My Open Book - Vade Mecum

Heartbreaks and Heartaches

2010-07-04T02:39:00.000-07:00

What’s common between “The Lion King” (animation movie) and soccer? They entertain us by triggering different emotions. If that’s what you thought was common, think again. . . The movie opens with so much love and celebration. The birth of a son, the king delighted and as you are still humming the background song of celebration, you are subjected to deceit (the most hated human character) and chaos. And now do you think there is a similarity between the movie and the match that took place last night?

All of them walked out to the field, their national anthems were sung with Pride & Jubilation. And before the tune faded off your mind the Argentineans were wounded. The German’s proved that instant acceleration, exuberant handling and finesse were not just confined to their world class cars and racing drivers but also showed us that they use those facets “whenever” and “where ever” it is needed. Simba found a piece of wood to float, the Argentineans where looking for a piece(of magic I suppose) all the time!

When great teams clash, it all boils down to the sum rather than individuals. But whoever said football was a team game was probably not trained in Ajax. So it’s an individual game where each one does his business, Schweinsteiger was given the job of making sure that he walked across Messi as he tried to cut lose into the defense and Messi had to find a way past the German who did not make life easy. Like Simba, he was left to depend on his friends to enjoy life in the middle. And unfortunately not one individual could rise up as they were still on the floor trying to recover from the initial blow. At half time Simba was learning friendship, life and love while Messi was all ears to the man who’s been there and seen it all before.

And whatever was said in half time worked for the South Americans, the sum was getting bigger than the individuals but then chaos does not come with a ringtone, the counter attack was always a threat especially when you are playing against attacking full backs who support the midfielders to spread the play to the wide areas of the field. If “Muller” excelled in the midfield “Lahm” looked liked a winger with his runs from the back of the field to provide extra attacking options. Guess Maradona’s speech was good enough only to inspire them to recover from one set back and not to be prepared to push even if they got hit in the process another time, the pace of the game dropped and the possession was not any better. The game ended with another great team biting the dust in Africa.

The movie closes with a sense of satisfaction when Simba returns and the “All is well” message is echoed in the jungle. But the Argentineans must be at the airport now wondering which route to take back home or if they should head to some private island to soak the pressure and move forward.

Lion King and the match last night were both designed to entertain us for 90 minutes, nothing more and nothing less. Good fight by the Argentineans, but not good enough for the night. Dont try shadow boxing, they say the shadow always wins, its over and get over it Angel and Messi. Now that most of the favorites are out of contention, will the Germen squad make Lothar Matthaus proud or will Spaniards rise up to the occasion?

The joy of achievement is multiplied manifold when it’s denied or when they call you an underdog, go get it Spaniards! And remember what Maximus, the spainard had to say to his warriors," What we do in life echoes in eternity".

Do you give a Damn?

2010-06-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

Freedom of speech is totally acceptable, even if it was not something you and I would not want to hear. But whats it with some people who try to be the pseudo superior.....

http://www.livemint.com/articles/2010/06/11211917/Breaking-news-I-may-not-be-an.html

I do not want to use the freedom of replying as a word to word battle - In two words - Grow Up!

Good one Priya Ramani. Are you writing your personal diary or an article for mint ? Do you get paid for this? Absurd it would be if the answer was yes. And you are surely not an Indian because respect is a big word and you dont have any for anyone(do you respect yourself atleast)! And who said you dont spit in public? Look at what you've done with the 740+ words you could have used to inform, ignite, motivate or (pleasantly) surprise people. The kind of a person you are, you'd call someone like me a loser.... thank you. Because it does not matter if someone like you called me a winner. Have a nice day!

IPL 2010 Final - So called Technical Analysis

2010-04-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

35 balls 70 runs… it was possible. When Sachin gifted a sitter to Vijay at long off, it did not seem possible for Mumbai anymore, the crowd knew it. Chennai had moved the game to their favor by a big margin. Some similarity that seems like a coincidence or a curse: Sachin is left to fight the demons single handedly yet another time, despite putting a great effort, his team losses and a new comer named Jakati picks up his wicket like Angelo Mathews , Sohail Tanveer or Umar Gul did as new comers in the past. Tiwary paid attention to every word that Sachin had to say as he walked in, then just before the second delivery the beep of 15 minutes played in the back of his mind(or it at least seemed so) and like Ghajini Aamir/Suriya, he forgot all that was said and gave Raina(of all people) a tough catch practice. Raina does not drop any even in the middle of the night, thank God he is not Newton, he would have caught the apple before it hit his head and we would still be wondering why the cricket ball that’s hit towards the sky comes back down. Calit Mod-e would have tweeted on what percentage of share each factor holds for the cricket ball to come back to the earth and the sweet equity disclosure would have led to the firing of Vashi Farhoor from Nasa on account of diabetes that resulted from the sweetness which he ignored to record in his findings. Duminy, Rayadu, Tiwary, Nayar were all batmen (it’s not a spelling mistake) gone wrong, the bat did not do the talking and they could not save their Gotham City, Mumbai.

Fernando was kind, Abhishek was compassionate and no… this is not a love story…both waited for each other, you dont trust me do you, ITS NOT A LOVE STORY and the ball waited for none. Raina’s drop was like the US capturing Osama and releasing him on ID 4 on account of good conduct. Zaheer I guess is a man of fire, no he’s not a smoker who carries a lighter everywhere. He said if you folks drop when I bowl, I’ll drop when you bowl too. He went begging to the ground with the ball refusing to oblige to his plea, how cruel cricket is at times, it stripped him off his…. Okay let’s say “tough man image”, to be decent. And made the second standard kid who caught the chalk his teacher threw at him proud.

