Today is my nephew's birthday. I am waiting for him to wake up. We'e planned a surprise party for him. Christmas decorations done. Waiting to get started with the day.

Last week was so much fun too. I'll post a Sangeet video just to capture that fun. Soon.

Mom's food. Kiddos around. Loyola football. Aachaey parties. I could go on and on... I continue to live one of the most blessed lives.

Roxette

Ek badi galti ho gayi. The coolest group I grew up listening to is not in my car CD list. Thou shall be ripped into a CD after I get back.
Run To You
The Look
Listen to Your Heart
Sleeping in My Car

How Do You Do, Wish I Could Fly, Spending my Time, Dressed for Success, Joyride among many many many others. Soon, soon. My Apologies.

It's insane. I'm spending so much time replying to FB comments, leaving comments on posts that has no relevance to me, emails and generalia stuff. Let the time go...Just go. Finally some appreciation for FB and the online socializing stuff. I need more to kill time.

Come Friday night and the party begins! This time I get to start off with the party as soon as I land. Pune! :)

Dave Mathews is one of the best out there. Apart from his brilliant music and compositions, the manner in which he plays the guitar, the ease, the comfort is a joy to watch. One of the big reasons, I reinvigorated my yearning to play the instrument.

Now having said that, you only have to watch these two in action to know the unbelievable talent at display. Absolutely no words to describe... but enjoy plis!

Rodrigo y Gabriela

We are Liverpool Football Club

This is what we are all about.

It wouldn't come as a surprise if that dimwitted Roman Abromvich made a bid for Maxi in the January transfer window. That's the only way they know how to run a football club.

YNWA!

Football is always the focal point

There are some days when you really have earned your lunch. No re baba, not by working hard and all that. By playing (running) as hard as you possibly can. When you are allowed the occasional gluttonous meal. This year I am going to play football outdoors in winters. Yes I am.

A month and a day to go for that Loyola match back home. Skill-level - right up there, fitness level -- 2 weeks away.

Ring Around the Roses

It's what you'd call Acoustic.
One man. One guitar. One Master = Another Masterpiece

Jugaad

Mr. Dave Mathews. Thou art the Master.
GraveDigger
You and Me
Satellite

Another bright start to a Saturday morning attributed to you Sir. Especially after a dull and frustrating Liverpool draw.

Before I end, does anyone remember coloring our supposedly white (mine was always brown) canvas shoes with  chalk just before the P.T. period? But before that, how many of us actually remembered to keep the chalk leftovers from the board in our bags for those occasions? Kya, kya haasil kiya jugaad karke! Waah, waah. Mashallah!

Alright, onto cooking and a good Sat evening party.

Between Two Ferns with Tila Tequila
Zach: So Tila, you've got 3.6 million friends on myspace.
Tila: Oh yeah. Yes!
Zach: So who's Darryl?

Gold!!

Hangover Interview:
Interviewer: So Ed, how would you describe the movie if you had to?
Ed (Stu): It was a blast man. I mean it consists of the weird guy from The Office, the beard guy and the hot guy from the Wedding Crashers
Zach: I wasn't in Wedding Crashers.

Epic!!

The Disco Dancer

Does anyone remember this song? Julie Julie

The magnificent 80's when movies were pathetic, songs were pathetic but for the most parts we all were in agreement about one thing. Mithun da was the best dancer in the country (and probably the world) and Govinda was the next new kid on the block. Michael Jackson who?

If this song doesn't get your kiddo memories back then nothing will.

 

If you think you've seen all kinds of comedy shows, I mean all the flavors, you might just be wrong. That is, if you haven't watched "Between Two Ferns" By Zach Galifianakis yet. Ignoring the inappropriate part, the guy is hilarious! I've always admired straight poker face humor and he seems to be a natural at it. He reminds me of Glenn Philips back from school.

First snowfall. Yikes! The only good thing about winter is that the evening chai's will be a whole lot tastier... and the work from home option, a savior. I need to figure out a way to continue playing football. Winter sucks so bad.

