Tube of Hell

Every team in the Spanish League (La Liga) this year has to play Sevilla, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Villareal in succession. This phase of the league I call as "Tube of Hell" as these teams are the top ones in Spain and Europe/world. It can be devastating for lesser teams to play such hard games, all in a row. Also it is made more intriguing for the teams themselves from the above list, by including Valencia in the place of their own, when they pass through the "Tube of Hell".

While most teams have stuttered in this tube of hell, Barca has come out gloriously. 3-0 vs Sevilla, 4-0 vs Valencia, 2-0 vs Real Madrid and 2-1 vs Villareal.

A lot of critics were dismissing the notion that Barca is the team to beat this season, before December, citing that they haven't played any of the top teams. Now that Barca has come through the tube unscathed, no one is questioning as to who is going to lift the title.

10 points ahead at the table already, they are in for something big. Whether it will be a thing or things, May will tell. For now, the next question will be, will Real Madrid be forced to give Barca a "guard of honor" when they meet again in the Bernabeu in 2009. That will happen, if Barca goes to the capital 16 points clear. That will happen.

Forca Barca.

Makkal - dawn of a new age?

I have been (forced to) watching a lot of TV in the recent times and could not escape appreciating the quality of programs in one particular channel - Makkal TV.

First and foremost, Makkal has made a sincere effort to make the programs completely TAMIL. Yes, all their studio made programs are pure Tamil scripted - no English, no Sanskrit. No hellos, no sorrys. I am no fanatic of pure Tamil, but it is refreshing to see the effort these people have put in. Only time you get to hear some other lingo is when the interviewee's cannot cope with the interviewer or during the commercials(you cant help there!). (If you complain about not understanding the language in a couple of political comedy shows, then it is because they are talking in the famous "Madras bhaashai")

The programs have variety - politics, economics, fun-games, live interviews and mostly reality TV. No movies. No mega serials. There is so much of silverscreen crap stuffed into the home box channels these days, that it is more choking than entertaining. The future for successful TV channels lies in dumping their current image as a 24x7 mini movie theater and it seems like Makkal is the first Tamil channel in that direction.

Like most of the Tamil channels, Makkal also has its origins from one of the political parties (PMK), and hence most of its NEWS and political programs appear heavily biased, and from my limited experience with the channel, I can say that this is the only downside of an otherwise excellent TV channel, which has a lot of scope for becoming a pioneer of reality TV in the Tamil speaking world. Even in the sub-continent.

With a very talented set of anchors, a handful of novel shows and total abstinence from movie based programs, Makkal has a strong potential for carving for itself a very niche audience. How far it will go will depend on how much of political agenda will be infused into its otherwise seemingly "neutral, independent and secular" schedule. Time will tell.

futball fuss

The Euro fever has come to an end with those unending chants of 'viva espana'! For invalids like me who cannot be awake to watch the matches at those ungodly hours, it is the news bulletins that give a vivid description of the flow of the game! Yes, I find that the written articles bring the matches more alive than the video highlights. That is probably because the written word has more perspective than the 21" screen.

There are two columnists in particular, whose articles I never miss: Rob Hughes of IHT and Phil Ball of soccernet (espn). Both have their own styles of writing and their own prides and prejudices. I just love reading both of them.

Rob is very emotionally attached to football - he can't digest the hyper commercialization of the "world game". He follows all football news with an eye on the financial implications. He makes it a point to mention the absence of local talent in rich clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea. Like me, he loves Barca and Argentina. No wonder, I love his writing.

Phil is also a gifted writer, who can blend humour even into his most serious sounding articles. He is an Englishman settled in Spain for a long time now (he probably married a Spanish girl!) and loves to follow the La Liga, Spain's top league football. His writings are influenced by the social and political events of Spain - surrounded by the separatist forces of Andulasia, Basques and the Catalans. If you know a little bit of Spain's history, then Phil Ball is sure to amuse you with his digest of the Spanish league.

