Friday, October 30, 2009
Sad Match
When you see such games it annoys you as a viewer. Sure defences were pretty decent but in a game between too evenly matched foes you expect a certain degree of athleticism. The only really adrenaline pumping play I can remember is when Martell Webster drove along the baseline and dunked hard. No transition points of note. Free throw points galore. Please God please give me a better game to watch :(
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Taken for granted
Life is complicated. Filled with so many choices: Right from our careers, our friends, hell even our lunches and dinners. And yet somehow, our choice in the opposite sex seems made, by someone other than us.
That's what makes love special. No matter how much you'd like to, you can't control it. You can't change your mind overnight. Love, somehow is something which feels like it should be in our control and isn't.
So why is this post titled "taken for granted". Well, here goes. Like I said, love is something beyond control. And those who know, and feel this emotion sometimes take it for granted. Living in the present is always special for any couple but, that's when they should realise that they are lucky. Lucky to have a present together.
Take the recent "prom" situation in campus, with loads of couples hooking up for the big day. They will have a great time, whilst people like me will sit out and dream about what it would be like to have that kind of present. I have no such present. My love is elsewhere, far away. I have only the future to look forward to. And yet I know, that only I can see how lucky the "prom" couples are.
So, getting back to it, they will have a great time. But, they will take it for granted. Until the day comes to part (if it does). And when that day comes they will regret taking such moments, such enjoyment for granted. So, my advice to these couples would be enjoy yourself like there's no tomorrow, because you never know when fate will be cruel and hold you apart. Remember to feel lucky. To have someone you love, so close to you. Remember to cherish every moment, because you never know when those moments will run out.
I will sit out, jealous of every couple at the "prom", trying to distract myself by working on something. But my mind will be back home, thinking of her and what I'm missing. And shed a tear, I will. I hope the couples know what they have is special. You never know when God will play a cruel practical joke on you, and leave you with nothing but hope.
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Saturday, August 22, 2009
NOTA - Right or Wrong??
Now there are different scenarios in which NOTA could get a person's vote...
1. It's the "k3wl" thing to do...
2. The person doesn't give a crap but still wishes to perform his/her duty...
3. The candidates are all bad...
Now when a person lets people know that he's in favour of NOTA reactions vary from "Wow that's so cool... I'm going to do it too..." to "just be happy with what you have, vote for somebody and get it over with"... Of all possible reactions its the latter-mentioned one I hate the most... Why be satisfied with what you have when you can do better... George Bernard Shaw once said, "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself... Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man..." I say be unreasonable... Don't settle for less... Why should you??? Are you so unimportant that you have to pick your leader from a pile of rubbish??? Does it not matter to you that if a bad candidate should win you would suffer for that entire term because of your unwillingness to be unreasonable???
Another phrase I've heard and hate is "You didn't have the guts to stand, now don't complain..." To those guys I ask, what would you do if this was a real government election... What if your options were between a rapist, a murderer and a paedophile??? Would you tell me to vote for them??? Would you tell me to accept one of them as my leader??? Or would you tell me to be unreasonable and go against them all??? Wouldn't you tell me that NOTA is the best way to deal this situation??? Would you ask me why I didn't fight the election and use that as an argument against NOTA??? My argument might seem an over exaggeration but it's an amplification of the situation before us... The focus of the discussion at the moment should not be why I didn't stand or why you didn't... Our focus instead should be on whether or not you are willing to accept a bad leader??? If you are, you are weak... And the world in which we live in will never develop... That's because development will happen only when we be unreasonable... So be unreasonable... Be the change... Vote for NOTA!!!
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Experiences with PS
Here's the clincher... We got nothing to do... For a couple of weeks we went around observing stuff, but after a while observation gets old... Now we just reserve ourselvses to sitting in an air-cocnditioned room, drinking tea and entertaining ourselves (with penfight, movies, games...)
In recent news Shaq joins the Cavs... Well this should be an interesting season!!
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Friday, May 1, 2009
Special post for a special game...
