On a personal note..

Twenty20 will be the official death bell for cricket as we know. It’s just a matter of time that One day and Test Matches are brought to their knees. I can see something like MLB taking place in India within the next few years. There are many factors which kicks in to support this case, some which I might add could be for the better 1. People might retire early, because they get the same kind of money with fewer cricket matches. 2. Twenty20 is easier to sell than others. 3. There are only 2 countries where cricket is both fun and makes money. Australia and India (Make be the other Asian countries, but countries by themselves are so volatile). If India starts Twenty20 where else the players are going to play? 4. In India, it will bring in discipline, and no state politics and north-south divide. 5. BCCI monopoly will be subdued. Being a guy who loves cricket, I am little bit sad to see the demise of One day and Test matches, but I guess these changes are good for the future of cricket.

I would much rather be doing Diwali Shopping!!! Will be travelling to DC this week. Planning on a trip to North Carolina, heard lots of good things about that state. Have a plan to move to NC, lets see.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7132697.stm Here we go again, people trying to live the other's life. I think Gandhi once said, "I am a Hindu but that's who I am. The State has nothing to do with it". You are not God, You are not even a perfect human being, then where on earth did you get the right to impose these laws? Don't they know that Love cannot be forced by laws. Bunch of morons. For people who disagree, I do not see laws such as, 1. Compulsory education for all kids. It doesn't matter whether you are crorepathi or street vendor. 2. If you abusive to your kids, you go to jail 3. Its illegal to divorce your spouse if you have a kid 4. If your kid become disabled due to your neglect, you go to jail 5. You cannot have multiple brides. Do you want me to go on.....

Are leaders born or are they made? Apart from Hercules and other mythical figures, I have never seen or heard about born leaders. Gandhi, Churchill, Washington and other great leaders of our time, were individuals who were forced to fight. We must exclude leaders of Medieval and Renaissance era, in my view they either wanted to plunder wealth or force their religion on others. Most of them are of noble breed, where leadership is force feed using a silver spoon. And then, there are leaders like Genghis Khan who grew up in a politically unstable and volatile era. It’s their environment which played a crucial role rather than their birth. Given the argument, that leaders are made. What makes them a great leader? A few good qualities of a good leader are a.Ruthlessness b.My way or highway attitude c.Me first everything else next d.Ability to handle stress with a steady mind e.Charisma f.Vision g.Innovativeness ...

Nowadays I use the net so much, sometimes fish, comes out of my pocket :(

10 year it has been I am still hunting for the all elusive green card. For issuing an immigrant visa (Green Card), US immigration agency, follows a weird procedure. If you are from India or China, getting a green card, is all about luck. If you are trying to immigrate to US, there are 3 categories EB1 - This category is for an ‘outstanding professor or researcher’ - This category is for a ‘manager or executive’ subject to international transfer to the U.S. EB2 - This category is for foreign nationals professionals with an ‘advanced degrees’ (masters degree or higher) and with a job offer from a U.S. company EB3 - This category is for ‘professional workers’ with a U.S. bachelor's or foreign equivalent degree and with a job offer from a U.S. company In addition to these categories, Green Card also depends on what is called as “Priority Date”. Each category has its own priority date. For example, if you are in EB3 category, then currently your priority date is in April 2001. What this...

I wonder where Indians got the habit of adding "Sir" to a sentence. Yesterday, I was watching Yogi B song in youtube. He goes, "Raja Sir pattu podu". What's wrong in asking "Illyaraja Songs podu". The worst thing is, when they are not watched or when they are with their friends they would go, "Otha Illyaraja pattu super illa?" This habit is worst in the government office. If you are not a big shot you have to call the guy who supplies tea, with a "Sir". Does anyone know the history behind this?

Happy Diwali Guys. Miss the sweets; Miss the fire crackers; Miss all my friends; Miss waking up 4 in the morning; Miss new clothes; Miss the TV Programs; Miss my mom's Idli and Kari Kolzhambhu; Miss my mom's Briyani; Miss sight seeing trips to check all the girls with new clothes; Just miss Diwali...

I am an instinctive buyer; I have bought numerous products, only to find out that either the product is not suited for me or there is a better product out there. Following that great tradition, I bought a Nikon D50 SLR Camera. To go with that I bought 2 Lenses, 18-70mm and 70-180mm. They are great lenses but it’s a hassle to change the lenses every time I have to change the view. I should have bought the Nikon 18-200 mm.

The slightest of weather change brings me sinus, blisters and everything associated with it. Suffering.....

