Check this out. It may appear to be seriously disturbing to some of you. I can associate this totally with me (me, a long time ago!).
Hello Grace-Monday!
Sunday, July 31, 2005
California and Mother Nature
A few weeks ago, I got a taste of what living in California is like. Residents of Florida are under perennial threat of hurricanes during the monsoon. Californians live under the constant threat of earthquakes. There is always a distinct possibility of a 10.5 hitting the San Andreas fault; near which I reside.
Florida got five hurricanes this past year. In the middle of the June Gloom in California, we had a week of three earthquakes and one tsunami warning. Talk about activity! The earthquakes were not major; the destruction was very minimal. Just a few evacuations here and there. But still, the threat exists. A major earthquake hits California and voila, this part of the world has another island. This thought makes me realise how small and insignificant our race is in the bigger picture!
The human race has been around for just about hundred thousand years now and we go about our daily stuff thinking we are the ultimate power on this planet and we can do as we please. Such a false pretense on our part! We constantly forget the ultimate force in this universe, that can do as it pleases without being answerable to anyone - Nature. Theologists/religious scholars call this force the Work of God and scientists break this force down to electrons, neutrons and beyond. Do as you may please, you just cannot ignore the force of nature.
There is no way we can predict, let alone prevent such catastrophes. Mother Nature does as she pleases and there is no one who can stop her from doing so!
Humans do possess the capability of creating such destruction, but our force is ultimately controlled by someone and our behavior is more or less completely predictable.
And on the other hand, we have Mother Nature creating animals such as the raccoons; one of their brethren running under and almost getting run over by my car a few days ago. Such is the varied behavior of this force.
I got a taste of all this within 10 days. My days in California seem to be becoming interesting!!
Florida got five hurricanes this past year. In the middle of the June Gloom in California, we had a week of three earthquakes and one tsunami warning. Talk about activity! The earthquakes were not major; the destruction was very minimal. Just a few evacuations here and there. But still, the threat exists. A major earthquake hits California and voila, this part of the world has another island. This thought makes me realise how small and insignificant our race is in the bigger picture!
The human race has been around for just about hundred thousand years now and we go about our daily stuff thinking we are the ultimate power on this planet and we can do as we please. Such a false pretense on our part! We constantly forget the ultimate force in this universe, that can do as it pleases without being answerable to anyone - Nature. Theologists/religious scholars call this force the Work of God and scientists break this force down to electrons, neutrons and beyond. Do as you may please, you just cannot ignore the force of nature.
There is no way we can predict, let alone prevent such catastrophes. Mother Nature does as she pleases and there is no one who can stop her from doing so!
Humans do possess the capability of creating such destruction, but our force is ultimately controlled by someone and our behavior is more or less completely predictable.
And on the other hand, we have Mother Nature creating animals such as the raccoons; one of their brethren running under and almost getting run over by my car a few days ago. Such is the varied behavior of this force.
I got a taste of all this within 10 days. My days in California seem to be becoming interesting!!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Blooper!
SUPER BLOOPER actually!
Check this out!
Madras, a South Indian state??! What next? International press reports formation of a new state by splitting Karnataka?? (For the ignorant - there used to be rumors about this during the whole need for a new high court for Northern Karnataka fiasco more than a year ago!!!)
This piece of news is from Associated Press!!!
Voice out your opinions.
Check this out!
Madras, a South Indian state??! What next? International press reports formation of a new state by splitting Karnataka?? (For the ignorant - there used to be rumors about this during the whole need for a new high court for Northern Karnataka fiasco more than a year ago!!!)
This piece of news is from Associated Press!!!
Voice out your opinions.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Bliss in the Meadows!
There is a God!!!
They say that music can tame the soul of a beast. I really don't know how true that is. But music makes me feel alive! It maybe a cliche, but it is true. No matter where I am, as long as I have my music ringing in my ears, I feel comfortable. There was a time when I used to practically live for my music. That may not be the sole cause of my existence right now, but my feelings/enthusiasm haven't changed one bit. Can you even imagine how I would feel if bands like Symphony-X, Nevermore, Fear Factory, Dream Theater and Megadeth amongst others, played at the same venue????
IT WAS NOT WOODSTOCK, PEOPLE!!!
There is a small amphi-theatre in the city of Irvine (about 18 miles from where I live), which plays host to many concerts. Oh boy, am I glad it is, as is!!!
