XperienceS

Site Change

2011-08-08T12:32:00.000+05:30

I should be back blogging in a few months. I missed this blog. Will come back with a new template and the blog will be more specific. It will concentrate on Games and Football.

My Take on the Fabregas Tranfer Saga and How Fabregas could be a man who shaped our club!

2010-08-11T22:18:00.000+05:30

Warning: Extreme Optimism coming your way. Do not attempt to read, if can't take it.

First, let me get some things cleared up.

1. Fabregas loves Barcelona.
2. Fabregas loves Arsenal, Arsenal Fans and respects Mr.Wenger.
3. It was his childhood dream to play for Barcelona shirt.
4. Barcelona may be the club that taught the basics of football to Cesc, but, its Arsenal who made him a star that he is now, at this age of 23.
5. Wilt all the talk from Barca, he was hopeful that a deal might be struck between the two parties. He has great respect for both clubs, that is the reason why he did not make any comments about the situation in the media. Being a true professional, he decided to wait and see.
6. Barca weren't able to negotiate a deal with Arsenal.
7. Cesc knew that a deal cannot be completed because of the financial situations at both clubs and the tactics that Barca used to persuade Arsenal to sell.
8. He released a statement saying that he is focused on the coming season for Arsenal.

Now, initially I was glad that Cesc had decided to stay. How long? It doesn't matter. A player of that qwality will definitely make a difference on the pitch, no matter the circumstances. We, Arsenal fans have clearly seen that when he was injured after the Barca game at the Emiates.

My whole thought process is useless if Arsenal don't genuinely challenge for honors in major competitions. If we do and perhaps win a title(except the Carling Cup), then I think that Fabregas may be convinced to stay. He is driven by success and if we can show that we can win some trophies, I think he will be happy to stay.

Arsenal have been gaining a reputation as a selling club in recent past. The debt for the construction of the stadium is a factor. Now that the clubs finances are looking up, there is no reason to sell our best players. But, our manager needs to show that in the transfer market by starting to get world class talent into the club. I think the whole Fabregas saga might have an effect on how the club performs in the near future. If we maintain our stance in this issue, it will be an indicator to other clubs that we cannot be bullied into selling our top performers. Furthermore, if we can please Fabregas by bringing in a couple of top quality players, we will be more of a super power than a selling club.

So, that's how I think this whole Fabregas transfer saga can effect our club in a positive way. If you are one of the pessimists, there are plenty of Arsenal blogs out there covering the case in a negative(or as some opposition fans call it, realistic) manner.

Come on you, Gunners!

Final FWC Standing

2010-07-15T08:09:00.000+05:30

So, the world cup has finished and Spain are deserved winners. I like the Dutch but, you have to accept that the Spanish showed them why they were pre tournament favourites. Anyway, on fantasy terms, I've finished 2,491st overall. I am reasonably satisfied and I hope to get on with the Fantasy Premier League too. I heard that it was open a few days back but I could not check because I was away from home. Kpk and snehil, bring it on!

I have a telephonic interview today, so I'll have to prepare for it. Till then.

:)

The GOTT: Giovanni van Bronckhorst vs Uruguay

2010-07-07T09:43:00.000+05:30

This has to be it. A sensational shot right into the top corner from distance. Forlans' goal can also be given a mention here.

Then, there is this well taken set piece to finish it off.

GOTT: Luis Suarez vs Korea Republic

2010-06-27T09:27:00.000+05:30

What a curler!

GOTT: QUAGLIARELLA vs Slovakia

2010-06-27T00:10:00.000+05:30

The Italians are out but, this is something they've left for the tournament. A good game, overall.

GOTT: Holman vs Serbia

2010-06-26T23:56:00.001+05:30

Great strike mate!

GOTT: Mesut Ozil vs Ghana

2010-06-26T23:50:00.000+05:30

I was looking at the highlights of some of the matches that I've missed and I've found this to share with you...

Fantasy Footy Update

2010-06-26T14:35:00.001+05:30

The group stages of the world cup have come to an end and I am relieved that Spain somehow avoided Brazil in the round of 16. That doesn't make things easy for them, but we still have a possibility of the dream final alive.One of Germany and England have to go out this round. I'm rooting for the Germans to stay, because I do not like the hype that is associated with English team.

Here is another goal from an exceptional player. Kicking the ball into an empty net is easy, but it has to be mentioned today.

Here is a little snippet of how my fantasy team is doing.

I am getting points quite consistently, and am ranked 381 at the moment. There is a difference of 30 odd points between me and the 1st placed team. Hoping to close him down.

:)

GOTT: David Villa vs Honduras

2010-06-22T08:44:00.000+05:30

Simply stunning.

And what brought even more joy to me is the fact that he was my captain for round 2. Here is a quick look at where i stand now. Round 3 looks to be challenging and low scoring.

Later!

Arsenal Start their Campaign in Anfield for the 2010/2011 season

2010-06-17T14:25:00.000+05:30

The fixtures for the coming season have been released a few hours ago and Arsenal start their campaign at Anfield, facing Liverpool.

Check out the full set of fixtures here.

One can notice that we do not have Chelsea, ManU and Liverpool on a row, like last time out, but the end of November and most of December look to be quite challenging with trips to Everton, Aston Villa and ManU going along with home games against Spurs, Chelsea and Stoke.

GOTT : Tshabalala vs Mexico

2010-06-17T11:46:00.000+05:30

A great counter attack finished with a powerful shot into the top corner of the net.

GOTT : Maicon vs North Korea

2010-06-17T11:38:00.000+05:30

You think its a fluke? Watch this,

GOTT (Goals of the Tournament) Diego Forlan vs South Africa

2010-06-17T11:27:00.000+05:30

I would like to share some of the best goals of the tournament so far. These are only my picks, but if you have something to share, you can post it in the comments section.

It did take a deflection off the defender but, it was great goal.

The Dust settles

2010-06-17T11:09:00.000+05:30

What a day of football has it been. First off, we were treated to the attacking splendors of the Chileans. Then, we have got what everyone was waiting for. An upset. Yes, Spain have been beaten 1-0 by the Swiss. A great game for the Swiss. They stuck to their game plan, let Spain keep all the possession and struck them on the counter. This upset brought both, joy and sorrow to me. The sorrow was in a fantasy world that I keep visiting when there is football on TV. My Spanish contingent return miser results. The joy was in the real world. I've started to get frustrated by Spain in recent time. Especially with the Catalans. The way in which they were trying to get Fabregas away from Arsenal is the obvious reason.

Round 2 of football has begun and the signs are looking good for the tournament. We've got 3 goals from Uruguay against the hosts, South Africa. Hope this trend keeps up throughout the tournament. I've only seen the first goal before I turned off the TV. It was brilliantly taken by Diego Forlan.

I finished Round 1 ranked 60th. Not bad at all. Eh?

Fantasy World Cup Update & the Samba boys

2010-06-16T10:58:00.001+05:30

I do not have any work to do at office as the end of my internship draws closer. I can't help but engage myself in blogging to keep away from boredom. The matches that took place yesterday were:

New Zealand 1 vs 1     Slovakia
Portugal          0 vs 0     Ivory Coast
Brazil              2 vs 1     North Korea

I had only watched bits of Portugal vs Ivory Coast before watching Brazil vs North Korea. I was hoping to see some good football from the Samba boys but, I was left disappointed. This was largely due to the way the North Koreans played. They were organized and defended well as a unit, not allowing the Brazilians any room. I should say that they weren't a team intimidated by Brazil. When they had the ball, they tried to create their own chances on the counter attack. Maicons' beauty and Robinhos' inch perfect pass sealed the game for the Brazilians while, North Korea grabbed a well deserved consolation later in the game.

Kaka and Maicon were the players of interest, as they were in my fantasy team. They did not disappoint and grabbed 5 attacking bonus points each.There are two more games left before the round finishes. I'm currently 15th in the world. Can I finish as the round winner? I will have to wait and see.

Till then.

It gets better! I'm surprised :P

2010-06-15T11:02:00.000+05:30

Van Der Wiel, RvP and Zambrotta played for me in yesterdays' matches. Only VDV produced good results while the others faltered. I thought that my rank is going to drop, but to my surprise i found out that I've climbed to number 48 in the world. I have a few good players to come in, lets see where I will finish at the end of this round.

The Arsenal Away Kit 2010/2011

2010-06-15T10:42:00.002+05:30

The new Arsenal away kit is here.

That looks good enough and a lot better than the current away strip. Haven't seen reaction from other fans but, a few of them are pleased with the new kit.

Update: One more picture of the kit.

Kick Off

2010-06-14T12:11:00.000+05:30

Well, the world cup has started. I watched a few matches already and I should say that Germany were absolutely ruthless against Australia(thats what I've gathered from the first half). I'm keeping myself engaged with fantasy football and the Germans have provided me superb returns.

Messi was fantastic against Nigeria. So was the Nigerian keeper, Vincent Enyeama. I did not watch any group A matches but, I was impressed by the way Ghana played against Serbia.

Round 1 hasn't finished yet, in the McDonald's FIFA Fantasy game and I'm ranked 176 in the world. I do not know how it will last, but I'm enjoying every moment of it.

:)

We have Netherlands vs Denmark today and I'm hoping for a few goals from the Dutch. Take care, all.

PES 2011

2010-06-03T22:17:00.000+05:30

I was just having a look around gamespot and I found these:

The lines accompanying some of the pictures suggest that Konami might have something really big lined up to try an battle with the other industry leader EA Sports FIFA. By looking at the screens, I predict we can expect better control. The graphics look neat. I am not a PES fan boy, but, I can't wait for FIFA and PES2011 to be released!

Going to get a lot tougher

2010-06-03T18:40:00.002+05:30

Well, what can you say? Life is tough and you have to deal with it. I am almost at the end of completing an internship, during which i have put aside my hobbies (mostly because of my laziness and because it is difficult to find people who share my interests at the place where i work). I have had some tough times recently. The work that I've been given is not that challenging, but, frustrating. There are no openings here. And, I know that there is a high probability that I may have been placed by now if i hadn't meddled with the PS station preference order given to me by KPK.

Then there is Cesc Fabregas, whom i adore. The arsenal captain. He feels that he needs to go out to Barca. I respect Barca for the way they play football but, the way they tried to tap up Fabregas and drive down the price was absolutely disgusting. Atleast, Real Madrid pay for what the player is worth. (OK OK, they pay more than his worth).

It has been quite some time since my parents shifted to a somewhat rural part of Vijayawada. I would like to call it a suburb. But, I cannot. There is no broadband, because, there are only a few houses in the colony. An apartment is being built. A hospital and an educational institution are also under construction nearby. I would have to wait for some more time before the cable operator feels its feasible for him to provide internet in the colony.

"I am very thankful to my parents for their support through these hard times. They are being patient and I wish to re pay their faith."

On a lighter note, the above sentence might be familiar if you are a football fan. Most footballers say it, referring to their manger and fans. Speaking about football, we are about 8 days away from the world cup. And I'm one day away from being able to set up my team in the official FIFA World Cup fantasy game. Do join up, if you like fantasy sports.

Ooooh, thats a lot of gold!

I would have supported Spain for this years' world cup but, then I realized that it is only when Fabregas goes to Spain that all kinds of crap floats around in the papers. So, fu*k off Spain. There are only a very few teams in the world that have as much popularity as the Brazilian football team do. They are one of the favourites for the trophy, and I'll be watching them closely. Another team that I like to watch is the Netherlands. I hope they achieve success in this tournament. I do not believe Italy, France, Portugal and England can win it this time, but you never know. "You never know". What a phrase. You can predict whatever you want to and also be on the safe side.

Just had a quick look at the teams again and here is my final prediction.