Go Tamilnadu Go...... Obviously due ICL; this year is going to be without lots of big names, so I am little bit concerned about the team. But we got to live with what we got right? Lots of fringe players got their opportunity this year, hope they use it to its best. Especially Prasanna, Vasudevadas and Ashwin. Yo Mahesh, I heard he is good, but it is hard to judge a fast bowler in Indian condition. I read that Balaji should be back by the third game, so that should be good. Now, I have to address an issue which has been lingering in my mind for a long time. States like Maharashtra, Gujarat have one state team and a team for their major city. Why it is not done in Tamil Nadu I have no idea. So many good players play for teams like Assam, Goa and other team, so I think we should have Team Chennai and Team Tamilnadu. It will benefit lot of state player. Sharath, Sadagopan and Suresh are playing for Assam. Good for them, I would like to see them play for Tamilnadu but I guess thats not goi...

Tamilselvan Dead – It has been more than 20 years now, 24 to be exact. The conflict between Srilankan Army and the Tigers seems to be moving in the wrong direction. Today, one of the high figures with the Tigers is dead. Tamilselvan, always had a pacifist look, and I was hoping one day, he along with others might be able to put a peace plan on the table, but it is a war and war does take causalities. A conflict in the name of religion or race is hard to negotiate. That’s why; I think they lost a golden opportunity when IPKF was there. It was a volatile combination, Indian Army, Srilankan Army and the Tigers. They should have asked UN to foresee the operation. Everyone made mistakes, certainly the latest book by an Indian Army personnel points out lot of blame on the Indian think tank. But in the end, Prabakaran did not do his homework right. He assumed that he will still have the support of the Tamils, after killing India’s Prime Minister. What a grave mistake that was. Anyhow, it is g...

The place where I grew up is notorious for naming people. You come to our street within couple of weeks you will have a new name. These names are so famous that even the parents forget what they named their kids. Of course, it is censored for its content, but some of them are, குதிரமுட்ட; இம்மி; குர்டெர் ரகு; குல்கி; அப்பர்; மண்ட; செவீளீ; பணைங்கா; காந்தி; குட்டி; சோனி; பூன் பரம்; பாம்பே பண்ணி; வெட்டு மணி; மோடி

It has been a long walk The road has taken me through many hills and valleys The journey has been fascinating Never thought about where the journey might take me It has been a long walk Time to choose where the journey might lead me It has been a long walk Up ahead I see a crossroad I see two roads, with signs for two different destinies One seems familiar, it’s crowded I see familiar faces I see my parents, I see my friends It has been a long walk I see so many vehicles I ask them where they take us To destiny, comes the answer The final resting place, says another It has been a long walk I see so many vehicles Why so many? I ask them You choose the best for you, comes the answer from one This looks familiar This I am comfortable with Still, Why so many? I ask another This is the only vehicle, comes the answer The others are false fantasy Choose ours; the destiny is assured. Comes the answer It has been a long walk I have my doubts; I tell them You want material proof, comes the quest...

Got the root canal procedure done yesterday. Overall, it was not bad. I was thinking that the pain would be worse than an extraction, but it was not. I am a chicken when it comes to needles or any medical procedure, and I was so nervous before the procedure, that the dentist asked me to relax and I think he gave an extra strength Novocaine !!! During the procedure, the dental assitant kept closing her eyes and turning her head, that made me wonder what exactly is the dentist doing that is so gory? That pumped up my blood pressure for a moment. Overall, I would recommend root canal treatment. Go to wikipedia and read about root canal, and knowing about the procedure kind of helped me relax a little....

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/indvpak/content/current/story/317314.html There we go again, What is the basis for Sehwag selection? He was not in current Indian A Team, a very successful A Team I might add, but he is added to the Senior Side. The selectors will say that Sehwag has got a good track record against Pakistan, well he might in Test, not in One Day Internationals. Praveen Kumar addition is good. It was just a matter of time, he was performing well under India A. For me Kaif , should be the captain of the Senior Side, Dhoni is not fit to be captain, he got it because there is no one else to give the post. What a pity!!! Well that's how it goes in India right. No one can think outside the box. Poor Dravid , What else can I say. Same goes with Badrinath , did they even tell him why he was dropped. Here is a player who is in form, and Dhoni didn't even bother to put him in the playing eleven. That shows Dhoni's brain. Raina is weird, As Srikkant once said, ...