28 from 8 looked possible against any team other than Chennai, before Pollard got out it seemed possible against any team. But after that, if only Sukesh Imbani’s cell phone did not show network busy….. He would have called Dhoni and offered a fair deal (Mr.Money Rathnam could have made a block buster based on the life of a young cricketer who says, Baapu kehtha tha… cricket muth khelo, laykin mainay khela ek khel…). I guess Imbani is going to sue his younger brother on account of continuous abuse from the customer care, whose answers resemble an IVR, press 1 to hangup or 0 to get frustrated. And for not reactivating his account despite making his payments three times for the same bill to make sure they did not deactivate his services. In the mean time Oneal Imbani in his recent press release says that it was not personal vendetta and he was trying to reach his elder brother to let him know that he better take his puppy along with him and see if at least that network followed him inside the packed stadium .

The last ball of the 19th over saw extreme reactions from both the captains. Dhoni in the middle of all the action smiled and pointed his finger towards the sky as if he knew the answer to the question that his Head Master Sachin had asked. As Hayden took a stunning catch to dismiss Pollard, Sachin sat biting his nails inside one of the rooms (and not in the dugout) in anticipation of his name being called on the list of students who failed to clear the annual examinations at The IPL this year.

Why does Vijay play as if he was a statue waist down, why does raina get two chances and Sachin not get even one, Malinga’s bowling lacked the color, he should have dyed his hair… especially his yorker looked plain for the batsmen. . . go on find a million reasons. Chennai Super Kings WIN and that’s all that matters!

The Lion with a Bat

2010-04-08T05:02:00.000-07:00

When the winners lose or the losers win it evokes emotions never witnessed before. Everyone is bond to it and there is so much debate over who is better than whom and predictions fill the air and we inhale it more than oxygen. Our everyday life is divided between before and after the event, between anticipation and retrospection. We are hit by the impact of what seems like a cricketing circus where each day we witness new tricks that are unveiled by the pros and the wannabes. Gimmicks and off the field drama provide enough fodder for the gossips and the infield prowess entertains the billions of fans in India and non residing Indians across the globe.

The hilt got longer, the man looks stronger and when he is out to slaughter the short ones over the top the extra swing projects the white leather into the infinite skies with a lot more ease or so it seems to me at least. He is so much in love with what he does and it’s evident when he is in the middle, on the boundary or even in the dugout. His presence equates explosive action and a knockout punch awaits the opposition which he is ready to unleash any time. The Australian Giant!

One man from an average background with not many feathers attached to his wings made his way to the centre with lots of hope and a very big heart that is hungry all the time. His will precedes his ability, his instinct supersedes talent and his grit & determination surpasses the insecurities that arise from within someone who has little to offer. When it was time to fly with the others who had a lot more feathers attached to their wings this man put all his energy into staying on course. When the others unleashed their frills and went on a swirl he just did what he had to and kept things simple through his own unorthodox approach. His book had one rule – get busy with the target and not with the strings attached to it. The Indian Mr.Cool, Captain.

Years of twisting have not weakened his wrists, the fire in his eyes shine bright as always and each move is executed with a sage like devotion. The worse the condition gets, the harder he tries and his ability to push against the odds and collect himself after getting hit hard is humungous. The Sultan of Spin from Srilanka.

It’s raining sixes when he is on the job.” Little to lose, everything to win”, is the hat he wears and his skill does help. The baggage seems to be getting bigger with the weight of responsibilities multiplying by the minute. He tries to hit and then tries to not get hit. In his home ground if it rained you can hear people say, “Rainaaaa (an expression used to ask if it was raining)????”

With some firepower in the form of youngsters and an arc angel named “ Morkel” that super kings forge their way through the battle field that has warriors like Sachin, Sehwag, Ganguly or Y Pathan and terminators like Warne, Malinga, Kumble or Harbhajan who do not make life easy in the middle. Will the mongoose win? Can Dhoni stand tall as captain and use his unorthodox means to stay on course to sail past the finish line? Will the fire burn the opposition and spin its way to success, will it rain when it’s needed the most and will the Aussi turned Madarasi kiss the infinite skies as much as he would want to? Will the “Super Kings” engrave their names on the Trophy this year? In two and a half weeks time we’ll know. Now then let me get back to the anticipation mode for the next game, let me figure out who’s wearing the orange cap, let me impatiently wait for cricinfo’s updates and also follow the batman who tweets at night about his team(that he owns) and his suppressed and not so suppressed reactions.

Have fun and let’s enjoy some big hitting, let the one who deserves to be the winner win!

- Renald

The Fate of a Fallen Hero!

2010-03-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

I have grown up watching sports, following super stars and admiring their finesse. The adventurous part of me enjoys the thrilling moments that any sport gifts us. I was always glued to the television with at most devotion as the commentator said,” 5 runs from 3 balls to win, Robin Singh is running between the wickets as if he was chased by a Tiger(No, it’s not the golfer)”. It gives me a high when I can hardly hear John Dykes say, “Wayne Rooney uses his head well in stoppage time to score a winner against Liverpool, what a moment!”, and I’m lost in that moment of excellence.

I cannot count the number times that I have watched Mika overtake Schumi in Spa (2000 F1 Season), I still have the video. And continue to enjoy the bliss and bravery that Hakkinen exhibited, it’s even more special because he was up against the best the world has ever seen on that occasion. When Federer wept after his defeat against Nadal in the Australian Open last year, I was in remorse. The superman, who was a step away from breaking Pete’s record, had to wait until the US Open to get what he wished to conquer that day.

