Ghajini and Memento

Today is the release of the much anticipated Hindi film Ghajini… Ever since I landed in India, I have been listening and watching so much about this film promos.…All about the talented actor , his hard work to get the desired look, the songs, the competition among Bollywood actors and what not… So I, just like millions others, am very curious to see what the film is all about.

Interestingly, not much has been talked about the story…. After all, most Hindi movies treat stories so secondary…like a side act… Its more of the same melodrama pattern. Most of the movies, with some notable exceptions, are all about the actors, the gossips and the music. But I thought this movie was little different.. After all it is from the India’s Oscar nominated actor… I expected maybe another original masterpieces like Lagan or Rang de Basanti . Maybe this movie also will be something memorable.

But, after initial review, it looks like Ghajini is a blatant remake of the film Memento. There is nothing wrong in basing the story on the other films. But this is more than that. I don’t see any mention of this fact anywhere either… That’s interesting since the entire entertainment industry is fighting against the piracy and rightfully so. Irony is when the whos who of the filmmakers do the same thing without acknowledging the original work. I just read the interview of the lead actor suggesting that Ghajini is not a remake of Memento and it made me laugh. It is and we know it.. Sorry your lies have been caught.

Let the Big 3 go…..

The latest of the economic turmoil has been rolling with no end in sight. The whole American auto industry is trying to take the entire economy hostage. The plea to save the Big 3 US auto makers is going against all odds of the capitalism. Its shame things have come down this low. We already heard the argument that if the finance sector is not saved, the entire economy will come spirally down… To certain extent that scenario made sense. The finance sector is integral part of the interdependent global economies. The enormous scale of the problem made it necessary without a choice to bail them out.

The argument to save the inefficient American automakers is however, downright ridiculous. It will be worth seeing just exactly how much damage it will really cause… The short term impact on Detroit and auto dependent cities is imminent. But the way these auto makers are holding us accountable for their inefficiencies is indeed disturbing. At this rate, any American business that can not compete globally can plead for federal bailout. This type of protectionism got to stop.

The fact is that GM, Ford and Chrysler can not compete in the marketplace. There is no other way around it. Just because they are American icons, consumers can’t keep buying defective cars in a competitive market place where several choices are easily available. I am of the opinion to let them go… There is nothing patriotic about saving uncompetitive, inefficient business practice. If these auto makers can’t compete with their global counterparts, they should be fold. Big 3 are have been plagued with problems for decades. Their products are outdated, their technologies are far from state of the art, the efficiencies of the operations are nowhere to be seen. The unions and workers have hard pill to swallow and realize that unless they improve there is no job guarantee.

I still believe that bailing these 3 is a mistake. Its sending wrong signal that patriotisms can hide inefficiencies and incompetence. In this world, we all strive to be perfect to attain our goals and dreams. Same should be true for the business, regardless of the national identity. Let the market decide who wins and loose. Let the big 3 go, if they can’t compete.

My trip back home........

I must admit we weren’t prepared for this much of an adventure, when we were planning for our journey to Mumbai... Flying for 24 hours across the continent is boring enough. Add two super active toddlers to that equation and you will understand how dreadful I was planning for it. Of course, rewards were incredible…getting to see my parents and my sisters and my family… Nothing beats that … So we were prepared for the long ride of over 30+ hours from start to finish.

The start was nothing unusual… usual procedural security stuff. Getting admired for being prepared and handling of cute babies was pleasing…. The layover was again usual security stuff …procedural. No complains in wake of all the terrorism, threats etc… Finally we reach our destination. Get through the maze of airport , collect our belongings and hurray… we were out !! We made it. Now just few more hours and we will be back home…. Can’t wait……

As we were approaching the entrance, I call my sister and I hear her concerned voice. What’s wrong I ask her…. And news was shocking. Mumbai was just attacked by the terrorist a couple hours ago and situation was very tense, very confusing and very scary… The attacks were still going on …We had to make it all the way out of the city by car . We were already so tired and exhausted by the flight.. sleepless for over 30 hours and now the unknown more hours to get home… We weren’t really prepared for that. Is anyone really?

