Who's cup will it be?

The world cup has begun and the Indian team could not expect a better start. Lovely knocks by Virat and Veeru. The men in blue proved that they do not take anybody lightly. Complacence cost them the cup last time. This time hopefully it will be different. Sreesanth had a bad game but he will have his moment if he learns from his mistakes. All he needs is to control his aggression rather than let his aggression control him. Having said that, I still feel India is better off with two spinners in the home conditions. Lets see what approach they take as the competition progresses.

Who is the best team? In my opinion apart from destiny, there are two factors that decide the winner. One being class and the other is the temperament. A classy team may win most of the group matches and qualify for the knock-out stage. But it is the temperament that will help a team to handle tricky situations it might face in the knock-out stage.

Though the first round might not be as decisive, performance in the first round will definitely decide who one meets in the quarter finals. Since the top team from each group meets the 4th team from the other group, it is fair enough to say that even if a team did not have a great start it can bounce back, and what a bounce back it will be by beating the top team of another group. In the end it is about the team that handles the pressure best. In particular, the team with the ability to win 3 in a row is the champion. Though one bad day might spoil the party for any of the teams, it is rising to the occasion that will decide the winner.

Aussies have proved through the last decade, that they fight back hardest when they are pushed against the wall. They have not been challenged enough in the last decade. They have a mountain to climb. History proves, that they are not one's to be taken lightly.
Indian team has always shown class, but somewhere it has not measured up to the temperament. Dhoni's leadership however promises to change this fact.

The South Africans have time and again chocked when it really matters. Their class is there for the taking but their temperament is what will be tested. Same holds good with the Englishmen, they might win all 6 group matches, but might be found wanting in the knockout stage.

Sri Lankans have proved to be big match players in spite of shortage in terms of class(barring few exceptions).

Pakistanis' have also proved to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and also the vice-versa with consistency. They are the least reliable of all teams though one of the most talented.

I feel among Indians, Aussies, Pro-teas, Englishmen, Lankan's and Paki's the team that rises to the occasion will lift the cup. As a cricket fan I hope, may the best team win. As an Indian, I hope the best team is India.

Here comes another World Cup

Even before I realise, four years have passed and another world cup is round the corner. It feels like yesterday that the Indian team threw away their chances against Bangladesh and the Paki's lost to Ireland. Bob Woolmer died. At a venue where one wanted to witness an India-Pak clash, one had to be content with a Ireland-Bangladesh ODI.

Four years have passed in a flash and lots has changed. Aussies are no longer the invincible unit that they have been for more than a decade now. England are no mere pushovers. They are the reigning T20 champions. Kiwi's were beaten in 10 consecutive ODI's in the subcontinent. The Paki's have been in middle of all controversies. In particular, the spot-fixing. Even they are not able to choose their captain. Exception to the long list of changes is the little master Sachin Tendulkar. He graduated from the little baby of the Indian cricket team in the 1992 edition to the kaku(uncle) of most players in the 2011 edition. His passion has been the same for this many years and it is the best opportunity for him to be a part of the world cup winning team.

This world cup does promise to be a tournament filled with surprises. As far as I am concerned, the format is not the perfect one. First of all, both the groups have 4 top teams and 4 minnows. It is highly likely that the 4 top teams will make it to the quarter finals. After that, anybody who can win 3 in a row will lift the cup. The previous editions of the world cup(outside the subcontinent) valued consistency. Atleast the 1999/2003 editions where the super6's gave chance to the teams with a poor start to comeback. At the same time, those editions were helped the consistent teams qualify for the semi-finals. 2007 was a big drag with the super 8s.

Though there is a grey area in the system, it gives a dark horse a chance to turn the tables. All the sub-continent teams that won the world cup did so as dark horses. I truly hope it is a tournament filled with surprises and a tournament where some great cricket is played and where a new world order is set.

Will the aussies rise from ashes (ashes debacle)like they did last time after a 3-0 whitewash by the kiwis in 2007? Will the men in blue live upto their favourites tag? Will the Englishmen take their ashes form into the WC? Will the Proteas lift their tag of chokers? Will their be another surprise? Not easy to tell. All I can hope for is a well faught world cup and may the best team win. Hopefully it is the men in blue. Whatsay?

Getting started...

A new decade has started and there changes everywhere. First of all the IPL is in for a revamp. Not many cricketers are playing for their native cities. It is extremely difficult to pick whome to support. Though I got used to support the RCB, now I find the crux of Bengaluru cricketers spread all across. Change is something most of us detest but eventually get used to.