I would have never come to like football if not for these writers' articles with their mix of economics and politics into what otherwise would have been vanilla commentary.

Afterall I am a desi. I always like it with 'masala'!

I followed the Euro games with a different perspective - grouping the teams based on their kit sponsors.

* There were 16 teams in total and 4 kit sponsors - Nike (5 teams), Adidas (5 teams), Puma (5 teams) and Umbro (1 team).
* All 5 Nike teams made it to the quarterfinals. Only 2 Adidas and 1 Puma entered the last 8.
* Each semifinal featured a Nike vs Adidas and in both the games Adidas won and entered finals!
* In spite of all its teams getting into the second round, Nike could not feature in the finals! Adidas entered into the knockout round with only two teams, who eventually entered the finals.

Honestly, I supported Nike (Russia/Turkey), but ended up in disappointment. (as usual, bun!).

Another point to note is that the winners of all groups, save Spain, lost in the quarterfinals. It is the second placed teams from each group who reached the semis.

Last but not the least, I still dont understand why the schedule was drawn in such a manner to allow Spain to meet Russia again in a match before the finals. Had it been like A vs C and B vs D, such a repetition could have been avoided before the final match. I have no idea why UEFA did not think about this!

Hope the coming season will get my favourites back to where they belong - Barca, Liverpool and AC Milan - the top of their respective leagues. I wouldnt mind sponsoring a bash on the night Barca sets their hand on the Champions League Trophy!

Forca Barca.

Forest. Friends. Fun.

The trip to Bandipur last weekend is very special to me in many a sense.

First, it is a mini get together of my batch - of the 125, 19 of us were there - 1 in every 6 - and that too after 3.5 years and that too not a few hours, but for 2 whole days! (The 20th member of the trip was our evergreen "Jith" Kumaran!)

Second, the excitement of the jungle safari that we undertook - right through the abode of the great animal species of Bandipur - watching them in their natural state of living. We also had a documentary about the state of the animals in the sanctuary, the challenges they face and their life styles across seasons. For me it was like a reminder about how wild the world is and how every species accept it gracefully. Only humans whine!

Third, the trip was planned as a gift for my birthday. The mail thread started like this: "Bunti's BDay Gift" - Bandipur Trip :-)

Fourth, the excitement of going through my favourite 4-laned Bangalore-Mysore SH17.

Fifth, the pampering accomodation at the KSTDC Bandipur Safari Lodge - something which I did not expect at all (naturally I keep my expectations low, when Govt services are involved). The safari package, the cottages, themed interiors, great food, professional staff, punctual guides, natural environment and clean air were all worth the 2.2K that we paid per person per night.

I have to mention the interiors of the cottages here - each room had an animal as the central object. There was a huge painting of the animal on the wall behind the bed - it was a real painting done by a local lady - not a wallpaper. The curtains, bed spreads and the mats also had some resemblance or the other of the same animal. Like my room's tiger paw curtains and mats, tiger striped bedspreads. Yes, I stayed in the Tiger Room in the Tiger Country!!!


We played cricket and frisbee. We went for an unguided trek, climbing a steep hill through the bushes with atmost difficulty. But once reaching the top we found that there was a simple, well laid route, just a few metres away, but hidden in plain sight. Most of us felt good about not discovering it in the first place :)

Additionally, I got to learn Salsa from my Guru, Sai - who was a surprise member of the trip.

Overall it was a fantastic break from the routine.

Golden Rules for Career Success [Richard Moran]

[can't resist posting this here]

Golden Rules for Career Success

[WORKING as a business consultant all over the world, Richard Moran has discovered some basic career-related rules that everyone should know—but many don’t.]

