The end of an era

They used to be a fad, the cap with hair attached to it. I once saw it in a store a long long time ago and instantly associated it with andre agassi. Ever since I first started watching tennis on TV, my memories are of the oddly dressed guy, with the long hair and cap…don’t know why, somehow I thought he had a cap like with the hair attached!

Andre Agassi, has been my favorite tennis player since all these years, there have been a few others in that list including goran ivanesevic, Stefan Edberg and currently Marat Safin…who never seems to be on the tour often enough to rate him better but none as charismatic as andre.

Andre has got what it takes to be a public figure, he can be so innately funny at times; I was watching an exhibition match on CBS the other day, held at the USTA club, vs Roddick, where Ellen Degeneres was the chair umpire…. It was completely hilarious…..

I am obviously biased when it comes to talking about him, but it can’t be grudged that he has one of the best return of serve the game has ever seen and even at his age, he can move! Who could possibly forget the wonderful run he had at last year’s US open, the nerve racking match against James Blake, the semis vs Robby Ginepri and the consequent loss to Roger Federer...                 Picture is courtesy of Yahoo photos

His professional tennis career with all the colorful rings attached to it on and off court has certainly been fairy tale style. The most amazing comeback in 1999, wherein he came from a virtual 100+ ranking to win two major titles with absolute conviction, to get to be the numero uno player and that was the same year he started dating Steffi Graf, I guess her influence did make an impact…One quote from andre on steffi ‘As I attempt to find words worthy to introduce the person that has changed my life, I realize that the words have yet to be invented that are large enough, colorful enough or true enough to express the heart and soul of this woman that I love'.

Some of his best matches were against Pete Sampras, and somehow I can remember only the losses, he more often than not seemed to end up on the losing side….and with my sis being an ardent Sampras fan, I had my share of disappointments…. One match against Pat Rafter at Wimbledon was particularly heartbreaking!

Picture is courtesy of: http://www.southindia.com
One of the most familiar pictures for us Indians would be of the one where he won the Gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics, with Leander Paes in tow as the bronze medalist.

I can’t end this post without a word about his foundation, simply marvelous it is the work they do and the time he spends on the worthy causes.

This US open being his last tournament would be pretty emotional, of course and the expectation is to go out on a high, but whether he loses in the first round or goes on to win the title, he is already a legend. They ain’t calling him showman for nothing!!!!!

Andre Agassi, from rebel to legend

My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine!

Redefine My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets... for Pluto is no longer a planet. Pluto stripped!.

Shake the bag at the housie game and out comes the # 9, you can't say the planets anymore...All those science text books that need to be re-written.
Surprising new development, to say the least.

Not done!

This is a line I found in a report published on yahoo features, the story is about a newly opened Hitler eatery in Bombay, the controversy about the usage of Hitler and the Swastika symbol, to quote ‘Some Indians regard Hitler as just another historical figure and have little knowledge about the Holocaust, in which 6 million European Jews were systematically killed during World War II’

I don’t know…but this statement somehow caught me on the wrong foot, what’s with the ‘Some Indians’ theory? Why should the knowledge of Indians be any less than any other country not directly in the cross-fire during World War II? I mean it just can’t be said? Would you like to comment on our knowledge of PolPot or the regimes of Fidel Castro or Robert Mugabe too? What is the ‘level’ of knowledge of the rest of the world about the struggle for the Indian Independence?, the quote if nothing else sounds so clichéd.

On an vaguely related note, why do men think Women know very little history?, I do believe I can carry on a decent conversation on any significant event in history and I am sure a lot of my fellow women colleagues would be able to, leave out the historians and the archivists. Three gentlemen in an elevator were discussing World War II and Adolf Hitler and one of them blurted, ‘Women would probably not know much about Adolf Hitler... ‘. I was flabbergasted, if it wasn’t my floor to get off on, I would have tested his knowledge on the subject…maybe not since I don’t know those guys…anyway it was better to leave them in their make believe world.

The day will come!

I have confidence that the day will come when Indians will talk about and celebrate 15th of August as much as the Americans take pride in the 4th of July. You may say is it enough to celebrate with pomp and show, its not!, of course, but lets not dwell on that as yet.

