One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can see the previous posts in this thread here).
Day 10 finally rolled around in spite of our best efforts to stave it off. The wee hours of the night were spent in packing and reminiscing about our time in Australia. Even Marie's travel companion - Gumby - seemed a little sad that the trip was coming to an end.
(Katherine Lederer 2013)
So, it was with a heavy heart that we left Cairns early in the morning, getting onto the plane the old-fashioned way - via a stairwell to the cabin.
(Katherine Lederer 2013)
Cairns to Sydney was a short flight. After a couple of hours, we then got onto the longer flight to Dallas. We left in the morning to bright skies, much appreciated by Gumby....
(Katherine Lederer 2013)
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can see the previous posts in this thread here).
In the original plan, Day 9 was to be a free day for the students to explore on their own. However, since we had unsuccessfully tried to visit the Cairns Botanic Gardens earlier in the week, we added it to the agenda.
(Sandra 2013)
The Cairns Botanic Gardens is located about 5km from the city center. We took a bus to the Collins Avenue entrance and began our tour of the facility.
(Trey Cusick III 2013)
The Cairns Botanic Gardens (also known as the Flecker Botanic Gardens) is a typical botanical garden containing a wide range of plants (clearly labelled with their scientific names), focusing mainly on ones found in the wet tropical regions of the world such as Southeast Asia.
(Trey Cusick III 2013)
Distributed over 38 hectares, the property was established in 1886 indicating that many of the trees are really old and well-preserved in their native habitat.
(Katherine Lederer 2013)
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can see the previous posts in this thread here).
The skyrail is a series of gondolas that rise from the base station at Caravonica Terminal, located about 15 miles from Cairns, and traverses about 7.5km (4.7mi) over the rainforest with 2 stops along the way at Red Peak, Barron Falls, finally ending at Kuranda. Along the way, we got a close look at Barron Gorge National Park.
(C.S. Manish 2013)
The Skyrail system comprises of 114 gondolas that travel over a path that is held up by 33 towers, the tallest of which is 133 feet (40.5m) high.
(Katherine Lederer 2013)
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can the previous posts in this thread here).
Apart from being a campus offering on-site classes, James Cook University has numerous satellite locations where research opportunities abound. One of them is the Daintree Rainforest Observatory, managed by Site Manager Peter Byrnes.
About 140km (~ 90miles) north of Cairns, the Observatory is in a section of protected rainforest adjacent to the Daintree National Park. The Daintree rainforest lays claim to having the highest biodiversity of plant and animal species anywhere in Australia. The site is flanked to the west by coastal ranges rising to more than 1400m and by the Coral Sea to the east. The proximity of the coral reef to a rainforest makes it a fairly unique situation.
We took the Captain Cook Highway out of Cairns, heading north in a van.This winding ocean road is as you would expect it to be - the treeline frequently opens up to reveal great vistas and lookouts along the way
(Victoria Vollmer 2013)
The drive is littered with small beaches that were inviting us to stop but had to be saved for some other (undecided) date in the future.
(Sandra 2013)
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can the previous posts in this thread here).
On Day 6, we hopped onto a taxi and took a short ride to:
(C.S. Manish 2013)
According to their website, James Cook University, established in 1970, is a multi-campus institution with main campuses in Cairns, Singapore and Townsville, with smaller study centers in Mount Isa, Thursday Island and Mackay. They also have a campus in Brisbane, operated by Russo Higher Education. JCU is Queensland's second-oldest University and serves over 17,500 students.
(C.S. Manish 2013)
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
The reason why an alien civilization has not reached the Earth (officially, that is) is actually quite simple (apart from the fact that we may really be the only planet with life as we know it): The Earth is a tiny, tiny part of the entire Universe and happening upon it, even by accident, requires enormous luck and fortune.
Check out this video made by the American Museum of Natural History and you will truly appreciate how insignificant our place in the cosmos really is. Carl Sagan would have simply smiled upon seeing this:
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can the previous posts in this thread here).