When Hansie Cronje intervened and clarified that Sachin was blocked by Klusner from getting into his crease and should not be declared out, my mind wrote a note that it takes a man to do the right thing even if it meant that he’d lose the battle fighting fair. When Sachin never spoke against the board despite all the criticism as a captain, I realized that it takes character to remain calm in rough weather and not lose focus. I understood this even more when I saw him let the bat do the talking when the Aussi’s were busy sledging. Shane Warne later on said, “It’s better to be friends rather than help him perform better (with our sledging)”

As I saw Mathew Hayden scoop a six, flick and whip the Royal Challengers, especially Dale Steyn all around Bangalore I was dumbfounded. Later on he said that he had to practice for months with the different conditions(specific to the IPL) in mind, was bowled at different angles and speed, I was once again forced to understand that if I had to succeed I had to work on what I wanted way ahead and success was just a derivative.

When Jordan dunked, Pete volleyed, Sachin hooked, Carlos (Roberto) scored, Marat Safin won (2005 Australian Open Against Hewitt, one of my all time favorites), Tiger birdied, Mika smiled (after his car broke down on the final lap and waved to the fans) – the kid in me was learning…. Not how to do what they did but how their controlled emotions led them to the place they were, how to hold on when letting go seemed like the only option and how passion preceded performance!

The gossip column’s make money selling another man’s personal issues or in most cases so called fabricated issues which I think is a cheap thing to be doing to make my living. I wish we published the lives of these columnists, though it would not arouse curiosity there would be some as bad as any of the celebrities & sport stars. May be even worse – who knows!

I can understand why Tiger’s sponsors dropped him, they can’t say,” Go on Be a Tiger” to promote their services or products anymore. But the media running into his kid’s school is simply not acceptable. We all look up to these sports personalities, we hold them with high regard and it’s a disappointment to all of us.

When Maradonna or Benjohnson was banned for the same reason I did not see the media twisting the story into a sensational juicy article like we get to see in today’s papers. I guess our journalists have stopped reporting, they can find alternate jobs at pixar or dreamworks to work on a script and with their stretch of imagination, I’m sure they’d make it to the Oscars.

The other things about these so called journalists is that they are choosy (we all know why) - When Arnold confessed about not just pumping iron in the gym, it did not interest the gossip journalists. When our politicians are caught in the middle of the action in 5 Star hotels, the women are arrested and the men walk free. While the G journalists are busy outside a celebrity’s house finding out who was having a cup of coffee from whose cup.

Ignore the Agassi confession, it does not matter now. He did not bother to do this when he was playing, and don’t tell me he’s a hero because he confessed. You had a responsibility being an idol to so many youngsters, you failed. Go ahead live your life, but don’t try to justify.

I want to thank the performers for the entertainment & the learning that they provided. We’ll give them the chance that we’d expect for ourselves if we failed and we’ll not intrude into another man’s personal life. It’s sad to know that the fate of a hero is written off by a pen that holds so much power and responsibility.

Wake up; we are all men and women, equal mortals. We liked them for the sport, not for their personal lives and we’ll let them correct their shortcomings. I wish if only we remember not to add insult to injury, we’ll make a better place! Michael was the Elephant Man because of the Media, Martin Bashir – I do not know if you were right about your comments when you interviewed MJ. But if you were not sure and if Michael’s second edition to your interview was true, you are such a loser (I’m sure you know if you are one)!

Looking for an excuse is twice as bad as the mistake!

Renald

Thank you my Loved Ones!

2010-02-14T01:21:00.000-08:00

Many are exchanging(at least giving if not getting) gifts and wishes today. A day for Love, many will propose, many will win, some will not. Some will make while some will break!

We are yet to ascertain the exact reasons for this feeling. Any form of Love is blind as it defies logic and sometimes denies to accept reality. It can evoke extreme emotions that would have never crossed our minds if otherwise. It would drive us to do things we would have never done if we did not have this sensational feeling. For example - The parents of a mentally challenged kid gave their lives trying to save thier kid(The kid was saved) from their car that tipped into a river. How on earth would some one do it? Give thyself sounds great to read in novels but in reality this is how its possible.

The few things I've learnt in trying situations to keep the love alive with my dears ones:-

"The Bottle Neck" - When there is pressure from every side the mentally tough ones survive while the others break! Bottle necks get us closer to people who matter and that is when you get to know the real person which might be totally opposite from the way they behave other times. The neck and the bottle breaks when reality strikes in such a case!

"Getting it right is not getting it done my way"
I guess I personally have faced a lot of situations to understand that there are multiple roads to a destination(which are as safe as my way, sometimes even safer/better) and many ways of getting a job done. I guess we can call this "The Control Freak" syndrome, when you feel - "Oh no, thats not how its supposed to be".

"Dont cry if you can fix it"
Many times I've seen people talk at lenght about what was in stake, what their dreams were and how their heavens came crashing down instead of thinking what next?

"If you cant compromise, dont ever step into a deal, you can never make a successful one!"
Any deal is a success as long as both parties have a feeling that they have got the better side of the field.

"The past is behind, do you want to stay there?"
I use this more recently when I think of all the great times I had, the people who were around and things I've lost!

"You can either learn or blame"
In any given situation there are two mutually exclusive events - Blame or Learn. Move on with what you got to know. If the cow you owned kicked you in the face there is no point in kicking it back in the face, next time wear a helmet and let the cow kick you once more, it'll break its leg if it tries to kick you another time!

"Do you know why?"
This keeps me on the lookout for bits and pieces of the puzzle that i rearrange to find out why someone says something rather than put too much focus on what he said. We dont mean what we say in tough situations.

"If somepushes you from behind, look before you act. It might just be a friend!"
There are times when the intial frustration drives us to act or react in haste. A Man retuned home to notice some noise in the first floor of his house, his wife was out, his daughter was staying at her friends place that night and hence he knew it was someone else. Blood rushes through his veins at the speed of a concorde, he gets his gun and watchfully heads upstairs. Just when he reached the door of room upstairs he saw the door open and he fired! He could not forgive himself for the rest of his life. His daughter had returned as her friend was not keeping well!:(

"I cant be right all the time, but I can atleast try"
I'm no perfect is something all of us know and love to embrace. We put all our short comings in there and get aways saying it. You can never stop being nice!