I was vacationing in Danbury, CT during the July 4th weekend and the holiday spirit is truly amazing… We had a barbecue party on the day, complete with a 4th of July cake, the fireworks on the previous day were truly marvelous, crowds of people with picnic baskets, all awaiting the fireworks…

It’s not that we Indians are not patriotic, I think its just not been in our culture to celebrate Independence day, all I can remember of the day in India is the mass service tho in a different context, the parades and the political speeches and the flag hoisting which didn’t really mean anything and the most important of all, the holiday! We could argue that we haven’t had this phenomenon for long, India is only 59 years young and I think it is a valid reason. It will take time and with the growing expatriate population I believe the change should hasten.

I’ve heard of celebrations in Australia on the occasion on Indian Independence, there were a couple of parties here too… all steps in the right direction.

This post is not about how celebrating Independence could make India a better place (It is good already!!, just make it better than good)….but on the celebration of the Day!, let’s dwell with ‘it’ here… it’s not about the parties or the fireworks, but it does count, in the long run to imbibe a sense of patriotism… Its how the present generation identifies!, its going to make a difference!. I don’t want to talk about the problems in India due to which we can’t ‘celebrate’, you may say poverty, corruption…show me a country without all of these…
We are talking about the Indian population who has access to the world at the press of a key….

The day will surely come

WTC

Not first day first show, but close enough!

WTC is the real life account of two port authority police officers, John (Nicholas Cage) and Will, their struggle as they survived the rubble of the twin towers and how their families cope with the events of the day.

The date is Sept. 11th, 2001, the movie starts with the officers heading out for their mundane patrols and on that particular day with special instructions to be on the lookout for a missing girl, why the line about the girl, it wasn’t taken up at all later on in the movie…
A shadow of an aircraft and seconds later, the officers are a part of a rescue team, to rescue people trapped inside tower 1. They show people walking, awfully slow I thought in a situation like that, some with injuries, some with a helping hand to others as they made their way out. Back to the officers, who at the concourse level get stuck, when the tower collapses, the focus of the story is on the officers pinned under piles of rubble and their families on that fateful day. That’s the complete storyline!

Don’t expect much out the movie, the name seems so inappropriate, I mean WTC should have signified something on a greater scale, the focus here is very very narrow.

Some of the dialogue is so clichéd, John and Will talking to each other on an almost dark screen, talking about not going off to sleep. It was as if they were telling the audience not to sleep, coz most of them did or some others just went out for long breaks…, humor at the most inappropriate times, its not a scene where you should laugh, but you did!

Most of the scenes are news footage, the pace real slow; the storyline generic to say the least, Ladder 49 was better.

One of the best moments was the scene at the hospital, John’s wife and another lady who was awaiting news about her son, the bonding of two complete strangers at a point like that was well brought out.

A complete disappointment

Liquid woes

No Shampoos and contact lens solutions on board, Toiletries in the trash?
What is the world coming to?

Liquid explosives, I’m not too sure it’s a completely new idea, seems like all concerned were caught off-balance as happens with any such terrorist attack or plan, and of course when the target is the either in the US or the UK, you’ve got to expect mountains to move. But in this world of volatility, is there any damage control worthy of thwarting such evil plans?

My experience at London, Heathrow was pretty painful, I had a very short stop-over at LHR… and had to run all the way to my departure terminal, yes it was tight, but the delay was at the security check in, the awfully long lines, the painful checks… I thought it was too much then, I can only imagine, what it’s gonna be like now. But what more can they do in times like these?, I mean you can’t personally frisk each person in and out? Or can you?

Can all these security measures be enough? My first thought when we got circulars on the new baggage rules wherein no cabin luggage would be allowed was that they needed to increase the baggage limit, 50 pounds if including hand baggage is way too little….
There is a list of items you can carry with you on board, a transparent bag with only those items mentioned, for how long this rule will be in effect, no one knows. The response to this inconvenience is hardly surprising. Of course I’d rather be safe than sorry, giving up my toothpaste to be alive, there’s hardly any choice there!!

We can only wait and see, all those sophisticated, criminals minds are going to find new ways to hack into the not so fool proof airport security system, they have proved it a number of times. We live in a complex world, the very fact that we talk about terrorism without breaking a sweat is proof enough of the fact that we have been infiltrated. A WTC could happen anywhere, you don’t have to be a diplomat to fear Al-Qaeda, we agree, terrorism has become a parcel of our being, each one of us vulnerable to this phenomenon wherever we may be.

So you think you can dance!

Can't believe I actually picked up the phone and voted for one of these guys, not once but twice!!!