Just 3 days ago, I discovered this song from the movie Tum Mile:  O Meri Jaan , a song that went completely unnoticed because of the rest of the songs from the movie. One of those rare movies that has awesome (not just good) songs, each and every one of them. So it's not just me, no one seems to know of this song. Feels good when you discover such gems out of nowhere. The lyrics are outstanding, not just filler lyrics with KK lending his voice. There are some songs that are just meant for him. Just like some are for Mohit Chauhan and some for Shaan. Time to burn a new CD for my car.

This December, I'm definitely going to carry along my studs. Will be so much fun playing once again with my ex Loyola teammates. India is going to be so much fun like always.

43 more days to go.

Thank You Jesus.

Repeat

I feel his pain.

I just learnt to play "Haal-e-Dil" on the guitar. Too much I say!!

I just wish I was a little more refined in the subtle variations. That too shall come. Not bad ... at all. Life is bhery bhery gut :)

Btw, there is this girl, Shraddha Sharma. Check her songs out on youtube. She's an amazing talent for her age. She has a lot of Shreya Goshal in her. Especially her "Tu Hi Haqeeqat" and "Teri Meri". Dang! Some people are just so talented.

It's always a good idea to experience the culture of the place you're in. I mean if you're in a place (for whatever reason) you might as well make the most of it, right? Unless of course you happen to visit the Bay Area. In which case it's India all over again. No, no, it could be a good thing. Depends on the way you look at it.

Some people like to carry their country wherever they go. Not my cup of  tea but aah well. Now if you have a place in US where Indians and Chinese have literally taken over the land, you're bound to question if you are in fact in America. Think about this. Take a stroll around Koregaon Park near German Bakery, the area where these Osho enlightened ones loiter. Not much different. That's the amount of Amrikaans you shall find there. Like I said. It could be a good thing. Especially if you're there on work for a week (and the weekend).

Incidentally I just happened to be in the Bay Area last week on work. Just in time for the Dandiya weekend. I've never seen a place with 5000 Indians in one place all dressed up for the occasion. Not even in India. Completely worth it. Also, if you're into Dandiya and all that, do try out Garba. The true authentic style. Trust me, its way way more fun than just playing Dandiya. Which actually brings me to another relevant topic. These typical Indian occasions tends to attract a special type of wannabes. The kinds that come to Dandiya with a poker face (yes a poker face!) and dance like they "know it". And with the poker face (yes I said it again). Now agreed, most of them actually do do a good job with the dancing bit, but with the poker, serious, know it kinda face, you tend to wonder if they really do enjoy it. The interesting bit comes when you run into (or maybe dance into?) these kinds, you are all peppy and stuff and the poker face person just does it and moves on. It's hilarious. I seriously think they have lost the entire point of it all. Which is to have fun. And not "know it".

Over to food. Fantastic! I dearly miss eating good Indian food outside and the Bay Area has tons of those. Good, good food. That's probably the only thing I miss about not being in the Bay Area. Work culture? Not really. Having said that, spending the weekend with my former roomie from NC State was an absolute blast.

Also the reason for me to write this post and like I often tend to do before I have to work long hours. Now I feel better and can get back to work tonight. Or maybe not.

I am a little frust right now. I've lost a T-shirt that was one of my favorites. I think I lost it in the closet. Yeah, I think it just swallowed it. No, no promise. Really frust right now.

I might go shopping tomorrow.

Ageless

Absolute classic! (of a song). Growing up, Dad had a keen ear (and also a pretty good singer) for music. He was a Mukesh fan, quite unlike people of his times who were either Kishore Kumar or Mohammad Rafi fans. Now in typical Dad fashion he considers aajkal ka music "humbug".

This is Lata at her best. Enjoy!
Aaj Fir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai

I listen to Pandora quite a bit. So for free pandora users, as you might already know, there is a maximum limit of 5 songs that you can skip in an hour. The way I used to work around that was to just refresh the browser and I got a new song. Some of the benefits of being experimental (or geeky perhaps). It's kinda painful to realize one fine day that they have figured out that loophole and fixed it. It's even more painful to know that even though you like the new interface, they figured you out.

Time to switch to Spotify.

It might be just me but "The Last Samurai" is one of the best movies I've seen. For once Tom Cruise has done a decent job of acting (as against overacting). Sure, it isn't one of those Inception kinda breath taking movies, but it has that something that makes you wanna watch again. Without getting bored.