"The only rule in love is to break if there was any"
Expectations, rules, standards all lead to disappointments!
We are what we are, if we had to change for someone then we are not what we are and its not easy being someone else.

Hope you cling on to your loved ones, they keep us going. Happy Valentines Day!

Let go and you will know that what is yours will never leave!

In Terms with Reality

2010-01-04T22:30:00.000-08:00

Yet another year arrives with all the twists and turns that makes life worth it! The drama of 2009 is over and like a Shakespeare’s tragedy it did hurt badly towards the end of the play.
The opening was good, Mom & Dad’s birthday celebration in Blue Star. Feb unleashed sentiments with dad admitted in the hospital for over three weeks. March was testing time, the lent - successful and the regular ritual at Malayatoor was rewarding and cleansing.
(ARV)Anand is doing good in the US, hopefully will claim greater heights in the years to come! Mia and Meeshma were adorable and I miss them very badly.

Each period of the play had different individuals walking in and out. The play was set in bangalore until the climax.

Bangalore Times:

Joshi was there until June. A true friend since my Graduation days in Sri Krishna College, he has been a consistent friend and is one of my confidant’s.

“Jaishanker” alias “Thallai” made my birthdays special in 2008! The” Kolar Ride” was his highlight this year. 01.00 hrs Bangalore - 03.00hrs Kolar – 05.00 hrs Bangalore – 09.00hrs office. Night outs on a bike, I can write a book on him and his bike.

“Terror Strikes” - no, it’s not an earthquake or Mumbai terror attacks, Chaithanya Prabhu zoomed into Bangalore. The IIM Bangalore visit was worth the drive from whitefield. Sindhu was happy to welcome us every evening, okie now you think I’m a ______. Sindhu was our hangout spot in White Field where they serve authentic Andhra food.

The huddle: Tim anna organized a dinner, James anna & Tina, Sam Anna & Jasmine, Felix and Herald & I had a great time together. The poor guy who served Chinese tea could have won a marathon as he ran to the kitchen to refill the empty pot on our table every 10 minutes.(He did that for 3 hours atleast)

Harianna’s merry ride - Accent#$^!* offered him a menial job and hence moved to Sinfy where he was offered the job of warming up the already over packed bench and the meeting rooms doing nothing. Now he is placed in a place where he has a better job, my wishes!

The Farewell party was amazing, Sarovar roof top. The DJ rocked, the 5 year old kid on the dance floor was great company to dance with. Deepti, Jai Shanker and Chinmayji were the people who made it memorable and I’m sure I’ll remember them for a long long time.

The Climax

“Coimbatore Comeback – the calm before the storm”, what a place to be! No matter how far you travelled, your heart still points to the direction you came from, where your home is. Mom’s food, friends and freedom are things you cannot buy with money. Gowtham was the man who made the difference. FiFA on the X Box, badminton in Jenny’s Club, early morning walks (at 9.30 - 10) in Race Course and the infinite Scorpio drives. He was there in every bit of it and the eternal pursuit to obtain a passport. That was a movie on its own where Gowtham was the hero who helps his friend who is in need of a passport. Mr.Babu, Bangalore and Mr.Xavi – CID were major characters who helped in the happy ending.

Just when I thought I was out due to some personal setbacks, the right career choice, passport pursuit and a few other things that bothered, the play took a U-Turn. Roy mama entered the next world; I still cannot come in terms with the reality that struck me right between the eyes.

Dollar is equally tormented if not more, the damage has been from multiple sides, but as far as I know he is a man who’ll take the bull by the horns. And when pushed against the wall, some people rise and some people fall. I’m sure he is a man who will rise even if he fell a few times; he’s got what it takes. Hope he finds light at the end of the tunnel!

The Kid in his 30’s, Big B was amazing. His warmth and love is invaluable. The Pattu Mala Church was holy and divine, the surrounding and the ambience was supreme.

“The Exile “– Living the Malayali Dream. Study/don’t; work in the GULF is the mantra. I wonder if people will declare Malayalam as the National Language here in Saudi Arabia. Eloquent references:-

The Cops pull over for a routine check and out of frustration I said," what the heck" in Malayalam and was stunned when the native cops said “Poda” (Get Lost)! Thanks to the friends from Kerala who taught him that and a lot more words which cannot be published.

With great difficulty and with the help of sign language I managed to ask a man in the transport authority, the way to the online examination centre and he said “ dha avide”(in there) in a laid back voice!

In the hope of a better tomorrow the man from India continues his walk on the corniche. The curtains drop, the play ends - Happy New Year 2010!

End Credits:
Lang K7 – Ilango Kessavane(A Friend from Bally), Abhi – Abhishek Ahhirao(Saccha Dosth), M ki - Puneet Jain, Santh – Santhana Krishnan, ?(Question Mark) – Balaji G. Sketch me – Geethakrishnan, Indy – Indira , Aniyan Sir – Trans, 6 pack – Karthi, G – Geo Thomas, Mandrake – Benny George, Mooki – Hari, Suji – Sujith, Dr – Shakeer, Topa – Niresh.

30 days

2009-12-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

I've been away from home. My heart is yet to arrive and reality is yet to strike the inside of me.

The emotional turmoil diminishes, the bizarre signboards become familiar, the sound of silence invites me into the world of seclusion where my thoughts linger around with no destined direction.

Sometimes I dream of where I was or where I want to be, other times the trance takes me to the mystical chapters of my life. I've been the hero, the thief, the cunning, the caring, the cruel, the compassionate, the friendly and the fake and I wonder how can all these diverse traits exist within a single being.

