From the moment Sachin Tendulkar first sprang into prominence,cricket writers have compared him , in way or another,with Sir Donald Bradman.
Sir Don in his own time was compared with Australia's Victor Trumper.During Bradman's playing career certain number of critics of about the same age as Bradman - or even younger - continued to make these comparisons and often went to great lengths to prove that Trumper was the better batsman (even without ever having seen Trumper play). Nothing has changed over the past 50-60 years or so the comparisons will keep on happening. We have been fortunate enough to have a player like Tendulkar play cricket in our times but also have been unfortunate enough to never have seen Bradman , before making any comparisons.
Tendulkar himself has always remained completely aloof from the argument , he is possibly now on his swan song but personally I and all his fans would want to see him bat into eternity.
The time is prudent definitely to declare Tendulkar as the one of the batting greats the game has ever seen and also include him in Wisdens Top 5 players of this century , but one should also put rest any comparisons of Tendulkar with Sir Don , Len Hutton , Jack Hobbs, Gavaskar or Sir Viv Richards.
It is not an apples to apples comparison and certainly not a fair one.Stats would heavily favour both the greats,Tendulkar in terms of volume and Bradman in his averages.Numbers definitely speak for themselves but I believe in relativity in terms of the era , quality of opposition and bowlers and the ever changing rules of cricket.Bradman played at a time were it was "no holds bar" for the bowler in terms of targeting the batsman's body to limit run flow and get him out.The Bodyline series is a testament of this fact , Tendulkar is playing in an era were bowlers have been limited in terms of their line and length.Moreover the inclusion of the 3rd umpire and the challenge system has benefited the players immensely , thereby completely ruling out the human errors by the umpires. Bradman did score a lot of his runs against England and has been sometimes criticised for scoring heavily against weak teams , just to clarify the only weak team he played against at that point of time was India , that only once. Bradman batted at the crease for 80 times in test cricket and scored a staggering 6996 runs at Godly average of 99.94.
Coming now to Tendulkar , for the majority of his career has always been the pivotal batsman and saviour for the Indian team.This was not necessarily the case for Bradman as he captained "The Invincibles" Australian team to great success.Tendulkar on the other hand instead of being part of a plan has been the plan.
The question is on what grounds do we compare these two greats on style ....has anyone of us seen Bradman play barring a few black and white footage. Secondly in terms of runs had Bradman have the oppurtunity to play more tests and ODI's wouldn't he have amassed more runs at his phenomenal average.
Hence I feel that both Tendulkar and Bradman are great players of their own era's and comparison can't be made between the two.One thing is for sure that is common between the two - the undying love for the game and the great level of fitness they exhibited in their twilight playing years.
Sir Gary Sobers recently compared that Gavaskar is the best batsman ever because of runs he scored against a bowling attack in his time which comprised of Lillee,Thompson,Roberts,Hall,Imran Khan etc.
So just to wrap up Tendulkar is definitely the best modern day batsman especially amongst the players he has played along with ...Lara,Ponting,Anwar,Kallis,Jayawardene etc and Sir Don would remain to be the best in his playing time also.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Melbourne - Port Campbell - Phillip Island Trip
Went to Victoria over the Australia weekend and visited Port Campbell,Warnambool,Geelong,Melbourne and Phillip Island.Sharing with all of you some of the pics and information :-
Day 1 - Flew from Sydney via Jetstar to Avalon in the Geelong region, we had already booked a car via Budget. We were surprised that we got a Nissan TIIDA as a our rental car - I was expecting at least a Corolla.Anyways we took off for our first stop at Port Campbell , after a long struggle with our NAVMAN we stuck to the route inland towards Port Campbell passing by the towns of Winchelsea and Colac.Reached our hotel at Port Campbell by 12 pm , were happy to see the location of the hotel at it was right on the beach and had a small wharf adjoining it.We unpacked and immediately took for the 12 Apostles which is situated 12 kms from Port Campbell.All though the apostles have made the southern coast of Australia world famous there are other scenic lookout points and rock formations i.e - The Grotto,London Bridge,The Arch,Loch Ard Gorge,Moonlight Head and Gibson steps.Each one of the the above hold breathtaking views. We ended our first day with a nice Italian dinner at Port Campbell along with a nice bottle of Shiraz.
Day 2 - The next day we woke up at our leisure and got ready by 11 am , we did not have anything specific planned and just wanted to visit Warnambool.Warnambool is a prosperous regional town on the south coast of Victoria and is at a distance of 65kms from Port Campbell.The coastline from Port Campbell to Port Fairy is also called the Shipwreck coast with close to 100 recorded shipwrecks.Along the way some of the must stop at scenic points are - Bay of Islands,Bay of Martyrs,Children's cove etc.
Day 1 - Flew from Sydney via Jetstar to Avalon in the Geelong region, we had already booked a car via Budget. We were surprised that we got a Nissan TIIDA as a our rental car - I was expecting at least a Corolla.Anyways we took off for our first stop at Port Campbell , after a long struggle with our NAVMAN we stuck to the route inland towards Port Campbell passing by the towns of Winchelsea and Colac.Reached our hotel at Port Campbell by 12 pm , were happy to see the location of the hotel at it was right on the beach and had a small wharf adjoining it.We unpacked and immediately took for the 12 Apostles which is situated 12 kms from Port Campbell.All though the apostles have made the southern coast of Australia world famous there are other scenic lookout points and rock formations i.e - The Grotto,London Bridge,The Arch,Loch Ard Gorge,Moonlight Head and Gibson steps.Each one of the the above hold breathtaking views. We ended our first day with a nice Italian dinner at Port Campbell along with a nice bottle of Shiraz.
Day 2 - The next day we woke up at our leisure and got ready by 11 am , we did not have anything specific planned and just wanted to visit Warnambool.Warnambool is a prosperous regional town on the south coast of Victoria and is at a distance of 65kms from Port Campbell.The coastline from Port Campbell to Port Fairy is also called the Shipwreck coast with close to 100 recorded shipwrecks.Along the way some of the must stop at scenic points are - Bay of Islands,Bay of Martyrs,Children's cove etc.
12 Apostles London Bridge
We reached Warnambool at around 2pm and had a lunch and walked around the central street. Post that we headed towards the Flagstaff Hill Museum.As you stand atop Flagstaff Hill , the picturesque Lady Bay stretches before you.The museum also holds the Maritime village.Representing a typical seaport including businesses and trade indicative of late 19th century.Some the highlight building for my wife and I were the late 19th century classroom (out ling the strict rules which the student and the teacher had to abide by),the bar and blacksmith / undertaker shed.The buildings have been recreated using original and replicated material.The whole hill precinct comes to life each night as the tragic tale of the wreck of Loch Ard is retold in a spectacular world class multimillion dollar sound and laser should - SHIPWRECKED Sunset from hotel at Port Campbell
Day 3 - We had a long drive back along the picture perfect coastline of the Great Ocean drive , the drive is something I will remember for my life as each bend and turn had a beauty greater than the previous one.The day was ideal with deep blue sky ,scorching sun and a rough sea.Being the Australia Day weekend all the beaches were packed.On the way we took a detour towards Cape Otoway for the famous lighthouse and also saw Kaola's in there natural habitat.We had a lunch at Apollo Bay - what a fantastic place.The lunch was light and the name of the joint was L.U.V - Living Unearthed Vitality.
Our plan was to drive straightaway to Phillip Island however wife was at her shirpy best along the winding ocean drive and after 1 hour post lunch was feeling miserable.I was keeping quiet the whole way.Anyways we decided to stay in Geelong at Mercure Geelong.Now Geelong reminded me a lot of the outer precinct area of Christchurch and was practically dead at 4pm in the evening.We took complete rest and were gearing up for our final day for a trip to Melbourne and Phillip Island. By the way during this time the Federer vs Hewitt clash was finalized.
Day 4 - woke and treated ourselves to a king size buffet breakfast at Mercure , both of us were dallying on whether we should watch the touted epic clash between Hewitt and Federer or spend more time at Phillip Island.Anyways we never were in with a chance for the tickets hence drove straight to Melbourne CBD / MCG. We took the MCG day tour and I was awed by the history associated with the stadium , did you guys know that Shane Warne still has not been made an honorary member of the SCG as he played his county cricket for Black rock. Can you believe Victoria's most famous son being denied membership at the mecca of Australian cricket.The MCG also has a world class museum which has all the original world cup trophies which Australia has won. Anyways post MCG we roamed around Melbourne CBD , showed wifey around Federation square , had lunch by the Yarra etc.
The last leg of our trip was Phillip Island and we started off towards it around 3 pm , reached Phillip Island around 6pm and booked ourselves in for the private show of the Penguin March.The Little penguins which are 1 feet tall came ashore at 9pm in hundreds and started of their march in batches of 5-6.It was ethereal experience , there was a Wallaby also which was trying to get the attention of all..anyways came back from Phillip Island and reached back Geelong around 2am.Our flight back to Sydney was at 5am and we barely slept and dropped of our car at Avalon airport.
It was a great trip...
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Love for statistics
There are three kinds of lies : lies , damned lies and statistics.
Statistics is the science of collecting ,summarizing and analyzing numerical data and is used to predict the likelihood of events.The knowledge and use of statistics elevates you in the same way that a bibliography adds a couple of stars for an author.The association of statistics in my high school and college days was the one that went hand in hand with the word "vital".There,was in fact, a piece of instrumental music that broadened or rather defined the term - it was called 36-24-36.
Imagination was a powerful thing in those days now everything is evidence based,eve in field of customer service which is slowly now being transformed into a science as opposed to just treat people in a normal courteous manner.