The match was amazing because there was always something going on... Both teams for at it right from tip off especially the Bulls... I though Salmons was incredible in the first quarter, knocking down all kinds of weird shots... Then Ray Allen showed up, and BOY did he show up... The most incredible part was someone or the other kept coming back... 1 minute the Bulls would be up by 12, 5 mins and a 23-3 run later Celtics lead by 8 and then comes Miller from nowhere with clutch plays... Followed by Hinrich... And this was just regulation...
You know the feeling?? When a team is 3 points up, but Ray Allen is on the opposite team... It's like you know the shot is coming, you just don't know from where... I mean how the hell do you shoot over a (generously listed) 7 footer fully extended... I mean, you can't fault (for most parts) the defence on Ray Allen... This guy is as good as Reggie Miller at his peak (I know you're thinking it)... "Big baby" Glen Davis was great to credit to him for some of his clutch shots... I still cant get over the fact that this guy was a second round pick last season...
For Chicago, it was a team effort (barring Ben Gordon who didn't show up - hamstring problems too much I guess)... Salmons starred in the first... And through out the game there were spurts from him, Rose, Hinrich, Miller... But, (even though they didn't score as much) to me, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah were the key players... Not because of the number of plays they made but the nature of the plays they made... Tyrus Thomas' emphatic dunk in the 4th made the crowd go wild... (Not to mention is superb rejection of Rondo - possibly the only time I saw Rondo drive the whole game)... Noah - What a steal... I mean sure Pierce is old... But if your big man can make a play like that? Well you've got one hell of a player... A lot of Bulls fans were upset at losing Nocioni (and his energetic & emphatic moves that got the crowd into it) in the Kings' deal but Noah has turned into a much better version of that... He makes sensible and hard plays... And he does it emphatically... Derrick Rose seemed a bit nervous in parts, but come on, he's only a rookie!! I personally felt Hinrich should have been handling the ball down the stretch... Rose looked like he could cough it up any moment...
Miller... Man what can I say... He's slow yes... But can he make clutch shots or what!! I really never knew he could shoot 3's today... (Yes I can be ignorant)... Not to mention that driving layup past Perkins late in the fourth...
Now I'm about done... Just a word for the fans dissing the coaches... Give them a chance!! Look at their results over a long term... Just by 2-3 games you cannot say a coach is bad just because some of his calls flopped... And in Vinny Del Negro's case, give him a break!! He's a rookie coach, but he's already proven to be decent (barring a couple of weird decisions)... Give him a couple of years, then judge him... For the Bulls it could be ideal - A young core growing up with the coach could help the team... It really could... Can't Wait for Game 7... Don't really care about the result, but we may need to keep the ICU's ready... Because Game 7 is going to be the clincher of one of the best playoff series' ever... Continue Reading »
Shah Rukh Khan - King of the noobs
Mileage can be increased for equivalent power only by increasing the combustion engine efficiency... Mileage is indeed inversely proportional to power... So Shah Rukh Khan if you want to "teach" people physics, well (to put it nicely) don't...
So anyway Shah Rukh Khan has been in the news lately... No it's not about some hare-brained movie of his but about his (lets say "interesting") team the "Kolkata KnightRiders"... First which owner in the world approves a system of having four captains, knowing the kind of ego's that players tend to have... Next, who supports this decision later by getting into a media battle with a former great?? I mean seriously I'd like Shah Rukh come to me and say he knows more about cricket that Sunil Gavaskar... Sure he may not have been the greatest in the limited form but he still stood there against attacks of the likes of the great West Indians for the country... So give the man some respect! And anyway when it comes to cricket who would you listen to, Gavaskar? Or s-s-s-Shah Rukh... Coming to John Buchanan... It's a theory (highly propagated by Shane Warne who himself is no saint) that Australia won all their trophies and accolades inspite of Buchanan... (In Warne's words, Buchanan was labeled a "goose" and the Aussies had to put up with his "verbal diarrhoea"... Ian Chappell was a lot more concise... He just claimed his daughter would make a better coach :P)... Anyway, who the HELL hires a coach with such a reputation among his own players, and then gives him total freedom?? Result?? Take a look...
