Swiss chocolate

Now, this makes me want to go out and buy some chocolate...right now!

Handy music

This is the funniest and most entertaining video I have seen in a long time. The expressions (or lack thereof) on the faces of the duo are priceless and add to the fun element. Amazing.

The song is very catchy, too. I wonder how long it will take for it to become a Salman Khan song.



Update: Performed and choreographed by Suzanne Cleary & Peter Harding
Film by Jonny Reed
Music: Yolanda Be Cool & D Cup featuring Cleary & Harding

The fork in the road

I am sure minds better than I can find flaws and glitches with the idea, but the thought that we can have more efficient roadways that help reduce the dependence upon some of Nature's limited resources is intriguing. The cost-factor is one that is not discussed in the video so who knows where this idea will eventually go.

The best medicine

Props to Megha for directing me to this absolutely wonderful video. If this does not tell you how special a time it is tight now to be a tennis fan, then I don't know what will. The two players at the top of the game challenge each other's destiny and fight for every inch on the court while off the court they are so comfortable being friends with each other.



And while I was trolling for some more videos, I found this one - Rafael Nadal, 12 years old and already displaying some of that exception court awareness of his.



And lest you think I am getting converted to the Nadal camp, I still feel this fellow is the GOAT. No doubt whatsoever.

Changing of the guard

The Rajah is dead! Long live the King!

Tennis is fortunate to have two wonderful human beings at the top.

Rafael Nadal continued his (seemingly) inexorable glide towards tennis destiny by taking the US Open crown yesterday evening. For a fellow who was initially considered to be a one-trick (read: clay) pony, he has transformed into the most formidable tennis player in the world today. Pound for pound, no one scares their opponent more than Rafael does.

My impression of Roger Federer as the Greatest of All-Time has not changed one bit (and I am not interested in a protracted discussion of the merits of Nadal or the demerits of Federer, either) but it is hard to see how Roger can beat Rafael, especially on clay, unless Federer (shock! horror!) improves his game.

Roger has 6 Wimbledon titles but, today, Nadal is the better volleyer and a much better constructor of points. Very rarely do you see Nadal charge the net when it is not a good idea. Federer apologists will say that Nadal gets illegally coached by his uncle. To hell with that! You can coach a fellow all you want but he still has to perform on the court. Nadal is outstanding in that department.

His post-match comments at the prize distribution ceremony were worthy of a champion. His English is improving, his command of the game has reached new levels, but his comportment as a person has not changed one bit. He is every bit as endearing, charming, and polite today as he was when he won his first French Open title.

Mr. Nadal, I will still root against you everytime you reach a Grand Slam final (and especially against Federer) but it will not stop me for giving you a standing ovation when you do win the tournament. You are a credit to the game of tennis. Long may you continue to play and be successful.

P.S. By the way, the next time you meet Dick Enberg, can you tell him that your name is not pronounced Ra-FEE-al Na-DOLL?

Change is coming - update

I'm breaking the habit of a lifetime (of blogging) and presenting something that connects very personally to me on my blog. The way I see it, the more the word gets around the better it will be for me in some small way in the future. I think.



And continued after the jump are a couple of screenshots that will be of interest to some of you.

Pardon the French Spanish

With all the lousy stuff swirling around in the world of Test cricket, it is wonderful to have the Rajah show me why I love watching sports.

Here's reason number 7,235,897 that Roger Federer is the greatest player in the history of tennis (in my opinion and that of a few others, of course, so if you disagree that's okay).

I watched this as it happened and a full day later, I still cannot get enough of it.

Proof positive

I do not know a lot of things about cricket. I am sure Test cricketers have forgotten more stuff about cricket than I will ever learn in my lifetime.

But I do know one thing: if I am fielding at short mid-off and a fast bowler is bowling, at the point of delivery I will be watching the batsman and NOT the bowling crease.

Dear Salman Butt,
I was hoping against hope that the bookie was making stuff up and that maybe, just maybe, there was some semblance of respect left in the actions he claimed were fixed. After seeing photo reproduced below, I have given up on that hope.

(Sky News 2010)

You have a lot of explaining to do, Mr. Butt. I just hope the Anti-Corruption Unit of the ICC has the guts (and the brains) to ask the right questions.

(Strangely though, for a body designed for the express purposes of weeding out just this type of riff-raff, they are a lot like the cops in the movies, showing up after all the damage has been done.)

Say it ain't so, Joe

Mohammad Aamer may have over-stepped (pun intended) the boundary that separates the could-have-beens from the never-weres. (If true) Why, oh why, did he have to do it? A sensational spell of fast bowling that I felt privileged enough to watch has been tainted forever.

(News of the World, UK, 2010)

Somewhere, a fellow-blogger must be sharing the shock I am feeling, coming as this does just days after he wrote a loving tribute to this skillful southpaw.

As the world turns

While I have been missing from this blog, a lot has happened and at the same time nothing much has happened:

The Indian ODI cricket team is coasting along while 4 of the players who will walk in blindfolded into the team - SRT, GG, Plaha, and ZAK - are nursing their wounds or, in the case of the Golden One - enjoying a vacation with his family. So, with only 7/11ths of the team in play (and even among the 7 folks like Yuvraj are living off of potential than performance), the Indian team is displaying the schizophrenic nature that is typical of teams that are about average, which is what the ODI team is.

By the way, losing just before the World Cup is good for the Indian team. Trust me. If you don't, think 2003.