Talking about change, I am looking forward to some big changes in my life. No... I am not in a hurry to change my job. Just want to change the way I organise myself. I think there are a number of aspects where I need to change. First of all, I need to improve the way I organise myself at work. The workoholic phase I had last year has made me someone who either works like a donkey or sleeps like a log. This needs to change. Though I have added many new activities to my daily schedule, I need to be more consistent about some of things I do.


First of all I need to make sure I work for 8 hours in office and those 8 hours are high intensity work. I need to switch from everything when at work. See to it that I prioritise tasks better and focus of the quality of deliverables. I am soon gonna take up responsibility of leading a team and I need to look beyond just developing the code.

Next, I need to learn how to switch off from work the minute I step out. I need to focus of my off work activities. Especially swim more regularly. Since I have started practicing with the HCL corporate cricket team, I need to practice regularly and try hard to play the game I love for the love of it. And not to mention plan my holidays better and visit some interesting places.

On the family front, I need to be able to give more time to family and friends. Last year or so has been extremely busy and more than anything else, I have not really planned my days well. Need to get my social life back on track.

Have so much to do. How to get going? First step to get going is making a start. Since last few months I have found that my day starts late and time management is not something I can boast about. The best days in my life have began from fajr(dawn prayers). I just want my day to actually begin at dawn and start my day reading something positive and with some physical activity. Soon after which it is easier to get in the groove to work.

I am not someone who ever made a resolution let alone adhere to it. However, I think it is time I have a new outlook for this decade. I believe I can if I get started...

2010 a mixed bag

2010 has gone and what a year it has been. It has been a year filled with lots of excitement and drama. It has brought an end to a very exciting decade through which entire world has gone through a facelift.

If I were to give it a name, I would call it a scamster's year. We have seen all kinds of scams come out in the open. Right from 2G spectrum, Adarsh housing, stone pelting, land grabbing, and CWG mess. It had all the ingredients for a bollywood masala potboiler. Just to spice up everything Sheila and Munni did their bit. So much so that two sisters in Maharashtra(coincidentally named Munni and Sheila) got their names changed. After all the scams the power structure of our country stays unchanged. Though one doesnot expect a change of guarg so fast. I personally hope and pray atleast this leads to a introspection throughout. I hope 2011 is a year when there is a resurgence of conscience and thought.

All said and done, not everything was dark. Damage caused by the polity was slightly overshadowed by the sportsmen/women of India. Indian atheletes performed like never before in the commonwealth games. Though one may think that the scams and stink kept best in business out of the game. Still the performance was outstanding. In cricket, We saw the Indian cricketers perform out of their skins. They achieved the no.1 test ranking. Hope they retain the same once they are done with the series in South Africa.

2010 also signalled a change in world order. At the beginning of last decade, we had a single superpower calling the shots in world affairs. Now the hegemony is challenged and the emerging powers are taking over. Same story with the cricket world. After almost a decade of arrogant dominance, Aussies are being challenged in their own backyard. In short it has been a year when there has been resurgence of the dominated powers who have now started to dominate.

The wheel of change has been very interesting and has proved that the only thing constant in this world is change. The baton of power changes hand. One can only gain/retain the baton of power by being dynamic and constantly in tune with the changing environment.

Personally it has been a year when I have moved from singlehood to being a married man and after 2 years I have managed to not get bored at work just as yet. I have completed a year plus with HCL technologies and it has been a really interesting phase.

I am looking forward to working hard and also play harder in the years to come. I am hoping the next decade is going to be one where everybody rises and rises because there is a resurgence of ethics, conscience and peace.

What a weekend...

This weekeknd was fun. Enjoyed cricket, swimming and also went out go-karting with my cousins Sakhib, Zafar and Nayeem bhaiya.

The weekend started brilliantly. Got to know earlier about my company's cricket team that practices in VET ground on weekends. Had not found time till this saturday to join them. Went to the ground at 0630 hrs early in the morning. It was a repeat of school days when I used to play cricket more regularly.

We were forced to only hold fielding practice as very few team members were available. The fielding practice was a bit of an eye opener for me. My ground fielding was below par to say the least. I was not able to bend and catch the ball when it moved at some speed. Though, close and high catches were much better. Managed catch more than drop. Hope to attend cricket practice more regularly and in the next session I am looking forward to bat and bowl. Let me see if I can play comfortably.

Soon after the fielding session, I left for a swim in Jayanagar swimming pool. Though, I have been swimming atleast few times every week, the feeling of swimming in the morning is unmatched. The pool is relatively empty and there are no baricades in the deep end. Both cricket and swimming remind me so much of my school/college days. Hope to keep these habits alive for many more years to come.