It was a hot California afternoon, when the first band on the second stage - Bobaflex, started the proceedings. They are an alternative band with hip-hop influences. The band, though they did not play my kind of music, were extremely tight on stage (the bass player had his guitar up so high on his chest, it appeared as if he was in pain when playing, at times!). Then came the band Dry Kill Logic. The band appears to be influenced by Pantera and System of a Down. Their energy on stage was awesome! This band would definitely get my vote for stage prescence, if any awards were to be given out.
Then, the sea of people moved to the main stage where Nevermore had started their performance. This is an extreme thrash metal band. The band promised to "bastardize" the 1960's classic - Sounds of Silence. Oh boy, did they bastardize it or what!!!! Though it would have been good if they did not convert a 1960's rock and roll(??!!) classic into a moshing song, I donot regret what I saw and heard. :)))) They ended their setlist with the title track of their album Enemies of Reality.
I headed back to the second stage where Symphony-X were on. This progressive band is mindblowingly tight!!! The crowd that was quite sedate, even during the Nevermore performance, rose to its feet and you could see people swaying to the music (probably a decent way to address head-banging...hehhee!!!). Then I went back to the main stage to witness what can be called a BIG disappointment. I never expected to be so disappointed to see Fear Factory. They were good and everything, but not quite what I expected from hearing most of their albums. In the middle of their set, the guitarist started strumming the intro of Walk by Pantera (RIP Dimebag!) and the crowd got to its feet immediately, which even provoked a comment from the vocalist Burton C Bell.
I took a break from everything to grab a quick bite. In the meantime, Life of Agony were playing on the second stage.
I headed back to the main stage where Dream Theater were all set to start their set list. Need I say any more about Dream Theater? They were absolutely mind-f***in-blowin!!! Though James LaBrie decided to go his own way a couple of times in one of their songs. Their setlist comprised of songs mainly from their new album, Octavarium. I was quite sad to see them leave off-stage!
Then came the juggernaut called Megadeth!!! The band is completely revamped after the split a few years ago. No more David Ellefson on bass or Marty Friedman on guitars or Nick Menza on drums. Dave Mustaine is the only surviving member of the band that released classics like Rust In Peace, Peace Sells...But Who's Buying, Countdown to Extinction, et all. They played some of my all time favs like Skin o my Teeth, Tornado of Souls, Hangar 18, In My Darkest Hour, Symphony of Destruction and ended their set with HOLY WARS...THE PUNISHMENT DUE. I got back my money's worth in just that one song!!! Shawn Grover was absolutely brutal on the double bass drum. It was any metalhead's heaven!! It was absolutely awesome.
I thank the sponsors Verizon Wireless for this whole show and the beautiful amphitheatre!
They killed my wife, and my baby
With hopes to enslave me
First mistake... last mistake!
Paid by the alliance, to slay all the giants
Next mistake... no more mistakes!
They say that music can tame the soul of a beast. I really don't know how true that is. But music makes me feel alive! It maybe a cliche, but it is true. No matter where I am, as long as I have my music ringing in my ears, I feel comfortable. There was a time when I used to practically live for my music. That may not be the sole cause of my existence right now, but my feelings/enthusiasm haven't changed one bit. Can you even imagine how I would feel if bands like Symphony-X, Nevermore, Fear Factory, Dream Theater and Megadeth amongst others, played at the same venue????
IT WAS NOT WOODSTOCK, PEOPLE!!!
There is a small amphi-theatre in the city of Irvine (about 18 miles from where I live), which plays host to many concerts. Oh boy, am I glad it is, as is!!!
It was a hot California afternoon, when the first band on the second stage - Bobaflex, started the proceedings. They are an alternative band with hip-hop influences. The band, though they did not play my kind of music, were extremely tight on stage (the bass player had his guitar up so high on his chest, it appeared as if he was in pain when playing, at times!). Then came the band Dry Kill Logic. The band appears to be influenced by Pantera and System of a Down. Their energy on stage was awesome! This band would definitely get my vote for stage prescence, if any awards were to be given out.
Then, the sea of people moved to the main stage where Nevermore had started their performance. This is an extreme thrash metal band. The band promised to "bastardize" the 1960's classic - Sounds of Silence. Oh boy, did they bastardize it or what!!!! Though it would have been good if they did not convert a 1960's rock and roll(??!!) classic into a moshing song, I donot regret what I saw and heard. :)))) They ended their setlist with the title track of their album Enemies of Reality.
