Cricket ...yet again

6 balls ...6 sixes , Yuvraj Singh rocked ...and i kept wondering what dhoni was upto( for the uninformed , he is from the same school as me) , seems he is the captain now, way to go...So what do youvraj's sixes' do to mere mortals like us..cant talk for everyone but on a personal note , it makes me believe in the Indian team yet again , it makes me hope against hope that India will win the next world cup and it sets me up for another big disappointment..simply cant help it ..I tried ignoring the indian cricket team as much as I cud, did not even react to India beating pakistan some time back ,kept my pessimism at a all time high but man..those sixes were awesome , not fluke shots but real cricket..Guess games are almost like life, you go down in life and realise it is worthless , get disappointed , and then one good thing sets you back in motion ..Another important reason of me getting sneak views of the cricket matches on the internet is definately the lack of interest in the American sports, namely baseball and college football...have tried building some enthusiasm for the same but just cant get over the cricket hangover, another reason this world wont ever be flat, there wud always be cricket and there wud always be baseball and each party will not understand the craziness about either..Now basketball seems to be the middle ground here, its big in US and not that small in India even though for basket ball team is not that great, every school shows some enthusiasm for the game ..I loved basketball when i was a kid and am sure lot of other guys do...The sports edition seems to be strecting on and on , and i havent even come to table tennis, even though i was never a game when it came to losing a match , i was always game to miss classes or bunk work and play..which reminds me of a beautiful ad they have for fisher price here...which basically is all about how kids should grow and play..simultaneously , now they have toys for kids every age and for the grown up kids , Microsoft x box outplayed them ...cant seem to make sense to even myself so guess i am actually getting to myself ..before i forget , I am catching up on the American TV big time ,even though most of the shows were aired in India , I cudnt really follow cause of the other big saas bahu attractions going on all the time , and guess this is one thing i am glad i got out of, it was almost a addiction to see who is crying for whom , who married for the 5th time and how u wont age even when u grandkids have kids and how a woman has to be a vamp or a goddess , no Grey females allowed in the Indian television scenario...here the serials are a lot more real and i just love the females, they don't cry or anyone and just move on in style..I appreciate the sense of humor prevalent in this country ,life moves much faster here ..maybe it is cause of the better cars( now that was the worst PJ ) in the last several months, cant seem to find good company for them anymore- God i miss my sister and the office(pj center)...

Moods and moments....

Moodiness is a vice most of us are inflicted with , some more than the other ...and I guess I fall in the first category...I just dont understand what controls my mood swings, one day i can all happy and the next just debating my entire existence in this world and what all it is worth...and the problem is I am not sure what triggers either of these moods..looking for the obvious reasons, disappointments at work , fight with ur partner , disagreements with ur friends or parents ...i weeded out the reasons one by one and finally was as clueless as ever..i mean these are of course contributing factors and might be the reasons sometimes but I have actually some across instances where none of them were true...by the theory of elimination what i arrived at finally was a blank and its this lack of reason that is difficult to handle....today was one of those days when i was feeling that moodiness ..and somewhere the TV or music or whatever generally keeps me entertained was not enough...to drive that way..one of the first things that happens in this frame of mind is the need or the desire to sleep ..and i did that for quite some time - it could be ur body's way of telling u , you need some rest or maybe its my mind's trick to fool me into thinking i need to sleep when i might just want to...guess this is not going any where...maybe another day another time ...

Deals ...deals and more deals....

US is a land of deals... this is one of the first addictions you get into when you are here....Right from the paper napkins to the latest LCD television is on some deal...the murphy's law here is, what you really need to buy at some instant is never on a deal and the moment you buy it, viola the deals appear...This is when you feel your economic ineptness... this creates the psyche to get to a deal as soon as possible ...and this is when you are lost...buying stuff you do not need cause it is on a deal on the assumption that u would need it in future...thats the whole idea the company has and you buy the idea..so basically you end up spending money which was looking great in the bank , you are even euphoric about it....somewhere down the line , you realize you have bought something you definitely did not need and of course your poor economics once more...This whole intelligent thinking later definitely takes a lot of your spare time , and you decide ...its over , you wont get into the trap ever again ...but the conspiring companies are a way ahead....they come up with the thanksgiving sale;-) , and of course all ur hard hitting thoughts are left way behind as you prepare yourself for more shopping...
On second thots why do the companys come up with deals...If it is such a great product and is selling and making profits, why are the costs lowered...the answer is simple...to make you buy what you do not need...and make more profits....from their leftover inventory....the cost of carrying a inventory is far more than the cost cutting they do..
So here they are advertising profiting making money and we .....just the sacrificial lambs;-((