Winners: BRAZIL
Possible Winners: ARGENTINA,NETHERLANDS,SPAIN

Well that is all for now. I will share my views on the tournament, when it actually kicks off. Till then, have a great time.

Who do you think will win the world cup? Share your opinion int he comments section.

My Vote goes to....

2010-04-21T20:25:00.000+05:30

Do Vote for your favourite...here!

Dhoni Blooper!

2010-04-14T15:52:00.001+05:30

This was heard during the presentation ceremony after Chennai vs Kolkata match in IPL3 on 13th April 2010.

Harsha Bhogle: I know you've come from Ranchi, but, I would never believe that you've come from anywhere other than Chennai today.

MS Dhoni: Ya, I think the people in Chennai...they just love me. In the firt IPL, when I used to go out biking at night... wherever I used to stop...aah, in the RED LIGHT AREAS(he means traffic signals!) or...you know they used to come up to me and speak to me in tamil. So, I think they really love me over here!

Try to find it in Youtube!

My EPL Final Table Prediction

2010-03-25T20:57:00.001+05:30

Just in case if it comes true.

First Post for the new year?!

2010-02-16T18:06:00.001+05:30

I am working on a post currently. Don't know when I will be able to finish it. Work is taking out a lot of time. For KPK and all my Fantasy League opponents! Here's my highest scoring game week. If you are a football fan. You should be playing FPL. Join @ Fantasy Premier League. One you have joined ... follow this link, enter the code 80618-407373 in the text box and click the join Private league button. If you are already playing the game, do join this mini-league or give me the code to your league.

Cheers!

My highest Weekly score till date!

2009-11-07T13:26:00.001+05:30

It's getting cold!

2009-10-20T23:08:00.000+05:30

Winter is starting to show up. It's getting cold during the nights and it wont be long before the days become foggy. The past week hasn't been very good for me. I was severely ill for, err... let's say 10 hours. A couple of vomits and it was back to normalcy. I've just installed a new widget to my sidebar. If you haven't noticed..try scrolling down a bit. Nothing much is going on. Another busy week is in store for me. With two tests in the next 3 days. Hope i do well in those.

Later!

Late Update

2009-10-11T01:12:00.000+05:30

It's been quiet some time now, since my last post. It was a very sad period of time for me. Not, that I'm not placed yet, but, I should admit that it is also adding to the misery. There are a few things that kept me away from blogging. Firstly, the previous theme that I installed hadn't looked sharp. There were huge spaces between components. The sidebars were narrow and I didn't really feel like looking at my blog.

Also, my graphic card has blown up. That sounds too dramatic, right? OK, it was only a few capacitors that have exploded. It was a gradual process. More than a month ago, I heard a sound. I could compare it to an electric discharge but, I could not trace where it had originated from. A couple of days before the graphic card gave away, there was the second 'blast'. I knew that it was coming from inside the room. But, to feel safe, I've assumed that the fuse of the water cooler was destroyed. And finally, it's D-day. The third explosion rocked my room at 10'o clock. I was a bit nervous, but, didn't care much. That evening, when I started Football Manager 2009, the screen began to show huge pixels. I restarted the game and the problem persisted. Then, I began to realize that it was my graphic card. It was acting as the center of terrorist activity. Soon, I couldn't even view the desktop and I had to remove the card.

I had to reboot my Windows but, as soon I thought that my computer was up and running again, a dangerous virus has caused even more problems. I had to do the same thing again. It was literally 4 days, without a proper computer. Now, its all fine again and thanks to NOD32 Anti-virus for doing a commendable job in keeping my computer clean. There were the small matters of tests, assignments and projects also. I fared well in the last week of fantasy football manager, notching up 80 points(my personal best). All hail Cesc Fabregas. I thought that it would be good to have a Mini League for Bitsians within the game, but I'm not sure how many people play the game. Maybe, next time...for the Class of 2010. :)

We've started playing 5 on 5 football quite frequently now and I'm really enjoying it. I know that all the others are too. If you want to join us, just come to Bhag QT everyday after 10 pm. There is no football on TV this weekend. It is due to the international break for World Cup Qualifying. So, I'm bored to death. Last week, Cesc Fabregas and Co. blasted Blackburn all over the park finishing with 6 goals. Vermaelen's goal was the best for me, though I'm also impressed by Bendtner's howler and Fabregas's well placed half volley. I don't know for sure...how long Vermaelen will continue to score but, I'm confident that he has proved himself to be a very good signing. He is the joint top scorer for Arsenal along with Cesc Fabregas (4 goals). Both the Manchester clubs were held to draws over the weekend. Chelsea is setting the pace for the rest of the teams by defeating Liverpool 2-0.

Today is my brother's birth day and I wish him a happy Birthday. Hope he has a good year in front of him, because it is going to be crucial for him.

I will write again! Till then, good night!

The Dreadful Day

2009-09-20T15:36:00.000+05:30

I see a day,
Where every thing is gray!
The Earth turns brown,
Losing its green gown!

People use nukes,
To stop countries making nukes!
It's the day,
When hypocrites rule today!

Only a few survive
And look back at the past.
They see that all was not lost.
For whatever be the pain,
There seems to be a gain!
And Man sees only the gain!

Written by: Bharat Nadella(That's me u idiot!)

Metta Gadi Sangeetham,Sahithyam!

2009-09-19T01:16:00.000+05:30

Well, there is nothing interesting going on for some time now. Arsenal's loss against Shitty didn't help much. But, the last couple of days have brought the action right back into my life. BOSM started. Arsenal went two goals down against Leige(which was a bit interesting) and recovered to win the match 3-2(which is obviously even more interesting). Meanwhile, we showed what home team advantage means, when we backed up our volleyball team (or shall we say...booed off the opposition?) to win a derby match against BKBIT in BOSM 2009.

Can't watch football tomorrow. But, I'm satisfied with the live text on BBC Sport for now. Anyway, lets get back on track. I've officially obtained the publishing rights of a poem written by the one and only Metta. Thanks mate! And here it is! Donno what he named it.

I would like to add my comments along with the lines to make it a bit funny( In brackets). After all, I could not imagine myself writing a poem. Great job Metta. But, no hard feelings ra!

oh! great tree
You live the best
Ofcourse never for youself
but for the sake of ours.
you have the life everywhere
and live for us anywhere(Not in a desert/volcano)
not only your branches
are the ones you feed,
also the entire human life,(Good one!)
never were they(from ours to they?) humane to you(Proves that Metta is an alien)
you live for the life of ours
but we live in the place of yours
there did we cripple ourselves
nor did we realize that
and act for the good

people come realize the things
lets grow trees and
certainly will they grow us
we are well in time
lets don't make it out(Yeah! Never make out with a tree)
its the time to act
for our lifetime
to become more and more

Any suggestion to improve the poem or any abuse towards me or Metta for wasting your "precious time" can be made in the comments section or directly though Gtalk.

Man City vs Arsenal: 20 Points.

2009-09-14T13:50:00.000+05:30

I am not the author of this post. You can find him by following the link(Click on the title of the post). I do not like reproducing text but, I really liked the post and would like to share it with you! Don't forget to read 16-20.

1. 4-2 flattered Manchester City. Statistics showed we had nearly twice as many attempts on goal. We had 12 corners to City's 3. And we shaded possession as well.

2. However, City were clinical at a time when Arsenal were at their creative best, but defensively most fragile.

3. It was the most attacking display from our boys this season in terms of intent and style in the second half.

4. Makes you wonder how Arsenal can be so creative considering the lack of creativity in the first half.

5. The introduction of Rosicky sparked our resurgence. Within 30 seconds of coming on he had a shot on goal and won a corner. That is how to make an impact in terms of attack.

6. He should have started. If Wenger feels he can come as a substitute in a really demanding period of the game, he could and should have been in the first XI. It would have motivated the side right at the start.

7. Alex Song said he is the first defender when talking about his defensive duties. Makes it even more puzzling that he was taken off, especially as Denilson was already off.

8. Diaby is not a defensive player, if anything he should have made way instead of BOTH Denilson and Song.

9. He also doesn't give us that physical edge and looked a lost figure in midfield yesterday and I'm sorry but that is not good enough from Abou.

10. The more Arsene tries to make us look physical and mentally strong, the more he fails. A trio of Denilson, Diaby and Song is not going to dismantle sides.

11. RVP looked really up for it, his goal reminded me of the RVP of old. Capable of fantastic individual goals. More of the same please.

12. Technically we are the best team. Are we the best mentally? Two results in Manchester suggest we still have much to improve there.

13. Although crossing repeatedly when we had no target man? A Clear fail and the crossing wasn't impressive either. It isn't very Arsenal-like either.

14. Almunia was at fault of the first goal. His reaction was way too slow, it wasn't as if the header was smashed it at bullet speed.

15. He hasn't inspired much confidence this season and it is a concern now.

16. "Mindless and malicious". That was RVP's statement on Adebayor's tackle. You could say the same about his celebration. And to tell you the truth, I saw this before the game could even begin. That man is clearly not over Arsenal.

17. Ironically his efforts have probably converted some really stupid and ignorant fans all over the world into "Man City die-hards".

18. Biggest crowd at the Eastlands but at times the atmosphere was so flat. Prawn-brigade anyone?

19. The fact that City scored 3 of their goals on the counter even though they played at home, suggests to me that they still have a way to go.

And finally,

20. Though we have already lost two games, all is not lost. We drew 12 games last year. It just means we have to not draw as many this time. We can improve from those results definitely.

A night of Disappointment!

2009-09-12T22:19:00.001+05:30

I am very much disappointed. Why? India lost the match against Srilanka, our batsmen couldn't play 40 overs, it was Mathews who took 6 wickets(of all the Lankan bowlers), I couldn't get to watch a football match because of the cricket, Arsenal lost again, Chelsea won again :P, MANU will win against Spurs, Adebayour stamped on RvP's face, RvP hit the post again, Adebayour mocked the Arsenal fans after the goal and City are currently second in the table.

Pick any number of reasons you like. But, the feeling is the same. This will therefore be remembered as the worst day(sports wise) in my life.

Cheers! (I do not know why I'm saying this!) I'm off to London to pop Almunia's head!

EA Sports FIFA2010: First Impressions.

2009-09-12T13:24:00.001+05:30

Well, it's finally here. And as always, the downloaders@BITS promptly delivered the demo within 24 hours of the release. I was so thrilled to play the game. The game's starting screen shifted from the red to the cool blue. Then, you are greeted by an animated picture of Rooney in his hyper emotional state. I like Barcelona, among the teams that were offered, and that's the team I selected. I put up my settings a started. First up, Bayern Munich. Difficulty level, World Class. I thought that I got too confident after I had lost the game 0-1. With a few more matches under my belt, I was up an running. Now, here are a few things that I've noticed from my time with the game.

1. The first thing that struck me was 'Dribbling'. It's a little more fluent and controlled. I read that we can use the 360 Dribble feature when playing with a controller.

2. It was always easy to score from set pieces in FIFA(at least from short free kicks). I didn't waste much time in scoring goals from the first corner and free kick that I've taken. In my view, the scoring from corner kicks will improve considerably.

3. The reason for the above mentioned point: Better Heading. Players are more accurate with their heading now. But, I haven't tried heading to the keeper yet. That thing sucked in FIFA09, hope it turns out good.

4. I used to feel that all the players were of the same dimensions in FIFA09(not in the celebration videos, of course!). But, you can easily identify who is Messi and who is Ibrahimovich now(that you can do in 09 but, i think you get my point).

5. While stopping penalties, we get to see it from the keeper's point of view. It doesn't make it any easier but, looks good.

