Exile On Mainstream

The title has been inspired by the Matchbox Twenty album of the same and I have been waiting for some time now to write this post but one thing or the other has come in between me and writing this very post but finally it is here and I hope it does bring out the very essence I wanted in it.

It started when the Troika met and as always the so-called moment of truth came about what has happened in the last one year and the path taken by everyone. The most important concern was not about the path which was taken, but if the path was the right path and if it was the one which should have been taken.

A year ago, I decided to take control of my own destiny and I seriously felt that each and everyone’s path can be controlled to an extend and though it surely was a coup of sorts but still managed to pull it off and decided to follow the path and go for something which was always called a dream for various reasons. Yes it was a gamble but it was no blind gamble and I had enough faith in myself to go after this gamble which did not go as well as it planned.

To an extend though after a year I am still the master of my destiny but still external forces continue to make a huge influence though there are times when you think about it and the dark side does take over your thinking but again when we are in dark times, we just cannot always be the shining light as it is very tough to lead a life like that.

I have not put down on the dark sins as the very essence of life like many of the people who do exist have but then it is vital and important to an extend that it can never be discounted. But the question is that if the wait is worth it or will it become too late whereas you keep waiting and waiting and in the end nothing does happen.

You have nothing to lose now and the wait well at most times leads to something good. I may wonder but then thanks to the very path a very few very fortunate incidents have occurred and this itself goes down well with the concept of taking your destiny in your own hands.

I have taken it in my own hands and I know it is tough but then time is always slow and the wait maybe long but the end result is something which is worth after all and this is one thing which I have always believed in so far and only after that can I truly comment if it was worth it after all.

2009 Wimbledon Picks

While the French Open threw some unexpected results with Roger Federer finally winning the French Open but then though he did beat the guy who dumped Nadal out of the tournament but there is nothing like beating Rafa and then winning at Paris as Rafa did beat Federer on grass and won Wimbledon last year in style. But with Rafa suffering from injuries, this could be the year for Roger and what better place than Wimbledon to go one up on Pete and break his record for most career grand slam titles. Though there are few others who could ruffle feathers on grass and it includes the British hope Murray, the mercurial Safin who not only surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals last year but this year will be his last Wimbledon and if his mind works then well he can go and have a fairy tale retirement on grass while others like Roddick, Potro and Djokovic should survive the first week. There are also some dangerous floaters like Haas, Tsonga and Blake who can cause an upset or two.

On the women’s side among the current players, there are four who have won the title and that include the William sisters, Sharapova and Mauresmo. While the William sisters have shown indifferent form off-late, don’t be too surprised if one of them once again takes the crown as in the last 9 years, they have won it 7 times. Sharapova is coming back from an injury and after an unexpected dream run at the French Open, don’t be surprised to see her as a major threat to the crown and she is surely one of the clear favourites to reclaim the title which she won in 2004 while Mauresmo is on a decline and if she reaches the quarter-finals it should be good for her. Among the other the likes of Safina, Kuznetsova and Dementieva do pose a threat and though Kuznetsova did win the French Open, she will have to face the likes of young guns like Azarenka and Wozniacki to get to the final 4.

Among the men’s side if Nadal can stay fit well he will once again face Federer in the finals and we can expect a great finals but don’t count out the dangerous Safin while Taylor Dent if he progresses to the main draw can cause an upset of 2 while among the women if Sharapova gets into her rhythm she should be tough to dislodge while the William sisters are not invincible anymore and fitness will play a crucial role.

Sharapova Strikes Back!!!

Maria Sharapova is the most popular tennis player in the planet without even playing for the last 10 months due to various injuries and Masha as she is fondly called is playing the French Open the one slam which she has failed to win and clay has always been a surface which has not favoured her style of play but the former world #1 is showing the grit and determination that made her the best player in the world at this year’s French Open. Though she has been tested at every round, she has somehow managed to overcome the odds and has reached the 4th round of the French Open. She may not win the title this year but she surely is determined and expects her to break into the top 10 by the year end and she could well even win either Wimbledon or US Open or even both. No one gave her a chance during this year’s French Open but now she is currently the dark horse and the sentimental favourite to win this year’s title so let’s all hope for the best!

French Open Predictions 2009

The French Open is here once again and though it has started today, I did have the time to give out my predictions only now as have been with some stuff off late.