Insurance companies were amongst the first to use statistics as a method to figure out the premium owed to them and also the risk profiling..its these days more popularly known as Actuarial Science.The premium for life/health insurance is based on the body mass index (BMI).If your BMI is more than 25 you are overweight and 35 or more is morbidly obese.With each passing year the number of tests and the number of people being employed is increasing,words like confidence interval,hazard ratios,null hypothesis etc are common.
There are 2 kinds of statistics , the kind you look up and the kind you make up....did you know that 65.4% of all quoted stats during conversations are incorrect / made up at the moment......what predicament....can anyone prove me incorrect...
I would quote the great cricketer turned commentator turned TV Comedy show host turned now politician(phew ..he is quite a handful..) - Navjot Singh Sidhu - " Stats and numbers are like bikini's they hide more than what they reveal.." only Sidhuji and his punjabi euphemism's are capable of making such a comment....
But then what is life without stats and numbers.....
Statistics is the science of collecting ,summarizing and analyzing numerical data and is used to predict the likelihood of events.The knowledge and use of statistics elevates you in the same way that a bibliography adds a couple of stars for an author.The association of statistics in my high school and college days was the one that went hand in hand with the word "vital".There,was in fact, a piece of instrumental music that broadened or rather defined the term - it was called 36-24-36.
Imagination was a powerful thing in those days now everything is evidence based,eve in field of customer service which is slowly now being transformed into a science as opposed to just treat people in a normal courteous manner.
Insurance companies were amongst the first to use statistics as a method to figure out the premium owed to them and also the risk profiling..its these days more popularly known as Actuarial Science.The premium for life/health insurance is based on the body mass index (BMI).If your BMI is more than 25 you are overweight and 35 or more is morbidly obese.With each passing year the number of tests and the number of people being employed is increasing,words like confidence interval,hazard ratios,null hypothesis etc are common.
There are 2 kinds of statistics , the kind you look up and the kind you make up....did you know that 65.4% of all quoted stats during conversations are incorrect / made up at the moment......what predicament....can anyone prove me incorrect...
I would quote the great cricketer turned commentator turned TV Comedy show host turned now politician(phew ..he is quite a handful..) - Navjot Singh Sidhu - " Stats and numbers are like bikini's they hide more than what they reveal.." only Sidhuji and his punjabi euphemism's are capable of making such a comment....
But then what is life without stats and numbers.....
Indian Memsahib
Its the untold story of a bureaucrat's wife is an unconventional look into the world of Indian bureaucracy and its fascinating order. The book is an subtle attempt by the author Dr. Suchita Malik at showing how bureaucracy works in certain ways and brings out the conflict between popularity and credibility.
Indian memsahib traces the protagonist - Sunaina's journey from being an ambitious girl who wants to live life on her own terms to an outside bahu - daughter in law in a traditional family set up fighting her love battle to the trials and tribulations of becoming the wife of Raghu , an upright and honest IAS officer.
Naive and inexperienced at the outset of her life and career.Sunaiana looks at life with her own rose tinted glares and harbours great notions of living life on her own terms.Little does she know that destiny is all set to take her through the corridors of power and places where her modern outlook,ideas and fantasies are soon to be juxtaposed with conservative value systems and cold rationality.
The books makes you live through excitement,struggles,challenges,apprehensions and all the ups and downs that define the nuts and bolts of babudom and the life of a bureaucrats life in India.
Indian memsahib traces the protagonist - Sunaina's journey from being an ambitious girl who wants to live life on her own terms to an outside bahu - daughter in law in a traditional family set up fighting her love battle to the trials and tribulations of becoming the wife of Raghu , an upright and honest IAS officer.
Naive and inexperienced at the outset of her life and career.Sunaiana looks at life with her own rose tinted glares and harbours great notions of living life on her own terms.Little does she know that destiny is all set to take her through the corridors of power and places where her modern outlook,ideas and fantasies are soon to be juxtaposed with conservative value systems and cold rationality.
The books makes you live through excitement,struggles,challenges,apprehensions and all the ups and downs that define the nuts and bolts of babudom and the life of a bureaucrats life in India.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
2 States – Story of my Marriage
Recently on my business trip to India I borrowed the latest Chetan Bhagat book – 2 States from my sister.Chetan Bhagat has had a meteoric rise to stardom and fame over the past decade and truly so a well deserved one.
The fact that he is a star product of the run of the mill social framework of India were completing an MBA from IIM’s post a degree from IIT truly guarantees success in profession and personal life , strikes a chord with wide diaspora of Indians.
The timing of the launch of this book couldn’t have been more opportune as it coincided perfectly with the pre-release of the movie 3 idiots which reignited the reader’s interest with 5 point someone and also this new book.
2 States is a funny book has all the elements of best seller as the story revolves around interstate / intercaste marriage and a lot of married couples can empathise with it. The author touches the throbbing nerve of a typical Indian marriage and how the situation gets murkier in out of caste / state marriages specifically the expectation which the opposing side parents have from each other.
The book also brings out the underlying feelings/ perceptions which North and South Indians have for each other. This myth and perceptions give a lot instances in the book wherein you would smile while reading it.
I have now noticed a trend in Bhagat’s books; all his novels till date have a number in the title i.e –
> 5 Point Someone
> 1 Night @ Call centre
> the 3 mistakes of my life
> 2 States – Story of my marriage
I wonder what is the title of his next book going to be …how about 4 play ….if Bhagat wants to write books in the genre of Shobha De’.Maybe Bhagat just believes in the power of PRIME numbers..I don’t know but for sure his easy to understand play of words and story lines ensure an enjoyable reading always…
2 States is a good buy / borrow…
The fact that he is a star product of the run of the mill social framework of India were completing an MBA from IIM’s post a degree from IIT truly guarantees success in profession and personal life , strikes a chord with wide diaspora of Indians.
The timing of the launch of this book couldn’t have been more opportune as it coincided perfectly with the pre-release of the movie 3 idiots which reignited the reader’s interest with 5 point someone and also this new book.
2 States is a funny book has all the elements of best seller as the story revolves around interstate / intercaste marriage and a lot of married couples can empathise with it. The author touches the throbbing nerve of a typical Indian marriage and how the situation gets murkier in out of caste / state marriages specifically the expectation which the opposing side parents have from each other.
The book also brings out the underlying feelings/ perceptions which North and South Indians have for each other. This myth and perceptions give a lot instances in the book wherein you would smile while reading it.
I have now noticed a trend in Bhagat’s books; all his novels till date have a number in the title i.e –
> 5 Point Someone
> 1 Night @ Call centre
> the 3 mistakes of my life
> 2 States – Story of my marriage
I wonder what is the title of his next book going to be …how about 4 play ….if Bhagat wants to write books in the genre of Shobha De’.Maybe Bhagat just believes in the power of PRIME numbers..I don’t know but for sure his easy to understand play of words and story lines ensure an enjoyable reading always…
2 States is a good buy / borrow…
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The Palace of Illusions
Just completed reading "The Palace of Illusions" Chitra Banerjee Devakurni a book I bought out of the sheer act of getting rid of my last New Zealand dollars at Christchurch airport before flying back to Sydney. The book took me down the memory lane way back into the late 80's when the epic Mahabharata was telecast ed on national television in India. Reading the book I was still imagining the same characters who actually played the roles in the tele-serial.Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The book takes us back to the time of the Indian epic The Mahabharat—a time that is half-history, half-myth, and wholly magical. Through her narrator Panchaali, the wife of the legendary five Pandavas brothers, Divakaruni gives us a rare feminist interpretation of an epic story.
The novel traces Panchaali’s life, beginning with her magical birth in fire as the daughter of a king before following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at the brothers’ sides through years of exile and a terrible civil war. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her stratagems to take over control of her household from her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husband’s most dangerous enemy. Panchaali is a fiery female voice in a world of warriors, gods, and ever-manipulating hands of fate.The strength of this novel, is the profound thinking that is woven into the main story.
The novel traces Panchaali’s life, beginning with her magical birth in fire as the daughter of a king before following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at the brothers’ sides through years of exile and a terrible civil war. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her stratagems to take over control of her household from her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husband’s most dangerous enemy. Panchaali is a fiery female voice in a world of warriors, gods, and ever-manipulating hands of fate.The strength of this novel, is the profound thinking that is woven into the main story.
Moreover it is a good refresher on the values the epic is trying propagate and the view which Draupadi has throughout her existence on the various key events.It provides a totally new dimension to ascertain what was good and evil during the epic and how things that are destined to happen..happen with a rationale behind it.
Can't say whether it is a must buy or not for your respective collection but for my friends in Sydney feel free to borrow it from me.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
New Zealand - South Island
Day 8 : We flew from Rotorua to Queenstown and the flight was bumpy due to heavy weather conditions , I was a tad nervous as we were flying in a 30 seater plane. To avoid getting more nervous I started to take pictures from the plane below and captured amazing images of pristine blue lakes below 
.The images were absolutely stunning , we passed over Fox Glacier and other snow capped mountain peaks. Once we reached Queenstown airport which is a basically a narrow air strip nestled between mountains on three sides , we straightaway went to get our rental car. South Island is one place were driving on your own is highly recommended and I was eagerly looking forward to the long winding drives over the coming few days.
Our joys knew know bounds as we entered into our rooms as we got an amazing lake Wakatipu view from our rooms.
