NBA is back and so am I ...

It's been a while since I tried posting any thing on my  blog for a while. Swamped by work and away from Internet at home, I took a break from the web. Well, I couldn't resist getting back after the NBA season began yesterday. Thanks to the players union for making a deal  quickly and saving the season !

A wild weekend of NFL games

Play-off picture changes by the weekends, The Packers continue on to a perfect season, big teams plagued by key injuries and we have some impressive performers whom we never expected to win so many games. So we move into week 14 for yet another nail biting round of football games. Let the games begin !

A hero .. A true Patriot !!

http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/09000d5d824d6b95/A-Call-to-Arms-Tom-Brady

A random thought

So I was breaking my head to write something, and finally I realized there is one thing I can always talk about, SPORTS !!! The one thing that can join the whole world or tear apart a city.

So here is what I'm going to write from now on, NFL, NBA, European soccer, Indian Cricket, Formula1 and a bunch of my random thoughts and views on life.

The one topic that is really keeping me on the edge, the NBA free agency and how the league is going to look once the dust settles down. There might be no Lebron or Bosh this time around, yet this could be one of the most crucial trade seasons. We have a bunch of unhappy super stars who tried their best with their current teams to win a title yet came short and now, they want to make a fresh start with a new team. In all this, the reigning NBA champs seem quiet with one of  their key players, Centre Tyson Chandler opting for free agency. By the end of this week, we will find out which teams got stronger and which teams took a lame deal to build a stronger future.

Tebow"ed"

 Ever since, I saw the famous Tebow post match press conference speech after the Gators loss to Mississippi back in 2008, I was inspired by this player. Not that he made a flashy claim to play hard or anything, but his sheer ability to take the blame on himself and to inspire his team to greatness is something very few leaders have in them, especially these days.

So in 2010 when Tebow, entered the NFL draft, very few rooted for him to make a successful career as a quaterback. Ex Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said he would draft Tebow top 10 and would start him any day over the rest of the class of 2010. One of the nations top QB's from college from 2006-2009, Tebow was drafted by the Denver Broncos, 25th overall in the first round. Coach Josh Mcdaniels, used Tebow in a few wild cat formations before Starting him against the Raiders on December 19, 2010. 

In 2010, Tebow passed for 654 yards and 5 touchdowns in 6 games. He also had 6 rushing touchdowns. At the start of the 2011 season, much was debated if Tebow should start over Kyle Orton. With the change in Coaching personnels, Orton was favored over Tebow and started the first 5 games. However, with a 1-4 record, Orton was benched at half time in the 6th game and Tebow started. He threw for 1 and ran for another touchdown against the Chargers, which he lost. with a 1-5 record and the season in jeopardy, Denver looked up at Tebow. He started the next 6 games and the rest is history. The Broncos with a 7-5 record are looking at Play-off chances. Tebow has been one of those rare types where you would never expect him to have a successful passing game, yet he delivers results. He's not a QB of stats, but wins. 

Tebow has been mocked by a lot of fellow NFL stars for his display of god fearing faith during and after games. Despite all the debates, the criticisms, the mockings, Denver looks up to Tebow and the leader leads his team. I hope they make it to the play-offs.

For now, the team needs to play hard and win the rest of their games. Go Broncos !!!!! TEBOWWWWW!!!

Superman has taken over Carolina !

It's been a while since Carolina football had such a high octane offense. When Cam Newton was drafted #1 this year by the Carolina Panthers, people were largely skeptic if Cam would be able to make a successful transformation into the NFL. The pre-season games raised even more doubts in the minds of the panther fans. Then came the premier game of the season, and all things changed. He threw for 400 yards rushed for more, and broke a rookie opening day record, and now, 12 games into the season, he broke the rushing TD record by a quarterback in a single season. The panthers hold a 4-8 record this season, most of their losses were  single possession losses. 

If what we saw this season are signs of things to come, expect the panthers to have an awesome 2012 season. 
Go Panthers ! 

A liter of light !

