Fear!

As some of you must have noticed, I have pulled down some of my recent posts. Infact today I wrote a heart wrenched post regarding the Orissa killings. I wrote it with my heart, just penned down what I felt and I posted it.

Then I read the same post, it came out so well. May be it was too raw and hard-hitting, but I believe it was something that I feel is the truth. I then deleted the post, because I have my family who lives back home and people in India just need a reason to hurt each other. Especially when you come from another community or religion.

I want to write so many things, express myself, but the only thing that stops me is the thought of my family.

Have a nice weekend.

Cheers,
Ashley

India at the Olympics.. should we celebrate?

So you think, India has shone like dazzling star on the Olympic horizon? I'll beg to differ slightly. I am proud of what Abhinav, Sushil and Vijender have achieved to bring glory for the nation, but I am sure their hardwork will not ignite any major revolutions to promote sports in a nation starved for heroes. Soon, it will be time for the Olympians to leave the stage and the for the next 4 years, our dear cricketers supported by the supremely talented Sania Mirza will hog the limelight.

Let me put forth a question. How much of Malleshwari did u see once the dust settled on her Olympic victory? How much of Rajvardhan Rathore did you follow? How many knew Abhinav Bindra before he hit the bullseye in Beijing?

Suma Shirur, a super talented sportswoman, whom I personally met, was without a coach before she left for Athens in 2004. She is the current world record holder in 10M rifle shooting (400/400). She stood 8th in the finals in Athens. Can you imagine what she would have done if provided a good quality coach and world-class training facilities.

There are many untold stories like Suma Shirur, that you and I are not aware of. But instead of giving the deserving atheletes an oppurutunity we turn our backs on them, only to cuss at them every 4 years, when they fail to bring us a medal. Whom do we blame? The Athelete? Us? The government? The media? Pakistan?

For a nation that is rated as one of the fastest growing economies, the Olympics is a perfect stage to showcase our prowess. Our GDP is just one factor to guage our rise. Sports success, Military powers, Scientific advances, Infrastructural improvements.. so many parameters to caliber a nations growth.

A simple stat that I discussed with my good friend Abhishek the other day. The top 4 growing economies of the world, labelled as BRIC! Find alongside the medals won so far.
B= Brazil:10
R=Russia:53
I=India:3??
C=China:83

Let us add another nation and make it BRICK!
K=Korea:26

This BRIC and BRICK is not made up by me, it is a thorough analysis done by Goldman Sachs.

Hereis the article to the BRIC study(pretty interesting).

Should we be celebrating our success, or dwell on the reasons why we are not winning more medals.

Please dont tell me, that we dont have the talent. I can name atleast 10 atheletes who if trained well and groomed for the 2012 games, will surely bring us glory. But who will provide them support. Support does not mean 2 crore on winning 1 medal, support means standing by one's side through their good and bad times. Ask Suma Shirur!

I have always raised the 'One-single-astroturf-in-mumbai' issue a zillion times. But one other interesting incident was when i visisted the Chhatrapati Shivaji sports complex in Balewadi, Pune. That place was in a mess. It kind of symbolizes India's thirst for success in sports. Zilch!

Last heard, that stadium was being re-done for the Youth Commonwealth Games in October 2008. Once the games are over, the shrubs will grow again, the rust will set in and the facility will be a Jurassic park in the midst of Hinjewadi, the IT park of Pune. Quite Ironical, aint it?

Cheers,
Ashley

Make Hay when the sun shines!

But make sure you are in your proper senses and not too greedy. A current prime example is Mr.Andrei Arshavin. A sublimly talented Russian football player. He rose to prominence in the recently concluded UEFA Cup 2008. His versatility on the football field and immense talent have made him a must want player for top clubs.
He scores goals, provides assists, has a good engine and wonderful football imagination and visibilty. Ask the Dutch, how he single handedly brought them down.

Currently he represent a russian club, Zenit Saint Petersburg. This club is not Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United. So, as it was meant to be, Ashravin started getting offers to join top notch European clubs. Barcelona, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurs and a few others.

But our dear friend (or may be his club), is so hell bent on making a zillion hay, that his transfer is just not possible. So Arsenal and Barcelona have given up on him. Today, Hotspurs are also out of the race, thanks to a zero negotiation strategy used by Ashravin and Zenit.

Outcome, he might continue to play in the modest Russian League.

Learning: Dont overvalue yourself, if you do be prepared to encounter disappointments along the way.

All the best Andrei.

An update:
So finally sense has prevailed and Zenit/Ashravin have decided to may be lower his price tag.
Here is the article.

Boybands...

