Auld lang syne
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And so, another year has passed. Lots of ups and downs, unexpected
surprises and disappointments and a fairly stagnant year of personal
development with...
The Last Pole
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I stood upon the ruins of what was once a city;
Warsaw is nothing more than a mere wisp of a memory now,
As it was not, ever since they had arrived.
I stare...
With the IPL just having concluded, and the SuperKings taking the trophy, not to mention Modi taking the heat, Virgin mobile have come up with a series of hilarious ads. No, these are not your oh-so-sweet Zoozoos or the (frankly annoying) Docomo ads. Here, 8 passionate IPL fans from 8 different states fight with each other all day long over STD calls. Each call is quite short, and an understanding of Hindi is essential to derive the maximum enjoyment from the following clips. Plus, if you're the kind that doesn't like cuss words (don't worry, they're all beeped out), your attention may be better directed elsewhere.
Three parts, the first two around 10 minutes each, and the last one a mere 3 minutes. The Sardarji is particularly awesome!
Go ahead, hit it, you know you want to. :D You won't regret it.
It's been a while since I've regularly posted on the blog. Times are quite busy this 6th semester of mine. So much to do, so much to learn, and so little time.
There have been so many tests over the past few weeks that the major part of my time is spent lying sideways with a book on my face looking surprised when my folks wake me up in the midst of my blissful sleep. Kinda like this:
" Who me? Sleeping?? Can't be! "
Besides this, I've applied for a few internships, some of them quite difficult to get. Now in the strange position of having to decide which one to go for, lol. A paper of mine got sent to Japan by IEEE's Madras Section, cos it was full of awesomeness :P (alright, not in those words, the reason they told me was that it came among the top 3 entries they'd got this year). Sometimes things go your way a bit too much. Enough academics then, lets talk something else.
I have this affliction - giveaway-addiction. I love giveaways (well, who doesn't?). But, well, I go looking for them on the net. Looking, searching, googling, going through pages on forums, even Yahoo Answers. Yeah, sometimes I'm just nuts. The disease however does have a few upsides. Namely stuff I've won which include:
This disease has got me on twitter and facebook like never before. Most of these contests require you to have a twitter account where you endlessly restate (the exact word is retweet) their posts proving that you will gladly give up your dignity to win the giveaway :D . Then there's good ol' youtube, giveaways abound there too, though I've won none of them there. Like you can see I'm yet to win anything really big (as in uber-expensive), though the Office 2007 copy I won does have a legal retail price of Rs. 15,800 ($300+).
All this has been aided by the constant connectivity my phone, an N79, provides. Granted, Symbian 60 isn't too great (personally I find no big problem with it) but when compared to my old phone, well:
"Get it away, get it away! "
Yeah, even my dog doesn't want that one. Sad :(
This same dog however is no one to complain, because he'll gladly demean himself for other stuff:
"In the hope of Ice Cream"
All this youtubing (aye, I invent words :P) and googling has led me to some pretty interesting videos like these:
Baby Panda scares the crap out of Mum
An amazing rendition of a game's soundtrack. Bloody awesome guitar playing.
Do not leave your girlfriend in the cold and play on your console, if you do, then be ready for this happening "Yo!". ;)
Then there was this site called www.kittehroulette.com which shows a new cat video each time you refresh the page. Damn cool way to waste time if you love cats and other animals in general.
"When cute puppies attack (read: lick)"
Alright, so it isn't all cinema, but atleast it provides a welcome break from the non-stop nonsense that the news channels spew on TV. What began as a tiff between these two:
had unearthed so much dirt that the IPL can never really claim to be clean ever again. Match fixing, betting, extortion, dope, benamis, shadow companies, fronts for personal gain... the allegations fly thick and fast, and upto THREE different government organizations are continuing the job of digging up more dirt. One of the two persons pictured above has lost his former job already, the other looks to be following suit soon enough. And rightfully so, given his colourful past.
