Chellam ! I love U !!!!!!

This is a blog on my scintillating chicago trip (though I would not like to compare it with my aug'07 trip that will forever be etched in my memory).
So Kaka Kaka style , "Naanga naalu beru...yengalukku planning-na yennane theriyaadhu".
Myself, PT (Vijaykarthik, my classmate from PSBB), Koushik(my flatmate), Ganesh (koushik's frd)
were the so called formulators of the trip. Later , another person named Yoganand(PT's colleague) joined us in our venture.
I was supposed to be the one to land in chicago first and and was supposed to meet PT at O'Hare airport at 1:30 PMon Friday. PT had told me that he would take time off from work and meet me at the specified time. As usual , I could count on PT to bungle and I wasn't disappointed. PT turned up at 3:30 PM and took Ganesh and me home. Till that time , Ganesh and I had been scratching around in O'Hare , spending half the time cursing PT and the other half looking at pretty girls ;)
Finally, we reached PT's house and waited for Koushik to arrive at the airport. Koushik landed at 5:30 PM and after PT decided to mete out the same 'late' treatment, we picked him up in a semi-frozen state from outside the airport . That very same night , we decided to eat at an Indian restaurant and therefore, borrowed a GPS (Global positioning system- which is a device that gives us driving directions) from a friend. This GPS was given the nickname 'chellam' as it had a female voice and became the object of ridicule for getting us lost most of the time.
On the way to the Indian restaurant, our trip got off to a flying start with us having a flat tyre. After managing to get it changed, we used the GPS to locate the Indian restaurant. But 'chellam' got it a tad wrong when it led us into a restricted airbase. After evading threats of arrest by the officers manning the base, we located the restaurant , had dinner and returned home hurling abuses at 'chellam' all the while. The next day started off without anything bizarre and we reached the rapids for our big activity of the day. White Water Rafting !!



After cracking some 'wise guy' jokes about the lurking dangers invloved in rafting, the Instructor showed us the rapids. And behold ! What a treat to the eye !! The rapids were looking dangerous and promised a lot of thrill. What followed was the experience of a lifetime :D We felt like daring marines intruding into enemy waters , braving huge waves to reach across the bank. I personally had a great timeright at the front of the raft, where I came up-close and personal with them monster waves. After the dangerous portions were over we came to the placid portion of the river. I took the permission of the Instructor to to swim across the bank and took the plunge into the river =))
After a few measured strokes, I reached the opposite bank only to learn of the hilarity that had transpired after I had jumped. PT had also taken the plunge after me. The hilarious part- he didnt know how to swim !! Thankfully, we were all strapped with lifevests and so safety was never an issue. But however, PT floated like a toad and was ultimately picked up by the boys when he passed alongside the raft.
We headed towards our camping site after rafting and as usual 'chellam' screwed us up big time - almost. we were supposed to take a turn at a certain point. But however after endless mistakes by 'chellam' we were left with a tough choice - to trust 'chellam' and turn left or trust our gut and turn right. We went with the latter and were proven right - thus enhancing 'chellam's reputation of being useless beyond measure. But however, by that time, we had run out of expletives and were floundering for words to express chellam's ineffectiveness. We arrived at the campsite at 10:30 PM to find the camp in charge totally sloshed. Luckily, he was sober enough to help us set up our tents. To beat the freezing cold, we tried to camp fire, but to no avail.Unable to bear the cold, we slept in the car that night and awoke the next morning feeling exhausted from the previous day's ordeal.

We made our way back to chicago bruised, but with a strange, inexplicable sense of accomplishment.
As we were just about to park the car outside the gates of PT's house, 'chellam' hummed
"Please make a legal U-Turn at the next available junction".


WHAT CAN I SAY EXCEPT ,

"CHELLAM !!! I LOVE U !!!!!!!!!!! (PRAKASH RAJ ISHSTYLE)

Hilarious

I saw the title on one of IBN's articles.

"India wants Pak to say sorry for ceasefire breach"

yeah....Y stop with the sorry ? I believe they should Kiss and Make up :P:P:P

One Day Wonder

I write this blog as one of my best friends (dont wanna name who it is openly. Will just say that his name starts with 'K' and ends with 'eshav') said he would not even glance through my blog if did not have something about cricket in it. So here goes.
I have been trying to come to terms with the newest version of the game namely the T20. After watching quite a few matches, I can safely assume that every bowler who bowls in a T20 game feels like Russel Crowe from Gladiator. What the T20 version of the game has done, is to transform modern cricket stadiums into Roman Gladiatoral arenas where bowlers frantically try to save their skin.
I do not have anything against the T20 versison of the game as such, but it is the odds that are completely stacked against the bowlers that perturb me. First up, the bowlers are given dead-flat tracks where they are as potent as snakes without fangs. Adding insult to injury is the free-hit rule that practically crucifies the bowlers for overstepping. This is not what cricket is supposed to be and I for one, dont enjoy it.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have test matches that are facing extinction due to T20. While I believe that tests should continue to hold their rightful place in cricket , I personally do not believe that they are the highest form of the game.

