When one is working out and burning calories....it becomes very difficult not to "Think in Calories !!". It gets down to one potato chip is about 12-13 calories or one beer is about 160 calories.
If I eat 10 ships I would have to a run an extra mile.
If I drink 2 beers I would have to do a cross-training routine on the elliptical for an extra 30 minutes.
So....I would rather....not eat the 10 chips and not drink the two beers and continue with my usual workout routine.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
India Vs Australia 3rd Test
What a fitting reply. Just two weeks after enduring the pain of watching the Indians going down at Sydney, it has been an absolute joy watching the Indians win against Australia at Perth in the 3rd test bringing their winning streak to a screeching halt. Only one team was able to do this earlier in the entire cricket history and that was West Indies some time in the last century !!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Indian team goes down figting in Down Under !! - Second Test
What can I say......Avid cricket fan that I am....I was watching day 5 of the second test match at S.C.G just like many other fans. It felt like Indians were playing against 13 players instead of 11. I would add Steve "The Idiot" Bucknor and Mark "The Stupid" Benson in the Australian team. The umpiring decisions were atrocious. Starting from the decisions in favor of Symonds and Ponting.....to the decisions that went against Dravid, the umpiring on the whole has just been silly....
Cricket is a funny game one dismissal can determine whether a team is gonna win or lose. Yesterday, Dravid's dismissal was the turning point. Agreed that mistakes do happen....but the decision which sent back Dravid to the dressing room was......hmmm...how can any one ever give a batsman out caught behind in the fashion Bucknor did. All I can say is that Bucknor and Symonds are having a ball....and a wonderful game together.....
Dravid was looking comfortable at the crease with Ganguly.....had he not been given out...it would have been a comfortable draw....I am not whining here......No one can win if you are playing against umpires as well.....Look at this guy Benson, when Ganguly was caught by Clarke there was ample doubt in my mind as well Ganguly's and several other cricket lovers whether the catch was taken cleanly or not. What does Benson do ? he checks with the fielding captain Ponting to find out if the catch was taken cleanly or not and then makes a decision to send back Ganguly to the pavilion. Umpires are on the field to take decisions on their own....and when in doubt they can refer to the third umpire not to the fielding captain as was this case. Had the decision been referred to the third umpire there was very fat chance that the benefit of doubt would have gone in favor of Ganguly.
Ponting a cricket hero in Australia is as unethical as it gets.....He takes a catch, a good edge in this case but the ball clearly the ball was grounded and he knew it pretty well as it was not just a contact but a thud into the ground.....but still the great Australian hero goes up appealing to the umpire.....Earlier in the match, this same Ricky stood rock solid at the crease even after it was so obvious to him that he had nicked a ball on the leg side,but when the whole Indian team went on appealing,he never made a move. .......replace Ponting with any other player from the sub continent the commentators would have gone berserk. In fact replace any of the players mentioned above with their counterparts from the opposite team....you would have seen hundreds of articles in the Australian media flaying the umpiring standards and how the sportsman spirit in Cricket is going down.........Cricket is no longer a gentleman's game....
I would like to add one thing though....the way Kumble played yesterday was simply outstanding. He was given a good hand by Dhoni and Bhajji......Kumble's batting yesterday was just sheer grit nothing more nothing less....every person has to take a cue from this guy....Kudos to him and the team....for fighting it out till the very end.....
Finally, I would have given the Man of the match to Steveeee instead of Roy....for his outstanding umpiring !!. Indian team management should now start thinking about the team composition. If I was made in charge :-) I will replace Jaffer and Yuvi with Sehwag and Irfan. Irfan will give us an extra bowling option and seeing the way Yuvi is playing......Irfan looks like a better option as far as the batting goes.....Jaffer is not able to cope up with the pace of Australian bowlers, Sehwag could be potent opener along with Dravid.