It was day before Christmas and the whole of Queenstown was bustling with people with their red Santa caps and other festivities.We had an amazing organic lunch and then decided to explore adjoining areas.The first thing we saw from our hotel was the Gondala ride which takes you 450 m on top and one can enjoy the view over a nice lunch / dinner. So immediately we booked ourselves for a Boxing day gala buffet dinner. Next I was keen to see more of the Lake Wakatipu hence we started to drive along the lake stopping almost at every corner
to enjoy and abosrb the breathtaking views.Lake Wakatipu has a bit of hisotry , its a glacier lake and almost stretches for 45 km uptil Glenorchy which we did visit on this drive.According to myth the lake is in a shape of a huge giant (Manata) in cocoon position.As this was the position in which he fell down when he was killed by the locals , the lake rises up / down in height by 12 cm every 5 mins which is very unique as its landlocked.Again according to myth the explanation is attributed to the rhythmic heartbeat of Manata who is still believed to be alive beneath the lake...wow...fascinating...our drive along the lake took us right upto Glenorchy which is basically close to source of the lake.Again our South Island trip had a great start and we came back to Queenstown for dinner at an Indian restaurant - Freija's ..would highly NOT recommend it ..
.The images were absolutely stunning , we passed over Fox Glacier and other snow capped mountain peaks. Once we reached Queenstown airport which is a basically a narrow air strip nestled between mountains on three sides , we straightaway went to get our rental car. South Island is one place were driving on your own is highly recommended and I was eagerly looking forward to the long winding drives over the coming few days.Our joys knew know bounds as we entered into our rooms as we got an amazing lake Wakatipu view from our rooms.
It was day before Christmas and the whole of Queenstown was bustling with people with their red Santa caps and other festivities.We had an amazing organic lunch and then decided to explore adjoining areas.The first thing we saw from our hotel was the Gondala ride which takes you 450 m on top and one can enjoy the view over a nice lunch / dinner. So immediately we booked ourselves for a Boxing day gala buffet dinner. Next I was keen to see more of the Lake Wakatipu hence we started to drive along the lake stopping almost at every corner
to enjoy and abosrb the breathtaking views.Lake Wakatipu has a bit of hisotry , its a glacier lake and almost stretches for 45 km uptil Glenorchy which we did visit on this drive.According to myth the lake is in a shape of a huge giant (Manata) in cocoon position.As this was the position in which he fell down when he was killed by the locals , the lake rises up / down in height by 12 cm every 5 mins which is very unique as its landlocked.Again according to myth the explanation is attributed to the rhythmic heartbeat of Manata who is still believed to be alive beneath the lake...wow...fascinating...our drive along the lake took us right upto Glenorchy which is basically close to source of the lake.Again our South Island trip had a great start and we came back to Queenstown for dinner at an Indian restaurant - Freija's ..would highly NOT recommend it ..Day 9 : Merry Christmas to everyone ...the spirit of Yule was infectious especially in Queenstown ...we were lucky to be there during the Christmas period as the whole township was bustling and there was joy all around...we woke up late hence missed out on the breakfast at the hotel ...hence wifey and I ventured into the main street in search of food...I would like to confess here that allthough Iam of a cheerful disposition ...however when Iam hungry and I can be a pain..you know what I mean..:) anyways most of the eating joints/cafes were scheduled to open mid day and luckily we found a place were we had a quick bite...my sensitive buds can devour any quality of food when Iam hungry....I become like ANGRY ANGUS...
Anyways our plan was to visit Wanaka township famous for lake wanaka and so we packed our car with snacks / essentials to drive to Wanaka which is approx 100 km's fro
m Queenstown.On the way we decided to stop at Arrowtown. Arrowtown is almost 160 years old and the town was formed during the gold rush period.Its about 400 sq m and has basically three parallel streets across the township.It is famous for its well preserved town structure , shops and buildings and also nice gold artefact's. As we went their on Christmas the town wore a deserted look and reminded us as if were in that specific time period. There are a couple of shops famous for woollen and leather and it would be recommended to shop here for the same.
m Queenstown.On the way we decided to stop at Arrowtown. Arrowtown is almost 160 years old and the town was formed during the gold rush period.Its about 400 sq m and has basically three parallel streets across the township.It is famous for its well preserved town structure , shops and buildings and also nice gold artefact's. As we went their on Christmas the town wore a deserted look and reminded us as if were in that specific time period. There are a couple of shops famous for woollen and leather and it would be recommended to shop here for the same.
From Arrowtown we drove straight upto Wanaka ..famous for Lake Wanaka. The sight was (again repeating myself) was absolutely breathtaking and we grabbed a quick bite from Turkish takeway as that was the only place open and sat in front of the lake for an hour so. I wanted to explore the township more and was wondering if there was a road which ran alongside the lake and would take me to a place like Glenorchy.What we did discover just outside Wanaka was a township which was idyllic and exhibited a happy state of lifestyle and living.Imagine houses lined up with a backyard looking into one of the most scenic lake sides in the world and 
for what its worth I found out that these houses didn't cost more than NZ$ 1.5 MM.Compare that with Sydney and you would get an apartment for AU$ 1.5 MM in north shore / CBD for a sneak peak of the harbour ...bullocks...
for what its worth I found out that these houses didn't cost more than NZ$ 1.5 MM.Compare that with Sydney and you would get an apartment for AU$ 1.5 MM in north shore / CBD for a sneak peak of the harbour ...bullocks...Anyways post this our day was still not over and we decided to go to Cromwell another heritage town like Arrowtown on our way back to Queenstown. We found a Masonic temple in Cromwell which made me wonder about how well the Masonic society was entrenched even at a far out place like Cromwell in the middle of nowhere way back in the 19th century.
Ohh yes before I forget before reaching Wanaka we did stop my the Leaning tower of Wanaka ,interestingly the clock on the tower moves anti clockwise and it was instated on 1st January 2000.Implying that with each passing day of this millennium we are moving a day back into the 20th century...The Curious case of Benjamin Button....
Anyways we winded up our day with early Thai dinner.... I was a bit sad as this was going to be our second last day in Queenstown.
Day 10 : Our last day in Queenstown started of with a nice brekky by the lake shore and a day spend at bowling.
Day 10 : Our last day in Queenstown started of with a nice brekky by the lake shore and a day spend at bowling.
We went took a Gondola ride to the mountain top and a had an excellent gala dinner with an amazing lake view to keep in our memories for ever. Lake Wakatipu would be forever be etched in my memory and I made a promise to come back to Queenstown soon.
Day 11 and 12 : Boarded the 10am flight to Christchurch and reached in 45 mins.Checked into our hotel and went for lunch.The conditions were overcast and Christchurch reminded me of Adelaide a lot.Later I did come to know that Christchurch and Adelaide have the same town architect hence th
e resemblance.Christchurh is pretty Victorian in its look and feel.We discovered an opportunity for punting at the Oxford Cove rivulet and got a poor man's experience of Venice.I must say that the experience was romantic with the adjoining willows and ducks adding to the beautiful scenery.
e resemblance.Christchurh is pretty Victorian in its look and feel.We discovered an opportunity for punting at the Oxford Cove rivulet and got a poor man's experience of Venice.I must say that the experience was romantic with the adjoining willows and ducks adding to the beautiful scenery.Christchurch is famous for its trams , cathedral and architecture.We discovered a nice fine dining restaurant - The Bangalore Polo Club in the city.It was established in 1859 and the restaurant has an Victorian /Royal Indian look and feel to it.
By this leg of our journey I was missing Sydney and wanted to g
o back as soon as possible , with no offense to Christchurch ..we just were plain tired. Hence we watched a couple of movies - Sherlock Holmes and 3 Idiots.
o back as soon as possible , with no offense to Christchurch ..we just were plain tired. Hence we watched a couple of movies - Sherlock Holmes and 3 Idiots.We needed to do some souvenir shopping and that's were the rest of our time was spend.
It was the end of an excellent holiday our first international holiday together as a couple.Hence New Zealand will always have a special place in our hearts for making our journey so memorable.
So there we ended our trip and took an early morning flight across the ditch back to Sydney.....
So there we ended our trip and took an early morning flight across the ditch back to Sydney.....
From KIA ORA it was back to GDAY MATE HOW R YA ...
Sunday, January 03, 2010
New Zealand - North Island
I have been now staying in Sydney,Australia for the past 3 years , and over these past 3 years my friends and colleagues have always told me about how beautiful a country New Zealand is.So we (my wife and I) started to plan our trip across the ditch to our trans-Tasman neighbours in Aug’09. We have just completed our 2 week trip to NZ and after driving for 1840 km’s,visiting 5 major cities and 12 towns across North and South Island we feel immensely pleased and rejuvenated and also would like to let everyone know reading this blog that calling New Zealand just beautiful is an understatement.It is the most scenically beautiful country I have travelled to and the Kiwi people are warm , hospitable and beautiful.
Please find below a day by day account of our travel :-
Day 1 : Arrived safely in Auckland and checked into Scenic hotel at the heart of Auckland's CBD overlooking the Skytower.All of us were hungry hence we grabbed a quick bite and straightaway ventured towards the skytower and took a tour of it , spending close to 3 hours.The highlight was all of us
having coffee at Sky Lounge overlooking the Auckland harbour and city. Came back to our
hotel , took some rest and and bought nice New Zealand white and red wine to give us company at dinner (which was a combo of Indian and Mexican).All of us had the urge to watch AVATAR across the road at Sky theater but we refrained from it.
Day 2 : Woke up and had a sumptuous breakfast and then went to Budget Car rental to get our car - Toyota Corolla , checked if all parts are in order and then switched on the GPS to drive straight to Hamilton.Took us 2 hours to reach Hamilton and we passed by townships of RamaRama,Bombay and Helensville.In Hamilton we went to our friends place and were well received by them , had a heavy brunch there and were forced to stay for lunch...cm on gimme a break my tummy was stuffed..hence we promised that we would join them for dinner at Hamilton.From Hamilton we drove to Matamata a small town blessed with picturesque surroundings and boutique cafes.Matamata was our launch point for our tour to Hobbiton the home for the movie set of Lord of the Rings.
