Cricket - How life has changed over the years

Been years since I wrote anything in this webspace ...Uff... Hello folks... its me back once again into the bloggers world . Shall try my best to keep posting something often.

Cricket, few term it as a religion, few term it as a sport which has the largest fans around and the most watched sport especially in India. I from my childhood days have been playing cricket and been a part of many teams and have got medals as well as certificates. I still remember the days where I represented the teams during my school and college days and to tell you the fact it brings in a lot of cherished moments back.

With the family grown and work keeping the daily life on a tighter side has made me stay away from the sport for years now. But I still have the urge to get back to the ground early in the morning and brush my cricketing skills and start playing for the teams which I used to.. Provided they take me back..J.

Now coming to one good event which made me not only start blogging again, but also brought in a huge smile over my face was a cricket tournament organised by my few old cricketing pals who still play even now. Playing cricket had not only improved my skills but also made me acquire a lot of friends.

During my initial IT life, I used to ask my colleagues whether they play and how about forming a cricket team. Loads of positive and negative views and with a lot of years waiting I managed to get a team formed and called it "Trendsetters". Initially the team had very few players who knew how to play but as we grew the team started performing tremendously. We were known as a team which was really hard to beat and we even started performing well in tournaments and bringing in laurels back. During those days we encountered a small team which was also in its growing stages. Those were people whom we got introduced via a common friend in R.A.puram ground and started playing with them. They were a bunch of youngsters who were in full josh to win matches but were failing to do with us and as days progressed we started to have a good relationship with them wherein we mingled our teams and started playing.

Over the years, few colleagues who were my team players started leaving the company and the team slowly started dissolving and at one final stage it was the end of the team Trendsetters. But one good thing which happened was since we formed a good rapport with the folks playing in R.A.Puram few used to go and play with them. Now after about 4 to 5 years the team has grown bigger in size and skills and now hey are called as Team "Cocktails". They started their own FB group posting pics and updating weekly on the cricket played as well as wishing players on Bday's and other stuffs.

Recently they had a tournament organised and to my surprise it was a tournament organised within their own team players and to top it all I was called upon to grace the occasion. Initially I felt whether I need to go but then decided I have to be a part of it cos it is basically a team which I was a part of formation and it is my guys who are playing. Making my presence out their bought in a smile to almost all players who knew me and welcomed me since they are meeting/seeing me after close to 2 to 3 yrs. It was such a bliss seeing such young talents the way they have come up over the years and how well they are playing now.

I made sure I stayed their the entire day to see the matches and I was also called upon by the organizers to give away medals and the trophies to the players and teams who won the tournament. Looking back now as to how the cricket started and how the teams were formed and how the players whom we introduced now are playing brings in that happiness within me that Cricket has always been an integral part of my life and it has made me gain a lot of friends and contacts whom I can depend and have fun anytime I want too. Thanks a lot to my old Team "Trendsetters" as well as all players of "Cocktail XI"

Satyameva Jayate - A Eye Opener

I have been following all the 13 episodes of Satyameva Jayate Season 1 which is hosted by Aamir Khan. Aamir Khan has done a fantastic job by bringing out issues such as child sexual abuse, alcohol abuse, female foeticide, untouchability, Disabled peoples efforts to survive, big fat Indian wedding, Issues relating to water, toxic food. The final episode had a set of social workers in India who relentless work for the betterment of the community and the country, not expecting anything in return. 

Aamir khan with his crew had taken all efforts to show us the unsung heros of the current generation. I wanted to write about his final episode cos it was a total eyeopener. He had invited people who are taking up their own efforts in some parts of India without expecting anything in return or any kind of recognition. Seeing the program one would have definitely understood to "Stop expecting the nation to do something, Rather we start something in changing the nation to a better place".

I have managed to upload the video of the final episode. The audience for the final episode were children from different schools. Most of the answers from the children sitting in the show was to live in a corrupt free India when asked what are there expectations.

The show ended with a beautiful song been sung which goes as "Nikal Pado Re Bandhu, Nikal Pado Re, Nikal Pado Re, Arey Na Mumkin Bhi Mumkin Hove, Karke Dekho Re Bandh, Nikal Pado Re" (For people who know Hindi they know the meaning). For those who don't it means " Come out and contribute, even though you feel it isn't possible try it out and show it is possible.

Link : Satyameva Jayate Final Episode

SATYAMEVA JAYATE - JAI HIND !!!

Dinner at 3 Kingdoms !!

It had been a busy weekend for my wife as she was working on Saturday and Sunday and I was completely bored doing the usual house hold work of washing , cleaning  and rearranging a few things at home. So on Sunday night we decided that we needed a break and thought we shall dine out. So around 7 pm we did a short visit to my mother's place at T.Nagar. The next thought was why not try a new restaurant for dinner.

So the search started and as we rode towards Nungambakkam. We got into Khader Nawaz Khan Road to check out the few restaurants 'cos I've seen some offer being given in quite a few restaurants there. As we rode slowly we came over a place where there were 3 restaurants in the same building. On the ground floor was 'Simar' a punjabi cuisine restaurant, on the floor above was 'York Sizzlers' (which turned out to be quite expensive which we discovered later seeing the menu) and on the top floor was '3 Kingdoms which offers a variety of Thai, Malaysian and Chinese food. On the first instance we decided we'll settle down for Sizzlers and when heading towards it a small chap from 3 Kingdoms approached us with the menu card and started explaining the variety of dishes offered in their restaurant and the discount of 10 to 20 % on the bill for HDFC & American Exp credit cards. The discount sounded ok! We just took a chance. 