We all remember the past and can easily classify the times we have spent into categories that we take pride in or that we are ashamed of. But how many times do we stop to think before we commit ourselves into an act(of pride or guilt)?

30 days have passed since I've seen my mother's face. My brother's voice is comforting as I close my eyes when I speak to him over the phone(It brings him closer to me). My father, a man in the evening of his life feels deep inside for the love of his son who is away in a foreign land.

My aunt who has the love of a mother holds back her tears, puts on a smile before she calls. My kid sisters are busy with thier daily chores, soon they'll grow up and I miss being a part of their childhood days.

I've had the best of friends which obviously means that I've had the greatest of times. I miss them too.

The opportunities are immense and there are several learning experiences waiting to be unravelled . In order to keep the balance sheet of my life on the profitable side I'm on this pursuit far away from my dear ones. I hope the returns will be worth the investment.

When each step gets steeper the peak of the mountain has arrived, we all know we cannot walk down to the peak!

When it is Time

2009-10-03T00:48:00.000-07:00

"My life has been a collection of ironic events. One day I wake up to find that all the love in the world is right there next to me (feel so mostly when I'm home) and the very next day I find myself all alone, struggling to fill my emptiness with vagary and the void inside kills the man in me for the rest of the day, but I bounce back stronger than yesterday. One evening I meet all the dead lines and the very next day I realize that it all did not matter and what mattered was never even thought of. What seemed difficult wasn't that tough in reality and what seemed like a walk in the park invariably ends up as a mountain that seems to get steeper with each step. I hate to give up when it mattered. Be it people or opportunities.

Just when I thought how wonderful life has been I've been dragged to where I started, emptiness. That’s why I don’t like the snake and ladder game, one wrong number decides your next move. And when I'm almost there I most often end up tossing the wrong number and destiny drags me to where I do not want to be, from where I've struggled to stay away from and I'm muscled right into the middle of the pain I never wished to feel another time.

When I thought that life was tough yesterday, today proved that yesterday day wasn't. Not that it got better, its just because it could not get worse now. Sometimes everything has a reason in life, if not I try to find out until now. Now it does not matter if there was a reason."

I know its away from my core area(Human Resource) but now I guess I have moved a level above and core areas dont matter. So I request you to ponder over the topic and debate over it. Looking forward to a healthy discussion and hope you'll will be engilghtened with the Greater Truth.

- On behalf of Roy J George. (If he was to write one last blog from Heaven)

The worst irony I’ve ever faced: Laugh one night with some one so dear and then find out that he is no more in the next couple of days. The people who have been around ever since I was a kid are the ones who I have very strong feelings about. The positive ones get stronger and the others diminish into the background with no role to play in my future life.

"He(Roymama)" by far has been the best man I’ve ever known. No, I’m not saying because I wish to praise him now that he is gone. Its only because I wanted to tell him some day when I saw him achieve all that he wanted to. But now that day will never come. So many memories, desires and dreams shattered when you left us Roy Mama. They say that every one leaves " When it is Time". I don’t trust you have left, i know you are right here.

And I’m sure we'll meet " When it is Time"

Love You Always

Your Kunju.

And he lived happily ever after...........

2009-07-07T04:08:00.000-07:00

Back on top - ATP Ranking World No: 1

If you thought that was the end of the fairy tail story you got it wrong. The most successful tennis player in the world, Roger Federer is far from finished. His wife wishes that his kid should see him play and Federer says it’s not impossible. 15 times he has emerged as the winner and he’s still hungry for more. To do something like that it takes more than just desire, more than just commitment and more than just discipline more than a coach(like many said), more than some journalist predicting the end of his era, more than many other things that all great players of the past had.

The Swiss won the Wimbledon 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 to surpass Pete Sampras's 14 Grand Slam wins and regain the title he lost to Rafael Nadal last year. This time it was Andy, the surprise he brought was the body line service which proved to be effective. May be Fed was not expecting, may be it’s because Andy never did that in the past. But the success it brought could not get him past the finish line. Federer once again played the mind game, kept pushing and kept his head above the water as Andy Roddick did not make life easy out there in Centre court. The end result, Andy could not hold on to his nerve and yet another time Fed walks away with the Cup. The longest rally in men’s tennis ever, Pete Sampras in the Royal Box (Past acknowledged the Present), Russel Crowe (Glam meets slam) & Sachin Tendulkar (Front foot v/s Forehand) in the audience all added color to the most delicious dish named Wimbledon that Federer relished last Sunday.

Now the one last dream we all have - a sweet victory against Nadal, the wall that runs around, the bowling machine that that pounds the tennis ball one after another, the marathon runner who never runs out of steam, the craftsman who flicks, flips, slashes and slices.

My Learning from Wimbledon
If you thought of victory too early you lose, and if you think of failure then the result is no different. Just do what you can for as long as you can and the reward is yours.

Just when you think your feet are tired, think of how tired your opponent should be and you'll generate the energy to keep going.

"Remember the Time" Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T00:04:00.001-07:00

Michael Jackson's demise leaves us with a void that will never be filled. Guess Herald's blog says all that I wanted to or even more.

www.haljosgeo.blogspot.com

Our prayers to the Greatest Musician & Performer we've ever seen.

And yes, we will "remember the time, we fell in love" with your music and dance as long as we live.

Just to see how good he was even after decades of entry into the world stage, "You Rock My World", Video:- http://myplay.com/video-player/michael-jackson/?bcpid=14508199001&bclid=18584191&bctid=13406370

Dedicated to the ones affected.