"What a wuss you are?", exclaimed my friend. "How can you even like Boyzone?". Yes, I admit it, I was a huge boyzone fan. So huge, that I even wrote a letter to them and sent it all the way to Middlesex, England!!! Btw, this happened somewhere in 1996-1997. No emails then, no internet to get online membership. My joy knew no bounds when I got a reply, for a moment I thought that one of the five must have personally replied to me. Stupid me, but yes, I did think so. So what did the letter contain? I was so excited to have seen the letter, opening it would have taken me to the next ultimate level of excitement.

Well, the letter only had a invitation to be a part of their official fanclub. It did not contain the boyzone tee which I had asked for. Nor did it have a autographed photograph of Shane. :)
To rub it in, the membership fees was quite an unaffordable figure and that too in pounds. To be frank I dont even remember the exchange rate that time nor the amount those freaks asked for.

But, that letter, it meant so much to me. I kept it safely in my draw. Hid the letter from Adrian, so that he would not laugh at me. Days passed, Boyzone was passe. Enter Backstreet Boyz, N'Sync, Bed & Breakfast, WestLife and so on....

What I really love about these boybands is that they were in perfect synchronization with my adolescent days.
From 'Words', 'Bye Bye Bye' to 'Escape', they have always been parallel and provided background score to my other-wise simple life.

The first CD I ever bought was 'Millenium', courtesy 'Backstreet Boys'. I would stand in front of the mirror and sing 'I want it that way' and 'Show me the meaning of being lonely' all evening.

Right now am listening to 'Back Here Baby' by BBMak... those good ole 'Ganga' days!!

Well Done India!!!

Miserable, Piteous, Shameful! This is how I would describe the performance of our so-called medal expecting stars at the Olympics.

By now, most of you guys must have read my sincere and heartfelt analysis of Miss Sania Mirza's professional tennis performance. I had, have and will always stick to the fact that she has stymied the growth of many other female atheletes who deserve more credit and recognition than an unworthy soul like her.
Her retiring at the games and disappointing loss did not surprise me one tiny-atomic bit. It was expected.

The media, both print and television are a wasted lot. Unnecessary hype, undue attention, undeserved praise and print space have made atheletes like Sania assume they are the bread and butter winners for our nation when it comes to sports.

Wrong, my dear lady. You have sadly been mistaken. Actually, our dear friend Sania is not alone. At the fictious mountain that she rests on, she has company. Company of self-believing, self-assuming and utterly disappointing atheletes like Anju B George.

The problem with Indians is that, success hits the head pretty fast. Blame it on the lack of heroes that India fails to provide or surplus media attention for their mediocre performances, suddenly these atheletes start advocating the role of being world beaters. They presume they are championship material and are good enough for anyone anyday.

Unfortunately, a little sensibility and a little more logic, makes me think otherwise. Performance is your report card. Not the number of headlines you made. It does not matter if Sachin Tendulkar came to meet you when in Hyderabad. It does not matter if you are having an affair with the Pakistani tennis player. It does not matter if you keep cribing about the facilities provided for your practice.

What matters is performance!!! It is the sole criteria to judge a sportsperson. And my dear ladies, you both have screwed India when it gave you such a prestigious platform to perform on. 3 failed jumps? Mrs. George, what the hell were you thinking. Is this some park in Kerala where you go and jump and come back. The whole world is watching, a million and more people have pinned their hopes on you. And all you can do is make not 1, not 2 but un-freakin-believable 3 foul jumps.

You know friends, whats the worst part about atheletes like them. They dont have one single ounce of remorse or self-regret to have let down a nation. A nation that so eagerly is waiting for another hero after Abhinav. All they care about is the spot-light. And our two-penny worth media, is all game for that. Of course, a story on Sania will give their TRP's a boost, rather than focus on Suma Shirur who is giving her 110% at a self-sponsored shooting range in Panvel.

The media is the biggest culprit to have created this hoopla about India's medal hopefuls. The bubble has burst this time, as always. Sania, Anju, Lee/Hesh all have delivered nought. Infact Sania and Anju have been an embarrassment.

But who cares, two weeks later, we will again read more about these hopeless folks who cant really standup a single worthwile challenge and bring us less-than-mediocre success.

Till then, Adios!!

PHELPNOMENAL - 8 Golds for Phelps!!!!!

I know its not 7:58 PM, its just 3:06 PM here. Still another 5 hours to go to see Phelps celebrate his unique and un-freakin-imaginable record of 8 gold medals in one Olympic Game.

But, I know, he wont let me down. I wont have to revisit this post to make changes. No, I wont.
If I had any doubt regarding his ability of his achieving the 8 golds then they have been washed-clear by his last swim in the 100M butterfly.

All sportspersons will always tell you, 110% hardwork does not necessarily give you 100% success. Every single soul needs luck. A small percentage true, but it is a must. For Phelps, we all knew he had given his 110% preparing for these games. But was luck on his side? Oh hell yea!!