We found the ambiance to be good and they had this mild Chinese music played in the background. The waiters were courteous and helped us with the menu. The menu had a variety of dishes for which we knew some and for most we dint . We ordered Fried shrimps with mayonnaise and crispy bread with chicken shred as the appetizer along with chicken (steamed)wontons in gravy  and a bottle of beer. Then it was Chicken Lemony Mushroom Soup (clear with no oil floating on top). Both the dishes were awesome and had a unique taste. The chicken wontons with gravy  happened to be too delicious along with my beer. As we enjoyed the dinner, I felt the soup and the starters were a little too filling for  they were sumptuous in quantity. We singled out the main course to a Chicken sizzler with noodles and ordered it. A 15 mins wait and then smoke filled the entire place. We coughed a lot, but steadied soon to thank god for having  just one because the sizzlers happened to be a hu(uu)ge portion. It was a good one but nothing unique about the taste. Normal saucy chicken noodles in a sizzler plate! Now we did not fight to find place for a dessert so we decided to pay the cheque. This is the nicest part of the story. 

They gave a 10 % discount on our bill (HDFC card) and the bill seemed very nominal. I wasn't actually bothered about the bill and the discounts cos the food was very tasty and the service was excellent that made us very comfortable. But if you opt to sit on the sofa, better dont! they are a little uncomfortable and hard and very short. It was marked (XXX) near the Tips as it was included in the bill. My total bill amounted to around 1000 inclusive of a bottle of Kingfisher lager.
 
Happy dining at 3 Kingdoms(3 cheers) :)!!! Will visit your place again soon......

Husband Wife Jokes

Husband texts to wife on cell..
"Hi, what r u doing Darling?"
Wife: I'm dying..!
Husband jumps with joy but types "Sweet Heart, how can I live without U?"
Wife: "U idiot! I'm dying my hair.."
Husband: "Bloody English Language!


Angry wife to her husband on Phone:
"Where d Hell Are You ...?"
Husband: Darling You Remember That Jewellery Shop Where You Saw The Diamond Necklace n Totally Fell In Love With It n I Didn't Have Money That Time n I said "Baby It'll Be Yours 1 Day ... "O:)
Wife, With A Smile & Blushing: Yeah I Remember That My Love!
Husband: I 'm in the Pub Just Next To That Shop.

A Special Package for Business Men.
An Airline Introduced A Special Package For Business Men. Buy Ur Ticket Get Ur Wife's Ticket Free. After Great Success, The Company Sent Letters To All The Wives Asking How Was The Trip.
All Of Them Gave A Same Reply..."Which Trip?"

Husband was seriously ill
Husband was seriously ill. Doc to wife: Give him healthy breakfast, be pleasant & in gud mood, don't discuss ur problems, no tv serial, don't demand new clothes & gold jewels,
Do this for 1 yr & he will be ok.
On the way home.. Husband: what did the doc say ?
Wife:- .No chance for u to survive.

An intelligent wife
''An Intelligent Wife Is One Who Makes Sure She Spends So Much
That Her Husband Can't Afford Another Women"

New SIM to surprise her husband
Woman Buys A New Sim Card Puts It In Her Phone And Decides To Surprise Her Husband Who Is Seated On The Couch In The Living Room. She Goes To The Kitchen, Calls Her Husband With The New Number: "Hello Darling"

The Husband Responds In A Low Tone: "Let Me Call U Back Later Honey, The Dumb Lady Is In The Kitchen..

Wife treats husband
A Wife Treats Hubby By Taking Him To A Lap Dance Club For His Birthday ..
At The Club: Doorman Says: Hi Jim How R You?
Wife Asks: How Does He Know You?
Jim Says: Oh Dear, I Play Football with Him

Inside Barman Says: The Usual Jim ?
Jim Says To Wife: Before You Say Anything, He's On the Darts Team in My Local

Next A Lap Dancer Says: Hi Jim
Do You Crave Special Again?

The Wife Storms Out Dragging Jim With Her & Jumps Into A Taxi..

Driver Says "Hey Jimmy Boy, You Picked Up An Ugly One This Time.."

Jim's Funeral Is On Sunday.

Cool message by a wife
Cool Msg by a woman: Dear Mother-in-law, "Don't Teach me how 2 handle my children, I'm living with one of yours & he needs a lot of improvement".

Sweet demand by kid
A kid was beaten by his mom. Dad came n asked - what happen son?
Kid said-I can't adjust with your wife anymore, I want my own.

Lion bounced on wife
In an African Safari, A LION suddenly bounced on Santa's wife.
WIFE: Shoot him! Shoot him!
SANTA: Yes, Yes. I'm changing d battery of my camera..

