Catching on

My favorite cricketer-writer (here I go again!) Aakash Chopra, talks about fielding at forward short-leg, easily the most dangerous place in cricket for a fielder. Read the article in its entirety. Some nuggets are reproduced below.

A key difference between fielding at short leg and silly point is the way the fielder protects himself when the ball is hit. At short leg you must go down as much as possible and become as small as you can: batsmen rarely try to keep the ball down while pulling or sweeping.

At silly point the fielder must jump to defend, because batsmen rarely try to hit the ball in the air on the off side. They aim to keep the ball along the ground, and hence you can avoid the line of the ball by jumping. While jumping you must remember not to turn your back towards the batsman because all your protective gear (shin-pads, abdominal guard and helmet) are worn on the front. Keeping an eye on the ball helps too!

(...)

Is it scary?
The correct answer would be a firm "no", but the honest answer is "yes". I have been scared a few times. For example, while fielding at short leg when Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer were sweeping almost everything. The shots were so ferocious that the fielders at long leg - and this was at huge grounds like the MCG and SCG - were ducking for cover. A few yards left or right of them meant a boundary.

I got a real fright once when the ball hit my helmet on its way to crashing into the fence, bouncing only once in between.

(...)

The moment I decide to allow the ball to hit me, the brain processes that information and prepares the body. It might sound weird, but once you know it's going to hit you, it doesn't hurt all that much.

Beyond flash

Even as memories of his exploits on the field begin to diminish (in some sports fans minds), Andre Agassi's aura continues to increase due to all the charity work he does. It is no surprise that he will be honored at the opening ceremony of this year's US Open.

I like reading any news about a select few persons, and Agassi is high on that list. One of my life's biggest regrets is that he played his last match one round earlier than I had anticipated so I never got to see him play in person.

9.58 seconds

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the closest any human has ever come to flying without artificial aid. Simply mesmerizing.



I have no doubt that Usain Bolt can run a sub-9 second 100m race with a good tail wind (or maybe even without that).

Maggie noodle review: Love Aaj Kal

Love Aaj Kal is not a movie I would recommend heartily. There is a very good rom-com in there somewhere but the movie-makers have not found it. Instead they have taken the story, made it predictable, and then robbed it of all its charm.

Deepika Padukone smiles in almost every scene, even when her heart is being broken, while Saif Ali Khan, sadly, seems more interested in his own looks than the girl he is courting. His best work in the movie comes when he is playing a down-to-earth sardarji. Since he does not get a chance to show off his pectorals and biceps, he concentrates more on trying to act. Where's the Dil Chahta Hai-Omkara actor hiding?

There are two actresses who do steal the scene in the short time that they are on-screen. One of them plays a simple Punjabi girl and has just three lines of dialogue but you wouldn't know it from watching the movie. The amazing thing is that the actress who played the role is Brazilian!

The other actress is a surprise (click here if you really want to know) and she lights up the screen simply because one can't but help smile at all the implications of her on the screen (least of all that she is back on the screen after a loooong time).

The Good, the Fat, and the Ugly

Reason number 106453 to explain away why I don't go to the gym:

The conventional wisdom that exercise is essential for shedding pounds is actually fairly new. As recently as the 1960s, doctors routinely advised against rigorous exercise, particularly for older adults who could injure themselves. Today doctors encourage even their oldest patients to exercise, which is sound advice for many reasons: People who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases — those of the heart in particular. They less often develop cancer, diabetes and many other illnesses. But the past few years of obesity research show that the role of exercise in weight loss has been wildly overstated.

"In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless," says Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University and a prominent exercise researcher. Many recent studies have found that exercise isn't as important in helping people lose weight as you hear so regularly in gym advertisements or on shows like The Biggest Loser — or, for that matter, from magazines like this one.

The basic problem is that while it's true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued. Exercise, in other words, isn't necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder.

He'll always have Green Bay

How many times can a man change his mind? If you are Brett Favre ... hmmm ... one loses count.

It is totally up to the fellow to decide whether he wants to play or not. It is not my business nor my place to tell folks when to hang up, but I wish the media would not fuel the fire everytime he has an urge to express himself.

Folks like Don Banks and Peter King need to just not report or dissect every little shrug of the shoulder and should leave the "legacy" part to history. If Brett Favre does not care about his legacy being tarnished, why should we. It's his legacy, his life, his fame, let him decide!