But somehow it worked. Our driver managed to get us out in one piece without missing a beat. Driving through several areas where bombs had just exploded couple hours before was so surreal and ire. Going through several of those specially armed security check points at that wee hour of night was unnerving… But all those cops were so polite and respectful.. We made it home safely.. To see my parents and sisters was priceless. After all, that’s what life is all about ………

Terrorisms in all forms should be condemned. Especially the one , where innocents are killed for the sake of killing. There are several other peaceful ways to get your message across and killing innocent people is the most coward way…..Its shameful and inhumane.…

After realizing all that just happened, and the fact that we were so close to it and yet managed to get out of it so swiftly, I have not enough words to thank all those who protect us. Things could be better, sure ..but all those folks in uniform.. I have more respect for you than ever!!

Less is Better

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/are-there-just-too-many-p_b_144065.html Recently, I came across this article and liked the way its written. The over population is causing astounding problems across the globe. The article made me thinking more because of my upcoming India trip. In India, the moment you enter the airport , the situation of human excess comes at your face and you can't escape it until you leave. No matter how far India progresses with technological advances, the ever increasing human population is going to be a burden. Sadly the value of human life is diminishing faster than ever. And its alarming and disturbing. Here in US, the excess human population is not as visible since the resident population vs available resources are not as disproportionate. The overflowing influx of the immigrants probably will change that soon. But for now, people are not as much hurting for quality of life due to over population. Human life is precious and must be cherished. But the new trend of 5+ children in well-to-do families is disturbing. Celebrities are trying to make it fashionable to have more kids. I think its a very dangerous proposition. Just because you can afford to have and take care of more kids, one shouldn't keep breeding. The long term repercussions of this are just as bad as poor people trying to have kids for more helping hands. Sadly, neither is right. I, just like most human beings, will never think the world would be better off without us. Nobody wants to think they are the surplus human being who should not have been born. The ever increasing life expectancy is adding on to the cause but that's not as critical as new births. I tend to favor the argument of controlling the birthrates to curb the population explosion. And the truth is the over population is asymmetrical across the planet. Poor countries are more populace than rich countries. China used its government and socialism to curb the birth rates. It is debatable the way they tried it. I am sure there are better democratic ways to get there. But China results are attainable and their progress towards prosperity is real. I would certainly not like governments and lawmakers deciding how many children one should have. Being a feminist, I am fully supportive of woman's right to choose. Every woman should be educated enough and free enough to think it through. Pity on those celebrities and politicians parading their herd of children. Nothing impressive there... Sorry, world is better off by ' less than more' !

Predicting Dow Jones year end finish

This is the routine exercise I do with my investment buddies. Predicting the finish for the Dow Jones Industrial average for the year end. Purely speculative projections..In other words, just a way to figure out who has the best chance to win the lottery... After all, stock market has become more of a gamble than anything else we learnt in school. Beginning of the year, all of us were riding on the wave that the Dow was sure to cross 13000 and more by year end... Funny it seems like a distant memory in today's dire scenario. So all the big bulls have been tamed and with the new reality, we decided to play the game all over again and revise the numbers. ( This is not cheating, trust me) Utterly optimist ( that's me) is projecting it finishing at around 10000. My best buddy the Realist has it at 8000. The F&O Queen (proven bear who is making short term gains on falling market even while the real portfolio is tanking) has it at 7500. The Guru has it at 7000 ... The rest of the group is scattered in the middle .. The +/- 50 points will be considered winner... So with 59 days left for the year end the game is on. Join us if you like. Just for fun... I know I am a long shot considering the current downward trend... Lets see .... PS. The winner will get to pick the next big lottery numbers ;)

Big Win !

As much as I was tired of it towards the end, I must say, it was an overwhelming political drama last few months. Being the political junkie, I was glued to the TV on the election night. Not too much anxiety over the results but just the ambivalent perspective towards the next president. It does feel right that Mr. Obama pulled it through convincingly.. In the end, it was the perfect storm of economic turmoil that helped him sail through the victory. In my day to day life, I don't think it makes any difference whoever won. But this time the excitement was around the way the status- quo was challenged. ... It was very impressive to see the rise of an articulate, ambitious and charismatic Obama inspiring millions with his message of hope and change. It is inspiring to see that the change can happen in the kaleidoscopic demographics of America. Anything is possible in democracies. Now having seen two of world's largest democracies at work, I must admit, it was quite a spectacle USA put on ! Hats off Obama ! Hats off USA !!