2009-06-18T06:06:00.001-07:00

Name’s G*****….. B***** G***** (For our convenience we call him JCB, and of course for the way he rips his friends apart)

It’s been a while since negative things happened to me and hence I finally decided to take the risk of my life. You’ll know what I mean by the time you finish this brief description of the MAN (Most Affecting Negative influence in our lives).

I choose to write in few(wish both of us had the time to write a descriptive one)points for each instance in the order to cover more ground and to make sure you’ll don’t faint reading it. One more word of caution, if you are superstitious I request you to quit now rather than repent later.

I met this prodigy in my MBA days in a prominent B-School in Coimbatore. Soft spoken, intuitive, had strong opinions but seldom vouched for them as he thought the rest of the crowd was not up to standards to comprehend.

I heard, then saw and of course have been the victim many times only to realize that I’m luckier than the other victims. So here we take a plunge into the life of the Negative Magician (I fondly call him) with no particular order.

JCB goes to Chennai, rather hot and dry place in mid 2006 and his friends welcome him with a grin. It rained for two days straight and no wonder the place was flooded.(You never know what you can become)

A Friend invited JCB(he was the first one to receive his wedding invite) for his marriage (Love marriage,both the groom and the bride have know JCB for years). And the next day they decide to walk different ways and not get married.(The inverse of Nokia, Disconnecting people)

He said bye when I was heading home from college and a normal 30 min drive took close to 3.30hrs. (I have to mention that a drunkard’s 6 year old daughter puked on my feat and the only money I had was spent in buying a water bottle to wash my feet and had to walk home).

He poses for a photo for another friend’s sister’s wedding and “boom” all the camera flashes went off. (Logical reason: Power fluctuation, but we think some thing more had come into play).

JCB visits Agasthyarkoodam for a couple of days trek and as they were mid way through the trek smiles at the trekking party which was on its descent. The next thing we know is that the Kerala Police had to escort JCB and the team out of the area as the elephants attacked two from the trekking party which was leaving. Yeah, the same trekking party which exchanged smiles with the JCB. And now Agasthyarkoodam is closed for public.

He joined a US based Investment firm in 2007, and you know how the US markets crashed. It’s still not recovered and even the experts dont know when it will be back up(Guess we have a piece of advice). I have requested him not to be disheartened and join the Indian financial Market for the benefits of the millions of people who thrive on the markets.(Poor Lehman Brothers, did'nt see this coming. Survived for over 158 years)

I do not want to mention names, he had applied for his certificates in one of his previous educational institution and by the time he received the same the signing authority (the head of the institution) passed away. (We assume that it was JCB’s certificate that the person had signed L A S T. Its one fact that the person was old and I don’t blame JCB for this one but yet sometimes a signature can change your life).

Last week it was a long time since I spoke to him and so in good intent I called him when I stopped for dinner, spoke for some 5 odd minutes and walked out to my bike and in just a hundred meters I found that my rear tyre was flat. Had to push my bike all the way (4 kilometers) to the nearest refueling station to refill the air and rush to the nearest puncture station. Guess what, all puncture shops in my area were closed(it was 11 plus in the night so I don’t blame him) and I had to head home before I ran out of air once again. The best part is that the next morning I found out that the air was still in there and there was no problem, it’s a couple of weeks now and no one knows why the tyre went flat.

As I sat down to write a few lines, I could recollect of so many. The ones who where there would understand and recollect. The trip to Udumalpet, the swimming session in Coimbatore, the dinner you had in my place, the juice shop tragedy in Trivandrum, the wedding trip from CBE to Trivandrum, the wedding mess up in the hotel in Thrissur, the key locked inside the indica car in the same hotel and so on. Anyone who has known him would sure have many such tales to tell.(JCB should have been the brand ambasador of Addidas - Impossible is NOTHING)

Hope and wish that the Blog Spot servers don’t crash. . . and by the way I have got yet another negative info from a friend of mine as I wrote this blog. I know it sounds fabricated. I can email my friends number if you want to verify.(The last brand you can associate JCB to is our own MRF - "Feel the power")

Tour de force - Career Grand Slam

2009-06-08T00:19:00.000-07:00

The only grand slam that eluded him for over 8 years is finally in his kitty, The French Open.

" Every time I play against Federer I feel that I did not play as well as I could, now I understand that he makes me play bad"-Soderling, runner up French Open 2009.

Just when many wrote him off, just when the evening skies where visible at a distance, just when one man named Rafa terrified him final after final, just when everyone said oh he needed that or he needed a coach or a bubble bath, he rose.

The Swiss Star will now go home and look at his trophies and say," finally everything is in place". His dream as a kid was to win a Wimbledon, he lived way past his dreams winning it five times. Today he joins two great tennis stars who created a unique league. He joins Pete with his 14 titles and Aggasi who won all the majors. And if some one still doubted if he was the greatest, he wouldn't care.

Federer was obviously in an emotional mix way before the last set, "It was very hard mentally for me to stay within the match during the match, because my mind was always wondering, What if?" he said. "What if I win this tournament? What does that mean? What will I possibly say?" said Federer in the post macth press conference.

Sorry for Nadal, elated for Federer.

14 and counting!

Signing off with one last wish - The brave conquer what most men fear, defeat Nadal before its time to hang up those "pushed to the limit" tennis shoes!

Soderling (SWE) Federer (SUI)
1st Serve %55 of 91 = 60 %52 of 79 = 66 %
Aces 2 16
Double Faults 3 2
Unforced Errors 22 24
Winning % on 1st Serve 35 of 55 = 64 % 44 of 52 = 85 %
Winning % on 2nd Serve 20 of 36 = 56 % 18 of 27 = 67 %
Winners (Including Service) 24 41
Receiving Points Won 17 of 79 = 22 % 36 of 91 = 40 %
Break Point Conversions 0 of 2 = 0 % 4 of 6 = 67 %
Net Approaches 13 of 20 = 65 % 9 of 11 = 82 %
Total Points Won 72 98
Fastest Serve Speed 221 KMH 213 KMH
Average 1st Serve Speed 197 KMH 190 KMH
Average 2nd Serve Speed 159 KMH 152 KMH

Mementos

2009-03-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

What do you remember?