Got hooked onto So you think when its new season premiered on fox, this show as cheesy as its name might sound is pretty decent and unlike all those other reality shows which so makes you want to turn/switch off after a couple of mundane episodes. Indian idol is one such example, a drama playing out on TV with all the cheap stunts for publicity! There was an Indian show Nacche Baliye, I guess ripped off from so you think, but the US version is so much better and the dance routines are refreshing and mesmerizing to watch, there's a pool of dancing talent out there.

While on the subject of reality television, haven't we had our fill?, right from the very controversial temptation island to the apprentices and idols of this world! The fall TV schedule is out and it does sound exciting and without reality. But I did the unthinkable this time, I called in, so there must be something to it after all!!!

My vote for the worst among the reality shows I've seen so far goes to Maury's show!....pathetic and a lousy excuse for reality TV.

Btw, voted for benji, will be crossing my fingers for him as the results are announced tomorrow

Blog jargon!

Frankly I don't understand the blog language, you are tagged!, ask me what it means...huh

okay, this is one of those old forwards, credit to Harsha, I don't know him, read his blog if there's a link from devz blog , don't know dev personally either, but i enjoy reading his blog, i could call him my colleague and he does write well, and a bit about M'lore too, which is what drew me intially...

Are you American or English?
Neither, am Indian

What are you listening to right now?
Carrie Underwood’s ‘Jesus take the wheel’

What are the last two digits of your phone number?
00

What was the last thing you ate?
Chicken wings from mcdee’s

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Blue

How is the weather right now?
Hot, unlike what I said in the previous post, the storm has passed us!!

Last person you talked to on phone?
Heard binaisha on her voicemail, if it doesn't count, then my dad

First thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Dress sense

How are you today?
Good, after all the shopping!

Favorite Drink?
Hmm …maybe tea

Favorite Alcoholic Drink?
Twisters, Coolers, Breezers…you can call them whatever you want, Martini and wine (red, white and absolutely love port)

Favorite Sport?
Don’t really play any sport!, except for badminton
To watch, F1 and tennis

Hair Color?
Keeps changing, currently a light shade of auburn red

Eye Color?
Black

Do you wear contacts?
Yep

Siblings?
An elder sis, a younger sis and bro

Favorite food?
No preference, except for some un-namable leafy vegetables and egg-plant and bitter gourd and some more!!

Last movie you saw?
Rumor has it

Favorite Day of the Year?
I used to enjoy dec 3rd as a kid, sept. 8th now, but I need to be at home in M’lore!

Are you too shy ask someone out?
huh!

Summer or winter?
Winter

Hugs or Kisses?
Both

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Vanilla

What books are you reading?
Bid and won a collection of Mary Jane Clark books on ebay, will start reading one of them today!

What's on your mouse pad?
No mouse!!!!!,, only touchpad

Favorite board game
None

Favorite Smell
yeah, the mud smell, after the first rains

Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
Nope

Favourite flower?
Roses

What's the first thing you think when you wake up?
Brush my teeth…

What's the time?
3:55 PM

Ever been so drunk you blacked?
Hmmm...

Been in a car accident?
Yep, I could call it that

Been hurt emotionally?
hmm…who hasn’t been

Kept a secret from anyone?
Yep

Wanted to hook up with a friend?
Yep, not really a friend

Cried during a movie?
yep, maybe a couple of times

Had a crush on a teacher?
Nope

Ever thought an animated character was hot?
Nope

Had New Kids on The Block Tape?
Yep, love them

Been on stage?
Yep, Teen of the year 1999, being the most significant I guess

Fav Subject?
Mathematics, chemistry, history and geo

Fav person you talk to online?
Neville

Who have you known the longest of your friends?
Jean and Elmeena

Who's the shyest?
Elmeena of course

Worst feeling?
I get those a lot, have to figure them out…

Favourite word?
huh, chetan calls me the huh girl!

This was harder than i thought, have deleted the irrelevant ones....wish i had the one i filled in years ago! for comparison

itsy bitsy teenie weenie thoughts

A very sleepy afternoon at work resulted in the tickle IQ test, they seem to have some interesting stuff to say about my results, and well I did get in a better than average IQ...but I guess everyone does...or do they? except that I am not in any of the great jobs they said i would most likely be in....

I just died in your arms tonight, that's a good song by Cutting crew.

We just won a huge deal here for my project, more visibility, more revenue....why am I not excited?

Yahoo features, interesting new stuff at times, worth having a glance through

The weather in Houston is great, maybe due to all that storm activity...

Hmmm, all food is low fat and organic, huh, the itsy, bitzy calories...just like my imagination for this post, lack or thereof!