Shah Rukh better decide what he wants now... To be "right", or to admit he's wrong and perform repairs... Because this IPL season will be long gone before long...
PS: Yeah I'm not a great fan of his acting either...
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Sunday, April 5, 2009
Time to get our act together
Now here's a list of things tat should have been done right after last Waves:
1. Department Core Committees should have been formed.
2. Inductions for Departments like Controls, Pro Nights and Workshops & Stalls should have been finished
3. The working of the clubs should have been altered. That is they should have been told to begin working on a January-January
4. The coordination committee should have been formed and DePP should have begun their brochure preparation
So here's what we're faced with... We've got one semester... To get the job done... There's no point in blaming anyone for delays... The thing we need to focus on is not wasting anymore time... Like the saying goes: "What can be done today do it now. What can be don tomorrow do it today."... This is something we need to follow literally... Remember we've got 2 semester's work... And only one semester to get it done...
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Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Playoff Prediction
EAST:
ROUND 1:
Cleveland 4 - 1Chicago
Atlanta 4-3 Miami
Boston 4-1 Philadelphia
Orlando 4-2 Detroit
ROUND 2:
Cleveland 4-2 Cleveland
Orlando 4-3 Boston
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:
Cleveland 4-3 Orlando
WEST:
ROUND 1:
LA Lakers 4-0 Dallas
Houston 4-3 Portland
San Antonio 4-2 New Orleans
Denver 2-4 Utah
ROUND 2:
LA Lakers 4-2 Portland
San Antonio 4-3
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:
LA Lakers 4-3 Utah
NBA FINALS:
Cleveland 4 - 3 LA Lakers
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Injuries ----> Comebacks...
So who am I gonna share a bit on. Yup, it's gonna be "Agent Zero" himself - Gilbert Arenas. Arenas is very much talked about player. Right from his 6 year 111 million $ contract with the Washington Wizards right to the devastating knee injury he suffered that took it's toll on two succesive seasons, not to mention the 3 surgeries it tooked to fix his knee. But now rumour has it he's almost ready to return. But questions will be raised. Is he ready? He rushed into a return once before and the results were disastrous to his knee. Even if he is ready will be himself again? The Wizards management along with its fans would certainly hope so. Gilbert Arenas is no ordinary player. And to recover from this disastrous season where they find themselves firmly entreched at the bottom of the east they need something special. Arenas will probably not play a lot with his return. Probably 10 mins here and there. The important thing for the Wizards will be to ease him back in, slowly and steadily. The Wizards can take solace in the fact that they expect to have their fully fit team available next season along with a lottery pick in the draft. So the Wizards (should) have a line up with Arenas, Jamison, Butler, Haywood along with the youngsters who have picked up a lot of experience this season plus the early draft pick. Impressive. To say the least. This team will be a force to reckon with. But for that "Agent Zero" must be his own special self.
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Sunday, March 22, 2009
To vote or not to vote... (Bah! cliche)...
There are two kinds of people. The ones who vote. These are the people who bring your leaders into power. These are the masses of people who make (un)educated decisions and vote for candidates. Of course I do feel for them. Hardly any to choose really. It's either a local rowdy/goonda or a film "star" who just wants the power. So I guess you an cut them some slack because their choices are usually pretty limit.
It's the second kind I hate the most. The ones that don't conform to their patriotic duty of voting and then sit and cringe about how our leaders are no good. I mean come on!! It's not like you lifted a finger (literally) to do something about it!!! What right have you got to whine. (Here I'd like to add that I unfortunately fall in this category. It's not my fault. I'm Indian by blood but not by the law.) But anyway here's my message to you people. Get your ****ing a** off your couch and get to your respective polling booths. After that you are free to cringe, whine all you like. All I can say is this. Remember that every drop makes a mighty ocean (Too many cliches today dammit). Do it for your country. Continue Reading »
Dedicated to my mentor and dear friend...
SPREE Pure Sport??
What is Sport? More importantly what is “pure” sport? Is pure sport just another tagline? Or is it indicative of something much bigger?