The tour costs NZ$58 per head and is worth every cent if your a LOTR fan / fanatic , else one can spend more time in Matamata/Hamilton.Having said that Hobbiton is a beautiful place and you would feel as if you are in the 15th century , highlight of the place is when you get to enter in to a Hobbit hole and can take pics around the Party Tree.
After the tour to Hobbiton we came back to Matamata and had very nice coffee at Matamata and spend some time in the town before heading back to Hamilton.Reached Hamilton and had dinner with our friends and walked around the city before heading back to Auckland.
We were pretty tired by the end of the day but I was still brimming with excitement.
Day 3 : Woke up a bit late but were all ready by 10am in the morning , the whole day was planned in and around the Waikato region and we drove down towards Waitamo caves famous for the Gloworms and black water river rafting.It took us 3 hours to reach Waitamo and we booked our cave tour and then had lunch at Curly's bar a unique restaurant/bar overlooking lush green meadows. I had a pint of Steinlager and pasta and was refuelled for the cave trip. The caves are famous for their limestone formations and freshwater lakes , the limestone formations are a miniature version/ copy of Jenolan caves @ Sydney..hence might be a let down for Sydneysiders.The highlight is when you take a boat and move further into the caves to look at the glowworms who are embedded into the walls and you feel like you are looking at millions of stars.The feeling is ethereal and you don't want to leave the place at all as its full of mysticism.
Anyways as all good things come to an end so did the cave tour and we were back outside the cave in the real world.After spending some time near the caves /museums we drove back to Auckland and reached by 8.30 pm.Our stomachs were rumbling and we decided to go for Italian , had amazing Italian food capped with nice Chianti red wine .. I was feeling really happy after a couple of glasses and my wife's glare also looked like a smile to me...ahh...thats what good food and wine does to your senses....
Day 4 : This was our last morning in Auckland and we decided to part ways in grand terms ,after checking out we went to Devonport a small village town 20 mins from Auckland famous for its Anglo - Saxon settings and fish n chips. Brekky was on our mind and we went to Mecca a fine dining "Breakfast" restaurant ......after eating a little bit more than our capacity we drove down towards Rotorua - the spa/sulphur capital of New Zealand ..just kidding...
Reached Rotorua around 4 pm and checked into our hotel which was overlooking Lake Rotorua.I fell in love with Rotorua as soon as we entered the township. The lake and surrounding areas pretty much governs all the activities in the city.The place is dottde with Mud / Hot spa's ,the most famous one's are - Polynesian Spa and Hell's Gate. Our first eveining was already pre booked as we had to go to Mitai Maori village for a Maori experience , we were greeted by the village community and were exposed to their customs , rituals and the traditional Haka dance.Post which we again took a glowworm tour and had a nice earth cooked Hangi meal.The village experience is a must do for all first timers in New Zealand.After the great Maori cultuarl experience we retired to our hotel , I was feeling a bit restless so my wife and I went out for a walk across the Lake Rotorua before crashing. I woke up suddenly around 3am in the morning as the whole room was smelling like rotten eggs , was a but tense since I was suspecting that some insect might have slid into my backpack from the Maori village and now it was growing bigger in my room releasing this noxious smell.Well sanity prevailed over my imagination and I gave a call to the reception who informed me that it was the Sulphuric gases which was emanating from the earth surrounding Rotorua.Anyways I slept off peacefully post that.
Day 5 : We decided to drive and visit all the adjoining lakes so our first stop was at Lake Taravera and the adjoining buried village.The very name of the buried village intrigued me as I was thinking of Pompei and ruins like them.So we booked ourselves for the Taravera buried village tour , the village was buried when the now dormant Mount Taravera erupted in the late 19th century.What remains now is some earthen pots a couple of huts and a
beautiful walk.It was disappointing as there was a lot of hype over the buried village before the tour , so my recommendation would be a complete no-no to go for the buried village tour. Lake Taravera was pristine and I was dying to go kayaking but was stopped by my wife as she was petrified that I might topple the kayak and sink....she thinks I am the anchor of her life and sometimes view me like an anchor ...pun intended.....
Anyways I wanted to spend more time at Lake Taravera however we had plans to go to Lake Taupo so we pushed the pedestal towards Taupo. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand and is a beautiful township. Fish N Chips was the mood for the day and so we indulged ourselves sitting write in front of the massive lake. Spend the rest of the day in Taupo and returned back to Rotorua around 7 pm.Needless to say the drive was beautiful as are all the drives in New Zealand.
Day 7 : Was the big day for us as we had White Island (NZ's only active volcano) and a Mud Spa treatment on our agenda. An early morning scenic drive took us to the Bay of Plenty township of Whakatane dotted with beautiful lake shore houses and boutique cafes.We boarded our cruise ship at 9.15 am sharp and I immediately jumped on board asking Amie our hostess if there was a bar on the cruise.I don't know why , but I was feeling like having a J
D early in the morning.Anyways we rushed of the Whakatane harbour into the pacific ocean towards the majestic White Island.White Island is 45 nautical miles from Whakatane and the trip takes 1.5 hrs , you can see the island for the last 30 mins of the onwards journey and its looks beautiful.The water near the island is a mix of azure blue and emerald green because of the sulphur river which has trickled down the island into the ocean.A small jet takes you from the cruise to the shores as there is no proper landing area.We walked in and around the island looking at all crevices and the dormant portions.The volcano last erupted in 2002 and is privately owned by the Butler family.NZ govt has an agreement with the family to treat the island for tourism purposes and also as a heritage site.It goes without saying that the family takes a large proportion of all the earnings. Anyways the moments I spend on the island will always remain etched in my memory and I would love to go back there again.We got back to Whakatane and then straightway drove back to Rotorua for our mud spa appointment.The day was the best one of all the days and I slept like a baby aware that this was our last night at Rotorua.
Day 8 : Getting up in the morning knowing that I was leaving Rotorua was not a good feeling I had , I did make a promise to come back to Rotorua soon ...so it was Kia Ora just for the time being.We handed back our rental car at the Rotorua airport (please note you need to pay airport tax here to fly out..) and boarded our 30 seater Air New Zealand Bombardier plane to take us to Queenstown via Christchurch.
..... wait for the next blog for a detailed description of our stay in South Island....
Please find below a day by day account of our travel :-
Day 1 : Arrived safely in Auckland and checked into Scenic hotel at the heart of Auckland's CBD overlooking the Skytower.All of us were hungry hence we grabbed a quick bite and straightaway ventured towards the skytower and took a tour of it , spending close to 3 hours.The highlight was all of us
having coffee at Sky Lounge overlooking the Auckland harbour and city. Came back to our hotel , took some rest and and bought nice New Zealand white and red wine to give us company at dinner (which was a combo of Indian and Mexican).All of us had the urge to watch AVATAR across the road at Sky theater but we refrained from it.
Day 2 : Woke up and had a sumptuous breakfast and then went to Budget Car rental to get our car - Toyota Corolla , checked if all parts are in order and then switched on the GPS to drive straight to Hamilton.Took us 2 hours to reach Hamilton and we passed by townships of RamaRama,Bombay and Helensville.In Hamilton we went to our friends place and were well received by them , had a heavy brunch there and were forced to stay for lunch...cm on gimme a break my tummy was stuffed..hence we promised that we would join them for dinner at Hamilton.From Hamilton we drove to Matamata a small town blessed with picturesque surroundings and boutique cafes.Matamata was our launch point for our tour to Hobbiton the home for the movie set of Lord of the Rings.
The tour costs NZ$58 per head and is worth every cent if your a LOTR fan / fanatic , else one can spend more time in Matamata/Hamilton.Having said that Hobbiton is a beautiful place and you would feel as if you are in the 15th century , highlight of the place is when you get to enter in to a Hobbit hole and can take pics around the Party Tree.
After the tour to Hobbiton we came back to Matamata and had very nice coffee at Matamata and spend some time in the town before heading back to Hamilton.Reached Hamilton and had dinner with our friends and walked around the city before heading back to Auckland.
We were pretty tired by the end of the day but I was still brimming with excitement.
Day 3 : Woke up a bit late but were all ready by 10am in the morning , the whole day was planned in and around the Waikato region and we drove down towards Waitamo caves famous for the Gloworms and black water river rafting.It took us 3 hours to reach Waitamo and we booked our cave tour and then had lunch at Curly's bar a unique restaurant/bar overlooking lush green meadows. I had a pint of Steinlager and pasta and was refuelled for the cave trip. The caves are famous for their limestone formations and freshwater lakes , the limestone formations are a miniature version/ copy of Jenolan caves @ Sydney..hence might be a let down for Sydneysiders.The highlight is when you take a boat and move further into the caves to look at the glowworms who are embedded into the walls and you feel like you are looking at millions of stars.The feeling is ethereal and you don't want to leave the place at all as its full of mysticism.
Anyways as all good things come to an end so did the cave tour and we were back outside the cave in the real world.After spending some time near the caves /museums we drove back to Auckland and reached by 8.30 pm.Our stomachs were rumbling and we decided to go for Italian , had amazing Italian food capped with nice Chianti red wine .. I was feeling really happy after a couple of glasses and my wife's glare also looked like a smile to me...ahh...thats what good food and wine does to your senses....