The last few years have not seen much change in the men’s section of the drawn with Rafael Nadal once again going into the French Open as the hot favourite as he so far had a neat perfect season until his arch Federer beat him on clay in Madrid. Though we have seen this in the past and we always do wonder if Fedex has cracked the Nadal puzzle on clay but this could well be his last chance as he is getting older every year and he needs this title not only to win a career grand slam but also equal Sampras’s record number of slams and take his position as one of the best players to have played the game. Other who can challenge the duo will include Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and even guys like Juan Martin Del Potro and David Ferrer.

The women’s side looks like it is going to be wide open but Dinara Safina should be the hot favourite while she can be challenged by the likes of the defending champion Ana Ivanovic, the William sisters, Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova. For once we do not have a Russian army going after the dark horse spots but we do youngsters like Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska not only chasing a slam but also after Sharapova’s glam queen role. Speaking of Masha, she will be making her grand slam comeback and though the French Open has not been her favourite slam it is always good to see Masha back on court and I highly doubt if she can win the title but she sure can knock some big names out.

Don’t be surprised if you are going to witness Nadal and Federer once again in the finals but on the women’s side I would bet on Safina with Ivanovic and Wozniacki as long shots.

Inside the Pit!

You sit and you just brood. You look at the stars, you look at the dark sky and you keep looking at things which are not reachable. The more you look the more you think. Then you go back to your normal life, where you do things and live the same day every other day. There is no difference between the day of the past and the day of the present. But will the day of the future change? No it does not as the day of the future once again will be the same day where you keep doing one thing after the other.

Time is both a boon and a curse, but when you look at a few things, well time is a curse as you long for the days which has passed away and the times when we all did worry but then you hid it in a box and you just went on but how long can go keep going down a path which leads nowhere so you decided to do something which you always wanted to do and you ended up making a decision which was taken as there was no other alternative.

The decision which seems to look wise was no wiser as it was taken in a state where illusion was the thing which existed before you where as reality was hidden and kept away and you were forced to take this up. Now when you look back at the decision you have taken, well it does look you may have taken the right call or you may have even taken the red pill and you decided to follow the rabbit and see where it takes you.

The blue pill would have been something totally different, well some things could be bough over the counter but some things are not just for sale and you just have to keep looking at them. Since the blue pill was rejected no point even going down to road and looking at what could have happened scenario as it is pointless.

The rabbit continues to lead but the colour of the rabbit keeps changing and you get confused at every turn it makes. You do wonder what is real and you always wish that you wake up and find everything to be a figment of your imagination.

Imagination can be very powerful that sometimes it draws a cloud over reality that it continues to make you think that you are truly in wonderland while you are in a deep pit and the pit is a never ending one where you fall at a rapid pace and you tend to ignore the fall as you are blinded by the black magic which is shrouded around you and make you believe that things are always fine.

Things will never be the same again and all the red pill has done is that made you wait for wonderland which never exists where as you must realize that you do not a pill to do things you need want as you never needed them anyway as you can follow what you want to do. You have done it before you can do it again as nothing can stop you from what you want to do as you will do it once again.

The Illusion!

I believe in a few things and sometimes I believe in them so much that even though the person may not believe in it but still I do. I always used to wonder how things are on the other side and I still do to this day. It is fine thinking about life and said what could be and things like that. But then life do not always hand us a silver spoon and many times you wonder why the hell is that you of all the people do need to pass all this?

You think about your life and the more you think the more answers you get to it, well you look at the other side and you always wonder how easy the life is on the other side, but then there is a inner part of you which tells you if that is something which do you want to or which is something which you think you want to but you always hate it but never realized how much you dislike it.

A year back when i was stuck by a Momentary Lapse of Reasoning however rationally I tried to think I just could not find the solution well once again after a year a similar situation has come about but not to that magnitude but something more or less on similar lines but something did save me once again. For all you know this could turn out to be Kryptonite or something even worse but then the more I think about it, the more it made me realize that it may not be Kryptonite after all and it may be something which can be the missing link!

Well for all you know, looking back at the past and the way things have gone, well you may be just be looking at another kryptonite but then I reached a point where I do not care about anything else and this well even if things just goes on and it turns out to be another illusion well, it is fine as long as I see things the way it is supposed to be then it is very much fine.

A year back this very illusion saved me from the lack of reasoning and while the same thing may once again keep me away from it but then for all you know this may very well be an illusion in itself but then it is something which you may relate to and it will always be something which you always seen in a dream but then it was always covered up by something which makes you look at different things.