6. Where is the 'SPECTACULAR'? Well, it's still there but you need to be good to execute it. If FIFA09, even a 7 year old could bang one in from 40 yards!

7. And here it is, the thing that I liked the most...TACTICS. It is brilliantly modeled. I haven't put one of my custom formations but, I am getting a feeling that this system would work wonders.It would add the tactical element which was needed to make FIFA games even better. There are more attacking options and one extra defensive tactic.

Well, that's it for now. I off, tweaking with tactics. Later.

FIFA 2010 System Requirements

2009-09-08T20:27:00.000+05:30

Guys, it's only two days till the release of the demo of the much awaited game, FIFA10.Here is a list of system requirements that will help you run it on our PC.

FIFA 10 (Fifa 2010) Minimum Requirements:

2.4 GHz single-core
512 MB RAM for XP / 1 GB RAM for Vista
Video: 128 MB Geforce 6600 or better, Ati Radeon 9800 Pro or better, Support for Shader Model 2.0 or better, DirectX 9.0c
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible
HDD: 4.4 GB or more
Broadband Internet connection required for Installation and online gaming

Fifa 10 Recommended System:

CPU: 3.2 GHz single-core or 2.4 GHz dual-core
1 GB RAM for XP / 2 GB RAM for Vista
Video: 256 MB Geforce 7800 or better, Ati Radeon X1800 or better, Support for Shader Model 2.0 or better, DirectX 9.0c
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible
Keyboard or Dual Analog Gamepad
HDD: 4.4 GB or more
Broadband Internet connection required for Installation and online gaming.

The Ugly Scumbag does it again!

2009-09-06T15:06:00.004+05:30

I have just downloaded the goals from some of the friendlies and qualifiers that happened yesterday. First up, England vs Slovenia. It's a no contest, in my mind. Yet, there was a cheap trick played by a certain Balooney Rooney. I paused the video and am now writing this post in a state of disbelief and shock.

You can watch the controversial goal here. Here is a good photographic evidence/analysis of the incident. John Terry, haven't you watched this? Are you still sitting in your small cardboard box, isolated from all that's happening around you?

Rooney is short and everyone knows that. He could not reach the ball that was played into the box for sure. So, what does he do? He literally tackles the Slovenian center half, goes to ground and immediately puts his arms up for a penalty claim. The referee gives it, which was a very bad decision. Lampard takes it and gifts England the lead. It was ironic. There was so much talk about English players, honesty and the statement that Rooney made yesterday. Two incidents involving English players happen on the same day and still the English men feel that they are the most sophisticated and cultured of all races. This isn't medieval age. This is the age of nukes and computers. You better get out of those cocoons. With all the statements made yesterday, it is clear that the English team will be closely monitored by every one, atleast till the World cup next year. Every incident involving them will looked up by the media and I see a tough tough year for them.

Later!

Saturday Night!

2009-09-05T23:13:00.015+05:30

Well, it is quite boring. The reason for it is the lack of football on TV because of the international break. You, may ask me to watch the internationals then, but, this is India. You cannot expect to watch a game between Brazil and Argentina on Indian TV, unless it is a world cup match. Anyway, I've been reading a lot of stuff about Eduardo, Chelsea, SAF, etc. in newspapers recently and I can't say how much I'm annoyed by all of it.

Eduardo is pissed that he was the scape goat of a political game played by the UEFA and Michael Platini. There would not have been this much fuss about the incident if UEFA has made it a rule that, 'If a player tries to fox the referee, he will be serving up a two match ban!'. That did not happen. According to reports, UEFA said that this was the last case of it's kind and no other complaints will be entertained in the future.

I do not defend divers. This guy has returned from a serious injury to his ankle. He lost 18 valuable months of footballing life because of a careless and rash tackle. And, nothing has been done about it. The people who had cost some footballers their careers, are roaming free, to break some more bones. But, the one who tries to save himself from a repeat of such injury is branded a 'Cheat' and is now serving a 2 match ban.
It was a dead game! If you expect Celtic to win that match from 2 goals down(in their home leg) at Ashburton Grove, I presume that you have no logic at all.

Though I'm passionate about the game, I believe that, people's body parts are more important than a useless match. It is funny, how a person can be charged with assault if he breaks someone's leg in the real world and the same person would get away with it if he had 'intentionally'(not accidentally) tackled a player with that severity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cunning bastard Alex has backed the decision taken by the UEFA. He also said that it is because of players like Eduardo and the things they do on the pitch, a bad influence is being created on young footballers. Balls to you c*nt! Don't you remember the feather weights your team had in the past. C.Ronaldo(disgrace to the name of the god) and Van Nistelrooy are the most famous of them. The ugly, short and bald-headed as**o*e has made a statement, ' I never intentionally dived'. John Terry says that English players are too honest to dive intentionally. This statement itself shows the level of honesty their team has! Aren't Rooney and Gerrard English? One thing's for sure. England will not even make it to the semi finals of the world cup next year with this over-hyped team.

England's Jack Wilshere has supposedly dived to gift their team a penalty in their U-21 Euro Qualifiers against Macedonia. I like Jack. I don't know if he really dived, nor does the Macedonian team's coach. There is an article here. Why is the headline like that? Why can't it be, "England player dives to gift their team a lucky win against Macedonia." He is an Englishman, ain't he John Terry? What will be the case if he is picked for your world cup squad. What if he dives to win a penalty that will take you into the semis or finals? He will definitely be called a 'Wonder Kid'. No doubt. The state of the media is like that. Most people are very much concerned about results, rather than the way they are achieved. This needs to end and fast! I would like to see a day when a player kicks the ball to the corner flag, from the spot, if he was awarded a penalty by mistake by the referee. Mistakes are common, but not accepting them will lead to a lot of trouble.

Out of football now. Our chief minister Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy has passed away in a horrific Chopper crash. The main cause of the crash is believed to be bad weather conditions. The state mourned his death for two days and he was cremated yesterday. Though I do not personally like him, it has to be accepted that he was a great leader and politician. I hope his soul finds peace!

So, it's going to be another long week before football finally kicks off!
Till then, Bye and good night!

The TEAM!

2009-09-03T01:47:00.002+05:30

No news on YSR yet!
Good night!

200 Posts!

2009-09-02T18:46:00.006+05:30

Not in a good mood to make my 200th post on this blog. But, I've got news of magnificent scale, which suits the occasion. The Andhra Pradesh Cheif Minister YSR has gone missing and search operations are currently ongoing. I am not particularly a big fan of Mr.YSR, but one has to be concerned as his chopper has reportedly landed in a forest near Kurnool which is infested with Naxalites and different wild creatures.

Hope we find him after a couple of days!
:P

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

2009-08-31T12:56:00.002+05:30

If i am going to see papers/headlines/people saying 'Manchester United got a glorious win in the match against Arsenal', it will be clear to me that the world is coming to the end in a couple of years. For godsake, Manchester United sucked at playing football tonight. It was very much evident. Arsenal played far below the level that was set by them in the first half, after they conceded the penalty. I think that this team doesn't like going a goal or two down. That's good but, you need to be able to cope with such circumstances if we were going to win a title this year. If we cannot put up a comeback, we should atleast make use of all the opportunities that are thrown at us at he other end. That didn't happen. We missed quiet a few sitters, especially in the first half and one in the second which was made and then wasted by Diaby.

I am not totally disappointed but, this was a game that Arsenal could have won quite easily. That's why I am pissed! The refereeing was average. But, no complaints on that, except for the penalty shout by Arshavin. I think that it would have been a penalty in most cases. Arshavin pulled the ball back before he was run over by Fletcher/Carrick. If he would have been going forward that would have been more dramatic and would have resulted in a penalty and a sending off, maybe. But, I would blame it on our players, who didn't finish the game when there were many chances to do it! An Arshavin low cross was met by Van Persie and was cleared off the legs of Foster. I thought that VnP could have been more clinical in his finishing. Every Arsenal player played well, i thought. Luck has deserted us in the right moments. Van Persie hit the post from a wonderful free kick and that could have wrapped up the mach if it has gone in. I should admit that the team lacked creativity in the center of the park though they were brilliant on the wings. Manuel Almunia is looking like he's gonna make a mistake every game that will eventually result in a goal and make it a blunder. He had a touch on Rooney, who was waiting to go down, and gave away a penalty. Anyway we go into the international break now, for two weeks. Hope the lads do well for their countries and return without any new injuries! Put this game in a sack and throw it into the ocean. Gun for Glory!

THE GOOD

Arshavin had a penalty shout turned down by the ref. He could have scored even before the was tackled was made. He had that much space. But, it didn't go as planned. Within minutes he got the ball on the left hand side from Denilson. Vidic didn't close him down and he showed why he is considered such a dangerous player. He blasted the ball into the top corner, to the right side of Foster who got fingers on the ball but, it wasn't enough to stop the cannon unleased by the little Russian.

THE BAD

Some one played a through ball into the Arsenal box. Rooney was right behind it. Almunia called and was charging at the ball. He made a dive, only to find the feet of Rooney, who immediatly went down and took the penalty.

AND THE UGLY!

It was a free kick to Giggs. Some 35-45 yards out. A ball was played into the box. It didn't look dangerous. The next moment, the ball was in the back of the net. I would have liked to see a United player's name on the scoresheet then, but unfortunately it was Abou Diaby. He was having a good game and suddenly this happened. It wasn't dangerous, he wasn't under pressure by any player but he made a blunder that had cost us the match. He tried to cover up his fault, but he couldn't put the ball in the back of the net from the space which he had created for himself. I thought that Wenger would sub him after the incident, there are two sides for every coin and he stuck with Diaby who was trying hard to make amends.

Later then!
Atleast U have a goodnight's sleep!
(Publishing this late coz the server was down)

Look whoz on the Google Maps...

2009-08-28T19:54:00.004+05:30

I was just stumbling though my blog traffic monitor this morning and decided to have a look at my home town.

I tracked down my school(Siddhartha Public School). The following image gives an aerial view of it.

Interestingly, I also found a fork and a spoon beside Nalanda Vidyanikethan. Are you thinking that I'm crazy. No, its' the symbol for a restaurant or diner or hotel. It is unnamed. But, anyone living in Vijayawada will know that it's SSS Cool Drinks, a small idly serving hotel, yet largely popular, in Vijayawada. It is my grand father's establishment. :P

Cheers!

UEFA Champion's League Club Logos

2009-08-28T11:09:00.002+05:30

2009-08-27T23:09:00.001+05:30

It's like living in a jungle. There are bats, frogs, birds and all kinds of insects entering my room.

UEFA Champion's League Groups

2009-08-27T22:15:00.005+05:30

Group A:

Bayern Munich
Juventus
Bordeaux
Maccabi Haifa

Group B:

Manchester United
CSKA Moscow
Besiktas
Wolfsburg

Group C:

AC Milan
Real Madrid
Marseille
Zurich

Group D:

Chelsea
Porto
Atletico Madrid
APOEL

Group E:

Liverpool
Lyon
Fiorentina
Debrecen

Group F:

Barcelona
Inter
Dynamo Kyiv
Rubin Kazan

Group G:

Sevilla
Rangers
Stuttgart
Unirea Urziceni

Group H:

Arsenal
AZ
Olympiacos
Standard Liege

:X

2009-08-26T22:23:00.006+05:30

It is disgusting to see people leaning on(sometimes sleeping on) the counter in front of them, waiting for their food to arrive in SAC, or any other public place/bank. What kind of a person does that when there are people lining up behind him?

Next time, stand straight! Unless you are required to!
:P

Big 5 Clash No.1

2009-08-22T21:49:00.003+05:30

Well, i have decided to include Manchester City in the race for top four spots, but it's just for the sake of contention. It may be Tottenham Hotspur who might give the big 4 a run for their money, if they keep up their good form. But, I seriously doubt that.