Winning the 100M Fly, by the closest possible margin, Phelps has proved that all the forces in this world have contrived to enable him win 8 golds.

About 4 hours to go and phelps will take another dive into history.

For my friends, the race is scheduled at 8 PM today, 16th (8*2) August (8) 200(8), where Phelps will aim to win 8 gold medals...

Amazing 8'nt it?

Adios,
Ashley

I Wish...

Somwhere along this long winding road, I've wished....

I wished for Mom to allow me to grow my hair..
Long locks meant more headcare..
So I keep short hair!

I wished to wear full trousers to school..
Full pants(5th class and higher) meant getting up early to school..
So I cribbed every morning that I want to sleep!

I wished to play football for my school/college..
Football practice meant lots of running and kicking..
So I wished I was dropped and told to go home!

I wished to go to college and get rid of the uniform..
College meant rich folks wearing branded clothes..
So I wished we all were equal and we all wore a uniform!

I wished to earn my own money and spend..
Money brought along responsibilities and more headache..
So I wish instead, my dad gives me pocket money!

All long, I've wished..
Things have happened as I wanted them to..
But, I still cant find that peace, that comfort that I am looking for...

Wonder, what should I Wish for next??

Cheers,
Ashley

Prison Break in A Perfect World?

Now we that we are fast approaching Prison Break - 4, I thought of penning down this column.

I was not a big PB fan at first. Even though Joel and Adrian kept telling me about this dramatic prison escape series called PB, I was not really excited about downloading the stuff or catching it online. But once I started to watch it, there was no looking back. I have even watched 7 episodes on a trot. That is almost 6 hours of non-stop PB. The reason I had to stop was because it was dawn and I had to get ready to leave for work. I found the concept very refreshing and each character had a varied level of tenacity to fulfil their own goals.

Funny that I watched PB - 2 first, then I caught up on PB -1 and then finally PB -3. So you can imagine, the mess that I made, I had to watch PB -2 again to make sense of all those links which I failed to grasp during my first watch.

'A Perfect World' is a Kevin Costner movie that I recently happened to catch. It is a touching story of a prisoner on the run and his bonding with a 8 year old kid whom he takes as hostage during his escape.

The similarities might not be earth shattering or headline material, but they are quite interesting.
1. The escape from the prison is quite similar. The jump over the wall onto a empty street.
2. The escape involves the prisoners wearing white attire during their escape.
3. The protagonist and the lead negative character, (M.Schofield and T-BAG in PB, Butch Haynes and Terry Pugh in A Perfect World) share the exactly same chemisrty. They do mention, that once outside they would be on their own. They both hate each other's guts.
4. T-Bag and Terry are both paedophiles.
5. Terry is killed by Butch, and Scofield makes sure that T-Bag is left for dead in PB 3.
6. Butch and Scofield both had troubled childhoods.
7. The similarity that really caught my attention, was the behaviour of the 2 characters. There was this air of alikeness, a sense of deja-vu when you watch Terry in that role of a escape convict. He has T-BAG written all over him. The way he talks, his actions, his attitude and his screen presence. So damn similar.

I presume this was just a co-incidence, but then the similarities made me curious.
For all you movie buffs+PB fans, if you've not watched 'APW', do try and catch it. It is a Clint Eastwood direction and definetely worth a couple hours of your time.

Cheers,
Ashley

I Phelp(t) it!!

The title is supposed to be read as ' I Felt it'. I am just trying to be a little more imaginative.

But, what a race the 4*100 M Freestyle turned out to be. Described by many experts as the best relay ever, I was priviledged enough to watch it live on the internet. Manish and I have become big M.Phelps fans.

I have been following swimming as an Olympic sport for quite sometime now. It all started in the 1996 Olympics, I was a Alexander Popov fan then. Then came the Ian Thorpe and Hoogenband rivalry and now Michael Phelps. All of them are legendary. They have aimed for the sky, raised the bar so high that other atheletes find it virtually impossible to get even close.

To achieve this kind of success when you are just 23, in the case of Phelps is un-freakin-imaginable.

Back to the race. This was one of the event that Phelps had failed to get a Gold in, 4 years back at Athens. There was ample pre-race media coverage for the race, one because US were not the clear favorites for the race and two, because the French swimmer, Alain Bernard, had said that ' They would smash the US'.

Phelps, ran the first leg of the race and it was not the best swim ever. But his average swim still meant that US was in the top 3. The 2nd swimmer, Garrett , did better and US was in the top 2. But then the twist, the turn in the plot. Cullen Jones, proved to be a tad slow and gave away the advantage and US were left rallying behind.

Perfect stage for the now-legendary Jason Lezak to step in. A small note here, Lezak is from Irvine, CA which is like 10 miles from my place. Go Orange County Go!!!!