On Day 5 of the trip, having acclimated well to the rhythms of the Land Down Under, we undertook a (mini)voyage to one of the seven natural wonders of the world - The Great Barrier Reef!
The world's biggest naturally-made structure, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) can be easily seen from outer space.
This giant structure is the product of years and years of build-up of the skeletal shells of tiny organisms known as coral polyps. It gives rise to an amazing ecosystem, rich in nutrients and exposed to abundant sunlight and, consequently, a tremendous variety of plant and animal life. The biodiversity of the area is incredible and even more amazing than one can imagine.
The GBR is located in the Coral Sea and lies parallel to the north-east coast of Australia in the state of Queensland, extending more than 2600 km (over 1600 miles) and covering an area about 344,400 square km (133,000 sq miles) .
Travel to the GBR is very carefully monitored by Australian authorities and most tour operators are restricted to visiting specifically chosen reefs or islands in order to reduce the potential impact of millions of human beings thrashing their way through the area.
A short, quick trip along the Boardwalk from the hostel took us to the Cairns Marina, where the tour operator's boat was docked.
(Kinsley Shoup 2013)
After signing our lives away (or so it seemed) and listening to a serious lecture on safety features and measures, we set sail, so to speak, on a boat to the Reef. Soon, we left Cairns behind...
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can the previous posts in this thread here). After an exhausting and fun-filled three days in Sydney, it was time for the "meat and bones" part of the trip. We woke up early in the morning and took a taxi ride from hell to the airport, this time we were headed to the domestic terminal for a flight to Cairns.
(Hannah Steen 2013)
We had our obligatory conch photo at the airport before boarding the flight. (I am not exactly sure what Alexa is up to, though!)
(C.S. Manish 2013)
Approximately 1500 miles from Sydney, the flight to Cairns took about 3 hours or so.
(C.S. Manish 2013 - from Google Maps)
Cairns airport reminded me of a lot of the West Indian airports I had been to. It's a small airport, nestled among the mountains, with an approach path that takes you over the ocean. The vegetation is perfectly tropical and the humidity and heat hit you as soon as you step off the plane. And the smell of the ocean and rain-soaked ground is very evident.
(C.S. Manish 2013)
A short taxicab (van) ride to the city was just the tonic we needed to get ready for Cairns!
(C.S. Manish 2013)
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can the previous posts in this thread here). Having figured out the joys of a ferry ride on the previous day, it was not a novel experience for us (by-now seasoned) travelers to take another one. This time the destination was Taronga Zoo!
(Kinsley Shoup 2013)
The above photograph also serves as a portent of things to come. Later in the day we would walk on the Harbour Bridge and make our way to the park that has the ferris wheel (look closely!), but that is a story for a little later.
For now, enjoy the view of one side, but don't forget to take in the view of the other side, as well....
(Kinsley Shoup 2013)
And here's a great photograph of the two iconic landmarks together...
(Katherine Lederer 2013)
The ferry dropped us off at a dock and we took a gondola lift up a hill, reminiscent of similar rides that I have been on at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and the San Diego Zoo (there seems to be a theme developing here). The gondola lift runs from the bottom of the park close to the ferry wharf, and transports passengers to the top end of the zoo, where the main entrance is located.
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can the previous posts in this thread here). An early morning wake-up call was followed by an interesting breakfast, featuring products one normally does not see in the US. The honey? Maybe. The vegemite? Not so much! All I can say for the latter is that it is quite salty and is supposed to be an acquired taste (and I did not acquire it in spite of trying it for 3 days).
(Trey Cusick III 2013)
(Trey Cusick III 2013)
On tap for the morning was a visit to Darling Harbor. But before that we had a few minutes to kill, so a few of us went on a walk to the Sydney Harbor Bridge and, along the way, saw lots of interesting little nuggety things.
(Trey Cusick III, Katherine Lederer, and C.S. Manish)
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home. (You can the previous post in this thread here).
At the Omaha airport, after picking up our boarding passes,
the group took the first of (many) group photos. In time, everyone got used to me signaling
for group huddles with the buzzword – conch.