Long hours in school or the fun you had in there,
Your first kiss or the first day you met,
Your first girl friend or the first break up,
First day at work or your first salary.

What do you remember?

The dreams you realized or the ones that remained just dreams,
The fun you had with friends or the friends, who were fun to be with,
The day you said, “I do”, or the day you thought you should not have,
The time you spent with your loved ones or the hours you spent elsewhere for them.

What do you remember?

The shoulder they relied upon or the support they were to you,
The Love that you had or the love that never was there.
The words that you spoke or the words, you should not have spoken,
The one you want to be or the one, that you wanted to be.

What do you remember?

For you are what you remember,
And will be, what you choose to remember,
And they… they will remember you,
For good or for not, so what do you remember?

Double Fault

2009-02-02T02:49:00.000-08:00

Not "let" this time, got to wait for another day to equal Sampras's record

“Federer won 174 points to Nadal’s 173, he served 6 – 8 km faster, served 11 aces in comparison to Nadal’s 4 and came up with 71 winners against the Spaniard's 50“.

What would a tennis coach say? Serve with speed and precision, move fast, make sure you manage to get your angles right and make those winners when you have an opportunity and soon you will be the next Grand Slam Champion.

But anyone who watched the match yesterday would know that the obvious as per these stats did not happen.

Rafael Nadal 7 3 7 3 6
Roger Federer 5 6 6 6 2

It was superhuman v/s supernatural; Federer’s fore hand was sublime. He kept getting those winners down the line or cross court and every time he sliced and took the pace off the ball Rafa had to collect himself to respond which he did but not as well as he would have wanted to. Nadal on the other hand did not push himself too much at the start. Ideally you would see him running from corner to corner, but after a strenuous semi final against Verdasco even the supernatural showed signs of fatigue, he got what he could with out stressing or physically draining. But then when it was needed he bounced back, Federer kept slamming and like Vijay Amrithraj commented, “The ball just bounced back every time, it felt like he was playing against a perpetual moving human wall”

Match Summary Nadal - Federer
1st Serve % 112 of 175 = 64 % - 90 of 172 = 52 %
Aces 4 - 11
Double Faults 4 - 6
Unforced Errors 41 - 64
Winning % on 1st Serve 74 of 112 = 66 % - 66 of 90 = 73 %
Winning % on 2nd Serve 30 of 63 = 48 % - 37 of 82 = 45 %
Winners (Including Service) 50 - 71
Receiving Points Won 69 of 172 = 40 % - 71 of 175 = 41 %
Break Point Conversions 7 of 16 = 44 % - 6 of 19 = 32 %
Net Approaches 15 of 26 = 58 % - 43 of 60 = 72 %
Total Points Won 173 - 174
Fastest Serve Speed 196 KMH - 204 KMH
Average 1st Serve Speed 179 KMH - 183 KMH
Average 2nd Serve Speed 143 KMH - 156 KMH

For the second time I felt emotional watching tennis. First, when Pete bid adieu to professional tennis and then yesterday when Fed smothered in front of the Aussies.

But both Federer and Nadal proved that there could be no better ambassadors to the sport,

Federer recovering from his agony rushed to the microphone for the second time and said, “I dont wanna have the last word, this man deserves it, So.. Rafa Congrads. You played incredible, you deserve it man. you played another fantastic finals so.... all the best for the season”

Nadal on the other hand walked straight to Federer after collecting his Trophy to console and started his speech with, “ First of all Roge ... sorry for today, I know how it feels but you remember you are a champion, the best and you are going to break Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slam Victories for sure”. To see such great sportsmanship from Nadal was a consoling fact for an avid Federer fan like me.

Great Rivals, Great Friends... Nadal & Federer proved that tennis is a gentleman's game!

No matter how big a star you are its just a matter of time before a bigger star emerges.

- “If you got something easily, it would not matter much as anyone could get the same with little efforts”

Renald

Picture used is borrowed from www.Australianopen.com and will be removed if any objection is raised by the copyright owner.

Protip

2009-01-02T00:17:00.000-08:00

Wanderlust - Past and Future

Destinations change, directions don't. Wishes do, not their efforts. People change, relationships don't. Even if we wish to stop the journey, wishing good things for ourselves and our loved ones, establishing and retaining relationships.......we simply cannot. Life offers the same old gift in a freshly wrapped cover, opportunity. Nothing is really changed if you notice, we ran to school, then college and now work. We wished for a bi cycle, then a motor bike, a car and now what not. Life is an opportunity as long as we exist in the real sense.

Nature takes its own course and follows its own set of principles irrespective of what we own or wish to own. It detours our journey at times and delays our arrival but never acts as an irrepressible force which qualms our desires.

The past year has been more rewarding in many ways, Herald, Harianna, Sam anna and James anna all said, " I do" last year, I guess those are the only two words they say when their better half is around. Its great to see that they all are doing well professionally and personally.

Got to travel to new places like Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Kollam and Chickmangloor and I realise that the more I travel the more I find out how unique we are and how diverse we choose to be.

Its been a year of learning, I've made my share of mistakes at work and at home. But i've learnt quite a bit from them. One dream of mine came true in the form of a Nikon D40. And I realised that money can get you a good camera but not a great photograph.

I'd like to thank Anand (Vijay Anand A R) for being patient when I was going over the top and for being my friend all these years, I miss those days when 25 rupees could not just get us a coffee and puffs at Nilgris but so much happiness of seeing the world for the first time independently.

