Let me go back

“Vaazhkayila oru rewind button irundha evalavu nalla irukkum” (wouldn’t it be fantastic if we have a rewind option for our life as well) – a dialogue from the movie Mudhalvan which I will never ever forget. how true … how true …

Nothing can beat the times we had in school. It used to be so much fun, to get up early, have breakfast prepared by mom, getting ready swiftly with dad helping with the shoes, mom with the lunch boxes and school bags, grand mom blessings before we leave.

I always reach 15 mins earlier to school and it used to be such a refresh to see all friends, chat around about the cricket matches or the WWE, enquire about the homeworks, tests for the day. The classes used to be fun too, different teachers every 45 mins, different subjects, interesting learnings and then the Play Time periods. I still remember, everyone used to wait for the Wednesdays and pray that the rain stays away. The inter class cricket matches, basketball matches, it was just mindless fun everyday.

Then the exam times, tension all around, late night studies, talking on phone all night, clarifying doubts, revising the chapters early in the morning, feeling feverish just before you leave home and check if mom is ok if I bunk the exam :-) I was always very nervous when it came to exams. I used to be awake till 10 PM ensure that I finish all the chapters before I hit the bed. Then, I used to get up at 2 in the morning sometimes to revise every chapter. I just wont be able to appear for an exam until I have revised all the chapters in the morning. Still, when I think of those days, I wish they are back. I don’t mind all the pressure of exams, marks, admissions – it was fun, way fun than what we are going thro’ now.

It’s a given that we all miss our school and college days isn’t it?

15 and counting!!!

15 and Counting .... Yes, RF has done, winning his 15th Grand Slam title after yet another marathon at the Wimbledon final. Last year he was at wrong end but this year it was different. I have written enough about RF and my passion for his game, however, I felt that Roddick deserved to win yesterday.

Watching Roddick from the Q/F stage, I was really really amazed the way he played. He was simply outstanding, a remarkable turn around indeed from last year. As Roger said "he would win a grand slam soon", one could see it in him now. To think of the fact that the only game that Roger broke in the entire match was the game that snatched the match away from him is really astonishing, and that's why I pity Roddick and felt he deserved to win the match.

At the end of it I feel henceforth, men's tennis will be much more competitive. I believe we will see a lot more upsets in the coming grandslam's. However, I am also sure that 15 is not the final number that RF is going end up with.

Is he the greatest ever

Finally, finally Roger has done it. After ending 2nd best 3 consecutive years, Roger Federer has won the French Open. Finally he has the full set of Grand Slam titles, becoming only the sixth man in history to achieve the feat. Also, with 14 grand slams he has now equaled Pete Sampras record as most number of grand slams held by an individual ever.

I still remember in the beginning of the year when Roger Federer lost the final of the Australian Open to Rafael Nadal, I hoped and wished he could beat Nadal in the French Open final. Although, I am really happy for him, I still feel that this victory was a little hollow because the opposition was not Rafael Nadal. Just not the French open, I would like to see Roger winning most of his grand slams against Rafael Nadal.

French Open is a different ball game all together and many greats have found it really hard to win the grand slam (all four majors). If someone performs exceedingly well in French they find it difficult to win either hard court or grass court.

If I look at the greatest ever players that have played the game, most of them have not been good clay court players. This is primarily because the great players are usually serve and volley players, players who would like to win quick points, who would like to hit winners down the line. However, French open doesn’t give you such chances. The clay court game is excruciatingly slow for the great players, it requires more physical strength than the skill of the game itself.

Personally, I don’t think so Roger is the greatest ever that’s played the game. I am not taking anything away from his achievements they are simply mind blowing. I am really happy that he won the French, otherwise the entire world would have done what they did to Pete Sampras “he was never able to win the French”, so that’s out of the question now. Then why don’t I consider him the greatest ever? ‘cos the fact is he never had great players playing during his prime time. I could only think of Nadal, but Nadal has much better win / loss record against Federer. The greatest ever, should be able to have a tremendous record against all opponents. Think of it, Nadal and Federer have played 7 times in a grand slam final, Nadal has won 5 times and Federer 3 times. Yes, Nadal won thrice in clay, still its 2 – 2 in other slams.

Just not Nadal, think of the time when Pete Sampras was playing and think of the players he had to compete with – Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Pat Rafter, Steffan Edberg, Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic, Michael Chang, Michael Stich. I mean one could never predict a final of a grand slam, but these 5 years that Roger has reigned supreme, one can confidently say he would be there in the finals. Yes, Roger has been in 20 consecutive grand slam finals but were the opponents scary enough? There are ppl like Djokovic and Murry but they have never been threats, atleast they have not risen to the level of threats. Another strange fact is Roger has never lost a grand slam final to anyone else apart from Nadal.