Cricket is a funny game one dismissal can determine whether a team is gonna win or lose. Yesterday, Dravid's dismissal was the turning point. Agreed that mistakes do happen....but the decision which sent back Dravid to the dressing room was......hmmm...how can any one ever give a batsman out caught behind in the fashion Bucknor did. All I can say is that Bucknor and Symonds are having a ball....and a wonderful game together.....
Dravid was looking comfortable at the crease with Ganguly.....had he not been given out...it would have been a comfortable draw....I am not whining here......No one can win if you are playing against umpires as well.....Look at this guy Benson, when Ganguly was caught by Clarke there was ample doubt in my mind as well Ganguly's and several other cricket lovers whether the catch was taken cleanly or not. What does Benson do ? he checks with the fielding captain Ponting to find out if the catch was taken cleanly or not and then makes a decision to send back Ganguly to the pavilion. Umpires are on the field to take decisions on their own....and when in doubt they can refer to the third umpire not to the fielding captain as was this case. Had the decision been referred to the third umpire there was very fat chance that the benefit of doubt would have gone in favor of Ganguly.
Ponting a cricket hero in Australia is as unethical as it gets.....He takes a catch, a good edge in this case but the ball clearly the ball was grounded and he knew it pretty well as it was not just a contact but a thud into the ground.....but still the great Australian hero goes up appealing to the umpire.....Earlier in the match, this same Ricky stood rock solid at the crease even after it was so obvious to him that he had nicked a ball on the leg side,but when the whole Indian team went on appealing,he never made a move. .......replace Ponting with any other player from the sub continent the commentators would have gone berserk. In fact replace any of the players mentioned above with their counterparts from the opposite team....you would have seen hundreds of articles in the Australian media flaying the umpiring standards and how the sportsman spirit in Cricket is going down.........Cricket is no longer a gentleman's game....
I would like to add one thing though....the way Kumble played yesterday was simply outstanding. He was given a good hand by Dhoni and Bhajji......Kumble's batting yesterday was just sheer grit nothing more nothing less....every person has to take a cue from this guy....Kudos to him and the team....for fighting it out till the very end.....
Finally, I would have given the Man of the match to Steveeee instead of Roy....for his outstanding umpiring !!. Indian team management should now start thinking about the team composition. If I was made in charge :-) I will replace Jaffer and Yuvi with Sehwag and Irfan. Irfan will give us an extra bowling option and seeing the way Yuvi is playing......Irfan looks like a better option as far as the batting goes.....Jaffer is not able to cope up with the pace of Australian bowlers, Sehwag could be potent opener along with Dravid.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Obama wins Iowa
Obama has won the Iowa caucuses by a margin of 7%. What is most striking about this victory is tha the majority of his votes have come from youngsters between the age of 19-25. I believe the days for Edwards are over and as far as the democrats are concerned it boils down Obama vs Clinton.
Monday, December 31, 2007
New Year 2008
The New year partyyyyy kicked off in Champaign at 6:15 PM.......it has been pretty good so far.....expecting to have a bash as usual....
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening ~ Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
This is a simple, yet powerful poem which touched my heart when I was young. The speaker stops by the beautiful woods on a snowy evening. He or she is attracted by the beauty of the woods and the night. But soon realizes the pull towards the obligations and responsibilities that needs to be fulfilled and the long distance that has to be travelled before he or she can rest in life.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Taare Zameen Par
Recently, I watched Taare Zameen Par, the directorial venture of Aamir Khan who is my favorite actor. Incidentally, Aamir Khan also produced the movie and played the lead role of Ram Shankar Nikhumb, a teacher who helps a dyslexic child Ishaan Awasthi to create his wonderful world of imagination and bring out his innate art of painting. In the process, he helps out Ishaan to overcome his learning and reading problem in a unique way.
