Pakistan Win

In troubled times some good news for Pakistan. An all-round performance by the team and a brilliant spell of fast-bowling ensured that Pakistan are the new T:20 world champions.

Afridi, Razzaq and Gul did a good job.

Younis Khan announced his retirement from T:20 cricket.

Afridi might be the new T:20 captain

Pakistan enter the finals

South Africa with all their experience and positive vibes continued to retain the "chokers tag" as they were defeated by Pakistan in the first semi-final by 7 runs.

Afridi won the match for Pakistan with a brilliant performance with both bat and ball.

The second semi between Sri Lanka and West Indies will be a thriller.

Let us see what happens.

Three Defeats in a Row

Well Captain Cool-Three defeats in a row. Disastrous captaincy horrible running between the wickets. A target of 131 against South Africa and you lose with wickets still in hand. Soul-searching, accusations and resignations are expected soon. The honeymoon is over let us see what the big bosses say.

Team-India Falter

The first true test and our first Super-Eight Match against the mighty West Indies!
India bat first and wickets fall in quick succession. Yuvi and Yusuf Pathan do the rescue act. A decent total of 157 thanks to a solid knock from Yuvi.

West Indies lost early wickets but Dwayne Bravo sizzled with the bat to add to his 4 wickets to lead the Windies to victory.

Dhoni's captaincy was poor as the bowling changes do not make sense.

Let us see if we can make it to the semis.

England are in a desperate situation too and the India vs England match will prove to be a thriller.

Another Innings in Instructional Design

The past week has been hectic. I have joined a another firm in the e-learning domain. I have the designation of an Assistant Manager. The new place is a small outfit and they are in the process of setting up a full-fledged team. There is absolute chaos. We have a big and prestigious project that means a lot to the company. An induction is yet to take place. I was supposed to go to another city for a formal induction but it got canceled. It is a young and dynamic team. We were told that it was a 5-day week but the project and the deadline means it is a six-day week.

A colleague celebrated his birthday yesterday. There was cake and ice cream. In the evening it was time to go for a wedding reception. Met some old colleagues from SFY and EK.

Let us see how things go!

Wish me luck.

The Last Day

The last day at work was spent in the usual order. Saying good-byes! Wishing luck and all that emotional nonsense!

Memories:
Sethu Sir-Truly one of the great inspiring men that I have met in my life-time. Thanks for the books that you gave me and for the blessings.

Honestly the best manager I ever worked with - Vicky. Always cool and calm composed and steady and a great human being.
Deepak-Funny, honest, frank and sometimes too damn philosophical for even me to interpret what he means!

Robin-Great all-rounder and always ready to crack a joke.

And everyone else who made my stay at the firm memorable.

Now I await the settlement amount!

Rohit Sizzles with the Bat

India continued its supremacy over arch rival Pakistan and defeated them by 9 wickets in a warm-up game. Pakistan lost a wicket in the first over. Then they went ballistic and reached 45 in four overs. Then a suicidal run cost Kamran Akmal his wicket courtesy a superb throw from Raina. Then Pakistan were reduced to 45 for 4 as Afridi too lost his wicket alongwith the other opener.

Misbah as usual was the mainstay as Pakistan reached 157. The Indian openers Rohit Sharma in the form of his life and Gautam Gambhir blasted the ball to all corners of the park. Rohit's quickfire 80 and a composed 50 from Gambhir ensured that India won.

The main tournament starts tonight and we can expect loads of fire works.

May the best team win.

I WONDER

[Image Source-Google Image Search]

I wonder. I wonder a lot. No wonder I was labelled a day-dreamer when I was still very young. When I was in Class I-I used to wonder what it would be to be a famous cricketer. When I reached Class V-I used to wonder what it would be to be a tram-driver.[I was in Calcutta during that peiod]. Class VIII and the first crush on a girl in class and I wanted to emulate the antics of Shahrukh and Aamir. Reality struck a crushing blow when we had to move to another city. The first crush remained in my heart forever. I had never spoken to her in that year in class. I guess the shyness-syndrome continues as many of the readers of this blog already know:). By the time I completed the torture that was Trignometry and Analytical Calculus and Differential Calculus and drawing diagrams of the human heart and preparing herbariums of Clitoria ternatea. I was done with Science and Maths. Three years of college were full of fun, two life-threatening accidents. A long-period of recovery, which led to a spiritual awakening. A campus-recruitment drive that I attended by accident. I wonder what would have happened if I had never written that test. Four years down the line and heading in to my fifth job.

These four years have brought in so many incidents! The pangs of a failed attempt in love. The realization that I belong to a fractured family where the factors may change but some couples will remain incompatible and at loggerheads forever. The knowledge that the powers vested in me are great and the responsibilities and roles that I have to perform are greater. The absolute truth-that the path that I have chosen was destined to have come to me. I know that I am different and though folks may say I am difficult to understand and slightly cracked:). They will nver know what is in store!

Now I really wonder if something is wrong with my head:)!