Also, what does greatest ever mean? There would be someone for sure after Roger, after all who thought there would be a Borg after Laver, Becker after Borg, Pete after Becker and Roger after Pete. So I am sure there would be a XXXXX after Roger.

Roger is definitely one of the greatest that has ever played the game but not THE GREATEST that has ever played.

Where am I heading?

Ok, this has been long time coming I guess. If I was a 15 year old now and someone with a magic wand showed me a picture of my life “I would be a team manager at xxxxxxxx, 10 years down the line, doing xxxxxxxxxx” would I have taken it? I guess, my answer would be “No way”.

Life over the last few years have taken a lot of turns and looks like I have ended up with what I didn’t really wish for. Having said that, I love what I am currently doing and I am more than happy with the position I am in. However, this isn’t what I wished for, this is more like being contended to what I ended up with. Of course, the problem is with me, I just didn’t realize a lot of things early in my life.

The number of avenues that people can get into is enormous but when I was young there was no one really to guide me. Also, the media or the exposure to the outside world was also very less during the 90’s which deprived me a lot of things. If I actually think of it, I don’t think I knew anyone from school that ventured into a different field. Almost everyone I know who studied with me are either into business or into the corporate world.

If I look back and think of what could I have done differently, then there are a number of things that come to mind. I could have chosen to be a Pilot, doctor, sportsmen, detective, economist, politics, commentator, artist, musician …so on … but it was just the preemptive mindset that I would end up with family business right from childhood that didn’t help my cause. Now, with all the media, technology, knowledge I really wonder why this, why not something else?

Come to think of it., even this corporate life didn’t start at my wish, it just happened. I still remember I was sitting in my office when one of my friends (Mihir Shah) called me and checked if I was interested in attending an interview. I thought for a minute and then spoke to my mom. She advised me that it would be good to start a career outside and then come to business as I would learn a lot more. So, I decided to give 10 years of what I am doing now to gain the maturity and understanding of not just business but about different people and customers. Also, the fact that I would earn my own money, the sense of satisfaction from that is definitely humungous. So, I decided to give the interview and subsequently cleared it.

Anyways, now that I want to do something different am I doing anything about it? It’s difficult to say, I have been checking on how to be an international umpire which has got me fascinated off late, speaking to ppl on venturing into a new business may be. However, all this is just half hearted – why? ‘cos it’s just the fear, fear of losing what I have now, fear of failure, fear of age, fear of time that can be lost, fear of competition and that’s why all this should have been thought 10 years ago. Why not go back to my own business, well that becomes a routine, that’s normal, there is no spice to life then.

The only way I can cheer up is to think of the ever famous line “Everything happens for a reason and the reason is always good” so what I am doing now, is probably the best place for me.

Xbox 360 and RF

For a long time, I was hoping to own an Xbox 360 and a RF (Roger Federer) cap. I have always been fascinated by video games, from Nintendo – Sega – Play Station – Xbox 360 – I just love them to the core. I still remember the days I used to fight with my brother to get hold of the video game after school to play my then favorite Mario Brothers. Over the last year and a half, I have been a regular visitor to NYX and BLURR(gaming centre’s in Chennai) just to play a few games of FIFA / NBA / Cricket in Xbox 360. Every time I visited these places, I would tell myself – I should buy this.



Also, I am also a little crazy about caps, I have a bucket load of them, but the RF cap made me go crazy – The 1st time I saw it was when Roger Federer wore it in one of his post match interviews - I simply went nuts. I was like "I must buy this, its so damn freaking cool". I fell in love with that cap instantly and went to every possible shop in Chennai and Bangalore to get hold of it, but unfortunately none had it.



Now, the dream has come true – I now have an Xbox 360 – FIFA 2009, NBA 2K9 and the RF cap. It’s almost as if my entire life is rejuvenated, I can’t wait to go to Chennai to play the games. My cry for weekends to come sooner has intensified more. I am playing a zillion games on Saturdays and Sundays.

The RF cap is on my head wherever I go, I feel out of the world. Thanks to best buddy’s Prabhu (got me the Xbox 360 from US) and Arjun (got me the RF cap from US) – they have made my life merrier.