I am not sure how (or why) that was chosen as the group’s calling card,
but it stuck a chord and so it remained for the duration of the trip. (Maybe it had something to do with Lord of the FliesAnchorman).
(Note: To see the photos more clearly, click on them and they will pop up in new window).
(C.S. Manish 2013)
The flight from Omaha to Dallas was fairly uneventful. At Dallas airport, we took our time going
from one gate to another – and then it was time to leave the shores of the US
of A. Next stop….Australia!
(C.S. Manish 2013)
The flight itinerary called for a direct flight from Dallas
to Sydney, currently the longest flight of any airline in the world. (Here's some more information on it from a personal account of the trip for Wall Street Journal). Because the flight is so long and we cross the International Date Line, the trip from Dallas to Sydney involves the loss of a complete day. We left on the evening of the 2nd and reached on the morning of the 4th. Somewhere up in the sky the whole of the 3rd passed us by...or something like that.
Due to a quirky procedure the Qantas Airline flight, whilst non-stop
from Sydney to Dallas, has to stopover to refuel in Brisbane on the opposite trip. So, our first steps on Aussie soil
(so to speak) were in Brisbane. We
disembarked, walked through a loooooong line at a security check point and then
got back on the same plane again.
Flying into Sydney was a treat. Those on the left side of the plane were greeted with magnificent views of the city, such as this one:
(C.S. Manish 2013)
After we passed through Immigration and Customs (surprisingly quickly) we were officially in Australia!
(C.S. Manish 2013)
We paused in front of a tourism picture on the wall and took the first "conch" photo in Sydney. Don't let the backdrop fool you - this was taken indoors!
(C.S. Manish 2013)
(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of the post is displayed. To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).
After promising a regular supply of travel-related blogs, I was unable to follow through and I must apologize for that.
The internet connection at the places we stayed at in Australia was adequate for checking emails and websites but useless for blogging, especially as the servers weren't capable enough to upload the 15-20 photos I wanted to supplement my blogposts with.
While I was tempted to simply write about the trip, I felt it would not do justice to what we saw and did so I avoided blogging altogether.
Now that I am back in the US of A and, more importantly, have access to a really fast internet service I shall continue the journey, so to speak.
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). This January (2013), I am teaching Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entails a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we have seen, the things we are doing, and the lessons we are learning while exploring a land far removed from home.
A couple of years ago when the trip to Puerto Rico was winding down, during a long road trip the students began discussing where I should go in the the next travel-related course I offered. After nominating and discarding numerous candidate nations, they finally decided that I should offer a course that would require students to spend some time in Australia. They christened it Ecology of Australia and, now having done the hard work, entrusted me with the simple task of actually designing and implementing it! Not one to shirk such responsibilities I duly went ahead and began preparing for it. Apart from reading about Australia and its unique environmental and ecological attractions, I also decided that I needed professional help if I was to provide a proper experience for the students. So I contacted many organizations that specialize in student-based travel trips and study abroad programs. After listening to what many of them had to offer, I finally selected CISabroad as the organization to partner with. CISabroad was the be the organization that offered the best mix of on-site offerings and quoted fairly reasonable prices.
So, a course two years in the making finally bore fruit and a group of 8 Midland University students left cold, freezing Omaha on January 2nd. As always, an obligatory group photograph was taken just after we checked-in at the airport.
(C.S. Manish 2013)
Standing (from left to right): Craig, Alexa, Christine, Richie, and Sue
Kneeling: (from left to right): Fred, Marie, and Leann
In the coming posts, I shall describe some of the highlights of each day as it unfolded during the trip. So, until then....here's a brief preview of one of the things that is to come on Day 1.
(C.S. Manish 2013)
Our first stop in Australia was in Sydney. I leave you, for now, with a view from our plane as we prepared to land at Sydney airport. The Harbor Bridge and the Opera House were clearly welcoming us and we were ready for it!
