Some random Pictures

Dud -> "A picture is worth thousand words" said a crazy little man who didn't understand the power of words

Dude -> Leave the little man alone, man. Just tell me what's bothering you

Dud ->  i don't think that a picture is worth a thousand words

Dude -> oh, do you mean to say that it's worth 866 words

Dud -> cut the crap buddy

Dude-> don't you see how much easier it would be if you could just put a picture instead of a thousand, sorry 866 words

Dud -> oh yeah ? show me

Dude -> just stand back and look at the way i fill up this post using pictures instead of the tiresome words

 

                                                                         

that's the display picture

                                                             

 that's just a good picture

                                                                          

that's a picture of an Ipod and i do spend a lot of time updating mine

 

                                                    

that's AB de Villiers

Dud -> what the heck are you doing? the pictures don't make any sense

Dude-> does everything have to make sense? half of what you write doesn't make any, and moreover it's my day off

                                              

you may have heard about them, but you might not have seen them, they are the "Arctic Monkeys"

                                                                                    

that's your Australian open women's champion in two days time

 

 those two won't be playing the final but the one on the left should be pretty confident going into tomorrow's match

 Dude-> what's the problem of this sulky net. I would have uploaded more had it been a bit more co-operative

Dud-> never mind

Dude-> will i be able to do this again ?

Dud -> I certainly hope not

Disclaimer:-

The characters Dud and Dude are protected under the copyright act and are thereby, restricted to appear within this blog

A.O, Oscars and Razzies

Part 1:- Australian Open

The Australian open has yet again paved the way for an outsider to reach the men's final . First, it was Baghdatis, then Gonzalez and now Tsonga. While one finalist has been a surprise, the other one has unsurprisingly been the same. Looks like the Swiss guy doesn't know any path other than the road to the final. His domination has been such that he deserves not to lose to any player except, maybe to Marat and Djokovic*.

The women's singles, on the other hand has fortunately not been a one (wo)man show and has, in fact done very well by sending three glamor girls into the last four.

Part 2:- Oscar nominations

Best Picture ->I have watched only two of the five films nominated and i would say that neither of them deserves to be alongside movies like American Beauty, Crash, The Departed and some of the rest.

Best Actor ->I only watched one of them and i must say that except for his naked fight, he has managed to do nothing.

Best Supporting Actor -> Saw two of them, and was impressed by both. Having said that, one of them owes it to his dialogues and the other to his role.

Best Actress -> Could see only one and was surprised that the nomination has gone her way, considering the normal tradition wherein conventional roles aren't recognized.

Supporting Actress -> I didn't notice either of the two in their respective movies (so, WTF)

Part 3 :- Razzies

No razzies ceremony is complete without Lindsay Lohan, and that is precisely what's happened again. I was afraid that the gay movie would go unnoticed but thankfully it hasn't. Our LAN has in fac,t more of these movies than the Oscar ones.

Actors worth mentioning would be

1) Nicolas Cage - got nominated for the worst actor not once, not twice but thrice (Ghost Rider , National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Next)

2) Jessica Alba - Not far behind (Awake , Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Good Luck Chuck)

3)Lindsay Lohan:- was nominated twice for each of the dual role she played in I Know Who Killed Me.

Guide to above:-

1) Juno, No country for old men

2) Viggo Mortensen a.k.a Aragorn

3) Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Javier Bardem

4) Ellen Page

5) Ruby Dee, Amy Ryan

the gay movie - "I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry"

*Djokovic, as you might recall is allegedly Marat with a brain

Literature + 20K

"Strike 3 and.... out"and that relieves me of all the bunking privileges i had in the matter of a course named "Language Programming" which by the way is the technical term for an elective (allegedly) dealing with 'English Literature' in our University (college, they say, ain't the right term to be used for our institution(an institution is by the way not the right term either as the term's mainly related with mental disorders)). That basically sums up the opening statement and also the things that i have learned thus far in the aforementioned course.

Think the above passage is cumbersome ? wait until you read some of the 'hand-outs' we receive in the course. The one's with the name of Rudyard Kipling are typically the icing on the cake in such matters.

Now that i can't bunk anymore, i can dispense the big decision making process that i go through before every Literature class. "To go or not to go" has plagued me many a time and on each occasion i had to do a Hamlet which ain't exactly a joyride.

Speaking of joy, i do have a reason to feel that way, since i've got the Prathiba scholarship (which ain't concerned with merit) which hands over 20,000 for each of the year one spends in engineering (you just have to show that you are a resident of A.P with an annual income of less than 1 lakh, which happens to be the case with every non-government employee :) ). Sadly, one has to renew this every year and i being me, haven't done so. What this means is that it's gonna be a one time offer only.