Another Sachin Tendulkar Special

Quotes from various personalities on Sachin Tendulkar :-)


Hashim Amla: "Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin
Tendulkar on it." Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a
flight

Yaseer hameed: "Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job."

"To Sachin, the man we all want to be" - Andrew Symonds wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin

BBC on Sachin: Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something
that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even
those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When
he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their
lives "

But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds -
or a game - until Tendulkar was out.

"Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?" Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq
when the latter dropped Sachin's catch.

Brian Charles Lara - Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal.

"We did not lose to a team called India...we lost to a man called Sachin" - Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)

Jaisimha: "The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his best
knock."

@McGrath: "The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which
he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility -
all make for a one-in-a-billion individual,"


HAYDEN: "I HAVE SEEN GOD, HE BATS AT NO.4 FOR INDIA"

KUMBLE : I am fortunate that I've to bowl at him only in the nets!

Que: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shahrukh: There was a big party where stars from bollywood and cricket were
invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching
Amitabh Bachhan. Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the GENIUS!!

Navjot Singh Sidhu: India me aap PrimeMinister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte hain..Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte..

Waqar Younis: He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also .

A banner once said-' I WILL SEE GOD WHEN I DIE BUT TILL THEN I WILL SEE
SACHIN ' that quiet defines Sachin-The greatest.


Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has
many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the
world -- Allan Donald

Allan Donald: I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from
point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting i told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and i know a way to pin Sachin. And i delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delevery outside offstump. And i shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His reflex time is the best i have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket better prepare. Atleast u wont regret if he hits you for boundaries.

Peter Rebouck: On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!

NKP Salve: This was when he was accused of ball tempering "Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It's clear discrimination."

Andy Flower: There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others.

Trip to Coorg

Finally I manage to visit a place other than Chennai / Bangalore. After much deliberation I and my friends decided on a trip to Coorg and a stay at Orange County. Train tickets were booked till Mysore, bus tickets from Mysore to Coorg and the resort was booked too a week before the trip.

March 27th:

It was a very early start after the usual tough day at work previous day. I had to get up at 03:30 AM, packed my bags got into the cab at 4 and reached the station 20 minutes later. Train was at 5:00 to Mysore (Chennai – Mysore) with my friends already boarded it from Chennai. We reached Mysore at 08:00, got into a local restaurant for breakfast which was horrible. Our bus to Coorg was at 10, little did we know that a 100 KM journey would actually take us 3 hours and bit because of the hilly area. After a tired journey of 6 hours already, the cab outside the bus stand gave us a shocker. The time to Orange County from the bus stand took us another hour and 15 mins. Finally, after a long and strenuous journey we reached our resort.

The welcome to the resort reminded me of pictures I had seen on tv when cricketers were greeted with a aarathi, followed by a warm towel and a yummy juice. We were hungry like mad dogs, fearing that the restaurant might close as it was close to 3PM, we informed the receptionist that we would check in to the room later and we just needed food to survive the immediate minutes. The food at the restaurant was staggering if only I had such food on a daily basis I would gain a kilo every day.

After the heavy lunch we didn’t really plan anything for the evening, we just wanted to relax and spend some time within the resort. So, after a nap, we started strolling within the resort. The resort was beautiful, one would wish to be there forever. The coffee shop, swimming pool, great restaurants, activities centre, boating, fishing, birds, spices, lovely staff, and one cannot really ask for more. After a few games of table tennis, we had nice time besides the pool chit chatting. Later, we had dinner and made our plans for the next day.




March 28th:

We started off with a heavy breakfast and a trip to the elephant camp. The journey to the camp was long but once we got there, every minute was fun. We took a boat ride to start off to get to the other end of the river where the elephants were. Once, we were at the other end, we saw couple of elephants lying on the river while the mahout and few visitors were cleaning them. It was such an incredible sight to see such a giant creature lying down while we were washing them. After a trip around the camp, we decided to head back to our cab. We chose to walk along the river and didn’t take the boat to go back. It was one of the best experiences ever as we had to be very careful with river water flowing and the rocks being very slippery. However, at the end of it, we made it without any injuries, although everyone slipped a few times. Our next destination was the Tibetan settlement which everyone suggested. It was another hour drive and honestly it was time wasted. I really didn’t enjoy the time there neither did my friends. In fact, there is nothing much to be written about. We hardly spent a few minutes and headed back to the resort. At the resort, we decided to go for fishing. I never knew catching a fish is next to impossible. While our entire gang of 5 managed to catch only one fish with close to a 100 attempts, it was really frustrating at the end of it. Then the usual TT games at the resort, followed by coffee and other in house activities. The dinner on that day needs a special mention here. It was a different restaurant (peppercorn) and had to be booked prior since there are limited seats available. We had one of the most delicious food that one could ever imagine. The taste of every item we had is still felt in my tongue. While I am typing this my tummy is longing for that food again.