In other stories, I'm pretty kicked about my progress with the guitar. Although I got kicked (literally) pretty hard by my friend for jumping ahead of myself. Have to go back to the basics before I can take the next plunge. Which is fine considering I've become pretty alright with the open chord stuff so now I don't feel like I'm going nowhere with it. I have 3 things I need to work incredibly hard to become good at and it ties directly to how much effort I put into it.

Guitar is good people. Get over the initial hurdle. After that it is a lot of fun! :)

We finished the season 2nd in the league. The last time we finished second was early this year (pretty long ago). Great finish to nick the second place. Second place was a fair result. The number 1 team, better than us, no doubt. Onto the next season.

My ankle's not 100% yet but I'm back to about 60% fitness, Hoping to get a run going now. I am desperately hoping to get around the 85-90% fitness levels soon. The point at which I can dictate the game. I really don't remember the last time I had that levels going.

I haven't scored a "jhakaas" goal in a long time. That "dil khush ho jaye" goal. I tried a back flick goal attempt on Sunday but that didn't exactly connect the way I wanted. Just about getting to the right fitness levels.

God willing soon, soon.

It's pretty evident from my blog that Pune is very dear to me. It's my city and I louuv it! It's often misinterpreted that as a corollary, I hate other cities. Not quite. I actually love experiencing new cities, cultures, traditions etc. Ok, I mean almost every city. For basic existential reasons, I cannot imagine living in those overly humid cities cause frankly my body cannot deal with it. I might not necessarily look back at my NC State days too fondly because of the geeky nature of its memories. But having said that, I made some brilliant (mast, non-geeky, jhakaas) friends that I still treasure till today. Portland, I think I have enough documented on how much I love that city too. Denver and Boulder have grown on me. I quite like it (but you can see there is no instant louuv factor here). God blesses me with awesome people wherever I go which makes things easier.

Having said that, my idea of an ideal city would be the closeness (read apnapan) of Pune, the sheer beauty of Portland, the openness of Boulder and the coolness (read happening) of Mumbai.

Point being every city (well almost) has its goodness and your life is only enriched by these experiences. I can argue all day long on how Pune is way way way (raised to infinity) better than Bangalore (it's a fact) but I know if I were to spend some years in Bangalore (for some absurd, unknown reason), I'd grow to like (maybe love) some of its intricacies too (Blasphemy!).

Like we say in our close circles, "Sab kuch Aachaey be!"
Tomorrow should be my first full game post my ankle injury. Really excited :)

Right or wrong is not always crystal clear. Infact it doesn't take rocket science to know the difference between good and bad, black and white etc etc. It's the things in between that acts as a strong ally for deception. Deception can be tricky. However it can only be as tricky as your knowledge of the source. When in doubt, go back to the source. Never grow out of getting back to the basics. Deception feeds on assumptions and oversight. It's never too late to correct it.

Like I did today.

Mirrors don't always show the true picture. The lighting amplifies some things, hides a few others. Have to be careful not to accept the picture I see (perceive) as the new reality. Always take a step back. Maybe a step side ways. Always works.

Jesus Loves Me

God put this in my heart to share the following passage from the Bible.


God’s Love and Ours (1 John 4: 7-21)
⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

 ¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

 ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

I've always maintained that what I write on the blog is my life and what my heart wants to put out here. Hope through this passage Jesus Christ saves you/helps you/blesses you.


P.S: If you have any questions about what this passage means or would like to know more, you can email me at binoyis@gmail.com. I'll respect your privacy :)

Look No Further Than David and Marty

Since I am trying to learn the guitar by myself (read youtube), I'd like to give my thanks to the good guys on youtube. Also since learning the guitar by yourself is not an easy task, some of the references I give might help people out there get a quick start in their efforts. To begin with, David from nextlevelguitar.com, absolute nice guy and the easiest to get started with (without boring you). Use his lessons and pdfs to get started on your chords and strumming (I wouldn't stress a lot on his @7 emphasis, just the basics). Once you're done through the painful chords learning and changing phase, look no further than Marty Schwartz. The guy is a genius. He'll teach you songs with such ease and care, especially the songs you thought were the dream songs if you could ever get to play on the guitar. I'm yet to go the next stage, another hurdle I plan to cross with David's help.