As far as my personal opinion is considered, Favre's best years were in the mid-to-late 90's. Since then he has been more about reputation and less about stellar play. I have seen him make too many mistakes to think of him as a dependable QB. Mistakes he got away with for being a "good bloke" would have cost less-heralded players their careers. Here's a good deconstruction of the myth of his prowess. (Surprisingly, it is by Sal Paolantonio).

The truth is, Favre did little over the past decade to earn the gushing praise heaped upon him by our fawning brethren in the media.

After beating the San Francisco 49ers in the 1997 NFC Championship Game, Favre won just three of his last 10 playoff games. Eli Manning had more postseason wins in a 29-day span this past season than Favre had in his last decade with the Green Bay Packers.

Yes, Favre won a Super Bowl -- 11 years ago! But as his career arc spiraled downward, the blind adulation only got worse.

Favre's passer rating in his last 12 postseason games was a pedestrian 77.8. In his last five wild-card games, he went 2-3 with more interceptions (nine) than touchdown passes (seven). In his last three divisional playoff games, he went 1-2 with seven TDs and seven interceptions. That's a 3-5 record with 14 touchdown passes and 16 picks.

In two of his last four postseason appearances, Favre threw two of the most unthinkable playoff interceptions in NFL history, both in overtime -- to Brian Dawkins of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003 and to Corey Webster of the New York Giants in January. In fact, Favre is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw overtime interceptions in two playoff games. In his last nine playoff games, Favre threw 18 interceptions.

(...)

Indeed, a decade after his last moments of glory, the football hype machine continues to paint Favre as a hallowed icon of Americana, a symbol of all that is right with sports, a Wild West gun-slinging good ol' boy. There's Brett on the farm! There's Brett with his family! There's Brett on the cover of Sports Illustrated! There's Brett throwing another overtime interception!

Favre was among the best in the game, once upon a time. Those days are long gone. Only the idolatry remains..

In fact, this photograph is how I will always remember him, holding his head after another dumb interception. How apt.

TMC: Episode 10 - Heating up

Welcome to The Midwest Chronicles (TMC). These are the accounts of the exploits of the Nebraska Cricket Club in the 2009 season. To spice up what would otherwise be a routine match report of runs scored, wickets taken, and catches snaffled (or spilled) these posts are being written with a tongue firmly in cheek but with the facts completely in the true. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the meandering show.

Here's a complete guide to the cast of characters and their nicknames. The cast will be updated as players are added or dropped or nicknames changed as the season progresses.

The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.
- Dale Carnegie

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a Heaven for?
- Robert Browning

With the regular season reaching winding down, 'tis the time for return engagements. This time it was NCC's turn to visit the Iowa Bulls. In the first game of the season Iowa had steamrolled to an embarrasingly easy victory.

For a change, Captain Ozone won the toss. The skies were clear, the temperature was hovering in the mid-80's (and would go on to cross 100 by mid-afternoon), the humidity was over 80% and Ozone had no hesitation is asking Iowa to put up a big total...errr...bat first.

Bhishma returned to the line-up along with Gunmaster G9. And for the first time this season Bean Counter (Nirmal Srinivasan) made an appearance. Counter is a long-time stalwart who has been missing in action this season as he writes his dissertation (PhD). The casualty of this influx of big guns was the 12th man, Bob Loblaw, who still managed to sneak a foot into this game...read on to find out how.

Gunmaster and Energizer opened the attack and were quite fast and swinging the ball well. But a couple of overs each was all they got as Damian, in a policy he adopted all day, shunted his bowlers around in 2 over spells (barring one bowler, Bhishma, who bowled 6 overs on the trot). Doctor Kamikaze was the first to draw blood, inducing the opener to chase a wide ball. The resulting top edge was comfortably pouched by Little Boy behind the stumps. Soon after the other opener made the mistake of testing Thin Man's throwing ability, perishing to a brilliant throw from deep fine-leg by the underrated fielder. The third wicket fell when the next batsman pushed Bhishma's first ball tamely to short mid-off where Johnnie Walker held a sharp chance.