Celebrating Womanhood during Diwali

When I am explaining my non-Indian friends what's Diwali, there is something that makes me subtly proud. Being a woman, the last two days of Diwali celebration are very special to me. The days of Padva and Bhaubeej. The days to celebrate the essence of being a woman-honoring the contributions of a wife and a sister. When I tell my non-Indian friends about it, they are jealous that they don't have anything special for a wife and or a sister ( Valentine day doesn't count, its for lovers) I am happy to see that centuries ago, despite being predominantly male dominated, my culture decided to acknowledge the contributions of the women. The joy isn't about getting gifts or stuff like that. Gifts are very secondary. Besides, now a days, there isn't much left in gift giving and receiving..everyone has everything..plus a good percentage of these wives and sisters now are capable of earning and can buy whatever they wish.. That's not the whole point. Getting acknowledged is.... I understand, that it still tilts little male oriented , in the sense that you still have to have a husband and a brother for these days but still centuries ago, when they decided to have these special days as part of our festival of light, they covered a large chunk of the women population. And I am thankful we at-least got that. I am a feminist but not the fighter type. I have come to realize that you can gain substantially by negotiating and compromising than fighting. More of the democratic way than the autocratic. I grew up in the house where being a daughter was nothing less important than being a son. And growing up with two smart sisters was icing on the cake. In a way, I never had to fight the gender bias . There was no inherent inequality either. I am proud to be a daughter, sister, wife and now a mother but more importantly I absolutely love being a woman. That's why these two women centric holidays make my Diwali very special... Let's celebrate .. Cheers to Womanhood!

Rewarding wrong behaviour

My current state of mind is little nervous. Just like millions around the world, I am anxious about the economic turmoil. My entire life is not dependent on stock market swings (luckily may be) but its unnerving to see my hard earned folio free falling. Of all the things I hate, sense of helplessness is the worst..History suggests that its just a cyclical pattern and the bulls will come back again. But do we have enough patience to wait? Stock market is just one of the indicators, a reactive factor. If the economies are in shamble, the stock market can't do much either... Besides just like million others, I am just a by-stander watching from the sidelines. Neither do I have insider information nor enough clout to change the policies... And I am not happy that we have to go through this much of a mess because of sheer greed of wise and unwise fools. The solutions policymakers are offering look like a ransom in exchange of hostage. Every time why the remedy has to be at the expense of the good behaviour? I know the whole thing started with the bad housing loans. We blame banks for lending irresponsibly but all those borrowers should have known better too. Most of these defaulting people knew very well what they could afford and what not.. I don't believe for second that they are innocent either... With the abundance of the easy credit, people have forgotten the basic rule of living within their means. When are these credit hocked folks going to learn save $2 and spend only $8 if you make $ 10.....This does not at all mean that one shouldn't be ambitious and dream big. But financing these shady dreams with over the top credit is not a wise way of living. I know this nation is proud of the personal negative savings rate and capitalism is fueled by the personal consumption and spending. But in these bad times one can see how the credit empires can crumble spirally down uncontrollably and good moderate people get rolled helplessly. I was watching Suzy Orman show couple years ago and I heard her advising somebody about declaring the bankruptcy. I am glad that bankruptcy loophole is now closed but now here comes the foreclosure mess. Its really hard to be sympathetic about either situation ( except in the very unfortunate situations related to health, disability or death) People who pay off their monthly credit cards on time get screwed by higher interest rates because of people who make only minimum payments. People making regular mortgage payments get screwed by defaulter in the form of falling house values. People trying to save through planning and sacrifice get screwed by the historically low interest rates. And if we were to get universal health care, we will also be paying for all those illegal undocumented immigrants through higher taxes. Where is the incentive to save if the interest rates are hovering around 2-4 % and temptations to spend are limitless? Somehow, people in the middle always get burnt. It almost seems like society as a whole is rewarding bad behaviour often enough. All those hard working, responsible, law biding people of middle class get sandwiched every time. In the middle, you are not fortunate enough like all those CEOs who still get their millions in severance packages despite their faulty judgements and wrong decisions and in the middle you are not destitute enough to get benefits of social welfare either....In fact, you are rescuing both of them without a choice. That's why there should be a solid third party for independents !!!

And the winner is.............

As predicted, yesterday's final debate was once again the boring fiasco. Rehashing the same old... Sadly, neither Democrats nor Republicans have convincing solutions. Both candidates, as predicted were very calculated and lacked care, passion and spontaneity. Mostly they offered only half of the equation diluted with special interests... ...So one would think that the independents will shine through this like stars..... but Ralph Nadar ????? BTW, one thing for sure, they need to get rid of all the same debate moderators from the sixties era... All four moderators were weightless and very ineffective. So much for by partisan journalism...Maybe they should have Oprah, Ryan Seacrest, Ellen Degeneres and even David Letterman, Jay Leno types. At least they will be able to extract the true personality under the mask of these well scripted candidates.. So in the end, sadly the winner is : working man named Joe from Toledo, Ohio ... He got his 15 minutes of fame..