I'm still very much a raw and a beginner level guitarist but hats off to David and Marty for helping me enjoy the process. Long way to go but I know this time it is for keeps :)

Liverpool Rejuvenation 2011-2012

I don't know how many times I've said this and how many more times I'll say this but again football to the rescue. I am the happiest on the field, scoring my way to happiness :)

Binoy is back in the leagues. 7 goals. Not bad eh!

P.S: Truth be told, the opponents weren't that great.

I need prayers.

I don't yet know how I do it but I am eternally thankful to God for making me like this. I seem to have an uncanny ability to get back to good times. Fun times. I wish this never changes.

I have a pathetic (work) weekend coming up and an even more stressful next week. Looks like I am going to be out of the picture for the rest of this month. Apart from July 30th of course, my second camping trip for the summer. Yay!! Some motivation to get by the next 8 days.

Oh and I have to document this. My dear little niece is playing with her friend. The friend seems to be avoiding her, not playing with her and all that jazz. My sis, visibly upset with the happenings, tells/asks Arshu not to continue playing with her. "Why do you want to play with her if she isn't giving you any "bhav"?" To which my dear little niece replies, "Mumma, we should be good to people even when they are bad to us."

I'm so very proud of my niece. I have a paavam lil sweetheart and I love her a lot.

Aaaaah!

So I finished my first bike (bicycle) ride in Colorado. An easy-ish 14 mile ride. There is a new found appreciation for the Colorado Rockies.

On a side-note, I just saw a purple cauliflower. Something I hadn't noticed till now. Does it taste any different?

Dave - You & Me

:)

There is an area that I need to work on when it comes to sports. I've seen that in most sports, infact all the sports I play, my game gets severely affected by the quality of the ground, equipment etc. Even in a game like volleyball, my game drastically changes if the ground is uneven. Playing on a flat surface or an even grass field, I have a lot of confidence in my smashes and blocks. My confidence drastically reduces to defensive play if there is unevenness in the field. Same with football and most other sports. My game changes from one who can change the game to just another decent player on the field. I rely a lot on touch and finesse/skill to execute. Never been a brute force sorta guy. Having said that I do play with a lot of passion and aggression but aggression without confidence actually hampers your game than anything. I'm not quite sure if its a mental block or its the fact that lack of consistency in the pitch, equipment etc affects the free flowing nature to my game. Whatever it is, it's something I need to work on overcoming. How? I don't yet know.

Also, what's wrong with using Roma Tomatoes in cooking? My chicken turns out alright with them. Am I missing some magic kinda tomatoes?

Good song this:
Everything - Lifehouse

There are some things that I keep very close to my heart that I prefer to not write about. The reason I do it is cause I like to have a certain aspects of my life just open to experiencing, something that should only be felt and not documented. I don't have a good enough reason as to why I do it but it is what it is and it defines who I am. Which is the point of this blog anyways.

Today for some reason I feel like writing about it. So I am a Christian and not a Christian by religion or by family but by faith. I was a nominal Christian cos of my Christian family background but I really became a follower of Christ when He made Himself known to me about 3 years back. I realize it's been a little over 3 years but for me it's been 1170 days (massive days) of living my life getting to know Christ. The reason I bring this up today is because of a friend of mine. A childhood friend of mine, similar religious (Christian) background who actually (from a mortal standpoint)is a very good person but not really a person who has experienced Christ. The faith aspect of it ( and I might be using the term "faith" very loosely here, my apologies) is kinda missing in him. After knowing Christ, its only natural that you want to share Him with people around you. Especially your close friends, family etc but you need to be careful not to come across as a fanatic. It's cause Christian life is not about being this religious fanatic or this person who abandons materialistic mortal pleasures and establishes base in the mountains with meditation the only means of livings. In fact far far from it. So coming back to my friend, I think the only thing thats stopping him from being a good person to an amazing man of God is he hasn't experienced, felt Christ. Sure he acknowledges His presence and what He might have done for him but then there is a difference between acknowledging something and experiencing something, no? In that regards, I've been a little (more than 3 years) fortunate than him but today I really felt Christ working through me for him. I really hope for his sake, he experiences the same thing that has changed my life.

