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So its an India vs Srilanka final!
So, yesterday turned out to be a really high pressure , adrenaline pumping semi-final. What with all the bollywood celebrities, the Indian PM, the Pakistani PM, Sonial Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the list of celebrities go on. .. All roads led to Mohali and the bookies must have made a lot of money!
India put in to bat started off in great style. Sehwag was at his best and managed a quick-fire 38 runs. Sachin had a record number of 4 lives which helped him to reach 85. It was not one of his great innings but what mattered is that it was important for India. Raina also played a very useful innings of 36 not out to help India to reach 260/9.
The Pakistan top order gave them some hope. Mohammad Hafeez made 43 before Munaf got Hafeez out caught behind. After Asad Shafiq’s wicket the Mohali crowd came alive. He made 30 runs. After that it was difficult for Pakistan to recover. They could only manage 231 and India won the match by 29 runs.
This time the fielding as well as the bowling of Nehra and Patel worked for India.
Overall, it was a great team effort and the Pakistan fielding also contributed to our win.
Now, we are all set to take on the Lankans at Wankhede!
Good luck India! to win the world cup (and the extra perks of watching Poonam Pandey fulfil her promise!)
What are 10 fascinating books worth reading according to you?
I have a lot of favourite books, but here I would like to list 10 books that stand out by being fascinating. What are your favourite reads??
1984 – George Orwell
In 1984, George Orwell warns of the terrifying dangers that man may create for
himself in his quest for a utopian society. It warns that people might believe that everyone must become slaves to the government in order to have an orderly society, but at the expense of the freedom of the people.
Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
The book explores a dystopian United States where leading innovators, ranging from industrialists to artists, refuse to be exploited by society. In their efforts, these “men of the mind” hope to demonstrate that a world in which the individual is not free to create is doomed, that civilization cannot exist where men are slave to society and government, and that the destruction of the profit motive leads to the collapse of society. The theme of Atlas Shrugged, as Rand described it, is “the role of man’s mind in existence”.
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Caroll
The book tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world (the Woderland of the title) populated by peculiar and anthromorphic creatures. The tale plays with logic giving the story lasting popularity with adults as well as children. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre, and its narrative course and structure have been enormously influential, especially in the fantasygenre.
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England
Roots – Alex Haley
Alex Haley’s Roots is the monumental two-century drama of Kunta Kinte and the six generations who came after him. By tracing back his own roots, Haley tells the story of 39 million Americans of African descent.
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace delineates in graphic detail events leading up to the French invasion of Russis, and the impact of the Napoleonic era on Tsarist society, as seen through the eyes of five Russian aristocratic families
Great expectations – Charles Dickens
Great Expectations is written in the first person from the point of view of the orphan Pip. The novel, like much of Dickens’ work, draws on his experiences of life and people.
The 7 habits of highly effective people – Stephen Covey
Covey presents an approach to being effective in attaining goals by aligning oneself to what he calls “true north” principles of a character ethic that he presents as universal and timeless.
The Monk who sold his Ferrari – Robin Sharma
“The monk who sold his Ferrari” is a tale, which provides an approach to living a simple life with greater balance, strength, courage and abundance of joy. A wonderfully crafted fable, this story tells the extraordinary story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life.
The God of small things – Arundhati Roy
It is a story about the childhood experiences of a pair of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the “Love Laws” that lay down “who must be loved, and how, and how much”. The book is a description of how the small things in life affect people’s behavior and their lives.
For further discussion here is an interesting link: http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-potentially-life-changing-books
Earth Hour 2011 – Singapore
Earth Hour 2011 Singapore will take place at 8.30pm, Saturday, 26 March 2011.
Earth Hour’s global switch off to highlight momentous action for earth
The annual ‘lights out’ event led by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – Earth Hour 2011 – prepares to showcase a growing Singaporean community committed to taking environmental actions that go beyond the hour.
From its inception as a single-city initiative in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global movement where hundreds of millions of people from every continent join together to acknowledge the importance of protecting our planet.