March 29th:

The day we had to check out to head back to Chennai. We spent a good time swimming and took the steam bath. Later, the usual heavy breakfast and a final bid to the resort we headed back to Mysore via bus in the afternoon. The train was at 8 PM to Chennai.

Looking back, the stay was fabulous but the trip was tiring with long rides resulting in tired minds.

Its' been a month

So it’s been a month since I had written a blog. So what have I been up to during the last 30 days, hmmmm

I fell sick after my trekking trip and later realized that it was not just a regular viral fever / cold / headache. So, I planned a week off from work and went to Chennai (I feel safe there), got diagnosed with chicken guniya and still facing its aftermath with lots of joint pains and tiredness.

A.R. Rahman won two Oscars for our country (hats off to the genius) and I loved it when he said “ella pughazhum iraivanukae” (damn – I could have blogged on that). However, not sure if Slumdog Millionaire deserved all those Oscars tho’.

India has convincingly beaten New Zealand in ODI series, 1st time a side managed to win in over 41 years and of course Sachin’s brilliance in 3rd ODI. I wish he had stayed on to go and make a double hundred. Sri Lankan players were targeted in Pakistan and now the entire cricketing fraternity fears the worst in touring sub-continent (bull crap).

Pressure at work seems to be soaring with planning on backfilling of resources, promotions, conducting interviews, project at crossroads, compensation management, what not.

Currently, planning on a trip to Goa with friends later this month, lets see how that unfolds.

1st Trek of my life

Last Sunday was a day filled with lot of emotions – fatigue, nervousness, excitement and what not. It was the 1st trek of my life and at the end of it, I felt I had a mixed day. The trek was to Antargange and I was accompanied by 7 of my friends from work.

We boarded the bus at 8 AM from RMZ Infinity (my work place) and reached Antargange in approximately 90 mins. We had a great breakfast and started off the trek with stairs leading up to a temple. Minutes into the trekking, I started feeling very uncomfortable. I thought of giving up and head back to Bangalore. I just wasn’t feeling good. However, I didn’t want to give up either and took one step at a time, in a quiet determination. Trust me, it wasn’t just trekking, it was more like mountain climbing. The path was filled with sand, rock, thorns and the monkeys. By noon, we reached the peak of a mountain. The view from the top was stunning and the breeze was as refreshing as one could hope for.



After a good rest on the top of the hill, we headed for cave exploration. I loved the cave exploration a lot. I felt as if I had got back my life once I started off with it. The kind of holes we got into, the activities we went through to get out of the cave was simply astonishing. It was quite scary but when I think back the team work that went into it felt nice. After the cave exploration, we reached the other hill top and relaxed for few minutes. Later, we went ahead for lunch which was bought over by our transport. After a great lunch we were given an option of trekking down or just use the transport to head back to Bangalore. We all chose to head back to Bangalore with a nice nap along the way.

GOD, It’s Killing Me

“GOD, it’s killing me” – these were the words from Roger Federer when he walked onto the podium to give his speech after ending the Australian Open as the 2nd best this year. Moments later after those words Federer was speechless for a long time and broke down to tears, sobbing profusely. It was very hard for me watching him cry, in fact I am sure everyone who saw it would have had tears as well.

Think of it, being so close to 14 grand slam titles, you fight hard for 2 weeks come to the final and lose it. I could feel what Roger was going through yesterday. I mean, he has to wait for another grand slam, another tough 2 weeks and another chance to get to 14.

I have always been a hard core fan of Roger. I always believed he is a better player than Nadal. Whenever he played him, I never felt Roger would lose. However, after watching him cry yesterday it’s very evident that Nadal is hurting Roger psychologically more than anything. From here on I don’t really know if Roger can defeat Nadal. I am not sure if he actually wishes him to play in a match (esp. final) henceforth. It’s almost as if, Nadal is the road block for Roger.

I just wish Roger faces Nadal in the final of the French Open and defeats Nadal. I am sure the confidence will be back then. I strongly believe that Roger will feel a lot better only if he defeats Nadal in a final of a grand slam and if he could do it in French then nothing like it.

Aus Open 2009 Final Score:

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