Throwing knives on wife's picture
Husband was throwing knives on wife's picture. All were missing the target!
Suddenly he received call from her "Hi, what r u doing?"
His honest reply, "MISSING U"
I will think about it

When a married man says "I'll think about it",

What he really means that, He doesn't know his wife's opinion yet..

Habit of talking in sleep
A Lady to Doctor:
My husband has habit of talking in sleep! what should i give him to cure?
Dr: Give him an Opportunity to speak when he's awake.

Part & Art of living
Having "WIFE" Is A Part Of Living...
But Having "GIRLFRIEND" Along With The "WIFE" Is Art Of Living.

Head & Neck of the family
It is said that Husband is the head of the family, but remember that wife is the Neck of the family & the Neck can turn the Head exactly the way she wants.

Wife: Do you want dinner?
Husband: Sure, what are my choices?
Wife: Yes and no.

What is the Difference between Mother & Wife?
A - One Woman Brings U into this world crying... & the other ensures U Continue to do so.

To whom do you owe your success as a millionaire
Interviewer to Millionaire: To whom do you owe your success as a millionaire?"
Millionaire: "I owe everything to my wife."
Interviewer: "Wow, she must be some woman.
Interviewer: "What were you before you married her?"
Millionaire: "A Billionaire"

I look at your picture and the problem disappears
Wife: You always carry my photo in your handbag to the office. Why?
Darling: When there is a problem, no matter how impossible, I look at your picture and the problem disappears.

Wife: You see, how miraculous and powerful I am for you?
Darling: Yes, I see your picture and say to myself, "What other problem Can there be greater than this one?

Wife: honey what r u looking 4?
Husband: nothing
Wife: why have u been reading our marriage certificate 4 an hour?
Husband: i was just looking 4 the expiry date

Do you know the meaning of WIFE?
Husband asks: Do you know the meaning of WIFE? It means...
Without Information, Fighting Every time!

WIFE says: No darling, it means:
With Idiot For Ever

Wife wish 2 be a newspaper
Wife: I wish I was a newspaper so I would be in ur hands all day.
Husband: I too wish that u were a newspaper so I could have a new one every day.

Can I make a call to my wife?
A man in Hell asked Devil:
Can I make a call to my Wife?
After making call he asked how much to pay.
Devil: Nothing, Hell to hell is Free.

Husband, wife & spare tyre
HUSBAND and WIFE are like 2 tyres of a vehicle. If 1 punctures, the vehicle can't move further

Moral: Always Keep a SPARE TYRE....

Similarity between chewing gum & begum
Both are sweet at the beginning and become tasteless, shapeless and chipku in the eNd...

WIFE IS DANGEROUS
LOVE IS LIFE
LIFE IS WIFE
WIFE IS KNIFE and
KNIFE IS DANGEROUS

Too late for garbage
Wife Running After A Garbage Truck:
Am I Too Late For The Garbage?

Hubby Following Her Yelled: Not Yet.
Jumpppp Innnn Fastttt.

What if you don't see me for 2 days?
A man came home late at night after a party.
His wife yelled:
"how would you feel if you don't see me for two days?"
The man couldn't believe his luck: 'that would be great'!
Monday passed and he didn't see her......
Tuesday and Wednesday passed too.....
On Thursday his swelling became better
And now he could see her from the corner of one eye.

Who is guilty (Husband / Wife)?
Wife is dreaming in the middle of the night and suddenly shouts: "Up! Quick! My husband is back!" Man gets up, jumps out of the window, hurts himself, and then realizes: "Damn, I am the husband!"

Why women starts with W
You know why women starts with 'W'...
because all questions start with "W".. !
Who ?
Why ?
What ?
When ?
Which ?
Whom ?
Where ?
&
Finally Wife..!!!

NATURAL DISASTERS JUST HAPPEN
Nobody teaches Volcanoes to erupt, Tsunamis to devastate, Hurricanes to sway around & no one teaches How to choose a Wife,
NATURAL DISASTERS JUST HAPPEN.

Difference between Friend & Wife
U can Tell ur Friend "U r my Best Friend"
But Do u have courage to tell to ur Wife "U r my Best Wife?"

Dream of receiving jewellery & cloths
Wife: yesterday-night I saw a dream that u were sending me jewellery and clothes!
Husband: yeah, I saw your dad paying the bill!!!

Recently fired stock trader
A recently fired stock trader said ...
"This is worse than divorce... I have lost everything and I still have my wife..."

Message of the year
Women live a better, longer & peaceful life..!!
Why? Very simple...
A woman does not have a wife..!!!

Husband to a newly wed wife
Husband to a newly wed wife: I could go to the end of the world for you.
Wife: Thanks, but promise me you will stay there for the rest of your life.

Why did u shoot ur wife?
Judge: why did u shoot ur wife instead of shooting her lover?
Sardar: Your honour, it's easier to shoot a woman once, than shooting one man every week.

Your husband needs rest
Doctor: Madam, your husband needs rest and peace, so here are some sleeping pills.
Wife: Doc, when should I give them to him?
Doctor: They are for you.!!

I really liked this one.....

Do we really want that..??
Vandana chhatpar

Postpone what I WANT to do for what I HAVE to do !

Here is some good thought. Simply relax and read... May be applicable for us up to some extent, if not completely....

