Change the music....

This was the moment when a billion hearts stopped.
So did the music.

But about one second later, the music resumed.

Please stop playing that awful "Chak de India" song each time an India win is in sight. Please.

The tune of the song reminds me of some of those 'golden oldies' - randomly composed songs with the choicest expletives for lyrics - that served as the anthems to be sung aloud by a bunch of croaking guys, to assert their supremacy and intimidate opponents at inter-school competitions.

I am not the only one who needs reminders!

I signed up for an email reminder from National Geographic Channel which meant i would get an email in my inbox that would remind me to watch an episode about the hijacking of IC 814 and the hostage drama in Kandahar in the NGC series on Combating Terror. The programme was to be aired at 9.00 am and the repeat show was scheduled to be shown at 3.00 pm. The reminder email arrived in my inbox at 4.37 pm.

Sweet.

By the way, I watched the programme.

An Inspirational Professor's Final Lecture

Dr. Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor, was about to give a lecture Tuesday afternoon, but before he said a word, he received a standing ovation from 400 students and colleagues.

He motioned to them to sit down. "Make me earn it," he said. They had come to see him give what was billed as his "last lecture." This is a common title for talks on college campuses today. Schools such as Stanford and the University of Alabama have mounted "Last Lecture Series," in which top professors are asked to think deeply about what matters to them and to give hypothetical final talks. For the audience, the question to be mulled is this: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance?

At Carnegie Mellon, however, Dr. Pausch's speech was more than just an academic exercise. The 46-year-old father of three has pancreatic cancer and expects to live for just a few months.

Continue reading here. Get to know Dr Pausch here.

Yuvraj Singh hitting Stuart Broad for 6 sixes in an over

Yuvraj Singh hits 6 sixes in an over off Stuart Broad in the Twenty 20 World Cup match between India and England on 24th Sept 2007 in Durban, South Africa



Previous instances of 6 sixes in an over in cricket
- Gary Sobers of Northamptonshire off left arm pacer Malcolm Nash of Glamorgan in 1968
- Ravi Shastri of Bombay off left arm spinner Tilak Raj of Baroda in 1984
- Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa off leg spinner Daan van Bunge of Netherlands in the 2007 ODI World Cup.

Reality beckons ..

Reality is an eye-opener. It could be gross. Something you don't want to see or hear or read about, but it is there. Somewhere. Beckoning you to take notice. And act.

There are times when i come across instances of grave injustice, stories of despair and horrid tales of misfortune.

Usually, I analyze the issue, jot down the options or solutions to the way out and discuss these with a few whose input and help will be valuable in making things easier for the victim. Sometimes it helps. Sometimes it does not.

The least i can do is blog about the issue. But i do not.

Which is why i loved this post. Please read it. We may have a female President but we have an issue on our hands.

Mandira Bedi and the pioneers of cricket commentary

According to Mandira Bedi,

The likes of Gavaskar, Shastri, Wilkins are all pioneers in cricket commentary

Indeed. They did not ask her about batting. Else we would know who the pioneers of batting are. Tendulkar and Dravid and Ponting, of course.

Link on TellyChakkar via Kartik

And for some news....

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In the wake of the recent bomb blasts in Hyderabad, Government authorities are toying with the idea of recognising terrorist activities and legalising the same. Tenders will be floated in most Indian cities, and bids will be invited from major terrorist organisations from all over the world. The organisation that wins a bid for a clearly demarcated area will have the exclusive rights and permission to organise terrorist activities within the bounded limits of its allotted area. Experts believe this path-breaking step will go a long way in helping terrorist organisations find logistical, financial and infrastructural support and thus, the world will see much better planned operations. Investigations after a terror attack will be restricted to only the organisation which holds the rights to terror for the area.

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The strike by the chickens, hens, and cocks of the country has been called off. The Indian poultry is delighted since 90% of hens that had stopped laying eggs during the strike have now resumed the same. The strike was called for in protest after a major Indian embassy official referred to the opponents of the Indo US nuclear deal as 'headless chickens'. The announcement to call off the strike was made after a major Hindi news channel ran the headline "Sansadon ko nahi kaha murga" which when translated into English meant "Parliamentarians not called cocks". The chickens, hens and cocks of the country appeared relieved after the statement by the news channel.