The movie is a lesson to every parent and teacher, who thinks academics is everything. One has to understand the fact that every child is different and has his or her own way of learning. The pace at which one learns things varies. Parents have to encourage their kids to dream and imagine. The movie also points out to the fact that every dyslexic child has the right to study in a regular school. Every parent and teacher has to take a cue from Nikhumb as to how to deal with dyslexic children or for that matter any child who has trouble in academics. A dyslexic child is like any other innocent child who has his own world of dreams and imagination and when properly nurtured, you might see an Albert Einstein, a Thomas Alva Edison, a Walt Disney (the list goes on) who were all dyslexic to born with.
The movie is a lesson to every parent and teacher, who thinks academics is everything. One has to understand the fact that every child is different and has his or her own way of learning. The pace at which one learns things varies. Parents have to encourage their kids to dream and imagine. The movie also points out to the fact that every dyslexic child has the right to study in a regular school. Every parent and teacher has to take a cue from Nikhumb as to how to deal with dyslexic children or for that matter any child who has trouble in academics. A dyslexic child is like any other innocent child who has his own world of dreams and imagination and when properly nurtured, you might see an Albert Einstein, a Thomas Alva Edison, a Walt Disney (the list goes on) who were all dyslexic to born with.
Friday, December 28, 2007
When ?? The million dollar question
So when is it going to happen !! When will India win against Australia in Australia. This is a million dollar question. Is it ever going to happen? Right now I cannot see how we are going to win first test considering the fact that we have two more days on dodgy pitch.
Let's just hope that we can pull ourselves from the kind of mess we are in right now and win the series !!
Let's just hope that we can pull ourselves from the kind of mess we are in right now and win the series !!
Benazi Bhutto Assassinated !!
Benazir Bhutto, the second most influential woman in the world was assassinated on December 27, 2007. She narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in October as soon as she returned from London to Pakistan in order to contest in the 2008 elections scheduled two weeks from now. Her assassination has come as a shock to world community.
December 27, 2007 is a sad and unfortunate day not only in the history of the Pakistan but also to the entire world. She always stood by democracy and got killed for opposing the Musharaff regime. A Harvard graduate, and degree holder from Oxford, she was the first woman ever to serve a Muslim state. I strongly believed that she would have won easily in the 2008 elections restoring true democracy in Pakistan. Her re-election would also have ensured that there would be a check on the Pakistani nukes which could now fall into the wrong hands considering the unrest and political instability that they are facing today.
Coming to the elections itself, I believe it is just a formality. Musharaff is going to continue to be the "President" and who ever gets elected is going to be a puppet.
December 27, 2007 is a sad and unfortunate day not only in the history of the Pakistan but also to the entire world. She always stood by democracy and got killed for opposing the Musharaff regime. A Harvard graduate, and degree holder from Oxford, she was the first woman ever to serve a Muslim state. I strongly believed that she would have won easily in the 2008 elections restoring true democracy in Pakistan. Her re-election would also have ensured that there would be a check on the Pakistani nukes which could now fall into the wrong hands considering the unrest and political instability that they are facing today.
Coming to the elections itself, I believe it is just a formality. Musharaff is going to continue to be the "President" and who ever gets elected is going to be a puppet.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Miami !!
Been to miami for x-mas break....the weather was in the high 80's. It was one of the best experiences I had in recent times. We spent a lot of time in South beach. The boat ride which took us around the mansions of rich n famous was lot of fun. Night life in miami is by far the best......
Monday, April 23, 2007
It has been a longgggg time !!!
It has been quite some time that I have blogged. Life has taken some interesting twists and turns in the last year....It has been tough at times......lots of ups and downs.....slowly getting back to the blogging ways........and hopefully will find enough time to blog some interesting stuff....
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Holi
Holi - The festival of colors is celebrated in India. On the day of holi, people enthusiastically apply colors to friends and family and have a delightful time. Apart from being a very colourful festival, Holi holds a lot of socio-cultural, religious and biological significance.
Significance of Holi
Significance of Holi
Friday, March 10, 2006
Origami
Origami - ultra mobile PC project.......
"Who am I ?" viral marketing website....
But I guess there are other products like this in the market already
"Who am I ?" viral marketing website....