Roger Federer comes into the Fall of 2010 in an eerily similar state to where he was in 2008 - Rafael Nadal had just completed the summer double - he had been losing to everyone and their grandmother and his tennis obituary was printed and posted. In 2008, he mowed down Andy Murray to win the title. Will 2010 be a similar story? If it happens, what will people remember of 2010 - that Federer lost his stranglehold on Wimbledon and appeared mortal or that he won as many Grand Slams in this year as Nadal did?

A new batch of students have come to my College and the excitement on campus is one that I have not felt in a few years. There's a buzz in the air and classes have been a lot of fun so far, even when on the first day the computer refused to cooperate and I resorted to the old-fashioned style of lecturing.

After an inauspicious start to the cricket season (our team was bundled out for 83 in the first match), we have now won 6 of the last 8 games and are beginning to resemble the juggernaut that we were expected to be based on our dominance of the past two years. Strangely, though, it has coincided with a series of single-digit scores by me even as my wicket-keeping has improved by leaps and bounds, especially down the leg-side. As long as we win, I can deal with that, I think.

After weeks of resembling a tropical island, it has finally stopped thunderstorming and raining in Nebraska. However, the temperature has also started dropping to more manageable proportions. Maybe there's a connection between the two. Who knows which butterflies are not flapping their wings in Nicaragua to cause this to happen?!

Will we ever go back to such innocent times again, where two characters could cavort this way and no one raised eyebrows, least of all their girlfriends?

Strange stories, amazing facts

Exactly one year ago today, Tiger Woods did something he had never done before - lose a Grand Slam tournament after taking a lead into the final round. That too to an unknown player named YE Yang. On that day, right after he lost, if you had told someone that losing to Yang would probably be the high point of Tiger's life in the next 365 days they would have laughed at you. But incredibly, that's what happened. Whodathunkit?!

One month ago, if you had told someone that the #1 ranked Test team in the world would be bowled out for 88 in an ODI and that the #1 ranked ODI team would be bowled out for 88 in a Test match, they would have laughed at you. But incredibly, that's what happened. Whodathunkit?

If two weeks ago, you would have told someone that Virender Sehwag would be batting on 99 and facing an off-spinner (not named Murali) in his rookie year on two separate occasions and would fail to get 100 both times, they would have laughed at you. But incredibly, that's what happened. Whodathunkit?

Truth is, often times, stranger than fiction.

Jumping Jacks

I am speechless.

I do like the cliffhanger ending, though.



P.S. AV/BRB offers up the following video as a response to the one above.

The Sultan of Strokeplay

(AFP 2010, via CricInfo)

The first time I watched VVS Laxman bat was in 2001. I had followed his career as closely as one could in the pre-CricInfo days from across the Atlantic. After the Indian team changed the course of world cricket at Kolkata in 2001, expatriates in the US were treated to the first web stream of a cricket match on the last day of the Chennai Test as India were in the midst of pulling off the heist of the century. While the audio was uninterrupted, the video was a series of images 3 seconds apart. Such was the excitement at the computer lab (that us Indian graduate students had taken over) that we did not care that we were watching a game in 3 second intervals.

A thousand words of pleasure

Happiness comes from watching moments such as this:

(AFP 2010, via CricInfo)

Much, much more to come in a day or two after I am done basking in the after-glow of a very, very satisfying Saturday.

Wishing upon a star

One of my favorite movies (ever) is Forrest Gump. How different would it have been if it had been made 40 years ago and featured James Stewart in it? Well, let's see a "preview" and get a glimpse of what might have been.

Warrior of the worlds

I found an article, slightly dated, that talks about Virender Sehwag. What makes it different is that I found it in the New York Times and, unlike most other articles that try to explain cricket to the average American, this one does it in a rudimentary, off-hand manner, while playing up Virender Sehwag's credentials as the cricketer of the 21st century. I kid you not.

As sporting awards go, it lacks the status, hallowed in years, of prizes like the Cy Young in baseball or even Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year. Yet there is an impressive ring to “The Leading Cricketer in the World.”

That is the title Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, the game’s 146-year old annual work of record, has again bestowed on the Indian batsman Virender Sehwag. He is the first repeat holder since the prize was created in 2004.

The winner is decided by the Almanack’s editor, Scyld Berry, after consultation with an informal panel of experts. The question they ask themselves is: Who would be the first name on the team-sheet for a notional World XI to play Mars?

The buck stops here

This one's for you BD/DSC. Every time I go past this local store I think of you. Naturally.

(C.S. Manish 2010)

Though, it does seem quite rude of the store owner to say this to me when I am taking photos!

(C.S. Manish 2010)

P.S. Please excuse the awful pun in the title of this post.  I thought about it for a long time but could not come up with anything better.  Any suggestions?

A love affair

I thought that Up was, by far, the best movie of 2009. As time has gone by, my impression has not changed from what I expressed when I reviewed the film.

At the heart of the movie is a 4-plus minute long montage of the life shared by Carl and Ellie. A dialog-less montage that gripped me and provided the emotional anchor for the rest of the movie. See for yourself and get a glimpse into one of Pixar's greatest bits of "filming" ever. It should serve as a lesson in the lost art of movie-making magic to the likes of Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer. Simply amazing and poignant.

Maggi Noodle Review: Salt

Let me state this upfront: I am neither a big fan of Angelina Jolie nor do I think that she is particularly beautiful. My disdain for her acting prowess is based on the Lara Croft movies. My indifference to her beauty is more because of personal taste. In spite of that, I found her to be particularly effective in her latest movie. She is a little too thin to convince me that she is physically capable of some of the actions sequences she participates in. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Salt is an uncommon action movie among today's whiplash-inducing, CGI-heavy, action genre movies. It is not as if it does not have the requisite parkour-heavy running sequences, car chases, exploding buildings, and bullet-wasting shootouts. It is just that it is done very effectively. The story is about a woman who may or may not be a sleeper Russian agent and whose goal is to eliminate some big guns to cause worldwide panic. Or something like that.