There is a saying: “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” Its a saying comprising of two sentences the first of which i agree with. The second? Not so much.
Sport is not about going up a dias and lifting a trophy. It’s not about being the best everyday. (Right here I feel I sound like the loser talking :P. Anyway…) Sports is about something far deeper. Something inbuilt in us by mother nature. Sport is about passion. It is about desire. It is about belief and a whole bunch of other things.
So what makes sport “pure”. You will get a whole bunch of answers for that. Some would say when the outcome of any game is decided by sheer ability alone. Some would say when a game goes right down to the wire with one team sneaking away with a victory right at the death. Yes, these are some of the awesome things that happen in sport. But it’s not what makes for “pure” sport.
“Pure” sport to me is in fact when a player walks up to a hurt opponent and helps him to his feet. It is when a player can overlook a bad refereeing decision and carry on with the game without complaint. It is when at the end of a game the two teams walk toward each other and congratulate each other. THAT is “pure” sport.
So is this all I expect from SPREE?? Oh no of course not! I want to see mouth-watering clashes just like everyone else. I want to see monumental battles and game winning plays. But most of all I want to see people enjoying their favourite games. Whether it be cricket, football, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis or any other sport I want to see love for the game. It’s that love for the game that is more important than any trophy or medal you can ever win. Love for the game breeds sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is the key to “pure” sport. So is SPREE 2009 going to be about “pure” sport? I would honestly love to hope so.
Like I’ve said before. Sport is about passion, determination, strength and courage. But I sincerely hope that we remember that the most important part of sport is the spirit in which it is played. So to all teams and players I wish you guys all the best. And may the pursuit for “Pure Sport” begin!!
Continue Reading »Friday, March 20, 2009
PS 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that my rants about the form are done I move on to my issue... I want to go home!!! Dammit all of a sudden Chennai has this awesome reputation and people want to go there... I know I'm a 5pointer but come on!! It's Chennai... Why would you want to go to Cancer Institute for your PS unless you live there... Dammit people... Get your priorities straight sheesh!!
Ok I'm done... Can't add anything more :|... If I don't get Chennai it'll be Trichy here i come... Continue Reading »
Birthdays...
Society brings us up to be disappointed... It brings us up to expect... And expectation can only lead to disappointment... Disappointment in yourself and your peers... Birthdays are an invention... An invention to give you hope and happiness, and take it all away in one single swoop...
What is a birthday but the anniversary of the day we exit our mother's womb and enter the world as we now know it, a day our mothers went through excruciating pain to bring us to this world... Is it not a day that marks us one year closer to our death... Yes these are but a few depressing sides of birthdays... So why are we brought up to celebrate this day??? Is it the morbidity in us? Or is it teach us the value of disappointment? Ah birthdays... What a pointless invention by our glorious minds... Continue Reading »
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Respect the Sport... Respect the refs...
I will not take names... Not out of fear of "retribution" but out of pity... Because pity and contempt is all I have in me to give to them... Pity because all they've managed to out of all their actions is establish a reputation of sore losers... All I will say is this... In a tournament like this (one played purely for the fun of it and for the love of the game) such actions are unpardonable at best... I would in the words of Prashant Rao (Poppat) like to remind everyone that we are not professionals we are a bunch of noobs trying to enjoy playing our favourite game... But unfortunately there continue to exist a bunch of people (want to curse but I'll control) who basically ruin it for everybody...
I'll dwell into it a bit... Yes the refereeing was ordinary but it was ordinary both ways... While the team with the "crying" (sorry you've earned it) kept on complaining I didn't hear a whimper from the other team about the numerous carrying, travelling violations that were just ignored... Nor did I hear any whining about fouls on their players... Somehow it is you who seem to have the problem with everything... (Actually here I'd like to say one thing... More than anyone there is one player on that team who has the problem... Once again I will not name him but he knows I'm speaking about him since he's had a problem with just about every referee he's been given...)
