Good old days

Me, Rashmi and Mummy visited Lake Tahoe this weekend. Its been a while since I have been here in Bay area but never visited Tahoe before. People often visit the lake during summer and do all sorts of water sports and here we were in middle of snow on a glaringly sunny winter day. The drive was smooth as the last week snow had been cleared and with such a clear day, it was extremely scenic. At our first destination, we got an opportunity to drive a snow mobile and it was great fun. I wanted to do this sometime but not sure why we didn't in Minnesota. I had skiing plans also but there was a lot of rush and also after the snow mobile experience, I was a bit tired.
We had a nice lunch by the lake and played with snow. Some of the visuals were spectacular as the sun began to descend. The area was lively with lots of people visiting and we do plan to return for some skiing next time.
It was a nice trip and close to 3 yrs since I last visited a place with snow. The lasting memory would be the full moon we saw over the mountains during twilight as we headed back home. It was indeed beautiful!

Sensitively embellished

Aamir Khan's directorial debut is by far the most sensitively handled piece of cinema coming from Bollywood this year. We saw the movie "Taare Zameen Par" last night and it is definitely a worthy watch. The movie leaves you with a nostalgic charm about childhood, a period everyone yearns to visit that once more. There is a fair sprinkling of colors on the canvas and they replicate the emotions the movie drives you through.
The best thing Aamir as a director has done is that he has handled the subject in a simplistic manner, taking his time at some opportune moments to convey what he wants to. The only complaint I have is that the film could have been trimmed a bit more in the second half.
Now about the real hero of the movie, Darsheel (the protagonist Ishaan), by far the best performance ever from a child in a bollywood movie. He conveys so much through his eyes, his mannerisms that he leaves his mark on even the mundane of scenes. Aamir Khan, the actor, plays his part well delivering lines in a measured manner. Other characters enact their parts well, the one standout being Ishaan's Mother Tisca Chopra, well cast as a doting but unsure mother.
Music and background score from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is well blended with the storyline. The title song stands out and Prasoon Joshi lyrics are out of the world (I have them on my headphones as I write this). The song "Maa" is also well sung by Shankar Mahadeven and it manages to pull a string or two in your hearts.
Overall, the movie achieves what it perhaps was set to and is a definitely recommended to all the child caretakers so that they leave childhood as unadulterated as it is supposed to be.

Back from a slumber

I am just coming back from an exam week as I completed my first quarter at the business school. It's been bustling and enriching experience so far. Coursework has been really good and I am looking forward (after a break) to the next quarter. Yeah, I know a lot has happened in the world since I wrote last time around but well, a lot always happens. I am looking forward to the break for a month or so from school (I still have to work) and then the India trip in January.
The winter has descended here in the bay area and things have gone a bit calm. It's still not as slow as in some other places I have been. Just for the near term, I am looking forward to India playing cricket in Australia starting this month, a couple of movies (as we discussed prior), and a good rest for the holiday. We might even make a short trip somewhere. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Winds of change

India just wrapped up a comfortable series victory against Pakistan in the 5 match ODI series being played in India. The way the games have been, I will not be surprised if they finish 4-1 which probably would be a appropriate scoreline. Pakistan, on their part, have been well below par this series and this might be an indication of things which are here to stay.
I am quite convinced that the seeds were laid down when Dhoni's boys beat Pakistan under Shoaib Malik twice in two close games in the 20-20 World Cup in South Africa. It is in such close situations that one's nerves are tested and a team that keeps its nerves suddenly becomes dominant in future games. I distinctly remember the Miandad six of the last ball in Sharjah which marked the beginning of Pakistan's dominance for the next few years (especially in Sharjah). So much so that Misbah-Ul-Haq might be thinking why couldn't he scoop the ball over Sreesanth in that 20-20 final.