***I am currently facing difficulties trying to login to the Fantasy Premier League site. So, I couldn't think of anything else but write this post.***

I has been a good week of prediction for me. Many of the outcomes were very obvious. Manchester City's mere 1-0 win over wolves and United's unexpected 5-0 win over Wigan may be misplaced score lines in my prediction book. We had to share the T.V in the common room, 15 minutes Arsenal game and 15mins ManU's. Didn't watch it the way I wanted to but, we've seen a lot of goals. The goals that I liked were those of Diaby(1st goal, nice work by Eduardo), Ramsey(finishing a good through ball from Van Persie), Owen(i liked the neat finish but Nani made the goal possible, he was shouting for Owen to make the run he wanted!) and that of Berbatov. In all fairness, I thought that Wigan were threatening at times. I would have liked to see them finish with a couple in the back of the net, but the goal keeper ruined all efforts.

Update: I've got 28 points and 5 players are due to play tomorrow. Song was subbed out for Carr and I'm lucky to get his 6 points. :)

Well, this only means one thing. The build up for the match next week between Arsenal and Man United is very good. Both teams are in scoring form. So, we could expect a fast paced, "both teams scored" match the coming weekend. Or, it will end up as a disappointing 0-0. I will be satisfied with a draw at Old Trafford but, I am predicting the score to be 2-1, in favour of the Arsenal.

Your predictions can be posted in the comments.

The day of the Underdogs!

2009-08-20T10:18:00.007+05:30

Well, I am loving this premier league. It's going to be a lot tougher than anything I've seen for some time. Game week 2 is finally over and the results are as follows:

Sunderland 1 - 3 Chelsea
Wigan 0 - 1 Wolves
Birmingham 1 - 0 Portsmouth
Burnley 1 - 0 Man Utd
Hull City 1 - 5 Tottenham
Liverpool 4 - 0 Stoke City

Firstly, Chelsea did not impress me when they conceded in the first half. I had fielded Ashley Cole and Mikel in my fantasy league and Cole came up with two bonus points but, I would have also liked to have the 4 for a clean sheet as well. Mikel, has lost his starting place now. I only bought him because he is only 5 million and the manager made the following quote on his deal extension:

"I have a lot of trust in Mikel, I think he can be the playmaker of this team. He is a young player, but has great quality, both technical and tactical. For the present and for the future he is a very important player for us. We are very happy he has signed a new contract and I hope that he stays at Chelsea for a lot of years."

Apparently, I now believe that it was only said to facilitate the deal and he was playing only in the first halves for the last two games. And now he will be confined to the bench.

Birmingham won over Pompy at home. I kind of predicted the result correctly before the match. Though it was only a late late goal, the win was deserving. Wolves and Burnley picked up wins against Wigan and Manchester United respectively. I have a feeling that MU's hopes of retaining the title might be all but over by the end of this month. An away game against Wigan, then the two tough fixtures at home against Arsenal and Manchester City might be the time when United fans go into a state of shock and Alex will be looking for answers from the transfer market. They might be fighting for Champion's League qualification from then on! But, lets not draw too many conclusions from the so little we have seen here. But, I would love the prospect of them trying to hang on to the Champion's league spot. (:P)

Liverpool won comfortably at home to stoke city. While Defoe and Tottenham blasted Hull away 1-5. I will not be drawing too many conclusions here but, I think it would be very unlikely that, they would be maintaining this kind of form through out the season and will be a fiercely competing for the fourth spot.

That's it for now! 35 points from game-week 2. Not disappointed!
Cheers!

Aaaaaahhhhh

2009-08-19T01:14:00.003+05:30

No, it's not about the 1-0 score line that Arsenal are enjoying at half time, at Celtic park. It's for the matter that I could not watch the game, live. We have a f**king problem here. Hello! Anybody listening? Firstly, there is no 10Sports on the TV. Amazingly, there is Zee Sports which is telecasting live footage of the Sporting- Florentina game. After zapping through all the channels, which is very annoying when you have a broken remote and shattered buttons on the TV panel, I return to the room and am now watching the game(text only commentary) on the network.

H.Rep Sandy, why don't we get a new TV for our hostel or as a matter of a fact a new remote would be fair enough for the time being.

End of Gameweek1

2009-08-17T01:07:00.005+05:30

The end of game week 1 and i have 49 57 points in my first ever fantasy premier league game week.

Sorensen and Rooney top scored for me with '9' points each :P while Carragher finished at 0.

What a waste!

Hoping to do well in the next game week.
Good night.

Jumping with Joy!

2009-08-16T00:09:00.004+05:30

The Arsenal vs Everton match was just concluded. The score line reads 6-1. And I guess that, it would be enough to shut some people up. After all the non sense in papers and on the internet, Arsenal have finally replied. And boy, didn't they do it in style.

I think that the 4-3-3 is working for us. Credit to Mr.Wenger for putting it to use. And, what will be a formation, without the players that actually make it up. The boys showed great spirit. Yeah, it's clearly evident in their body language. Bendtner running back to support the defense was an indication. He has really matured as a player. Though he played only 60 minutes, it was enough to impress me. He almost opened the scoring with a cracker of a shot. But, it just missed the target. He and Cesc then, set up Denilson for the first goal of the match. I haven't seen most of the other games, but it's definetly going to be the goal of the week.

I wasn't so sure to put up Denilson in my fantasy league team, thinking that he might not start but the injuries to Walcott and Diaby have given him a chance and he did make full use of it.The goal was an absolute screeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaamer. He has also cleared a dangerous ball from an Everton corner from our goal line. Song was really impressive. He showed great composure. Won several challenges and was in the right places to clear the ball away when needed. His passing was solid and he never really gave away the ball.

Vermaelen and Gallas scored the 2nd and 3rd goals respectively, from well taken set pieces. Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie get the assists. It showed that the team are working well on several weaker aspects of our game. Vermaelen was absolutely superb in defense. He made several crucial tackles and was always attacking the arial ball against the giant Fellaini.

At Half Time: Arsenal 3-0 Everton

Arshavin was a bit off his game today but still showed hints of his magical touch, when he started the play that led to the 4th goal. Actually, it was Fabregas who triggered the run of Van Persie, who returned the ball back to the sprinting Fabregas to make it 4-0. Fabregas made it 5, with a coolly taken shot from 25 yards. The goalkeeper Howard had no chance. He dedicated the goal to Espanyol captain Dani Jarque who passed away recently. It was a nice gesture from the 22 year old. He and VnP were later subbed and Ramsey and Eduardo were brought in to join Eboue who was brought in in place of Bendtner earlier.

Arshavin almost scored when he tried to place a shot from close range. But, the post was able to deny it. Unfortunately for Everton, the ball landed at the feet of Eduardo who had the easiest goal of the match.

In injury time, a little error from the defense enabled Luis Saha to score. But, he knew it was pointless and didn't celebrated.

My Man of the Match: Captain Fantastic Cesc Fabregas
2nd: Van Persie
3rd: Vermaelen/ Song

In the post match press conference, the captain made some valuable points. You can read them here.

I believe that the lads are determined to win something this season. But, the team needs to be together and I would not like to see any more transfers out of the club. With this emphatic victory, I guess that it wouldn't be a surprise if AW will not make any more signings before the deadline.

FPL

2009-08-15T16:38:00.004+05:30

Hello everyone,

If you are a Barclay's Premier League fan, join the Barclay's Fantasy Premier League and test your managerial skills.

Here's the link.

Gameweek1 is kicking off right away and here is my team:

It would be nice if enough Bitsians sign up. We can make a private league and compare our scores with one another.

Hoping that the guys do well :P

The Final Verdict before Kickoff!

2009-08-13T12:55:00.004+05:30

Well, well, well, the big moment is finally here. It's the kickoff for the Barclays' Premier League Season tomorrow and I am thrilled about it. Most Arsenal fans are in total disbelief before the start of the season but, I differ with them. I think this might be the season, in which our trophy drought will finally end. Nothing wrong in being a bit optimistic/realistic. I know that many have thought the same way before the start of our four previous campaigns, and were saddened to see the team not win anything at the end. I do not think that Cesc will be leaving the club this month. All the lads are really motivated and also have just the right amount of experience they need to prove the bookies wrong. Some things that will slow us down and have been doing so for some time now will be the injuries and the lack of an experienced bench.

Well, anyway here is my final verdict;

Chelsea look the strongest team on paper and a lot of depth in their squad, and this might be sufficient to win them the premier league, unless they goof up. There is no major improvement in the standard of the team with minimal activity in the transfer market. But, the advantage they have is that the rest of the BIG3 have supposedly been weakened by the departure of their star players.

Liverpool did well the previous season. But, they are a team that relies majorly on two key players, namely Torres and Gerrard. They cannot afford a injury to any of them.They also have a very poor defense. The loss of Xabi Alonso will add to this. Their key defenders are recovering from injuries and are doubtful for the first one or two games. If they lose points in these games, i do not see them competing for the honors at the end of it.

Manchester United will not win the title for sure. Rooney will be their key player and we may also expect him to pick up a couple of reds, unable to control his anger/rage on the pitch. They will not loose sight of the 1st place but, I do not see them winning. They still have their defense in tact and the major worries would be the injuries to Van Der Sar and Vidic at the start of the season. They have the easiest first 3 fixtures and this might save them from losing precious points.

Arsenal have the toughest start to the season with fixtures involving Everton, Manchester United and City(all AWAY fixtures) in the first 5 weeks. They also have their Champion's League qualifier against Celtic in between. It's a worrying start but, it can be crucial. If the team manages to get the most out of these fixtures, it will definitely boost their confidence and we could be gunning for glory. If we falter, we would have to fight out for the fourth Champion's League place against City or Liverpool.

I "feel"(it's a lot different from "think", if you know what i'm saying) that this would be the final league table(with the current teams and injuries out of cosideration )

1.Arsenal. Arshavin and Van Persie will break down defenses.
2.Liverpool. Will power prevails.
3.Chelsea. The slightly older team.
4.Manchester United. It will be close.
5.Everton. Not City, because of their relatively weak midfield and defense.

In the champion's league final however, I would like to see Barcelona and Real Madrid fight it out for the title. I don't think any other club can stop these Spanish Giants.

Will the BIG 4 really get toppled?

2009-08-11T23:50:00.007+05:30

This the big question on every Barclays' Premier League fan. If yes is your answer, who will be the team that will break into the top 4? Will it be the heavy spenders Manchester City? Or, will it be one of Everton or Villa?

As I see it, Manchester City is the only club with a chance to break into the top 4. But, not with the team they have now. They would need a couple of good signings to reinforce their defense and also an excellent winger if they are going to play a 4-3-3. Another reason why I would fancy Manchester City to do this is because, they do not have any other major commitments, except the league, this season. Everton and Villa have a chance to battle it out for the Europa League.

It's going to be sensational season and i can't wait for it to get started. Will bring you more on my predictions for this season tomorrow.

The Over hyped USA!

2009-08-11T23:02:00.006+05:30

This has nothing to do with my opinion on USA as a country. It's developed and also a beautiful country. The topic of discussion in this post is about the attitude of Indians(especially those from Andhra Pradesh) involved in trying to pursue a higher degree/ a post graduate degree. The only choice that is visible to most is, writing the GRE and applying for an American based university/college. There is no comparative study between both the possible options. Most of us, just go by the fact that everyone around us is doing it, so why don't we try and do it. Even the parents have a fixed mindset. I only urge you to think carefully before taking any major decision in life.

