BJP daring Kejriwal to form a government in Delhi with the help of Congress!!! I don't think the fish will take the bait :)

AAP has got off to a phenomenal start. And I am surprised by how their secret admirers have suddenly found voices. A lot of them have cropped up around me as well. And they have been preaching me to support AAP instead. And I sit through such sessions with a Gautam Buddha like smile.

No, I still support NaMo. Let AAP do something worthwhile first.

Chadhti thhi uss mazaar par, chaadarein beshumaar,

aur baahar baitha ek phakir, sardi se marr gaya.....

Weedabloo maata ka jagraata hai.....again :(

Indeed a very strong debut by Aam Aadmi Party. They have made a huge impact in the Delhi assembly elections. Media proceedings indicate that most people were not expecting such a strong performance from the first timers. 

However I, on the other part, was worried that they may have a 'stronger' performance and dent the chances of BJP at the state and national level. This to me is the most healthy outcome. 

Congress has been washed out and that was the priority number one. BJP, in all likelihood, would form a government in Delhi and that was priority number two. I was and still am not too sure about AAP as a whole. But they did have my benefit of doubt. I did not want them to win but they deserved a stronger voice. This result will give them just that. They will be the main opposition party in Delhi and would have a strong say. It would be great to see which way they go.

Pappu to Sheila: "Defeat is a state of mind"

Sheila to Pappu: "Chup *******, right now my mind is in a state of defeat"

Jail Break

I get 16 days leave a year and around the same number of days as sick leave. Even Sanjay Dutt, who is serving a jail sentence, is getting better deal!!! Whole month of October and now whole month of December!!! Awesome!!! I guess Salman Khan would now accept his guilt and check into Yerwada Recreational Resort!!!

India's tour to South Africa finally started. Due to a lot of off-field drama, there were dark clouds over the entire tour. Board-level politics at at both ends almost cancelled the tour but finally resulted in a delayed and shortened tour. That's okay, as long as the cricket lovers in both countries can witness some high level cricket. Well...that is/was the expectation.

The first one-day ended few hours back. Due to the time difference between South Africa and Malaysia, it was difficult to watch the entire match....especially with the current workload in office. Though l decided to take some much needed rest, the match was pretty much on the mind. l woke up at 4 am to check the score/result. l wish I had not!!

What a disastrous start of the tour. India lost by 141 runs!! That is a massive defeat. More than the margin of defeat, what is disappointing is the performance of our bowlers. So much was expected of our pacers but apart from Shami Ahmed, the others were pretty disappointing. There are so much expectations from Bhuvaneswar Kumar. l did not watch the match but analysts indicate that he bowled in wrong areas. I hope the pacers get used to pace and bounce in South Africa quickly. In any case, there are other seam bowling options available though one of them is Ishant Sharma.

Two other disappointing factors are (a) the ineffectiveness of spinners. Aswin and Jadeja did not get much purchase from the track and (b) performance of Yuvraj Singh.

Yuvraj Singh is a champion cricketer but is clearly struggling. It is okay if the team persists with him but that would be unfair to some other players who are waiting for a chance. 

India is going to miss a fast (or medium pace) bowling all-rounder. Irfan Pathan is injured (he always is) and there are not many options. Jadeja is useful but is he going to be as useful in these conditions? That is a question that needs to be answered. He is not a great batsman at the spot he bats on. He comes there as he is a better batsman (arguably) than Aswin. Indian selectors could have tried someone else for this tour. There are not many options available but someone like Abhishek Nayar (though I hate it for 'do not why') could have been tested. Nayar has been having a good time with the bat and ball. In one of the practice matches against West Indies, he took more wickets than the front line bowlers, which included Zaheer Khan. Then there is Rajat Bhatia, who is more of a military medium but is an intelligent bowler. And his batting is not worse that Jadeja. 