As in any action movie, the initial story is just a set up for a series of set pieces where the characters speak only those lines that will move the movie forward. Salt is no different but about 10 minutes into the movie I stopped paying attention to the absurdity and just got carried along in the slipstream of its fast-paced action. At less than 100 minutes, the movie does not linger to contemplate the enormity of the conspiracy that is being perpetrated by the main players. If you can believe that a person can chase a fast-descending elevator for 8 floors and do it with just a grunt or two of exertion while jumping from girder to girder, then I have just the movie for you to see.

I don't know how else to say this, but here it is - Salt is an action movie to its core and yet it is easily the best-made action movie of this year. By a wide margin. Take a bow, Angelina Jolie.

Here's the preview for the movie, one of the better previews of late:

Atlas shrugs

(Click here for source)

Let's start this post from an unlikely angle. Years ago, Sylvester Stallone wrote and acted in Rocky which, by the way, won an Oscar for Best Picture. (If you're counting at home, that's Sylvester Stallone movies: 1 Oscar, Alfred Hitchcock and Charlie Chaplin movies: 0 Oscars).

Apart from providing fodder for 5 additional Rocky stories as well as countless rags-to-riches sports movies, Rocky popularized a pose, one that was immortalized in Philadelphia with a statue of the same. Here's the pose at the end of the short video (the extremely recognizable and cool Rocky theme music is an added bonus as you watch this training montage).

To do or not to do

In a few hours from now, India and Sri Lanka will resume festivities on a cricket field (again). I will be watching it and am tempted to maintain a running diary. But am nor sure if I should or not. Should I? What do you think?

To do or not to do, that is the question.

A stitch in time

1) Something I have wanted to know forever but never really thought about finding out the answer for is how a sewing machine works. If you share my wonder, click here for the answer.

2)There's nothing common about the wealth being squandered by the authorities as India prepares to host the Commonwealth Games. Can anyone say White Elephant?

TGIF: Songs to hum - 4

Every Friday afternoon, after I am done teaching the last lecture of the week, I sit in my office, put my feet up on my desk, lean back in my chair and softly hum songs to myself, unwinding and releasing the built-up tension of the week so far. Youtube is a good companion during these times and I have my own version of Chitrahaar, with the songs following some unfathomable pattern, changing per my mood and wishes.

Here is today's trip through Youtube:

First up, a song from the Telugu movie Magdheera which has among the best special effects I have ever seen in an Indian movie. Almost seamless!

Farewell to arms

How many wickets has he got? 792. He's confident then, one more Test.

Michael Clarke reckons Muttiah Muralitharan's last Test is enough time for him to reach 800 Test wickets (July 7, 2010)

When the India-Sri Lanka series was pigeonholed into a gap in the schedule leading up to next year's World Cup, it was almost as an afterthought before the main dish - India-Australia for the right to be the #1 ranked team in the world.

Then something nice happened - Muttaiah Muralitharan made it more meaningful. Sadly, he had to announce his retirement to get people to pay attention to yet another Indo-Sri Lanka series. But attention did get paid and Sri Lanka responded to the situation with chilling efficiency.

Maggi Noodle Review: This is it

In the early 1980's, I was a budding quiz enthusiast in Hyderabad who was mostly content to ride the coattails of my more accomplished brother. Let me rephrase that - my much, much, much more accomplished brother. Gathering trivia was an obsession and I remember stumping him once by declaring that Michael Jackson had the biggest selling album of all-time. (It's a totally different matter that my brother was more into Geeta Dutt and SD Burman so I don't think he cared that I knew MJ's name!). The Grammy Awards were telecast in India for the first time the year MJ won 8 awards for Thriller. While watching the show, my brother and I surmised that he was "preserving his voice" for his concerts. Only much later, when I actually heard the songs, did I realize that MJ did have a high-pitched voice.

Over the years, Michael Jackson's world got more bizarre by the day, eventually culminating in an early demise. However, music has a beautiful way of lingering on long after someone is gone. This is it is more than just a collection of Michael's songs - it is a window into the last few days of the talented singer-dancer. Say what you want about his off-stage activities and medicinal challenges, on the stage the man was transformed into something else.

Maggi Noodle Review: Inception

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master...

-- If (by Rudyard Kipling)

Of late, movies that make the audience think are becoming the exception. The joy of such movies is that you don't quite know what is going to happen next, and at the same time, you are trying to figure out what the characters should be doing. Inception is one such movie. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the movie could fit into the science fiction genre but firmly has its roots in heist movies.

All the elements of a heist movie are in it - an initial plan that provides a basis for showing us what the main characters do, the break-up of the gang leading to a recruitment process in exotic locales (Mombassa, Paris, etc.) where the rest of the new (improved) gang is assembled, the "target" is explained, all the "rules" that must be followed are demonstrated, followed the sting, the job, the heist.

Water, water everywhere

It has been raining a lot in Omaha of late.  The days start off hot and sunny. By the afternoon, the humidity picks up and thunderstorms are commonplace, sometimes accompanied by tornado warnings.

Freedom Park, our home ground for cricket, is about 500 yards from the Missouri River.  So when the river runs high, the corresponding water table is so high we have big pools of water on the ground after even the slightest rainfall.  This was the case this past Friday but we were determined to have a game at home on Saturday.  And we did.

This is what we had to do to get the ground ready in time!  Those are 50 gallon buckets you see there.  In all, we removed about 60 buckets full of water (i.e. moving more than 3,000 gallons).  I bet they'd love to have us in Galle right now!