Why am I talking about all this? Recently, I saw a section in a local newspaper offering condolences to an eminent person. Some of the people in the list of relatives had their name given in the following format,

Quickgun Murugan, USA

What the hell is USA there for? I guess it isn't necessary for anything else other than hype. Gone are the days when people used to follow up a name with their educational qualifications like MBBS, MBA, BS, MS, etc. I guess that the future name plates, hanging in front of homes, would carry names that are similar to the one that is mentioned below:

Coltrane Carter, USA, England, Spain, France.

And when names like these become a usual thing in the society, it will be...

Mr.XXX, Moon,Mars.

Cheers!

The Suffering!

2009-08-11T13:28:00.003+05:30

Well, all's not well in the start of the new and final semester at college for me and a few of my friends too, i guess. The major problems that we are facing now is are

1. Constant and unscheduled power cuts throughout the day.
2. LAN and Server problems.
3. And more importantly, the decrease in the number of companies that are actually coming to the campus for offering jobs to students.

One thing the power cuts are good for is that they eliminate the need for the use of an alarm. The power goes out at 7:15 in the morning and it is almost impossible to continue sleeping, with sweat pouring down the skin and the bed getting soaked up with it. This has exponentially increased the number of people who are going to the mess to have their morning breakfast. The good things stop there. People are dying with the anxiety of waiting for the power to turn back on. We never know when the power will go out again, in between. By the time it's 4pm, it's time for ROUND 2. It's blazing hot outside and very sweaty inside the room. With nothing else to do, we are going out into the blazing sun and having a game of cricket. I actually hope that the power goes out in this time because no one seems to interested in playing if the lights are still on!

There seems to be a problem with the server in our hostel, but i do not find it that irritating. After all, without electricity in our rooms, what's the matter in having a power backup to your server.

The burning problems discussed above are because of the heat this summer. They maybe gone after a month or two. But, the real burning problem is the fact that campus placements are not going to be happening at the same pace as they have been a year back. Hoping that everyone and that includes me get a job offer this semester, if they really want to do a job.

***Edit*** There were also no mentionable games, that released during the summer, to play now and have a break from this Suffering. I think that's a good thing that happened. Otherwise, my hope for getting a job offer would be gone. Just kidding. :P

That's it for today. Take Care.

181 Posts, last published on May 5, 2009

2009-08-08T20:28:00.003+05:30

It's time to break the silence. Hehe, funny isn't it.I will not be able to make any noise by typing from my computer. Anyway, it's been a torrid, uncomfortable and a sweaty summer vacation for me. There is no way one can go out when the sun is out. And, for that matter, it's blazing hot from 8am to 6:30 pm. That's the reason why my hometown is called B(l)ezawada. I haven't done anything remarkably useful during my summer vacation. Played a lot of PES on my playstation and after getting back to college now, i find FIFA09 to be a bit crappy. Well, there is no such thing like perfect in the world of games or movies, is there?

I watched the closing stages of the IPL to start of with. I felt some sadistic happieness on seeing the Delhi Daredevils knocked out of the tournament by Deccan Chargers. This was primarily due to the fact that a bunch of my friends who were DD supporters, hated my favourite team, the Chennai Super Kings. So, it was mutual hate of the other's team, and nothing much. But, the happieness hadn't last long because CSK were knocked out in the match against the Bangalore Royal Challengers. Ironically, the two teams that finished last in the inaugural IPL beat the teams that finished 1st and 2nd in the league this year to seal a place in the final. Eventually, the Deccan Chargers won the tournament and were crowned champions. This made all of us happy as we belong to the Deccan region.

Immediately, the world cup followed in a summer of non-stop T20 action. It was a disappointing campaign for India. Most people haven't expected such kind of collapse. The Indian's so called 'weakness' to short pitch deliveries was exploited by West Indies and there was not way that we would make a reversal of the situation, we were in. There was a major attitude problem in the players, who were defending their Championship. To be champions, we have to play like champions. After the debacle, the media pointed fingers at the mangement and Dhoni. Dhoni rightfully apologized to the fans after the team's dismal performance in England.

Then it was immediatly off to the Carribean to hear some Calypso beats. West Indies is a struggling side internally, but are always dangerous to deal with. Yuvraj was continuing his brilliant run of form while captain fantastic Mahendra Sing Dhoni single handedly led a fight which ended up in vain in the 2nd ODI. The third ODI was rain struck and ultimately saw a dramatic finish. 11 runs were needed of the last over and Dhoni hit a six off Taylor to take a lead in the series. 2-1. The West Indies were dying to level the series in the final ODI but the rain gods had other plans. The match was abandoned and India salvaged some pride. What's interesting is the fact that it was only the 2nd series win for India in the West Indies.

Guess what, Baichung Bhutia's prediction(and mine too) was right. Barcelona eased past Manchester United in the champions league final. Chelsea came back from a goal down to lift the FA Cup, against Everton. And the transfer season, till now has been absolutely fantastic. I say this because, it's looking like it's going to be tough BPL season for all the top 4 teams. I still don't feel that ManCity will be able to clallenge any of the Top 4. They have players who have a lot of ego problems and they never really strengthened their defense. The mid field too is isn't good enough to break their way into the top4. Arsenal sign Thomas Vermaelen to fill in the problematic Left back role. I would have also loved to see Felip Melo at the club but he is now with Juventus. Wenger says that he is interested in signing Brede Hangeland and Chamack before the transfer window closes. Those will be good additions to an injury prone team like ours. I would say with 92% certainity that Manchester United will not be winning the league this season. Hope all goes well for the Gooners, this time. Arshavin my hero.

This is the fianl semester on-campus. We should have been busy with placement preparations and interviews, but the bad news is that the Recession hasn't really slowed down. There are only 10-15 companies coming out to the campus.

So, that's it for now. Have a great sunday!

The year called 2009

2009-05-05T11:55:00.002+05:30

I feel that I am am having a sad start to the year. Atleast for this month, the feeling will persist. Everyone knows why, Compre time. I am getting my ass kicked in the most ridiculous courses that I've ever done. Fuck Numal! Fuck OR!

3-2 has shown me the heights of stress and burden. I haven't done any projects but, still the feeling is the same. I am happy that the sem is finally over. i haven't blogged much in the last couple of months and will be home in the following two months, with a burnt laptop at my dispense. So, I hope that I get a lot of time for blogging start from August.

Till then, take care!
Bye. Happy Holidays!

India Refuses to surrender!

2009-03-31T03:48:00.003+05:30

Scoreboard at the end of play on the fifth day of the second test between India and New Zealand at McLean Park, Napier on Monday.

 New Zealand first innings (619-9 dec)

 India first innings (305 all out)

 India second innings (overnight 252-2)
G. Gambhir lbw b Patel                      137
V. Sehwag lbw b Patel                        22
R. Dravid c How b Vettori                   62
S. Tendulkar c McCullum b Martin         64
V. Laxman not out                              124
Y. Singh not out                                 54
Extras (b-9 lb-1 nb-3)                          13
Total (for four wickets, 180 overs)       476

 Fall of wicket 1-30 2-163 3-260 4-356

Still to bat: Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan,
Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel

 Bowling (to date): Martin 30-8-86-1 (nb-1), O'Brien
32-9-94-0 (nb-1), Franklin 21-5-48-0, Patel 45-10-120-2, Ryder
11-5-38-0, Vettori 38-13-76-1 (nb-1) Taylor 2-1-4-0 How 1-1-0-0

 Result: match drawn

 India lead three match series 1-0

 Man of the match: Jesse Ryder

 Next match: 3rd test, Wellington (April 3-7)

PC Games: Q1 2009 Review

2009-03-31T02:55:00.003+05:30

Here is the list of PC games that are worth a mention:

1.Empire Total War

Minimum System Requirements:

CPU: 2.6Ghz single core processor
RAM: 1GB RAM (2GB for Vista)
Graphics: a DirectX 9.0c card with 256mb RAM

2.Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

Minimum System Requirements

Operating System: Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1
CPU Processor: Intel Pentium 4 1.6 GHz or AMD Athlon 2100+
Memory: XP – 512 MB RAM, Vista – 1 GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 1 GB of free space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Video Card: 3D Hardware Accelerator Card Required – 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible 128 MB Video Memory
Video Card (ATI): Radeon 9200
Video Card (Nvidia): Geforce 4 TI
Media Required: 6X CD-ROM drive
Windows XP/Vista compatible mouse and keyboard with latest drivers

This product does not support Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT

3.Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

Minimum Requirements

Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista SP1
P4 3.2 GHz (single core) or any Dual Core processor
1 GB RAM (XP), 1.5 GB RAM (Vista)
A 128MB Video Card (Shader Model 3) - Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT / ATI X1600, or equivalent
5.5 GB of Hard Drive space

Recommended

Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista SP1
AMD Athlon 64×2 4400+ or any Intel Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM (XP and Vista)
A 256MB Video Card (Shader Model 3) - Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT / ATI X1900, or equivalent
5.5 GB of Hard Drive space

4.F.E.A.R 2

Minimum System Requirements:

*CPU: P4 2.8GHz (3.2GHz Vista)/Athlon 64 3000+ (3200+ Vista)
*GPU: DX9-capable graphics card with 256MB (SM 2.0b). NVidia 6800 or ATI X700.
*RAM: 1GB (1.5GB Vista)
*Hard Drive: 12GB
*OS: Windows XP SP2/Vista SP1
*DirectX: 9.0c
*Sound: DX9.0c compliant
*Optical drive: DVD (boxed only)
*Internet: Broadband

Recommended System Requirements:

*CPU: Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz processor family/Athlon 64 X2 4400+ (required for MP host)
*GPU: Fully DX9-compliant graphics card with 512MB (SM 3.0). NVidia 8600 GTS or ATI HD 2900 XT.
*Ram: 1.5GB
*Hard Drive: 12GB
*OS: Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1
*DirectX: 9.0c
*Sound: DX9.0c compliant
*Optical drive: DVD (boxed only)
*Internet: Broadband (768kbit/sec upstream required to host 16 players)

5.Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box

6.Mirror's Edge

Logo Design

2009-03-31T02:04:00.002+05:30

I've registered in a course called Print and Audio Visual Advertising for the current semester and as a part of that, I was required to make a logo for any imaginary company. So, I've decided to make a logo for a shoe company. I've decided to name my company, "GROOVE". Here is a logo for it:

Next up, I'll be trying to design one for my blog.
:)

Adios!

Sports

2009-03-30T01:00:00.004+05:30

"Fluke is a once in a lifetime event. The world No.1 side beating an utterly mediocre Australia isn't a fluke. And doing it twice to win the series 2-0 should shut the fans up."

When Australia lost to South Africa in the first T20, one of my friends, a hardcore Aussie supporter says that it was totally a 'FLUKE'. It was so funny because, the guy who said it was a GRE aspirant who has learned the meaning of 5000+ tough English words within a span of 6 months. Yet he uses the F-word to support his team and back them up.

People get as crazy as they probably get when they talk about sports/ favorite players. I'm writing this because, I do the same thing. The only difference is that I know that I'm acting crazy. When it comes to supporting Dhoni, I never have any backup. I am also not the kind of guy who could sell earphones to a deaf guy. I do not understand why people become so wreck less as soon as Dhoni arrives at the crease. Comments fly in the common room, instantly. I do not understand whether they try to provoke me into an argument or they really hate him. I used to hate Dhoni in the initial part of the career. I thought that the media was giving a lot of hype to him that he doesn't deserve. The guys who now are the 'Dhoni Haters' were once his fans, I guess. They just miss Dhoni being DHONI! They miss his enormous number of sixes and just can't live with the fact that he has turned into a more dependable batsman. He is simply the best keeper that India has ever had. One more thing. When he got injured and missed the second test, people said that the injuries are caused because he stresses out his body with all the awkward looking shots. Are these people dumb? Do they know how tough it is to keep wickets? This is how the people have become, looking for every opportunity to criticize Dhoni when they once loved him like hell!