WWF will ask individuals, businesses and governments the world over to do more to the annual switch off by showcasing how they are taking action to preserve their environment on an ongoing basis.
For Earth Hour 2011, WWF Singapore will encourage the Singaporean community, businesses and the government to:
- Switch off lights for Earth Hour at 8.30pm, Saturday, 26 March 2011 and celebrate Singapore’s commitment to the planet with the people of the world.
- Take actions beyond the hour – Save energy in daily life by keeping air-conditioning temperature set at 25oC.
8 Traits of Extraordinary Work Groups
In their three-year field study of extraordinary work groups across many disciplines, consultants Geoffrey Bellman and Kathleen Ryan found these eight performance indicators that defined group practices:
* Compelling purpose: We are inspired and stretched in making this group’s work our top priority
* Shared leadership: We readily step forward to lead by demonstrating our mutual responsibility for moving our group toward success
* Just enough structure: We create the minimal structure (systems, plans, roles and tasks)
* Full engagement: We dive into our work with focus, enthusiasm and passion
* Embracing differences: We value the creative alternatives that result from engaging differing points of view
* Unexpected learning: We are excited by what we learn here and how it applies to other work, other groups and our lives outside of work
* Strengthened relationships: Our work leads us to greater trust, interdependence and friendship
* Great results: We work toward and highly value the tangible and intangible outcomes of our work together
India vs Pakistan – The final before the final
In yesterdays quarter-final, India ended Australia’s 12-year reign as world champions with a five-wicket win in Ahmedabad. Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Gambhir and Sachin chipped in with nice contributions and it was a team-effort. In the other quarter-final, Pakistan vanquished the Windies.
Now, the stage is all set for what is being termed as ‘the final before the final’ as Team India sets up a clash with perennial rivals Pakistan in the semi-final of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2011. India, and their neighbours, Pakistan, battle against each other on March 30 in Mohali.
Tickets for the near-28,000 capacity stadium were sold out in a record day-and-a-half, with PCA officials claiming that 16,500 tickets were sold and the remainder were sold to ICC, who in turn would be issuing tickets to its guests and officials.
India and Pakistan have played each other four times in past world cups and each time India has emerged victorious against their fiercest rivals. Proceedings in the matches themselves have been nothing short of hugely entertaining and even now images of the clash in 1996 when Pakistani opener Aamir Sohail carted two successive boundaries off Venkatesh Prasad, showing him the bat and then Prasad clean bowling him off the very next delivery still come to mind.
‘India v Pakistan in semi-finals – it doesn’t get better. A World Cup hosted by the sub-continental nations and India and Pakistan making it to the semis,’ said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
‘There will be more pressure on the Indian side and it will be from outside. People will say ‘win the semis, we don’t care about the final’.
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said it will be ‘awesome’ to take on India for a place in the final at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on April 2.
‘There is no bigger rivalry in the game than that. We have not played each other in our own country in recent years,’ he said.
Source: Times of India & AFP
Zindagi kaisi hai paheli – from Anand
This song from the movie Anand is one of my all-time favourites. Written by Gulzar the lyrics are so touching that I can never forget this song – evergreen!
Here are the lyrics:
