Sachin just dedicated his 200 to me ..people like me .."Who have stood by him for the past 20 years through ups and down".. & that I have done...
I was at the Chepauk clapping that masterpiece when he got out vs Pak for 136 on a humid dirty day@ Chennai
Unlike all those timepass watchers who kept bothering about him getting out so close to a win as opposed to blaming the other 5 jokers who got out for 15-odd runs. He has played in all conditions and against all attacks unlike that dog Ponting who plays most of his big knocks at home and has never played well in India. Lara's hit & miss approach helped him play the odd blockbuster but Sachin has easily caught up now on that count with many many matchwinning knocks.
Even if he didnt, I dont care ...He's the best that is , that was & that ever will be.
"Sachin Sachin Sachin !
Salute Salute Salute!
Sach is life !"
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Ray's Pizza
Thought this place is tops. Tucked behind the Nature's Basket outlet on Hill Road (opposite the legendary St.Stanislaus-my school), you wouldnt believe how they have managed to make it a nice & quite place- kind of cut off from the hustle and bustle of Hill Road. It has an open air and an AC section. The AC portion would be good for summer !:)
The place has a Pizzeria association & hence, the a good range of pizzas including just the slice. In addition, there are burgers , salads and the normal sides. I had the chicken burger, which was juicy and quite liked it. No alcohol license, hence make-do with Cokes/Iced teas. Specific yet limited coffee and dessert menu, which I didnt try. Pricing is all good at around 200-odd for the burger.
Strongly recommended.
The place has a Pizzeria association & hence, the a good range of pizzas including just the slice. In addition, there are burgers , salads and the normal sides. I had the chicken burger, which was juicy and quite liked it. No alcohol license, hence make-do with Cokes/Iced teas. Specific yet limited coffee and dessert menu, which I didnt try. Pricing is all good at around 200-odd for the burger.
Strongly recommended.
Aer@the Four Seasons..over-rated?
Great idea and good place for a drink with office folks/clients etc not worth the over-hype.
Open-air and on the 32nd floor of the Four Seasons (right next to the slums of Parel:)), Aer promises to be brillliant on a breezy, not-hot or even slightly rainy evenings. Its got a decent bar and good cocktails. Not so sure about the food. Its dam small and tends to get too crowded taking away from the "open-air" experience (I feel). Of course, steeply priced (Cocktail for 650 bucks types) as you would expect at the 4S.
Overall, good to go at times..definitely , a great place for taking clients etc out.
Open-air and on the 32nd floor of the Four Seasons (right next to the slums of Parel:)), Aer promises to be brillliant on a breezy, not-hot or even slightly rainy evenings. Its got a decent bar and good cocktails. Not so sure about the food. Its dam small and tends to get too crowded taking away from the "open-air" experience (I feel). Of course, steeply priced (Cocktail for 650 bucks types) as you would expect at the 4S.
Overall, good to go at times..definitely , a great place for taking clients etc out.
Battle Royale @ the Eden
Exactly why I luv test cricket. It was amazing to see how, on Day 1 the South Africans crumbled from 200-odd for 3 , so so similar to 2001-Aus. Bhajji's chutzpah and not great technique from the South Africans helped him more than his skills. What was awesome to see VVS flow, Sachin play steadily , Dhoni ugly yet vv effective & Viru sublime.
On Day 3 when India came out 5-down, VVS started the day with some silkly flicks off Steyn & Harris. Made my day. Kya hoga when these guys all retire??
On Day 3 when India came out 5-down, VVS started the day with some silkly flicks off Steyn & Harris. Made my day. Kya hoga when these guys all retire??
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Awesome SA & Steyn..but..
We are 1-0 down. But as usual, too much fuss around our loss. I mean we did play with a 2nd string batting line-up and they did reasonably well (Africans bowled beautifully). The bowling has problems and has always had them:
1. The pace bowlers rely on seam and swing , not pace. We won our last series in England. When we went to Australia, we won at Perth (on the fastest track) and lost at Melbourne (on a slow pitch). We won in Jo'burg when Sreesanth took a 5-for. My theory is that our pacers do very well on helpful tracks and our hi-quality batters do a decent job & hence, better results. On tracks like Nagpur, our pacers cant break through due to lack of speed and the spinners...
2. .......well, they suck ! Maybe Mishra can get better with experience but I dont know. I am a fan of Bhajji for his chutzpah, not his skills. Hes a great one day or T20 bowler, but his flat, fast deliveries are no good on most pitches. Am not even bothering checking his test figures, but I am sure they are not flattering outside India. He has rarely bowled us to a win (barring the odd game in NZ & WI) and off late, accuracy is a big issue with him. And no flight or guile from a spinner is sad to see. Methinks Ramesh Powar would still today be a much much better choice. Alas..
Otherwise, its great to see nice, aggressive test cricket. Winning-losing is part of any game, but hope for a better battle at the Eden !