Ok..now I now that I may be chastised for the above comment. But I do believe that it is the one day format that truly proves a batsman's mettle (Talking purely from the batting perspective here). Firstly , one day cricket does not allow you to play negatively. Many yester-year batsman have proved that, given the option, they would settle for a tame draw. There is no question of that in one day cricket. Another aspect of One day cricket is that, it also allows enough time for a batsman to construct an innings. It forces batsmen to improve their running between wickets as the format makes it inevitable for them to keep the scoreboard ticking.
And here is the major one. One day cricket forces batsmen to play good balls for runs. In test cricket, while most batsmen would be content enough to leave balls outside the offstump, or above waist high, one day cricket ensures that batsman have to score off good balls as well thereby improving their technique and prowess.
Moreover, the one day format of the game is often accompanied by a mental game where players often need to outthink their their counterparts - for instance, Martin Crowe thought out-of-the-box when he sent Mark Greatbatch to flay the bowling during the first few overs when fielding restrictions were in place. One of the major advantages that the one day game has over the T20 is that , it gives a team at the recieving end of a batting onslaught/batting collapse time to bounce back. ODI cricket truly measures the depth of talent that a team has. For instance, I would like to quote Kapil dev's legendary 175 at trentbridge in 1975 when he along with syed Kirmani way down the order rescued India from impending disaster. In T20 cricket, such a rescue would not have been possible.
I have lost count of the number of times the iconic Micheal Bevan has masterminded run-chases even after having come in to bat at precarious situations.

As far as I am ocncerned, One day cricket sets the standard and is complete in almost everyway possible. I might be wrong , but I think that T20 cricket in its present form will lose its lustre due to its nauseating barrage of fours and sixes.
I am sure that by just giving the pitch a little bit of juice and bounce, a lot of current day batting heroes will be transformed into comedians dancing in the middle of the pitch.

The 'Right' Wing

The 'Right' Wing

I start off my post paying tribute to those souls lost in the Jaipur bomb blasts. I hope people remember what I am talking about because,
generally, the tendency in India is to forget these 'trivial' issues. After all, bomb blasts on a not so sporadic basis have become commonplace and the
regular Indian has accepted it as a part of the risk everyday life poses.
Living here in the US, I have discovered that this is a place that can NEVER EVER become HOME. But , it does pain me to see my country go to dogs
in a number of wide ranging issues.
The issues are countless and I from my post, it is easily verifiable that I am not a huge fan of the poor-excuse-of-a-party , namely the congress.
First up, the congress has been spineless in reacting to terrorism and have been found wanting in curbing terror at its very roots. POTA has been repealed and even
and its effects are for all to see. Even though the law did restrict one's rights guarenteed by the constitution, it was evident that POTA was right on the
money with respect to uprooting terror all over India. What did the Congress Govenment do ? Repeal the act, thereby giving terrorists a free hand.
The rationale behind the repeal was to ensure that the 'minority' vote would not be lost. So, what is the Government trying to portray here exactly ?
It is almost like the government trying to paint the picture that it is the minorites who are behind terror.
Another appalling fact is that the congress has divided people on the basis of their caste and creedby providing reservations to OBCs. But however,
our OBC brethren who actually need them, never get to taste them as they always go to the creamy layer. I know that the supreme court has sought to filter this creamy layer,
but the government is hell bent on ensuring that rservations are given on the basis of 'social status' rather than 'economic status'. Of course, this is only to ensure that sons and daughters
of politicians get reservations.
I strongly believe that RESERVATIONS SHOULD BE GIVEN. BUT ONLY ON THE BASIS OF ECONOMIC STATUS.
This brings me to an interesting comparisons of sorts

Mahabharata
Arjun armtwists Drona into asking for Ekalavya's thumb thereby depriving Ekalavya the ability to showcase his true talent.
Ekalavya obliges and severs his thumb.

2008
Arjun (Singh) armtwists Drona (IIM/IITs etc) to impose rservations thereby Depriving Ekalavya the ability to showcase talent.
Ekalavya DOES NOT OBLIGE and HIRES a FOREIGN COACH (Universities abroad)

The effect of brain drain is there for all to see. Meritorious candidates feel it is pointless for them to continue in India and this results in a
mass exodus to other countries.
Thanks to the government, army officers have resigned in droves and eminent scientists are throwing in their papers.
One cannot blame them entirely as they are paid paltry sums for their incredible service. Nowhere in the history if the any nation apart from India ,
has one political party gotten away with treason. Inspite of communist traitors being blatant in their support for China, the Congress shamelessly
hangs onto their support.