Guess its too much of the past, but I'd have to mention a few things that I remember and I'm sure the ones close to me too do:-

A Maruthi 800 going past a Mercedes E 280, Pajero, Endeavour, Cedia, Swift Diesel and a hell lot of cars. My navigator was a pleasure to drive with, Herald. He would keep finding an exterme left (outside the road) or suggest the inside line on a hard right hander when a truck would naturally oversteer.
The Chase - Hyundai Accent v/s Maruthi Swift (Diesel) A high speed drafting in front of Mechri Police Station (enroute bangalore from coimbatore) could get us ahead of the Swift but could not keep us at the front. We emerged as losers but we fought the battle with fire. Taking into consideration that Harianna owned the Accent and still managed to sit tight in the front seat without a worry amazes me, Sam Anna as usual was silent but amazingly watchful.
Meeting Arun (Neo) and Bijo in Chennai, late night dinner near Guindy Station, Arun paying for the tea and biscuits (yet another time). Walking down the memory lane, Bijo's workout regieme and Arun's Chai banana ..... simply unforgettable.
Late Night Dinner, Anand and I. Paramount or Imperial.
Darryl's Amazing Music, it simply seems to overwhelm us by many fold each time his fingers touch the piano or writes some music (especially vocals).
Sahil, Shajan, Benny and I sitting outside Karunya until 3 in the morning and walking down the memory lane.
The Mysore Palace, Tippu's Tomb and pictures of Mia and Meeshma all shot on our D40.

Guess I can go on but I'll rather move to the future part of the blog. These are what I'm actively looking forward to in 2009.

Waiting for Two couples to exchange their wedding vows, Bijo & Lulu and Arun & Vidya. It would be a treat to watch them walk as man and wife.
Professional growth at my work place.
Anand's Master's Degree in the US.
Meeting Niresh who is here in India now and spend sometime with him.

With New Destinations and Wishes here is wishing you the very best in this year!

- Don't give up and don't give in.

Renald

From a Distance

2005-04-16T02:44:00.000-07:00

This is a follow up of my previous article, there were mixed opinions about it from a few. Every element in nature has multiple dimensions, ideas , morals and values, so I got to know as to how some felt about the article I had posted, thank you people. I do not mean to justify my stand, I do not believe in forcing my idea, I do not mean to say that I am right or wrong because that is left to the individual's discretion. All I intend is to express my thoughts and please do let me know as to how I can improve or what you feel, so that I and others who visit this blog will have a fair idea of what each one feels about the given idea.

Many live to be forgotten, many forget to live:

There are are many beautiful things in the world that impresses us, many that are close to our hearts, many things inspires us and many that help us move ahead in life . Who are these people ? We immediately tend to look up at movie stars, scientists, sportsmen/women or someone in the limelight. We do know that they have all achieved fame and money, and with no disregard for them we accept that they have burnedout a lot of energy to get where they are. And yes some of them are motivating, but we tend to ignore the silent players who have been around us, guided us and groomed us. They get lost in the crowd as time goes on. But they dont mind because there is a sense of personal satisfaction in their heart when they look at us and the feats we've achieved from a distance. It would be overwhelming if we acknowledge their efforts. We all have something or the other to achieve, while some of us make an effort towards it others fear failure, dont take a chances and console themselves with the little that they have. So make the most so that people remember you, and do remember the ones who stand with you right through.

The meaning of life is to give life a meaning :

People who live for sure have to enter another world someday(my personal belief). How we spend our time here matters a lot. Most of us get lost in transition . Though we set out in search of one(goal), most times we end up settling for another. Again it does not matter if we end up with something else as long as its constructive. The best possible meaning would be to add beauty to our surroundings. All those who are special are people who have generated positive energy around them. And at the end of it, it does not matter how many years we spend, after all its just manipulatable numbers but the souls that we have touched in this journey is what really matters . Even if we can better the life of one individual, its a milestone achieved. The joy from the inside is something that no one can steal or buy. And even if the person we supported fails to acknowledge it, it adds meaning to our existence. The most respected one is the most mannered one. We all have different ideas about life and it always differs from time to time and person to person. So respecting others , behaving well and spreading positive energy would not just add meaning to our lives but also to the ones around us.

Choice or Consequence

2005-04-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

Whats important ?

Running down the road there is so much competition that one wonders "what more should I do to get past my competitor", "where would I find that magic potion that will get me past the others"? Should I run faster" ? Without doubt it would get me past the others, but unfortunately only for the time being. In a matter of time leading would be ambiguous and I would run out of steam. So whats the next move is the million dollar question which depends upon what the others opt to do, the billion dollar answer. And unfortunately you get recognition only after the mission is accomplished so the billion dollar answer would arrive only after the racers get past the finish line, like food for a dead man.

The Foundation :

Everything that stand has a feet(or some aid), the strong ones are stable, while the agile ones are expeditious. The quintessential factor that affects every game is knowing the boundaries and rules that govern the game. And the choice is always misleading whereas the consequence is the guiding star that would lead us even to our eternal goal. As my brother always says " To finish first you first have to finish". So focus on finishing, be cautious that you do not do anything that affects the balance. And strive to strike a balance between speed and stability, and hold on when things go wrong, the road seems uphill, because once you get up there you can glide down with ease to the other side.

Next Step is the Last Step :

The zeal to succeed blindfolds the human mind, only relentless practise, concentration and a clear understanding can get us close to success, again success is a journey and not a destination, its dynamic and so will be the path towards it . So with providence and precaution, focus and precision ,the journey would be rewarding despite being demanding. So concentrate on the solution rather than the problem and work towards it and get there atleast along with the others if not ahead of them.