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Thursday, January 31, 2008

New look !!

From wierd look to new cool look in 13 days. I know its a bit long in the blog world, but couldn't help it. Became a bit busy with work, and getting rid of the extra image and text due to the template-import-accident took me a painful 2-3 hours. Then re-doing rest of the page and the new template took another one, though this was easier. Better late than never!

So please let me know how you like the new look. Its one of the available templates so nothing great about it. But after the last disaster, I'll need some time to summon the courage to experiment again. But next time I'll have a backup of my current template!!

Hey .. there are some new things too - the newsreel being one of them. Feel free to comment on the changes as well.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Blog in trouble!!

I know you are wondering why there is this weird look of my blog, and I apologize for that!! In an effort to give a new look to the blog, I tried some customizations and new templates. I was not happy with how it looked and tried to change things - and viola - my blog is in a bad shape.

Now it is in a stage where I will take some time and hard work to set it right! And I reckon 1:30AM on a Wednesday night (Thursday morning to be precise) is not the best time to do it. So now you know what I am going to do this weekend .. obviously fix the problems with this page!! Time for a thorough review of the html code, possibly using Visual Studio, followed by repair.

Apologies again! Please come back next week for a better look!!

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

13 vs 11

What am I talking about? Of course, the Sydney test! Everyone and his aunt has talked and written about this and I dont need an elaborate blog on the same topic. So I leave you with a few numbers, views and yes - a very well compiled video.

Poor umpiring decisions happen virtually in every match but 8 in one match and 7 against one team is too much to say the least. Add it up with cheating (yes, cheating) by Symonds, Ponting & Clarke, we had a team of 13 against 11. And as Kumble rightly said - 'Only one team played with the spirit of the game'. So true.

Enjoy this video - it shows all the wrong decisions and unfair play in the match.



Credit to this video goes to ESPN/Star who created it and Mr. chatrapathi6 who put it up on Youtube!!

Friday, January 04, 2008

Winter, my new office in Houston and my b'day gift!

I had done some homework about the weather before reaching Houston. I was told that its not as cold as north of US, it never snows, and winters are fairly comfy. And summers, they are very, very hot. I landed in winter, 31st December, and it was indeed a comfortable chill - around 10 degree Celsius.

But 2008 had other plans. The mercury dipped constantly, and when I checked the weather today morning, I was amused and intrigued. Amused - because it said "4 degree Celsius, feels like -1 degrees"!!. Intrigued - because it was going to be my first sub zero experience.

Coming back to the forecast - what on earth does "4 degree Celsius, feels like -1 degrees" mean? I figured out soon - the winds make it much colder than the temperature. Makes sense, doesn't it? And yes, it did feel like that. My fingers were numb by the time we reached office - even though it took only 10 minutes and we were in the warm car!! Lately every one has been talking about global warming. But temperatures in lot of places have been hitting their minimum in ages (Delhi, maybe Houston also). Seems more like 'Global cooling' - may be I can take credit for coining this new term!!

Its evening now and still very, very chilly. I never used - rather never had - a jacket. Now it is a must have when I leave home!! So lots of new experiences already in 3 days. Ever seen ducks in a pond in office? I see that everyday. Whoever thought of it might have been a genius. It looks and feels so good! Lots of trees surround the pond, and there are bridges over it and ducks in and around it - all this inside a corporate campus full of swanky buildings, smooth roads and fast cars!!

Contrary to my thoughts, people here are very friendly. Though they tend to respect and expect personal space, once you get talking, they tend to make you very comfortable. I am already friends with Glenn & Harry, and they are not even in my team!! Traffic is very much organized here, and pedestrians are shown respect by car drivers. Folks, don't get carried away - I haven’t spent enough time here yet to find stuff which I didn't like (except food of course!), so lets enjoy stuff which I liked!

And yes, its celebration time! Sachin Tendulkar just gifted me a century on my birthday. Its much more special because he has been getting out in nineties for way too long, the last century coming in May against Bangladesh, and his last against a worthwhile team coming two years back!. Congratulations and thank you Sachin!! You made my day :).