Political Drama

Hush ! finally the long exhausting election season is coming to an end soon.. I don't even live in those so called battleground states.. but I am exhausted listening about it already. We are down to the last political debate. All pundits have rolled their sleeves up . The self proclaimed best political teams on every news channel are ready to fight over party lines. No doubt, Democrats are going to claim victory for Mr. Obama... and Republicans for Mr. McCain. Hopefully the format will be little more effective than the two debates before.. and hopefully both candidates will keep their scripted messages aside and answer the actual questions relevantly .. Is that too much to ask? How about some " straight talk" on real issues with specifics and facts? Well, sure I know they won't risk it but won't it be nice to see the punch fisting real debate? Won't it be fun if they went after each others claims about fixing what is broken or they want us to believe is broken? Well, for me, I still don't have satisfying answers to any of the questions I have from either of the candidates. Answers about health care, better education, improving decline American image in the world, reducing dependence on oil , war for democracy and many more. Besides I am still disappointed about Hillary Clinton not being on ticket and very uncertain about Sarah Palin I guess, nothing will change personally for me either way.. Just like majority of others, I will continue to work my way for my own victories... But still looking forward to tomorrow's debate !

Charity and Capitalism

American Express recently concluded their Members Project campaign. The whole idea was that the members were requested to submit innovative projects that could make a difference in the world. After several vigorous voting rounds, 5 winning projects were to share 2.5 million dollars. On the surface it certainly looked like a great cause to achieve a positive impact in the world. 2.5 Million sure looked like a large enough sum to make a difference.... And then I started to see a massive PR campaign, ranging from TV commercials to pop ups to billboards promoting the idea.. all those commercials with who's who of the celebrities endorsing the project. Now I can see that this is hard-core self-promotion, using $2.5 million from advertising budget to paint itself as a good corporate citizen while spreading its advertising as far as it can. I don't like this type of cheating under name of charity. I am one of those high EQ people with very sensitive tear ducts. So every time I see someone suffering , I want to help. And with best of my abilities I do try to help. I do believe that I am fortunate enough to be born in decent well-to do family with well educated and utmost caring parents. Having a solid start in life is increasingly becoming an integral part of success end game. Sadly, I am starting to realize that the social class one is born into largely determines how successful they will be in life. Admittedly there are quite a few examples where people have broken through the barriers by hard work, efforts and determination but largely our plutocracy society has tried to keep the classes in tact under the name of the welfare.... With ever increasing calamities, disasters and crisis the entire world certainly needs help. I know there are hundred and thousands of people that want make a difference. But purely as a gratitude and without a grandeur! Thankful for whatever we have and trying to help the have- nots. And I am proud to be one of them. I am looking for ways to make a positive impact that touches the lives of people in a significant way, maybe on a very small scale . But my feelings are real and genuine. Anyway the whole thing came about because of AmEx charity/Advertising campaign. And more and more I am looking at this, I am feeling frustration about some of these very well funded charities. Besides I absolutely don't like the way they try to make you feel guilty about not giving every time. I think the focus is more on fund raising than actually helping. Every year American Cancer Society gets over Billion dollars in funding yet they are yet to find cure for cancer. I am sad to see that one of my favourite charity Red Cross spends over 47 % of their money on administration costs including salaries. And AmEx spent millions of dollars advertising budget to promote 2.5 mil in giving to paint itself a nobel corporate citizen. Recently we were invited to a big Gala dinner to raise money to feed the hungry children of developing nations. How strange... only after wasting so much food and with full bellies we can help these hungry children.. All those fortunate, rich and famous attendees don't need to feast on another lavish meal in name of helping starving kids.... Very Ironic ! Charity should be sacrifice. It shouldn't be a calculated expectation in expense of any worthy cause. That's where it clashes with the capitalist nature of human being. We are all so focused on acquiring material wealth,comfort, fame and name. There is nothing wrong with that. But I know I am sensitive enough to help make a difference and truly give hope to those where hope does not exist. One person-one cause at a time.. that's my contribution with genuine scrifice! Let's call that compassionate capitalism !!