I used to be the guy who felt it was probably best to just leave this God stuff alone. Good and all that but thank you very much. Practically speaking I know why people think along those lines and I completely understand where they are coming from (cause I was there too). The first fear people have is about completely changing their lifestyles (remember the monastic lifestyle I tried describing?) and the way you live. The other fear is what do I do now? Which is why I stress on the fact that there is nothing fanatical about being a Christian. If you've experienced Christ, there is nothing that compares to the spiritual nourishment that you get. Absolutely nothing. Which also explains why I don't quite like writing about it. It's something that you need to be experiencing before you can have faith or come close to having one.

He is a dear friend of mine who I'm sure with time will have his own experiences. My only hope is that I've done my bit to help him. The truth being in doing so, I've really only helped myself.

I just wasted 3 hours of my evening watching Dexter. Not that it's a crappy series, in fact very much the opposite. Nevertheless I wasted my time. It's an addiction I cannot afford to accommodate in my life. I have my accepted set of addictions that I've come to live with but all in moderation. After all that's what prevents it from being an addiction. Not so much with series. Which is why I'm not going to test how good "Modern Family" is. No matter how good it might be. Sorry Sush.

Is there a thing like good addiction? Like Liverpool perhaps?
I need to be careful not to get obsessed with not getting addicted. At the end of the day, anything can be an addiction, no?

Another one of my random posts.
Oh btw, camping in the Rockies, highly recommended!

Like I've mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I've been listening to quite a bit of Shawn McDonald. What I like most about his songs is its simplicity (surprise, surprise). Very simple lyrics, unique style, not the most talented singer around but all in all a very enjoyable bloke. I've seen him perform once at a Portland Church and he does seem like a very unassuming fella.

He enjoys what he does which clearly comes off in his music.

Open Me
Closer
Clarity

Life as I know it

So I've always tried to be a fair person, someone who tries to make the most of every situation. And for the most parts it is the case with me. But sometimes, just sometimes it gets hard. Very hard.

This one particular aspect, I'd like a wee bit leeway. A lil bit of leniency. Favor, maybe? I'm lacking clarity of thought. I'm not being able to simplify it. Things were so much more simpler and I was so much more sure about things back in the day. No?

Sigh!
Wait,I'm not trying to invoke the "Accha?!?" clause. Pliz, pliz, pliz.

Sometime in the future I know I'll read this post and come to appreciate this memory too. Just not tonight.

I haven't played any form of sport for the last one week and I'm getting desperate. I think I'm ready to move back up north to Boulder. But moving is such a pain.

That's right. I sound very depressing if I don't play football.

Monday Morning Blues?

It's Monday morning and after a long long time, I have menial office stuff to do. And am working from home. And it's raining outside. And Wimbledon is going on.

The only thing missing is mast garma garam chai and pakoda. Well atleast one of them can be rectified... no? :)

Aah the joys of working from home. Especially on a Monday! :)

I loved London. Not just as a city but as a place where so many cultures meet. I cannot begin to explain the euphoria and the excitement you go through when you meet your old school friends, especially in a city like London. I can still recollect that weekend, taste the wine, tap my feet to the barn dance music and above all just chill with my closest friends. The Picadilly Circle's, the Trafalgar Square's etc were made all the more special having experienced them with the people I grew up with. To me that was what London was all about.

York was all about my kids. I'm extremely happy that I'm not missing their growing up phase and it doesn't come as any surprise that I love them (and also miss them) the most. Ok maybe that's not quite true, mom's up there as well but you get the point. I did do the Yorkminster Cathedral and the City Center to officially tick that city but eh! Who really cares.

So the thing about England is that it literally is a smaller version of India. Forgive the reverse comparison and also disregard the skin color. The roads are smaller, places could get dingy and people have the "chalta hai" attitude. The one aspect in which they are completely different to us is their obsession with dull colors. Especially black and grey and grey. And did I mention grey? I mean I understand the weather there isn't the best but why similar clothes? You're almost an outcast if bright colors is your thing. Which was the case with me.