I headed back to the second stage where Symphony-X were on. This progressive band is mindblowingly tight!!! The crowd that was quite sedate, even during the Nevermore performance, rose to its feet and you could see people swaying to the music (probably a decent way to address head-banging...hehhee!!!). Then I went back to the main stage to witness what can be called a BIG disappointment. I never expected to be so disappointed to see Fear Factory. They were good and everything, but not quite what I expected from hearing most of their albums. In the middle of their set, the guitarist started strumming the intro of Walk by Pantera (RIP Dimebag!) and the crowd got to its feet immediately, which even provoked a comment from the vocalist Burton C Bell.
I took a break from everything to grab a quick bite. In the meantime, Life of Agony were playing on the second stage.
I headed back to the main stage where Dream Theater were all set to start their set list. Need I say any more about Dream Theater? They were absolutely mind-f***in-blowin!!! Though James LaBrie decided to go his own way a couple of times in one of their songs. Their setlist comprised of songs mainly from their new album, Octavarium. I was quite sad to see them leave off-stage!
Then came the juggernaut called Megadeth!!! The band is completely revamped after the split a few years ago. No more David Ellefson on bass or Marty Friedman on guitars or Nick Menza on drums. Dave Mustaine is the only surviving member of the band that released classics like Rust In Peace, Peace Sells...But Who's Buying, Countdown to Extinction, et all. They played some of my all time favs like Skin o my Teeth, Tornado of Souls, Hangar 18, In My Darkest Hour, Symphony of Destruction and ended their set with HOLY WARS...THE PUNISHMENT DUE. I got back my money's worth in just that one song!!! Shawn Grover was absolutely brutal on the double bass drum. It was any metalhead's heaven!! It was absolutely awesome.
I thank the sponsors Verizon Wireless for this whole show and the beautiful amphitheatre!
They killed my wife, and my baby
With hopes to enslave me
First mistake... last mistake!
Paid by the alliance, to slay all the giants
Next mistake... no more mistakes!
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Water Woes - Part 2
a.k.a. I can do that!
By this point in time, all who have read this post of mine, know that I am petrified by water. Because of that fear of mine, I have been terrorized by all my friends who could swim whenever we visited a water theme park or any holiday spot involving a water body. They have no doubt tried to rid me of the fear many a time but my obstinance towards entering water made them give up more often than not. And believe you me, I can be stubborn when it comes to entering water!
It was on one of these vacations that the famed I can do that! happened.
The weather was just perfect. The location, scenic beyond description. There was greenery as far as the eye could see. The chirping of birds was like soothing music to the ears. The only rule to be followed was have fun and let other's have fun! I guess this is what some people refer to as utopia. Kodagu seemed to be the perfect place to spend the holidays in between semesters in college. And Abbey Falls was one of the star attraction to vacationers in Kodagu.
As it is at any other waterfall, the best place to hang around is right underneath it. And due to my rabid fear of water, I refused to go anywhere close to it. Plus the fact that the pond had a 12 feet drop midway to the falls did not encourage me to make that journey one bit! After much coaxing and cajoling by Setha and Gagan, I decided to make that trip. We reached base of the waterfall without any incident whatsoever. Water was neck deep at that point and my senses were at a heightened state of alert. I did not want to move anywhere without anyone who could swim accompanying me. At this juncture, I saw one of my friends dive into the murky water off the rockface and become parallel to the surface of the water. I competely disregarded my fear of water and decided to swim (what was I thinking!!). With a rush of adrenaline and uttering the words "I can do that!", I lifted my feet off the ground. There I was in the middle of the pond with nowhere to go but down. I was splashing to attract attention as if there was no tomorrow (if I had not done that, there probably would not have been!). I grabbed on to the shoulder of one of my friends who came to rescue me. The next couple of minutes are a complete blur to me as I was just thrilled to see sunlight again and did not think of anything else.
Apparently, I was a sight to be seen those couple of minutes, with my specs positioned at an awkward angle across my face and me searching for hard ground to place my feet on. I could not have been otherwise - it was a Near Death Experience (har har!) after all. I was rushed away from the water immediately and did not enter the pond from then on. Unfortunately, there are no photographs that captured those priceless moments.
