Reader's Digest

Strange.......I know, I am not well for past couple of days. Have not been to work and am at home just sitting and relaxing! Today I just caught glimpse of rd.com ...which reminded me of my old childhood days and a good old man- My grand Father who is as grand as he can be! A man who lives his life on his own terms- belive me when I say that he's 94 and still strong, his daily routine is still the same till date! He is very fond of Reader's digest and he has his own collection of more that couple of thousands of them. He's been reading them for a while now. I still remember the summer vacation wherein we'd stay at my Nani's house (yeah it's strange but we all call it Nani's house never Nana's house). and I'd quietly watch him reading it and sharing things with my Nani! I mean his modesty and humbleness still kills me, he just has no airs - he's a well read man. You can go to him for anything and you'd never be disappointed. My only problem is he's too conventional unlike my Nani who was very contemporary! I wish she was alive!

This one is for ya oldies I quite miss you guys.... now this really makes me want to speak with you Nanu! :(

(PS : I dont have any soft copy of nanu's pic so no pic for this one ) bohooooooooo

The BESTt & WORST of IPL 2

************************* An article in TOI************************************


So, IPL 2 has finally drawn to an end. Cricket junkies needn't despair; they'll soon get their next fix from the T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, here's a (mostly) tongue-in-cheek look at the highs and lows of this year's tournament.



Finds of the tournament: Manish Pandey and Shadab Jakati. A lot more will surely be heard of these two young men. And Dirk Nannes, while no spring chicken, had a dream IPL debut right up till the semi-final, where it all went horribly wrong for him and Delhi Daredevils.



Most overhyped IPL debuts: Kamran Khan was supposed to be Shane Warne's secret weapon but himself ended up as the biggest victim of his suspect action. Flintoff and Pietersen hardly justified their fees. In fact, Pietersen's return to England after five matches, which put Kumble in the driver's seat, was probably the best thing that happened to Royal Challengers. Finally, Mashrafe Mortaza spent almost the entire tournament on the bench and when he did play, promptly handed Rohit Sharma a gift-wrapped 26-run over.



Evergreen legends: Hayden, Gilchrist, Kumble and Warne all proved that retirement doesn't hurt the skills of true champs. If anything, it may actually help. By the way, I was furiously criticised for picking Kumble in both my over-35 XI and IPL dream XI. No surprise there, even great batsmen have underestimated him over the years -- and paid for it. But after his amazing spell in the final, I hope I'll be forgiven for crowing a bit.



Incidentally, in a previous piece, I'd asked 'Do retired players make best IPL captains'? As it turned out, both the finalists were led by men who have retired from international cricket (Kumble and Gilchrist). Excuse me while I go caw-caw.



Sad sights: Not every great shone. Sourav Ganguly played a couple of sizzling knocks but was otherwise largely disappointing. Sachin Tendulkar confirmed, yet again, that captaincy is not his cup of tea, in any format. VVS Laxman and Chaminda Vaas were quickly benched after some disastrous performances. But at least they all got a chance to play. Poor Glenn McGrath never got to bowl even one ball in anger.



Innings of the tournament: Many contenders, including the two centuries by de Villiers and Pandey, and Ross Taylor's 33-ball 81 against Knight Riders. For sheer impact and breathtaking brutality, though, it's hard to beat Gilchrist's 35-ball 85 which left the Daredevils dazed.



Best over by a bowler: Again, lots of contenders in a tournament which saw bowlers playing a big role and three hat-tricks. My vote would go to Irfan Pathan denying Rohit Sharma and Deccan Chargers right at the end, and Munaf Patel keeping his head even as Mumbai's batsmen lost theirs in a dramatic final over. Of course, this being cricket, Munaf was smashed for 25 runs in one over by Delhi Daredevils shortly thereafter.



Talk of irony: IPL 1's No. 8 won IPL 2, and No. 7 finished second. Also, the highest score of IPL 2 was 211-4, by Rajasthan Royals. The lowest score? 58, also by Rajasthan Royals!



Most thrilling match: Many matches went right down to the last ball, but only one went beyond: the Super Over which was won by Rajasthan Royals. No one who saw that match will forget it in a hurry.



Sweet revenge: The next time Rajasthan Royals and Knight Riders played, the Knights beat the defending champs to knock them out of the tournament. Also, Royal Challengers were thrashed by 92 runs by Chennai Super Kings in their first league encounter, but responded by beating them twice, including in the semi-final. And Deccan Chargers lost to Royal Challengers in a largely tension-free final league match, but beat them in the game that really counted.



Funniest moment: One frisky dog successfully foiled the best efforts of ground staffers to lure him off the field, even as several strapping cricketers maintained a discreet distance.



Saddest moment: Brendon McCullum's despair as he played a blistering knock, then took a brilliant catch, and still ended up on the losing side as Ross Taylor played a blinder for Royal Challengers.



IPL owner we most want to hug: Preity Zinta. The finance ministry should consider imposing a fringe benefits tax on all the Kings XI players at the receiving end of Ms Zinta's jhappies.