Reviving rhythms

Once in a while there is a perfect storm in an Indian movie - picturization, actors, acting, song, singers, lyrics, and music all come together and create everlasting memories.

Here's one that came rushing through into my thoughts a few minutes ago and took me back almost 30 years...Kamal Hassan, Sridevi in Aakali Rajyam:

Travelogue - Colorado: Day 3 - The Rockies

The convenient aspect of a road trip is that one can be flexible about the route home.  Having seen the Rockies in Wyoming, a detour into Fort Collins accorded the opportunity to see the more famous section of the Rockies in Colorado.  Heading directly west from Fort Collins towards the Rockies...

(C.S. Manish 2010)

 ... takes one to the edge of the thick band of parallel ranges that make up the bulk of the Colorado Rockies.  The eastern-most of them are not as snow-capped as the central ones, but vestiges of ice caps do remain even in the middle of the summer.

Travelogue - Wyoming: Day 2 - The Grand Tetons

To get to the Grand Teton National Park from Rock Springs, WY, involves driving north for about 3 hours until you reach Jackson, WY. The road meanders its way through little towns and farmlands that stretch all the way to the far mountains.

(C.S. Manish 2010)

Travelogue - Wyoming: Day 1 - The ascent

The favorite part of traveling, to me, is the journey more than the destination itself. However, for the July 4th weekend I was interested in both. Opening up an atlas, I spent a couple of hours casting my "net" all around Nebraska, until my eyes settled on Wyoming. Far enough to seem elusive, yet near enough to be alluring. Having decided on the journey, I had to decide on the destination. After considering (and rejecting) Yellowstone National Park, the destination presented itself in the form of the Grand Teton National Park.

Armed with little more than an atlas, a rental car, and a semi-formed idea of what to see, the journey had begun. The snow-capped mountains in the far distance were calling, and an almost primeval urge needed to be fulfilled.

(C.S. Manish 2010)

Freedom at mid-day

On July 10th, 2010, after weeks of hard work, struggles with the weather, flooding, and most of all, perseverance, the Cricket Association of Nebraska hosted its first home game. The picturesque Freedom Park in Omaha provided a great backdrop to the game.  More pictures to follow...

(C.S. Manish 2010)

An evening to remember

(Four months ago, a few like-minded and dedicated folks formed the Cricket Association of Nebraska. The organization, of which I am the President, has gone from scratch to having a fully-functional charter, non-profit status, a dedicated ground to play on, organizing cricket demonstrations and coaching camps for school kids, and playing in the Heartland Cricket League.

If you wish to know more about the organization or its activities you can contact me at csmanish13 at gmail dot com.)

(C.S. Manish 2010)

(C.S. Manish 2010)

The Cricket Association of Nebraska (CAN) was formed with the main mandate of popularizing and spreading cricket among the local population of Nebraska and beyond. In keeping with this goal, on June 26^th, 2010, CAN organized a fundraiser - India Night 2010 - a fun-filled evening dedicated to entertaining guests while introducing them to the sport of cricket. Guests at the event were treated to a combination of good food, cultural programs, presentations on cricket, and dance music courtesy of James from SupaFly Promotions (DJ).

Tingling with anticipation

After a long, long time a movie preview produced goosebumps as I watched it.  I can hardly wait for November (and July) to roll around...

Grand design

I will be resuming regular blogging very soon. Travel descriptions, book and movie reviews, cricket stuff, links, and a special night (India Night 2010) are on tap for the next few days.

In the meantime, here's a sneak preview of what I have been up to lately...

(C.S. Manish 2010)

Confucius said nothing

I opened a fortune cookie today and found nothing inside it. No slip of paper, no confusing words of wisdom. Nothing.

For many it would be an ominous sign. But I, on the other hand, smiled. After all, it is something that Jack Reacher would approve of.

Just like that only

Words of wisdom from Jaunty Quicksand's infertile mind:

There are many ways to skin a pig but only one way to eat it. Unless it is in a cake, in which case you can't eat it if you've made it. (Who'd want to eat a cake made of pork anyway?!)

If at first you fail, don't give up. Your second failure may be more spectacular...and teach you something new. (See: India's 2010 T20 World Cup campaign)

Merely standing under a coconut tree will not get you coconuts. You have got to shake the tree or be prepared to climb it. Or you could just walk down the beach and buy one from the vendor.

Swimming against the current is not a lot of fun. Especially if you have a finger in an electrical socket. And you just stepped out of the shower.

Plant a tree. Don't forget to water it, too. In a few months you will realize that the tree can survive without you but you cannot survive without trees.

Never trust a man who does not look you in the eye when he shakes your hand. Or spits in it before he fields the ball, in which case you can be excused for looking him in the eye but refusing to shake his hand. (See: Ricky Ponting).

If someone tells you they've got your back, turn around and face them. If they really supported you, they'd be standing next to you not behind you. (Julius Caesar learned this the hard way).

Smile as often as you can. You never know when it might make someone else's day.

Coupe du Monde

While the rest of the world is preparing furiously for the football (soccer) World Cup, I am curiously detached about it. I do not even know when it is starting, who are in the main draw, what the names of the players are and, here's the big deal - I don't care to know either. (Sorry, Tifosi Guy!)

But I do know this, if you are even remotely interested in the event, this super-cool ad by Nike should get the juices flowing. Heck, even I was curious enough to see who the "Roo" was referring to!

Maggi Noodle Review: Rajneeti

I wrote a fairly detailed review of the movie but did not post it. Today, I am glad I did not. Trolling the web for other reviews, I found that ALL of them had picked up the Mahabharat and Godfather connections that Rajneeti is heavily inspired by. (One of the more entertaining reviews is by Greatbong.)