• Business is made up of ambiguous victories and nebulous defeats. Claim them all as victories.
• Keep track of what you do; someone is sure to ask.
• Be comfortable around senior managers, or learn to fake it.
• Never bring your boss a problem without some solution. You are getting paid to think, not to whine.
• Long hours don’t mean anything; results count, not effort.
• Write down ideas; they get lost, like good pens.
• Always arrive at work 30 minutes before your boss.
• Help other people network for jobs. You never know when your turn will come.
• Don’t take days off sick—unless you are.
• Assume no one can/will keep a secret.
• Know when you do your best—morning, night, under pressure, relaxed; schedule and prioritize your work accordingly.
• Treat everyone who works in the organization with respect and dignity, whether it be the cleaner or the managing director. Don’t ever be patronizing.
• Never appear stressed in front of a client, a customer or your boss. Take a deep breath and ask yourself: In the course of human events, how important is this?
• If you get the entrepreneurial urge, visit someone who has his own business. It may cure you.
• Acknowledging someone else’s contribution will repay you doubly.
• Career planning is an oxymoron. The most exciting opportunities tend to be unplanned.
• Always choose to do what you’ll remember ten years from now.
• The size of your office is not as important as the size of your pay cheque.
• Understand what finished work looks like and deliver your work only when it is finished.
• The person who spends all of his or her time is not hard-working; he or she is boring.
• Know how to write business letters—including thank-you notes as well as proposals.
• Never confuse a memo with reality. Most memos from the top are political fantasy.
• Eliminate guilt. Don’t fiddle expenses, taxes or benefits, and don’t cheat colleagues.
• Reorganizations mean that someone will lose his or her job. Get on the committee that will make the recommendations.
• Job security does not exist. Always have an answer to the question, “What would I do if I lost my job tomorrow?”
• Go to the company Christmas party. Don’t get drunk at the company Christmas party.
• Avoid working at weekends. Work longer during the week if you have to.
• The most successful people in business are interesting.
• Sometimes you’ll be on a winning streak and everything will click; take maximum advantage. When the opposite is true, hold steady and wait it out.
• Never in your life say, “It’s not my job.”
• Be loyal to your career, your interests and yourself.
• Understand the skills and abilities that set you apart. Use them whenever you have an opportunity.
• People remember the end of the project. As they say in boxing, “Always finish stronger than you start.”

When Bhavani Met Spree...

Little did I know, when I opted to learn "Technical German" as an additional credit in my college, that the first country for me to visit outside India will be Germany! In fact one of the reasons for me to choose Anna University over my local PSG Tech - is to get exposed to the cosmopolitan culture of Chennai and to feed my flair for languages! How much of those objectives got accomplished from my 4 year stint at AU I dont know, but I definitely got an introduction to the German language.

So, when my office, totally based in US, told me that I have to go to Germany, for a period of 3 months, I could simply not believe it. It is not the excitement of going abroad, but the excitement of going to Germany, a country that I have come to know so much through all the years with the history books and the language! Even after reaching there I cant believe it for a couple of days!

New country, new culture, new customs, new language and new people! I dont know how long did I roam around with a gaping mouth! Probably all the three months! If I start writing about Berlin, the city of my stay or my visits to Amsterdam or Norway, it will be a loooong post! I will reserve it for another day.

The well developed infrastructure, public transport, communication facilities, super hot figures (he he ..), artistic historic buildings, boring modern high rises, totally obedient commuters, ... contribute to the awe!

The loneliness, phone costs [ :( ], lack of social events (...why did you not go to pubs?...), lack of the sight of children, backpain are the shortcomings!

All in all, it was a different 3 months in my life, with so many new experiences and new learning everyday! There was shock, surprise, amazement, despair, depression, shame and joy - with one or the other of these extreme feelings constantly accompanying me all the time!

...and in the long run, I also became a foreign 'mappillai'! :-))

reasons

If you ask me what kept me from updating the blog all these days - inspite of so many things happening - a foreign trip, a new (strange) girl, etc, etc - i must say it is "karma". When I wrote my last funny post in Feb 2007, about the book Shantaram I had just bought it and read exactly one chapter - about 20 pages - in it. But then never really touched it again. Not in the long journeys afterwards or whatever time. Seven months later, today, 3rd Sept 2007, I have finished the book and the first instinct that I get was, to update the blog!

It is one "hell" of a book. I will say a "must" read!