Day 4 : This was our last morning in Auckland and we decided to part ways in grand terms ,after checking out we went to Devonport a small village town 20 mins from Auckland famous for its Anglo - Saxon settings and fish n chips. Brekky was on our mind and we went to Mecca a fine dining "Breakfast" restaurant ......after eating a little bit more than our capacity we drove down towards Rotorua - the spa/sulphur capital of New Zealand ..just kidding...
Reached Rotorua around 4 pm and checked into our hotel which was overlooking Lake Rotorua.I fell in love with Rotorua as soon as we entered the township. The lake and surrounding areas pretty much governs all the activities in the city.The place is dottde with Mud / Hot spa's ,the most famous one's are - Polynesian Spa and Hell's Gate. Our first eveining was already pre booked as we had to go to Mitai Maori village for a Maori experience , we were greeted by the village community and were exposed to their customs , rituals and the traditional Haka dance.Post which we again took a glowworm tour and had a nice earth cooked Hangi meal.The village experience is a must do for all first timers in New Zealand.After the great Maori cultuarl experience we retired to our hotel , I was feeling a bit restless so my wife and I went out for a walk across the Lake Rotorua before crashing. I woke up suddenly around 3am in the morning as the whole room was smelling like rotten eggs , was a but tense since I was suspecting that some insect might have slid into my backpack from the Maori village and now it was growing bigger in my room releasing this noxious smell.Well sanity prevailed over my imagination and I gave a call to the reception who informed me that it was the Sulphuric gases which was emanating from the earth surrounding Rotorua.Anyways I slept off peacefully post that.
Day 5 : We decided to drive and visit all the adjoining lakes so our first stop was at Lake Taravera and the adjoining buried village.The very name of the buried village intrigued me as I was thinking of Pompei and ruins like them.So we booked ourselves for the Taravera buried village tour , the village was buried when the now dormant Mount Taravera erupted in the late 19th century.What remains now is some earthen pots a couple of huts and a
beautiful walk.It was disappointing as there was a lot of hype over the buried village before the tour , so my recommendation would be a complete no-no to go for the buried village tour. Lake Taravera was pristine and I was dying to go kayaking but was stopped by my wife as she was petrified that I might topple the kayak and sink....she thinks I am the anchor of her life and sometimes view me like an anchor ...pun intended.....Anyways I wanted to spend more time at Lake Taravera however we had plans to go to Lake Taupo so we pushed the pedestal towards Taupo. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand and is a beautiful township. Fish N Chips was the mood for the day and so we indulged ourselves sitting write in front of the massive lake. Spend the rest of the day in Taupo and returned back to Rotorua around 7 pm.Needless to say the drive was beautiful as are all the drives in New Zealand.
Day 7 : Was the big day for us as we had White Island (NZ's only active volcano) and a Mud Spa treatment on our agenda. An early morning scenic drive took us to the Bay of Plenty township of Whakatane dotted with beautiful lake shore houses and boutique cafes.We boarded our cruise ship at 9.15 am sharp and I immediately jumped on board asking Amie our hostess if there was a bar on the cruise.I don't know why , but I was feeling like having a J
D early in the morning.Anyways we rushed of the Whakatane harbour into the pacific ocean towards the majestic White Island.White Island is 45 nautical miles from Whakatane and the trip takes 1.5 hrs , you can see the island for the last 30 mins of the onwards journey and its looks beautiful.The water near the island is a mix of azure blue and emerald green because of the sulphur river which has trickled down the island into the ocean.A small jet takes you from the cruise to the shores as there is no proper landing area.We walked in and around the island looking at all crevices and the dormant portions.The volcano last erupted in 2002 and is privately owned by the Butler family.NZ govt has an agreement with the family to treat the island for tourism purposes and also as a heritage site.It goes without saying that the family takes a large proportion of all the earnings. Anyways the moments I spend on the island will always remain etched in my memory and I would love to go back there again.We got back to Whakatane and then straightway drove back to Rotorua for our mud spa appointment.The day was the best one of all the days and I slept like a baby aware that this was our last night at Rotorua.Day 8 : Getting up in the morning knowing that I was leaving Rotorua was not a good feeling I had , I did make a promise to come back to Rotorua soon ...so it was Kia Ora just for the time being.We handed back our rental car at the Rotorua airport (please note you need to pay airport tax here to fly out..) and boarded our 30 seater Air New Zealand Bombardier plane to take us to Queenstown via Christchurch.
..... wait for the next blog for a detailed description of our stay in South Island....
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
3 Idiots
"Gimme some sunshine , gimme some rain
Gimme another chance I wanna grow up once again..."
The lyrics above are from a song in the movie 3 Idiots.They epitomize the message of the movie.
I guess this again one of those flicks which re-defines the attitude of a generation , the last one according to me was Dil Chahta Hai.
I could relate so much with the movie being an engineer myself and how much I struggled during my engineering days with ragging and mechanics...
Its a must watch movie and a must buy for your respective DVD collection ...Aamir Khan and Boman Irani have delivered world class performance...
Bachpan to gaya jawani bhi gayee...ek pal to humein jeene do jeene do...
Allll is welll
Gimme another chance I wanna grow up once again..."
The lyrics above are from a song in the movie 3 Idiots.They epitomize the message of the movie.
I guess this again one of those flicks which re-defines the attitude of a generation , the last one according to me was Dil Chahta Hai.
I could relate so much with the movie being an engineer myself and how much I struggled during my engineering days with ragging and mechanics...
Its a must watch movie and a must buy for your respective DVD collection ...Aamir Khan and Boman Irani have delivered world class performance...
Bachpan to gaya jawani bhi gayee...ek pal to humein jeene do jeene do...
Allll is welll
2010 New Year Resolutions
My 2010 New Year Resolutions (not in any priority order)
> Work harder but smarter...plan things but always plan for unexpected events...
> Live each moment to the fullest and be thankful to the Almighty for what he has given me and not whinge.
> Write at least one blog per fortnight..that should make at least 24 blogs for 2010...realistic ain't it...
> Travel more and take my folks , sis and wife (offcourse) for one trip together
> Read more books and write reviews :)
> Be in touch with friends and relatives
> Start to learn Guitar...
> Keep fit..but not over do it..
> Be dutiful towards my folks.
Will review the above on 31st December 2010...
> Work harder but smarter...plan things but always plan for unexpected events...
> Live each moment to the fullest and be thankful to the Almighty for what he has given me and not whinge.
> Write at least one blog per fortnight..that should make at least 24 blogs for 2010...realistic ain't it...
> Travel more and take my folks , sis and wife (offcourse) for one trip together
> Read more books and write reviews :)
> Be in touch with friends and relatives
> Start to learn Guitar...
> Keep fit..but not over do it..
> Be dutiful towards my folks.
Will review the above on 31st December 2010...
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
A Traveller's Commandments
Just came back from a great trip to New Zealand...thought of penning down some of my travel commandments :-
1. Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou hast them at home,for thou has left home to find things different.
2. Thou shalt not take anything TOO seriously , for a carefree mind is the beginning of a fine holiday.
3. Thou shalt not let other tourists get on thy nerves,for thou art paying out good money to enjoy myself.
4. Remember to take only half the clothes thou thinks thou needs and twice the money.
5. Know at all times where thy passport is,for a person without a passport is a person without a country and identity.
6. Thou shalt not worry , for that he worrieth hath no pleasure - few things are ever fatal.
7. Thou shalt not judge the people of a country by the one person who has given thee trouble.
8. Remember thou art a guest in other lands,and he that treateth his host with respect shall be honoured.
9. When in Rome,thou shalt be prepared to do somewhat as the Romans do.
10. Thou shalt respect the host country's culture,customs and rules with utmost dignity and care.
11. Thou shalt keep away thy from laptop , mobiles and internet cafe's.
12. Thou shalt be always be thankful to thy Almighty for giving thy the opportunity and capacity to plan and enjoy such a holiday.
- Amen
1. Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou hast them at home,for thou has left home to find things different.
2. Thou shalt not take anything TOO seriously , for a carefree mind is the beginning of a fine holiday.
3. Thou shalt not let other tourists get on thy nerves,for thou art paying out good money to enjoy myself.
4. Remember to take only half the clothes thou thinks thou needs and twice the money.
5. Know at all times where thy passport is,for a person without a passport is a person without a country and identity.
6. Thou shalt not worry , for that he worrieth hath no pleasure - few things are ever fatal.
7. Thou shalt not judge the people of a country by the one person who has given thee trouble.
8. Remember thou art a guest in other lands,and he that treateth his host with respect shall be honoured.
9. When in Rome,thou shalt be prepared to do somewhat as the Romans do.
10. Thou shalt respect the host country's culture,customs and rules with utmost dignity and care.
11. Thou shalt keep away thy from laptop , mobiles and internet cafe's.
12. Thou shalt be always be thankful to thy Almighty for giving thy the opportunity and capacity to plan and enjoy such a holiday.
- Amen
Saturday, November 07, 2009
The Lost Symbol
I just completed reading "The Lost Symbol" by the best selling author Dan Brown.
If you are a die hard Dan Brown and cryptic novel fan , then you would enjoy reading the latest creation by Brown with the Masonic culture as a launching point for the thriller.There is no doubt that Brown conducts a thorough study before writing a novel and this book exemplifies none the less.
The book is a long read and not as exciting as its famous predecessors - Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.Moreover the end is anti - climax with the whole issue around the threat to national security being a farce.However , the book is a treat for those intuitive minds who revel in the power of thoughts and Noetic Science , the author clearly outlines that ancient civilizations had achieved a lot in discovery and science and the present day modern science is in just a process of rediscovering the ancient mysteries.