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to your heart. In January 2011, I was fortunate enough to lead a group of 6 students through the world of Tropical Ecology. Apart from not being in the right ecosystem, Nebraska in the winter is definitely not the place to have field trips about Tropical Ecology. Consequently, one portion of the course involved a 10-day trip to Puerto Rico where we got to see for ourselves all the things we talked about in the classroom. This is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned. (You can see all the previous posts in this thread here).
On the 10th day, it was time to retrace our steps and head back to the mainland. An early morning wake-up call was set to give us time to pack the van, check out of the hotel and make it to the airport in time for some last minute souvenir shopping. KM and I dropped the rest of the group at the airport and came back to the car rental agency to drop the van off. By the time we returned some of the folks had managed to find the nearest store with the best sales and proceeded to haggle their way into some expensive-looking items at a cheaper price.
As we left Puerto Rico behind, it seemed as if even the island was "questioning" our departure. All of us shared that feeling, too...
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to your heart. In January 2011, I was fortunate enough to lead a group of 6 students through the world of Tropical Ecology. Apart from not being in the right ecosystem, Nebraska in the winter is definitely not the place to have field trips about Tropical Ecology. Consequently, one portion of the course involved a 10-day trip to Puerto Rico where we got to see for ourselves all the things we talked about in the classroom. This is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned. (You can see all the previous posts in this thread here).
Having overcome (some of) our fears of the ocean and open water, it was now time for us to confront a fear of a different kind - heights. For the last day of the trip I had booked a trip through Yunke Zipline Adventures. The best way to see a tropical rainforest (in my opinion) is by getting off the floor and wandering through the canopy (if you can). Since less than 2% of the sunlight incident on the canopy makes it's way through to the forest floor, the surface layer can, at times, be a murky place. Higher up in the canopy and in the emergent layer, there's a lots to see and it is a lot easier to do so, too.
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to your heart. In January 2011, I was fortunate enough to lead a group of 6 students through the world of Tropical Ecology. Apart from not being in the right ecosystem, Nebraska in the winter is definitely not the place to have field trips about Tropical Ecology. Consequently, one portion of the course involved a 10-day trip to Puerto Rico where we got to see for ourselves all the things we talked about in the classroom. This is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned. (You can see all the previous posts in this thread here).
The day began with AJ demanding a hearty breakfast so we fulfilled that request, courtesy Ponderosa. As I mentioned earlier, you can get a lot of food for less than 5 bucks!
(Sami Wysocki 2011)
After 7 days of crossing through and circling around them, on the 8th day we finally ventured into the Sierra de Loquillo mountains that make up the central spine of Puerto Rico. It was well worth the wait.
(Sami Wysocki 2011)
The drive was quite curvy, naturally, but as we rose into the mountains, it began to cool down and occasionally the canopy would clear to show some fantastic views of the rest of the island and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.
One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to your heart. In January 2011, I was fortunate enough to lead a group of 6 students through the world of Tropical Ecology. Apart from not being in the right ecosystem, Nebraska in the winter is definitely not the place to have field trips about Tropical Ecology. Consequently, one portion of the course involved a 10-day trip to Puerto Rico where we got to see for ourselves all the things we talked about in the classroom. This is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned. (You can see all the previous posts in this thread here).
The 7th day of our trip was also the last day of the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian in Puerto Rico. I knew about the San Sebastian Street Festival but since I know a little bit about large-scale parties from my days as a Mountaineer, I figured the best time to visit Old San Juan would be in the morning while the revelers would still be in bed sleeping off the effects of the previous night's festivities.
And I was right...
(C.S. Manish 2011)
Rather than drive into town and get mired in traffic while returning we took the bus. Surprisingly, this was a first for some of the folks on the trip. Wonders never cease. The lack of an extensive public transportation system in Nebraska reveals itself in the strangest of places.
Years ago, Sports Illustrated begged another sporting legend to not quit the sport. Today, it's my turn to follow their lead.
So, don't bag it, Sachin! Some time ago, Times of India asked: Endulkar? My reply today is an emphatic - No!
Several folks are telling you it is time for you to retire from cricket. I have three things to say about it.