And before I close, pieces of information for the whiner(s)... your calls for 3 second violations are simply absurd... Not even in the NBA (like our friends from PCCE calmly pointed out) are 3 second violations called as vigorously as we do here... And you say that isn't enough... You're NOT a professional and neither is anyone else on this campus... So finally here goes my advice to you... Suck it up and be a man... It's a game... Enjoy it... Don't ruin it for all of us... Continue Reading »
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The title.
The NBA championship. My pick and why.
Of these four I think the Magic are out of it without their starting point guard Jameer Nelson. Rafer Alston is a good player but he's not in the same league. You look at the Celtics, Cavaliers and Spurs they're all injury-ridden but have still maintained top-notch records. These three teams (full-strength mind you) are the only teams that can beat the Lakers and to me the favourites are the Cavs. I'm not saying this just because i'm a LeBron fan. I have my reasons:
The Cavaliers (again injury free) have two exellent shooters in Delonte West and Mo Williams in the starting 5. What this does is it allows James to drive the hoop the way he loves to and pass the ball out on the double team. This has been something he couldnt do over previous seasons.
The bench is one of the deepest in the entire length. With the recent addition of Joe Smith the bench looks formidable with the likes of Gibson, Szczcerbiak, Pavlovic, Varejao, Hickson, Kinsey, Wright & Jackson coming of it to add to the experience of Smith.
However beside all these reasons there's one big reason why the Cavs are the favourites in my book. The Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs have been beaten only once there (with West, Wallace, Ilgauskas all injured) by the L.A Lakers. The 'Q' has turned out to be a fortress for this team just as it was last year during the playoffs when LBJ nearly took the series away from the Celtics. Only this time, they've got a capacity crowd (a bit on the rowdier side) every night baying for the opponents blood. Any team that has to win here uring the playoffs .... well sorry i just dont see that happening.
During the playoffs, to me the possibility of Cleveland winning away is more than Cleveland losing at home. And so all I've got to say is "GO LeBron!! This is your year !!!" Continue Reading »
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Kobe or LeBron ...
I'd like to dwell on the ridiculous comparisons Kobe fans make when they compare him with the King. (Ok I admit there are a lot of LBJ fans who draw up ridiculous comparisons too). So let me make my assessment here (I'm no expert but here goes).
Let me start with a simple fact. Kobe Bryant is a shooting guard while LeBron James is a Small forward. They both have different styles of playing. You would expect a guard to look for open jumpers and a forward to look to take the ball to the rim. So why is there so much talk about Lebron's jump shot. Look lets get it straightened out here. Lebron is strong and he is quick. So he uses his body to get to the hoop. Kobe Bryant who isn't as young or as strong pulls up for jump shots and is a good shooter. Period. It is not possible for a player to be good at everything. To be a good player the main thing you need is the ability to use your strengths over your weaknesses and in that regard both Kobe and LeBron are fantastic players.
I can't wait to see them clash in the Finals \m/. (Go LeBron :D)
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/GTAS-comics-MVP-couch-rage?urn=nba,149327&post_comment=1&success=1
This is a perfect description of every Kobe fan... take a look :) Continue Reading »
Dear Mr. Sanjeev whoever you are from SASTRA
1. I'm sorry you took a train from Bengaluru to Hubli and then Hubli to Goa instead of taing the direct Bengaluru-Goa trains available twice a day.
2. I'm sorry that we didn't have the navy salute you as you entered our campus and did not have a grand celebration to herald your arrival.
3. I'm sorry that you could not see the food stalls that were specially set up. I'm also sorry you did not ask for directions to our institute cafeteria and had to settle for junk.
4. I'm sorry that 10 of our college teams and 2 teams from other colleges were better than you at "2nd class kid level problems". We should have enrolled you in the 2nd grade in some school when you registered.
5. I'm sorry you chose to go to Miramar when we should have taken you by the hand to beaches like Majorda, Palolim, Baga etc.
7. I'm sorry that you speak only broken Hindi and so struggled to take taxis/buses to move to & from the campus.
So Mr Sanjeev Gopinath I am sorry about all the misfortune that we have caused. Come back next year. But don't expect anything different :| Continue Reading »