Zindagi …kaisi hai paheli, haaye
Kabhi to hansaaye kabhi ye rulaaye
Zindagi…
Kabhi dekho man nahi jaage peechhe peechhe sapno ke bhaage
Ek din sapno ka raahi chalaa jaaye sapno ke aage kaha
Zindagi…
Jinhone sajaaye yaha mele sukh-dukh sang-sang jhele
Wahi chunkar khaamoshi yu chali jaaye akele kaha
Zindagi…
100 facts about me
1. I am a down-to-earth guy who loves reading, poetry, music and travel
2. I am a Sagittarian but lately have morphed into an Ophiuchus
3. I was born in Thrissur in Kerala
4. I am fourth in a family of 5 siblings (1 brother & 3 sisters)
5. I am married and have 1 daughter
6. I grew up in Goa, India
7. I studied at Don Bosco High School, Goa
8. My first job was as a Research Fellow at National Institute of Oceanography, Goa
9. I can speak English, Hindi, Marathi, Konkani and Malayalam. I also learnt French for 3 years at school.
10. In 1994, I moved to Singapore and now I live in Singapore
11. Currently, I work as a Customer Quality Engineer at Seagate Technology International, Singapore
12. I am an Optimist
13. I believe that watching TV is mostly a waste of time
14. Although an introvert by nature, I love public speaking, debates and quizzing
15. I keep myself fit by doing Yoga and occasionally run a marathon
16. I love to lecture and believe that I will be a good teacher
17. I love nature
18. I love the seaside and enjoy outdoor activities like inline skating and cycling by the sea
19. I am a seeker and am in search of the meaning of life
20. I am a Hindu and love to read the rich, vast literature in Hinduism like the Gita, Vedas, Upanishads etc
21. I have travelled to Malaysia, Thailand, England, Scotland, Belgium, Netherlands and the USA.
22. My blood group is A+
23. I like to read P G Wodehouse, Frederick Forsyth, Roald Dahl ,etc
24. I take interest in news, current events & blogs
25. I love mathematics, science and technology
26. I like to play table-tennis and cricket
27. I am learning to play the violin
28. I prefer tea to coffee
29. I enjoy a weekend siesta
30. I would love to visit Switzerland, France, NewZealand and Spain
31. I like to have time with myself
32. I prefer quality to quantity in friendships
33. I can loose my temper but makeup very soon
34. I am gentle, kind and can get along well with people
35. I love humorous shows like ‘Whose line is it anyway’, Mind your language, The Naked Gun etc
36. I love Tom & Jerry, The Pink Panther, Tin Tin comics & Popeye
37. I like cartoon strips like Dilbert, Beau Peep etc
38. I like Hindi comedies like Hulchul, Golmaal, Khatta Meeta etc
39. I like stand up comedians like Russell Peters, Jay Leno & Shekhar Suman
40. I like to watch a sunset
41. I like taking a stroll in the park
42. I enjoy flying a kite with my family on a windy day
43. I join my kid in building sand castles on the beach
44. I spend time playing board games with my daughter
45. I go swimming once a while
46. I like to wake up early in the morning
47. I enjoy going for a jog
48. I love watching a movie with family
49. I love spending time with my family
50. I love going on a holiday
51. I like to enjoy the sights and sounds of a new country
52. I have started tweeting and blogging
53. I like to Volunteer for the needy and disadvantaged
54. I would love to start something on my own – entrepreneurship
55. I am a member of Toastmasters International
56. I like to learn something new
57. I love cashewnuts, dates, mangoes & groundnuts
58. I love to drink rasam and soups
59. I love to listen to riddles and jokes from my kid
60. I care about nature
61. I am not comfortable with gossip, frauds and back-biters
62. I miss Dona Paula, Miramar, Calangute and the other lovely beaches in Goa
63. I like travelling by train in India. It is a feast for the senses.
64. I like the atmosphere in the Mumbai local train – the songs, the card games, the ladies cutting vegetables etc – it is life on the move
65. I like a certain degree of cleanliness and too much mess can drive me crazy
66. I am not very talkative.
67. I like icecreams, samosas and gulab jamuns
68. I do not do too much planning and organising
69. I spend my money wisely and like to save for a rainy day
70. My favourite actors are Amir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla & Kamal Haasan
71. My favourite singers are Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Yesudas & Kailas Kher & Shankar Mahadevan
72. I admire leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Subash Chandra Bose, Abraham Lincoln & Martin Luther King