1) It is NONE of their business to tell you when to retire. That's a personal choice that is entirely yours to make. Don't compound their mistake. Their cries for you to retire are, in reality, cries for you to be dropped from the Indian team. Those are two different things. You've been playing cricket for your entire life and competitive cricket for 4/5ths of it. Who are they to tell you when to stop?
2) I don't want you to make the same mistake, too. Retiring from international cricket is different from retiring from playing cricket. It is very obvious that you love the game very much. Keep at it. Play Ranji Trophy, play county cricket. Play the game for the love of it and not for the trappings that come with it. If Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash could be productive into their mid-40's, so can you. Heck, it would it really benefit Indian cricket if the Ranji players got to bowl to the likes of you and VVS Laxman. It would give the selectors a clearer idea of how good they really are.
3) To hell with how your legacy is being impacted the longer you play. Don't fret it. In the end, these last few flickers of the flame will be forgotten when your whole body of work is looked at.
When it comes time to discuss legacies, no one really cares any more that...
Sourav Ganguly's last Test inning was a golden duck, out to a spinner, of all things. At least his fate was the same as Don Bradman's, in that regard.
Muhammad Ali was pounded into submission by someone named Trevor Berbick in his last bout.
Pele spent the last three years of his career playing for the New York Cosmos.
Michael Schumacher spent his last three years racing for Mercedes without winning a single race.
Jerry Rice did not catch a single pass in his final game, in a playoff no less....for the Seattle Seahawks.
Wayne Gretzky's last season with the New York Rangers fetched him only 9 goals (in 81 games).
Sunil Gavaskar was bowled for 4 in his final international inning by a journeyman fast bowler.
Michael Jordan spent his last two seasons with the Washington Wizards and did not even make the playoffs in those two years
Do you want me to cite more? You get the point, don't you? Legacy is over-rated. You will not tarnish your legacy by playing on as long as you wish to. If the selectors are bold enough to drop you, so be it. They are simply dropping you from the Indian team, not stopping you from playing cricket. That's what you value more, isn't it?
You are still among the best batsmen India currently has. You are among the best outfielders in cricket. Until someone else comes by whose contributions are vastly superior to the ones you can provide, I feel you should play. After all, when you did play a Ranji Trophy match recently you made a century almost for fun, toying with the bowling.
The Aussies will be here in a few months. I look forward to seeing you take them on. And if the selectors decide otherwise, I'll still look forward to you playing some first-class cricket and making centuries for fun. Like how it used to be. Like how it can be. Like how it should be.
Because one day you, and only you, will know that it is time for one last fling. For one last inning. For one last battle.
Can you even imagine any Indian player ever saying the following things about the state of his game?
"It's a decision I thought long and hard about, put in long consideration about the decision, at the end of the day it was about my results and my output in this series so far," Ponting said. "It hasn't been to the level required for batsmen and players in the Australian team. My level of performance hasn't been good enough." "I want to be a consistent performer, and if you look back over the last 12 or 18 months I haven't been able to perform consistently. I've had moments of really good stuff, and prolonged moments of cricket that's been below my expectations and below a par level for me, so there hasn't been one dismissal or one moment, it's just been in my own eyes reasonably consistent failure. That's why I believe the time is right now to be making this decision."
Wow.
I feel like crying when I read that, not because I will miss Ponting (more on that in a second) but because I have become too used to hearing our folks talk about the 15,000 runs they have scored, the 50+ they average as an opening pair with Sehwag, or hark back to the 400+ wickets they have taken. The first step to dealing with a problem is to admit that there is one. The reason the members of the Indian team continue to flounder is because they insist that all is well and keep repeating the same mistake even as the opposition players have wizened up to their bag of skills.
But I digress. This is about Ponting. For much of the last decade Ponting's was the wicket I most looked forward to being dismissed. Even when he was playing someone other than India. One of my happiest moments ever was when I saw Ponting getting out for 99.
In the prime of his prime, when he was making centuries at a rate bested only by Bradman, I hated the fellow. In the evening of his prime, as he became more expansive with his time and interviews, I came to grudgingly admire him for his honesty and *shock* graciousness in defeat.