More posts about my trip to Germany and my new bike are in the offing. Keep watching this space.

...and remember this: "luck happens to you when fate is tired of waiting"

tracking thanks

Thank you for visiting my blog. Should get some statistics. If you feel what the hell is the use of having a blog that is never updated, well you are right. But I cannot help much as I am going to start reading Shantaram. Seeya.

~Parthi.

...the connection

Sweetheart,
I loved you from the day I met you. Even though my initial intentions are lusty, later I discovered that you are the best any one can get. Darling, you have no idea how happy I was when I saw you in my office. You were there in college with me - now you are here in my office. Could I ask for more?
It is in office I discovered how great you are, apart from being so beautiful and ...sexy! You were there for me whenever I wanted something. Anything. In fact, I grew so close and so dependent on you that I don't do anything without checking with you. And when I asked you if you could come home for a while, you said ... "YES". Is there a cloud ten? I think I even crossed that. From the day you came home, I am sleepless, foodless and well... more and more lesses.

What is the magic in you baby? How can you be so caring, so suggestive but never enforcing, so well-informed, ...? My God, you are the ONE.

Now tell me, what do you want from me? Is there anything that I can do for you? Is there a gift that I can give you this Valentine's, that can speak of my gratitude and love? I am blank. Totally blank.

Friends, it will be great if you can tell me what I can do for my love - my internet connection - which has helped me get this far in my career.(of course apart from paying the broadband bills). Please ...

my recent Tollywood outings

Telugu movies have always fascinated and entertained me thoroughly ever since I landed in Telugu Desam. NVNU, Happy, Bommarillu, Pokiri, Athadu, Missamma - I liked all of them - dont ask for a story or logic - they were well executed and mass entertainers. The first spoiler is the much hyped Sainikudu. The basic mistake in this movie lies in in the fact that the basics were totally forgotten. The main plot of the movie can be totally illogical - but you should never miss out on the minor details. Minutiae - that is what the audience enjoy. This movie screws all the basics - (** spoiler warning **) how the hero kidnaps the heroine, how he escapes from police, how he manages to sneak and live inside police campus itself - all left to the viewers' imagination. Bad bad mistake. Another biggest mistake is "filling in the time" - the movie reaches its climax - the hero is all hot and fuming and delivers all the punch that was needed and you prepare to leave, then starts another series of conclusion fights. This movie is much like your middle school essays - introduction - content - conclusion. Properly arranged - but without any flow. You may get marks in the classes, but NOT among the masses. Sorry Mr. Gunasekar. Mahesh, better luck with Athithi.

Another flick that I happened to watch last weekend was Khatarnak.

You can find a very critical review at "Watch at your own risk".

I took the risk and watched the movie. This resembles Sainikudu in only one manner - you think that the movie is over, but then they drag it for another half hour for no reason than to run for the full 3 hours.

This is my first RaviTeja movie and watching his facial expressions itself is more hilarious than any other comedy scene. Even in romantic dance scenes he put up funny faces. But he is very good in playing his part - dialogue, action, dance - he is currently believed to be a safe hero to bet on, in Tollywood(Thanks to Kishore for Tolly updates!).

Illeana was hot. As said in the review, they dont show her face much (which obviously needs some attention from some faceologist(??!!!)), but only the rest.

A couple of songs make you hum. (Thana nana naa... then some ununderstandable english...)

Story - who cares? The plot is illogical but interesting. Movie is worth the buck! (40Rs in Sensation Sunshine). You can watch once till the last half hour and get out asap.

The Sankranthi season has started and a whole lot of movies lined up:(which basically means I have more scope to improve my Telugu)

S No	Expected Release Date	Film title
1	14 Dec	Khatarnak
2	22 Dec	Rakhi
3	29 Dec	Annavaram
4	10 Jan	Yogi
5	11 Jan	Maharadhi
6	12 Jan	Desamuduru

Coming weekend may be another Illeana weekend with Rakhi. Eye candy for Christmas. Thanks Santa! :))

Long time. No see.