If at all if this illusion becomes a reality well I may be called a madman, but then at times it is always easy to be on the other side and just comment on things, well I have never been on the other side and at times also which that I do not go to the other side but I secretly do hope that I get back to the reality which I need to.

ON Turning 26

One year may not make a huge difference but heck turning 26 is something totally different and well the year sure had its own share of fun 

It has been a tradition to roll out something done during the course of the year!

• Semi-drunk now and had to cut a cake for birthday after ages, thanks once again to the work buddies
• Still having Momentary Lapse of Reasoning but at times do Come back to life!
• Mini bar well stocked
• Finally wore the official Scuderia Ferrari Shirt and well race was wrecked by rain and everyone except Ferrari got half-points
• What Book?
• Still can last more than a handful rounds of beer
• Survived one year in advertising!
• Spend a fortune on the big bro but worth it
• Finally a beer oops club member
• Blog is as usual going fine but started writing for Bleacher and also started a F1 blog
• Long sabbatical from quizzing
• Stills things about “what could have been” and “the lost ones”
• Goody one still manages to take mind off, will it happen?
• Dream On but it is still a dream
• Facing the front-line brunt of recession but how long can it last!
• Had an ill-fated comeback but then got some sense and well decided to take an indefinite break
• Looks fit but hardly near the good old running days
• Need to quit a bad habit but atleast the thought is still there and also trying hard
• Not sure if now in the dream or the nightmare zone!
• Continue to buck the system and still challenge the materialistic world
• Still a believer!!!
• Still broke and at times regret doing the Masters

Like always may have missed something but then the last one year was sure fun and did believe that something would happen but then maybe it is all for good and maybe things can still work out or the goodness will prevail or something may just make a comeback but then it sure been an eventful year and hope the next year changes a lot in a good way 

White Collar Slavery

We are nothing more than a mass society that thrives on consumerism, materialism, capitalism and highly dependent on technology. The social order is programmed so that nothing gets out of the system and it is well under the control of the man to keep everyone under the slave system which exists but then it is a system so well done that none actually knew about the existence and infact though everyone is under this system bound by invisible chains, everyone will only ridicule the fact that such as system actually exists in real life. They will because the existence of such a system is something which they have can never believe as they have been tuned all their life that such a possibility or even a though or it is not possible.

Looking at how we go about our mundane routine life is not at all a funny sight. It is a sad fact that though some still knows that something is wrong but they are not able to do anything about it as we all exist in this society and any questions on the functional of this mass society is itself a grave sin which many are not willing to take a chance.

We not need a saviour to get us out of this system, but if we can unite and take a stance against the man and his system then all of us can be freed and we can go to a world not bound by rules but a truly Anarchism system which we all have always longed for as we do not need anyone to govern us or do we need a set of rules to make us into slaves once again.

Humanity since its inception has believed in slavery as that was the most effective system to control the masses as due to some unforeseen error, society which was anarchists in nature took a fall and the man seeing how week humans were decided to control the system and created the mass society and the social order so that he can control the minds and thinking without even the knowledge of the person. This has been the order for centuries and this will be the case for another few centuries to come till some external order decided to break the shackles and create chaos to free the minds who which to be liberated.

Today the man is control of everything, right from what we eat to what we watch. We are so dependent on the man that we at times which we were slaves rather than be liberated and live the life that we originally were supposed to live rather than living a life that we are forced to live. We may never rise up unless the messiah makes a return to fight against the man and his system.

We are slaves or to be more specific white collar slaves who serve the interest of the man through his organizations and corporations. Our only purpose is to propagate consumerism so that the mass society is bound deeper into the slavery where after a point no matter what they do there is no return from such a system as the end will be the only solution. It may already gone to a point where the end may be the only solution but this will be known soon as there was a purpose and a reason on why the calendar did stop at one point.

The messiah may come to try to save us all or the messiah may feel that we as a race have reached the point of no return that the end will be the only way a new beginning can start. But then will be decay and then lead to a slow and a painful end or will there be an end where we don’t even realize that the end has come and a new society starts fresh?

Questions which can be answered only when the end comes and it leads to a new beginning so that the original society can rise up and we can live the life as we are designed to be. Till then the white collar slaves will continue to do the biddings of the man and we will continue to wait for things to happen rather then become a messianic and do things.

Recession is a Myth

I am no economist but off late the word “recession”, is the most used word everywhere and though the word actually came into prominence after Julius Shiskin, an Economic Statistician used it in an article for the New York Times back in the 1970’s it has been quoted almost on a daily basis in every corporate house right from the one’s in Wall Street to even the agency located in Pantheon Road!