The team has to work with the available options and I hope they come up with better shows in next matches. One-dayers do not matter that much, I am excited about the test matches :)

Manmohan Singh to Tara Singh

"No possibility of Pakistan winning a war against India in my lifetime" - PM Manmohan Singh

Yeh paaji ke andar ka Sunny Deol kaise jaag gaya!!!! I know aisi koi khaas statement nahi hai but MaunMohan ne statement di woh kya kam hai.

And if Raul had attempted this statement, it would have been like;

"No possibility of....ahmm...wait a second....I lost my paper.....ya....no possibility of...East India Company.....no....India....winning a war against.....Narendra Modi.....in my dadi's lifetime"!!!

Why can't a smartphone give a warning like......'Don't delete this folder, nahi to aapke phone ki batti lag jaayegi'??? :(

My candidate lost :(

I helped him with the slides but ultimately he had to deliver. He was appreciated for the slides but was not allowed to finish as he took way more time. Now I understand how coaches feel when their teams lose. But I have to come up with some motivational crap as the guy is depressed. I do feel for the guy as he did put a good effort.

Kaamdev ki badi kripa hai mujh par aaj kal....and unfortunately, I mean 'Work God'!!!

Dilli waalon....don't let the nation down. Don't go by what your friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors, media, political parties, opinion polls,  etc are telling you. Some may suggest AAP....most may suggest BJP. Its YOUR vote. Use your best judgement....and vote for BJP. Simple!!!

ICC ODI team of the year does not have Virat Kohli in it!!!!! Ab kya ladka jaan de de??

Went well :)

This is going to be interesting. A presentation scheduled for tomorrow evening has been pulled forward and now starts in sometime!!!! I am totally unprepared as I had planned to go through the deck tomorrow. The other option was to postpone the presentation but that was not feasible. So now.....jo hoga so hoga!!!

Bangladesh buying submarines!!! Coming soon in Bay of 'Bengal'adesh!!!

Bliss

Its interesting to read old blog posts (my own). It just shows how the thinking, opinion, perception and impressions evolve with time. I found a lot of blog posts very surprising. Now I do not think like that and I do not agree with a lot of things that 'me of the past' has expressed. A few years down the lane, I will read blog posts of this year and smile/laugh. :)

This is from a student that I am mentoring for a case study challenge :)

-----------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr Animesh,

I have read your slide and I feel nothing I want to change anymore. The slides look so much better and so perfect. I really appreciate your help, support and guidance. 

Awfully Indebted,

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lost a good part of the day due to severe headache and nausea. Cannot afford this to happen again...till 13th December. The deadline is staring at me and I am getting panicky now. Too many things to take care of and there is so little time. Hmmph!!!

The son in me is happy as my father needed to spend sometime with his grand daughter.

The husband in me is happy as my wife needed a break.

But the father in me is sad and depressed as it is painful to be without my daughter.

Scores of 70, 62 (limited overs) and 213, 81, 52, 8, 69, 132 and 12 in the last 9 innings. This guy deserves a look in. I understand that there is no place in the national team at this stage but cannot believe that this guy is overlooked for India-A and practice matches as well. 

You have it in you and you have started to show a lot of consistency. Keep up the good work and the opportunity would come knocking. All the best. 

Sometimes I feel your presence. Sometimes I think you are still around. You know that I want to talk to you. And I do talk to you. Sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly (just in case you are here and listening). 

I look back at our relationship. I miss my childhood when you were my best friend. I miss those days when I was still 'unaware'. You know that I loved you so much.

Things changed. I grew up. Certain relationships start losing the same meaning with age. People start to drift apart as they get closer to others. But that was not the only reason. In my case, I grew up and started understanding a lot of things. And I started having my own opinion rather than allowing others (often you) to shape one for me. Things started to change then.

Looking back, I am thankful for how you treated me. I could not have asked for more. No one has ever got more. And I am glad that I told you that on multiple occasions. I also told you why I am no longer the same 'Vinayee'. I told you that I love you for all you did for me but there are reasons, which unfortunately I cannot overlook, that make me dislike you as well. 