Upcoming from Bollywood

We caught up with a late movie yesterday (unusual given that it was a Sunday) and Bhool Bhulaiya, indeed was an interesting plot. But more than that we were quite surprised to see the movie trailers in the intermission, suggesting a spate of movies coming our way this winter.
There were trailers from eight movies - Goal (a soccer based movie starring Arshad Warsi and John Abrahim), Aaja Nachle (Madhuri's comeback movie), No Smoking (movie definitely from unchartered territories), Om-Shanti-Om and Saawariya (Diwali blockbusters), Jodha Akbar (from Ashutosh Gowarikar), Jab We Met and Taare Zameen Par (Aamir Khan's directorial debut). The movies I look forward to watching (in order) are:

1. Jodha Akbar

2.Om Shanti Om
3. Saawariya
4. Taare Zameen Par
5. Aaja Nachle
6. No Smoking
7. Goal
8. Jab We Met

Looking at this variety of offerings coming our of Bollywood, we can well and truly say that Bollywood has come of age.

The silent giant retires

It is going to be that last slow walk back to the pavillion for Inzamam-ul-haq and I don't think it is going to be any slower than usual (his usual is turtle speed). But as the burly man from Multan bids farewell to the game in a few hours from now, my only wish remains that he walks back having scored the winning runs for Pakistan. They are 210/2 and need another 250 at 5 runs per over as I write this. If it happens, I am sure few careers would match that sort of an end.

Whatever happens today, there's no denying the fact that we would miss a talented batsman and a great servant for the game. We all know about the Tendulkar's and Lara's but this man deserves a mention in the same breath purely from the talent perspective. The one innings that is etched in my memory is when along with Mohd. Yousuf took Pakistan from nowhere to the brink of victory against India in Karachi to lose only by six runs. From the world cup 1992 semifinal to this moment, Inzi's career has really come the full circle.

Two Movies worth watching ....

I saw two very different movies during the last week and both the movies are worth watching. Firstly, I saw 'The Bourne Ultimatum' and in one word the movie is 'exhilarating'. It is an extremely fast paced action extravaganza which simply sweeps you off your feet. In particular, the action sequence in Morocco is very well shot. The extensive use of modern technology in CIA as depicted in the film keeps you on the edge of your seats all through. Not for a moment do you take your eyes off the screen in this fun roller-coaster ride.

The other movie I saw was Shahrukh Khan's 'Chak De India'. The movie promos seemed promising and the movie itself was very well made. For movies which depict sports and sporting action on a field, it is extremely necessary that the camera pans well and angles are switched rapidly which makes them look as a continuous sequence of events. The movie not only achieves that but for me, its one of the best shot sports based films ever. The direction and screenplay are quite apt and there is no room for unnecessary distractions in the script. As far as performances are concerned, SRK packs in quite a punch as Coach Kabir Khan. This one is definately for the critics to take a note of. The other characters also look very natural on the screen and the film does raise a few pertinent questions intermittently. It is another addition to the list of different yet well depicted movies to come from Bollywood during the last few years.

Not so rare but a special win!

India's win over England in the second test at Trentbridge has been a special one for more reasons than one. As it's been pointed out that India has won quite a few away tests (16 since 2000) makes it not a rarity anymore. This one will be more special if we manage to hang in there in the third test and win a series in England after 20 years. This one is a memorable win as this is the last tour for Sachin, Sourav and Rahul(most probably) and they would like to end it with a test series win. England has always been a special place for these three guys as they have scored some memorable hundreds here.
I remember the Sachin hundred at Edgebaston in 1996 (on the same tour were Rahul and Sourav made debuts). That time a lack of a third seamer and ineffective Kumble cost us the series. I had similar doubts this time though I do expect Kumble to fare better these days. Last tour in 2002, these three made hundreds at Headingley and helped India draw a series. This time nothing but a win would sufice. I am also looking forward to India's tour of Australia this winter as it would give our heroes a last chance to set the record straight down under. I call them heroes as they have carried a generation of cricket lovers on their own over the last decade or so. No matter how much each one of them has been criticized, the fact remains that we have lived their moments and savored them in victory and defeat.
So here's wishing them a great match at the Oval and let's get the trophy home this time!

iPhone is simply awesome

My new Apple iPhone is a week old now and to put it simply, its pretty awesome. I know there will be things people will ask from it but for me, it serves all the purposes I want pretty well and with great ease of use. The one word that strikes you when you look at the iPhone is "intuitive". It is a well thought of piece of technology and that made me a great fan of it.