Yesterday, I was driving, and the FM radio went off for few seconds. I thought, I should have an iPod. Then suddenly I realized that I have not used my iPod in last 6 months. And then more things, Handy cam in last 2 years, Digital Camera in last 2 months, DVD player in last 1 month and many more. Now I can say that I bought that Handy cam just out of impulse, I have used it twice only in last 4 years.

So, what's wrong and where? When I look at myself or my friends I can see it everywhere. We are not happy with what we have but all are stressed and not happy for the things we don't have. You have a Santro, but you want City You have a City, but you want Skoda. Just after buying a new phone, we need another one. Better laptop, bigger TV, faster car, bigger house, more money .I mean, these examples are endless. The point is, does it actually worth? Do we ever think if we actually need those things before we want them?

After this, I was forced to think what I need and what I don't. May be I didn't need this Handy cam or the iPod or that DVD player. When I see my father back at home. He has a simple BPL color TV, he doesn't need 32 Sony LCD wall mount. He has a cell phone worth Rs 2,500. Whenever I ask him to change the phone, he always says Its a phone, I need this just for calls. And believe me; he is much happier in life than me with those limited resources and simple gadgets. The very basic reason why he is happy with so little is that he doesn't want things in life to make it luxurious, but he wants only those things which are making his life easier. Its a very fine line between these two, but after looking my fathers life style closely, I got the point. He needs a cell phone but not the iPhone. He needs a TV but not the 32 plasma. He needs a car but not an expensive one.

It is very simple- Our ancestors treated Necessities as Luxuries, we are looking at Luxuries as Necessities. This is making our life miserable...

Trip to Wayanad

My In-laws wanted to make a trip to Wayanad and wanted me and my wife also to join them. Saying a yes to that, made them go ahead in booking the tickets prior to the journey which was to be on 24th June 2010. All set and packed we were off to Calicut. Started on 24th night and reached at about 7.40 am in Kozhikode (Calicut) on 25th Morning. We had booked our package with Olives Homestay who had sent us the cab to pick us up from the station.

The journey from Calicut to Wayanad was beautiful. As we were driving through the ghat section, we could feel the mist and the cool breeze which was so pleasent that was welcoming us. There were showers of rain every 5 mins and then a pinch of sunlight after that which made the journey more relaxing and free from tiredness. I guess we opted for the best time to visit wayanad.

On reaching the place where we had booked (Olives Homestay), Mr.Biju who is in-charge of the homestay along with his family had immediately come out to welcome us. All settled we were served with a good cup of tea which was exactly what I wanted for that climate. Had few chit chats and then got dressed up to head towards Soochipara waterfalls which is one of the major tourist spots out there. We managed to reach there at around 4 p.m and started walking towards the falls. As we were heading towards it was getting darker and we were also running out of time. Managed to get to a level where we could view the falls and take some good pics. Walked back and purchased few home accessories which were cheap out there and started to our room again as we were a little tired. Back to room, me and my father-in-law settled up with few rounds of whisky & vodka along with some general chatting. The dinner was served, which had the Malabar fish being prepared along with some fish fry's, and few good kerala dishes. Had a great dinner and headed straight to our beds.

26th June was unfortunately a bandh in Kerala which had restricted us from moving out of our place. Mr.Biju & Family had provided us with an excellent breakfast that made us get settled up in the room watching the FIFA worldcup. At around 3 p.m we started to Banasura Sagar dam which was also a tourist spot and did a 10 km small safari ride where we were able to see few spotted deers and one Elephant which was quiet far from us. The climate and the greenery was awesome. I should say even though it was 7 p.m in the evening I could see brightness in the place. I was most of the time enjoying & gazing at the clouds near the hills which were moving pretty fast and pouring down few showers then and there. It was getting darker only after about 8 p.m where you could hear the frogs croaking and some unusual sounds of these forest insects around. We were served dinner with some new varieties of kerala dishes this time. Spent the night by chatting with my in-laws and watching the FIFA world cup and off to bed by 11.30 p.m.

27th June was the day we had to leave. Had a sumptuous breakfast and was given a warm send off by Mr.Biju & Family. We started at around 11 am and headed towards Pookot lake which was famous for boating. Went around the place and spent close to about an hour and asked the driver to drive down to calicut straight. There was a small issue also as we were still waiting for our return tickets to get confirmed. With the help of few known pals working in the railways we managed to get the m confirmed at around 3 p.m the same day. As we had little time more to be spent as our train was only at about 5.30 pm we drove to the beach in calicut popularly called as Kappad beach. Enjoyed some time out there and had lunch in the nearby restaurant. The cab dropped us at around 5 in the station and with ease we boarded the train and reached up Chennai at around 5.20 am. Good trip and worth making another one too.

I would personally recommend all to make a trip once to Wayanad. It is one place which is worth going for your vacation. I can also assure you that the place where I had stayed "Olives Homestay" managed by Mr.Biju provides an excellent hospitality and service which makes you have a good relaxed vacation.