India take on Pakistan

Team India faltered in its chase and lost to New Zealand in the first T:20 warm-up. Tonight the boys-in-blue take on Pakistan. Let us see what happens. The match is scheduled at 10 PM IST. So watching the full match live is ruled out.

May the best team win!

The little piece of plastic-the credit card

Know how your credit card
works before you swipe...."


It is just a piece of plastic the size of a visiting card, which has changed the way we handle our money and finances. You do not have money right now, do not worry, use your credit cards, make your purchase, wait for your monthly statement, and pay the bill in installments. Is that all that there is to using a credit card?

The credit card as a concept started in America. The success and popularity of the concept led to the global presence and usage of the credit card. A credit card is essentially a plastic card containing a magnetic strip. The card is issued in the user's name and allows the user to purchase products without making any cash/cheque payment. At the beginning of every month the user receives a statement from his/her bank. The user has to pay the bank the amount within a specified period either in installments or as a one-time payment. If the user pays the amount in installments the bank charges interest for the balance amount.

The bank specifies a credit limit based on the user's income and financial security. The user can make purchases using the credit card within the specified credit limit. A credit card is valid only if it has the user's signature on the reverse of the card.

Identity theft is an issue of growing concern as more and more cases of online fraud are being reported everyday. This is primarily due to the increase in the number of users conducting their transactions on the Internet and the carelessness of the credit card users. There have been instances where portable card-readers were used to get data from credit cards and this information was misused. Hackers also use this information to conduct online transactions.

Some simple tips that can help prevent identity theft and misuse of credit card details are as follows:

1-Never reveal your credit card details, like account number and PIN(Personal Identification Number) to others.

2-Be sure to tear all receipts or bills once the transaction is over and the bills are paid.

3-If you are buying something online, ensure that the Website is approved by digital security firms like Verisign, Entrust, RSA Security, etc...

4-Always collect your credit card once you complete your transaction and keep analysing your bills to check if someone has misused your credit card.

A credit card is a boon for the middle-class citizen as it allows the luxury of buying things now on credit and paying for them later. One has to remember that all things should be used in moderation and it is always good to pay one's bills on time.

Good Used-Books at Low Prices

The book-lover is bothered by the rising cost of books. Some have also gravitated towards buying pirated copies of books. In a world where everyone wants to spend the minimum to get the maximum pirated movies and pirated books are a major source of income to many entrepreneurs and source of joy to many book-lovers and movie-lovers. A Sidney Sheldon thriller that costs Rs 250 to Rs 300 in Landmark is available for Rs 50 to Rs 60 in many of the pavement stalls that dot Chennai.

But not all books make it to the pavement in its pirated form. Only the books by Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon, Frederick Forsyth, Paulo Coelho, Stephen R. Covey, Linda Goodman, Robert Ludlum, Arundhati Roy, Arvind Adiga and a few other chosen ones make it to the pavement.

The other option is to visit the many used-book shops to find old forgotten novels and comics. Indulge in nostalgia from childhood and an age of innocence when one fought with siblings to read Enid Blyton and Asterix and the Biggles series. Adolescence was devoted to the exploits of the Hardy boys, Nancy Drew and the Three Investigators.

I am listing a few of my favourite haunts in Chennai to find old books.

1-Moore Market

This has been my favourite ever since I started college and went hunting for copies of Milton’s “Paradise Lost” and “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.” Moore Market has a long chequered history. The current suburban railway complex is where the original Moore Market stood. My uncle used to say you could get each and every type of electronic item, exotic perfumes and various birds here. The biggest section was reserved to rows of book stalls. A planned fire led to the shop-keepers to be evacuated. A new complex (the current one) was built but many shop-keepers left the place. Today one finds most of the shops selling engineering books. Only about 12 shops spread across three floors sell novels and magazines. There are some shops that sell stamps and coins. The current complex has a lot of shops that sell exotic fishes, aquariums and related equipment. I visit the place and browse through the books. Some of the gems that I got here include: “An Anthology of American Poetry”(Got for Rs 350) a bargain as a new one costs about Rs 2000. The original James Bond novels by Ian Fleming at Rs 30 a piece. A new one at Landmark costs around Rs 200. Four Agatha Christie novels at Rs 45 a piece. The books look new and none of the pages are missing.

2-Adjacent GPO on Mount Road

There are about four stalls on the pavement on Mount Road adjacent to the GPO. Three sell pirated new novels. The fourth shop sells old books on a wide variety of topics. Novels starting from Rs 10 to coffee table books selling at Rs 500. I have picked many Enid Blyton novels here for Rs 10 and Rs 20. Other buys include an encyclopedia on dogs for Rs 200.(a picture book with details on breeds and health care tips for dogs). Lots of pulp fiction thrillers for Rs 20 and Rs 30.

Folks more shops coming soon. Cross-posted on Art, Books, Cinema and Music.

Chelsea Win!

Finally the silverware and joy for Chelsea Chelsea defeated Everton 2-1 to win the FA Cup. A parting gift for their Dutch coach Hiddink. Everton struck the fastest goal in the tournament's history but Chelsea won under the stable leadership of Lampard and a good game by Drogba.