A few years back, India was at it so-called economic peak as the stock market kept breaking records on a daily basis and India was well on set to proclaim to the word that by 2010 it was all set to become a major economic powerhouse which can rival G8 counties and by 2020 it will be the new superpower matching neighbouring China. But alas all that happens to be a pipe dream and the so called “recession” has hit our country badly that though people are losing jobs everyday there was not even mentioned in the media.

The common point was that India was safe and everyone was like though we keep hearing about it there was actually no instance of anyone actually losing a job, well the truth is that people do lose jobs and leave the ones who come out b-schools who do expect fat pay checks just because they have a Masters in Business Management and they think that they are god’s gift to the corporate world (This comes from an MBA who did reject a fat pay cheque to do something he wanted to do for a long time).

So these people will eventually find a job or atleast expected to find one, but the people who will be hurt the most are the guys who have put in their heart and soul for the company for the last decade or so only to realize that they first well the new kids on the block with fancy degrees earn more than what they do and then they are the first ones to be kicked out in the name of recession.

In today’s world an experienced individual with a professional degree after 20+ years of work experience is upstaged by 22 years olds just because they have a fancy degree. But all this is going to end soon as the powers to be has finally woken up and decided to something.

Well there is a theory which blames Globalization to recession and also with the Global Warming issue suddenly under the carpet as now with the economic downturn people have become more important than the planet, while this would only give us some short term gain but this is going to lead to some serious consequences in the near future.

Ya now coming back to the whole point of recession, well in any organization like we all know however it claims to have a horizontal structure and blah blah, when it comes to the pay structure, it becomes as bureaucratic as possible and very strictly follows the pyramid structure or the vertical one. The organization claims that the man at the top is the general and so the whole fate of the organization with him and so he becomes the most important man.

So to save this dude, well the guys at the bottom of this pyramid are chopped off. Well to save one guy who earns insane amount of sums some 50 guys who have families and just started their careers take the fall. If the man on top is soo good then whatever economic crisis comes it should actually have a zero impact on the company. And whatever happened to the profits which the company have been making for donkey’s years?

If employees are truly assets for the company, then they would not be stripping the assets to cut cost as these once performing assets suddenly turned into expendable commodity so that the white elephant can survive the tide. Worst is in the United States, Citigroup and AIG which still exists today thanks to the hardworking while collar tax payers, the executives got fat bonuses and continue to enjoy perks which they don’t deserve in the first place as it was their foolishness which brought the organization to that level.

The whole recession concept is used to deny a person his richly deserved hikes and bonuses and with zero morale a new breed of white collars individuals are waiting for a new messiah who would lead them against the tyranny of a select few who continue to use recession to suppress people so that their own benefits can be taken care off.

Recession is a myth created by a few to suppress the many as we are the middle children as we have not seen or fought great wars and since we do not actually have a depression this was created to keep things under the tab!

Happy Birthday Masha

The ravikshow wishes Maria Sharapova a happy 22nd birthday!

Celebration 600!

Never expected to reach 600 posts in such a quick time, but ya off late was slowed down a lot and I guess with the global meltdown, maybe even blogging was hit by recession of ideas! Expect more to come and I would like to thank all the regulars for checking and supporting me during the time I started blogging and it has been more than 3 years since the first post and well the layout may have changed a bit but some things continue to remain the same. I will continue to blog and hope can increase the number of posts in the coming few months.

Also since it is the 600th post, it does deserve a nice picture and well I would like to put up a picture of Jessica Alba, not only one of the hottest women on the planet but also her picture was the first that I uploaded on my blog.

New Chicks on the Court!

I recently had a look at the WTA rankings and well was shocked to see Maria Sharapova ranked # 30 in the world, though she has not played a competitive match in like 6+ months barring a one-off doubles appearance in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Even more shocking was to see Serena Williams on the top of the list. I do see the Williams sisters winning a slam here and then but then Serena who for the last few years have been perennially go through one injury or the other and she has not gone thru a whole season playing all the majors tournaments since she dethroned Hingis and fought off her sister to complete the Serena Slam.

The usual suspects expected to reign on top after the retirement of Henin, the Serbs Ivanović and Jankovic have skyrocketed to the top of the rankings and both have managed to hold to the #1 for sometime but neither has managed to do it with some conviction. Ivanović atleast managed to win a slam on the way to the top but strangely her form dipped after her 2008 French Open victory and she is struggling to recapture that ever since while Jankovic did play a lot of tournaments and was highly consistent but a slam still eludes her and we all do know that Marcelo Rios was a former World #1 but we keep forgetting that as he failed to capture a slam.