I want to talk to you. But I do not have anything new to say. I have already shared with you everything so many times. It is just that, this time I want to say the same things while holding your hand.....while hugging you. 

I wish you had never loved me. I wish you were mean to me. As that would have made things easy and simpler. But now it is not. I wish I had called you more often. Now, I feel so helpless. And you were right when you said;

.....Jab hum na honge to ro ro ke duniya, dhoondhegi mere nishaan.......

I am sorry for hurting you and not being the same Vinayee.

So, I am suffering from a skin ailment that is common only in Afro-American race. Then I guess, it has nothing to do with race....only that appearance :P

Nahi rahnewaali yeh mushkilein, hain agle modd pe manzilein,

Meri baat ka tu yakeen kar, na udaas ho mere humsafar,

yeh safar bahut hai kathinn magar...............

Another Camera Whore

Now a PIL has been filed to challenge the Bharat Ratna to Sachin Tendulkar. I really do not understand why some people go to this extent to get some publicity and camera time. And I firmly believe that PILs should be filed in matters that are potentially harmful to the interest of the public, government, judicial system, religious beliefs, morale etc. This matter does not fall into any such category. What the advocate is challenging through the PIL is that a sportsperson does not come under the purview of such honor and are not eligible. Whether necessary amendments were made in the law or not, what is the 'harm' of conferring Bharat Ratna to a sportsperson. If nothing, it will only boost the morale of players (across discipline) in India and may motivate youngsters to take up and do well in sports. I hope the court out-rightly dismisses the PIL.

Kambli suffers a heart attack :( All the best!!! 

Har agla kadam picchle kadam se khauf khaata hai,
Har picchla kadam agle kadam se badh ke aata hai

Ahaan!!!

This morning, I read an interview of a wrestler and what he eats to maintain his body. I concluded that there is nothing wrong with my eating habit....I am just in the wrong profession!!!

Dinesh Karthik!!! You lucky dog!!!!

Dragon is bullying everyone around its den. The victims are panicking but they do not have any options . Tiger is the second most powerful animal in the jungle but against the might and firepower of the Dragon, it is looking like a wet puppy. 

Tiger is becoming friends with the Sun and thinks it is a good idea. Sun is being bullied by the Dragon as well and enemy of an enemy is a possible friend. However, Sun may have the resources but it lacks muscles. Collectively they do not become a force that would scare the Dragon away. And in the past, Tiger has been beaten up by the Dragon for becoming friends with Dragon's prey and for thinking that it can dictate terms with Dragon.

It seems Tiger has not learnt the lesson. We do not want Tiger to hide in its den. Rather, we want Tiger to understand the danger that Dragon poses and plan accordingly. Only once the Tiger has gained enough strength, it should think about giving any subtle or strong message to the Dragon. Right now, Tiger is not in that position. Trust me Tiger, Dragon will beat the shit out of you. So, prepare and prepare hard. 

And yes, do not think that if you keep quiet and ignore, Dragon will not harm you or go away. Dragon gets what it wants as the Dragon knows that Tiger and other animals in the jungle have neither the strength nor the balls. So my dear Tiger, be prepared as the Dragon is coming!!!!

Repetitive Stress Injury

This is what happens if you spend too much time on keyboard and mouse. It is 'repetitive stress injury' on the wrist. And it is mighty painful. I have had this issue since last few years but now it is getting unbearable. The doctor suggests rest for the hand and physiotherapy for a few weeks. Easier said than done. This is bread and butter.

I do plan to rest it for around 10 days when I go on leave in mid-December. For now, I have no choice but to bear the pain and continue working :(

Waiting is not my cup of tea. Especially when I am waiting for something very exciting/desperately. I am going to India on 14th December (will reach there on 15th morning). First thing that I will do after reaching Ranchi is to lift my daughter and give her a big hug. I miss that the most. It is still more than 2 weeks away and I am getting anxious. I understand that there is no point and 14th will come at its own pace. Still.....

Nepal books a semi-final berth in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament and most importantly qualifies for the World Cup T20 to be played next year!!!