Yet, it did not stop me from exulting when Jacques Kallis cleaned him up in the first inning of the recent Adelaide Test. Seeing Ponting on all fours by the time he finished his shuffle brought me joy. Today, I am a little sad that I was so gleeful.
If Imran Khan and Malcolm Marshall are the two bowlers I feared the most as an Indian fan, then Ponting is the batsman to match them in my mind.
However, when the Perth Test starts later today, for the first time in my life, I will be rooting for Ponting to score a century. In fact, I hope he scores two of them. Years ago, I exulted when he came one run short of being the first person to score twin centuries in a Test 4 times. This time I hope he gets to three figures. And beyond.
(Getty images, 2012, via CricInfo)
It took him 15 years to make me change my mind about him. But in the end, he did. Nostalgia does strange things to the best of minds, so what chance did I really have?
Harbhajan Singh is back in the Indian team after a spell on the sidelines. Once his selection was confirmed he lashed out at his critics telling them that a player should not be judged more than just the number of wickets he takes. (It's a different matter altogether that Economy Singh has done diddly-squat in the time that he was out of the squad and no sound reason exists for him returning to it).
Like Gautam Gambhir a few days ago, Harbhajan Singh needs to figure out exactly what it is that he wants to peg his hat on. Self-reflection of an honest kind is seriously lacking among the current Indian players, it seems.
Ponting was trapped lbw three times in four innings in the South African series, twice dismissed for a duck, as Steyn and Vernon Philander made him their batting bunny. Only a fighting 62 in the second Test saved Ponting's career and the 37-year-old now concedes he had huge technical problems and was almost falling over at the crease, in what were some of the lowest moments of his career.
“There is no doubt it was a lowlight. At that stage we needed me to be getting runs if the team was going to win games,'' Ponting said.
“Whenever you fail it is not just about you, it is feeling like you've let your teammates down.
“It was technical - you don't go from playing the way I was playing to getting hit on the pad as often as I was without something being wrong.
“My pre-ball movements were just a little bit earlier than what they should have been. I was trying to move early to give myself more time but it was actually having a detrimental affect. I was moving too early and locking off and not being able to move again after that.
“It took a long time to break the habit I was in and the cycle I was in.”
I'm a sucker for time-lapse photography...so I cannot pass up a chance to show you this one, taken during the past couple of days while Hurricane Sandy made it's way through the Big Apple.
Aakash Chopra played with great distinction for Delhi on the Indian domestic circuit before he was unceremoniously dumped from the squad. Rather than waste time fighting the system, he took that as an opportunity to migrate and play for Rajasthan. In two years, Rajasthan won the Ranji Trophy twice and his reward.....
....well, read for yourself. There's a reason I will be following the fortunes of the Himachal Pradesh Ranji team very closely this year. In fact, my dream final would be between Himachal Pradesh and Hyderabad.
So, why am I on the road once again? Have I fallen in love with this nomadic lifestyle? Or is it the lure of money that has forced me to ditch my old team? No, I don’t like living out of a suitcase and away from my family for five months in a year. The older you get, the more you miss the comforts of your home. No, it isn’t the money either, for God’s been kind enough to provide enough work to keep me occupied and the fire burning in the kitchen. I’m on the road for the very thing that made me hit the road for the first time - honour, a sportsman’s eternal quest.
It's no secret that I believe Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all-time. Or, at least, if there was/is a tennis player with a greater range of shots combined with grace in hitting the yellow ball, I'd like to have watched him/her play. And I'd still think Roger could have held his own.
The secret to his success (as it is with most other successful sportspersons) is how focused he is on the ball at the moment of impact and beyond. Check out this video:
And if that isn't enough for you, check him out in super-slow-motion....
If he plays a few more Tests, Mahela Jayawardene will supplant Rahul Dravid as the most prolific Test match fielder in history. Lots of articles will be written about the (often) ignored Sri Lankan batting legend. Many more have already been written about Kumar Sangakkara, who melds his lawyerly background with an outspokenness that is loved by writers everywhere. Sangakkara, with his faux British-Lankan accent captures the popular press while the man who has made more runs, scored more centuries, and made the highest-ever score by a right-hander in Tests is content to cede the spotlight.
