Sep 22, 2006

Some things never change...

I still hate alarm clocks. And Mondays
I still drive my bike to work. And I love biking fast
Work still gets done at breakneck speed as the deadline approaches.
It somehow gets completed in time.
I still let off steam by partying my head off and getting stoned on Saturdays.
I still miss her whenever I'm having a good time, and wonder how it'd have felt if she was with me to share those great moments.
I still dont keep in touch with people i really care about. I really want to. Just doesnt happen somehow.
I still dont blog as much as I'd like to.
I am still putting on weight.
I still want to go to Goa. And fisherman's cove in Chennai. Not been able to work it out.

Most importantly - I still enjoy my life! Every moment if possible

Sep 17, 2006

Trust?

Any kind of relationship needs at least two things to work - trust and respect. I'm not saying this is enough, but it surely is necessary. If you are ever in a relationship you have any expectations from - make sure you and the other person trust each other as much as expected. And both of you should respect each other and not do anything that hurts the others pride.

Totally unrelated digression : Where does one 'draw the line'? What is ok for me, may not be ok for someone else. What was ok for me in the past, may not seem ok in retrospect. Sometimes you need to push yourself. To find your limits, to get the adrenaline running, and to simply enjoy moments that make a 'life' worthwhile. So how does one know 'this is the line - i should not push myself beyond this or im in a freefall'? Often you can only find out the hard way...

You may not repeat them, but mistakes happen. This is the test - can you trust a person after they make a mistake? Do you continue to respect them after finding out that they can goof up? If you cant- the sooner the farce ends, the better.

Ok sorry for making you read this thus far. Ive just had a long, tiring day. Most of it was a lot of fun, but im just going nuts right now. So shall stop right here

Sep 15, 2006

Alonso's an Ass

I, and I'm sure many other F1 enthusiasts, were quite disgusted by the recent display of 'poor losing' by Alonso and Renault.

First - lets look at what happened. Alonso got docked 5 qualifying places for holding up Massa. Now, these things often happen in F1. The decision is always tricky and very subjective. But people dont usually crib too much - they accept its a weak system where the authorities have a lot of discretion. And we all know how close the race is between Renault and Ferrari. The last car the Renaults would want to have such a situation with, is a Ferrari. Its a lot harder to believe a mistake is innocent - if it hampers your single most important opponent.

And what followed was simply incredible. Alonso's car failed and they said it was all cos he had to start lower down the order and push that much harder. But his fastest lap was more than half a second slower than Michael's. And thats a LOT in F1. If his car gives up before it is within half a second per lap of Michael, I dont think he had any hope of winning anyway.

Then they go on to claim the title has been decided around a table. The facts are - their car was not competitive this weekend and it failed to finish. Their car has been outperformed consistently and easily by Ferrari for several months now and the lead they had, has vanished slowly and steadily. But no, all this is irrelavant - they are losing the title only because of a 5-place starting penalty. Wat a load of bull crap I say!

Alonso then claims Schumi is unsporting and has been slapped with more penalties and sanctions by the FIA than anyone else ever. But he also claims the FIA helps him win championships. I dont get it - if they wanted him to win, why'd he have the most penalties?! Not only is Alonso being a bad loser, he's contradicting himself!

Schumi has been unsporting several times, but never denied it. He's also been punished unfairly the FIA a few times. But he's always answered them on the track. Not with disgraceful outbursts. I remember races where he was penalised and forced to start at the back in a tight title race. He never cribbed - just raced his head off and finished on the podium. Which is why he is loved and respected so much, and thats what great champions are all about. Alono will simply never get this - he doesnt have the mental bandwidth.

Raikkonen is another awesome driver. I liked him but was never much of a McLaren suporter. Now with Kimi going to Ferrari and Alonso goin to McLaren - the decision of 'who-to-support-after-Schumi' becomes a very easy one!

This has been a sad year - Zidane, Agassi, Schumi - legends i grew up watching have all retired. Fortunately, there are the Federers and the Raikkonen's to carry the torch forward. But somehow i dont think they have the charisma of the generation that is now fading into the limelight.

Sep 10, 2006

Naturopathy vs Urban Entertainment

Warning: It is reallly late and I am really drunk as i write this. Had a worthwhile idea, but its probably not a quality post.

There are two kinds of things people do at weekends in Bangalore - and probably other places as well:

1. They could go for a trek, visit caves/waterfalls/forests or a long drive on a highway/expressway to a place where they have some peace and calm. Ill call this naturopathy

2. The other is to go to a mall/pub/karting/bowling/multiplex etc. Ill call this urban entertainment

Almost everyone I know has a clear peference for one of the above. The naturopaths are typically people who've grown up in places like Mumbai and spent their entire lives toiling. They like to get away from all this and visit, say, a hill station. The virgin beauty of such places, the leisurely pace of life, low prices, quietness and suchlike are charming to them. The beautifully simple life they see is in stark contrast with their own hurried, noisy, frustrating city lives. While such places are surreal, the idea of spending much time there isn't very practical. I mean, hills and all look realy majestic and pretty at first sight. But they look the same half an hour later, and the next day as well. Wouldn't one get bored of seeing the same hillview? And wouldn't they start missing broadband connections, McDonald's burgers, Levi's stores and all in some time? And getting annoyed every time they need to walk 2km uphill to get a carton of milk. Let me not even start about trying to get Davidoff cigarettes there!

The other alternative is urban entertainment. This is most loudly sought by the small-towners and wannabes who suddenly have disposable incomes that allow them pleasures they had not imagined a few years back. There is also the other set of people who have arrived. These are the guys who pay 600 bucks at PVR Gold Class cos they like the idea of watching a movie in a good hall, sitting on a sofa with relative privacy, and having their meals also taken care of.

Well, I went to Kodaikkanal last week (check this out!) And this saturday we caught a movie at PVR and then spent an hour at Athena (disc at the Leela Kempinski). I clearly prefer urban entertainment over naturopathy.

Ok, I'm probably not the fairest judge - I grew up in an Army family, staying in places like Ranikhet (hill station with breathtaking views of the Himalayas, Cheetas and stuff), attending summer adventure camps etc since an early age. So all this doesnt appeal to me anymore. Tonight was my first visit to a disc, which was obviously enjoyable and i couldnt have enough!

But seriously guys, a hill's a hill and a forest is a forest. You can like the sight and enjoy some solitude for like 15 minutes. On the other hand you can have a weekend with choice of booze in a pub playing Aerosmith, followed by a good movie at a comfortable and technologically advanced multiplex, choice of cuisine at good restaurants with well-mannered waiters who speak intelligible English, and come back to your well-furnished house at night. Isnt the latter much more enjoyable?