08.08.08 08:08:08 : Let The Games begin !

Flickr Tags: Olympics,Sports

Citius , Altius , Fortius ... 3 words that embody the spirit of the 'THE GAMES' and that of mankind and its zest for perennial perfection. It's here at the Olympic Games, the stage is set for the final showdown ... the best in class fight it out for over 2 weeks with a single minded determination for THE GOLD and thereby settle many a score , prove a point or two, put their country on the sporting map of the world and above all raise the bar for the next one.

'Olympics' perhaps is one word that brings to mind multiple images- excellence, pomp & show, history, internationalism, peace, despair and even shame for some.

I have been a great fan of The Games, for as long as I can remember. It was at the '80 Moscow games ( XXII Olympiad ) where my country won its last gold . Shame that a country of over a billion people has not produced an Olympic hero. The gold in '80 was for Hockey, a team sport. India' national game , has become a national shame...we could not even qualify for the latest edition of The Games. Perhaps we can take cover under Xenophanes' argument that athletic achievements pale in front of intellectual achievements, and so you will find us winning at the Math Olympiads or a chess Olympiad or even the Spelling Bee.

When at 8 on the 8th day of the 8th month of 2008 , The Games of the XXIX Olympiad begins, it's China's moment of truth. One would think for the Asian behemoth, the 4th largest economy in the world, it has been a delayed landing...thanks to human rights, politics, pollution and what not. It's yet another feather to the cap soiled only slightly by its own internal strife. All eyes and ears of at least half the world are tuned to the Olympic games and the Chinese sure are basking in reflected glory of The Games. They will leave no stone unturned to put together what will be the greatest show on earth !

A friend of mine asked me a few years ago, what difference the Olympics made to the cockroach on my shelf or if it even knew of the Olympics...till today I don't have answer to his question. Perhaps I must think the Olympics is just another carnival, a passing show , a foolish show of strength , man's own private festival which fades miserably in front of the big picture. The cockroach was here before us, it will be here after us...I have to tell my friend not to be too concerned this time around...

When the dust settles on Beijing in a fortnight , the XXIX Olympics will be forgotten by most of us, but to the hundreds of sportspersons, all of them heroes in their own right, who held their heads high ... except perhaps to receive the odd medal, when they bow in humility...The Games is different from any other anywhere.

Long live The Games & the spirit of sports !!

Why buy when you can steal ?

After staying for over 2.5 years at this community

with nearly no big trouble , last Thursday my car was broken into by some vandal who was after the GPS inside. I wish he had come in person and asked for it rather than have me go through the pain of getting everything fixed, not to mention calling the cop, the insurance company and the car rental guys....I was numb for a while after seeing this and then my emotions turned to anger and frustration and then when everything sunk, I thought it was just another day in life....someone must have thought that I had too much money to dispose of and not too much work to do anyway ...so he really did a good job of making me run around with a hole in my pocket.

That petty thief was perhaps a manifestation of what we all perhaps must have secretly nursed at least once in our lives....just that it turns bitter when you are at the receiving end of the perpetrators' pranks. There is something thrilling about stealing, for that matter to do anything without detection. No wonder someone said, what you do when you are not seen reveals your character in general. There is that extra kick which we get out of being secretive. Why is the trophy more cherished when it is stolen / filched than when bought or borrowed. Well, if you are not caught, it's technically yours, unless proved otherwise. I believe there is a thief in all of us.

Then there are different ways of stealing...each in a class / plane of it's own. From Makkan-Chor-Krishna to big modern day nations who attack others for no reason , thus stealing the basic right to a peaceful life....From the marauding Genghis Khan to the next door average Joe, who steals a look at your pretty girl friend ... From day light robberies to midnight murders...call it plunder, pilfer, steal, rob, nobble, defraud, short-change, swindle, rip or gazump ... the underlying principle is the same...quick easy way to your goal usually incurring intentional loss to someone else on your way.