Instead, I shall jot down random thoughts that flit through my mind when I think of the movie:

An evening to remember

On the same day that Roger Federer lost before the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in 6 years, I took a 3 hour road trip to Sioux Falls, SD. The object of the visit was to meet Lee Child, the writer of the Jack Reacher series. (Previous posts on Reacher and Child are here).

(C.S. Manish 2010)

There were about 80 people who showed up at a Barnes and Noble bookstore. Child was scheduled to read a chapter of his book and then sign autographs. We were given strict instructions that he would sign only one book and no videotaping was allowed. We were allowed to take photos.

At about 6pm, Child made his way through the crowd. A tall man, Child is slimmer in person than his photos suggest. I was expecting a fellow more on the lines of Reacher (who is listed at 6'5" and 250 pounds) but the voice was the same that I had imagined Reacher would have.

(C.S. Manish 2010)

Child's play

Here's a sneak preview of my next post. Details coming very shortly!

Heading home

Music teaser for Raavan:



More anyone else, I am eager to watch the movie for Vikram, who is not shown in the music preview but can be seen in other previews for the movie.

Maggie Noodle Review - Kites

Ten years ago Rakesh Roshan launched his son Hrithik in a movie that was tailormade to showcase all the actor's assets. Kaho Naa...Pyar Hai successfully launched a phenomenon. Unlike most other star-sons, Hrithik did have the talent to justify the launch. A few days ago, Hrithik's career was relaunched, this time aimed across the Atlantic with Hollywood firmly in its sights.

Kites is a Hindi movie that tries very hard to be something different, all the while placing Hrithik front and center. The only time the camera even seems to go away from him is to showcase Bárbara Mori, a Mexican actress, in agonizingly long and drawn out slow motion scenes. Hrithik exudes a lot of energy but tries too hard. Odd as this may sound, Hrithik needs to watch a few Sharat Saxena movies before facing the camera again.

Hrithik has worked hard on building a muscular body and spends most of the movie displaying that. The director, Anurag Bose, probably believes in equal opportunity so the heroine is not left behind either. Along the way, however, all of them forgot that eye candy can only take you so far. The storyline is actually a pretty interesting one (not original but interesting) that could have been exploited a lot better. Instead, after a fairly decent first half hour, it degenerates into a loooooooooooong commercial for Hrithik, full of suspense-killing slow motion that telegraphs the plot twists minutes before they should.

It may have helped if the supporting cast featured better actors. I am told that Kangana Ranaut is a good actress but I will have to wait for a different movie to evaluate her. Kabir Bedi is wasted in a small role while the guy that plays his son (I am not interested in trying to find out what his name is) is atrocious. On top of his awful acting, the fellow is saddled with a whole slew of terrible scenes that would make a seasoned actor cringe.

Pardon the pun, but this Kite should have been reeled in a long time ago.

(Memo to Indian movie-makers: If you are going to film scenes in an American setting it would be a good idea to read up on some of the laws and rules of the country before portraying the cops in the movies as being no different than in Hindi movies. This is especially true if your ultimate intended audience is an American one.

Hrithik: Muscular, good-looking guys who are also good dancers are dime a dozen in Hollywood. I would not make that my MO if I were you. You have considerable acting chops. Focus on showcasing that before you lose your shirt. (Forget my note on Sharat Saxena...take a look at Chiranjeevi's first Hindi movie - Pratibandh. For a fellow whose calling card in Telugu movies was his dancing ability, he very smartly chose a strong story to showcase his acting talents and did not have a single dance number in the movie. After Pratibandh became a big hit, he showed his other skills in Aaj Ka Goonda Raj. Now, that was a smarter way of trying to make a first impression).

Better left unseen

Sometime, it is better to have simply heard a song than to have seen it and had your vision of it ruined.

हर कोई चाहता है एक मुट्ठी आसमान ...

Today, I had the misfortune of having this Kishor Kumar gem ruined by its picturization. Oh dear! I wish I could go back 5 minutes in time...

Maggie Noodle Review - Iron Man 2

Iron Man is a rarity among superheroes. Like Batman, he does not have any special powers or abilities but relies on his inventions and inventiveness to seem like he is super-human. More critically, he is about the only superhero I know who not only does not hide his "human" identity, but instead actually revels in it.

Iron Man 2 picks up from a little after the first Iron Man movie ended. The first movie took its time getting into what makes Tony Stark tick (almost literally) and this movie takes the premise even further. Robert Downey, Jr., plays Stark, the man behind the outfit, as a fellow who laps up the attention and uses Iron Man's visibility as a deterrent to the bad guys. He has an ulterior motive for exposing a narcissistic streak but just as the movie gets interesting a curious thing happens. The attention is repeatedly taken away from RDJ and shifted elsewhere.

Bleeding heart

A few years ago, I decided not to pay attention to the IPL indirectly because of one man - Lalit Modi. Paradoxically, in the past few days, I have started paying more attention to the IPL because of the same man.

Unfortunately, it is not the cricketing news that I am interested in. How sad.

Lest people think I have a grudge against the cricket in the IPL, let me clarify that I do not. The ICL/IPL model had three things going for it that pleased me immensely:

TGIF: Songs to hum - 3

Every Friday afternoon, after I am done teaching the last lecture of the week, I sit in my office, put my feet up on my desk, lean back in my chair and softly hum songs to myself, unwinding and releasing the built-up tension of the week so far. Youtube is a good companion during these times and I have my own version of Chitrahaar, with the songs following some unfathomable pattern, changing per my mood and wishes.