 One of the greatest inventions that lit up the whole world and continues to do so, The Incandescent light bulb. Thanks to one of the greatest inventors of all time, Thomas Alwa Edison, who through his relentless trials and failures, successfully invented the  electric light bulb. From Edison's basic electric bulb to modern day energy efficient CFL's and LED bulbs his great invention has come a long way since.


However great the light bulb has been, there are still millions and millions of people who are left to live in the dark because of their socio-economic backgrounds. When people struggle to meet their basic needs such as food and clothing, shelter seems to come in a distant third and even if it is met, it will be without the luxury of electricity, which means they tend to rely of the natural phenomenon of burning wood or whatever that could be burned for light and cooking.


We always look up to great innovations that become successful commercially viable products. I came across this article from The Hindu. After reading through this, I dug in a little more on the topic to find out that there are thousands of homes that are lit up using this simple technology of using recyclable pet bottles, water and bleach.


In 2002, when brazil went through a phase of power shortages, a humble mechanic- inventor, discovered that filling up a pet bottle with water and bleach, produced enough light equivalent to that of a 50-60 watt electric bulb. His smart innovation has become an instant hit that, from brazil to Kenya to Philippines, several thousand homes have started implementing his wise idea.

Since Edison created a successful electric bulb in the late 1870's, to the pet bottle bulbs in the 2002, people have always found a way to stay away from the dark. And this new innovation is probably one of the best ideas I've come across in recent times. We spend millions and billions dollars trying to understand the universe and create a better living by understanding it. Yet, we tend to complicate the entire scenario as we fail to realize their ill-effects on the long run and come out with corrective measures.


As for the light bulb with water and bleach, this is one of "the" novel and environmentally friendly creation that has started serving human kind well. In fact in the Philippines, a small organization, A liter of light, has been lighting up  several thousand homes last year and hope to light up million more by next year. This got me thinking of my previous post about creativity and happiness, and yes, FDR was right is saying,
" Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. "

How I Met Your Mother Season 7 ... so far . . .

My friends and I, started becoming huge fans of the show, when we started watching Season 1 on DVD and got hooked on to it ever since. We seemed to never get bored of the first five seasons, that we were really looking forward to an AWWSOME season 6. However, the producers had other things in mind. In spite of giving the show an ending it truly deserved, they managed to extend their contract for two more seasons, which meant only one thing for season 6, DISASTER. The protagonist has become even more annoying than ever before, with his lame stories. Thanks to Barney, We could barely get through the episodes.


So Season 6, ended with the way any good show would end, A surprise ! Ah wait for it, a Wedding ? and who's wedding is it ? and why is Ted the best man ? So we waited in patience to find out.


Then came Season 7, episode 1, the big wedding where we were to find out whose wedding it was ... and yet again the producers have managed to pull of a horror of a show. The following episodes were just mundane stories and brought us to the thanksgiving episode where we find Robin is pregnant ? Come on guys, we can hardly watch Ted and his nonsense, now you guys have managed to make Robin and Barney join the Ted wagon of annoying TV characters. There is no more AWWWSOME moments, except for Marshall winning three more slaps against Barney, But seriously look back at your own tapes of Season 1-5, go through films like how every football team does and analyze why your offense has started to suck so badly, you could end up with the worst record for a single season ...




We will watch a couple more episodes, as we have already went through the painful journey of watching all the episodes of season 7 till now. But please for the love of the show, get your act together and give the show the true awwwwwwwsome ending it deserves.

Electronic mail - Electronic banking - Electronic food ?

All things are E- today. I seriously doubt if the founder of the internet expected that his work would change the world so much. What started has transmitting text from one server to another, has transformed the whole world in a span of 2 decades.

Back in the mid/late 90's, I just started learning about the phenomenon called Internet when I was into my 8th or 9th grade. We used to go to Internet Cafe's and browse the awesome yet still in development world of internet and would send electronic mail to distant friends and relatives. As we moved into 21st century, the E factor as grown so rapidly that, anything and everything has become internet dependent.

I look at the kids at school these days and it blows my mind. Kids in 3rd grade and 4th grade would know more about using a smart phone and the internet than we grownups (:-/) would know. I know a kid from NC, who was attending 6th grade and he helped me fix my android phone. Wowww..