The book builds up a suspense tantamount to Da Vinci however does fail to deliver in the end and reader is left wondering what was the chase all about.The main protagonist - the great symbologist Robert Langdon is again the central character and sometimes his explanation around everything becomes dull and overwhelming.Langdon's rants about religion and truth, when not directly tied to the mystery, are tedious and even a little preachy. In fact, the last 40 pages of the book try a little too hard to be enlightening.
Review in the Financial Times panned the book as "a novel that asks nothing of the reader, and gives the reader nothing back", adding that it "is filled with cliché, bombast, undigested research and pseudo-intellectual codswallop".The digested read by John Crace in The Guardianends with Robert Langdon begging Dan Brown "Please don't wheel me out again."
The book is a one time read for sure and definitely more interesting if you are planning a trip to Washington D.C soon , morever it compelled me to look at the US dollar note more carefully ...I will stop here :)
If you are a die hard Dan Brown and cryptic novel fan , then you would enjoy reading the latest creation by Brown with the Masonic culture as a launching point for the thriller.There is no doubt that Brown conducts a thorough study before writing a novel and this book exemplifies none the less.
The book is a long read and not as exciting as its famous predecessors - Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.Moreover the end is anti - climax with the whole issue around the threat to national security being a farce.However , the book is a treat for those intuitive minds who revel in the power of thoughts and Noetic Science , the author clearly outlines that ancient civilizations had achieved a lot in discovery and science and the present day modern science is in just a process of rediscovering the ancient mysteries.
The book builds up a suspense tantamount to Da Vinci however does fail to deliver in the end and reader is left wondering what was the chase all about.The main protagonist - the great symbologist Robert Langdon is again the central character and sometimes his explanation around everything becomes dull and overwhelming.Langdon's rants about religion and truth, when not directly tied to the mystery, are tedious and even a little preachy. In fact, the last 40 pages of the book try a little too hard to be enlightening.
Review in the Financial Times panned the book as "a novel that asks nothing of the reader, and gives the reader nothing back", adding that it "is filled with cliché, bombast, undigested research and pseudo-intellectual codswallop".The digested read by John Crace in The Guardianends with Robert Langdon begging Dan Brown "Please don't wheel me out again."
The book is a one time read for sure and definitely more interesting if you are planning a trip to Washington D.C soon , morever it compelled me to look at the US dollar note more carefully ...I will stop here :)
Friday, November 06, 2009
Will to Win
The ongoing cricket ODI series between India and Australia , is turning out to be an interesting one.Iam writing this blog when Australia lead the series 3-2 , I still can't predict who will win the series , but one thing is clear for sure that its a series which is defining the face of Australian cricket for years to come.
It can still be said with lots of conviction that Australian cricket is in safe hands, in the past 2 years they have lost - Warne,Langer,Martyn,Hogg,Hayden,Symonds,McGrath,Gilchrist and Gillespie all world class players who are capable of forming a world cup winning team amongst themselves.
Prior to the start of the series with India they won the Champions Trophy silencing their critics and lost key players to injuries who are forming the nucleus of the team - Michael Clarke,David Hussey,Siddle,Bracken,Lee,Haddin,Paine,Johnson and latest addition being Henriques.The fact Iam outlining this is that Ponting is leading a bench strength team currently against India who are ranked no. 2 in ICC world rankings and still have managed to lead the series 3-2.
I personally feel that the 5th ODI spoke volumes of the Australian teams talent and their will to win under any circumstances.
Not taking anything away from the Indians especially Tendulkar who played his heart out and was sardonic in mentioning during his Man of the match award speech that he will passionate playing for India.It was his frustration towards his other 10 players to rise to the occasion and also towards the media for besmirching his image as a selfish player who is not a finisher.
India has been fortunate enough to have a player like Tendulkar but have been unfortunate enough for not capitalising on his talent.Well I can go on ranting about this ...but that can be another blog for me ...
The 5th ODI was an absolutely cracker of a match and Tendulkar's batting was a ripper...at the end what matters most is which team wants the victory more and as the sagacious sage Sidhu would put it in his oxymoron style "India clinched defeat from the jaws of Victory"...how apt and true.....
I guess Dhoni's captaincy is like a bikini it hides more than what it reveals ...on that note adios.....
It can still be said with lots of conviction that Australian cricket is in safe hands, in the past 2 years they have lost - Warne,Langer,Martyn,Hogg,Hayden,Symonds,McGrath,Gilchrist and Gillespie all world class players who are capable of forming a world cup winning team amongst themselves.
Prior to the start of the series with India they won the Champions Trophy silencing their critics and lost key players to injuries who are forming the nucleus of the team - Michael Clarke,David Hussey,Siddle,Bracken,Lee,Haddin,Paine,Johnson and latest addition being Henriques.The fact Iam outlining this is that Ponting is leading a bench strength team currently against India who are ranked no. 2 in ICC world rankings and still have managed to lead the series 3-2.
I personally feel that the 5th ODI spoke volumes of the Australian teams talent and their will to win under any circumstances.
Not taking anything away from the Indians especially Tendulkar who played his heart out and was sardonic in mentioning during his Man of the match award speech that he will passionate playing for India.It was his frustration towards his other 10 players to rise to the occasion and also towards the media for besmirching his image as a selfish player who is not a finisher.
India has been fortunate enough to have a player like Tendulkar but have been unfortunate enough for not capitalising on his talent.Well I can go on ranting about this ...but that can be another blog for me ...
The 5th ODI was an absolutely cracker of a match and Tendulkar's batting was a ripper...at the end what matters most is which team wants the victory more and as the sagacious sage Sidhu would put it in his oxymoron style "India clinched defeat from the jaws of Victory"...how apt and true.....
I guess Dhoni's captaincy is like a bikini it hides more than what it reveals ...on that note adios.....
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Maldives - a sinking feeling
Recently the president of Maldives along with his cabinet members held the world's first underwater cabinet meeting to send a S.O.S message to the world on the imminent danger this beautiful island nation is facing.
A string of coral islands in the Indian Ocean, south-west of India, the Maldives are one of the world's most desirable holiday destinations, renowned for its exotic marine life, relaxing beaches and luxurious resorts.Three of the archipelago's 280 inhabited islands have already been evacuated.
As per oceanologist Maldives as a nation would cease to exist and disappear from the face of the earth by 2100 due to rising sea levels.This is a problem which is just pertinent to Maldives , their are other island nations which are at the same sea level and could be facing the same danger.Its just a question of awareness and that's exactly what Mohamed Nasheed ,president of Maldives wants to do - spread awareness and save his countrymen from total annihilation in the next 90 years or so.
Readers might find this funny but Maldives has in their federal budget line a plan to "buy another nation" it sounds both funny and desperate and that's exactly what the situation is.
The fact that Maldives will meet its watery grave in about a century is not surprising, considering that the highest point on this island nation is just 2.4 meters or 7.8 feet above sea level. More importantly, its average height is just 1.5 meters above sea level, which means that a rise of just 1.5 meters in the ocean level will submerge 80 percent of the island.
I am pretty sure everyone would understand the logic of why sea levels are rising because of more emission of green house gases and the subsequent melting of polar ice caps/glaciers.However there is one more element of the oceans / water bodies expanding because of rising temperature , due to which they would encroach into island nations.
The country had a GDP of US$ 1.4 billion which is roughly 2% of Bill Gates net worth , out of sheer desperation the island nation is building an artificial island - Hulhumale which would host close to 80000 of the Maldives people.It is a stop gap arrangement and a way to buy more time unless the rest of nations do something about it.
The sinking of the island is inevitable as the Green house emissions wont reduce dramatically in the next 50 years , hence something should be done on a global scale to accept the beautiful people of Maldives in some countries.It has to be a collective effort and planned out effort.
Like the former president of Maldives said "What is our fate today , will be yours tomorrow".....
A string of coral islands in the Indian Ocean, south-west of India, the Maldives are one of the world's most desirable holiday destinations, renowned for its exotic marine life, relaxing beaches and luxurious resorts.Three of the archipelago's 280 inhabited islands have already been evacuated.
As per oceanologist Maldives as a nation would cease to exist and disappear from the face of the earth by 2100 due to rising sea levels.This is a problem which is just pertinent to Maldives , their are other island nations which are at the same sea level and could be facing the same danger.Its just a question of awareness and that's exactly what Mohamed Nasheed ,president of Maldives wants to do - spread awareness and save his countrymen from total annihilation in the next 90 years or so.
Readers might find this funny but Maldives has in their federal budget line a plan to "buy another nation" it sounds both funny and desperate and that's exactly what the situation is.
The fact that Maldives will meet its watery grave in about a century is not surprising, considering that the highest point on this island nation is just 2.4 meters or 7.8 feet above sea level. More importantly, its average height is just 1.5 meters above sea level, which means that a rise of just 1.5 meters in the ocean level will submerge 80 percent of the island.
I am pretty sure everyone would understand the logic of why sea levels are rising because of more emission of green house gases and the subsequent melting of polar ice caps/glaciers.However there is one more element of the oceans / water bodies expanding because of rising temperature , due to which they would encroach into island nations.
The country had a GDP of US$ 1.4 billion which is roughly 2% of Bill Gates net worth , out of sheer desperation the island nation is building an artificial island - Hulhumale which would host close to 80000 of the Maldives people.It is a stop gap arrangement and a way to buy more time unless the rest of nations do something about it.
The sinking of the island is inevitable as the Green house emissions wont reduce dramatically in the next 50 years , hence something should be done on a global scale to accept the beautiful people of Maldives in some countries.It has to be a collective effort and planned out effort.
Like the former president of Maldives said "What is our fate today , will be yours tomorrow".....