Here is today's trip through Youtube:

I see you, Jake. Again

I would definitely pay to watch this movie, wouldn't you?

War of the Worlds - Bollywood ishtyle

Did you know that Bollywood has already taken a stab at a proper sci-fi movie ? And I am not referring to duds like Love Story 2050. The movie I am talking about was called Wahan ke log and was released in 1967.

This is an absolute gem - a blast from the past, pun fully intended. The movie, starring Pradeep Kumar and Tanuja, finds time for item numbers, cabaret dances, and plenty of spine-tingling moments of suspense. And yes, aliens, too.

वहां के लोग हीरे हैं, यहाँ के लोग मोती हैं!



(video link via Ultrabrown)

Channeling my inner David Bowman

Many, many years ago my roommate (FOS) and I took a road trip during Spring Break. Without planning exactly where we wanted to go, we set out in his Ford Mustang ensuring that we drove south out of Chicago. Eventually we made our way to Arkansas and stayed there for a day. (Aside: I played cricket for the first time after I came to the US at an impromptu pick-up game on a tennis court after midnight. I still remember how many runs I scored and I got out that day!)

From Arkansas we meandered back north, sidestepping Chicago, and moving into Wisconsin. We did not know anyone in Wisconsin to bunk with, so as a last resort we stopped off at the Harrington Beach State Park and rented a campsite (we were smart enough to pack a couple of tents before embarking on our road trip). The campsite had a mandatory lights-out policy after a certain time and FOS and I went for a walk towards the nearby beach after dark.

As we walked towards the water, I was admiring and talking about the view when I heard a soft thump. I turned around and found FOS on the ground, staring and pointing up at the sky. I looked up and I do not know when my knees went weak and when I fell to the ground. All I know is that I was lying on my back and looking up at a sky I had never seen before.

Wandering thoughts of a random mind

As I listen to songs and let the pressures of the past week slowly ebb away, my mind jumps hoops, stopping along the way to let some of the nebulous thoughts coalesce into these points.

TGIF: Songs to hum - 2

Every Friday afternoon, after I am done teaching the last lecture of the week, I sit in my office, put my feet up on my desk, lean back in my chair and softly hum songs to myself, unwinding and releasing the built-up tension of the week so far. Youtube is a good companion during these times and I have my own version of Chitrahaar, with the songs following some unfathomable pattern, changing per my mood and wishes.

Here is today's trip through youtube:

Road from perdition

So, Tiger, did you learn anything?

(By the way, Tiger, you cannot have it both ways. You cannot ask that your private life be left private and then try to elicit sympathy from the public with commercials like this.)

Sneaking into our senses

Say what you will about the quality of the movies themselves, but the folks in Bollywood are learning how to make interesting previews these days.

V for vendetta

Most of the time I am simply irritated or bemused by the actions of the BCCI. However, sometimes I get seething mad.  Like now.

For the past few weeks my favorite website, CricInfo, has been all about the IPL, a league that I do not care about and, therefore, do not do anything more than scan the headlines before moving on. One of the headlines I scanned but did not read into was: Virender Sehwag to not play for Northants. Oh well. Whatever.

Today, on CricInfo's surfer page I came across this article by Dileep Premachandran, writing for the Guardian. (All emphases mine).

This...IS...the Spartan!

Every College or University in America has a mascot (or so it seems).  For a long time we did not have one.  Recently, to the great joy of the students, Leonidas was introduced to them.  The identity of the (wo)man inside the costume is a closely guarded secret.  

A couple of weeks ago, Leonidas visited the Biology department.  The students were taking an exam so if the reception seems a bit subdued, it is because of that.  Watch till the end...I promise it will be worth it.

Crap-e diem - part deux

Blessed are the meek
for they shall inherit the earth.
- Matthew 5:5

(My previous Crap-e diem post can be read by clicking here).

At the drinks break after the first hour of play in the Bangladesh-England Test match, the hosts were at a mind-boggling 95 for 1, chiefly because of Tamim Iqbal, who had scythed his way to 74 runs in just 48 balls, with 13 fours and a six.

Read that again: 95 for 1 in 14 overs, Tamim on 74, 13 fours, 1 six.

Graeme Swann and James Tredwell were bowling with 5 men on the fence and no close-in fielders. The sound you did not hear was the distinct lack of chirping from the fielders when Tamim was at the crease. In the next 21 balls he faced, Tamim scored 3 two's and 5 singles. However the shot he chose for many of those was the sweep, always a trickier shot to an off-spinner (for a left-hander, as Tamim is). By then Tamim looked like a fellow who was going to nurdle his way to a 100. He was done in by a dodgy umpiring decision but that does not take away from the fact that he let matters reach a point where his continued presence at the crease was in someone else's hands.

Let's step away for a minute and go across the globe to the Australia-New Zealand Test series. Australia had declared shortly after crossing 450. The Kiwi batsmen inspire no confidence in their captain and once again showed why, quickly falling to 31 for 3, with Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill at the crease. Taylor is a fellow more in the Sehwagian than the Dravidian mold of batting and, initially, was looking for runs, reaching 20 in 24 balls. Guptill is an enigma. I have seen the fellow sock the leather off the ball and also treat it with the reverence associated with grenades lacking a pin, so it was a question of which batsman would show up. The grenade-fearing one showed up and New Zealand was temporarily doomed.

The story in each of us

Yesterday, on Prem Panicker's blog he mentioned that Aakash Chopra was coming in for a live chat on Yahoo! India's cricket page. On a lark, I sent Panicker a question to pass along to Chopra. Wonder of wonder, just minutes into the chat today, Prem dropped in my question.