A trip to England without Liverpool according to me is blasphemy. Quite obviously that was the highlight of my trip. I finally got to see my club and my stadium. Now if only I could play a game on that sacred ground. Everything I dreamt about and maybe more, larger than life experience. My next trip to England (if at all) will most likely be solely to watch a match at Anfield. Or play maybe? (what's the harm in dreaming, right?)

Scotland was amazing. Edinburgh blew my mind away. What a fantastic city! So much history, architecture and such a beautiful place. Talking about beautiful, nothing gets more beautiful than Inverness and the Lochs. And even if you're not a big fan of scotch and/or whisky, you gotta try one. Simply because it's Scotland. That's literally all they ever do. Apart from playing their bagpipers wearing a skirt (I had to write that, sorry).

Absolutely awesome trip! Icing on the cake was that I could accommodate a bonus one week trip to India as well :)

Couldn't agree more. A classic from Girish:

Girish Post

In our efforts to ape the west, we've given up on the one thing that we did best. Being Human.

UK!

I'll write soon but for now, here's the link:

United Kingdom

Historically I haven't been comfortable uploading pictures which also explains why I refrain from putting anything up on fb but me feels my blog deserves one. I'll upload more over the weekend and the rest when I get them.

One European country down. Wohoo!

My life has been influenced by 3 people who've been the biggest source of inspiration for me. As a kid, for the most parts I have been super impressed by them but have now come to realize that all my characteristics (just the good ones) have been shaped around these 3 wonderful people.

Apart from my undying need to do everything in life, I also have this huge bottomless appetite to keep learning something each day. Last night my uncle (one of the 3's) taught me a huge lesson. Comes as no surprise to me that even to this day, I still continue to learn life's most important lessons from the big 3. Christ has His way in my life.

UK trip details coming soon and for a change, some pics as well :)

Classic Christianity

I'd like to recommend this book to anyone trying to know Christ and have a personal relationship with our Savior. It's simplicity in identifying the Truth is what appeals the most. If you're the kinds who doesn't believe in overly complicating things and need a clear, simple explanation of seemingly basic but often mis-interpreted meanings, this book is definitely the one for you.

I could probably write a lot about this book but wouldn't want to take the gloss off it.

Classic Christianity -- Bob George

My last post before UK!! :)

Almost there

I am 3 days away from United Kingdom. The first (of hopefully many) country that I'll cover in Europe. Just the sheer amount of work hasn't yet allowed me to let the feeling/anticipation kick in. I've been planning this trip for a long time now. Especially Liverpool!

The kid that dreamt of playing for Liverpool will finally have the chance to see Anfield. The Kop. The Scouse.
London -- York -- Liverpool -- York -- Scotland. That be the plan. :)

Now that UK seems to be happening, I'm adding a new country to the list. Israel. Jerusalem holds a lot more significance for obvious reasons.

I knew writing this post would get me in good spirits. Work tonight will not feel that bad after all.

6-2 win to end the season... and for me, my goal of the season.

Onto England... and Liverpool :)

Another one from King Kenny's quick wit database:
LFCtv Interviewer: Finally Kenny, it's George Sutton's 65th birthday today.He has only missed one match in 40 years. Would you like to give him a birthday message?
Kenny: (Cheeky grin) Yeah, why did ya miss a match?

Thanks Kenny. You've brought a cheer back at Merseyside.

7 well fought games of racquetball. Every muscle in my body aches. Good pain :)

2 games of football this week. Volleyball and perhaps cricket. Makings of an ideal week.

Happy Easter

It's Saturday night. About 9:30 PM. I have some work that I need to complete before I call it a day. Tomorrow is Sunday. Yeah, kinda obvious statement. Church service in the morning followed by Easter lunch.

Life wasn't like this some years back. In fact right this moment, I would probably be at J.M. Road (Smoking Joes perhaps) with friends thinking nothing. Especially not thinking that tomorrow is Sunday. I was mindless, immature, carefree. I was in the best city in the world. I liked being a nobody, I liked not having an identity beyond my family. I was what my parents saw me to be. I did what my friends did. Why? Who cared?

But now apparently I am supposed to care. And now I am a somebody. That somebody who has some work to complete before tomorrow i.e Sunday comes.

Forgive my senti-giri. I am just missing being a nobody.