One true contribution thanks to the development of Internet, the world has really shrunk in terms of getting information across cities, countries and continents. However, The more we have gotten used to this E-way of living, I fear that there will be a time when we might be forced to rethink, the whole situation of getting things done electronically. Come on, We do love chips, but the edible kind. Not the silicon wafer.

Interesting read

Came across  this post while reading through Startribune.com. The article shows how technology has changed the way our system functions today. Job losses, more advanced computing systems and so on, life changes exponentially.

Insomnia ?

Sleep eludes me . . . I'm seeking a world of complete harmony and peace, yet there are so many hindrances. Life without fun tends to put you through a phase of mundane non-existential work system, the one that can make even the ardent employee to take a step back in his love for work. 
I've heard that 'Nothing good happens after 2 in the morning' ... which is why you might come across this jibber jabber of a post.

Sitcoms ... keeps your mind at ease

People who think watching tv is lame, think again. 30 minutes of distraction in a day, helping you forget all that is wrong, helping you laugh for once. There are way too many shows on television that seems to be luring a large number of audiences. Crime shows, drama series, sitcoms, reality tv and so on. 


Sitcoms such as How I met your mother, Friends, Big bang theory really takes television series to a new level. Friends and Seinfeld became trend setters for other shows that followed. My personal favorite of the lot, The Big Bang Theory. The show revolves around Four nerdy friends and a blonde waitress who aspires to become an actress. Based in Pasadena, CA, all four work at Cal Tech and Penny, the waitress works at the Cheesecake Factory. 


BBT is in it's fifth season now, and the people behind the show manages to come up with creative stuff that keeps me hooked to the show. HIMYM was another show that I used to like, but not anymore. I feel the people have lost their way in their own story. However, I would still recommend Season 1-5 of HIMYM. 


I have just started following Star Wars: The Clone wars, animated series. I am a huge fan of Star Wars and I hope this show stands upto my expectations. 
So, people, if you want to forget your worries for 20 minutes and have a good laugh, watch BBT :)


Live long and prosper !

A good way to ameliorate your english ...

Back in high school and college, I would see few of my friends working hard to solve The Hindu crossword puzzle. I somehow never got  the hang of it, nor did I ever read the entire paper. However, over the last one year, I have realized the joy of reading. Not just a good book, but the everyday news paper.

Especially, for people who prepare for competitive exams such as GMAT, CAT, GRE, and so on, reading the news paper everyday and solving a few crossword puzzle would really help. More than helping you with just exams, newspapers provide you with a better understanding of our society, system and the happenings.

Back to crosswords, The Guardian, UK's news portal has one of my favorite crossword puzzles. Their archive can be searched for older ones and this would really serve a good brain teaser and help you get better at the English language. More specifically in using the right words.

Have fun and learn well !

Sustainable economy . . .

The debate of whether or not to allow FDI ( Foreign Direct Investment ) in Retail in India, has gotten me thinking , What does this mean to our local communities ? to the farmer who sweats it out to provide us a descent produce to consume ? the government that struggles between corruption and keeping people's interest alive ? 
What is and what is not at stake here ?


Irrespective of whether FDI retail happens in India or any other country, I feel they tend to impact the local community in huge way. In the case of India, Inflation is on a rise, the basic produce, essentials nutritional products are on rise. IT pay scales have come down ever since the world stumbled upon economic breakdown. Now, 68% of India are based in villages. Who are these FDI-Retail going to benefit ? Probably the top 1% of the bureaucrats who have a vested interest of roping in large profits thanks to the spending spree of the upper and middle class society of  India. This might portray a booming economy yet we fail to realize the bigger picture. Big retail giants dominates European and American economies. Ever since the economic turmoil that rattled these developed nations, local communities have started to realize the importance of community development and creating a local self sustained economy around their villages and cities which eases the pressure on the daily worker / working people. In the US there are small cities, villages where one cannot find the so called Retail giants thriving. It is because, the people there have their own chain of stores which sell the local produce, encourage the local baker, butcher etc. This has started to become a trend in most conservative communities as they realize what is in their interest. 