Long time.
Really long - 10 months. I say this is really long, because it is longer than the time between two visits to my native.
I created a post about my 10 km walk from Somajiguda to Kondapur on a breezy afternoon, during April, but somehow did not publish it. It is still there, I think it wont see the light. Whimsical I am :).

What happened all this time? Nothing much. New people. New friends. More crushes. Trip to Nagarjuna Sagar. Fight with parents. Fight with the best mate. Extreme depressions. Then, Telugu movies(Bommarillu, Athadu, Pokiri). Hindi movies(Don and Jaan-e-maan). Property buyings. School Silver jubilee celebrations. Three trips to home in three months. Nuptial ties of a couple of collegemates. Pakka masala mix!

Ok stop. Come to the point.

This post comes from my new desktop. Just felt like having some fun at home with music, movies, singing, browsing, TV and some web design. So got this new comp. AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core, ASUS M2N-MX with nVidia GeForce 6100 chipset and 1GB DDR2 and 160GB SATA, I think it will not be outdated at least for 6 months :)(Enthu might disagree!).

I did not get AoE and Quake III yet. I surprise myself by planning to get some licensed versions :)

Linux sucked bigtime, not recognizing my graphics, sound card and above all the ethernet card. One area where Windows beats Linux! :( Thanks to the XP, that my assembler pre-loaded with the box!

Thanks to Enthu(Karthik), who helped me tweak the system and the network, and taught me the basic rules of browsing, chatting, downloading and above all gaming! Thanks da.

So, here is the first post from my new box! njoi.

~Parthi.

...poor cat

The rope was tight
But the beast was already in flight
The throw was right
Still the cat escaped in dim light

May not be the right time.
May not be the right place.
May not be the right effort.
Or...may not be the right cat!

Congrats to all folks who belled it this time.

meaw...meaw...

Twisted the threads again and again
Night and day, in light and rain.
Till they had no more hope,
Than to become a strong rope.

The little bell and its ring,
Looked perfect for the rope string.
A noose it became, when I put a knot,
And was ready for the final shot.

One eye, one aim and one throw
Towards the beast, that mew
Then came the sound of the bell
Alas, it ran away into its cell

A month or more it may take
Before that monster finally wake
Only then can I be sure,
If I have belled it, forever!

(Image courtesy: aesop.magde.info)

diwali...beyond crackers

This is a special Diwali. Lot of satisfying things done on this special day. Bala, Bhoobi, Rams and myself were left in Hyd while the others have resigned to the warmth of their native.

And this story is about how we successfully created the same warmth on an otherwise cold day. Let me start with the food. If I say Bhoobi is one of the best chefs I have ever seen, it is not an exaggeration. See for urself the items we had for lunch.


The semiya payasam was the highlight. The thayir(curd) semiya needs a special mention. Well, I realize that English doesn't have enough words to attach to the dhal, brinjal sambar, tomato rasam, potato fry(South Indian style) and the rice and paruppu podi and the ghee...poor guys have another look at Rams blog. Well, we also had Gulab Jamoon. Thanks Bhoobi. Thanks again.

And there was Thalaivar's "Padaiyappa" in Sun TV. I have no doubt the film will be a runaway hit, even if they release it again now. Inspite of constant nagging by Bala to change to a sports channel, we managed to get most of the excellent scenes.(spl mention: the unfurnished-hall-scene, where Thalaivar brings down the Oonjal for his seat).

Then we visited Sitaramnanjaneyalu Temple. The serene atmosphere was a rare one of its kind in Hyd and the Prasadam was really tasty. The temple is a stone structure and has a really aesthetic design. Hope there'll be more visits in the future.

End of day, the crackers were waiting for their Motcha. Rams refused to join for the party. So we three had some good time polluting the atmosphere along with our neighbours. A few snaps are worth having a look ;-)

my first time...