73. I admire scientists like Einstein, Newton, CV Raman & Edison
74. I prefer free-and-easy travel rather than package tours
75. Writers who inspire me are Robin Sharma, Deepak Chopra , Dale Carnegie & Stephen Covey
76. I spend a lot of time on twitter, facebook and blogs
77. Beautiful art and photography do interest me
78. I like the music of Abba, Beatles, Bon Jovi, Queen & Michael Learns to Rock
79. I like blue, orange, brown and red colours
80. I like to be open about myself
81. I sometimes find it hard to say NO
82. I enjoy the company of children
83. I usually brush with Colgate and have tried Closeup but don’t like to experiment with toothpastes
84. I take an interest in current events and follow happenings around the globe
85. I love research, teaching and a job that is mobile
86. My friends have greatly influenced me and I am still in touch with them
87. I remember Anand Prabhu one of my favourite teachers. I also remember Paul Vaz, Mr. Crasto & Ms. Sardinha.
88. I dreaded my PE teacher who slapped me once. I was also slapped by my art teacher.
89. My school friends Oscar Rebello & Pravin Sabnis inspire me even today
90. My college friends Srinivasan Ramaswamy & Nilesh Naik were great friends
91. In school, I was good at elocution, poetry and debates. However, later I did not take much interest in these activities.
92. I am quite particular about what I eat and prefer vegetarian food.
93. I take red wine and beer occasionally
94. I want to make a trip around India – Jaipur, Srinagar, Agra, Ooty, Kanyakumari, Mysore, Munnar, Kovalam. I also want to make a trip to Goa.
95. I like my daughters planning & organising skills. She makes our family moments memorable.
96. Engineering college was fun. I remember the ragging and the induction ceremonies. Hostel life was fun too where we got to meet friends from all over India.
97. I got my driving licence in Singapore and learnt inline skating and ice skating here.
98. I got an autograph from Amitabh Bachchan & Satyen Kappu while shooting for Pukaar at Cidade de Goa resort in Goa when I was a small boy. That was the closest I came to an actor.
99. I enjoyed the games we played as kids – climbing trees, pushing tires along the road, 7-tiles, gulli-danda, cricket, kabaddi, plucking jamuns from trees etc
100. When on a trip, I prefer not to answer calls or surf the net.
Pairs of Opposites
Tall and short
Beautiful and ugly
Thin and fat
Rich and poor
We compare and contrast
In this dilemma of choice
Our life is ruled
By pairs of opposites
Will there be day without night?
Would we know good without evil?
How can there be spring without autumn?
Would the rich exist without the poor?
We play with illusion
Our senses run amock
When will we see the truth?
The real from the unreal
© copyright skm, March 20th, 2011
What does your education mean to you?
Every time I see a child, I am amazed at their sense of wonder, curiosity and their insatiable thirst for knowledge. Leave a child alone with a toy and he/whe will have a great time…they are so immersed in the moment that nothing else matters. And if you snatch that toy from them, they will scream. Children live with so much energy and vigour that by the end of the day they have a sound sleep.
I think the schools of today make education a boring experience. The rote, bookish knowledge that we gain in schools cannot substitute for life-skills. What use is an education in the classroom if it does not teach us to respect one another, if it cannot teach us basic courtesies, if it does not teach us empathy? What use is such an education if it does not inculcate in us the need to help one another. If all our education is just to get a job and earn a living then I think it does not serve its purpose.
Our education has not found a way of creating a fun environment wherein learning can become an enriching experience. Our classrooms like places of work make it mandatory for children to sit on desks and tables in a classroom. Wouldn’t a colourful place with lot of games, pictures make learning more enriching for children?
Today’s teenagers show total lack of basic courtesies – like offering seats to the elderly or pregnant women. They get involved in gangs and exhibit uncontrollable anger. This can be attributed to the lack of a well-rounded education. Our education has to instill the right values from early childhood. These values have to be reinforced at home too so that it becomes a part and parcel of growing up. If we have not learnt to wish our neighbour, to exchange pleasantries and enjoy living with people of different backgrounds then our education has not served its purpose.
In my view, our education should bring out the leadership quality in us. It should give us
.. the strength to act in accordance with your own values amidst obstacles
.. the sense of what is right
.. confidence and enthusiasm
.. adaptability
True education should bring about social cohesion, communal harmony and entrepreneurship spirit. It should help us to unite for a common cause – like the alleviation of poverty, removing corruption and other social ills like gambling and addiction.
Interesting links:
Ken Robinson on TED talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
Buds Academy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 India License.
My Kaleidoscope 