Who the hell wishes for Dhoni getting out for the sake that Yusuf Pathan comes out to bat?!? Given his day, Yusuf can smash any opposition out of the game. That makes him the most inconsistant batsman in the team not the most dangerous. He only plays well in 1 out 25 games and people are dying to see that innings even though it never actually happens.

The whole thing actually gives an example of how real life works. Once, you are respected and valued but when something changes, the same people try to bring you down.

ING Australian Grand Prix Results

2009-03-29T13:06:00.004+05:30

I missed the race, but, it looks like Force India drivers did pretty well to earn their respective positions.

Key: Left most column gives starting grid position and the second one gives the final position.

Rockstar announces MaxPayne3!

2009-03-28T22:49:00.002+05:30

Rockstar Vancouver has today announced that it will release the third title in the well-received action franchise, entitled Max Payne 3 later this winter. Set to land on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Rockstar has stated that the story will see Payne embroiled in a world of corruption, turmoil and intense violence.

IPL (Indian Premier League) Schedule

2009-03-28T18:52:00.002+05:30

As you all know, this year's IPL is going to be hosted in South Africa due to security reasons. The schedule is as follows:

In all, the 59 matches will be held in eight cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, East London, Kimberly, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.

Kingsmead in Durban, which has a large number of South Asians, has been allotted the lion's share of 16 matches while the Centurion Park in Pretoria will host 12 ties.

The Wanderers in Johannesburg and Newlands in Cape Town will hold eight matches each, with the latter playing host to four of these on the first two days of the competition.

Seven matches are to be held in St George's Park in Port Elizabeth while Buffalo Park in East London has been allotted four matches.

Two matches each have been handed over to Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and De Beers Oval in Kimberley.

Matches will be held at 4 pm (12.30 pm local time) and 8 pm (4.30pm local time) IST.

There are a total of ten double headers (two matches back to back at the same venue) with Durban hosting half of these.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi revealed that official broadcaster Sony will telecast the matches in three languages - English, Hindi and Bengali.

Schedule: All times IST (GMT + 0530)

April 18: Rajasthan Royals (RR) v Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Mumbai Indians (MI) v Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) v Deccan Chargers (DC) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Delhi Daredevils (DD) v Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 20: RCB V CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth

April 21: RR v MI (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v KXIP (8 pm) at Durban

April 22: DD v CSK (4 pm) at Durban; RCB v DC (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 23: KKR v RR (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth

April 24: KXIP v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg

April 25: KKR v CSK (4 pm) at Cape Town; DC v MI (8 pm) at Durban

April 26: RR v KXIP (4 pm) at Cape Town; RCB v DD (8 pm) Port Elizabeth

April 27: KKR v MI (4 pm) at Cape Town; CSK v DC (8 pm) at Durban

April 28: DD v RR (4 pm) at Pretoria

April 29: MI v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v RCB (8 pm) at Durban

April 30: DD v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria; RR v CSK (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 1: RCB v KXIP (4 pm) at East London; MI v KKR (8 pm) at Durban

May 2: RR v DC (4 pm) at Johannesburg; CSK v DD (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth

May 3: MI v RCB (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v KKR (8 pm) at East London

May 4: DC v CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth

May 5: DD v KKR (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v RR (8 pm) at Durban

May 6: MI v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria

May 7: KXIP v CSK (4 pm) at Pretoria; RCB v RR (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 8: DD v MI (4 pm) at East London

May 9: DC v KXIP (4 pm) at Bloemfontein; CSK v RR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth

May 10: KKR v DD (4 pm) at East London; RCB v MI (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 11: DC v RR (4 pm) at Bloemfontein

May 12: RCB v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria; KXIP v MI (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 13: DC v DD (4 pm) at Durban

May 14: MI v RR (4 pm) at Durban; CSK v RCB (8 pm) at Durban

May 15: KXIP v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley

May 16: CSK v MI (4 pm) at Johannesburg; DC v KKR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth

May 17: RR v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley; KXIP v DC (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 18: CSK v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria

May 19: DD v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg

May 20: CSK v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; RR v KKR (8 pm) at Durban

May 21: DC v RCB (4 pm) at Pretoria; MI v DD (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 22: Semi Final 1 at Pretoria

May 23: Semi Final 2 at Johannesburg

May 24: Final at Johannesburg

ROFL! LMAO! LOL!

2009-03-28T18:36:00.004+05:30

Saturday Qualifying: F1 Australian Grand Prix

2009-03-28T17:45:00.004+05:30

Brawn became the first Formula One team in 39 years to take the pole position in its debut race when Jenson Button secured front place on the grid for Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

1	J. Button	Brawn GP	1:26.202
2	R. Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:26.505
3	S. Vettel	Red Bull	1:26.830
4	R. Kubica	BMW	1:26.914
5	N. Rosberg	Williams	1:26.973
6	T. Glock	Toyota	1:26.975
7	F. Massa	Ferrari	1:27.033
8	J. Trulli	Toyota	1:27.127
9	K. Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:27.163
10	M. Webber	Red Bull	1:27.246
11	N. Heidfeld	BMW	1:25.504
12	F. Alonso	Renault	1:25.605
13	K. Nakajima	Williams	1:25.607
14	H. Kovalainen	McLaren	1:25.726
15	L. Hamilton	McLaren	no time
16	S. Buemi	Scuderia Toro Rosso	1:26.503
17	N. Piquet jr.	Renault	1:26.598
18	G. Fisichella	Force India F1	1:26.677
19	A. Sutil	Force India F1	1:26.742
20	S. Bourdais	Scuderia Toro Rosso	1:26.964

Hard day for Force India drivers. Hoping that they do better on Race day!

Arsenal

2009-03-28T17:19:00.003+05:30

BTW, I'm the No.3 Arsenal fan on FanIQ!

Check this out: Click here!

FIFA WORLD CUP 2010: SOUTH AFRICA

2009-03-28T17:13:00.004+05:30

Here is the official poster for the event. It's brilliant. The shape of the continent turned like a footballer's head. Wow!

World Cup 2010 Qualifiers: Saturday

2009-03-28T16:23:00.005+05:30

There is no good sport on Indian TV this weekend. There aren't many matches from the European leagues. They are busy with the World Cup 2010 qualifiers. I loved football right from my school days but, never this much. I used to be a Manchester United fan. The lack of proper knowledge about other teams might be a reason. For the people outside England, Manchester United is the name associated with English football and also success. That might be a reason why most of the people from Asia are MU fans. But, I used to be a fan of their success, never their football. Now, I've grown older and more mature in my thinking. I know my football and absolutely love the way Arsenal play their football. That's the reason why I'm Arsenal Till I die.

South American Grouping: Top 4/5 go to the world cup i guess.

Asian Group Qualifiers:

Grouping of African teams:

European Grouping:

Here is list of European qualifiers this Saturday. I will mark the teams that I think will win in Green.

Hungary vs. Albania
Malta vs. Denmark
Portugal vs. Sweden (Need to win)
Luxembourg vs. Latvia
Moldova vs. Switzerland
Israel vs. Greece
Northern Ireland vs. Poland
Slovenia vs. Czech Republic
Russia vs. Azerbaijan
Wales vs. Finland
Germany vs. Liechtenstein
Armenia vs. Estonia
Belgium vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Spain vs. Turkey (Will make it 10 in a row)
Romania vs. Serbia
Lithuania vs. France (Must win)
Cyprus vs. Georgia
Montenegro vs. Italy
Republic of Ireland vs. Bulgaria
Netherlands vs. Scotland

I couldn't pick a clear winner in the other games. Let's see how many of them that I've predicted right.

Check out this link for detailed information on the World Cup 2010: Click here!

2009-03-18T15:57:00.001+05:30

The only people who can legally 'kill' someone should be either a Doctor or a Soldier!

Did you Know?

2009-03-16T17:22:00.002+05:30

Portugal won 2 medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics held in China. One of them was a gold and the other a silver. The man who won the gold for his country is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. He won it in diving. "He was marvelous on the diving board...we feel that the jury could have given him bonus points. He had flair..", a fan has quoted. Here is the picture of the amazing feat of triumph and pride.

:D

Holi

2009-03-11T14:57:00.001+05:30

Today is Holi. The festival of colors, celebrated all over India. Everyone is so exited. Everyone celebrates the festival with good spirits regardless of age, religion, etc. The main reason why the festival is famous is that people ‘play’ and enjoy with colors. It is celebrated quite differently in college. They dig up a pit in the ground; fill it with water and mix up the mud. What they do is, throw a person in the mud, and dip his face in the mud, almost making him unable to breathe. The poor guy struggles to breathe while in the mud hole and when he’s out, he does the same thing to his friends. Seeking Revenge?

Some call it enthusiasm. I do not think so. That I think isn’t fun. It is almost like a WWE ring of mud. It’s like a pig fight. People tear each other’s shirts like hooligans. As if the ‘fun’ they had is not enough, they target their friends who don’t want to get dirty and push them in. So, some people start to comment on the ones who don’t like what these people are doing. They think that they have reached a milestone/ great height by performing these acts of madness. I feel this because I haven’t seen Holi being celebrated in this kind of fashion while I as in Andhra. I don’t think that anyone has. It used to be mostly colors and occasionally eggs. This is totally different. The way in which I celebrate a festival is my will and wish. No one has the right or power to make me do the things that I do not want to. If you are having fun, go on. No one is going to stop you.

Happy Holi. Play Safe!

Men and War

2009-03-09T13:29:00.004+05:30

It's been a long time since I've posted. I guess that the wrath of the CDCs has finally been unleashed. I thought that we would find it difficult in the last semester, but things were different. All the assignments, projects and the stupid tests are driving me nuts. I've also been playing FIFA09 in our college tournament. I do not understand how I'm spending my time but, it sure is flying. When we think that we've got a break, someone posts an assignment or puts up a viva schedule. Some of these vivas are too ridiculous. There are people who ask people to sit down in a room for 4 hours straight for a mere 2-3 marks. I've heard many people say that time is valuable. But, no one said 2/3 marks are valuable.

Anyway, I've been watching some game trailers and I'm terrified by the insanely large amount of war games that are coming out in the year. Men like FPS. But, aren't there any other stories to make up a game on? Even worse is the fact that most of the games are either based on WW1 or WW2. Get a Life please!

Sport brings out the evil inside™

2009-02-14T19:31:00.002+05:30

We talk a lot about the positive things about sport. It makes us physically fit, builds up our stamina, relieves our mind from worldly tensions and problems. But, I had noticed that there are a lot of people out there who play sport to satisfy the daemon inside. That inner urge! It compels you to do things that may be considered highly unprofessional or simply barbaric.

I have this daemon, it compels me to think that I am 'right' while taking decision or refereeing a highly 'un'important cricket game. Firstly, a referee cannot be questioned while the game is still in progress, in international games. If you want international quality in judgment, learn the international code of conduct on a cricket pitch. Secondly, all umpires are humans. And, humans are known to make a lot of mistakes.Putting aside my demonic urge of being RIGHTFUL, lets see some other kinds of demons.

Some people stick to the code, they are very disciplined and calm. Some, cannot bare the weight of defeat. Others will do 'anything' to win. The most terrifying of them all are the red necks. They definitely aren't cool. They do not think. They go with their heart. And it is this heart that exposes their true self.

