Strange Ramblings

Form is temporary, but class is permanent. There is nothing more befitting to a man of his stature. The Wall , is one of the many names that the man commands, probably the most popular. But what Timeless Steel  has done is given him a name that is truer to him, even more than  amrit . I use such praise only because, all said and done, Tendulkar still being my favorite player miles ahead of others, Dravid provided me and host of other people in my generation with something that is harder than steel. His Will. His Mettle. His Poise. His Grace. And that Don Bradman Oration. He was probably the last cricketer of his generation, to have that, oh so wonderful, classical style of playing the game that is followed by so many, and fervently at that in the country of the crazy irrational billion. What makes his case even more strong is his graph, I bet he has more peaks and falls than even the great Himalayas, and that proves his ability to cultivate  that leap time and again....

There are plenty of studies conducted on whether animals show emotions.  While humans have had differing views of animal emotion, the scientific examination of animal emotion has led to information beyond a recognition that animals have the capacity for pain, fear, and such responses as are needed for survival. Being termed as 'Animal Sentience', this probably is one of the most exciting study areas in Biology at the moment. What separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom is our ability to have self control and override our primal instincts for the better good. When we see the other side of the coin though, all this self control acts as a fair  determent  to the way we interact with the world, not limiting to the all the fake that it brings along.  I hate people who are not emotional. I am not saying you started crying me buckets or laugh hysterically to the point of tears when we meet next time, but a trickle of emotion cannot hurt. And what stems from th...

(Courtesy: www.phdcomics.com ) We all go through it. Why run from it. Embrace it.

I would have loved that. You would too. But it turned to more of a Catalonia Armada. And dare I say, it was more than satisfying. You know that saying, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", try that, and then when in Barcelona, do as the Catalans do. It's like a city wide party, they surely must hold some kind of Guinness record for that. If not, they should get one. Fabulous. We wanted to cover a few cities in Spain. The mistake that we made though was going to Barcelona first up. And once you are there, there is no going back, there is no visiting any other city and there, in almost all probability, is nothing more that you want more than spending your life around, atleast for a week ;) Every city in Europe is different and yet similar. After the first round of travelling across Europe, it came down to visiting select things, things that are unique. No more of Castles, no more of churches, no more of museums. Its all the same, especially when an art and architectu...

Warning: This post puts the T in Tacky, the M in Mushy, the G in Gooey, yada yada.. I Hate Goodbyes. Period. And the only thing that makes them bearable are the smiles. After all, you want to leave the person in front of you with a last smiling memory. I guess its hard for all of us at some level. Exchange was a big part of my MBA plans. I had this rosy picture in my mind, of how I would be an amazing experience to meet people from all across the world, to travel all across Europe, to see some of the history that made studying 'History' interesting. Did it live up to it, you ask? Much, much more. The bliss on making it through the selection for exchange program was something else. I remember that instant when I got the call quite clearly. I couldn't stop smiling the whole day, and to cap that more good news followed ( more.. ), I was blessed. That ting in your voice, when you see a kid getting excited over candy, that sparkle in your eye, same as when a kid gets exci...

Beauty that is Europe! My first tryst with an actual photo journal. Let's see how it pans out. Places on display: Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Cologne and around.... Manneken Pis. Literally meaning Little Man Pee , is one of the most fascinating thing that one encounters on visiting the enchanting Belgium. Look beyond the famous Belgian beers and chocolates and they are aplenty across town dressed in varied outfits. This particular one was dressed as an Indian style Maharaja. There are enough stories surrounding the myth that could keep you glued enough for hours. Well your guess is as good as mine, but this is trademark to that place, yes you guessed it correct. And if Merlin's beard (how geeky could i get ;)) you failed to guess the place then you are just not worthy enough to live. Amsterdam. Any more words would be diluting the craziness that is Amsterdam. One remark before I move on though...

'Minus 26 and still HOT' Oh Yes. It was hot. Never mind the apparent chill. And that was all about the IHD. Naah... I have been edgy to write about this ever since it got over, not that i'm going to forget anything anytime soon, but rather to make it more memorable. The issue with all of it is though that words simply aren't enough, you have to live it to know it. I had taken a liking to Finnish people from the start , and more so after the week. It was special this week. I got a glimpse into the culture that is Finn. Perhaps limited to the student culture, but nevertheless, enough to make up my mind that they all would go places. Work to Live, they value there free time immensely, and that's how it is supposed to be. I heard somethings about Finns not being happy etc, not from what   I saw, and if they believe in the philosophy, I doubt anyone could be unhappy for long. And if anyone had doubts about their work ethic, they just have to look at the IHD tea...

View Euro Trip #1 in a larger map  Take that. The itch will finally be satisfied. Countries being touched: France -> Belgium -> Netherlands -> Sweden -> Finland -> Denmark -> Germany -> Czech Republic -> Austria -> Germany -> France 31st of January -> 21st of February 2012 \m/ JOIN IN :)

Stepping into the 'developed world' for the first time definitely felt strange. I just bring that distinction out simply because it is omnipresent, or atleast made that way by plenty'a people. There is this thing that I really like to do. Always taking a detour on my way to the final destination. What ensued was a layover in Helsinki, Finland. And the view out from the plane window of the Finland landscape covered with snow and what looked like scattered pine trees, was beyond words. Glad that the city had the season's first snowfall just the day before, everything around was much brighter. The thing that struck me the most about Finnish is that they are as 'direct' people as you'd ever find, and they'd call a spade a spade with the straightest possible face. You try and bullshit them, and you'd definitely be sorry. And all this, was not just a passing observation, it's been ratified  by the few that I know out here in Grenoble. Getting back...

This is perhaps one of the strange ways in which one can blog. Chennai airport is disappointing to say the least, and here I am sitting in a dirty corner (to catch a plug point), fighting mosquitoes and sleep, to get to you an event that has been THE EVENT in these first few months of my MBA. Following events are depicted possibly with a bias and any resemblance to an existing actual event is totally intentional.. It all started with this stumbling upon DoMS, IIT Ms release for Samanvay, annual fest, on dare2compete.com, and what transpired since then has been hectic fun, as extreme on both the scales(hectic, fun) as far as you can imagine. Just to add perspective to what I want you to understand, the synopsis of the event excited me so much so that I started preparing strategies on whom to rope in to have the best possible chance. And the end result, though could have been better, does leave a sense of pleasure, a sense of satisfaction, and a reaffirmation of my bel...

Expectations. Expectations. A clash between Argentina and Venezuela was lying at the ditch near the bottom of the pyramid, and people were just concerned about one phenomenon (yes, he is nothing less than a phenomenon), the converging point of the sides of the pyramid, LIONEL MESSI. And boy, did he put on his charm and mesmerized Kolkata with his masterly, skillful display. Going Back and Forth… A transition from 4 years of my life, when high attendance was not even joked about, to a phase wherein I get confused easily between the place where I’m supposed to study and the place where I’m supposed to sleep, life has almost come a full circle. But the centre point still remains the same. Life is meant to be lived fully, taking pleasure in whatever hogs your timeline. And that is precisely what I have been trying to do with all the deadlines. In hindsight though, whatever the case may be, you never should lose sight of ‘the real stuff’. And football does offer you that kick. Even more s...