When it is ur first time, you will definitely be a damn lot more anxious about it. I was a little afraid too. But there was no other way. I gotta go. If I dint make it in time, I know, a lot of humiliation was in store. I entered slowly and carefully in the beginning, and then made a mad dash, only to find myself gasping. It was very difficult to breathe. A few muscles contracted and a few remained stiff. The body was shaking. It was very painful as though someone was punishing with a whip. But as I continued to remain there, breathless, I started feeling the pleasure. Man, it was damn good. I forgot the pain. I forgot the whip. Wow, great! When I came out, I already knew I desperately wanted to go back in.
Yes, morning winter showers are real fun. Never switch on your geyser in December!

freedom of speech

...the power of free speech is only beginning to show up. And thanks to the blogosphere for making it happen. Two incidents recently have caught my attention in this regard. The first one is in the desi sphere. The infamous Eye Eye Pee Yem issue. And how Rashmi Bansal and Gaurav Sabnis were involuntarily led to create a "all against one" atmosphere, against those people with cavalier attitudes. For the uninitiated, visit jammag and desipundit. One thing worth noting is that the "physical" media never gave any attention to this. And I wish it is only a coincidence that the B-School(?) in question is one of the top spender in print ads.
The second issue is that featured in slashdot today. The moment students are exposed to the internet, they are already vulnerable to a lot of predators. And preventing them from blogging is not going to help in any way. Read thro the comments to know how people feel about one particular school system. It is the same, all over the world. There are nerds and bullies. Thanks to the blogs. Thanks to internet. Free your mind.

the web 2.0 call...

Thanks Mur. For that wonderful article about Web 2.0. Throws a lot of light on where exactly the software development industry is heading to. In an Indian context, this could only mean, a lot of good is in store for the sub-continent. Because we don't have large investments to shed, while adopting to this new attitude, we are advantageous, as such. But it is time we start getting things in place. Like the map data, which proved to be critical for NavTeq as well as for those who subsequently ventured into the mapping software, we have a lot of data waiting to be collected, organized, distributed and then "organically" developed by user participation. Indian Govt is already planning for an e-Governance program. Definitely, there is going to be a lot of work, and the good news is that the IT evolution has not saturated yet. A lot remains untapped, in terms of data(collection, organization, presentation, distribution and maintenance), in terms of quality web services(blog, mail, travel-directions, e-commerce, directory-service, VoIP), in terms of employment generation, in terms of wealth generation, and what not.
Whenever I see a tech update like this, I immediately resort to thinking what lies in store for our nation and for we guys as such. Hope we are all getting ready for the Jallikkattu.

Sunday Times...

The Times Su-Do-Ku Hyderabad Championship was in the news for sometime and I thought of giving it a try, at the expense of my fifth SimCAT. ;-) But one Rishi finished the puzzle in 6 minutes and I was a few seconds late for the second place. Only the top two make it to the finale. ;-(. Returned to office and listened(ing) to "Kekalaiyo" from "Kasthuri Maan". Though it sounds like a mosaic of his previous numbers, Ilayaraja proves that he is really in his elements. It is a vocal melody with a good BG score. And speaking about score, I am reminded abt my "billi" score. Time for me to go back. Seeya later.

idle brain

Of late I am caught up with a web design fever. Thanks to my housemate who gave me valuabe tips on CSS and javascript. The template you are seeing in my blog is very much my own design. I like that green on the top, but a few suggested me to have a lighter one. Will try it out. Also I downloaded a couple of blogging software and am running them in my own machine. Trying to see if my design skills will help me out in bringing out a "man pasand" page. Also added Google AdSense. Will have to see how it goes. Well, it all depends on you ppl viewing my blog. So, all of you, please set it as your homepage and see it atleast once per day. Okay. Chalo, love all...

Started another blog. Dedicated to my India Inc. thevictorymarch.blogspot.com
Have a look.

rainy day...romantic song

kavidhaigal sollavaa, un peyar sollavaa
iranDumae ontrudhaan anbae
oaviyam varaiyalaam, un kaal thaDam varaiyalaam
iranDumae ontrudhaan anbae