So...in a world of pirated software, freely downloadable MP3s, dictators with no respect for freedom, terrorists who do not love life and fake God-men thriving on mass gullibility...there is always the factor of 'STEAL' . My small GPS gadget or the car window glass fades in front of these atrocities. I am happy I am alive with the freedom to think and act as I do.......how long is the question ??

Stealing the thunder elsewhere as usual is big Mallya...he likes big things, doesn't he ?? Beer, Boeings, Big wheels and now Booster bimbos ...The Redskins cheerleaders are supposedly coming to India at Mallya's behest to egg on the Bangalore Royal Challengers. That I am sure would be feast for the Bangalore masses. Wonder who would come up with the idea of Mumbai Eunuchs cheering for his / her team .. pretty soon I guess. Being a member of the cheerleading squad is not an easy thing...it usually involves a strict regimen and takes a lot of discipline to keep your body and spirits just perfect...ask my neighbor's daughter, she was one for 4 years.

Talking about cricket, India had a farcical victory against RSA at Kanpur ... thanks to the curator, the test as over in 3 days....but then the home team should have some advantage, right ?

That's it for now...oh by the way I am officially out of AB...now warming my butt at home, working on a few things for the next one.

Good bye and Happy Vishu to all the Mallus out there !!

Mugabe, Mosley , Martin , Mahatma & Mandela

'Change' as they say is inevitable. It's change that shapes our world and everything in and out of it. From the days you were a foetus to the day in the coffin and after, if there will be one thing in common, it's 'Change' . Men and woman who crusade against constancy are often the movers and shakers of this world - from the nursery teacher in Morocco , fighting for the girl child to the world police in Washington DC - the rest of us will follow and adapt until the next purgatory wave of change or simply attain sainthood !

After 28 years , it's time for change in Zimbabwe...Robert Mugabe must go ! He is not the same person who ushered in 3 decades back , some hope for Africa. His intoxication with power has left him blind to the sufferings of millions. For all we know the recount will reinstate the authoritarian leader back.

Formula1 is seeing some change with a new breed of champions emerging. Kubica became the first pole on pole ever and even finished third to be on the podium alongside Kimi and Massa. BMW is taking it to Ferrari and Mclaren. Another point of contention this week in Formula1 was it's boos Max Mosley. I don't care if he had sex with 5 or even 10 hookers in whatever 'role play' style....that's something very personal to him...unfortunately he could not keep it private and the moralisers are after his blood. Renunciation takes great moral strength!

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the likes of MLK , Mahatma & Mandela who were powerful forces of change in their own right. These men of solid conviction could move masses without uttering a word. The world renewed it's memories of Dr.King on his 40th death anniversary last week .. it's only fitting that he and Mandela were influenced by Gandhi. They are the liberators !

Talking of change , I read last night about Boeing testing their new Hydrogen cell powered airplanes ... would you trust one in your life time to fly you 10,000 miles ?? Fuel costs are driving change everywhere : for good, like increased lookout for alternatives and for bad, when companies go belly-up...Last week atleast 3 airlines in the US have filed for bankruptcy and AlItalia' ex chairman said 'only an exorcist can save it' .

One information company that is changing it all is Google. That's nothing new... but how many of you were ready for the April Fools Day prank....not 1 but 2 this time. Virgle, jointly with maverick Richard Branson to set up a permanent settlement on Mars and the custom time for your G-mails....If you missed the one in 2007 , it was about the Toilet Internet Service Provider leveraging the hydraulic data transmission capabilities of your local municipal sewage system ( sic ) !

There is change on personal front too: I will be moving of St Louis after 31 months to take up a position in Greenville, SC.

Adiós amigos...Tenga una gran semana !

Lumière Place, Rasoi & Chuck E. Cheese's !