However, for all the press that the more prominent cricketers of our time (the Pietersens, the Tendulkars, the Kohlis) get, I doubt any of them will be the feature of a tribute as wonderful as this one by Wright Thompson, of ESPN.
This happened a few years back, a month after finishing a crushing
second in the 2007 World Cup. It was during the war, when checkpoints
regularly stopped traffic on the highways. Java and Mahela, the team
captain, rode back late at night from a friend's funeral. Java drove. It
was dark and empty on the garrison road. The troops stopped them. It
was dark, the soldiers focused and on edge, the cricket star was out of
context. Java was exhausted and needed to get home. "Tell him who you
are," Java begged. "I won't," Mahela said.
Java laughs now in the hotel lobby. "This guy asked for the ID," he
says, "so he gave him the ID. The ID doesn't say 'Mahela Jayawardene,'
it says 'Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene.' Even if you
read it, it doesn't click, unless you look for it, you know?"
They waited on the soldiers to finish searching their car and then drove
on to town. Java was annoyed and wanted to know why Mahela wouldn't do
something so simple that would speed up their day. "I may play cricket,"
he said, "but let them do their job."
Reason number 1,456,687,432 why I am a bigger fan of Roger Federer than Rafael Nadal: Their pace of play.
In the time it takes Nadal to serve between points, the viewer can surf other channels, catch up on the endings of all the NFL games and still not miss a single shot of the match.
With Federer, blink a couple of times and you may have already missed the latest exhibition of shot-making from the maestro.
Check out this split-screen video. Roger Federer wins a game in the time it takes Nadal to get ready to serve the next point. Roger's video begins with him serving at love-all. Nadal's video begins with him hitting the winning shot of a point.
a) So, last night the result of an NFL game was determined by the shoddiness of replacement referees. Ho-hum. The debacle could have been avoided had any of the Green Bay Packer defenders followed the first rule of defending Hail Mary passes - KNOCK THE BALL DOWN!
Take a look at the replay - no less than three Green Bay defenders had the chance to ice the game by simply batting the ball away.
Yet, all of them went for glory and tried to intercept the ball. See for yourself.
Serves you right. You don't have my sympathies.
b) VVS Laxman retired a few weeks ago and it hasn't sunk in yet. I am still not in the mood to write my eulogy but am getting ready for it. Until then, here are two must-read articles about the good guy of Indian cricket.
First, Peter Roebuck is no longer here to write about VVS, but when he did (in the aftermath of 281) it was fantastic. Poetry in prose.
As Laxman took guard he found himself surrounded by the din of the crowd and the biting resolution of his gum-chewing, green-capped opponents near at hand. Habitually, he cuts an impressive and impassive figure upon which hostility falls like raindrops upon a bear. He stood his ground.
Laxman was about to play the innings of a lifetime, one of the greatest knocks the game has known. His effort has not shrunk in retrospect for it was not a mere protest against fate but rather a purposeful pursuit of an impossible dream.
Second, check out Siddhartha Vadyanathan's piece, not so much for what he wrote but for some of the videos link to in the comments section.
c) If you are a famous sportsperson, maybe even the best ever in your sport, winning a match is not the end of your day's work. Here's Roger Federer's grueling post-match interview schedule. I used to wish I could play like him. Now I don't, for I do not want to have to do all the additional things that come with that gift.
e) Very rarely do I burst out laughing when I read a straight-forward sports article about how someone can help Tiger Woods get his game back on track. But this one did. Johnny Miller is soooo modest, it makes me blush to hear about all the great things he has to say about....himself.
The drive I hit on the last hole at Oakmont in 1973 at the U.S. Open was special. I'd hit every green that day, and my average birdie putt was about 10 to 12 feet. To this day, I've never seen a major championship round of that precision, with tee shots and iron shots, by anyone. That sounds like bragging, but I've seen a lot of rounds.