Unfortunately, Aakash did not answer it directly, so it did not register. I think. Foiled! But I will not rest till I get through.

I am attaching a screen shot of the chat (click on it to enlarge).

(Disclosure: A few months ago, I emailed Aakash Chopra asking him (roughly) the same question. He replied in a generic manner, thanking me for writing the note, telling me that he had not thought about a book on those series, and that he may consider it in the future, politely dismissing me. *Sigh*)

From here to eternity

Someone with a lot of time on his hands and a great deal of imagination came up with a new Periodic Table. This one is for fans of science-fiction movies.

I present it to you, sans any comment. The whole Table speaks for itself.

Hard hat area: Men at work

The NCAA men's basketball tournament (March Madness to some) is in full swing. After an exhilarating Day 1, Day 2 is playing more true to form. Watching the video feed from the matches on a computer is a lot more fun than on TV, as you get to pick and choose which games to follow.

Let's say you are at work (as some of us are) and you are watching the game when your supervisor walks in on you. What do you do? Well, look closely. Do you see that Boss Button? Simply click on it...

And voilà! Just like that the screen turns into:

The air up there

This one's for you, AV/BRB. Enjoy!

360 degrees of jointness

ML sent me a link and told me to simply click on it and enjoy the show! Take a look at some of the natural wonders of Utah, as you have never seen them before.

I wish someone would do this with the night sky in some remote location of the earth.

(Use the mouse and scroll around. Warning: it may cause dizzyness!)

Surf's up!

Trolling through the web I often come across things that I file away for future (posting) reference. Today is one of those days when I collate them and regurgitate the ones that still seem interesting enough to pass on to you.

At his feet

When you are 23 years old, the world is your oyster. Or at least that's how your ghost writer feels. In the midst of writing a review of Aakash Chopra's autobiography for this blog (post to come up in a day or two) I googled autobiographies. Imagine my surprise when I came across this one!

Storm front

We live on a little blue marble that floats around in the solar system, tethered by invisible strings to the sun. It is not often that you get this particular perspective of the globe, with the Indian subcontinent front and center. From afar it looks like a serene little thing. Yet, if you go closer to the surface there are stirrings aplenty.

Update: Foot-in-the-mouth fault

(Monday PM: See update after the video)

Andre Agassi has been in the news a lot lately, mostly for the soul-searching autobiography he wrote. Over the past few months even as he lost some fans he made many, many more with the candor in his book and the honesty with which he talked about his own foibles.

A couple of days ago he got into a spat with Pete Sampras at an exhibition event. The genesis of the disagreement lies in his admission in Open the Sampras is a lousy tipper. The mood just got a little uncomfortable after that for not just the two of them but also the other fellows on the court (Federer and Nadal) and the crowd.

Déjà vu all over again

Every Hollywood movie that has ever been released in the last 30 years can be found in the following generic preview:

(If you cannot see the video below, click here for the link)

Not the way to inherit the earth

When you have spent a long time getting kicked around by everyone around you, the best way to get their attention (and then their respect) is to fight back.  You don't tiptoe up to the bully, gently tap him on the shoulder, and ask to be treated better.  When you do that you get what you deserve - a disdainful look followed by a reminder-thrashing.

White out

Everyday I play the lottery - the weather lottery. When I wake up in the morning, I don't rush to open the blinds so by the time I walk out the front door to leave for the day I have no clue what the weather is like outside. I get my first inkling only when I step onto the porch. Some days I have to step back in to pick up an umbrella, other days I have to shed layers of clothing.

Today I hit the jackpot - it was snowing!

(C.S. Manish 2010)

TGIF: Songs to hum - 1

Every Friday afternoon, after I am done teaching the last lecture of the week, I sit in my office, put my feet up on my desk, lean back in my chair and softly hum songs to myself, unwinding and releasing the built-up tension of the week so far. Youtube is a good companion during these times and I have my own version of Chitrahaar, with the songs following some unfathomable pattern, changing per my mood and wishes.

Today's random Youtube selections have been along these lines:

The cold dish

Another match, another verbal/physical altercation involving an Australian cricketer.

Is it me or do the Australians seem very easily provoked when things are not going their way? Surely, after years of dishing out abuse in the name of mental disintegration, they should be prepared to receive some? What was good for the goose for so long has got to be applicable to the gander, too.

Words of wisdom

"A bird foraging for food in the swamps and marshes sinks rapidly if it doesn't move. It has to keep pulling its feet out of the mire to move on, regardless of whether it has caught something or not. And the same applies to us and to our love. We have to move on, we can't stay where we are, because we'll sink."

— Milorad Pavić (Dictionary of the Khazars)

Jess sayin'

Virender Sehwag comes across as an uncomplicated fellow. His batting is predicated on a still head, steady feet, and a whirring blade. At times, however, it seems like he is throwing away his wicket chasing low-percentage options.

Not so fast, says Mr. Sehwag. What you and I may consider low-percentage options are scoring avenues for him. It is just that his definition of what constitutes a risk differs greatly from ours.

Better than all the rest

Andy Zaltzman is awesome.

If you haven't been introduced to this fellow, consider this your personalized invitation to The Confectionery Stall.

Andy's potent mix of humor and off-the-wall stats are among my favorite time-drains on CricInfo. Here's his splendid take on Sachin Tendulkar's batting feats.

As he reached 200, Tendulkar passed the 31,054 international runs landmark. Narrowly – he’s now on 31,055, which is more than 6000 ahead of second-placed Ricky Ponting, and 31,055 more than the entire Zaltzman family combined. He also extended his lead at the top of the international centuries chart to 25 (he has 93 to Ponting’s trifling 68; next come Lara on 53 and Kallis on 50, with all Zaltzmans lagging behind morosely on 0; and no one else has even scored half as many as Tendulkar).

