Technology hates me

No not the faulty RAM that ruined my last free summer vacation.

Not the CD ROM drive that would first declare a new CD to be unreadable, then later scratch it.

Not even the computer that gave me an “account locked” 6 times in a row [18 total attempts, at every third failed attempt it gets locked, then you ask the company's internal IT support to unlock it].

No.

This is freaking insane. Why did I update Kaspersky? Why? The first ‘boxed software’ I bought that wasn’t a game or an encyclopedia CD, and it explodes in my face.

My Blog Is A Security Threat? To Me?

My blog is blocked at work by Websense. Here by KIS’ sense. This is nonsense!

HALP!

The long Independence Day Weekend

Unlike Amrika, Indian leaders didn’t consider choosing a date for the Independence day such that over the years it would fall on Fridays/Mondays more often than Tuesdays to Thursdays.

Dig deep, dig deeper, there’s no oil, there’s no water

No connection between title and post. Again.

After about a week of undersleeping (close to 2 hours per day) I was worried about the Landmark Quiz which happens annually on Independence Day (today) in Chennai. On Thursday evening, I had a meeting setup for very late, so it was hard juggling things around.

But both the meeting and trip to Chennai stod cancelled and I went off to meet my relatives in this city.

The bus from office started at 7.15 and deposited me at the stop at 9.30. For a journey that usually takes 1.30 hours on poor days.

:X

After which I was dropped back home at 11.

I couldn’t go to sleep.

Till 6 am, I was awake, just 2 steps away from sleep all the while.

At 6, I finally forced myself to drop off. And fell asleep instantly. Woke up at 1.30 pm.

Tomorrow morning is football - let’s see what goes on tomorrow, because today was a colossal waste of a day, but I’ve relaxed completely.

Scoooooooooore! And very important news.

Today.

India won the AFC Cup 08 4-1, in Delhi, with Delhi boy Sunil Chhetri scoring a hat-trick.

I played another 5-a-side after work (it ended 11-5, with me scoring 5 out of 11 :D).

Later.

I will be moving this blog soon.

Get ready to bring your links up to date.

The Dark Knight: The “very” last word

I’m now one of the last people on the planet to see The Dark Knight.

A quickfire review after watching it on IMAX.

Weekends getting away

Hyderabad. 12 hour journey after running from office (after having a tricky few days). One day rained out completely, but got to spend time with relatives. The other mainly about The Dark Knight, and met a friend from work. 12 hour journey back. Jokes both ways as another fellow blogger from work had booked the bus tickets.

Whatever happened to the usual weekend plan of football, then sleep, then sit around!

Hyderabad is a beautiful place. Go visit!

Story: The Won

My name isn’t important. Well, I may be the smug protagonist, but my earlier name is not important. My new name is. Which will soon become clearer.

Everything else, however, won’t.

I’m in ur Hyderabad, stuck in ur rains

It’s been raining for 1.5 days straight, no signs of letting up.

I usually enjoy the rain malarkey, but I need to go buy stuff, go to a museum, watch a movie…

*sigh*

Quiz and football

Yesterday, I went to a quiz organised by an advertising agency, after working hours.

Went to Ulsoor road, found the place.

The quiz was organised in a small conference room meant for 10. It squeezed in about 23 people: Organizers and 10 teams.

The winners were from a college: NLSIU (Law school).

We were second. We got gift vouchers for our effort while the winners got iPod shuffles.

Crucial points:

• Every participant who lasted the distance got a free pen-drive bracelet (1 GB) courtesy quiz sponsor Colors (Viacom channel in India)
• There was free snacks (Lay’s), free soft drinks (Mirinda and Coca Cola, which caused a headspin which lasted till I slept off) and free beer (in red and green cans - I don’t drink, and I was the only one there who didn’t)
• Our team name was (cooked up on the spot) Balaclava.

Today, I played football - Soccer Saturday is now having alternate Wednesday practices.

Scored 2 out of 8 (4-4) missing 2. Stamina issue showing up, plus I played on a full stomach. :S

Also, fell down, bruising hand and with a deep cut @ knee, but not to worry, as the cut is covered by a gash.

Also, some movement on the career front after eleven weeks of sitting idle. Good or bad, time will tell.

Till later then, I bid you, adieu!

Last football till late August

Won’t be playing for next two Saturdays.

Today it was 5-a-side.

We lost 5-6. I scored 3 from 9 chances, 3 wide, 3 saved, 3 scored - 3×3 = 9.

Ball control, acceleration, first touch and shooting need work.

Later!

Story: Characteristically

“No.”

“What? Look it’s possible…”

“What~no way man.”

“Hey~All I’m saying is that she might be interested in you.”

“Bleeding hell! Stop it you moron. Just because you’re obsessed about being a desperate-yet-dateless wonder, that doesn’t mean you’ll extend your delusional universe to all your friends as well. Stay away from me.”

“Well, she stares at you often enough…”

“As she would at a car accident, a tree in the road, the cubicle in the corner of the room and, in fact, you. A collection of absolutely random, useless objects of no importance.”

“Bah! But her expression…”

“Is one of pure nothingness.”

“Aha! So you did notice.”

“Oh come one you ridiculous little man, We work in the same office spaces. Of course we’ll run across each other.”

“Uh huh. Is that why her friends have been asking questions about you?”

“I swear you’re getting dumber by the minute. I’ll help you understand. We were in a book store. I knew an entire shelf. They thought I was an employee and asked me questions. I explained I wasn’t. They got embarassed and kept apologising for half an hour. Now shut up. I’m eating.”

“Oh look look! She’s staring at you again!”