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
The White Masai
Just finished reading "The White Masai" a true life story of Corinne Hoffman , a Swiss national who fell in love with a Masai from Kenya.Its truly an extraordinary love story which surpassed the racial and cultural barriers.
What is even more amazing , is that Corinne herself was handicapped in communicating in English whilst she travelled first to Kenya with her boyfriend.Its a story of love at first sight and how two individuals in spite of coming from two different backgrounds stayed together and communicated with each other using sign language and broken English.
The novel unfolds into the daily struggle faced by the Masai people and how daily existence is a struggle , makes one feel privileged to have what we have in our respective lives.It also makes the reader think whether people can fall in love at the first sight and how does one find out who / what is the best possible situation for us to be in ....all though I had my one set of questions in terms of how could the protagonist - Corrine fall in love in a second and also than was able to justify her decision to stay and settle in Kenya...leaving behind a very luxurious lifestyle in Biel,Switzerland.
The novel has been made into a movie and was a hit in the foreign language film category.Its a must read for those who believe in hope , the power of love and want to make the world a better place.
Anyways the novel does have a twist at the end ...and makes up for a nice read overall...
Lookout for more reviews coming up...
What is even more amazing , is that Corinne herself was handicapped in communicating in English whilst she travelled first to Kenya with her boyfriend.Its a story of love at first sight and how two individuals in spite of coming from two different backgrounds stayed together and communicated with each other using sign language and broken English.
The novel unfolds into the daily struggle faced by the Masai people and how daily existence is a struggle , makes one feel privileged to have what we have in our respective lives.It also makes the reader think whether people can fall in love at the first sight and how does one find out who / what is the best possible situation for us to be in ....all though I had my one set of questions in terms of how could the protagonist - Corrine fall in love in a second and also than was able to justify her decision to stay and settle in Kenya...leaving behind a very luxurious lifestyle in Biel,Switzerland.
The novel has been made into a movie and was a hit in the foreign language film category.Its a must read for those who believe in hope , the power of love and want to make the world a better place.
Anyways the novel does have a twist at the end ...and makes up for a nice read overall...
Lookout for more reviews coming up...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
ICC 2009 Champions Trophy Predictions
With the Champions trophy approaching the semi final stage , with three semi-finalist confirmed - England,New Zealand and Pakistan my prediction is as follows
> Until and unless a miracle happens Australia will be the 4th semi finalists and will top the group.
> 1st Semi final - Australia Vs England - Australia will win
> 2nd Semi final - Pakistan Vs New Zealand - Pakistan will win
Final - Australia Vs Pakistan - Winner - Bookies would favour Australia , but I would say that it depends on how mercurial Pakistan behave on that day ...however I would favour the Pakis to go ballistic during the finals and win a close encounter.....
Whatever the result hats off to Younis Khan and the team for performing well in international tournaments inspite of not having played much cricket in the past 12 months unlike their high profile neighbours ...you know what I mean....
> Until and unless a miracle happens Australia will be the 4th semi finalists and will top the group.
> 1st Semi final - Australia Vs England - Australia will win
> 2nd Semi final - Pakistan Vs New Zealand - Pakistan will win
Final - Australia Vs Pakistan - Winner - Bookies would favour Australia , but I would say that it depends on how mercurial Pakistan behave on that day ...however I would favour the Pakis to go ballistic during the finals and win a close encounter.....
Whatever the result hats off to Younis Khan and the team for performing well in international tournaments inspite of not having played much cricket in the past 12 months unlike their high profile neighbours ...you know what I mean....
Thursday, September 24, 2009
How Chappell and Packer changed the face of cricket.
Cricketing purists have always been ruing over the fact on how the popularity of test cricket been dwindling with the introduction of the one day format.Well if we go back into the 1960's-70's we would realize it was the bureaucrats of the game who forced the phenomenon of the one day format to come into existence.Its always interesting to know how some events / actions change the course of history.The Genesis of One Day cricket format was not out of the sheer drive of the cricketing bureaucrats to introduce a new format to draw more crowds to the stadium.Neither was test crickets popularity diminishing in any way during the 1970's.It was the sheer frustration of a handful of Aussie cricketers led by Ian Chappel with the Australian Cricket Board ably led by the great Sir Donald Bradman.It all started with the request from the then current Australian side for a pay hike which was rejected by the ACB citing umpteen number of reasons which had no rationale.Repeated requests by the cricketers for a marginal hike was met with sheer negativity.But as a sagacious man once said " When God closes one door , He opens another one."This time the open door for Chappell and his men was that of the Aussie business tycoon Kerry Packer.Packer approached Ian Chappell with the concept of one day cricket and off course with a lucrative remuneration.The concept was launched and the first world series of cricket was scheduled , critics and board members coined the format as pyjama cricket and involved players were levied with a life ban for never to play cricket for Australia.Chappell was responsible for selecting players to be involved in the World Series format and was also looking after the branding /marketing of the game on behalf of Packer.
Met with resentment from the governing authorities the game was played and was accepted by the public as an exciting form of cricket with colored clothing , under lights ...in a way just mirroring baseball in North America.
The rest as we know is history , the ODI format has changed the face of cricket and is permanent fixture of any cricket tour.With advent of Chappells intervention with endorsements and the new game , the current crop of cricketers owe a lot to the struggle and sacrifices Chappell and his men made to make One Dayers a reality.
Food for thought - will Lalit Modi deserve the same for introducing T20 ...only time will tell...
Met with resentment from the governing authorities the game was played and was accepted by the public as an exciting form of cricket with colored clothing , under lights ...in a way just mirroring baseball in North America.
The rest as we know is history , the ODI format has changed the face of cricket and is permanent fixture of any cricket tour.With advent of Chappells intervention with endorsements and the new game , the current crop of cricketers owe a lot to the struggle and sacrifices Chappell and his men made to make One Dayers a reality.
Food for thought - will Lalit Modi deserve the same for introducing T20 ...only time will tell...
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Punter Vs Tendalia/Lara
Congratulations to Ponting aka Punter for surpassing Allan Borders feat of the highest run scorer in test cricket for Australia.Considering how consistently prolific he has been over the last eight years, it was only a matter of time before he went on to become Australia's leading run scorer in Tests.
Considering the fact that he has broken the record in 134 test is phenomenal as it is 22 tests less than what Allan Border played in his cricketing life.Immediately the next question is whether Ponting is better than Tendulkar or Lara.Its a difficult question to ask and answer and pundit all over the cricketing fraternity will have different viewpoints.
My opinion on this is purely based on as a spectator and follower of the game , I would rate Ponting definitely as a better batsman in comparison to Tendulkar and Lara and I have my own gumption's for that.
Firstly , Punter made his international test debut 6 years post Tendulkar and 5 years post Lara in December 1995.Hence both Tendular and Lara have a lead of playing 6-5 years more test cricket before Ponting burst into the scene.Tendulkar has till date played 159 tests followed by Ponting at 134 tests and Lara at 131 tests. There is very little to separate between the trio wrt to the batting average with Ponting leading the pack at 55.25 , which is also the highest amongst the top 18 test run aggregators of all time.
Now Ponting has had an advantage of being part of a very strong Australian side since the time he has made his debut right up till 2008.Hayden and Langer one of the all time opening pair greats , used to build up a good start and as a result also tire the opposition bowlers.One down Ponting used to enter the scene and start scoring his bulk of the runs , however nothing can be taken away from him as he used to ensure playing a long inning to build a huge total for the team.This was a prvilege which Lara never had throughout his career and most definitely Tendulkar never had for the first 14-15 years of his career.
In terms of the quality of bowlers they have faced the same quality in all the oppositions , with exception of the Warne factor. Having said that neither of Lara or Tendulkar have ever had any major trouble tackling Warne.
Most of the runs Ponting has scored have resulted in a win situation for Australia , which cant be said for Tendulkar and Lara.Lara and Tendulkara have a fool proof batting style and have faced all forms of attack at various surfaces successfully , the same can't be said for Ponting as he has had congenital problems with off spin.
The fact that Punter has scored all his runs with a handicap of playing test cricket for a period of less than 5-6 yesars as compared to Lara and Tendulkar , simply prove on how good a batsman he is.
One can't predict whether he can break Tendulkars record of highest amount of test runs as both players are of the same age , Ponting is building a new team for Australia and would be handing over the team to Pup over the next 2 years.This does give him an opportunity to bat for longer periods as the openers slot is fragile.
As no one can take away the tag of the best spin bowler ever from Warne even though Murali might land with 850 wickets , likewise Punter would be remembered as the best batsman ever of the modern era.
Considering the fact that he has broken the record in 134 test is phenomenal as it is 22 tests less than what Allan Border played in his cricketing life.Immediately the next question is whether Ponting is better than Tendulkar or Lara.Its a difficult question to ask and answer and pundit all over the cricketing fraternity will have different viewpoints.
My opinion on this is purely based on as a spectator and follower of the game , I would rate Ponting definitely as a better batsman in comparison to Tendulkar and Lara and I have my own gumption's for that.
Firstly , Punter made his international test debut 6 years post Tendulkar and 5 years post Lara in December 1995.Hence both Tendular and Lara have a lead of playing 6-5 years more test cricket before Ponting burst into the scene.Tendulkar has till date played 159 tests followed by Ponting at 134 tests and Lara at 131 tests. There is very little to separate between the trio wrt to the batting average with Ponting leading the pack at 55.25 , which is also the highest amongst the top 18 test run aggregators of all time.