Some technically wonderful videos that distracted me from all the DLF maximums and Karbon Kammaal Catches:
The video starts off rather tamely with some cool, yet not really awesome implementation of head and face tracking. But the later part of the clip shows how the entire Iron Man HUD is built up around the person and how well it moves with change in head orientation. Try it out, all you need is a webcam.
Something a bit more useful:
The Adept Quattro is a really really really quick robot. The platform you see moving randomly is controlled by a Wiimote, as eratically as a human can. The robot however adjusts to this random motion rapidly on-the-go. That's just insane at the speed it's placing and replacing the chips which themselves are the same size as the holes they are placed in. So the robot needs to be incredibly precise. Cycling at 300 times a second, the Adept Quattro is one of the world's fastest robots.
Speaking of tech, I got a new phone, a Nokia X6. Capacitive touch screen, 5MP cam, 16gb onboard memory... the works:
It's actually for my dad though, not for me. :( Oh well, maybe I'll win a HTC Incredible or a Desire in some giveaway. Yes, highly unlikely, but a man can hope can't he?
And thus I end this day's post with an obligatory kitty pic:
"Thanks for reading, now leave me alone while I drift off to Dreamland"
With all the IPL Fever going around! Look who's autograph I got a few days ago!! :D
M.S.D
It was on a flight to Bombay, Jet Airways, he was in the seat in front of my father. That's my dad's ticket he's autographed. Dhoni was on the way to the IPL opening ceremony.
Maybe you haven't seen it on the news channels, what with the media buzz having died down after the IPL season. But, the Fake IPL Player is indeed back. He still has around 8000 followers left over after the IPL rush for FIP's blog.
His first post after the IPL comes in the wake of the T20 World Cup beginning, with a post about the Pakistan team, with stuff that anyone could have come up with, not necessarily an insider. However, it sure is nowhere near interesting as the inside scoop from the Kolkatta Knight Riders' camp. The novelty lay in the former fact as well as the silly sounding names he cooked up for each IPL player and commentator and team owner. All that was tolerated, appreciated and gulped down en masse by the media and the masses in the anticipation of him keeping his promise --> To reveal his true identity at the end of IPL season 2009.
Initially he said he'd come out at the end of this year's IPL, then he said he'd leave it to his readers (who suggested he keep his promise). In the end, despite the poll, he decided to remain in the shadows.
There had always been a steady decrease in quality in what he wrote, but that wouldn't deter hardened gossip-lovers until now, until he let that promise fly away with the wind. Now with no credibility in his posts, he's being more or less ignored, apart from the few of us who still haven't got much to do except trawl the Internet for crap no one else wants. You'll notice (if you ever looked at this blog more than once or twice) that I've removed his RSS feed from my site too, leaving just the link to his page on the right side.
Here's his glossary of names used until now as always: Captain Kakdi = Dhoni Dicks of Dickland = Players of Australia Dickhead = Ricky Ponting Pomeranian pilla = Clarke Pussy = Mike Hussey Islanders = Sri Lankan players The Blue = Team India Aloo Posto Deem Sheddo = Bangladesh team The Queen Bees: England players Teri Maa Ki = Andrew Symonds Calypso King = Chris Gayle Dildo = Shahrukh Khan Bablee = Bret Lee Weapons of Self Destruction - Al Pakeezah = The Pakistani Team Captain No-Use Khan (earlier known as Bhindi) = Younis Khan Oranges = Netherlands Kumar Bull = Umar Gul Mr. Missed-Bah-5-Runs = Misbah Ul Haq Yasir Fatafat = Yasir Arafat Failed warrior/warlord of Tribal Region = Afridi Sheru = Sehwag No-Braina = Raina
I doubt FIP will create much of a sensation this time around. Frankly, he's down for the count.
Many of you would have seen the (rather lame IMO) theme song of the Chennai Superkings on TV - the one that goes "Chennai, Chennai Superkings.... namba yellow jersey...".
The thing is there's another MUCH BETTER theme song called Whistle Podu that some of you wouldn't have taken a look at yet. It's full of player's whistling the way Chennaiites do. Yes that includes Mathew Hayden, Suresh Raina and many more CSK players.