For more pics Arvind Krishnamurthy Wayanad pics

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Weekend Drive to Pondy

Saturday, the 5th of June 2010 happened to be a very usual day. The day started by reading the newspaper and having a good cup of tea followed by washing clothes which took half the day and then settling down for lunch. Had a good lunch and dozed of for few hours. Got up at 4.30 p.m and was thinking what to do and all of a sudden my wife sprang up and said let's drive down to pondy. At first I hesitated cos I am used to driving by bike and have ridden many times to pondicherry and had a doubt whether my wife would be comfortable to sit back and come. The answer all I got was "C'mon lets go !! Dont worry it's fine".

Packed a set of clothes, withdrew some money, booked the room and fed my bike (Unicorn) with enough fuel and started our ride to pondy by 5.30 pm. I was on one side excited cos it has been close to about a year I took my bike for a long ride and it too required a good long drive. The bike was performing extremely well on the highways and kept a steady speed of 80 - 95 kmph which made us reach pondicherry by 9 p.m with 3 halts in-between. I entered the city straight, stopped at the Mr.Brandy shop and managed to pick up few beers along with some breezers and checked in to the room.

The room had a pleasant aroma which welcomed us. Made my wife get settled down and went out to pick up few good side eats and asked her to order the main course. All done, had a good refreshing bath and got settled to chill out. Rounded up and off to bed at 1.30 am which made us wake up at around 8.00 am on Sunday morning. Got dressed, had a good breakfast, visited the Ashram, the Ganesh temple and the beach. We had to return back to chennai quiet early to check out a new apartment which ultimately dint work out.

Started from pondy at 11.00 am. Driving back there were few heavy showers from Mamallapuram to Thiruvanmiyur. Managed to stop for about few minutes and then started riding as the climate turned out to be good when we were closing chennai. On the whole the ride turned out to be smooth & safe which was a much awaited one after our marriage and hopefully would be doing the same again to a different place or to pondy. Cheers !!!

Remembering my Dad !!!!

For those who know my dad and for those who do not know, his name was R.Krishnamurthy. A personality known by many during the day's he lived. He was not only a dad but a person who took a lot of responsibilities which came by and made sure his sons keep up his name and carry with them their respect they had attained by him. You may all wonder why all of a sudden did I start writing something about my dad after so many years. It was just that my childhood friend or can be said as my dad's very close friend's daughter had got married and arranged a reception at the Guindy Race Club on 18th April 2010, where I had met a few friends who worked with my Dad and I meeting them after about 15-20 years was a wonderful experience.

People recognise me so quickly compared to my bro as I have the exact features of my dad. So it doesnt take much of a time for me to introduce myself to my dad's friends. So that was a day where I remembered few things when my dad used to bring me during my childhood days to the club to meet his friends and I used to play. So after so many years me getting a chance to go back to those places and meeting people who were close to us had a different feeling completely. Maybe if my dad was alive now, I guess our life would have been different but I do not repent for anything as he has already done enough when he lived to make us get the respect and friends we are supposed to have.

It made me and my bro feel so happy when people said about my mom and dad as to how they were and how they carried themselves which had inspired a lot to them. It turned out to be a awesome day where our wifes (mine & bro's) had a chance to know about my dad as they were not able to meet him but atleast know what he had done during his period. He was the branch manager for Eenadu Newstime & Etv, President of the Advertising Club, Board of Directors Margadasi, Committee member of Parsn Complex, Madras Gymkhanna Club member & President of Padma Sheshadri Bala Bhavan School parents teacher's committee.

There are so many things I owe my Dad, but guess as of now I can only carry the respect he had attained and make him proud forever. Miss you Dad... (1956-1996). Proud to be your Son !!!!

Pongal Celebrations "2010"

Hi Folks "Happy New Year" !!!!!

Been a long time since I had posted some stuff in my blog. Got married recently, been busy with family as well as work for the past few months. Needed a mindset to get on to the blogging track again and here I am posting my first news for the year 2010.

Jan 13th 2010 - Pongal Celebrations

Been quite a lazy day for me. Started as usual to office and found the office boys getting themselves busy for the day by cleaning and decorating the reception area in our office were the decorations for Pongal made usually. The pots filled up with cotton was the first thing I could see when entering office. Got an idea, Ok the celebrations for Pongal was on.

The day at office started as usual by checking up few mails and then responding to those which normally eats up half of my day. This year I was greeted in a special way as it is my first Pongal after marriage which is formally called in Tamil as "Thala Pongal". The day went on smooth and I could see the ladies in our office lining up and gearing up themselves to start the decorations at the reception area. The ladies this year decided to use the normal color powders to prepare the Kolam and decorate the border with flowers. To tell you guys the truth, even though it looked simple it was fantastic. The sugarcane's were placed at the corners to add more beauty to the decorations. The day ended by distributing some sweets and wishing the colleagues "Happy Pongal".

Schumi is back to F1 ...

2009 F1 season can never expect anything better than this. One of the most successful and favourites "Michael Schumacher", Seven times world champion who retired from Formula One at the end of 2006 is all set to replace injured driver Felipe Massa at Ferrari.

The news was buzzing on as to who would be replacing Massa who unfortunately fractured his skull in the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend. I had the mildest idea where Ferrari would decide in getting schumi back on to the track. Suprised and excited to hear the news today which came confirming that the pro is taking the drivers seat along with Kimi in the next upcoming races until Massa is fit to drive.