Trip to Newyork

New York...the place almost everyone has heard of ....and a lot have seen ...the financial headquarters of the entire world...the other day, out of the blue we planned to visit the great city, now i have been there pretty often but that hadnt actually seen much of it....the first thing that strikes u about this place is the energy there, and the positive kind of it...in a country like US when you are not used to seeing many people on the road , walking new york is a welcome change...its like our very own mumbai....the subways and the paths...and lots of people walking at unbelievable pace, the city is always moving ....almost everyone is in a hurry t o reach somewhere...trade shares...shape the economy of the world...i mean if u are caught in the trains during the rush hours....u wont even get a place to sit down...u keep standing on the train and there are even people who wud push and move right across...the personal space thats so guarded here is let loose completely..you cant dream of it...and thats not where the similarity ends...you wud find a lot of roadside eateries serving all kinds of cuisines...now this is the place to be if u r a foodie....talk about any cuisine in the world and you cant beat newyork in the variety and the sheer number of places...I havent seen a place more diverse...i mean you get on a train and you wud see people from all corners of the world...every place u can think of.....and everyone has a identity here....new yorker is a different identity in itself.....a walk down the times square , first time in ur life...is a experience in itself...i mean you see everything u have heard of and cudnt quite understand the novelty of...you have madame tussaud and Ripley's believe it or not ...and the one thing i found quite fascinating...NASDAQ ..now just have many times do u hear about it...i had almost every time i watched news on TV.....and the lights there are nearly blinding ...there is glitter everywhere and its the same everyday in the year...its like the life thats inherent in the place....before just walking across the time square, you can go and take a ferry ride, which takes you all across the hudson , thru all the islands in NY..four of them to be precise.......its a experience to see all the great buildings in the universe...even the place where the twin towers stood and are no longer there...there are lovely bridges across the river...that looks like the ones you see in the picture books....as u stand on the deck with the wind across your hair....and see ...the empire state building from afar...its like it is definitely the empire state......Money makes this place thrive and the hard work that goes behind it is also evident...how often do u see people getting to office at 7 in the morning and coming back at 3 - 4 in the night...for new york it is just routine ...the ferry that takes u across , gets close to the Statue of Liberty as well..and thats when u realize the core element of this society....I mean if u see just the architecture of the statue, there are 100 more beautiful places in the world ..i mean every country has some of them...but not many countries build something that goes beyond the symbolism of the race ...thats for mankind as a whole...that thinks about the whole human race ...i mean the idea behind it is great , thats what makes it worth...i mean it isn't something that cant be built......it is something that has character and character is tougher to embody than a mere piece of art or architecture...so thats new york as i see it ...on a very selfish note, thats one place i can see people and coming from a densely populated country ..it comforts me to see ...them ...it feels a lot closer to home ...and a lot like it sometimes...and it doesnt have the walmarts;-)) , atleast not one i have scene , which gives it a identity which i always missed in us cities......as i wud have said it in the advertisement world way...It is different...

If you can't change your fate, change your attitude.

Am on it yet again and it feels good to connect , to people you know , people you dont know ...i mean how much better can it get when you can get inside the minds ...and debate if you think a particular thought , did someone else somwhhere in the world think of it too ...before you , are even your most obscure thoughts your own , or have you shared that with someone as well , someone you dont even know ...but still someone who thinks exactly like you .... and is lost somewhere in the big world ....When you read the blogs, you get to see the individual , much beyond what is on dispaly otherwise , its the core that talks ...and the surface that hides and that is what makes me want to read , to feel... coming back to the discussion i had on the couple of earlier blogs about the US cities , and the comments one of my friends made on that ... .I agree with him ...This is definitely the place where people come above everything , you can feel it in every single experience you have over here ... .. and I stay in NewPort , just across hudson , so if you walk a mile along the river walkway you can reach the statue of Liberty;-) and believe me, every single time you see it , it feels like a experience ...I was talking about the respect for people and it is just so evident ..You make a mistake on the road , and the cop behind you would say ...excuse me sir..please pull over ..and not for a moment , wud he be rude to you , I mean it is just inherent in this place ... .I have experienced it so many times , and every single time it amazes me ... i mean i try crossing a road on a red light , and all cars stop and wave . ...like please go ...no horns nothing .... I bought a mixer grinder ,and after a month it stopped working, i was almost sure it was my mistake , i hadnt followed a lot of instructions , and then have already thrown teh cartons and stuff , and had ordered it online ...Now i just walk into one of the retail outlets , with the grinder literally in hand ,and say it is not working ..and salesperson doesnt ask any questions , and is ready to replace with a new one is a matter of seconds ...i cant imagine this , i mean its tough to get used to it coming from India ..where once you buy something, you are almost married to it for better or worse ;-) whatelse , had a long trip across the hudson on a ferry which shows you the whole of new york ... needs one whole blog to describe the experience ... till then ......