There are zillions of review of the product and I would not want to add another but I will briefly outline what I like about it.Its interface is extraordinary to say the least, the buttons needed for an application appear when needed on the LCD Screen and that is indeed amazing. The mail service (especially the company email) has become very handy to access and it is extremely useful. The iPod with the cool coverflow feature is neat and music lookup is fast, easy and that makes the iPod experience highly enjoyable. Google Maps are nice to have and help you in times of need. The access to internet via a rich browser (not a WAP one) has made the browsing experience and ability to lookup things on the web very easy.

Apart from everything, there is an emotional factor about owning an iPhone and you just want to have one. Even with whatever shortcomings it might have, the iPhone is still truly remarkable.

NBA Playoffs

NBA is currently in the conference semi-final stage and the playoffs as ever are fascinating. I remember the number of close finishes there were last year and even this year there have been some amazing games already. The top seed Mavs in the Western Conference lost to Golden State Warriors last week (Anand, what happened??). I was rooting for Mavs but sadly they didn't play well. Their nemesis are my current favorites because I love the way they play, similar to what Mavs did in 2003 season (the time when this game snapped me up). They play an aggresive game and back themselves to make even the toughest of shots. Barron Davis, their star performer, played quite unbelievably against the Mavs. Other players I have loved watching so far are Steve Nash and Lebron James.
Though the games are themselves interesting, I do miss those days from Minnesota(especially 2004) when we cheered for the Wolves. That was the time we had some real fun, watching the games together on TV or at the Target Center. We can yet do it, follow it on the TV or if you guys show up here, we can visit the Oakland Arena :).
Anyone listening??

It's all where the action is ...

What's most interesting about the two teams taking part in the WC finals tommorow is - guess what, four bowlers with the strangest of actions, 2 from each team (ah ..nows its a level play) playing in it. If the Lankans have Murli and Malinga then Aussies have Tait and Hogg(his is more natural -- though as hard to pick). If you look at the numbers for these bowlers, you would know why these two teams are in the finals.
Murli has always been hard to pick but more so with his now-effective Doosra, Hogg on the other hand has similar qualities and is very underrated. The slingers in Malinga and Tait give bite to both attacks which others teams lack. Pathans and Harbhajans, if you are listening, just bend the arm a wee bit so you could give it more tweak or zing.
On a more serious note, two teams, easily the best in the tournament so far competing in the final. Who would win ..Aussies and that too easily is my view although I would love to be proved wrong. Recipe for SL; bat first and get 260 plus, and we have the WC coming back to Asia (after failed attempts from Pak (1999) and India(2003)).

MAC and all that!

I have just been a proud owner of an Apple Macboook Pro (courtesy: SSN) and hasn't it been just awesome. I have wanted to get my hands on one for a while now and so far I have really enjoyed the test drive. I was apprehensive (and no more ..) on two counts. One, the support available for a Mac in comparison to a PC perhaps was not adequate for me and second, the price you pay for getting one. Within four days of using it, I have realized that first of my concerns is not one anymore. It has a wide support for a variety of applications and there is a growing Mac community on the web. The price, I would still think it is slightly high but then you get only what you for. It's well worth it for more reasons than one.

The Graphical User Interface that Apple provides with all its products (OS X here) is second to none. Its nice, clean and a lot easier to use. Once you have known the ropes, you find it so much easy to navigate around. It's built-in application set (read iPhoto, iTunes and all other i's) is feature rich and extremely useful in keeping things organised. Add to it, the unix shell support and you have a work-ready machine at hands. I have always thought it's much easier for code development if you have your own unix box rather than logging into a unix server. And with Macbook Pro, 2GB RAM and 120 MB HDD with Intel 2.33 GHZ processor, you really have what you need. The only downside being intel processor tends to make these warmer than the previous Power PC architecture. The packaging and the sleekness is just what you expect of an Apple product.

With whatver I have used so far, I have loved it and I can see myself being a REAL proud owner soon.

Worth a wait

Few words that are definately worth the wait ..(for my blog fans)

I toiled day n' night
Mixed blood and sweat
For I had learnt
Hardwork has no surrogate

To taste the success,
I waited with bated breath
As if it was my first date
With my soulmate

The story was on the wall
And it was yet another fall,
I began to blame my faith,
Until a voice inside said

"Give another go mate, its still not late
Open the gate and conquer your fate
Life's great things often do not come straight
Something which is great, is often worth the wait."