My first two goals for the season and also after a pretty long four week lay off. 45% fitness but I hurt my ankle while going for a 1-1 tackle. Crap, I really don't want another lay off. Tomorrow morning I will know the extent of my swelling.  No broken bones though, or atleast I hope. I really want to go on a run without any interruptions, my form is back, my stamina is getting there and I just don't want to start all over again.

Football is such a rush! :)

Kenny - The Manager

After Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Manchester City, during the post match interview, Kenny was asked the following question:
Reporter: "Kenny, according to one of our statisticians, it's the first time since 1984, that a player has scored against Liverpool and then come on, later in the season, to score for Liverpool. What's your thoughts on that, Kenny?
Kenny: "I think your statistician better get a life"

Just one of Kenny's brilliant statements.
Kenny has his way with words.

Aim: Get to the best fitness form of my life

Football 30% fitness. My touch came back, but still mind 10 steps ahead of body. More running required.

I am going to make the most of this summer. I may get back to playing club cricket again. Increase racquetball frequency. Need to find a good badminton court and a decent enough baddy partner. Volleyball, maybe extend it to twice a week.

And guitar. 

Accha?!

It's been long since I've had the "Accha?!" moment with God. Ummm, desperately hoping this time I'm not faced with a similar situation.

Flashback. Ashish and myself have taken particular pleasure in engaging ourselves in a friendly banter with Him. Early years have been spent in dealing with the consequences on that Sanewadi katta. We'd kinda become experts at handling it (or should I say not handing it) but abhi after so many years, thoda relax, no?

I mean, funny and all that, but why, no? You see, "Dil toh baccha hai jee"

Crap, I just heard "Accha?!" all over again. I shall shut up now.

And in a  completely different context, He did.

It's so difficult not to repay bad with bad. It's so much more difficult to repay bad with love. But that's what Jesus did, enit?

I'm trying... but maybe I don't have to, cos He will.

My current fav song:
Aahatein -- Agnee

I didn't know Agnee were this good. Shya, didn't follow them in Pune.

I'm living a blessed life. Thanks everyone.

Thank you God!

How often do you see a Japanese dude driving a SAAB?
Definitely a first (and probably the last) for me.

Two and a half hours to the match. Will Carroll be involved in the match? That's the only thing on my mind right now.

Oh and what a pathetic bowling attack (if we can even call it an attack in the first place) we have. There is a good chance we could lose to Ireland today.

So occupied with life. One of these days I'll have to stop and capture this into memory.

Numero Uno in the Making

I never thought this was possible, neither did I think this would happen. Atleast in this lifetime. I think by the time Messi is done, even Maradona would be honoured to be compared with Messi. I know this seems so weird. It's  true, I don't think it's going to be the other way around.

Still early days but even if Messi goes on like this for another 5 years, he'll surpass quite a few of the greats. Apart from the unbelievable talent that is Lionel Messi, he is also fortunate to be playing in the system of Barcelona. I don't think he would be half as effective as he is if it hadn't been the case.

Post Torres Era Begins

Football seems to be the only thing on my mind. And quite rightly so. We won today and what pleased me the most was the level of performance and of course King Kenny. What a master stroke from our manager. At first I couldn't believe the system he decided to deploy. And boy didn't we look awesome in that formation. Something you could never expect Roy Hodgson to have the guts to even think of. No offense Mr. Roy, nice guy you are but not quite cut out to be the manager of Liverpool.

I have been critical of Dirk Kuyt off late. The man is a work-horse but his first touch leaves a lot to be desired. I forgot one thing though. One big thing actually. Dirk has been doing Liverpool a great service by playing on the wing. He never complains, never backs off  from a challenge and quietly (but assuredly) goes about doing the job at hand. Today I realized what Kuyt does best (and what he was brought in for). He is your classic support striker and today in his role as a lone striker he did his job supremely well. What a performance from him. Ran at the ball hard, made himself big in front of a packed defence, held the ball well, brought our midfield maestros  into the game. The second goal was a result of a sublime pass splitting the defence from him. Everything that he did seem to suggest the World Cup that he had last summer was no mere fluke. We have been doing him a great injustice by playing him out of position. And who else to rectify that but our very own King Kenny.