Amidst the drab 7 days that passed by, I did enjoy a few good moments. I and a few friends were at a Helenfitzgerald's party on Friday, when we decided to end that night on the wilder side ( Not East St Louis ) . After a couple of vodkas , we headed to St Louis' Central West End for some food....boy , we were really hungry ! After a few walks from the paid parking we decided to get into Rasoi . At first we did not find a single desi in there, but a closer look and there, the unmistakable 1 or 2 . It was packed although and we decided in favor of waiting with a KF than venturing out to another joint. 20 minutes later, Kashem Bhai from Bangladesh was at our table to take notes ( that's how he looked ) and we settled for Kebab sampler, Lamb Biriyani, Chicken Biriyani , Pakoras and another Chicken stuff. I must admit that I loved the appetizers and the entrée so much that I was wondering how in 30 months at St Louis did I miss this place. If you are ever in St Louis, make sure to dine here on a weekend if you like some authentic Indian food . Thanks to Rasoi for the twin intoxication and we found ourselves headed towards Downtown, to be precise the Casino ( Lumière Place ). It was unusually crowded even for a Friday night . We managed to get in and I made a beeline for the only thing that I know : The slot machine : The ever consistent machine made sure I got not a penny back. After an hour and a few dollars down, we decided it made sense to get some sleep .

I had other plans for the next day...It was my son Aditya' birthday celebration at the Chuck E Cheese's . He was turning 4. We had invited our friends for a 12 Noon party ( Cake cutting and some Pizzas ). It was fun to be with so many kids after so long.

Back home after the celebration and my wife had reserved all her choicest words for me. She gave a piece of her mind and rightly so, for the Friday night binge.

The weather continues to be another Roulette act...keep guessing guys. Rain , Shine and ice...it's all mixed and served. The localites here say : " if you do not like the weather, wait for 20 minutes !" and I think it has been so true the last 3 months here.

Another 2 weeks to go at this project in St Louis and finally it's all coming to an end. 31 months of what has been really a 'mixed bag' of experiences. Nothing really worth remembering except a bunch of friends at work and out. Would I come back to St Louis if I get another chance....hmm, probably not ! Well, you never know ! You always come full circle in the miniscule SAP world

Have a great week ahead folks and remember not to pretend at least on the 1st April...accept it !! A day to remind us of what we are on the rest .. so said someone !

Rain and more rain !

My mother was talking the other day about the incessant rains in Kerala and Tamil-Nadu and the damage it has done to lives and property there. At this time of the year, it's really unheard of....So is the case here in Missouri and the Midwest in general. Is this climate change telltale signs of global warming or is this something we are yet to figure out, but conveniently pointing our fingers at GW ?? I took this photograph of what really is the intersection of I-44 and Mo-141 . The wrath of river Meramec was very evident.

Elsewhere in Sepang, Malaysia , things were hot and humid and on Easter day we saw a small resurrection , in Ferrari' Kimi getting the better of Lewis Hamilton and thus beginning his serious title defence . Luck was not with Massa however , as he spun out into the gravel....he really threw it away !

Last night I was in awe watching the story of Terry Wallis and his post "19-years-of-coma" life. He suffered massive brain injuries as a 19 year old and magically came out of his coma after 19 years in 2003. In the process he lost the emotion of 'love' and finds it hard to accept his daughter and wife. he has lost his capacity for short term memory too. He still thinks Reagan to be the president. The human brain never ceases to amaze one . Terry's brain slowly started regenerating / rewiring to regain the lost connection paths to a structure , which is now not anything like usual human brain. Talking about human brain, did you know the brain has no pain sensation as there are no nerves there that can register it and hence the surgeons can do their probing when the patient is conscious !!

I always wanted to be a surgeon :-), some one who uses a knife to save lives, not to mention, being God for those who end up in the operating room, with only a desire to live. It's perhaps one of the noblest professions around......I am not a surgeon, but I definitely do not want to end up seeing one any time.

Well, that's it for now...wish you a happy Easter and a belated Holi !! Have a colorful week ahead !