But all of this was just the appetizer. The main guy - Utpal Patel - was now at the crease. UP and Mihir took their time settling down, eschewing any risks in an attempt to consolidate as there was a long way to go in the 30-over match. UP did provide one sharp chance to the right of the keeper but trudged on after that without a hint of a chance for a long time.

There is very little love lost between Mihir and the NCC folks and, to his credit, he ignored all the banter and kept UP company. At the 15 over mark, the Bulls were 70 for 3 and setting themselves up for a fine charge at the end. After the drinks break, UP opened up his shoulders and began to find the fence, or rather, the untenanted area beyond the fence. For a batsman who looks fantastic when he bats in straight lines, UP uses the clog over cow corner as his stress-reliever shot. This day, he relieved a lot of stress with that shot.

As the temperatures rose, Mihir and UP upped the scoring rate and the fielding came under fire. Singles were being converted to two's and catches began to go down. Ozone turned to his trusted middle-over enforcer U-Turn and the young man delivered first ball. UP slogged towards mid-wicket but instead found it heading towards long-on where Chikna Slater was stationed for just such a mis-hit. But the unthinkable happened and Chikna dropped the catch. To celebrate this reprieve, UP then launched the biggest six I have ever seen in person, way, way, way over midwicket, so much so that Kamikaze stationed at the boundary would have signaled a six if HE had been the umpire (rather than being on the fence). Energizer dryly remarked to the umpire, "This is not fair. The batsman should be made to go and fetch the ball for hitting it so far and wasting our time."

In the next over, however, UP tested Chikna's fielding ability and this time the fellow held onto the ball, thereby saving himself from a fate worse than death. Chikna still got his fair share of ribbing, and lest you think he was done, you don't know NCC that well. The next batsman, Anand, sat back deep in his crease, content to push away the full-pitched balls but relishing the chance to thwack the shorter and good length ones. Runs flowed like...well...runs and another drop by Chikna at long-on, an easier one than the catch he took did not help matters.

With the total piling up, Ozone turned to Johnnie Walker, and three successive batsmen tested U-Turns ability to take high catches at long-on. Ca-ching, Ca-ching, Ca-ching, and just like that three guys walked back to the pavilion. U-Turn, apart from currently being the highest wicket-taking bowler in the entire league may also be the leading catcher, and deservedly so on both counts.

Not to be left out, in the final over of the innings, Bob Loblaw (in the game as a substitute), took a high, swirling catch at long-off looking straight up into the sun. The last ball of the innings was, however, smashed to the straight boundary to take the Iowa Bulls score to 203 for 9. An indication of the slow outfield (long grass) and bad bowling is the fact that the Bulls innings contained 10 sixes and just 3 fours.

And now for what is fast turning into the most eagerly-awaited part of these reports - the mid-match compendium of head-shaking facts and tid-bits of information (the last one is especially for you, Ozone).

• Grapes explode when you put them in the microwave.

• The raised reflective dots in the middle of highways are called Botts dots.

• You're more likely to get stung by a bee on a windy day than in any other weather.

• Research indicates that mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.

• It's against the law to catch fish with your bare hands in Kansas.

• In Los Angeles, there are fewer people than there are automobiles.

• There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.

• If you toss a penny 10,000 times, it will not be heads 5000 times, but more like 4950. The heads picture weighs more, so it ends up on the bottom.