So I guess Hamilton and Vettel would be for sure praticing hard to push their engines ahead of the Ferrari in order to find their names ticking on the Drivers Points table.

All the best guys, F1 is getting hotter and hotter. The Game has just Begun !!!!!

King of Pop - Michael Jackson

Birth name Michael Joseph Jackson

Born August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana, United States

Died June 25, 2009 (aged 50) Los Angeles, California United States

Genre(s) Pop, R&B, Rock, Soul

Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, dancer, choreographer, actor, author, businessman, financier

Micheal Jackson, one of the world's greatest entertainer and my all time favourite singer expired at the age of 50. It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home which has caused his sudden death.

He had started his professional music career at the age of 11 as a member fo Jackson 5. he is referred as the King of Pop and his albums was one the world's best-selling records of all time Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and History (1995), while his 1982 Thriller. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.

Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time". Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, and they divorced in 1996. Later that year, Jackson married Deborah Rowe, a former nurse for his dermatologist. They had two children together: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, now 12; and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11. Rowe filed for divorce in 1999.

Jackson also had a third child, Prince Michael II. Now 7, Jackson said the boy nicknamed Blanket as a baby was his biological child born from a surrogate mother.

Suprised !!

Hey Guys,

I was suprised on 14th April 2009 when I saw a Google alert in my mailbox which read as "Arvind Krishnamurthy Launches Comodo Encryption Journal on Ulitzer". The first mail I received after seeing this is from my head Mr.Paul who appreciated me in saying that I am the only guy after the CEO to be recognised by another company for publishing journals over the internet.

It was a great feeling and waiting to give more contributions from my end (the marketing team) for the company.

I'm Engaged !!!

It was the 7th of march 2009 when I was told by Mom that, cuckoo... I have seen a girl for you and I would like you to talk to her over the phone and find out whether you are comfortable. My Mom continued the conversation talking about their family and how she is impressed about it and blah blah.. For a second I dint know what to reply and with no other go I said "Ok Mom... let me see".

The day just went pass that and on 8th of March my Mom starts again saying the girl will call you anytime and you be prepared and talk nicely. Says "All the best" and rushes to office. As usual I switched on the computer and started browsing and listening to music which I usually do on a Saturday morning. There was no call and with curiosity I called up Mom and asked her whether it was sure they said they will call me or should I, and she says coolly.. Ok so they haven't called you.. so you call them whats the problem. Great, so here it starts .

I call up, the ring goes.. goes.. goes and no one picks up. After a few minutes I receive a call from the same number and here it goes. She introduces herself as "Bhargavi", and says she has come for a company outing and having fun and continues talking about her mom who said she would get a call fro me and blah blah blah. Time went pass and to my surprise I am still in conversation with her for the past 1 hr. After a lot of talking, I said I need to meet you and she said ok and then we decided the time and place.

Bright Sunday morning (8th March), got a few words of advice from Mom as if I am going to attend my public exam and I was just nodding my head and listening to her as to how to talk and all the stuffs. The time we both decided to meet was 11 am and as usual I was late and made it up at 11.30 am. Walked in with a smile and a bit of tension in mind.

To tell you guys the truth I was actually impressed by the way she was talking over the phone and it was just that small instinct within me that I wanted to meet her and ask.... man how did you ever think I was the right partner for you??.. So we happened to meet and talk a lot of about each other which made us decide finally we can make a good pair. This is how it started and time just flew by making us both getting prepared for the engagement which was scheduled on 22nd March.

With such a short span of time, I managed to get the invites ready and call most of my close pals and yes missing few which I thought I could invite them for the wedding. It was quite hectic to get the engagements stuffs ready within a weeks time but the amount of effort delivered turned my engagement ceremony to be a grand one.

For more pics: click here

Thanks for all your wishes and blessings.

Deviance.. Family Fun!!!!

"Mom, I've decided to get married."

The Seshadhris were only too ecstatic to here these words pop out of their elder son's mouth, yet afraid at the the same time. After all, their son did study in the United States for 3 years. And from what they heard from their neighbours, the States "do things" to perfectly normal sons. What if he wanted to marry a white girl? The blasphemy! How would they ever explain to their relatives?

"Indian no?", Mrs.Seshadhri asked, nervously.

"Iyengar...."

"Oh thank god! Chamathu da nee. We'll see the girl tomorrow!And I'll have to call all our relatives to inform them. Ha! First I'll call your aththai. Her son went to the states and ended up with one of those...punjabi a? Ya, punjabi-o ennavo. But my son? Chamatha Iyengar ponnu paathutaan.""Amma..."

"What? I know I'm getting excited but its not everyday your son gets married! First ponnu paakanum. Give me her address."

"I can't give the girl's address."

"Why not? " interrupted Mr.Seshadhri. "Is it because they don't know? Its okay, we'll convince them""No, its because there is no girl""Ennada solra?" chorused the parents.
"I am in love with an Iyengar, yes. But its not a girl. Its a boy"
Silence.

"Is this some kind of TV show? Is some shanniyan going to come with a camera and say all this is some joke? I know! Vijay TV-la Simbhu is doing something like this. He's going to come now, isn't he?""No mom, nobody's behind your almirah. This is real. I want to get married to him and him only""This is not normal, you know that?""Appa, who're you to say that it's not normal? How do you know that it isn't normal? I want to get married to him and that's the end of it" and he stormed out of the room.