Since then, I have entered even waist deep water with great caution. If the ground appeared slippery (especially near river beds!), those places were a definite no-go for me.
Lesson Learnt: The proverbial saying Don't go near the water until you learn how to swim has somewhat a literal meaning to me (what say you all??).
By this point in time, all who have read this post of mine, know that I am petrified by water. Because of that fear of mine, I have been terrorized by all my friends who could swim whenever we visited a water theme park or any holiday spot involving a water body. They have no doubt tried to rid me of the fear many a time but my obstinance towards entering water made them give up more often than not. And believe you me, I can be stubborn when it comes to entering water!
It was on one of these vacations that the famed I can do that! happened.
The weather was just perfect. The location, scenic beyond description. There was greenery as far as the eye could see. The chirping of birds was like soothing music to the ears. The only rule to be followed was have fun and let other's have fun! I guess this is what some people refer to as utopia. Kodagu seemed to be the perfect place to spend the holidays in between semesters in college. And Abbey Falls was one of the star attraction to vacationers in Kodagu.
As it is at any other waterfall, the best place to hang around is right underneath it. And due to my rabid fear of water, I refused to go anywhere close to it. Plus the fact that the pond had a 12 feet drop midway to the falls did not encourage me to make that journey one bit! After much coaxing and cajoling by Setha and Gagan, I decided to make that trip. We reached base of the waterfall without any incident whatsoever. Water was neck deep at that point and my senses were at a heightened state of alert. I did not want to move anywhere without anyone who could swim accompanying me. At this juncture, I saw one of my friends dive into the murky water off the rockface and become parallel to the surface of the water. I competely disregarded my fear of water and decided to swim (what was I thinking!!). With a rush of adrenaline and uttering the words "I can do that!", I lifted my feet off the ground. There I was in the middle of the pond with nowhere to go but down. I was splashing to attract attention as if there was no tomorrow (if I had not done that, there probably would not have been!). I grabbed on to the shoulder of one of my friends who came to rescue me. The next couple of minutes are a complete blur to me as I was just thrilled to see sunlight again and did not think of anything else.
Apparently, I was a sight to be seen those couple of minutes, with my specs positioned at an awkward angle across my face and me searching for hard ground to place my feet on. I could not have been otherwise - it was a Near Death Experience (har har!) after all. I was rushed away from the water immediately and did not enter the pond from then on. Unfortunately, there are no photographs that captured those priceless moments.
Since then, I have entered even waist deep water with great caution. If the ground appeared slippery (especially near river beds!), those places were a definite no-go for me.
Lesson Learnt: The proverbial saying Don't go near the water until you learn how to swim has somewhat a literal meaning to me (what say you all??).
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Game of Tag
I was tagged by Setha.
Three names I go by:
Three names I go by:
- Dileep
- Soapy
- Dundee
- Flame Boy!
- Mark Antony
- Victor Hugo
- The fine frenchie I once possessed!
- My ever-so-charming smile
- My self manicured fingers
- Dry scalp
- Large pores on my face
- Flaring nostrils
- Patience
- Verbal prowess
- A balding head!
- Cockroaches (even the babies!)
- Ordering food at Twin Dragon (the Chinese food place near work)
- Swiping my credit card at month-ends
- Chocolate milk
- Car
- Cell phone
- Visit a lion safari in Africa
- Swim, atleast once! (check this out)
- Write a song with a bassline that would put Geezer Butler/John Paul Jones/Paul McCartney to shame
- Freelance journalism
- Sell ice to the scientists in Antarctica :D
- Business Systems Architect for any finance industry major
- Florida (in the hurricane season)
- Australia/New Zealand
- Any Latin American country during the monsoon
- I was part of a two on two fist fight in public.
- I am going to follow the path of ahimsa to the very end.
- I really really dig sequels to popular sitcoms.
Perspective...
How many of us take life for granted? And how many take work for granted? I bet a lot of people who are asked the questions - "Do you take life for granted?" or "Do you take your work/job for granted?", answer them in the positive. Most of us tend to consider work to be just a daily routine/a drag/a drudgery etc. We donot probably appreciate what we do. In our quest for more, we probably forget the proverb - "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.". I am not saying that all of us fail in that quest, but the ones that do get hit real bad.