The most funny part of it is Parthiv Patel saying "Chennai super kings ku veeeesul pOdu." Had me rolling in laughter. From the look on Parthiv Patel's face, another second into the video and he would have been in splits himself.
Below you'll find the shorter version which focuses on the players whistling.
The next video is the entire video for the song (though you get a clearer view of the players whistling from the previous clip). Shows a large number of people from all around Chennai whistling.
Enjoy the winning streak CSK's having right now. God knows which team will end it finally.
In Thursday's awesome match at the IPL, Mathew Hayden showed us once again why he's the holder of the Orange cap. The way he sent the ball flying to the boundary, the way he stepped to the pitch of the delivery and smashed a six, the way he effortlessly did it with just one hand (on a few occasions), the finesse, the raw power, coupled with the complete lack of any sort of aggression. Such a wonderful batsman, without him Chennai Super Kings wouldn't have won most of their matches. Only one word can describe this force of nature...... AWESOME!!
For a long time I felt some sort of sympathy for the fool who got slapped last season of the IPL. After that slap, his career pretty much went off the cliff, with him being dropped from most of the team selections. Yes, I'm talking about Sreesanth. Later this season, he's been getting hit left, right and center to the boundary and all over the ground. But I've begun to really hate him. The way he acts is as if he's Brett Lee or Shane Warne with a ton of wickets to his name. He forgets that he's been hit for 23 in a single over in one match. Besides that his antics, his hair, his attitude...... ughhhh...!!!
Hayden took his deliveries and converted them beautifully to sixes and fours. Wonderful way to show him who's boss. Hayden later fell to a catch off Sreesanth's bowling (after 3 sixes in just that over). To which the pacer added some choice comments in Hayden's face. Really, Sreesanth, do you not have some shame?? Didn't this guy just belt you all over the ground? Didn't you get his wicket after all that? What right do you have to speak when this veteran of International cricket has just done that to you?
Someone give this guy his slap, then the photographers can have their snap; A few words at the batsman and he thinks he has style, A slap will set right his silly smile. Then he'll bawl like a spoilt brat; But it'll sure put a stop to his unrefined chat. The next time the little boy loses his cool, who will harken to this hapless fool??
His actions are just "chettathanam" (to put it in his own mothertongue Malayalam - "uncouth behaviour unbecoming of an educated person"). Perhaps he should learn to bowl properly, to walk the walk before he talks the talk. I believe what he does with all the opposing team players he gets out is he goes up to them, hurls a few abuses and says "Yeah, yeah, give it to me!! Slap me if you can!". Most likely, it was just that Bhajji obliged last season (Moral of the Story: If you want something hard enough, you'll get it ;-) ). Someone, please slap him again. Do the IPL a service, just give him a tight slap, let's all see the real crybaby he is.
Hayden, meanwhile, kept his cool throughout the brief "encounter". Later he did comment on the face-off between the two. "Yeah, I think he is a particularly over-rated bowler. And so he was a great target for us to go at. He always loses his cool under pressure and I think it was a good example of that (in the match)," he said. Hayden, however, refused to reveal what words Sreesanth had hurled at him. "You don't want to know. It's just so meaningless. Mate ... I am a Test veteran and a One-Day International veteran, I have got nothing to answer to him that's for certain," said Hayden. Well said and completely true.
The Fake IPL Player on his blog has rightly referred to Sreesanth as Appam Ch*tiya. I suppose someone will oblige our pacer from Kerala with his just desserts - a tight one across the face - if he doesn't mend his overtly aggressive ways soon.
Till then, let us all watch in awe as Mathew Hayden walks down the crease to smash the ball out of the ground. All Hail Hayden!
I suppose it's the last thing "King Khan" needs but of late, a person professing to be a player from the Kolkatta Knight Riders has been sharing inside info about the team and about the antics of other players as well as some commentators, on an anonymous blog.