Game Breakers

Game Breaker means a player who has the ability to break open the game for his team with either bat or ball. If we look at such players from the remaining teams in the World Cup, it gives us a fair idea of why Aussies are some distance ahead of the rest of the pack.

Aussies have Hayden, Ponting, Gilchrist, Symonds, Tait and McGrath in my mind as six players who have the extraordinary ability to change the course of the game in their favour. From other teams, we have Smith,Gibbs,Boucher and Pollock (SA), Jaysuriya, Sangakara, Murlitharan and Malinga (SL), Oram, Styris and Bond (NZ), Lara and Gayle (WI) and Pietersen and Flintoff (ENG). With six of these in their ranks, Aussies are clear favorites.

Clearly this also tells us what four teams are going to make it to the semis. In my mind, its going to be Aussies vs SL and NZ vs SA. I would love WI to be there but somehow they need Gayle to fire big time if they are to make it. England lack the interest to be consistent performers and they might win a game or two against these sides but will not make it through.

Though the Aussies look good, I think they are definately beatable. Some tips are:

a. Attack their bowlers - it's a different ball game after that. McGrath is hittable (do not go by reputation) and dominate Hogg and Watson (they cannot be allowed to settle)

b. Get Hayden and Ponting early or else suffer.

An astounding Saturday

First of all, it was about time I got back to blogging after an enjoyable trip to India. Last weekend was an important World Cup weekend and a shocking one. India lost to Bangladesh and more surprisingly Pakistan lost to Ireland. I was a bit wary of Bangladesh and had told a couple of friends that this might not be a cakewalk. I have seen them improve over the years and any country which starts playing test cricket is always going to be richer for the experience.
They played better cricket and deserved to win and not for the first time does Indian team has its back to the wall and face a must-win game against the rampaging Lankans. I thought India played a poor game and were never allowed to play freely.
In the other match, Pakistan lost to Ireland in the biggest upset ever. I knew Irish could give a good fight as they have a very good support staff and a lot of their players have graduated from the county circuit. I seriously wanted Pakistan to win because as a lover of the game, I want to see close and tough games in super 8's stage and Ireland will never be able to produce this kind of game consistently. It's also tragic for Inzamam to bid farewell this early. What transpired later is utterly shocking. I felt deeply sad for Bob Woolmer because he was a very good coach and very involved with the game and whatever followed was difficult to digest. This weekend was indeed eventful but we could have done without some of the drama

SRK is SRK

No matter what his detractors say, I know that everyone watches his every move. So it was a no surprise when SRK was announced the next KBC host that a few eyebrows were raised. Lot of people wrote him off before the show even started saying that he's just trying to follow Amitabh and will stand no chance.
Having seen the first episode, I can certainly say that SRK has done a great job and has his own style. I still think Amitabh was really good at the show and had his persona all over it but to give SRK his due, he too has scored in lot of areas. I thought he was more energetic, much closer to the newer generation and also much more approachable for the audiences. The position needs someone who can converse well with audience and make them comfortable at the game and I have no doubts that Star have got it right for the second time coming. No one else could have done justice to it. So, for all those who can't leave a chance to start critcising, just continue to enjoy the show and continue complaining!

The Blonde Champion

Yes, you are looking at the right words, I did mean to say "Blonde Champion". As Shane Warne bids farewell to cricket, I would like to pay tribute to one of the finest cricketers ever to have played the game. Warne was truly a genius and much of it was in the mind. He revived the art of leg-spin bowling and I still remember the effect of it in late 90's when in India we had a lot of kids ambling a few steps over and trying to roll the arm the way the master did. Very few bowlers have the ability to consistently outthink the batsmen and he demonstrated that over and over again. That quality was the most potent weapon he had left in his repetiore after all the injuries to fingers and shoulder he sustained over the years. Although he was not as successful against the Indians but it was more to do the way they played him as he still bowled well.
Warne (alongwith Wasim and Sachin) will always remain one of my favorite cricketers. The sheer pleasure of watching him bowl those mesmerising spells where you never knew what to expect cannot be matched. Known as "hollywood" in his younger the days (more due to his off field histronics), Shane Warne was truly an entertainer. You got to know the difficulty of the art to admire the control he displayed. By opting to quit when still at the top of his game, he's made the tough but the right choice. He will not only be missed in the Australian dressing room but also by his millions of fans all over the world.