In our quest for more, it could be that we pester our supervisors for a better job profile or it could be that we seek our fortunes elsewhere. What we end up doing is considering the present to be hardly exciting/interesting.
Something happened that changed my perspective towards work completely.
It was a bright and sunny Wednesday morning. Even though the air was filled with the smell of warm California summer, I headed towards my car in a not very pleasant mood. My job seemed to me exactly how I have described above. Not that my job is bad or anything - analyzing the dynamics of a real-time system that has lots of cash flowing through it poses interesting problems many a time. But it can become a pain in the behind at times because of some mindless bureaucracy. The previous day involved some intense action at work and I really did not cherish going back to the same that day. I was wishing for a better profile/a wider range of authority. The roads in my apartment complex were being re-layed. Because of which, I had parked my car in one of the streets around my complex. I was heading towards my car when at one intersection, there was an old man, about 55 years probably, sitting on a bench with a cigarette in his hand. We greeted each other and commented on the beautiful weather that was given to us by Mother Nature. As I turned away towards my car, he made a statement that probably has changed the way I look at things now. He said "Real lucky to have a job, ain't ya!". At that moment, lots of thoughts entered my head.I really did not know how to react to that at that point because I was expecting another heated discussion at work that day, that too early in the morning (not a nice way to start the day!).
Nevertheless, I replied "Yeah!" and I made my way towards my car and sped off in it. On my way to office, I began analyzing that comment of his. It was not the statement, but the tone of his voice that made me do it. It seemed to me that he was unemployed at that time. Not many employed people on a Wednesday morning sit on a bench at an intersection and comment in such a manner. He probably had a job sometime ago. Due to some reason - a sickness or an inexplicable whim of a higher up in his organization or whatever be it, he probably was laid off. He probably had not told his family about his termination of employment. Or his social security money was not being given to him every month. His family probably had to survive on his dwindling savings. He was probably roaming around the streets of Anaheim searching for a job but in vain.
I make quite a decent living. My everyday job schedule, is not all that monotonous. Some of the issues I analyze does require usage of grey matter - they are not very straightforward! One mindless bureaucrat should not be ruining my view of my job. I told myself that moment, that I would not let one person's views about an issue that is inconsequential in the broader way of things, come in the way of my daily work. I should not take my job for granted and not let someone else take my work for granted. Every job is there for a reason and it must be respected for that effect. I will bury the hatchet with anyone who comes up with a idea that opposes mine. I will go to work, each day a different person with a BIG broad smile on my face, happy for the fact that I have a job.
I really wish that others do the same as well, because, believe me it will make you feel like a different person...a better person!
P.S: It may seem like mindless gyaan (advice) to many, but it is small things such as this that changes peoples lives!
In our quest for more, it could be that we pester our supervisors for a better job profile or it could be that we seek our fortunes elsewhere. What we end up doing is considering the present to be hardly exciting/interesting.
Something happened that changed my perspective towards work completely.
It was a bright and sunny Wednesday morning. Even though the air was filled with the smell of warm California summer, I headed towards my car in a not very pleasant mood. My job seemed to me exactly how I have described above. Not that my job is bad or anything - analyzing the dynamics of a real-time system that has lots of cash flowing through it poses interesting problems many a time. But it can become a pain in the behind at times because of some mindless bureaucracy. The previous day involved some intense action at work and I really did not cherish going back to the same that day. I was wishing for a better profile/a wider range of authority. The roads in my apartment complex were being re-layed. Because of which, I had parked my car in one of the streets around my complex. I was heading towards my car when at one intersection, there was an old man, about 55 years probably, sitting on a bench with a cigarette in his hand. We greeted each other and commented on the beautiful weather that was given to us by Mother Nature. As I turned away towards my car, he made a statement that probably has changed the way I look at things now. He said "Real lucky to have a job, ain't ya!". At that moment, lots of thoughts entered my head.I really did not know how to react to that at that point because I was expecting another heated discussion at work that day, that too early in the morning (not a nice way to start the day!).