“Dude. She’s staring at you. My back is turned.”

“Yeah, but the angles…”

“Oh not the angles bit again! PLEASE God no! NO!”

“Hyperbolic, much?”

“Yeah well, if you can be a stuck record…”

“Well give me one good reason why she wouldn’t go for you…”

“No.”

“See, I knew it. You’re just too chicken to…”

“NO! I just don’t want to shatter this little delusion you’ve built up.”

“Explain.”

“No. I’m your friend. I don’t want to break your puny mind.”

“You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Ye-e-e-e-s.”

“Aw come on dude!”

“Okay man. It’s like this. She’s a MacGufifn in a really bad novel/short story in which we’re side characters. When this scene is put into the novel, before I advance, the scene will change and the hero will enter, stage left.”

“…”

“I’m sorry dude, but you asked me to do it… sleep well.“

In the city of the future

I’ve been busy. Sort of.

Bought two more books I won’t get to read before the new year.

Awkward day in many senses.

This footballing, quizzing guy is in the hospital - let’s wait for him to update. Send him your wishes.

Tomorrow’s football again. Little mercies, yea?

Listening to this song on and off.

Just forgot a nice story-conversation. Damn.

I’m okay. How are you?

trapped

Sometimes.

Sometimes you feel trapped. In an episode of twilight zone.

Gimme all your money: It’s for a good cause: Me

Please?

Football, bombs and intersection

Today, I went to play football.

I walk from 80 feet road in Koramangala (all Bangalore) to a rather large shopping mall called Forum and cross over to the other side, where I get a pick up from the captain to the company grounds.

Then after the match I get a drop at the same place and another 15 minute walk back.

Today, at the Soccer Saturday practices, I scored 4 of the 17 goals in the game, all clean strikes. Good movement, a bit of trouble tracking back, but good positioning and tackling. Most importantly, stamina is going up. Now I can last the entire practices with only the half time break.

So, when I was coming back, I got a phone call.

Live bomb found, and defused at Forum.

Currently, the city of Ahmedabad is almost besieged.

You know what? The chinese have a proverb: May you live in interesting times. Original source (from Douglas Adams’ H2G2 project).

****Lack of words. ***Lack of words. **Entry truncated. *Go home everyone.

Bangalore bombed

The city was rocked by serial blasts this afternoon.

Change

Online, online, online

Here’s coverage of our football thing. With photos!

Soccerfest Bangalore:Team Profile-Infosys

Photo on goal.com - I’m leftmost, in front of the red guy.

Debacle of Day 1, immortalised in statistics.

An immortalised comment by a teammate.

Coverage by organisers…

Results summarized in pictures.

Even though this says we won…

And a random pick from the bag: Read the comments specially in this old post.
And to combine the two topics…

Click and see the top right.

Who’s that in the green shirt, in the green website?

Memories

The circle of life. Numbers. Round and round. A straight forward march.

I used to have friends. They all went away. Slowly, one by one. Some quickly, others stayed on. One. Two. Three. Four.

I remember when I was little, in school. When study meant you read a book marked science which would read like an exciting mystery novel. You read through once, and boom, off you go to play street cricket and kick a football till it went pop.

Back then, I had friends. Not many. Four, maybe five. But that was my world. You had one group marked friends, and another marked other people.

Then somewhere along the line, we grew up. It became best friends, friends, acquaintances, other people I know, unknown/general/misc, and enemies.

Then coworkers came into the picture.

I remember when I used to have just friends. Somewhere along the line, they drifted away, went along their merry way. And I stayed exactly where I was. Sure I would try to go to the other place in one’s life. But we always… How does that song go… How come I end up where I started… I stay still, and I face life’s difficult questions. Whether they turn or jump on you, you push them back, sometimes you don’t have anything to show for your effort, sometimes a little goes all the way. And you think you progress.

But you’re just standing there. Even if you run, you end up where you started. And all you have to show for it are numbers. Eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two.

Things change. You stay the same. Everyone drifts apart. Meet new people. Learn new things. Run. Rest. Relax.

Breathe. No more running. Now you have friends.

But you look up - at where you thought you had friends. But it’s some strangers - people who you barely knew yesterday - and today they’re all you have left. You don’t know them much, but they’re all you have. You fall backwards into their waiting arms. You can’t trust everyone. You must trust someone. Why not this stranger?

Standing 22 yards away, hasn’t batted in 10 matches, looks like a foreigner in his batting gear: he’s your number 11.

Sure, this innings will go on longer. You have faith, ‘A little luck,’ you hope . After all, all it needs is to make another number go up by one. Every little while. Keep the scoreboard ticking over.

One more statistic. One more memory.

One year over in Infy - Jul 2008.

Saturday: The day to end the week?

We continued with the tournament today.

We were in the third division knockouts, you can say.

Lucky us, we reached the finals!

We’re not yet at the level where we can go after the big guns, but yeah…

Quarter Final: 5-0 win! Someone scored a hat-trick, I grabbed one, and we started scoring inside the first minute!

Semi-Final: As the other team tried to soak up the pressure and counter-attack, we got three goals, including two deflected shots, though I picked up another ankle sprain that looked like curtains for me.

Final: It ended 0-0 as we were against a much more physical side, on slightly better form. But we strectehed them, and I missed a glaring chance (:’() when I shot low and middle from the top of the penalty box, only to see the keeper sit down on it. Damn. It went to penalties (3 apiece), and then another, and another penalty, which was when we finally lost.

Learning experience, plus unexpected success. We’re just sunday leaguers (well literally Saturday leaguers). More football coming up soon, and a quiz tomorrow.

See ya.