The picture he paints of most people is not quite flattering (and probably very accurate). He's called his team owner "Vinnie Dildo", Sreesanth as "Appam Chutiya", Tendulkar - Little Monster, Yuvraj - Prince Charles of Patiala, Shane Warne the Sheik of Tweak with a penchant for Mammary Land, and Chris Gayle - Calypso King, Lord Almighty - Ganguly, Meera Bhai - Harbhajan, Big Sister - Shilpa Shetty, Sandy Baddy Babe - Mandira Bedi, Little John - Ishant Sharma, Bangla Tiger - Mushrafe Murtaza and Junta Tormentor - Mendis.
There's more - Kishen Kanhaiyya -- Ravi Shastri, Pedophile Priest – Gilly, Kaan Moolo – Agakar, Bhooka Naan - Buchanan, Ganji Hangar - Sanjay Bangar, BubLee- Brett Lee, Gilli Danda - Ashok Dinda, Mangal Pandey - Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Little Sister - Shamita Shetty, Phoren baba - Mccullum, Peter ka Beta / Re-peter - Peterson and a few choice ways of describing Mr. Mallya (Mr. Batlivala).
Others mentioned include: Candy Nickle - Andy Bichel, Sheeghra Patan - Yousuf Pathan, Jesse Ryder - Bevda, Big Mac - Mathew Hayden, Chintu Singh - Anureet Singh, Joker - Meiyang Chang, Shakespeare - Akash Chopra, Ram - VVS Laxman, RDB - Randeep Bose, John Wrong - John Wright, The Baja of Baroda - Anshuman Gaekwad, Havaii Chappal - Greg Chapell.
Chatterjee Kaaku refers to The Old Guy from the Ad posted by the KKR(Kolkata Knight Riders) Team where he says ‘Tum Bhi Jeetoge’.
30-04-2009 Lady Jaya - Jayawardene Arnold Power - Ramesh Powar Castro - Fidel Edwards Ghati Baba - Rohit Sharma Aila - Sachin Tendulkar Springbok - Morne Van Wyk Lady Jaya - Mahela Jayawardene Deeghra Patan - Irfan Pathan Dewar - Rahul Dravid Pamela Indersingh - VRV Singh Big Brother - Raj Kundra Babli - Preity Zinta Aila - Tendulkar Buddhiman Baba - Wriddhiman Saha Sticky something - Ricky Ponting Boy George - Joy Bhattacharya
10-05-2009 Panty Curry = Robin Uthapa (Logic - Pandy = Pig in Coorgi, Pandy curry is the most relished food of coorgies) Chirkut Teli = Virat Kohli Chinnu Popli = Sreevats Goswami Gilli Danda = Ashok Dinda Budhimaan Baba = Wridhiman Saha Bubaan = Arindam Ghosh Chikna Pussy = David Hussey Durbaan of Patiala = Tom Moody (coach of Punjab) Vakeel Saab = Kumar Sangakkara (training to become lawyer) Saala Slimeball = Lalit Modi Cool Dude = M S Dhoni Bunty = Ness Wadia (Babli's mate)
No one really knows who this person is, or whether he really exists, but it seems a bit difficult to think that every one of the scandalous encounters and events within the team and off the field he describes can be made up.
Let's see what comes of this, and I sincerely hope no one catches him. That blog is just too much fun.
If you'd like to see the Fake IPL Player's latest posts, you can find them in my bloglist on the right as well as the fake IPL player section in the left sidebar.
UPDATE(s): I've added a more complete list of names.
5-May-09 More Names added
Poor Shah Rukh Khan has just gone back home, vowing not to return unless his team starts winning matches.
On April 30, the fake ipl player blog had this as part of an entry: "P.P.P.P.P.S. I have decided to retire from all forms of cricket after IPL. I will disclose my identity on our last match day. " We await eagerly for this revelation, sure to be a stunning one, if he's for real that is.
Note: The fake ipl payer blog sure has a huge fan following, in a month of blogging, the blog has nearly 4500 followers. In the end, he might not really be an IPL player....