Nevertheless, I replied "Yeah!" and I made my way towards my car and sped off in it. On my way to office, I began analyzing that comment of his. It was not the statement, but the tone of his voice that made me do it. It seemed to me that he was unemployed at that time. Not many employed people on a Wednesday morning sit on a bench at an intersection and comment in such a manner. He probably had a job sometime ago. Due to some reason - a sickness or an inexplicable whim of a higher up in his organization or whatever be it, he probably was laid off. He probably had not told his family about his termination of employment. Or his social security money was not being given to him every month. His family probably had to survive on his dwindling savings. He was probably roaming around the streets of Anaheim searching for a job but in vain.
I make quite a decent living. My everyday job schedule, is not all that monotonous. Some of the issues I analyze does require usage of grey matter - they are not very straightforward! One mindless bureaucrat should not be ruining my view of my job. I told myself that moment, that I would not let one person's views about an issue that is inconsequential in the broader way of things, come in the way of my daily work. I should not take my job for granted and not let someone else take my work for granted. Every job is there for a reason and it must be respected for that effect. I will bury the hatchet with anyone who comes up with a idea that opposes mine. I will go to work, each day a different person with a BIG broad smile on my face, happy for the fact that I have a job.
I really wish that others do the same as well, because, believe me it will make you feel like a different person...a better person!
P.S: It may seem like mindless gyaan (advice) to many, but it is small things such as this that changes peoples lives!
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Water Woes - Part 1
How many of you swim?? How many of you take to water like a fish?
And on the flip side, how many of you step into waist-deep water and feel like you have stepped on another planet?
I belong to the second category. I have probably been in waist-deep water about eight times in my whole life. And each of those times, I may as well have landed on Mars, as I was spooked to the core. Even if the water body was a swimming pool, I have been scared to quite an extent. If that were the case, you can imagine how I might feel if I were to be standing in a pond under a waterfall or in an ocean!
Here is the deal. It is not like I have never tried learning swimming. I did have a coach in my younger days (read 13 years ago) to teach me with the intricacies of swimming. In my mind's eye, I saw myself swimming like a champion. In reality, I stopped attending swimming class after 10 days into the course. The reason - I was mercilessly left to drown (I may be exaggerating here...) in the middle of the pool by my coach. I attended the classes zealously for a while. I enjoyed being in water (even though it was under the watchful eyes of my coach). And, he had to throw me in the middle of the pool!!
There began my hydrophobia. I have not been able to feel comfortable in water since. And it has been the cause of my anguish a lot of times now. Aaarrgghh...
And on the flip side, how many of you step into waist-deep water and feel like you have stepped on another planet?
I belong to the second category. I have probably been in waist-deep water about eight times in my whole life. And each of those times, I may as well have landed on Mars, as I was spooked to the core. Even if the water body was a swimming pool, I have been scared to quite an extent. If that were the case, you can imagine how I might feel if I were to be standing in a pond under a waterfall or in an ocean!
Here is the deal. It is not like I have never tried learning swimming. I did have a coach in my younger days (read 13 years ago) to teach me with the intricacies of swimming. In my mind's eye, I saw myself swimming like a champion. In reality, I stopped attending swimming class after 10 days into the course. The reason - I was mercilessly left to drown (I may be exaggerating here...) in the middle of the pool by my coach. I attended the classes zealously for a while. I enjoyed being in water (even though it was under the watchful eyes of my coach). And, he had to throw me in the middle of the pool!!
There began my hydrophobia. I have not been able to feel comfortable in water since. And it has been the cause of my anguish a lot of times now. Aaarrgghh...
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Manchester United sold??
Manchester United sold?? The owners of this awesome, once-upon-a-time-feared-by-all English football (oops!! soccer...) club are from the USA, a country where soccer is almost non-existent. MLS does exist, but I donot see much coverage on TV. Maybe I have to subscribe to some channel and pay more to the already blown-sky-high cable TV bill, just to see some soccer action! Hmmm...
A long time ago, I was shell-shocked when I heard that the great Roberto Baggio moved to NY-NJ MetroStars of the MLS. For a moment, I thought I had turned on a super bloopers show and the anchor was kidding! Somehow, the thought of soccer and USA together does not present a pretty picture to me. EVER (and I live in this country, people)!
I have been an ardent follower of this soccer club for the past 10 years. I have worshipped them through thick and thin - when they were the undisputed champions of England for years together in a row and when they went through a slump in their form - post 2000 when most of their stars were transferred to lesser worthy (??) clubs. I can't even remember which clubs Dwight Yorke and Andy (Andrew) Cole transferred to. But they came back to form again. Some very talented players were brought into the squad. All those moves showed that the aggresiveness that is characteristic of Manchester United was still present.