I grew up with at least 50 kids in T.P Koil Street. There were numerous comical events. One such, Immi – Dai Balaji, Unga annan visham kudichittanda. Balaji – Orru numisham, Cyclella vitula niruthi pottitu vandhudran.

Everyone in my team went for bowling and I am stuck at office with work....Man What's wrong with me :(

Spot what's wrong with this image - Win a Prize... - For me this is where Tamil Nadu went to the sinkhole. To manipulate the uneducated masses, Anna used Cine figures like MGR and completely screwed up the political field. If not for Anna Tamil Nadu would have been a much better place. I know people will say Anna saved the Dravidians and he is fit to be the King. Well, Anna did nothing, Periyar did all the work and he just back stabbed him and manipulated the minds of people to get into power. So what the picture got to do with the message, Looking at a great person such as Rajaji standing (looks like begging) in front of MGR, with hands folded as if he is asking MGR to save the world, and MGR with his smile, telling him, “I am here don't worry”. Makes me throw up...

Remember the guy, who lived life for that day. Remember the guy, who spent his last buck on a complete stranger. Remember the guy, who never backed down from an argument. Remember the guy, whose life revolved around his friends. Remember the guy, who never hesitated to point out a mistake. Remember the guy, who started his day with God. I wonder what happened to him.

After struggling for many days to delete a dll file, tried Cedrick Collomb's Unlocker. Man it just rocks. http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/ I had Vundo and it had a dll file which tied itself to lass and windows explore. Tried many different ways (spent around 50 dollars) to delete it nothing worked. Finally unlocker did it for me. I am a happy man now....

All this proves is J.K. Rowling stupidity. First she brought in death in a children's book, now this? What's the importance of annouching that Dumbledore is Gay. It does not add up. J.K Rowling is not telented, and got lucky with her story (largely due to the movie). I bet my little fortune that she does not produce another blockbuster book. May be her next book will sell because its from Harry Potter author. Lets see how far she can go.

Be it a political, school, or a religious meeting, people with disability are put in the front row as a showcase. This practice has to STOP. People want to feel good; they want to show the world that they help others. The best ways to achieve this is by having couple disabled people in your meeting and showcase it to the world that you are helping them. I cannot imagine how horrible it is for the person. It is bad enough that they depend on others to live their life, to showcase it in front of hundreds of people and publicize it!!! Do the event organizers even think how these practices will affect the people with disability? If you want to help them, go do it by yourself. You do not need the world to see what you are doing. I just read that when Vishiwanathan Anand Visited Chennai, there was around 20 disabled person in the airport. Why do you need them there? I bet they did not come there on their own, may be for money or forced by the Ashram they stay in. What a pathetic display.

Madras is the only place in India where we find knowledgeable cricketing crowd. I never heard of any crowd trouble there. Even when Pakistan beat the crap out of us the crowd was at its best. The other part of the country should learn a lot from Madras crowd...

If only I had a good Carvaka Guru. I love that philosophy, but I have too many questions, with no answers. I read that Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya has a book on Carvaka, I wonder whether it's worth reading?

When I heard about lead in Chinese made Toys, it made me wonder whether there is any conspiracy behind it. Just imagine, lead poisoning in Toys is the best way to attack US kids. It is kind of chemical war isn't it. The effect of lead will only be visible after a long time, lets give it 20 years, by attacking the kids, we are effectively controlling a future generation and given the fact that China will be a super power in about 20 years. Man, I should work for the CIA.

Apparently, after winning the Nobel Prize for his work on Global Warming, Dr. Pachauri called Gore and said "This is Pachy ... I am certainly looking forward to working with you. I'll be your follower and you'll be my leader," That's Indians in a Nut Shell for you.....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20071010bcafricawarcosts_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop Africa has lost $284 billion due to wars. The real question is, how much did the west gain due to these wars....

I was driving to work today morning, and as always juggling with my radio station. I came across one of my preset station, "Mike & Mike in the Morning". The guys started talking about Morion Jones and her steroid use and how Baseball, cycling and other sports are struggling with this issue. Then came the fun part, the guy questions why steroid should not be legalized. The argument is most of the athletes use it, its becoming increasing difficult to stop it. So it should be legalized. It’s just amazing isn’t it? People in this country are so self centered that they forget to think that there is a world outside America. Countries like Australia, China and Russia produce great athletes who do not cheat but that does not matter. For US to be competitive the athletes need steroids, so let’s legalize it. What can I say, Good luck with it.