60th minute. Enter Luis Suarez and he immediately shows us what he is capable of. Fiesty little character. Maybe his shooting power isn't quite there yet, but you could see his slick first touch and his brilliant peripheral vision and he rounded the keeper off with his debut goal.

I'm not getting carried away just yet but this definitely is a new beginning. Whoever was there today at Anfield or watched the match today will know what I am talking about. Liverpool are still far away from being the finished product but with King Kenny making the calls and a NESV funded summer, I'm excited about the direction we're headed. 2010-2011 was always going to be a rebuilding season and with Torres gone (who, by the way, will be mentioned for the last time in my blog), thank you very much, NESV have definitely stuck to their principles of bringing in young talent and developing them here. Very few, if any, know how to get the best out of young talent as Kenny Dalglish. Ok maybe Mr. Wenger needs a mention here but that's about as much as I am going to talk about him.

Forgive my overzealousness in this matter but this is the best a Liverpudlian has felt in a long time. What's more, we are yet to see Andy Carroll dorn the No. 9 jersey.

YNWA!

P.S: I really feel bad for the Newcastle fans. You'll deserve a much much better owner. Mike Ashley is about as bad as the Yanks we had previously. I saw Carroll's first interview. I could see that he was happy to be at Liverpool. but he hadn't quite come to terms with leaving Newcastle. An out and out Geordie. But we assure you'll one thing, he will be adored and loved here at Liverpool.

A lot of people are telling me that we (Liverpudlians) should be thankful for what Torres has done for us over the years. I agree and I thank Torres for that. But nothing can change what he did to us over the past 3 days, handing in a transfer request 2 days before the transfer deadline closes and the manner of his exit. Let alone having to watch him in that Blue jersey of Chelsea, a sight I cannot fathom or comprehend. If anything, Torres should be grateful to Liverpool Football Club for what the club has given him over the years, the love, the adulation and even in the last 3 days we dealt with him impeccably. We could have easily blocked the move and have a sulking striker on the bench for the rest of the season. We could have easily waited patiently till summer as those gooners Chelsea and Man City started a bidding war but we didn't. Livepool has moved on and moved on with its head held high. I am a Liverpudlian for life and I couldn't be more proud of my club.

Torres is gone. Long live the strike force of Luis Suarez-- Andy Carroll!

King Kenny, Damien Camolli and the owners,  a job well done.
YNWA!

Why is it so hard for people to be loyal these days? Even the supposedly trustworthy kinds. For all the love and singing we've showered on Torres, surely he couldn't be doing  this to us? I had only just begun drooling over the possibility of a Torres-Suarez strike partnership when Torres did this to us. Part of me wishes he makes a U-turn and comes up with an apology (mistake whatever) but these days nothing (and no one) can be trusted.

Not that I ever liked Chelsea, but if Torres moves to Chelsea, that's one club I'm  gonna hate for the rest of my life. As for Torres, come on dude, you're surely better than that. I'm just hoping this is all a big nightmare. Tomorrow morning I wake up and all's fine. Which it will be, we'll make it. It is the Liverpool way. Remains to be seen if it is with or without El Nino.

YNWA!

I've recently started to discover songs from Shawn McDonald. His songs have started to grow on me. I need to thank a friend for introducing me to this artist.

You know who you are. Thank You.

Hey Bhagha....Bhaghu Naka.

aaa...ummm.... I want to write about it but really I shouldn't. Not yet atleast.

Long back when I started this blog, I had promised myself that I would keep it plain and simple. Whatever goes on in that head of mine. I'm glad I've stuck to it. I find a lot of the randomness and absolute crap on this blog... which really defines me.

So there. I want to write but I cannot. And when I finally can, I hope by then its a surreal event that I can add to my memories.

Madhuri Dixit

This is the reason there never ever will be another Madhuri Dixit. An epitome of grace, class and dignity:



Madhuri Ma'am. Tussi great ho!

There are signs that a spiral effect might take shape. No, no, that's a good thing. Abhi thoda I need to go back to the source.
Things to remember: (for me)
1. Never forget the source.
2. Do not jump ahead of yourself.
3. Do not lose sight of the source. Else you taking up more than you can handle.
4. Enjoy it.