Does this takeover of a great club by an American tycoon depict the start of the demise of a great club? I mean, I read here that a lot of external financing was required to complete the takeover. The possibility of raising the ticket fares and decreasing the transfer spending foretells doom for this club (I hope I am wrong!).
I am not following the sport or any associated event with this sport currently, because of the reasons mentioned above. So, I may not have the complete picture when I say this. But, was there nothing that could have been done to prevent this takeover? Soccer has predominantly been a European and South American sport. A European club, in the hands of an American NFL owner can only present an interesting (may not be favorable!) series of events to this fan. I can just hope for better fortunes to this club. They ended up third in the English Premier League this season. I pray to the Almighty and the new owners to take up the right steps in order to restore glory to Manchester United.
GO RED DEVILS!!!
P.S: All you Real Madrid fans can say what you want, but Man Utd is still the best ever... :D.
A long time ago, I was shell-shocked when I heard that the great Roberto Baggio moved to NY-NJ MetroStars of the MLS. For a moment, I thought I had turned on a super bloopers show and the anchor was kidding! Somehow, the thought of soccer and USA together does not present a pretty picture to me. EVER (and I live in this country, people)!
I have been an ardent follower of this soccer club for the past 10 years. I have worshipped them through thick and thin - when they were the undisputed champions of England for years together in a row and when they went through a slump in their form - post 2000 when most of their stars were transferred to lesser worthy (??) clubs. I can't even remember which clubs Dwight Yorke and Andy (Andrew) Cole transferred to. But they came back to form again. Some very talented players were brought into the squad. All those moves showed that the aggresiveness that is characteristic of Manchester United was still present.
Does this takeover of a great club by an American tycoon depict the start of the demise of a great club? I mean, I read here that a lot of external financing was required to complete the takeover. The possibility of raising the ticket fares and decreasing the transfer spending foretells doom for this club (I hope I am wrong!).
I am not following the sport or any associated event with this sport currently, because of the reasons mentioned above. So, I may not have the complete picture when I say this. But, was there nothing that could have been done to prevent this takeover? Soccer has predominantly been a European and South American sport. A European club, in the hands of an American NFL owner can only present an interesting (may not be favorable!) series of events to this fan. I can just hope for better fortunes to this club. They ended up third in the English Premier League this season. I pray to the Almighty and the new owners to take up the right steps in order to restore glory to Manchester United.
GO RED DEVILS!!!
P.S: All you Real Madrid fans can say what you want, but Man Utd is still the best ever... :D.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
War of the Worlds - what the *#$@?!!
How many of you out there revere Steven Spielberg as a master story teller and a director par excellence?? I, for one, revere him as both the above. Believe it or not, I have seen Jurassic Park 17 times and ET, god knows how many times!! And these were just his OK movies. Both were nice movies, stories a tad bit (?!?!) out of the ordinary. Agreed there were movies about aliens before ET, but those movies depicted aliens as creatures set to blow the entire world sky high!! They did not have cute and cuddly aliens - a la ET.
A few days ago, I saw the trailer for War of the Worlds during my visit to the local AMC theatres. It looked interesting and decided to see the movie once it was released. With all the destruction shown in the trailer, I thought it would be one more action packed adventure from the master. And I did get a chance to see this thanks to my boss who gave me free tickets to go catch the spectacle (seemed like a debacle at the end of the movie!).
All those people who are interested in seeing the movie, please exit at this point as the climax of the movie is going to be blown to smithereens here (atleast it is an attempt to do so!). The rest of you can read on.
This movie starts of with the focus on Tom Cruise - a divorcee with two kids. The ex is on a vacation and decides to leave the kids with the dad. Then, the skies open up. There are reports of lightning strikes, thunderstorms, EMP blasts all over the world. Yeah, you guessed it right. The same things happen in Tom Cruise's town as well. The the alien machines rise from the under the ground. The sub-terrain has been the hibernating ground for these creatures for god knows how long!