Continuing with his theme of using pinch hitters, Ozone sent in Little Boy. Unfortunately, this did not work out well and Little Boy perished, losing his stumps in an attempt to slog a straight ball. Iowa began with two left-armers, a rarity in this league, and kept the newly promoted Chikna and Bean Counter quiet. Chikna, reeling from a fallow run at the crease, and itching to make amends for the two dropped catches, settled down into classic Chinka-mode, punching the ball on the off-side and driving and flicking on the leg. Finally looking like the Chikna we all know, he set about preparing a platform of formidable proportions. Counter did what he does best, sliding along in Chikna's slipstream, rotating the strike and running like a hare. He did have one moment of awe-inducing brilliance. A short-pitched ball by James climbed onto Bean' shoulder, and a picture perfect hook shot sent the ball one bounce over long-leg. After that Counter settled back into his single-double mode. The duo made steady progress, frustrating every attempt to buy a wicket. After the pacers were done, Iowa resorted to spin and this was more useful. The scoring rate slowed just a little bit and that induced the mistake. Chikna looked to clear long-on but hit the ball with the bottom of the bat. The fielder at long-on was Mihir, by far the best fielder on the Bulls squad and he showed Chikna how these high catches should be taken. As is often the case, a double-breakthrough was effected as Counter perished in the very next over, having done his job of keeping the scoring rate at a manageable rate while ensuring there was no early collapse. Thin Man entered with the score at 72 for 3 in 15 overs (almost identical to the Bulls score at a similar stage in their innings). His first scoring shot was a square-cut for six over point and that signalled the start of the attack. Kamikaze joined him at the other end and the two of them systematically dismantled everything that was thrown at them. Kamikaze, in a departure from his normal mode, attacked all around the wicket, while Thin Man was content to test the square fielders on both sides of the wicket. A boundary an over was maintained for the next few overs and with 12 balls to go and 16 runs required, NCC was in the driver's seat as they had 6 wickets in hand (Thin Man got out after a 80-odd run partnership with Kamikaze). Some frenzied running off the first 4 balls brought it down to 10 in 7. Kamikaze then launched one high in the gap between long-off and long-on. UP, fielding at long-on came running across, and to the horror of his teammates, missed the ball which bounced off his head and beyond the fence for a 6 (here's exclusive video footage of the missed catch, taken by a hidden camera). Kamikaze then got out going for the winning hit but 4 runs in 6 balls is too easy a task with 5 wickets in hand and NCC won with 3 balls to spare. Bhishma remained not out on a brilliant 1 (off 1 ball), while Energizer was there with him to enjoy the moment. Kamikaze scored 60 in 30 balls and also took 3 wickets to receive the man of the match award. With this win NCC maintained its position at the top of the CLIA ladder with just two games to go.

TMC: Episode 9 - Batting practice

Welcome to The Midwest Chronicles (TMC). These are the accounts of the exploits of the Nebraska Cricket Club in the 2009 season. To spice up what would otherwise be a routine match report of runs scored, wickets taken, and catches snaffled (or spilled) these posts are being written with a tongue firmly in cheek but with the facts completely in the true. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the meandering show.

Here's a complete guide to the cast of characters and their nicknames. The cast will be updated as players are added or dropped or nicknames changed as the season progresses.

Not doing more than the average is what keeps the average down.
- William M. Winans

The price of excellence is discipline. The cost of mediocrity is disappointment.
- William Arthur Ward

After losing out on more than just a cricket game a few weeks ago, the Cedar Rapids Challengers welcomed NCC with revenge on their minds. The game was played at a neutral venue in Des Moines, at the home ground of the CLIA. Here's the report of the match (written in the style of a Peter Roebuck Tour Diary).

Nice day for cricket. Occasional clouds, bright sun, low 80's F. Bob Loblaw loses toss. Nothing new for NCC. Losing toss, that is. CRC bats first. 25 over match. Grass long and uncut for a week. "Outfield (not) lightning quick," quips Shastri (in our minds). Energizer Bunny and Chikna Slater bowl first for NCC. Openers tied down by Energizer. Outswinger working brilliantly. Play and miss. Play and miss. Repeat previous sentences. Repeat once more for emphasis. All off Energizer. Unbroken spell to start game. 5 overs. 1 maiden. 10 runs. NO wickets. Brilliant stuff. Spectators (all CRC supporters, bar one) bored? Hardly. Bowlers not named Energizers are profligate. Runs leak in all directions and manners. Boundaries, wides, leg-yes, even a bye. Energizer's efforts poured down the drain at other end.

Drinks - 12 overs: 68 for 2. Openers gone. Siva and Ganesh at crease. Siva gone! Swept full toss from Johnnie Walker (formerly Lord Warnie) to diving U-Turn at deep square-leg. Raucous celebrations ensue. Wait! Square-leg umpire signals no-ball. Travesty. Ball definitely below waist, Siva agrees but respects umpires decision. Gut shot. Game goes on. NCC leaks runs. Bowling lacks purpose. Siva and Ganesh get valuable batting practice. Sixes and fours galore. Whole innings resembles highlight package. No bowler is able to maintain required length. Too full, too easy to smash. Siva and Ganesh each score 60-plus.