The Russian brigade is always strong and it was Anna Kournikova who started the tennis revolution and soon at one stage 7 out of the top 10 players in the world were Russians. Maria Sharapova burst out into the scene and she proved that she not only betters Anna in term of looks but also had the game to be the best in the world and has won 3 slams till date. Though she may have missed the last 6 months due to injuries, she is possibly the most recognized face in tennis and also the highest paid female sportsperson of all time. Masha took the lead and others like Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze and Dinara Safina have all been ranked in the top 10. Off the lot Dinara shows the most promise and she was the fan’s player of the year for 2008 and if she manages to lose her brother’s Safin like syndrome then she could go on and conquer the WTA tour.

We also had a string of European players coming thru and Nicole Vaidisova, who had the game and the looks to match Masha did have a stunning 2006, but her form has dipped and off late she is just part of the glam brigade along with Maria Kirilenko and Tatiana Golovin. Daniela Hantuchova who at 26 seems like a veteran on the tour is a player who though has a supermodel physique can give any player a run for her money is still always on the hunt.

The 3 players who have made a huge splash this year are no strangers and the oldest of them just turned 20 recently. You may confuse one with the other but Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwańska and Caroline Wozniacki are all battling to become the next Sharapova, while a few players did have this tag and after early promise just fizzled out , these 3 are an interesting pick and with age on their side and will similar structure and blonde hair well you may have an interesting future for women’s tennis and add in the likes of Safina, Ivanović and ofcourse Masha is still young and has a few more years of quality tennis left in her, we could be all set for the most exciting phase in women’s tennis in a very long time.

The Code Breaker of Recession!

The technical term for recession is general slowdown in economic activity in a country over a sustained period of time, or a business cycle contraction. So in layman’s terms it means that tough times are ahead and we will be earning less and things would be insanely expensive. But Maria Sharapova continues to buck both the system and the trend, while 2009 is a bad year for everyone but she continues to grow and surprisingly all she has done this year is just play one doubles match!

Three of her sponsors (Tag Heuer, Cole Haan and Sony Ericsson) unveiled in recent weeks marketing campaigns around Sharapova. She also has signed a new, $2.5 million-a-year deal with a shampoo maker. From Sony Ericsson display ads in cell phone stores in India and China, to Cole Haan billboards in New York City, Sharapova’s image resonates across the globe and cultures. All told, the business of Maria, including her take as well as sponsors’ advertising and promotional spending, approaches $150 million annually.

Sharapova herself earns between $26 million and $30 million a year, mostly from endorsements. Prize money contributes only a small slice of her income. Since turning pro in 2002, her winnings total $10.2 million. The media and the public have long assessed Sharapova’s commercial success through an endorsement lens, and she’s indeed the world’s top-paid female athlete.

Though it is unfair to compare her success to her looks alone, a lot is attributed to her success on court and she is ofcourse a former world #1 tennis player and has also won 3 Grand Slams. You may still wonder why Sharapova? Well she is on-par with the A-list of Hollywood in terms of popularity and looking at places like Asia, she is by far more popular than any major A-list stars.

Recession or no recession, Masha is here to stay and things are only looking up for her and a few more slams down the road to proper her to heights which sport stars may have never thought that they can reach. Well she is now a cultural icon of sorts and well could be the highest earning sports star of all time.

It’s a height thing!

I was reading thru two very interesting research articles, well for starters many can question why the hell would read research articles which are non work related on a Tuesday morning, well you can say that I am chilling out for a week and so gives me even more time to kill since the thumper is being serviced so which did give me a problem of trying to kill time so came across or can say stumbled across them by a chance and well I came up with a whole new theory based on 2 research papers!

The first one is very simple and it talks about how women just love to be with a tall guy and how if a person is tall talks about his genes and in some cases even their wealth (That is weird!). Reading this made me realize that long back I came across another article on how tall guys are usually successful and well to prove a point a guy actually did a survey and found that 90% of the CEO’s of companies in the USA are over 6 feet tall. Now with enough research backing tall guys well being a tall guy has its own perks!