So when Lezak jumped in, he was chasing Bernard, with 100 M to go and Phelps hopes of 8 Gold Medals hanging by a thread. Personally, I did not expect Lezak to make up the distance that he lagged.

At the 50M turn, he was 0.82 of a second behind. In terms of swimming lingo, this is almost impossible to cover in 50M. Let alone when the 100M record holder is whom you are chasing. But legendary stories are made of this. Fairy tales are supposed to be outcomes of impossible scenarios. Lezak found energy from some somwhere deep inside and kept pulling close to Bernard. Manish and I kept screaming for Lezak to reach the finish first. 20M to go and it was still looking like a French victory. "No, this cant happen!!" I said. Phelps needs 8 and this is not possible.

The 2 touch the end-board simulataneously, but Lezak had out-fingered Bernard to hand US what is now hailed as the Best Relay Victory ever in a pool. He made up almost a second in the final 50 M. Awesome!!!

The difference between the 2 teams, 8 hundreth of a second.

Just goes to show, what mental strength these guys are made of. The drive to achieve gold, to be the best in the world. I plan to catch all the Phelp swims live. I hope TVAnts does not let me down. His next race is in another 45 minutes and then another one an hour after that.

8 golds or no, that screaming Phelp photograph which is all over the papers today, is so-far the highlight of my Beijing Olympics.

Go Phelps go!!

P.S: As expected, Sania Mirza has AGAIN had an injury. She retired in the second set, after (of course) losing the 1st set. Sportpersons like her, who are made of media hype and not their sporting abilities should be sent to retard homes along with the media scribes who waste printspace on them.

Idea of an innovative mind!

'The most amazing show on earth! EVER', thats how people have described the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympic games.

I still recall the pictures that Adrian showed me of him participating in the Athen Olympic Closing ceremony, and it seemed to be good fun. His pictures with atheletes from different nations. The relaxed look on all the faces, the jovial smile and the hug of a co-athelete. The pictures had them all.

But, from what I seen of the 2008 ceremony, it was class apart. It was a stage the Chinese have been waiting for. It was a show of power, a show of how far they have come. And it has left the entire world stand up and look.

I am big fan of the Chinese dedication and focus of achieving capabilities. They very well know what they need and have set the path to achieve it.

They wanted excellence in almost all fields for this Olympics and mind you they have almost succeded in the plan. For example, take Field Hockey. 4 Years back, no one had even heard of the Chinese team. They were the whipping boys. Fast forward 2008, they are Asian Games Bronze medallist. They have beaten India and Pakistan more than once. Thats what commitment is, isnt it?

During the opening ceremony I hit upon an innovate idea. India is going to host the 2010 Commonweath Games. Presuming, the hyped comparisions that exists in the media, people will except a grand ceremony from India too. I know it would be tough to deliver the kind of excellence that China put up. But I have a nice idea.

Get the Chinese opening ceremony video. Replace the word China with India, 2008 with 2010, and Olympic Games with Commonwealth Games. Use some photoshop expert and modify the faces in the ceremony to look Indian.

Then, on the big 'D' day, just put up 2 BIG screen in the stadium and play the video.

Perfecto!!!!!

Save Money, Earn Respect, Indian ishtyle!!

Adios,
Ashley

Quality I hate the most in people!!!

During my teenage days it would freak me out to see someone dig their nose to glory. Gold-Mining or Gold-Digging, as I used to call it, was stressful to watch. I would feel like heading to that person and clobbering him, because that act was blissful pleasure to him, but extremely annonying to me.

Now-a-days things have changed. I dont really see many gold-diggers around, I dont know whether it is the professional atmosphere thats to blame or just that I have been plain lucky to avoid those digging moments. Anyways, I'll take any of the reasons and carry on happily.

But, what does annoy me, is the attitude of some ungrateful friends around me. I mean, you genuinely help someone. And if for some reason that solution/input did not work, it so appears you are to blame?

Am I?
Did I really need to spend my freaking 10-15 minutes to figure out your problem, to screw you?
Then spend another 10 minutes explaining the solution to you?

And if because of some unenlightened reason, it did not work out, am I to blame?

I guess not. I do come across folks like these quite often. And the same old self that I am, I lose it pretty fast. If these were school/college days there would have been a couple of fists going here and there. Luckily, this is a professional set up. A setup where people (generally) dont gold-dig, so even I behave myself and dont clobber everyone around. I smile, say Sorry (then a Fuck Off in my head) and smile again.

Silently, i make a promise to myself. 'Never ever help that poor soul again'. Reason, ungrateful folks dont really need my help, do they???

So to all you people who come screaming back to me, if something i said does not work out, FO!!

Adios,
Ashley

P.S: Wrtiting this one from my office space. Imagine the stress I am under!!!