The Seshadhris were appalled, and did what any other parents would do when presented with such a private confession. They called the entire family over to discuss it.Mamas, Mamis, Thathas, Paatis, Chithappas, Chiththis, Aththais, Athimbers, Perippas, Perimmas and a motley crew of cousins promptly assembled to exchange their views over filter coffee and masala vadais.

"Enna kodumai Seshadri idhu""This is not the time to joke, its a very serious issue pa. Namma community-la this is just not done""Are you sure about this? I mean was he joking?""Will anybody joke about things like this? Avan serious-a dhaan irukaan. He's gay.""Amma Amma, what's a gay?" interrupted 6 year old Achu, loudly. Silence."Sshhh, Achu. Go play outside with Kichu." said his visibly embarassed mother.Achu promptly ran outside hollering KICHU! GAY-NA BAD WORD DA!"Kids""Yea. I'm hoping he gets a girlfriend soon.""Shree, he's 6""The earlier the better. And I'm so not sending him to the US""Not everyone turns out like that. My son married a perfectly nice girl. Enna, she's punjabi. But very nice girl.""You know she has a beard, right?""Oh please! At least she's a girl.""Enough enough. This is not about her daughter-in-law's beard. Idhu konjam serious-aana matter.""Yes yes. There are so many fundamental complications""Like if this marriage does go on, who gets to be the Maapla veedu?""Chechu make it clear to them that we will be the groom's house. We will demand our rights""Hey, who gets to tie the thaali?""Will there even be a thaali?""Maybe they'll tie a golden poonal around him""One more doubt. The girl usually sits on her father lap when they tie the thaali. Does this mean that the son sits on his mothers lap? How does that work exactly?""Yea! And then usually the girl wears that special koora-podavai before she ties the knot. Do we have to get this guy a koora-veshti?""Atleast you'll save on all those silk sarees.""And that Mehndi thing. Unless your son wants it, ofcourse""Hahahaha! Thats so g...nothing" '

An uncomfortable silence followed, but was swiftly interrupted by the Periappa.

"Come to think of it, that golden poonal will weigh a lot""Does your future...err son-in-law cook?""Aiyo! Don't call him son-in-law! I don't even want this to happen!""Maybe you should do that. Vidaatha. Then he'll come around""No way, then he'd elope. Odi poyiduvaan!""Thats not good for the family name.""Thu! As if marrying a boy is very honourable.""And besides, eloping-na, usually the girl runs away, gets a baby and then only gets accepted back in the household. This is how it is in all tamil padams""Ok, but how the heck are these guys going to get a baby?""My point exactly, so they won't elope""Which is worse. What if they get together like those villains in Vettaiyaadu Villaiyaadu?""Aiyo! That's a movie about homosexual psychopaths! You're son is too sensitive for that. He cried in the climax of Kabhi Khushi Kahi Gham, for heaven's sake!."Appove we should have noticed...""You think there's some kind of homeopathy treatment for this? Or Ayurveda? Some kashayam or something?""No no, its a state of mind. No kashayam can cure it""Or should we send him to a psychiatrist?""Illa. Those psyciatrists are Peter parties. They'll end up brainwashing us about how we are educated and must accept him the way he is""Adhaan pannanum" said Mr.Seshadhri, finally.The entire household went mute."You mean...we have to get him married? To that...that boy?""Yes""Only then, he'll be happy.""Aiyo sentiment thaangamudila""My decision is final. I'll go call him and find that other boy's number. I have plenty to talk to his parents."

The household watched him go with a rather stern resolve in absolute silence. The only sound was the jowku-jowku of Paati eating Vadai.
"Enna paati? What do you think?" said one of the cousins, finally breaking yet another uncomfortable silence.
"Ennadhaan payyana love pannaalum, atleast Iyengar payyana paathu love pannane, adhuve porum"
[Note: Taken from a fwd mail....]

Trip to Rasipuram and Kollimalai

Was eagerly waiting for the long weekend i.e 24th, 25th & the 26th Jan to do a trip to bangalore to see few of my buddies whom I haven't met for a long time. The plan was on until 23rd afternoon when all of a sudden I had 2 of my close pals calling me and saying they are rushing to their native to spend the long weekend. Unfortunately I had to drop out the plan for bangalore. On 24th morning I was cleaning my bike just thinking as to what shall I do for the next 2 days. Tringg.. Tringg... my phone rings and it was Karthik alias Maadu. As usual started as .. Sollu da (meaning tell me dude)..he was asking me the plan for the long weekend and had to tell him I had no plan. For the first time karthik suggests a plan asking whether we can make a trip to Kolli Malai. Blink.. Gosh.. I asked Karthik.. How come dude??.. How did you crop up with this idea and confirmed the plan immediately and called up 3 other colleagues of mine of which one had come from bangalore to spend the weekend. Plan set, all geared up and one of my colleague (Sriram) picks me up from home and we land up at Tambaram where he had to pick up his bag. Karthik, Suresh(pal who had come from bangalore), Me and Sriram met up at Tambaram and started our Journey to Kolli Malai. This was my 2nd trip to the same place.