It was a great achievement. Good Luck. Hope he does not follow the same path as so many Tamilnadu players, Badani, Sriram, Sadagopan, Balaji (with a question mark). Not even Cheka made a permanent fixture in the Indian Team. Hope he breaks the jinx and becomes a permanent fixture......Good Luck again.

For the past 3 days, I am searching for a catchy website address. No matter what kind of name I come up with, it is already taken!!!!! I tried tamil, sanskrit, english, no luck so for.

Yesterday was my second kid's first day at school. Even though I went through the same with my first kid, it was a tough day for me. Is he cyring? Will he eat? Is it possible that he gets mean teacher? All these questions and more went through my brain over and over again. Man I don't know whether it is tougher for him or me as a parent? Anyhow, it was not that bad, when I went to pick him up in the afternoon, he was crying a little. He ran towards my wife calling "Mommy" (Man that picture is worth a million bucks) and they informed me that he was OK.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/08/vatican.easter.ap/index.html I read an article in CNN regarding the Easter message from Pope. The Pope addressed the sufferings in Middle East, Africa and Asia. I don't understand what's his point is? He blamed religion for all the death, but he forgot to name what religion it is? In my view, if not for Abraham, the entire world would have been a better place. The struggle between the so called brothers has caused so much blood, so much hatred that things are unbearable. The Greeks, Romans, Persians, Indians, Chinese, all had great culture. The drive by Christianity (Europeans) has demolished every culture in the name of God. Not to be left behind the Muslims matched them act to act. It would be better if the Pope address the issue head on. Tell the world that Christians are the reason for the suffering. He should act on the source of suffering. May be he wants everyone to convert to Christianity thus everyone can live in harmony. Unti...

I predicted that India might win the world cup; talk about bad prediction. They didn't even qualify for second round. But to be honest, the murder of Woolmer has really took my interest out of cricket. I know betting is high in cricket but to kill for it, thats really something. I really hope that the pakistan players are not involved in this?

During my college days, I used to go on without a shave for at least a month during my exam times. It was my good luck charm. Until my second year in college, I thought I was the odd one, but apparently there were many who follow the same instinct. I still follow this tradition, but these days it is my mustache. If I am stressed, I grew a mustache, and I vow that I will take it out only when my tough phase pass out. After about three weeks, the reason why I was stressed does not pass but I become tired of my mustache and I shave it off. Sometimes I do grow a mustache for a better outcome, for example my when my wife and I were having our first kid, I kept my mustache for about 10 months. The day my kid was born I took it out. I still remember the day, my parents were with me, and my father got annoyed that I removed my mustache on such an auspicious day. Well he doesn’t know the reason; does he?Well, I have my mustache on now. It has been around three weeks now, the reason why I have m...

I never missed a world cup. From Reliance Cup, I have been an ever present viewer of all cricket world cup matches. This time, all the signs are pointing towards me missing the world cup. I don’t know whether I would have time to watch world cup matches. Countries in the West Indies have similar time as here in the east coast, and on top of that there is no day/night game, thus the bottom-line would be, I can only follow the games in the weekends. One good thing though is that the price is not that bad this time. I think it is $199. India is in a great position to win the world cup, dimply because the competition is not that good. South Africa, got lot matches in their home turf and I think that the only reason they got number 1 ranking. I don’t see Smith as a level headed captain; Gibbs fires when ever he wants to; Pollock is good only against India; Kallis is too slow for one day game. Except Nitini South Africa do not have any match winners. They don’t have Klusner this time. Au...

Over the weekend, I finished the book by Dr. Kalam. The book covers his days in school and his days as a researcher. I was always curious, how come a scientist, transformed himself into a great president. The common issue which gets lost is the fact that he was leading India’s space program and not working there as a researcher. From the book, it does seem that he completely transformed the way the research organization was functioning. Each and every steps explained in the book are fundamentals for a good leader. No wonder he is a great president. The book does not talk how he became a president and why he accepted the job etc. I was curious to know about his plans for India. It kind of ended abruptly. I started to write about Dr. Kalam’s childhood and the similarity I have with that. Once I started to type, it went into aspects which were beyond people’s understanding, so I stopped it. The core of the issue is how much Dr. Kalam’s life is transformed by the fact that he was surrounde...