The second one talks about how men especially tall men are attracted to smaller women. It does sound weird but well the same research guys comes up with the stuff written above so we need to take this too into account. One even says this alone proves that we still do have animal instincts and how we prefer to protect someone smaller rather than someone of our stature. But ya we all do like the Giselle Bunchen’s and the Sharapova’s but still we do like the cute Alba’s and Cuthbert’s. Forgot to mention this but a theory which is sort of linked to this is how men are also intimated by tall women especially the shorter guys.

Now what happens when you mix these two theories? Well you get something which you have had a sense of knowledge and also felt it always but then you never gave a deep though to it. Well it is very simple, theory A says women like tall guys and theory B says guys like short women or it is better to say men are intimated by tall women, so it is better for a taller guy to actually go for a taller women so that his chance based on the research is very good. I know I am actually coming up with a theory which may be as good as one proposed by John Nash, but heck you never know!

Funny thing is that a friend of mine asked me this “Dude based on your theories Kay Maan will remain single for life”, well that is for another time and well no matter how theories come about, it has to do with something just more than that!

Where is Vaidisova?

Nicole Vaidisova was said to become the next Maria Sharapova after she burst on to the scene in 2005. But after 4 seasons with a ranking of 79 now, well she is going down and been down a lot. 2006 and 2007 was 2 of her best years as she managed to reach the semi-finals of the Australian and the French open but ever since that things have not been going well for her. She lost the first round of the Australian open this year and well based on her current form she would have play some inspiring tennis to reach the heights of 2007. Hope she does it as the dream match between her and Maria Sharapova is yet to happen and hope it happens this year.

Maria Attack!

Masha is back and though she lost the first round of her doubles match, it was good to see her back in action after a long layoff. While Makiri did not have a great start as she lost her singles match in the first round while she did manage to advance to the next round of her doubles match. It would have been great if the 2 Maria’s had managed to team up. It sure would have set the courts on fire!

Microsoft Surface.......nearly!

Microsoft Surface, Recession Version 1.0. For other version click this link

The Curious Case of the Nose Ring

This was a very curious incident which happened in a client’s office a few weeks back. The other day when we went there for yet another long meeting, we kept getting calls from various people regarding loads of things. Now don’t ask questions about the calls, but then while taking one of the calls and usually these calls are something of a distress that you are totally focussed on it that even when Gisele Bündchen walks before you chances are you will miss her half the time!

But a strange distraction occurred and from a distance you could see a wild streak and a gal who could go and become a femme fatale but all this was only from a distance and it was a bit hazy but enough to keep you thinking.

Days passed and yet during another meeting we decided to scout the long office for this wild chick but we were disappointed that she was nowhere to be seen and then maybe it was one of the days when you imagination decided to play a trick but then a few days later we did spot her and in the end she was no femme fatale or a wild chick, all she had was a nose ring which managed to distract you totally from her and keep you focussed only on it, I guess it must have been spooked.

A few days back another meeting but this time around there was no hazy distraction but there was not one but a few periods of time when you felt away as you managed to spot someone new, hope this does not go the same way as the nose ring and well atleast we are not currently talking about the nose ring and so even if there was something spooked I just hope it is not the nose ring!

Dazed and Confused

The White Rabbit keeps appearing before me and it though it manages to lead me from one place to another, now I am deep inside the rabbit hole and going into it without any light and the rabbit has managed to vanish itself from the place.

It seem like Déjà Vu but I am sure it is not as this is something situation where things are very different from the previous situations. Well atleast I have time to heal things whereas here I am going against time itself in possibly the final chance to prove the theory right. I may still be wrong but then you need to follow what your heart says and you need to do something’s however weird it may be but still have to carry on doing it.

I always wonder why does it happen to me, well the truth continue to haunt and you keep wondering what have you done wrong while everyone else seem to carry on with it, but then the problem is that you tend to be yourself while the rest go on to lead a artificial life which manages to make them go ahead whereas you are stuck in the circle wondering what is going to happen next.

I am surprised that the very first White Rabbit talked about humans are selfish and self-centred and well at times they can be self-centred cause they want to be altruistic atleast from the outside and we all know that there is no single deed which is truly altruistic in nature. If at all a deed like that even remotely exists, then well it may have some issue or the other.

It is going to be nearly 3 years since I first wrote about the White Rabbit and I am surprised that I am still writing about it. This is fact of life and this is the journey which one has to take to truly discover who he is and what does he want to do with his life and what is his ultimate purpose of living this life.

Those are 3 questions which you may always seek answer at one point or the other in your life but you may spend an entire lifetime seeking for the very answer without even getting any results.