But I guess there are other products like this in the market already
Busy with work
Last three weeks have been very busy....in terms of work.....slowly my schedule is getting better.....hopefully will be able to blog more in the coming few weeks....
Monday, February 20, 2006
It's 4-1
India beat Pakistan 4-1 in the recently concluded one day series in pakistan....In the process they have equalled the almighty West Indies team of the late 80's in making 13 successful chases....and boy are they chasing well....
Friday, January 27, 2006
Padma Shri Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award by the Indian government on the eve of Republic Day - See here
When I read this piece of news the first thought that came to my mind was - are you kidding me........then I double checked the calendar to see if it was april fools day.......no I am just joking on the last one. Anyways, Sania Mirza is by far the most successful tennis player in India to date. She has won a WTA title last year and has made the third round in the Australian open 2005. As of now she has not won a major grand slam title, but is making major strides in the field of tennis. No doubt about it......but let us put this in a proper perspective.....
Sania Mirza, now a youth icon in India can be seen in a number of commercials on television and large hoardings in all major cities. Apart from tennis, her style statements which she makes off the court coupled with the media gaga over all the things she does (apart from tennis ofcourse) has made her an instant role model of sorts in India........we all live in a flashy society......may be this air of flashiness and glamour have made the committee if at all one exists to recommend Sania for this award........
Sachin Tendulkar does anyone know him ? :-) I am just kidding.......started playing cricket in 1989.....has brought many accolades to India and is known world wide. He became a role model for the youth in the early 90's.....coming to the point.....can you guess when he received the padma shri award - 1999....what about Koneru Hampi, Hari Krishna both grand masters...well you might have predicted where I am heading with this.....both did not get padma shri.....last year however, Ms Koneru was conferred with the Rajiv Khel Ratna award.
I would have been really happy if Sania was given Rajiv Khel ratna award. This would have been very encouraging to her upcoming tennis career. But conferring her with the Padma shri award is a little too much and will undoubtedly send a wrong message to the youth.
When I read this piece of news the first thought that came to my mind was - are you kidding me........then I double checked the calendar to see if it was april fools day.......no I am just joking on the last one. Anyways, Sania Mirza is by far the most successful tennis player in India to date. She has won a WTA title last year and has made the third round in the Australian open 2005. As of now she has not won a major grand slam title, but is making major strides in the field of tennis. No doubt about it......but let us put this in a proper perspective.....
Sania Mirza, now a youth icon in India can be seen in a number of commercials on television and large hoardings in all major cities. Apart from tennis, her style statements which she makes off the court coupled with the media gaga over all the things she does (apart from tennis ofcourse) has made her an instant role model of sorts in India........we all live in a flashy society......may be this air of flashiness and glamour have made the committee if at all one exists to recommend Sania for this award........
Sachin Tendulkar does anyone know him ? :-) I am just kidding.......started playing cricket in 1989.....has brought many accolades to India and is known world wide. He became a role model for the youth in the early 90's.....coming to the point.....can you guess when he received the padma shri award - 1999....what about Koneru Hampi, Hari Krishna both grand masters...well you might have predicted where I am heading with this.....both did not get padma shri.....last year however, Ms Koneru was conferred with the Rajiv Khel Ratna award.
I would have been really happy if Sania was given Rajiv Khel ratna award. This would have been very encouraging to her upcoming tennis career. But conferring her with the Padma shri award is a little too much and will undoubtedly send a wrong message to the youth.
Flu !!!
My holiday to UK last month was exciting...however what followed after that wasn't exactly exciting :-) it was very rough at the best.......As soon as I have come back from UK, I caught cold and cough...tried some off the counter stuff from walgreens which obviously did not work. Slowly, other symptoms started appearing such as high fever which eventually made me visit the doctor.....
Antibiotics....10 days 3 times a day....eat healthy....sleep and rest well....blah blah blah....here I am making my first post this year....
Antibiotics....10 days 3 times a day....eat healthy....sleep and rest well....blah blah blah....here I am making my first post this year....
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