Great controversies were seen in international cricket. We play gully cricket. And, let me make it clear, I play for fun...most of the time. A friend of mine(on the opposite team) suddenly bursts out with anger when I call a wide of his team-mate's bowling. He thinks that it isn't, I fell that it is a wide. We do not have ultra slow motion capture cameras or for that matter, any cameras at all. A person of the batting team generally acts as the umpire for any innings in gully cricket. He used to say that he was highly unruly/ aggressive in his childhood. If that was true, I do not think that he has reached a state of maturity yet. The anger is still resides in him.

It is in situations like this that i feel, "I do not belong here." If a person whom I know for 3 years, doesn't understand me, who does? People say that it is 'difficult' to make friends after a certain age. I am beginning to understand 'why'. The friends made at an early age are the ones that last forever.

Credits:-

DEXTER(TV Series) for the concept of inner daemon.

Do watch the series, it's really good.

New found love!

2009-02-12T16:10:00.002+05:30

Well, I might sound like a nerd but, I 've been engaging myself in answering the questions on Yahoo Answers and FANIQ. It is a good way to pass time by gaining knowledge at the same time. If you are interested, join the community!

Green Week

2009-02-11T15:49:00.004+05:30

Well, there is an eWeek being hosted in college and a part of it covers Gtalk. A competition of minds to put up the best custom message in Gtalk is held. The theme for the event is 'Go Green!' Here are two of them, that I've made up:

1.When I fail to find the green circles beside your names, I realize that there is no one 'Available'(left) on my world.Trees are those green circles for mother Earth. GO GREEN! Every1.

2.The *Green* army of Ghosts has saved middle earth from the darkness of Sauron. It is now, our turn to save the world from ourselves. Go Green or Join the DEAD!

Check out this site to find out simple ways to protect your environment: Think Green
I'm Certainly doing the 10th step with this.
;D

Friendly Rural Neighbourhood

2009-02-04T17:57:00.003+05:30

A clear cut difference between urban and rural people is visible in the levels of friendliness they show towards total strangers. Well, a fat man like me would be ignored/ stared/ joked about in an urban area. Things are totally different in a rural area. The people are very caring. They pop up with a friendly smile and gently advice about the disadvantages/ diseases that might result from being fat.

Kudos Rural India! ;)

Australian Open 2009 'Final' Review

2009-02-01T20:47:00.004+05:30

One thing that is clearly visible after the match was that Rafael Nadal is still improving. I do not say that he is the best the world has ever seen but, he definitely is the best right now. He has finally silenced all his critics. He showed the world that he can win on any surface after the Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open today. If he continues to maintain the levels of fitness, stamina and will power he has right now, there is no wonder that one day he too may be playing to break the record for the most number of Grand Slams titles held by a player.

As for Federer, I want him to get the 14th title but not against Nadal. He was too shaky at the start of the match. He lost a lot of points due to unforced errors. I think the magnitude of the achievement has finally got through to him. Yet, he fought well by winning the 2nd and fourth sets quiet comfortably.

The match was aired in our auditorium. This was the first time I have ever seen a tennis match in our audi. I didn't expect a lot of people to turn up but, the response was amazing. Decent number of people have turned up to witness the moment when Federer wins his 14th Grand Slam Title. All those hearts were shattered with disappointment.

Australian Open Finals: Rafael Nadal def Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal (1)		7	3	7	3	6
Roger Federer (2)		5	6	6	6	2

There was aggression resulting from the passion for their their favorite player or hatred towards the other. At the end of the day it was 4 hours well spent.

Rod Laver Arena - Women's Singles - Finals

Dinara Safina RUS (3)

Serena Williams USA (2)

This year's Australian Open was very good for the Indian Players. The following are some results from the finals.

Rod Laver Arena - Men's Doubles - Finals

Mahesh Bhupathi IND (3)
Mark Knowles BAH (3)

Bob Bryan USA (2)
Mike Bryan USA (2)

Rod Laver Arena - Mixed Doubles - Finals

Nathalie Dechy FRA
Andy Ram ISR

Sania Mirza IND
Mahesh Bhupathi IND

Rod Laver Arena - Women's Doubles - Finals

Daniela Hantuchova SVK (9)
Ai Sugiyama JPN (9)

Serena Williams USA (10)
Venus Williams USA (10)

Rod Laver Arena - Junior Boys' Singles - Finals

Yuki Bhambri IND (1)

Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas GER

A quote from Rafael Nadals' Official Site:

"After this win, Rafa has now won titles on all three surfaces following his repeated success at the French Open and his triumph against Federer in their thrilling encounter at Wimbledon last year. In winning in Melbourne, Rafa also became the first man to enjoy success on clay, grass and hardcourt since Andre Agassi."

"It is truly unbelievable how much heart and determination Rafael Nadal has, as he once again ripped Roger Federer’s heart right out of his chest, stopping him from tying tennis’ all-time mark of 14 major championships."

Vamos Rafael!

Insomnia

2009-01-31T00:52:00.002+05:30

Well today will be a holiday for our college. Its' an hour past mid night and i do not wish to sleep so soon. So, I've decided to start working on another title image for my blog. The new image will be uploaded soon.

Nvidia Drivers 181.xx

2009-01-28T16:21:00.003+05:30

I clearly noticed a great deal of improvement from the last stable drivers. Download here.

2009-01-24T09:40:00.003+05:30

I hope to see a day when Indian footballers play in BIG Leagues and Oscar nominations for Indian films is not a rare event.

Oscars 2009

2009-01-24T09:31:00.000+05:30

Here are the nominations for various categories:

BEST PICTURE

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production,Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
“Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer

BEST ACTOR

Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

BEST ANIMATED FILM

“Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

BEST DIRECTOR

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
“Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
“In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
“Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

BEST ART DIRECTION

“Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

“Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
“Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
“The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
“Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
“The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
“The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

BEST EDITING

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
“Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
“The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
“Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
“Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

BEST MAKEUP

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Alexandre Desplat
“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

“La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
“Lavatory - Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
“Oktapodi” (Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
“Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
“This Way Up”, A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
“Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
“New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
“The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

BEST SOUND EDITING

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
“Wanted” (Universal),Wylie Stateman

BEST SOUND MIXING

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
“Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Nominations brought to you by Oscar.com

Winter Break 2k8-2k9

2009-01-20T21:08:00.002+05:30

Well I write this post to remind myself of what I did on New Year's eve 2009. I hope I will read this again when I'm 50. :P

1. Besides spending quality time with my brother, family and PS2 :P , I ventured into the world of Online shopping. Registered on Ebay and made my first purchase 'online'. The Item was Rockstars' Grand Theft Auto 4. (If I am 50 now, I would be playing GTA10 most probably) The pricing in India compelled me to order it immediately after reaching home. It was only 500 rupees or 10 dollars (approx).

2. It was time for a small trip. Pranav and Dharnish have planned out a trip to Hamsaladeevi. It is the place where river Krishna meets the Bay of Bengal. It was the closest beach to Vijayawada.(I say 'was' because Vijayawada itself might become a port town by 2050.) There weren't any people except the fishermen. We played football in the cool ocean breeze. Then we went on a boat ride onto the waves. Some of my friends chased down some crabs and caught them too. But the crabs finally won the game of 'Man VS Wild' by causing a minor accident.

3. New Year's eve was excellent. I've met some friends whom I haven't seen for 4 years. Madhav was back in town and he presided over a rocking new years' party.

Bring Reality Into Gaming™ Idea1

2009-01-20T19:40:00.003+05:30

We talk a lot about this particular topic. Some people say Crysis has realistic graphics. Some do not get satisfied with what they see. As the computing power increases, the graphics keep getting better, all the time. What is realism then?

I personally feel that reality is not what we see but is that which we feel. We feel something is real! This is in contradiction to the statement "See it to Believe It". But, it is what I personally feel. I've started playing GTA4 a couple of weeks back, not rushing through the game though. Anyone who has played the game might have been using the cell phone feature quiet often. Rockstar Games did a great job in bringing out the game in a brilliant fashion. I'm absolutely loving it. They also have taken great care to get the maximum from sales. There are a lot of things to be checked before you set out to install your copy of GTA4. The process was a bit irritating as well.

I got an idea which would improve the satisfaction of the player and make money for R* at the same time. Instead of creating a virtual cell phone, I feel that it would be much more exciting and interesting if the players could actually use their own cell phones to receive calls/ ask for jobs. The outgoing calls from the players' cell can be used to generate money for Rockstar as well. I know that this would mean that R* should put some effort in designing an efficient call handling system/link up with telecom networks around the world. But, if done, it would have taken the world of gaming one step closer to reality.

;)

Adios

Happy Sankranti

2009-01-13T21:30:00.004+05:30

It's been a week into the second semester. I'm slowly settling down into my daily routine. This semester is going to be a very busy period. Lots of projects and papers to submit., and a magazine is to be brought out along with my preparation for the graduate record examination. Will be writing about how I spent my holidays, shortly.

Well tomorrow is a holiday on the occasion of Makara Sankranti. So, Happy Pongal everyone!

Games You Should Have Played in 2008(PC)

2009-01-08T17:27:00.010+05:30

Here is a list of games that I think were worth playing in the year that has passed. The ordering is not according to rating of the respective games.

1. Mass Effect

2. GRID

3. Bionic Commando Rearmed

4. World Of Goo

5. Brother In Arms: Hells' Highway

6. Spore

7. Crysis Warhead

8. Pure

9. FarCry 2

10. Dead Space

11. Fallout 3

12. Call Of Duty: World At War

13. FIFA09

14. Left 4 Dead

15. Prince of Persia

16. GTA4

Wow! I didn't think that this list will become this long. Who the hell said PC Gaming is 'DEAD' ? The next thing I am waiting for is Mirror's Edge scheduled to be releases in Q1 this year.

Mixed Emotions!

2009-01-07T13:22:00.003+05:30

I've been feeling that this semester is going all wrong for me. But, the day of registration game me other thoughts as well. We've arrived very late than we should have, to the college. Our train ran 5 and a half hours late, we were slowed down by the rush hour traffic in Delhi and to add to the misery almost all of the road from Delhi to Pilani was covered by thick and dense fog. Finally, we've reached our college just 4 hours before the registration. I found out that I god a couple of grades better than I expected. My PR number was good and had no problems/clashes in my time table. Picked up a couple of electives. It's very cold out here. The extra moisture is not helping as well. The water is biting cold. Can't even wash the hands/face with ease.

Hope this sem will not do much bad. Happy new year all!
Will be writing more on what I did this holidays soon.

Adios!

Happy Holidays

2008-12-13T09:32:00.003+05:30

I can say with 85% clarity that this would be my last blog post for the year. A year that has seen happiness, sorrows, joy, jubilation, luck and bad fortune alike has finally come to an end. I cannot hope to have an year filled with positive energy only because, I know that there is no such thing in human life. You cannot have success without hard work. And hard work doesn't come easily.

I hear that teenagers in foreign countries move out, just after finding a job. They try to have their own money to serve specific needs. You might have heard that Indians stay with their parents for a long part of their life. This is partially true but things are changing. To face the competition in the corporate world, they are being sent to boarding schools at a very small age. It is unfortunate to know that some people have been studying in a boarding school right from their first grade. The result is the same now, in both cultures. But, you guys do it independently and we are forced to leave(with reason of having a better future).Is a bright future(economically) > a good life? I could never answer that.

So my exams were over and its a short winter break for us. 20 holidays! I am heading back home. And I can't wait to be there as soon as I can. One disadvantage of living in the 7th largest country of the world is that your journeys seem never-ending! It will take 26 hours by train to reach my hometown from Delhi. To reach Delhi, I need another 4. The excitement of going home overshadows the time of travel. After all, you are meeting your family and old friends after 5 months. I will be back next year with my adventures/ideas during the holiday period. Till then....

Have a great new year!
Have a Blast!(not literally :P)
Adios!

