding of teeth..(Quite unlikely Mumbai weather where the temp. seldom drops below 15 degrees!!)

5. …THE FOG… that used to cover the streets and the visibility drops to 100 mtrs!!

6. …THE SMOKE… that used to come out of my mouth and I used to pretend as if I m having cigarette!!

7. …MY CRICKETING DAYS…when I used to go for nets in stadium in full cricket gear that too in 45 degrees heat..and come back with all shades of brown and green (grass juice) on my trousers!!

8. …GINGER TEA...which I used to prepare at every odd hour of the day and sipping it all alone..Truly a stress buster for me..here is a saying among my friends that I have more tea flowing in my veins than blood…

9. …ALL MY ENGINEERING FRIENDS… with whom I have spent some unforgettable moments and had some beautiful parties and get togethers…

10. …TEA AT ARUN CHEMICALS…A road side stall of Arun bhaiya, who used to prepare such hopeless tea that we named his shop as “Arun Chemicals”!!!

11. …BUNKING OF CLASSES.. in college and just whiling away time in canteen having all stupid talks and PJ’s!!

12. …MISSING ONE OF MY DEAR FRIEND…IIT Pass out..who quit his cozy and highly paying job in Bombay to pursue IAS!!

13. …TWO OF MY GET_TOGETHERS.. at Hyderabad with my college group..when we all scratched the time from our schedules just to meet there for barely 30 hrs..Just to prove that distance cannot be an excuse or a hindrance in the way of friendship…

14. …SOMEBODY.…

15. …A FILE…which I carefully saved on my desktop last evening but which evaporated from there overnight!!

PS:(This is for Anurag aka Highwayman..)

16. Missing Anurag and his THUNDERBIRD!! ;-)

Monday, January 03, 2005

And the new year begins...

I was at my friend's place( Anurag) to welcome new year and it was the first " no party " new year for me, atleast in the last six years. We had loads of fun on new years eve during all 4 years of my engg. days and last year it was a party with my collagues and because of some unforgettable reasons, it will remain a "party to remember" for me...This year i decided to stay at home (Pal's place) and this also proves that being in mumbai on new years eve doesn't always mean a party !! We were on road when the clock strikes 12:00 and celebrated new year with a plate of "bhurji" each...returned to the flat to celebrate more with coke and aaloo paranthas, watching A R Rehman Concert and finally slept at 3:00 AM.

The first day of 2005, for me, started at 11:00. We decided to go for a movie and zeroed in on "Dil Maange More" as we just wanted to have a proper time pass...Movie was exactly a proper time pass..I mean it was not something with a message or a classic or a masala...it was a "paisa vasool" kinda movie with 3 "pretty-from- some-angles-and-not-so-pretty-from-others" females and an ever improving Shahid Kapoor. He is continuously giving neat performances in his films. I am not saying that he is next Shahrukh or "Ishq-Vishq" "Fida" and "Dil Maange More" are three of my all time favourites, but this guy is giving what the role is demanding in each of his 3 films...But because we are too happy to see 35+ guys in college going roles, we think that he is too young!!!

Yesterday, i had a chance to listen to a fundoo guitarist at Anurag's place..He was playing some classical Aalaap's fused with the western beats and whatever coming out was real class...and after listening to him i realised that i am atleast 25 years behing him as far as guitar is concerned!!

Now have a look at this itinerary:

Jan 14th: Pt. Jasraj & Pt/ Hari Prasad Chaurasia
Jan 15th: Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma & Begum Parveen Sultana
Jan 16th: Jagjit Singh

This is "Dharohar 2005"...So many maestros at one stage!!!
I dont want to miss this once in a life tie opportunity..and most probably i will be there...I just hope i will get the passes...

Wish u all a very happy new year...

Cheers....