The next few minutes is nothing but bloody carnage! And by bloody, I mean it literally. These creatures suck the blood from the humans and spew it all over the place. It is not exactly the place for hematophobics. While all this happening, you would expect some heavy artillery from the earthlings. And not the kind that involves war tanks and rocket launchers. Coming to the climax, it is quite lame. The action in the movie lasts for about an hour and a half. The destruction of the aliens last just 2 minutes! I mean, shouldn't there be something more to destroying the creatures than see the alien machines stop moving and having the military fire their rocket launchers at them?
That's it. The movie is over at that point. I mean, el finito! There is a small description as to what happened that brought about this demise of the intelligent species from another world that had its machines buried deep underground in our planet and decided to wake these machines up one fine day. The secret weapon that destroyed the alien species was nothing but the millions and millions of viruses and bacteria that exist in our planet. Humans have evolved over time, adjusting their bodies to these viruses and bacteria. The aliens apparently donot have the antibodies to defend themselves from these creatures. Hence, they were dying a slow death from the time they stepped foot on our planet.
It could probably be an intelligent answer to what may happen if and when Earth is attacked by aliens. But, for a movie coming in the wake of a high octane thriller called Star Wars, I thought it was a lame ending. I would definitely give 8 or 9 out of 10 for special effects, 7 for the overall acting and another 8 or 9 for the photography/videography (I donot know the right word here!! I am sorry.). But overall, the movie would rate just about a 5 or 6 because of the ending. I am no professional movie critic, but I do have a right to voice my opinion. But one thing I really liked about this movie was the way the alien creatures are portrayed. I mean, starting off with creatures that looked like a cuddly teddy (that is how I would like to describe ET), Spielberg has come a long way showing us real life-like alien creatures. They looked so real!
Spielberg fans, flame me all you want. But that is the truth and you all know it.
A few days ago, I saw the trailer for War of the Worlds during my visit to the local AMC theatres. It looked interesting and decided to see the movie once it was released. With all the destruction shown in the trailer, I thought it would be one more action packed adventure from the master. And I did get a chance to see this thanks to my boss who gave me free tickets to go catch the spectacle (seemed like a debacle at the end of the movie!).
All those people who are interested in seeing the movie, please exit at this point as the climax of the movie is going to be blown to smithereens here (atleast it is an attempt to do so!). The rest of you can read on.
This movie starts of with the focus on Tom Cruise - a divorcee with two kids. The ex is on a vacation and decides to leave the kids with the dad. Then, the skies open up. There are reports of lightning strikes, thunderstorms, EMP blasts all over the world. Yeah, you guessed it right. The same things happen in Tom Cruise's town as well. The the alien machines rise from the under the ground. The sub-terrain has been the hibernating ground for these creatures for god knows how long!
The next few minutes is nothing but bloody carnage! And by bloody, I mean it literally. These creatures suck the blood from the humans and spew it all over the place. It is not exactly the place for hematophobics. While all this happening, you would expect some heavy artillery from the earthlings. And not the kind that involves war tanks and rocket launchers. Coming to the climax, it is quite lame. The action in the movie lasts for about an hour and a half. The destruction of the aliens last just 2 minutes! I mean, shouldn't there be something more to destroying the creatures than see the alien machines stop moving and having the military fire their rocket launchers at them?
That's it. The movie is over at that point. I mean, el finito! There is a small description as to what happened that brought about this demise of the intelligent species from another world that had its machines buried deep underground in our planet and decided to wake these machines up one fine day. The secret weapon that destroyed the alien species was nothing but the millions and millions of viruses and bacteria that exist in our planet. Humans have evolved over time, adjusting their bodies to these viruses and bacteria. The aliens apparently donot have the antibodies to defend themselves from these creatures. Hence, they were dying a slow death from the time they stepped foot on our planet.
It could probably be an intelligent answer to what may happen if and when Earth is attacked by aliens. But, for a movie coming in the wake of a high octane thriller called Star Wars, I thought it was a lame ending. I would definitely give 8 or 9 out of 10 for special effects, 7 for the overall acting and another 8 or 9 for the photography/videography (I donot know the right word here!! I am sorry.). But overall, the movie would rate just about a 5 or 6 because of the ending. I am no professional movie critic, but I do have a right to voice my opinion. But one thing I really liked about this movie was the way the alien creatures are portrayed. I mean, starting off with creatures that looked like a cuddly teddy (that is how I would like to describe ET), Spielberg has come a long way showing us real life-like alien creatures. They looked so real!
Spielberg fans, flame me all you want. But that is the truth and you all know it.
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