Now Ponting has had an advantage of being part of a very strong Australian side since the time he has made his debut right up till 2008.Hayden and Langer one of the all time opening pair greats , used to build up a good start and as a result also tire the opposition bowlers.One down Ponting used to enter the scene and start scoring his bulk of the runs , however nothing can be taken away from him as he used to ensure playing a long inning to build a huge total for the team.This was a prvilege which Lara never had throughout his career and most definitely Tendulkar never had for the first 14-15 years of his career.
In terms of the quality of bowlers they have faced the same quality in all the oppositions , with exception of the Warne factor. Having said that neither of Lara or Tendulkar have ever had any major trouble tackling Warne.
Most of the runs Ponting has scored have resulted in a win situation for Australia , which cant be said for Tendulkar and Lara.Lara and Tendulkara have a fool proof batting style and have faced all forms of attack at various surfaces successfully , the same can't be said for Ponting as he has had congenital problems with off spin.
The fact that Punter has scored all his runs with a handicap of playing test cricket for a period of less than 5-6 yesars as compared to Lara and Tendulkar , simply prove on how good a batsman he is.
One can't predict whether he can break Tendulkars record of highest amount of test runs as both players are of the same age , Ponting is building a new team for Australia and would be handing over the team to Pup over the next 2 years.This does give him an opportunity to bat for longer periods as the openers slot is fragile.
As no one can take away the tag of the best spin bowler ever from Warne even though Murali might land with 850 wickets , likewise Punter would be remembered as the best batsman ever of the modern era.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Can we make a difference ?
A conversation with a relative hovered on how Non Resident Indian's and People of Indian Origin staying out of India impact the economy of the country.We as PIO's genereally talk about the merits/demerits of many sociopolitical situations in our country of origin.The question lies in the fact what differece can we make as individuals.I know that to make any impact one needs a group of people to , but do we as individuals want to be part of a group that will make a difference to the sociopolitical state of our country.
The common ramblings which we get to hear and take part in are how / when will the infrastructure of the country improve , when would we have a more stable government , when would we take more medals at the Olympics , why is population the root cause of everything so on and so forth ?
Well let me take a view on this which might sound diabolical , we as PIO'S/NRI's are one of the root causes which is slowing down the growth of the political/economic and social situation of India.I know while reading this the questions which will prop up will be WHY ?? HOW ?? IS THIS GUY INSANE....well think what you may want to but its true.....
From an macro economic perspective the barometer of success is GDP or other factors like per capita income.Now India's GDP has been clocking an amazing growth rate over the past 10 years but GDP is a myth for a country like India.Numbers like GDP , NDP etc are like bikini's they hide more than what they reveal , thats the beauty of numbers.....Well realistically if we divide the GDP by the total population we get a ratio called as per capita GDP...now in any developing country like India GDP is primarily contributed to by the middle class and the upper class population which would contribute to maybe 10% our total population.Generally all of us migrating out of India belong to this 10% , hence we hamper the numerator of the ratio substantially and the decrease in the denominator is minimal....hmm I think this might be confusing well more simply put its like the main bread earners for the country are leaving the country to take up jobs/or study outside India.
Thats the first dent which we cause to the economy , morever at the same time we are adding up positively to the economy and GDP to the adopted country in which all of us are residing...which is apt and there is nothing wrong in it as its the duty of an individual to contribute positively towards the society and economy of the country which has provided him/her with the oppurtunity to live successfully...by adding on to the growth of an developed nation one just increases the gap between India and other countries.
Off late in the past 10 years we have seen a lot of inflow in Institutional investors of Indian origin pumping in money to India to invest in projects ...however this is with the vested interest of earning profits and is a short term gain for India.
To bring in a radical revolution in the country one needs an intellectual think tank to lay down a premise for the revolution which is lacking currently or are in minorities in India.India desperately needs an intellectual revolution wherein like minded people are driven by patriotic feelings for the country rather than vested interest of monetary nature of the politburo.
If we really love our motherland there are some basic things which we can do :-
> Repatriate at some point of time (permanently/temporarily) to India for some charitable cause.
> Create a group of industrialists/entreprenuers which would support / put forth viable business plans and solutions for the betterment of our country in terms of infrastructure,sports and social and pathological improvements.
> Always put forth a positive and realistic picture of India in front of people from other cultures/countries.
> Inspire development by leveraging and sharing of good things from other cultures and countries at times we fall in the trap of reinventing the wheel.
> Try and encourage the build of manufacturing and infrastructure build up instead of setting up of a services sector.
> Learn and appreciate from China instead of criticising them....
Hence think before you talk about the demerits of certain amenities/cultural boundaries back home.
JAI HO !!!!
The common ramblings which we get to hear and take part in are how / when will the infrastructure of the country improve , when would we have a more stable government , when would we take more medals at the Olympics , why is population the root cause of everything so on and so forth ?
Well let me take a view on this which might sound diabolical , we as PIO'S/NRI's are one of the root causes which is slowing down the growth of the political/economic and social situation of India.I know while reading this the questions which will prop up will be WHY ?? HOW ?? IS THIS GUY INSANE....well think what you may want to but its true.....
From an macro economic perspective the barometer of success is GDP or other factors like per capita income.Now India's GDP has been clocking an amazing growth rate over the past 10 years but GDP is a myth for a country like India.Numbers like GDP , NDP etc are like bikini's they hide more than what they reveal , thats the beauty of numbers.....Well realistically if we divide the GDP by the total population we get a ratio called as per capita GDP...now in any developing country like India GDP is primarily contributed to by the middle class and the upper class population which would contribute to maybe 10% our total population.Generally all of us migrating out of India belong to this 10% , hence we hamper the numerator of the ratio substantially and the decrease in the denominator is minimal....hmm I think this might be confusing well more simply put its like the main bread earners for the country are leaving the country to take up jobs/or study outside India.
Thats the first dent which we cause to the economy , morever at the same time we are adding up positively to the economy and GDP to the adopted country in which all of us are residing...which is apt and there is nothing wrong in it as its the duty of an individual to contribute positively towards the society and economy of the country which has provided him/her with the oppurtunity to live successfully...by adding on to the growth of an developed nation one just increases the gap between India and other countries.
Off late in the past 10 years we have seen a lot of inflow in Institutional investors of Indian origin pumping in money to India to invest in projects ...however this is with the vested interest of earning profits and is a short term gain for India.
To bring in a radical revolution in the country one needs an intellectual think tank to lay down a premise for the revolution which is lacking currently or are in minorities in India.India desperately needs an intellectual revolution wherein like minded people are driven by patriotic feelings for the country rather than vested interest of monetary nature of the politburo.
If we really love our motherland there are some basic things which we can do :-
> Repatriate at some point of time (permanently/temporarily) to India for some charitable cause.
> Create a group of industrialists/entreprenuers which would support / put forth viable business plans and solutions for the betterment of our country in terms of infrastructure,sports and social and pathological improvements.
> Always put forth a positive and realistic picture of India in front of people from other cultures/countries.
> Inspire development by leveraging and sharing of good things from other cultures and countries at times we fall in the trap of reinventing the wheel.
> Try and encourage the build of manufacturing and infrastructure build up instead of setting up of a services sector.
> Learn and appreciate from China instead of criticising them....
Hence think before you talk about the demerits of certain amenities/cultural boundaries back home.
JAI HO !!!!
Welcome to the Fight Club
I watched Fight Club yesterday and the movie had profound impact on me.Don't panic I don't suffer from a personality disorder.But what I do realize that each one of us has an alter ego which is subdued somewhere in our subconscious mind. We constantly have an inner struggle with our alter ego in each and every decision we take in life.The alter ego could be at times negative and at other times positive depending on one's state of mind. GOD blessed us all with a brain , but over the past 10000 years of human existence as a homo sapien the brain has proved to be both a boon and a bane.
All of us are sometimes forced to lead and live our life's in accordance with the norms of the society.Now some of these norms are archaic and totally irrelevant in present times , hence they need to be modified.As most of the societies and cultures don't offer a flexibility of modification this leads for the human mind to struggle and ultimately choose path to redemption and complete self satisfaction. Some people who inherently are introverted and like to lead a quiet life are forced to lead a completely extrovert and public life due to circumstances and paths they have chosen.Some people are lucky to lead lives which completely match their personalities and inner self , these cases of a person with no alter ego , because life and society has offered them all they wanted.
In the movie "Fight Club" Edward Norton creates a split personality in Brad Pitt and leads his desired form of life through his character. Some people would described such people as insane and mentally sick , but I would take a different perspective on it.I think its in our human rights to live our lives the way we want to , till the time we don't harm anyone.Nature has given us better sensing capabilities as compared to all other animals and we need to exercise our basic right to live to the fullest. Hence let other live life in accordance with their own terms and lets not criticise each other with what is defined as right or wrong by the norms of the society.
All of us are sometimes forced to lead and live our life's in accordance with the norms of the society.Now some of these norms are archaic and totally irrelevant in present times , hence they need to be modified.As most of the societies and cultures don't offer a flexibility of modification this leads for the human mind to struggle and ultimately choose path to redemption and complete self satisfaction. Some people who inherently are introverted and like to lead a quiet life are forced to lead a completely extrovert and public life due to circumstances and paths they have chosen.Some people are lucky to lead lives which completely match their personalities and inner self , these cases of a person with no alter ego , because life and society has offered them all they wanted.
In the movie "Fight Club" Edward Norton creates a split personality in Brad Pitt and leads his desired form of life through his character. Some people would described such people as insane and mentally sick , but I would take a different perspective on it.I think its in our human rights to live our lives the way we want to , till the time we don't harm anyone.Nature has given us better sensing capabilities as compared to all other animals and we need to exercise our basic right to live to the fullest. Hence let other live life in accordance with their own terms and lets not criticise each other with what is defined as right or wrong by the norms of the society.
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