Siva finally goes, but bowling stays the same. Later batsmen continue plundering. 6 of 8 batsmen hit at least one 6 in their innings. Only highlights of NCC display - fielding related. Thin Man throws a dart from long off to run-out opener. Little Man takes stunning reflex catch at point. Jonty would have been proud. Nothing else worth writing about.

Final damage - 221 for 5 in 25 overs. 153 runs in last 13 overs.

As always, let's now take a break to appreciate some of the less known things about the world around us.

• There are 20,000 living organisms in a glass of water.

• The Pacific Ocean is larger than all the land mass of the Earth.

• The hardest substance in your body is the enamel in your teeth.

• Your brain feels no pain.

• House dust is 70% dead skin cells.

• Heinz Ketchup leaving the bottle travels at 25 miles per year.

• More people are killed annually by donkeys than die in air crashes.

Bob Loblaw and Hercules open the batting. Double pinch hitters? Terrible mix-up occurs - Hercules run-out by Bob. Bob does not compensate, goes soon for 7. But not before Chikna botches another chance at #3. Timid drive to over-pitched ball. Superb one-handed catch by bowler leaping over Bob, the non-striker. Great catch, nevertheless Chikna more at fault - too tentative with drive. When Bob leaves next, it is 3 down for next to nothing.

Steady heads needed. Sunny Delight and Energizer provide just that. Take time to settle down. Play out Kannan (5-0-19-2). Sunny and Energizer up the ante with splendid running between the wickets, including an all-run four. Sunny looks to push the run-rate along. Succeeds in pushing ball to waiting fielder's hands at mid-wicket. 23 runs in 29 balls, 1 four. Platform has been set for final assault.

Required run-rate climbs over 10 an over for last 14 overs. Thin Man and Energizer launch assault at daunting target. Boundaries begin to pepper scorebook. No side of the ground is spared. Square-cuts for six, pulls for four, drives for six, flicks for four. Both batsmen on a tear. Energizer hits two successive reverse sweeps for four. Second one reaches fence in one bounce. Scintillating stuff. Thin Man plays straight and clears fielder or finds gaps with elan.

CRC needs miracle. Or two. Strange thing to say considering their strong position during the NCC chase. CRC gets a miracle. An outstanding catch running in at full speed from long-on. Prize wicket - Energizer! 81 runs in just 55 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes.

Kamikaze struggles to connect properly. Watches Thin Man depart. Caught behind off an attempted slash. 55 runs in just 28 balls, 6 fours, 2 sixes. Welcome news - back in form. Unwelcome news - required target still stiff.

Situation becoming dire. Kamikaze holes out. U-Turn goes in. Almost impossible task ahead - 33 runs in 2 overs. Need all dice to fall in place. They don't. U-Turn departs via a catch at long-on. Captain Ozone swings and misses. Bowler does not and stumps walk away. Little Boy does not get to bat...again. 209 for 9 in 25 overs, 13 runs short. Great chase, but not enough.

CRC have their revenge. But they cannot take away the trophy that came with the BOGO deal of the previous game. So there!

Flying high

For the science geeks: Ever wondered why some birds are able to fly at high altitudes and others aren't? Here's a peek into one probable adaptation.

For the bar-headed goose, migration is a high-altitude adventure. Spring and fall it flies between Central Asia and India, a route that takes it over the highest mountains in the world, the Himalayas. The bird has been known to reach altitudes of 30,000 feet.

(...)

Mr. Scott and his colleagues examined pectoral muscles from bar-headed geese and compared them with those from related species, like barnacle geese, that don’t fly at extreme altitudes.

They found little difference among the birds in the amount and types of muscle fibers. But the bar-headed geese had more capillaries around the individual muscle cells. And within cells, more of the mitochondria — which use oxygen to supply energy to the cell — were nearer the cell membrane.

Bird on a wire

Here we go again. An Indian teenager comes up big in the sports world, in spite of and not because of the system in place. The backstory is familiar: hours of hardship and personal financial inputs until it pays off, followed by fawning media coverage, the anointment as the Next Big Thing, and the placement of humungus expectations (a carelessly thrown in "hopes of a billion people" is bound to show up soon enough).

Here's hoping Saina Nehwal does not go the way of Sania Mirza. Here's Rohit Mahajan with a fairly balanced piece on the latest badminton threat from India.