(Note: A previous post on Andy can be found here).

Eye-eye-yo

"We (IPL) are only a two-year-old league but we had close to 3.8 billion eyeballs last year. Every game last year we had 100 million eyeballs."

Thus spake Lalit Modi.

I guess this is why it is named the Eye-PL.

What do you do with all those eyeballs, Mr. Modi? Make eyeball soup and serve it to Indiana Jones?

Paradise lost

Many summers ago I was lucky enough to be able to travel extensively in the Caribbean. I went island-hopping by myself and one of the places I visited was Montserrat, an island in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean. Two striking features of the island nation that caught my eye were its black sand beaches and the sulfur springs in the central mountains. The former was an indication of the past of the island while the latter was a significant hint of the future to come.

Launching a thousand ships

From the BCCI blog (no, not that organization) comes a link to some of the ads that MS Dhoni has acted in.

Quite a collection there. My favorite is still the Videocon one with Shah Rukh Khan. The Mind it one is a close second.

Is Masada the Peyton Manning of India?

Flattering to whom?

Continuing on the theme that I first talked about here, the similarities between the storylines of Pocahontas and Avatar are too many to ignore.

Don't believe me? Take a look at this "preview" of Avatar, Pocahontas-style.



Just for comparison, here's the original preview from Avatar.

Slash and burn

Of all the tributes pouring in for Sachin Tendulkar after the 200* he scored in an ODI, the best is this one from Sambit Bal, the editor of CricInfo.

God hath no answer for a writer's fury

In the comments section of a recent post relating to a Manoj Kumar special, I exchanged a couple of messages about the complexity (read: are-you-being-serious-ness) of stories in Hindi movies, especially from the Golden Age of Melodrama.

On IMDB.com I love trolling through plot summaries of movies and user comments. There's enough hilarity there to keep most mortals occupied. Once in a while you come across a plot summary that is so gobsmackingly outrageous, you are sure even immortals are rendered speechless when confronted with it.

Fine wine

Approximately a year ago, I saw Sachin Tendulkar retire hurt at a personal score of 163 at the end of 45 overs in an ODI in New Zealand.  The way he was batting that day a double century was easily in sight, especially with the short boundaries in Christchurch. A few months later he surpassed that with a 175 at Hyderabad that was as emphatic as any of his innings. Crossing 150 is a rare enough feat in ODI's, doing it so many times in a career is phenomenal. Today, SRT finally crossed the rubicon, getting to the 200 run landmark that he richly deserves to be the first to get to, just as Brian Lara thoroughly deserves to be remembered as the first man to a Test 400.

There will be talk about how it was a flat pitch and the runs were there for the taking. Well, this was the 2,962nd ODI played and a batsman finally reached 200. I don't care how flat the pitch was, this was special. What made it even more special was that the team goal was not sacrificed at the altar of a personal record. (He did set the record for most 4's in a single ODI inning).

Heart of the matter

Two pieces of genuine mirth and awesome-ness.

a) What do you do if you are Manoj Kumar and your dad is suffering a heart attack, the doctor refuses to come, and all you have are two batteries? Why, you cure him, of course!

Speaking engagements

While Test matches continue to be exciting and there is plenty of drama on the pitch, the action on the field is almost being undone by the mind-numbing commentary off of it. Fluctuating between banalities or hyperbole, the commentators are outdoing themselves in uttering stock phrases, content to rely on a cliché to tide them over.

"Needs to bowl in the right areas."
"It's all happening out there."
"What they need are a couple of quick wickets."
"What they need are some partnerships."
"That went like a tracer bullet."
"They wont mind giving up the single."

Get with the program

When I have to go anywhere, I always make a mental note of the route in my head before I embark on the journey. My comrade-in-arms is usually Google Maps. While I do not particularly dislike Navigation Systems (erroneously called a GPS unit by most folks), I prefer to have the route in my head and am able to make adjustments on the fly if I run across bad weather or construction-related traffic irregularities.

Photographic memory

a) Inspiring awe and wonder in equal measures is this photograph of an owl in pursuit of its prey.

Voiceless eloquence

It is no secret that my favorite movie critic is Roger Ebert. A few years ago he suffered from cancer and the consequences of multiple surgeries, and can no longer speak, eat, or drink like he used to be able to.

Randomly speaking

Quick thoughts and feelings:

Hurt no more

The last Major League baseball player I rooted for recently announced his retirement. Frank Thomas, aptly nicknamed the Big Hurt, will not suit up any more. With him dies one of the last of the big men without the shroud of steroid-abuse tainting their legacy. If anything, for years, Thomas has been very, well, frank about the need for steroid testing in baseball.

Shah Rukh's changing persona

These days Shah Rukh Khan goes around loudly (and proudly) proclaiming that his name is Khan.

It wasn't always that way, you know. Why, just a few years ago he was singing a completely different tune. How fickle-minded of him!

He didn't think I'd forget, did he?

Never. A. Doubt.

After reading my Day 4 report of the India-South Africa Test match at Kolkata, Tifosi Guy left a very prescient comment:

I'd be very surprised if India don't win tomorrow. Getting Kallis was huge. I though think it will be a nerve wracking 'few overs to go before stumps' win.

And that is exactly how it transpired. India escaped by the skin of its teeth to register an innings victory with just 9 mandatory balls left to be bowled. (They could have squeezed in a couple of extra overs, if required).

Rather than give you a detailed breakdown of how it transpired, I will pen some thoughts that occurred to me in the aftermath of the game.