IPL owner we most want to scold: Shah Rukh, Shah Rukh. Good boys don't take potshots at living legends, especially when those legends go on to be proved right. If someone criticises your movies, will you now say that they should go make their own? In which case, who will watch yours?



Most derided person associated with IPL: John Buchanan's weird theories and weirder decisions ensured he'd win this one hands down. I wonder if there's any truth to the rumour that he will be replaced next year by Steve Waugh? Given Waugh's past chemistry with Dada, that could ensure that Knight Riders continue to provide lots of off-field entertainment. But at least they can take heart from Deccan Chargers, who finished last in IPL 1 before going on to win IPL 2.



Most cheered person associated with IPL: Naturally, Fake IPL Player. We lapped up his innuendo, chortled at his wicked sense of humour and generally tracked his blog with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for chartbusting TV soaps.



One feature we don't want to see next year: Mr Lalit Modi, give us a break from strategy breaks. Advertisers may love them, but nobody else does.



One feature we definitely want to see next year: Three cheers for the cheerleaders! When IPL returns to India, can we please watch them in action without any fuss?



And finally, a chain SMS that's doing the rounds that I can't resist putting up: Next year's IPL will be in Pakistan. The cheerleaders will wear burkhas, the security will be provided by the Taliban and al-Qaida and there will be a bomb blast after every sixer and wicket!



Cheers and see you soon at the T20 World Cup!

Pleasently Hot !!!!!

This summers one thing I am glad about is flower power...Even this scorching heat and humidity does not leave me so exhausted!


I have some awesome child hood memories associated with this tree and its magnificent flowers...and the best part is these flowers are yellow and later they happily fade away to white - which is a peaceful shade! I have always admired the quality of these flowers to be able to withstand heat and fiery sun!

I feel our lives are the same we all strive for success & happiness around us, however we all have to undergo the pain, give away our blood and sweat to finally achieve our desires!!!!

The Slightly Psychic Test ...

The result for The Slightly Psychic Test...

Pensive / Hesitant

Pensive, slightly hesitant.

Those are your two main character traits, they also are the most common: You scored 70% Dreamer and 55% Hesitant. Other results are hidden, this is not all about numbers! But always remember everyone is unique.

Given your results, you don't look like a complete dreamer, nor the kind of person who will refuse the invitation you wanted so much, but was too afraid to ask for. You are not overly ambitious, however your heart is definitely at it.

During the test, you didn't seek incredibly complex answers to simple questions. That's how you are in your life as well, or at least try to be. Many designers will agree: This is a Good Thing.

Those are not your two only traits! Far from it. You are strong-minded, and even though you sometimes miss occasions, you are always working on improving that. More of the kind of person to let yourself loose into music, into the stories you like. That's likely what the Dreamer part means.

You want so much out of this life. More than you currently have. You sometimes tell yourself how wasting time is such a pity, how you want something different. You are tired of the same-old-same which can last years. There has definitely been recent change, but there are things you still wish; while it may seem like a long way towards them now, the sooner you get started, the quicker you will reach them.

More to the point, you seem to be someone who didn't have a very calm childhood. For you, it was more of a time of movement, of changes, of learning and new experiences. As much as you sometimes hope some of this still holds, deep down into you you know it's different now. It could be the positive view on the world, it could be the bursts of energy, it could be anything. But you shouldn't be worrying about this. It's completely normal to be different to your "inner child"! And I'm sure you know that, right? :-)

You are also careful with memories. You tend to preserve them. Keep hold of the good ones. Keeping photographs or letters, maybe archiving emails.

It can sometimes be hard reliving the bad ones, and that is completely understandable. The ones already well behind should not be awakened; as for the more recent events, keep walking and they won't follow. Don't stand still. Don't stay in a place you don't want to be.

There is only so much you can do with numbers. I could go on and on, but tests like this are not specific enough. I'm very interested on your opinion on this analysis, so feel free to send me a message, and I will answer any further question you have. :)

However, I want you, if you have read this far, to have a look at the various techniques behind all this. Just have a look.

Take The Slightly Psychic Test at HelloQuizzy

Shaadi.com

Yeah after umpteenth heart-breaks I have given up on the idea of love marriage ….love …romance…not the first time though but the final end to dreams for a guy who’d treat me like his best friend for the rest of his life!!! It becomes difficult for men, as for them till the time there is some mystery around ya they are bound to ya…. But as soon as the mystery get revealed they are least interested to be with ya…… may be my ideology of being with someone who’s got intelligence and intellect and not too much focused on looks doesn’t seems to working out. But what made me write this blog was the insistence of my family to be on Shaadi.com….which I feel is other kind of networking site!
This weekend has been hilarious for various reasons but this shaadi.com experience is completely new to me. I mean those funny icons of heart break when you decline someone, or people who are no match to ya would send requests to you. Anyways, another cracked up thing is that people who’d like you – you would not like them or the people whom you’d like they would not like ya!!! In both the cases you are compromising. I am finding it too funny but let’s see what happens if someone who’s been so rigid tries to keep in mind everyone’s happiness and listens to them!!!!! Keeping my fingers crossed. As I am a dreamer I would continue to dream …… let’s see if my prince charming bumps into me on Shaadi.com! (LOL)