I am Dazed and Confused like never before as based on my previous experience, history may well repeat once again and I may be standing all alone looking at the oblivion. But this state where things are highly murky and though at times things tend to clear up but then it becomes murkier and things get un-clear!

I still don’t know why I decided to bank on fate and destiny as the One well may never exist or may have vanished but then my heart says one thing, my mind says another thing and even the magic ball says something else!

This maybe the one last opportunity but then there is one lingering though which is still on and like always it may never happen. There are people who fail trying to do something but then you are in a state where you don’t even fail as you don’t end up doing it for a variety of reasons and the fault lies with not the Rabbit but you alone as you’re responsible for it and you should have done it.

Beat this Recession!

It maybe recession but that does not stop us from putting up an ultra cute picture of Masha!

Boss Recession!

Recession would be the most used word in the world for the last few months and believe me, with worthy competitors like Fuck, God & Sex all competition recession still managed to hold on to the top spot. I do have a firsthand view of this as I face the brunt on almost a daily basis, ofcourse there are days where I do manage to duck it.

They say they have not seen a recession soo bad since the great depression, but if they have something which is called a depression and something which is even worse than that, well I have run out of names for it. What the hell do we call the damm thing then?

Hikes, Perks, Appraisals ... all this in many places are currently on hold due to one main reason and the great word is something we already knew and we use it every other day!

The irony is that when all this is asked, we get a simple answer which is Boss Recession!!!! But then when we are asked to put up a superman like performance on an hourly basis too bad we cannot use the same word for an answer. This recession is only causing us depression.

Imagine a scenario, client calls and asks for artwork at 7, well add in a few more hours till you send out the damm thing, but only if you can answer back and say, sorry mate its recession time, can send stuff after 7!

The word can be used as an answer to almost every question in life, just see in what al wild ways you can use it:

- Dude, want head to pub and have a few beers?
- Can you come in early to work tomorrow?
- Give me some ideas for this new brand?
- Why did you bunk college yesterday?
- Why are your grades soo poor?
- What were you up to during the weekend?

The potential is endless and you can answer any question by a very simple answer – Boss Recession!
So the next time you get into a situation where you have to answer people, now you know what to do!

Life is still amazingly Un-Clear!

There was a time in college when you were clueless about what you want to do with life, I mean seriously barring a few, most of us were just leading a life where all you bothered was about living the day and just get pissed that you have to go to college the next day!

It was fun, you know your mind was free and you did not think too much and well go in deep thoughts and even get into a black hole, but then another important thing was that you were really content and happy with life. There was nothing fancy about it but then you were satisfied. Well the other day a friend of mine who also happened to accompany me to a death metal show (I did a post on that sometime back!) was actually telling me that maybe we did not do much during our college days.

Well for all you know, he could be right! We were not the guys who used to hang-out every other at some so-called hot spot! We did have our share of relationship woos and worries but never did we put that ahead of anything else. We were happy to go out in the hot sun every other day and row in a river which many in the city are not sure of its existence. Ya we did miss out on a lot but to think about it, we were satisfied about the whole experience where we learnt a lot which would benefit us in life itself.

I think sometimes you will never get moments like that, when all you need to do was to look at the stars and discuss on topics which was really farfetched for us those times but we still used to have fun and ofcourse for a group which had all sorts of extremes right from philosophers to folks with an existential attitude. One thing I am sure is that we may never ever have the same conversation again but then it did make us think during a time when we could have done something productive according to lot of people.

Coming to the scenario, even now at times I seriously don’t know what I am doing? Well forget recession and also reaching the eligible bachelorhood age, but still at times you do take a chance and now after nearly an year, you think if the risk has its own payoff or not? If you really go deep, yes it has already given its payoff but then you not sure till it actually happens!

But the one thing which still amazes me is that knowing on my own personal beliefs and principles when it comes to a lot of things in life, there was this one thing which continues to confuse me and even amaze me at times. Maybe next year I may get more clarity if not nothing will change much and things will remain the same.

Now a Sania Slam!

We have all heard of a Serena Slam and if Maria Sharapova fails to get in top shape during Rolland Garros and Wimbledon well she could go on to win an another one too!

Sania Mirza has finally won a grand slam but then it does not mean the “Sania Bashing” posts on my blog will stop. Sorry Sania (Rare thing from me!) your PR team and the media are to be blamed for all this and maybe you take 20% of the blame only. Even though it was only a mixed doubles crown and well apart from Hopman Cup, I don’t see any other top players or even tournaments for this form of tennis around the world.