Saina Nehwal plays badminton in a manner almost unprecedented in Indian sport—the muscularity of her game, the strength of her smashes and the quickness of her eye and feet are incongruous with the delicate, all-wrist, cerebral style preferred by top Indian shuttlers of the past. “I can outlast the Chinese, they get tired too,” she states impassively.

(...)

When she was small—and called Steffi, for her parents were fans of the German tennis star—Saina would travel 50 km a day on her father’s scooter, to training and school. She’d sometimes fall asleep on the way, so her mother started accompanying them to keep her from falling off. Now Saina drives to training in her new luxury car. She has a great fan following, especially on the internet.

Much has changed but, say those who have seen her progress closely, she has not. “I’ve been meeting and talking with her for eight-odd years, she’s the same girl. Her politeness and values come from her family,” says badminton writer Dev S. Sukumar. Saina doesn’t turn down interview requests; she calls back if she misses a call or gets a text. That would explain frequent bills of over Rs 40,000 while on foreign tours. Money, in fact, was a bit tight until the Mittal Trust of Champions got interested in her.

Jaundiced eye

Here's how you go about making a fool of yourself and bring into question your journalistic nous.

Case Study: Malcolm Conn of The Australian

Thesis: Poor umpiring is costing the Aussies dearly in the Ashes.

Proof: Rudi Koertzen's inconsistent interpretation of LBW's.

Koertzen's umpiring is not the reason why Australia is 0-1 down in the series.
(...)
But his decisions have been embarrassing. Three of Australia's first four wickets in the second innings at Lord's fell to bad umpiring decisions.

And Koertzen made sure that Johnson's difficult Ashes series would not get any better.

He gave Johnson out leg before wicket to a ball going over the stumps and refused to give Ian Bell out leg before wicket to a delivery which could not have been more out. Just add them to the list of howlers.

Conclusion: The Indian cricket Board (BCCI) is to blame for it because it is the richest Board in the world.

And perhaps just a fraction of the billions India makes from television rights and the player-destroying Indian Premier League could be spent on developing a few decent umpires of its own.

Until then umpires like Rudi Koertzen, once probably the best in the world, will continue on the circuit, and cricket will be poorer for it.

I am not the biggest fan of the BCCI and its shenanigans, but this is a bit too much even for me.

Flogging a horse because it isn't raining in the desert makes more practical sense than this diatribe.

Dil se...

In today's soundbite world, where the media is waiting for any excuse to go off on a triple exclamation binge, it is unusual for athletes to be honest and forthcoming in their responses. Case in point, Tiger Woods and Sachin Tendulkar, who are among the most boring to hear/read for the sterile answers they provide.

So, it comes as a breath of fresh air when someone takes the time to give well-thought out, honest, and elaborate responses. Leander Paes spoke at length about various topics to DNA. While I have never hidden my admiration for the guy, it still bears saying that this is how you give an interview! Some snippets are provided below, but do read the whole thing.

Is surface the reason why Nadal managed to win the Wimbledon?
Yes. It's the reason why Lleyton Hewitt has won the Wimbledon, in my opinion. That's the reason Nadal beat Federer, even got close. It's the reason why the serve-and-volleyers are becoming extinct. Roger is invincible on fast grass.

How rampant is match fixing in tennis?
I am sure gambling is there in everything in life. I haven't seen match fixing with my own eyes in tennis so it's not right for me to comment. The only thing is that you cannot convict any player without evidence.

What happened with Gaurav Natekar?
I have heard that some of my fellow Indian players were offered money. Gaurav Natekar apparently said he was offered money at the Hiroshima Asian Games (1994). I won the gold medal there at doubles with Gaurav. I am very happy that he didn't accept the offer. If he had done that, I would have known that on court. If any of my partners accept money, I would never ever speak to him, leave alone playing with him again.

Do you see yourself going into an administrative role?
If there is an admin role that allows me to be hands on with the children on the field and nurture them and help them prosper, I'd love to. But if it's about occupying a chair and having my name and design printed on a card... mere bas ka kaam nahi hai...

Link courtesy BF/DSC.

Speechless

I am speechless. Watch these videos and you will see why. I cannot even fathom how the idea that art could be created in these formats came to mind.



Here's the second one: Try to imagine what the end result will be like before you start watching the video and then see if it matches it.



(Directed to these videos via Prem Panicker's blog)