HOW TO TICK PEOPLE OFF

2008-12-09T16:06:00.001+05:30

Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.
In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."
Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."
If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."
Practice making fax and modem noises.
Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."
Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
Staple pages in the middle of the page.
Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
Honk and wave to strangers.
Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
type only in lowercase.
dont use any punctuation either
Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
Repeat the following conversation a dozen times.
"DO YOU HEAR THAT?"
"What?"
"Never mind, it's gone now."
As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
Ask people what gender they are.
While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
Sing along at the opera.
Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles."

External Hard Drives

2008-12-09T13:15:00.001+05:30

Thinking of buying one for myself. So, I've been searching some things about them. Here is an article I picked up...

A method of data storage that has become increasingly popular is the use of external hard drives. Home computer users today have more data than ever, and many find that the storage capacity of
their computer's hard drive is not sufficient. As the usage of external hard drives increases, there is
also a rise in the number of external hard drive failures. Listed below are various physical problems
that cause external hard drive failure:

Accidentally Dropped the External Hard Drive

There have been many cases where the external drive has been accidentally dropped by the user.
Many of these hard drives are designed to sit upright on a flat surface. This can cause the drive to
be susceptible to tipping over. The easiest way to prevent this from happening is to allow the external hard drive to lay flat instead of upright. This can prevent tipping. Otherwise, you should place the drive in a safe location away from the edges of a surface.

Twisted Electrical Cords and Cables

Many times, twisted cords and cables can cause an external hard drive to be pulled off a surface onto the floor. It is always important to make sure cords and cables are not twisted and are a sufficient length to reach from the computer to an electrical outlet.

Using the Wrong Power Cord

If you have several different power cords in the vicinity of your external hard drive, it is important to make sure you are using the correct power cord with your hard drive. There have been many instances where a user has plugged a different power cord into their external hard drive causing a power surge which will overheat the hard drive.

Power Surges from Lightning Strikes

It is important to always power down and unplug your external hard drive during a lightning storm. A power surge from lightning strikes can cause external hard drive failure by overheating the hard drive.

Contact a Data Recovery Company If You Have Experienced External Hard Drive Failure

If the data on the hard drive is worth preserving, you can contact a data recovery company to recover the data. A data recovery lab can repair or replace the damaged internal parts of the hard disk and retrieve any existing data.

External hard drives are a popular method of data storage. By following the tips above, you can protect your external hard drive and ensure that your data remains safe.

This article can be freely published on a website however it must not be modified in any way including the author bylines, and the hyperlink must be made active as shown below.

Andrea Stone is employed with ReWave Hard Drive Recovery, a worldwide data recovery company. Visit the ReWave Hard Drive Recovery website for more information about external hard drive failure and data recovery.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrea_Stone

This is what i did in my 3-1

2008-12-07T20:06:00.004+05:30

I have an exam tomorrow and am writing this post because I'm totally hopeless. Besides watching sitcoms, movies and anime...I play games to keep myself busy. The first half of the semester has passed while playing DOTA on LAN. The second half was different, I remember playing Mass Effect sometime ago, but for the rest of it... I played FIFA09. I just wanted to put up my offline profile stats here.

:P

Record : 210-35-50(Won-Lost-Draw)
Completion: 25% till now
Goals scored : 570
Goals conceded: 187
Clean Sheets : 154
Passing : 75%
Possession : 53% only :(
Fouls committed/received: 407/546
Injuries commit/received: 7/23
Yellow Cards:34
Red Cards :13

Difficulty level:World Class
Half Time :4 min

So, each game lasts at least 9 minutes. No.of games played =295
Total time played= 295*9= 2665 min
No.of hours= 44.25
No.of seconds= 159300

:D
And by the way, I'm watching Seinfeld. It's really good. Type:Comedy.
Adios!

2008-12-06T08:43:00.001+05:30

Sleep is like alcohol. You just can't have enough of it. You always overdo it!

Prince of Persia 4:Next Gen

2008-12-05T20:04:00.002+05:30

Minimum System Requirements

Supported OS: Windows® XP/Windows Vista®
Processor: Dual core processor 2.6 GHz Intel® Pentium® D or AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 3800+ (Intel Core® 2 Duo 2.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ or better recommended)
RAM: 1 GB Windows XP/2 GB Windows Vista
Video Card: 256 MB DirectX® 10.0–compliant video card or DirectX 9.0–compliant card with Shader Model 3.0 or higher (see supported list)*
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0 or 10.0–compliant sound card (5.1 sound card recommended)
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0 or 10.0 libraries (included on disc)
DVD-ROM: DVD-ROM dual-layer drive
Hard Drive Space: 8 GB
Peripherals Supported: Keyboard, mouse, optional controller (Xbox 360® Controller for Windows recommended)

* Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:

ATI® RADEON® X1600*/1650*-1950/HD 2000/3000 series
NVIDIA GeForce® 6800*/7/8/9 series

Champion of Champions

2008-12-03T12:44:00.003+05:30

Hey, vote for your favorite sportsperson on ESPNSTAR.com's Champion of Champions .

December

2008-12-02T00:43:00.002+05:30

For most of the people...December gives enthusiasm, on the approach of the New Year/Christmas. But, for students like me half of the month is like hell. The comprehensive exams are beginning. So, I will be trying to keep myself busy.
Happy New Year everyone! Meet you in Jan2009.
:)

The Year 2012

2008-11-25T11:37:00.002+05:30

I have believed the theory on 2012 right from the moment I saw a program on the Mayan civilization. But all the prophecies do not point to the end of the world. They point towards a drastic change in the world. Anyway, I believe that something(bad) is gonna in 2012 DECEMBER but, I don't think it will be the end of the world. The spirit to survive is going to save mankind once again, I guess. Anyway, worrying about such things is totally illiterate. Just live life to the fullest.

Here is an abstract
I think pole shift and sun storms are more likely to 'change' the world!

Scientific Experts from around the world are predicting that five years from now, all life on Earth could well come to an end. Some are saying it’ll be humans that would set it off. Others believe that a natural phenomenon will be the cause. And the religious folks are saying it’ll be God himself who would press the stop button. The following are some likely arguments as to why the world would end by the year 2012.

Reason one: Mayan calendar

The first to predict 2012 as the end of the world were the Mayans, a bloodthirsty race that were good at two things -- building highly accurate astrological equipment out of stone and sacrificing virgins.

Thousands of years ago they managed to calculate the length of the lunar moon as 329.53020 days, only 34 seconds out. The Mayan calendar predicts that the earth will end on December 21, 2012. Given that they were pretty close to the mark with the lunar cycle, it’s likely they’ve got the end of the world right as well.

Reason two: Sun storms

Solar experts from around the world monitoring the sun have made a startling discovery. Our sun is in a bit of strife. The energy output of the sun is, like most things in nature, cyclic and it’s supposed to be in the middle of a period of relative stability. However, recent solar storms have been bombarding the earth with lot of radiation energy. It’s been knocking out power grids and destroying satellites. This activity is predicted to get worse and calculations suggest it’ll reach its deadly peak sometime in 2012.

Reason three: The atom smasher

Scientists in Europe have been building the world’s largest particle accelerator. Basically, its a 27 km tunnel designed to smash atoms together to find out what makes the universe tick. However, the mega-gadget has caused serious concern, with some scientists suggesting that it’s properly even a bad idea to turn it on in the first place. They’re predicting all manner of deadly results, including mini black holes. So when this machine is fired up for its first serious experiment in 2012, the world could be crushed into a super-dense blob the size of a basketball.

Reason four: The Bible says it

If having scientists warning us about the end of the world isn’t bad enough, religious folks are getting in on the act as well. Interpretations of the Christian Bible reveal that the date for Armageddon, the final battle between good an evil, has been set for 2012. The I Ching, also known as the Chinese Book of Changes, says the same thing, as do various sections of the Hindu teachings.

Reason five: Super volcano

Yellowstone National Park in United States is famous for its thermal springs and old faithful geyser. The reason for this is simple -- it’s sitting on top of the world’s biggest volcano and geological experts are beginning to get nervous sweats. The Yellowstone volcano has a pattern of erupting every 650,000 years or so, and we’re many years overdue for an explosion that will fill the atmosphere with ash, blocking the sun and plunging the earth into a frozen winter that could last up to 15,000 years. The pressure under the Yellowstone is building steadily, and geologists have set 2012 as a likely date for the big bang.

Reason six: The physicists

This one’s case of bog -- simple maths mathematics. Physicists at Berkely University have been crunching the numbers. They’ve determined that the earth is well overdue for a major catastrophic event.

Even worse, they’re claiming that their calculations prove that we’re all going to die, very soon. They are also saying that their prediction comes with a certainty of 99 per cent; and 2012 just happens to be the best guess as to when it occurs.

Reason seven: Earth’s magnetic field

We all know the Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that shields us from most of the sun’s radiation. What you might not know is that the magnetic poles we call North and South have a nasty habit of swapping places every 750,000 years or so -- and right now we’re about 30,000 years overdue. Scientists have noted that the poles are drifting apart roughly 20-30 kms each year, much faster than ever before, which points to a pole-shift being right around the corner. While the pole shift is under way, the magnetic field is disrupted and will eventually disappear, sometimes for up to 100 years. The result is enough UV outdoors to crisp your skin in seconds, killing everything it touches.

Gmail Themes

2008-11-21T10:56:00.004+05:30

Google has introduced "new" gmail themes to light up your mailbox. Try them out! I am using the theme-'Graffiti'. Here's a screen shot.

Fungal Growth

2008-11-19T15:49:00.002+05:30

Check out the Link.
You might find something...truly creative.

Cool

2008-11-18T19:13:00.003+05:30

It's winter time now. The outside temperature is 10-15 degrees Celsius as of now. It gets a lot worse in January. The temperature go below zero. There is no snowfall but, the cold is severe. There is fog and dew in the mornings. You cannot see the sun for a lot of days.

I do not have much trouble. The fat and extra clothing protects me from the cold and keeps me comfortable.
:D
Along with it, I have a graphic card installed in my computer. Are you wondering how it helps? The normal computers run at 30 degrees(estimation) even during winter. Adding a graphic card will increase the temperature by at least a couple of degrees. So go out and get yourself a graphic card.
:D

My first card: Nvidia Geforce FX 5200

My current and second Card: XFX NVIDIA Geforce 8600GT

My next one is definitely gonna be a high end card. :)
Adios Amigos!

Meet the Winner!

2008-11-17T13:54:00.004+05:30

For all those who believe that anything that comes up in your mailbox is just spam...here is an exception. I got a mail asking to forward a spore creature to as many people as possible. I've sent it to over 200 people. It was sufficient for me to win the contest. Some of my friends thought that the prize(game disc of spore worth Rs.999/-) will never reach me. Even I was a little skeptical. But, I just received it a few hours back. Here's the proof...

Thank You, Xtreme Gaming,India.
:)

GTA 4 System Requirements

2008-11-16T02:10:00.002+05:30

Minimum System Requirements

- OS: Windows Vista - Service Pack 1 / XP - Service Pack 3

-Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8Ghz, AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4Ghz

- Memory: 1.5GB, 16GB Free Hard Drive Space

- Video Card: 256MB NVIDIA 7900 / 256MB ATI X1900

Recommended System Requirements

- OS: Windows Vista - Service Pack 1 / XP - Service Pack 3

- Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz, AMD Phenom X3 2.1Ghz

- Memory: 2 GB (Windows XP) 2.5 GB (Windows Vista)

- 18 GB Free Hard Drive Space

- Video Card: 512MB NVIDIA 8600 / 512MB ATI 3870

I guess my configuration matches the minimum requirements. Is this game better than Crysis in graphics? You gotta be kidding me. I got this from someones' Gamespot blog. Looking forward to the official news on requirements.