It is here that the BJP scores, atleast as far as I am concerned. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of the best PMs that we ever had, catapaulted India into the elite
club of countries possesing nuclear arsenals. But sadly, no one knows the detailed planning that went into such a monumental task. Foreign reserves were
piled up so that India could bear the brunt of any economic sanctions that the world would levy. The BJP conveyed a strong message to the world showing
India's determination and power. The BJP had vision to take the country forward and a strong economic and foreign policy, while the congress
seemingly focusses on dismembering India in everyway possible.

That is precisely why I stand by the 'right' wing

Amerikka Janathipathi Murugesan Vaazhga !!

Well, an enigmatic title to start off my blog. This one is about the American election scenario and the farcicality associated with it. Now, there can be only one plausible reason for me to follow the election scenario here with such fervour - vettiness :)

Getting to the topic at hand, the american election especially this year has been pathbreaking in many respects. One one side stands a near-senile white man in his seventies, John McCain -who represents the Republicans and the heir apparent to Bush's proud legacy.
On the other end stand two historic candidates. A Black man (well, half balck and half white actually) and a woman who are still fighting it out to be the Democratic party's presidential candidate.

Here is a brief summary about the candidates

John McCain (Republican Nominee)
The senator from Arizona and a Vietnam-war veteran. Has various nicknames among the party faithful like McShame, McBush, Warbucks etc. The guy is totally pro-war and trigger happy. Has frankly admitted that he knows zilch about the economy and the only thing that he dreams about is being the Supreme commander of the armed forces.
Initially , in the run up to being the presidential candidate, he had to beat his fellow republican Mike Huckabee at the primaries (a process within both the republican and democratic parties where they vote who their candidate for the main elections should be.)
Mike Huckabee is a self proclaimed 'conservative' who doesnt believe in the theory of evolution and swears by the theory that Adam and Eve were the first life forms on the planet. Surely, this guy was easy to beat :D (but the guy still managed to win two states before going down).

McCain has a temper problem and believes that the American economy is 'doing just fine'. In Response to a question as to whether more people needed access to healthcare facilities , he said "what healthcare ? go for a walk everyday ! be healthy ! Take inspiration from my 95 year old Mom"
some here liked it to Mary antoinnette's attidute :P
The biggest problem facing him comes in the form of one of his most ardent supporters. Bush himself ! Now, would the American people be foolish enough to vote someone who has been endorsed by one of the worst presidents ever ? It remains to be seen.

Hillary Rodham Clinton
who can forget the woman behind the man -Bill Clinton (atleast, she claims so). Some of her nicknames among the party faithful are - Billary, HillBilly etc.
Hillary started off the campaign on a high note thinking that the candidacy was in the bag (only to be rudely jolted out of complacency).
She pretty much went to every state in the US, said that she hailed from that state and still managed to lose most of them. Maybe because the american people realised that a person can have only one native state :P
She also got into trouble saying that she was "under sniper fire" in bosnia, while it was discovered that the only fire she was close to, was from the kitchen stove.
There was another rib tickling episode where the candidates were discussing about a Tax rule. All the economists in the country called it futile and counter-productive. Hillary Clinton said "I dont believe these economists..they are all wrong". Now that Hillary has said so, they need not have wasted an entire lifetime studying economics.
While almost having lost out to Obama, she said "we are on course to the whitehouse !!!" .
This one reminded me of the funny Iraqi official on TV , who kept saying "Saddam Hussein is very much in control" even though the american troops were almost at his doorstep.

Barack Hussein Obama (Democratic Candidate)
The senator from Illinois who came out of nowhere to thwart Hillary's hopes.
Nicknames include - Nobama,Obambi etc. A lot of hue and cry was raised about his controversial middle name and Barack was desperate to prove his christian roots. So, what did he do ? He created a controversy involving his Pastor !!
videos were circulated showing obama's pastor denouncing America in one of hs church sermons. Obama promptly denounced all of them and distanced himself from his pastor.
He is a black horse (no pun intended) in the sense that no-one knows a lot about him. He claims to bring about change in America, by changing the way policies at Washington work. Though most of his speeches were inspiring, a lot of people claim that those were lacking in substance. But however, with respect to the tax rule, he was the only person who got it right by saying that it was a meaningless rule.
Because of the bitter in-fighting between Hillary and Obama, the democratic party is totally spilt down the middle with half the people claiming allegiance to Obama and half the people by Hillary.
In fact these guys even threaten to vote for the other party (i.e the republican party headed by McCain) if their candidate is not the Presidential Nominee. Looking at the way things are going in the US, a wrong choice by the people can result in economic shambles.

That brings me to the title of my post. Who is best suited be the American president ?
My answer - Tamil Actor Livingstone =))

Few can forget the movie where Murugesan (Livingstone) is a local tamil politician and vadivelu is his able sidekick. Vadivelu goes about hiring people to 'cheer' (prachaaram, jaalra etc) for Livingstone. The supporters shout all random stuff like "Dhaana vallal murugesan" , "Thanmaana singam murugesan" etc
It is here that one of the most zealous of them proclaims "Amerikka Janathipathi murugesan !!"

I personally think Livingstone will do a better job than any of the above candidates !!!