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Bollywood film director and acclaimed academician and intellectual Karan Johar has been given honorary citizenship of Manhattan by the government of Manhattan. The honor was bestowed upon Johar after it was suddenly realised that he had done more to promote the culture of the great city of Manhattan than any other human being on earth. It is widely believed that Johar was the first proponent of the notion that whatever is cool has originated in Manhattan. After having associated the word "cool" with Manhattan, it is being speculated that Johar's next project will associate the word 'hot' with San Francisco. Rumour has it that Johar's next film has the current coach of the Indian national women's hockey team Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role with Johar himself playing the opposite lead.

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P.S. -> Please take the above with a pinch of salt

Riots

We have very religious people in India. Taslima Nasreen had flower pots and chairs thrown at her. Dan Brown had to face flak over the Da Vinci Code (Da Vinci got away because he is dead). A student of art in Baroda was thrown in jail for doing his work assignment. People are so religious we even have riots where people of the other religion are burnt alive.

I wait for the day when riots will break out over other things. Like dietary habits. The day when a news report will go -

The non-vegetarians and the vegetarians were involved in a major clash today. On Highway 16, the vegetarians burnt down a truck carrying 45 non-vegetarians. The National Party of Vegetarians has regretted that a few eggetarians were also burnt in the melee. The Eggeterians and the fishetarians meanwhile, have been trying to form seperate factions of the Non-Vegetarians Alliance.

Hard

Its hard to grumble. Hard to complain. Hard to be sorry.

All you have to do is look out of the window and you will spot someone less fortunate than you are. You could have been him or her. Lucky you. Now smile.

Inspirational lines from Ali G

To Victoria Beckham : Me mate Dave played one of your records backwards, and it sounded loads better

To Liz Hurley : Now Liz you is a bigtime porn star is you no?

To Madonna : Anyways, you is known as da Immaterial Girl. Is dat cos your talent is immaterial compared to your ability to get your kit off? But dat is a bit stupid, innit? Every time I sees you, you ain't even wearing any material

To Elton John : you looked a total dic in the seventies wiv da shades but everyone looked like dics in da seventies

Problem

I have a short interest span. It is so short; i end up losing interest in the subject of my post as i approach its end. So most posts on various subjects are left abandoned as saved drafts. Which is unforgivable. And I do not have the patience to go back to them. Nor the inclination. But there is a guilt feeling somewhere.

coz there aint anything better coming here

Some Muzik..

Majority v/s Minority

A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track. The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?

Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make................
Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.

"Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right."
Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils.

Courtesy - An email from Miguel Braganza

Culmination of life in general :)

Thats it.

I have crossed a major milestone in my life today at 5.40 pm. It took me 24 years to get here. But it still feels sweet.

I got a friend request from this person on Orkut. There was no scrap preceding the request. I know girls get a lot of those, but i have decided that each time i get a random friend request i will post it here on the blog.

Now that i have got it, what more could i possibly want more ... I might as well go atop a building and jump down. Life feels like it has come a full circle.

If you want to know how fulfilling your life can be, mail that person at framework.tvcinema@gmail.com and request a friend request on Orkut. I promise you - nothing in this world will beat the orgasmic excitement you will receive when you get that friend request..

A discussion on science and evolution

A brilliant and enlightening discussion on science, technology, homosexuality and the like moderated by a scholar and all in just 6 minutes...

Stray thoughts floating in my head....

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I am scared of surrendering to my passion. Thats because I love my passion more than myself.

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Mental Intercourse is the biggest aphrodisiac.

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I would rather meet Viren Rasquinha than Sania Mirza

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The rain, the greenery, the sea, together with coffee, music and sport made an intoxicating combination.

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Passion, not pedigree, will win in the end - Jon Bon Jovi

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500 years done the line, no will remember that a Jason Monserrate ever existed so i better not work on creating a reputation and name for myself because in the long run its gonna be futile anyways!

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If i can be there when you need me, thats more than enough.

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The truth does not hurt all the time. Most times it is liberating.

***
A quote by John D MacDonald

Integrity is not a conditional word.
It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather.
It is your inner image of yourself,
and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat,
then you know he never will.

***
I am happy. I always am. I will always be. There are more reasons to laugh than to cry.

***
I'd rather be there during the bad times than the good ones. I always side with the underdog. During the Wimbledon final yesterday, I had no favourites. However, at the end, I wished Bartoli had won. But only after I saw her tears after the match.

***
Beggars are human. Criminals are human. Everyone has a soft side that is unexplored.

***
Everything is interesting. Life is. People are. The world is.

Random ramblings for a change

This blog is primarily a place for mindfarts. Mindfarts are periodic emissions of stray thoughts (garnished with sarcasm or scorn or whatever topping you choose) caused by the accumulation of too much matter in the mindosphere.