Now, getting back to situation in India, though the government sees the possibility of FDI bringing in job opportunities and economic development, they fail to realize that, these big retail giants have a ruthless work culture, which might not go well in India. People start to lack compassion and humility. Besides, creating such stores, would deny the opportunity of so many local vendors who tend to hold on to a loyal clientele, thanks to their ability to provide a good discounted price. What could the government actually do to create a sustainable economy ? Encourage the setting up of farmer's market, providing honest subsidiaries for the most essential produce and helping create an awareness of the latest developments in improving productivity and exposure to creating a successful local market.  


All said, I'm looking at the situation with more emotional quotient than practicality. Any thoughts or suggestion on this topic is really welcomed. 


  

Happiness ?

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Came across this quote while reading Marc&Angel's Blog. This quote started me thinking, is it still a valid one ? What defines a creative effort ? should it be a meaningful one ? or could it be one that we perceive to be great except in the eyes of the beholder. My personal view about today's creative efforts is that, it all tends to become money oriented at some point. Gone are days of personalities like Dr. Salk (Thanks to who, the world sleeps without having to worry about polio) and Dr. Kurien (who's effort in bring the white revolution to India, has helped millions). 

In the current scenario, being creative is a question of changing the way the world sees a product. From necessities we have started chasing the wants. It's time we stopped, look back at where the world is heading towards and start making a creative change, that could bring happiness to the community and to one's self. 

In the words of Spock, Live long and Prosper !

Freedom we seek . . .

In life we go through a morbid phase which tends to bring down our spirits. We tend to do a lot of things which are things people would have never expected you to have done. We tend to surround ourselves in a fortress of our own wrong doing and make us appear desolate to the outer world. 
All we seek from this is a freedom of self, to do the wrong right and to set our life straight. But We always struggle to get it going. Irrespective of how much we realize we need to set things right, we struggle in finding the right way out. 
Where do we start ? 
What do we do ? 
Whom should we seek for  help ? 


I have always questioned myself, who gives the best solution to one's situation ? And I feel the answer lies within the individual. However, he/she always can use a third person's opinion to help them get where they want to. 

Educated Garbage ?

Who or what is an educated garbage ? 
A computer not put to effective use !
A person who is educated yet wanders sans purpose in a socialistic dump yard ! 

A recipe for disastor

You make, 


A bad decision at the wrong time
An impulsive decision when not needed
A blunder when it could have been avoided
Procrastinate when time is not your friend ...
....
....

As time flys by . . .

For each day that passes, every second the clock ticks, there is a new lesson learnt or un-learnt !

Read on ...

With Computers taking over most of our daily reading and writing, it does feel good to take a book, smell the aura of the paper & binding and read through it sipping a cup of coffee !
For a change, people ! take a book and read !

Another Change that I hate ....

Yeah, it's the Weather !!!
I love a warm/hot weather, but the transition from winter to warmer days are not altogether pleasant.
You wake up in the morning to the same damn cold weather and hoping the day gets warmer soon.
Nature likes it otherwise, cold wind gushing towards you making you wonder why you got out of bed.
I must say, I'm glad I'm in the south, I might go into hibernation if it was the snowy north weather. Southern hospitality includes the weather too, I guess.  LOL !

Nothing like pizza for breakfast ....

Yeah ... after a cup of Earl-Grey tea this morning ... I'm heading to a place that is famous for Pizza in Cary. http://www.romasitaliancary.com/. They are one of Cary's famous pizza places. And I'm digging their pizza for breakfast ...

Books to read ...

A year ago, my Brother sent me and email. A link to a blog post, http://www.marcandangel.com/2008/08/11/30-books-everyone-should-read-before-their-30th-birthday/ and a year after, I just realized I am way behind on reading itself. Forget the 30 books listed on this blog, In general, My reading habit is as bad as the winter this year. And finally this week, I have decided to put my computers to good use, and order two of the books on Amazon from that list. Yes, Finally I have decided, It's TIME I started to READ !

It's better late than never !  An Inception, which does not happen in the dreams ...

Tainted love ...

An awesome song for karaoke ...have fun !