Nevertheless some knowledgeable fans may argue that well Mary Pierce and of course the Swiss miss Martina Hingis did win mixed-doubles with India’s own Mahesh Bhupathi who also happens to be Sania’s doubles partner and well also her agent. Both Pierce and Hingis were coming back from a long layoff due to injuries and well they just wanted some quality time on the court and well both managed to win a slam along the way!

Sania Slam could be unique as well I don’t see her in anyway adding one more to her collection (Sorry Mahesh, but then Pierce is still going to try making another comeback) unless by some twist of fate she does. Another shocking thing is that, well I may not be watching the news much as I want to but then I am surprised that there were more pictures of her on the papers when he won a round in a slam and then lose in the 2nd round but just a small tiny picture after she won her 1st slam. Damm she must be cursing Nadal for all this!


For all you thought tennis was boring, well the Australian open men’s final proved everyone wrong and we also hope that women’s tennis which was soo unpredictable last year turns out the same way and hope Maria does come back and wins a few slams this year. Also hope the other Maria (Kirilenko) does better than she did in Australian open and we can just hope for a dream doubles combo of the Marias winning Wimbledon doubles. Also atleast in 2009 the dream matches of Masha against Vaidisova takes place during the second week of a slam.

The Rock Show

I can say that well I have been heading off to the rock show in IIT Saarang for the last 10 odd years or soo. Well times have definitely changed and every year you get more crowd and the tickets get steeper. Ofcourse this defies the logic of recession and especially the college kids. When we are running thru the so-called good times, mobile phones was a luxury and the tickets to the rock shows were still expensive but now each person carries multiple phones and a 500 buck ticket is like pocket change.

First off all I know rock and Chennai goes back to ages and yes we do have a very good rock culture, but the geeks in IIT should know which bands to get in. Yes they may never get in a Coldplay or even the Fray, but Opeth?? Well you got to be kidding! Death Metal has its very own mindless wanna be zombie mob following but then having them to end up a cultural event is the worst idea ever! A Strings or Euphoria would have done the job. You don’t need a Scandinavian band coming in doing it.

Plus there was no life to the show as most of the crowd were totally unaware of the songs the band was playing and there was no feel to the whole show. It was just mindless head banging and trust me, not the good kind too!

On the whole it was a disappointing show and well I am glad I did not buy the ticket as that would have been a big disappointment. The best show in IIT, well I guess there was this show, don’t remember the year but I think sometime when I was in Loyola, well in Saarang to a crowd of 50 odd, well late in the night, Remo Fernandez played the Flute Song and well even had a 11 odd minutes solo and I guess it was a live show at its best!

Hindu and the art of Journalism!

I know I am yet to give predictions for the Australian Open, but with Masha not playing I decided to sort of take it easy and heck now have not given my predictions, but well I guess I should anyways get it out soon. Btw, the other Maria too is out of the Oz open, knocked out in the 1st round!

My favourite least Favourite tennis player is back in the news; yes it is good old Sania Mirza who managed to get her pictures on the sports page of the newspaper (For a while she had her pictures for dating a movie star) for winning one round in Oz open. Well I have no issues with that as well being the only Indian in the main draw, she does deserve her glory but the most amusing part is that it is being celebrated as if she has won the Oz open. Don’t get me wrong about patriotism and stuff like that but serious, give it a break as she is bound to get knocked out within the first week itself. Oh yeah if the weird WTA ranking system kicks up well she may actually move a few places up the scale!

I thought of adding this chap to a bashing list, but decided it is better not to add in one-hit wonders in the list, atleast Sania does play in the main draw. I still don’t know what he is doing or did in the US, but Somdev went on a tennis scholarship and then had one dream run where he managed to reach the finals of Chennai Open (Tier 3 event) and suddenly he is the brightest thing and also the future of Indian tennis. Well had he been 17 and done this, well fair enough he is the future but a 23 old man doing it is off no use! If at all he did wanted to do a Muster, well bad luck mate, as losing in the qualifying rounds for the main draw of a grand slam will lead you nowhere.

Finally, Deepika Palikal who is considered to be the Maria Sharapova of squash, well for all you know she can infact do it and has the looks and potential but then she was in papers for every round she won but then she lost the finals and all of a sudden the news shrank and was at the size of the obituary column. Anyways I guess that’s the biggest news for Indian sports this week!