Anyway, now arises the question spending it. I could indulge it in community service by buying an external hard disk and also in....................................... i would love to add more but my unhealthy CG doesn't permit me to make any more demands:(

"The joy of giving is indeed a pleasure, especially when you get rid of something you don't want"

"So today's assignment would be to link the above phrase with the passage. I don't even know if i will remember to collect the assignments. I am usually busy climbing up different varieties of trees with a digital camera in one hand and a mile long sinister smile on the other hand"

Disclaimers :-

No offenses were intended during the making of the post and the views expressed towards the end aren't exactly personal

There shall be a dramatic improvement in your understanding if you are a student of the course mentioned

Literature and 20K can't be added

Acknowledgements :-

Govt. of A.P

Professus anglican Linnean

Frank Butler

Tennis season's here

This year has certainly kicked off on a bright note with all the extended week-ends putting up a strong contribution towards the cause (which is better served if not mentioned). All that i wanted to say above was (that) , extended week-ends are good for watching live sporting action on a T.V not surrounded by insane Indian fans.

Moving on (thankfully for you), a grand slam event has come about and with it has brought a feeling that Tennis is the best thing to happen on T.V. Having said that, i have to warn you that i feel the same way about some of the other sports as well :(  or  :)  !!??

Rumour has it that Djokovic is the new Safin, albeit with a brain (read temper) . I don't think Safin would be too offended with the comparison, since the Serbian bloke comes with a sense of humor and more importantly, with a large fan base of squealing girls. I don't know about you people, but i certainly prefer watching a ladies match to that of a men's match due to the fact that they are a much shorter affair and also, because of the obvious fact.

Players/ladies i like watching on the court :-

1) Daniela Hantuchova (was supposed to be the next Kournikova but was soon forgotten due to her incapabilities on the court and Sharapova's capabilities off it)

2) Nicole Vaidisova (wasn't an instant hit but got used to with time)

3) Yaroslava Shvedova ( saw her for the first time with a strapped thigh accompanying her aggressive style and .......   need i say more)

4) Maria Sharapova (Her game's too damn slow and noisy but has something else too)

5) Ana Ivanovic ( A star on rise ?, have to take a closed look :) )

Safin will face Baghdatis tomorrow but sadly, i don't think i will get an opportunity to be a witness to the slaughter.

Disclaimer:-

I am finding it difficult to mention the fact that i am moving on to a different topic. i am tired of using the same phrases like "moving on", "speaking of which", "having said that" etc..

So please help me out (i care, irrespective of you caring or not)

A Movies List that ain't complete

Had the anonymous comment not come in my way, i would have continued with my "face book" explorations. Anyway, now that i'm here, i would like to write about some Hollywood movies of the past season.

1) No Country for Old Men

If you ask me, the movie ain't worth the critic's billing. The movie's as dry as the terrain depicted in it

2) Knocked Up

My favorite comedy of the (past) year. A bit vulgar may be, but who cares as long as there's something to laugh at

3) Bourne Ultimatum

A movie starring Matt Damon is always a hit with me and this one's no exception. More action than in any Bourne flick. Maybe Jason Bourne ought to replace James Bond

4) I am Legend

Ain't legendary by any yardstick!

5) American Gangster

Godfather vs. smart cop = Entertainment

6) 3:10 to Yuma

A cow boy film is always welcome and this one certainly is (have to admit that it ended in a weird manner, though)

7) Beowulf

Watched it in 3d and was tired by the time it ended

8) Ratatouille

Pixar always delivers and has managed to do so once more (not their best though)

9) Superbad

Was supposed to be good, but all that i could find was average stuff

10) Deathproof

You may not refer it to your friend, but that doesn't mean you didn't enjoy it

P.S:- I have skipped many movies, which i might add later.

Some of the movies that couldn't be mentioned because of my lack of viewership are

Enchanted, Juno, Michael Clayton

I watched others but i guess i'm feeling a bit too lazy to write anymore

Acknowledgements:-

The anonymous guy

Everyone associated with Hollywood

Ind Vs Aus - a neutral's viewpoint

This post has been due for quite some time but i had to hold it back fearing the backlash of some extremely irate Indian cricket fans. Before i begin, i would like to vent my ire on the nonsensical Indian media which does nothing save sensationalization. WTF were they thinking, going for head-lines like "India c Benson b Bucknor". The head-line could have been excused had it mentioned below "last wicket:- Editor c&b quick-buck (FOW -prior to publication) ". The electronic media wasn't far behind either. They were busy interviewing Harbhajan's mom and Ganguly's grandpa :( .

I do agree that India were hard done by umpiring decisions but the decision to react in the way that they have is even more flawed. The Indian media had no right whatsoever, to term the Aussies "cheats" for playing tough cricket. The Aussies aren't to be blamed for their good fortune! Clarke's catch might have been dubious but i remember an even more dubious occasion when Dhoni claimed (successfully) to have caught a catch, when replays showed that it was surely a bump ball. The batsman sadly, took Dhoni's word and silently walked away. Most of you must have forgotten the incident because the media took great care not to point out the obvious fact (that MSD and co had cheated).