The plan was to drive down in Karthik's car (Maruti Swift) to Rasipuram which is near Salem where one of our colleague named Gokul resides. So we thought we shall stay up at his house and pick him up to and visit Kolli malai. So we had called up Gokul and he said you guys are always welcomed and we were much excited about the sudden trip. Normally trips like this which is planned all of a sudden works out well. So we as usual started making fun of each other and started taking snaps in different styles. The route which we took was NH45 from Chennai tamabaram - Tindivanam - Villupuram - Salem - Aatur - Rasipuram which was close to 300 kms.

So as we were driving down something stuck me and I had asked the guys whether we can call up Sudharshan (another colleague who has gone to his native Villipuram to spend the weekend) and the answer was why not. After a few hesitations he accepted to come with us. So we picked him up after some confusions in the route told by him. Now we were 5 people in the car happily making fun of each other, hearing good music, having beers except Karthik who was driving. After some halts for nature calls and water we land up at Rasipuram at 8.30 pm. Gokul had a big smile on his face when he saw us and greeted us. Picked up food and drinks for the night and made a small visit to his house to wish his parents and then we rushed up to his Grandfathers house which is nearby to celebrate the ride and the weekend plan. Cheers.. gulp.. gulp.. gulp..and we had to say enough guys and went to sleep at 3.00 am.

Next day Gokul's grandmom waked us all up by switching on the lights. Woke up and saw the time , it was 6.30 am. Machan yennada da ithu... was the first word which came out of my mouth. We managed to get up and the comedy for the day begins. We dint have toothpaste for brushing our teeth. The suggestion given by Gokul was to brush our teeth with Neem sticks. I waited until I found everybody had started brushing their teeth with neem sticks and I had no option than following them. With neem sticks in our mouths we started brushing and started walking to have a view at the groundnut field which was maintained by gokuls grandpa. Awesome climate and a fantastic location to spend a weekend. After few chit chats we hear a loud sound from Gokul saying. .. Dude.. I found the Toothpaste.. grrr.grrr..exchange of words happened and then we all had the second round of brushing with toothbrushes and toothpaste. His grandma offered us fantastic ginger tea which refreshed us. We had to leave at around 9 am to kolli malai, so had to do a dash and splash in gokuls house to visit his mom and have breakfast. Done with the breakfast and we start to kolli malai.

We had to adjust in the car as we dint have space for 6 people. But adjusted and started the ride. Good roads and we had stopped at few places to pick up food and beverages and have some good snaps. Sriram was busy with the camera in taking some good snaps. Me, gokul, sudharshan, Suresh and Karthik as usual blah.. blah.. blah. Reached the top of the hill, which had close to 85 bends. Changed our costumes and straight walked down to the waterfalls. We had to walk down about 1200 steps to reach the waterfalls which was mind blowing. The last visit when I made, I was able to go and stand below the falls, but this time the falls was too heavy and I was even unable to swim and make it close to it. So we had just dipped ourselves for abt 1/2 hr in the water enjoyed the beauty of the falls. Had food and started walking up. This was the toughest part I would say. The steps were big and we had to take bigger steps to reach the next one. This drained down our energy levels fully and by the time we could reach the top of the hill we were damn tired. After a small halt reached up to the nearby shop to have lemon soda to refresh ourselves.

Took a good amount of rest and then started driving downhill. On the way we again started taking snaps. As suresh had to deliver some stuffs to his friend who lives next to rasipuram we had to travel to their house. Made suresh deliver things fast and rushed up to Gokuls house to have good food and take rest. On 26th Morning we had to leave by 7 am as Suresh had to take the bus back to bangalore in the evening the same day. Woke up, brushed our teeth, had some good refreshing tea, took snaps with his parents and drove back. One the way we halted at sudharshan place which is in Villupuram to meet his parents and have some snaps with them and finally reached chennai at 4 pm. On the whole we had enjoyment to the max and made sure we kept ourselves loaded with fun throughout the weekend.

F60| Ferrari F60| 60th Anniversary| Ferrari 2009| F1 2009

Ferrari celebrates its 60th anniversary of F1 by launching their latest Formula One car - the F60. The new Team boss Stefano Domenicali underlined the significance of the car's name at the Mugello circuit - The car was actually named the F60 which predates the World Championship, which began only in the summer of 1950. The front and the rear wings had been modified this year to improve overtaking.

Massa for the first time was behind the wheel at the Mugello circuit and was happy with the performance and the technology of the F60 after completion of 100 kilometers in it. Ferrari retained the constructor's championship in 2008, but F1 is entering a new era with cost-cutting measures and rule amendments set to change the landscape of motor sport.

The F60 would feature the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) which will introduce the first hybrid concepts into the sport. Ferrari has developed a system in league with electronics partner Magneti Marelli. One of the key elements in the design of this year's cars is expected to be the weight distribution. In the previous years many teams have designed cars that were well under the weight limit, thus allowing the engineers to move ballast around inside the car to get the optimum balance at each race.

Ferrari as of now has won eight Constructors titles in the last 10 seasons, but only six Drivers crowns. The team hopes to be able to continue this extraordinary sequence and both Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen are keen to win the title.