1. The pace bowlers rely on seam and swing , not pace. We won our last series in England. When we went to Australia, we won at Perth (on the fastest track) and lost at Melbourne (on a slow pitch). We won in Jo'burg when Sreesanth took a 5-for. My theory is that our pacers do very well on helpful tracks and our hi-quality batters do a decent job & hence, better results. On tracks like Nagpur, our pacers cant break through due to lack of speed and the spinners...
2. .......well, they suck ! Maybe Mishra can get better with experience but I dont know. I am a fan of Bhajji for his chutzpah, not his skills. Hes a great one day or T20 bowler, but his flat, fast deliveries are no good on most pitches. Am not even bothering checking his test figures, but I am sure they are not flattering outside India. He has rarely bowled us to a win (barring the odd game in NZ & WI) and off late, accuracy is a big issue with him. And no flight or guile from a spinner is sad to see. Methinks Ramesh Powar would still today be a much much better choice. Alas..
Otherwise, its great to see nice, aggressive test cricket. Winning-losing is part of any game, but hope for a better battle at the Eden !
Save our tiger
By my own confession, I am not a wildlife or advenure freak. Late last year, I had gone down to Ranthanbhore. I loved the peace of the jungle and going on the tiger trail. Somehow, I also realized the criticality of these "save your tiger" promotions. In fact, I was pretty cross with few of the public out there in the jungle for chucking stuff here and there and cracking stupid jokes while on the tiger trail.
I actually dont how these Aircel save your tiger type initiatives help but its worth joining in case they do. I have registered on it & urge everyone to do so @ http://www.saveourtigers.com.
I actually dont how these Aircel save your tiger type initiatives help but its worth joining in case they do. I have registered on it & urge everyone to do so @ http://www.saveourtigers.com.
LCCs and segmentation
Everytime I take one of our low cost airlines (LCCs), I do have some funny experience or other. Tend to promise never to use them again, but end up doing so at times (largely for the scheduling).
I have noticed that all the marketing gyaan learnt on segmentation though comes true on these. You find a pattern on the kind of passengers and there are a few varieties who are always there:
1. The teenager travelling for the 1st or 2nd time , dressed in their very best (generally a guy with sunglasses on)
2. The middle-aged lady who sits at the emergency exit but will refuse to part with her dear luggage on the lap and will argue with the air hostess
3. Aggressive middle-aged men cribbing about the AC , the flight delay and/or the food
4. Large (read:obese) businessmen / small time promoters chomping away at whatever food they can get
5. Scared elderly passengers who have just come to the flight directly from the closest temple
Its funny that the 4-5 flights I have done have generally had the above profile. I must hasten to add that these LCCs are doing a great job..whats more, some of them are profitable too !!:)
I have noticed that all the marketing gyaan learnt on segmentation though comes true on these. You find a pattern on the kind of passengers and there are a few varieties who are always there:
1. The teenager travelling for the 1st or 2nd time , dressed in their very best (generally a guy with sunglasses on)
2. The middle-aged lady who sits at the emergency exit but will refuse to part with her dear luggage on the lap and will argue with the air hostess
3. Aggressive middle-aged men cribbing about the AC , the flight delay and/or the food
4. Large (read:obese) businessmen / small time promoters chomping away at whatever food they can get
5. Scared elderly passengers who have just come to the flight directly from the closest temple
Its funny that the 4-5 flights I have done have generally had the above profile. I must hasten to add that these LCCs are doing a great job..whats more, some of them are profitable too !!:)
Hyderabad
Was in Hyd last week. Whenever I am there, it strikes as being the very essence of our growth story. It used to be a sleepy city (many will argue, it still is :)) famous for the biryani. But a combination of the IT/ITES boom , some ambitious(& mostly honest) entrepreneurs & Chandrababu Naidu has given the city a major fillip over the last decade. Its got a lot of youngsters working out of the large office complexes , eating at restaurants, buying homes and spurring consumer businesses. A shiny new airport at par with the best in the world greets you on arrival and an awesome elevated 11 km expressway moves you into the city (Is Mumbai listening?).
And despite all of this, you have affordable real estate to buy & live in (relative to Mumbai, of course). Now only if they take quick decisions around Telengana etc and get on with development as opposed to wasting time...
And despite all of this, you have affordable real estate to buy & live in (relative to Mumbai, of course). Now only if they take quick decisions around Telengana etc and get on with development as opposed to wasting time...
Monday, February 1, 2010
Am in the wrong job..Much better at picking cricket talent !
I have been getting it right big time on my picks. I had picked A Mithun for the Indian team (largely based on press reports & cricinfo records analysis) and in one of my earliest posts, written about Travis Birt (after watching a domestic Aussie match). Mithun has now been picked for the India Test team and Birt for the Aussie T20 team. Not bad going !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)