Yesterday, I was watching the Discovery channel and there was program about the date “December 21, 2012”. I heard about this date before, but never really put some thought into it but suddenly this date feels so near. December 21, 2012 is described as a dooms day scenario based on the Mayan calendar. Discovery channel linked the significance of the day with Mayan, Chinese and some events from Bible. May be this is what I am looking for. I am searching for a valid reason to return to India, now I can publish my case based on this date!!! I can go back to India, get a land right in the middle of country. Tsunami could be dangerous, so I don’t want sea shore. I will ask my uncles who are in farming to come and live with me. After all I do not want to starve to death! May be I can build a bunker? After a good night sleep, the first thing which came to my mind before I even brushed my teeth was the date December 21 2012. Now, I really wanted to put an end to this. I did not want to encourag...

First kid of a family should be given some sort of reservation in everything. These kids are guinea pigs for every parent. As a first time dad, you want prove that you are better than your father, you have vision, you want portray to the world that you have best kid in town. You know what is the bottom line of all these, total chaos! Yesterday my 5 year old started his soccer program. This was his first time in any kind of group activity, not to mention, mine too. I went there with my digital camera, camcorder, bought him a new soccer shoe (cleats, I was informed that I should call it cleats), shin guard, I was fully prepared. Introduced myself to the coach, and he checked all the gears and I was thinking to myself, Have you ever seen a better dad than me? Then the coach goes, where are the water and the towel? I looked around; every parent there had a water bottle in one and a towel in the other hand. I was standing there with total shame, how could I have missed this. How could this ...

Today, I read an article in BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6402859.stm) about job cuts in airbus. Suddenly, I started to wonder about India. It is just a matter of time, when something similar happens in India. How would the foreign companies such as Ford, Toyota, and Honda etc react when economical prosperity of India slows down? How would our country's Left and Congress react if companies start down sizing? I remember how Standard Motors was killed in Madras. That was a blood bath. Time will tell.....

My life has gone full circle. I never wondered that, one day I would sit in an alien country and contemplate whether I should return to India or not. Suddenly India seems to be the destination. Last week, one of my friends sent me a link to a blogger, he was bashing about all the people who are associated with a NRI. He wrote about how the NRI always complain, and how life was like hell in an alien country, how drinking tea next to a soiled street is the best thing etc. For me he is either a guy who never got is Green Card and things in US didn’t work out the way he expected or even worse, he might be a misguided “congressman” who is lost in Gandhian principles. Self sacrifice is a misunderstood empathy. For example, I have never been to Mumbai, but I have an aversion for the city. I understand that I shouldn’t judge something or someone, if I have never experience it or them. Likewise, people talk about self sacrifice, without even experiencing the other side. Our people for the most ...

9 Years of marriage, never watched my marriage video. Yesterday, that ended. I was quite surprised by the video. Probably, I was the only one who did not belong in there. At 24, I had no clue. I was showing off, I was trying not to talk to my wife (I was told that you should stamp your authority right at the beginning, I wonder where that went?), advising my friends and brothers what to do, talking on par with my uncles, I was sincerely trying to belong to the married man’s club. I looked like an idiot, but what’s surprising was that, my wife was at ease. We both are of same age, but how come she was more matured in the video? Is it me or does everyone thinks that you always want to be at the next stage of your life. I remember growing up; all I wanted to be was to be Doctor, went to CEG and became an engineer. Right from the first year, I was thinking about the first job and first pay. From the very first day at work, I was thinking about marriage and my retirement!!!! Marriage follow...

A Conversation between my wife and I I:I think we should get a Digital Camera! Wife:OK I:I like the Nokon D80 Wife:How much is it? I:Around 1000 dollars! Wife:You know for sure that you are not going to spend that much money! Why are you even looking at it? I:Well I think its a good buy! Last week, I went and bought the Nikon D50 for 500 dollars. Neither the low end "point and shoot" camera nor the high end D80. Something in the middle. This is what my father went through in India, and now I am following his foot steps in an alien country. "Right in the Middle"....

Gandhi – the name has become a synonym for something good isn’t it? Sometime I wonder whether a person with a name as “Manickavinayagam Muthumanicam” stands a chance to attract such a multitude of people as Gandhi. I doubt it. There are conflicting reports on how Nehru’s family attached Gandhi to their surname. It is hard to image, Indira Khan would be as successful as Indira Gandhi. Whoever or however the name change was done, it was one by a political genius. Recently, I read a book “Wounded Civilization” by Mr. Naipaul. It has everything in it to believe that it is written by an Indian. Back in the days, when I listen to my grandfather, each sentence will have many hidden meaning. How I break it was literally up to me. For some reason, when I read this book I was thinking about him. Growing up in the 80’s, when the economical prosperity which people see now in India was not there, everyone in India was a communist. Rob the rich give it to the poor. (I have nothing against communism,...