I wonder about whom Kumble was speaking about when he said " only one team played with the spirit of the game". As far as i could see, one team was riding it's luck rather skillfully where as the other was sulking at it's misfortunes and whining about the umpiring. The law of nature states that better teams always get the benefit of the doubt no matter how just or unjust it might be. It is quite clearly evident in football where the underdog never gets a close decision in it's favor when it comes to penalties and offsides (which lead to goals).

"Team India" should not even think of returning, just because of the injustice meted out to them by the officials. They should be big enough to accept that it's just an unwanted part of the game which will not go away as long as you play as an underdog. In order to beat a champion, you need to beat the bad decisions as well.

p.s 1:- It's really unfortunate that people sway to the tunes of the media without any apprehension. It's high time they realized that the media is just a capitalistic whore which will stoop down to any level, just to get that extra hit.

p.s 2:- Ganguly's grandpa is a fictitious inclusion

Not another college bashing

This college claims to "encourage the students to get involved with R&D as soon as possible". Truth be told, i've never held research in such contempt as i hold it today. I was in total ignorance regarding the technical stuff before i joined this college and i have to admit, that it was better that way. No wonder they say "Ignorance is bliss". Maybe i should team up with Justin Timberlake and 50 Cent and sing along " Ayo, i'm tired of using Technology ".

Having said that, this college did inspire me to take up research, but in an all together different field. The field in concern , happens to be the "English Language". What else can explain my tryst with Poetry and Shakespeare? I never thought that i would ever read poetry to while away the time (which is the case at present :( ).

During these recent research expeditions through the English language (which by the way are sponsored by this college), i managed to unearth a poem which might have been passed off as one of my own had it been written using the modern slang. So, this is what my poems would have looked like, had i taken birth in 1652.

How vain a thing is man whom toys delight,

and shadows fright !

variety of impertinence

might give our dotage some pretence;

but to a circle bound

we toil in a dull round

we sit,eat, move and drink

we dress, undress, discourse and think

by the same passions hurried on

imposing, or imposed upon.

we pass the time in sport or toil

we plough the seas, or safer soil

thus all that we project and do,

we did it many a year ago.

we travel still a beaten way

and yet how eager we rise to pursue

the affairs of each returning day,

as if its entertainments were surprising all and new.

Nice poem huh, it certainly inspired me to share it with you people :) . Speaking of R&D, i've certainly done a bit of research but as for the development it's up for you to decide.

Acknowledgements :-

My college, Nahum Tate and you people.

Nothing's new except for the year

The New year day which fortunately occurs only once every 365 days is sort of like the little children who go around every home during Halloween shouting "Trickle treat". The children get candy in return where as the new year is gifted with some  resolutions which are more often than not, postponed to the next year within a week. Struggling to comprehend the comparison ? you better be, otherwise chances are that you might be just as crazy as me.

Crazy or not, everyone manages to come up with a crazy list and here's mine

1) To go to P.T regularly in the morning

2) To spend more time in front of the T.V rather than in front of the lap-top

3) To not make a resolution pertaining to studies as it would be purely academical

4) To not follow the first resolution

5) To make such lists lengthier and more sensical*

Those mentioned above aren't exactly "resolutions", but i had to give the poor new year something for turning up.

Forgetting the Chinese calendar and it's associated animals, this year happens to be the "Year of Euro" and to a lesser extent, the "Year of Olympics". The Chinese, by the way, have put in a lot of effort, and in the process, have lost quite a bit of sense due to these "games". When will they ever realize that these games are watched principally by only four countries*  and (more importantly) that the most populous country of the world gets to see it on a channel which no one ever bothers to bother with. The Chinese have become so obsessed with the event that they were singing "we are ready" whilst holding the olympic flag on the new year eve.

However, here's what i want to see happening in the sporting world this year

1) Manchester United to win the UCL along with the EPL/BPL*

2) South Africa to beat India in India

3) Spain to win the Euro

4) China to out tally the Americans in the olympics

Disclaimer:-

I don't support either Spain or China

*Clarifications\Elaborations:-

The 4 countries happen to be US of A, China, Russia and Australia. (In case you dis-agree, i am sure your country  is geographically too small to consider :) and by the way, Canada doesn't count)

How much more nonsensical can the English get?, the word nonsensical exists whereas the word sensical doesn't [citation needed].

I consider India to be the most populous country. The Chinese are usually so competitive in everything they do, that they wouldn't even mind adding a billion or 2 to their total.

Man Utd to win the EPL, courtesy of a Arsenal screw up on the final day.