You know the feeling you get when it dawns on you that the possession you have always coveted and just very recently bought is not better than what you own currently and is not worth the exorbitant price you paid for it....

Simply put, you know the feeling you get when you have been coerced by this dude into buying this pair of jeans that looks cool in the mall mirrors but looks so 1870 when you look at it from the bedroom mirror and compare it to the other pairs in the closet...

I get the same feeling about having Pratibha Patil or Bhairon Singh Shekhawat as India's next President.

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Now for something i am passionate about. Books. I am into non-fiction (Mindfarters can be into serious stuff). Strangely, all the four books i am into, at the moment have a strong fixation to India. Its history and people. Goa : A Daughter's Story, Maximum City, The Last Mughal and India in Slow Motion. And the next two books on the agenda are Ramachandra Guha's India After Gandhi and Dominique Lapierre's Freedom At Midnight

Given the unpredictable nature of the world in general and my mind in particular, that reading list is subject to change.

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Eye Candy

NOTE : Let all the videos download one at a time and then replay them .. Patience pays people!! I know its eye candy, but its all about the waiting if you know what i mean ;)

Tennis has eye candy for the guys...

Restaurant Attacked By Battlestar Galacticoz

Nearly 100 activists of the right-wing extremist outfit Battlestar Galacticoz today barged in to the local Pao-Bhaji restaurant near the Municipal Market in the town center and smashed window panes and overturned tables, creating a huge ruckus in the entire process.

Most of the activists, clad in cheap imitation Galacticoz armor, and shouting slogans that sounded like 'Jai Batata Bhaji' and 'Jai Misal Pao', were young and full of enthusiasm in what they believed was the most important campaign in India since the 1857 Mutiny. The General Secretary of the organisation explained that the quality of food dished out at such outlets degraded national culture. Elaborating further, he said the general method of preparation and presentation was very Westernised and hence they decided to teach the owners and staff a lesson. The activists on their part believed that they were making a strong statement to all restaurant owners who did not adhere to indigenous processes and materials. Their believed their campaign will find support among the masses.

A few Galacticoz barged into the kitchen of the restaurant and bashed the cooks and cleaners, accusing them of using less sugar in the tea and using more Westernised ingredients in a majority of the other items on the menu. The activists demanded that the menu cards be altered and the word 'potato' be replaced by 'batata'. The restaurant owners however, refused to budge. They cited the rising cost for reprinting menus and suggested that the activists whack all the waiters and leave before any further damage to property ensued. Better sense prevailed after the Galacticoz were informed that the waiters were exponents of martial art and armed with forks and butter knives.

Champak Rammaiya (name changed to protect life), who owns a shoe shop in the same town center and was a witness to all the frenzied activity, said he hid all the pairs of Western shoes in his shop fearing he may be the next person under attack. In the chaos that followed, neighbouring shopkeepers downed their shutters till armed security personnel were posted in the area.

Reminiscent of the manner in which threats are issued by fundamentalist extremist Muslim terror groups to America and its allies, the Battlestar Galacticoz issued warnings to the World Bhelpuri Sellers Confederation to alter their menus to suit oriental tastes without incorporating any Western ingredients in their cooking, or else face the consequences. The Galacticoz have also issued similliar warnings to all ice-gola cart owners.

The rampaging mob left after a good 30 minutes of hooliganism, carrying with them sacks of potatoes, onions and other vegetables and fruits.

Things i do not understand

I subscribe to about 400 blogs. They are all fun. Super fun. However, there are two types of blog posts i just cannot understand -

Type 1 Blog Post -
"I will be in Chammiyanagar on Jan 21, 22, 23 - I am free for coffee or dinner after 5 on 22nd. Anyone wanting to meetup can call me on 99_____"
Seriously, are you so starved for company?

Type 2 Blog Post -
"I will be going to Panipuri tomorrow. I plan to visit Disneyland and take all the rides. After that i will head to Dahipuri and then to Bhelpuri and blah and more blah and the whole itinerary"
What is the point of this? Dont you think saying you will be out of action due to travel from (date) to (date) would suffice?

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By the way, just to inform those people who give me an average of 4 hits per week (of which 2 are mine), i am heading to the toilet tomorrow from 6.45 a.m to 7.00 a.m. If any of you people are in the area and would like to meet up, send me an email.