I feel through last few years of professional life I missed many opportunities to do things I really enjoy. Though I have been pretty busy, I should somehow find time for sports to keep me fit and stress-free. I feel there is no better stress buster for me than smimming or cricket. I feel completely liberated from all the pressures and worries when I am in water. In short, I need to manage my time much better.

Watched the first Ashes test match after the swimming. It was an amazing game of cricket. The aussies gaining control on saturday and the Poms getting back in the game on sunday. Though the game is most likely to end in a draw, it is a game which had immense competition. The battle between bat and ball is the characteristic of test cricket. In my opinion, T20 will never replace test cricket for this reason.

Another fun event this weekend was meeting Sakhib, Nayeem bhaiya and Zafar. I had lunch with Sakhib today and decided right there that we need to do something fun. Been a while since we enjoyed together. We quickly decided to go-karting. Found through "Just-dial" about a track around Kanakapura road. We guys left around 1630 hrs in the evening, reached around 1715 hrs after some expedition. The races were fun though I did not win any. What was most important was the adrenaline rush it gave and truly Sakhib was the deserving winner.

The weekend was pretty action packed and I enjoyed it completely. One thing however is that Ruqu is still in Hyderabad. I am expecting her return next week. I am waiting to have her home and planning more action packed weekends with her.

Now I am feeling so tired and sleepy. I am definitely gonna sleep well and get back to work afresh with a formatted hard drive between my ears.

All is well...

Been long since I wrote anything on the blog. Last 3 months have been a mixed bag for me.

On the work front... things have been pretty steady. A new phase of the current project was released. The release has been appreciated as it is a marriage between a legacy system and business intelligence. Some of the business leaders at the client side have taken notice of the hard work and appreciations have been showered. However, this phase was a very easy one compared to the previous one. Not always is hard work proportional to the results.

On the personal front... it has been pretty good. Ruqu and I are now closer to completing one year together. One year has gone completed really quick and has been pretty busy at times and pretty lazy at times. Overall, the lazy times have balanced the busy times. Most of the holidays we had together have been to her hometown(Hyderabad). Looking forward to a vacation like the one we had to Malaysia last year. It might be a short one but will be a well deserved break for both of us.

Of late mind has been occupied with thoughts that are very fluctuating regarding most things in life. I have been into the same profession for more than 5 years now and feel like doing something new. Maybe a new role or maybe relocating to a new location. The travel/adventure bug has returned to haunt me. Lets see where destiny takes me.

I have started to enjoy things I often did as a kid. Started swimming(3 days a week on average) and playing TT(ping-pong) at office. Helps me relax my mind and get my lethargic body moving. Looking forward to a positive change to my lifestyle where work, family, fun and some kind of education are happening continuously. First step towards that is perhaps cutting down on my time with the idiot box and haveing an early to bed...early to rise lifestyle. Best days of my life have always been when the day started at dawn(fajr prayers). Of late, the consistency has been missing. Looking forward to get going on this front. Though my indecisiveness has been replaced by some spontaneity, there is a big room for improvement.

Lets see if I have made any progress till my next post. Bye for now.

Me and my indecisiveness

Three months have passed since my last blog entry. I give the credit to my indecisiveness and hectic schedule. Yes life has been really hectic. Work has kept me on toes even on weekends. As usual a new project begins with its honeymoon phase then the work starts. Good news has been that the first phase of the project has released and at this moment I am relatively free but only relatively.

Not that the last couple of months have been only work. I had some interesting trips to Hyderabad(Golkonda fort visit was awesome), Mysore(lovely drive and a relaxed weekend) and Hassan(Sakhib's wedding). I was just too lazy and indecisive about writing anything on the blog. The idea would strike but I would often lose my flow. My mind has been filled with work related tension and stress. In short many thoughts have kept me held up but no action taken because of the confusion. I have just not been able to decide.

I have been planning to buy a new car for atleast two weeks now but not able to decide. One day I think of a petrol next day of a deisel engine. Next day I restart exploring the auto market. Lots of planning but no decisions taken yet.

Yesdarday I swam after a long time. The weather was good outside. I felt like riding my bike. There was a small crack in one of the fiber parts. Just decided to fix it then go swimming. I suddenly decided to go swimming and went in less than 30 minutes. I swam for an hour and returned home. It was so much fun. One thought that crossed my head is that more I think more indecisive I get. My instinctive decisions are much better than planned ones. I have made many quick decisions in my life and never regretted even one of them. I have never been able to decide on anything when I start planning.

I think its time to take some decisions on the fly based on instinct. Hoping to have taken some of them before my next entry and some interesting updates till then.