Say J for J.............. and not H.. please

I still distinctly remember the first time when we learnt that we were going to have twins... Our family world was filled with joy, excitement, anticipation, worries and what not.. We started to get ready to welcome our double blessings into this world. Along with the usual preparations, came the very interesting part....choosing the names... Now we needed to have two boys and two girls names ready. Just like any other new parents, me and my husband spent hours discussing names. We must have probably gone through several hundreds names . Our criteria were very simple... names with the good solid meaning and aspiration. We very well knew that our babies will be Global Citizens born and raised in US . We wanted the names to be unique and true to our cultural identity. And above all, the names should be very simple to write and pronounce , we certainly wanted to avoid their names and spellings getting butchered every time they introduced themselves. So when they were born, we named them Rajan and Tejas... it was good to have a common letter but not make it too rhyme. We absolutely love the names. And for us both these names are very easy and straightforward to read, write and pronounce.... In the Hospital, their name tags were put on their cribs and the trend began... a lot of people stopping by, including those caring , loving nurses started to call them Rahan and Tehas...At first, I was ok about explaining them that they are not Rahan and Tehas they are Rajan and Tejas. Say it just like its spelled J for J and not H.... I know in Spanish language, you pronounce J for H e.g. Jose is actually called Hose and so on. Me and my husband have both learnt Spanish language a little. So we know this. But we are not Hispanics.. we don't look like them, talk like them... I have nothing against them.. We do know a lot of wonderfully cultured Hispanic people. Funny thing is that none of them mix H with J... They know these are Indian names and we call J for J and H for H. I do not understand why average American will start saying H for J. Why would you mix English and Spanish on inconsistent basis ? I am used to getting my name butchered every time I introduce myself( presumably unintentionally, I suppose) I absolutely love my name and won't change it for anything. When I was born, my parents weren't world travellers. They chose the unique, meaningful name they liked and I am very thankful to them for giving me my beautiful name. I can understand its harder to pronounce for this side of the world and I am very patient in explaining it. What I don't understand however, is the typical stereotypes and ignorance. By any stretch, Rajan and Tejas are not hard names to pronounce . Keep it plain, simple English-- J for J and not H. In this culturally diverse country, do respect the fact that we are Indians and my boys are Rajan and Tejas . If you don't want your Jack to be Hack, Jill to be Hill and Jim to be Him, then don't make my boys rahan and tehas either.... Peace ! Prajakta

Right Time-Wrong Clock

My father looked at one of the clocks I had and said its wrong clock. By habitual default, I thought it needs battery change. I remembered I had just changed battery a few weeks ago.. ( btw, can you think of any other boring, time consuming and repetitious task than changing those batteries and adjusting all those clocks to daylight saving schedules twice a year ? ...really think about how many clocks, watches we change back forth ... car clocks-several hand watches-wall clocks-all those digital clocks on ovens, timers, thermostats and what not. What a waste of time to be on time ! I wonder all those celebrities who boast their closetful of fancy watch collections have someone on staff just to change those clocks back and forth twice a year ;)) anyway, going back to my original story, I glanced at other digital clock and it looked like the timing was correct. I looked at my dad with question mark on my face . He said clock is wrong, not the time..so now with elevated curiosity, I stared at the clock again and there it was.... Can you tell? Ok.. Let me explain, Number 4 on the Roman Number clocks should be IV not IIII.. remember those school days when we learnt all those letter and numbers? and yes I did confirm on google that # 4 in Roman is indeed IV and not IIII. So the clock design is wrong. Now I have come across several clocks and watches that are wrong and I don't believe its creative unique design type of funda to be wrong either.. Paying attention to minute details matters.. one of the many valuable lessons I learned from my dad. And did I mention that I strive to be perfectionist ? So friends, sure you always want to be right place at right time ...BUT check your clock...there is a chance it maybe wrong. Oops !

Fragrant Fall Colors

A glimpse of nature's splendor starts to evolve around early October. The day starts with mild autumn tone coupled with crisp, cool and refreshing chill. Every fall, nature puts on a brilliant color spectacle around us. From bright yellows to vibrant reds, the leaves transform, showing their rich striking and vibrant hues.. The once green trees of spring and summer alter their appearance, displaying such warm colors as fiery red, golden yellow, glowing orange, and rich brown. The whole atmosphere is so beautiful so breathtaking so splendid !

Do you remember the distinctive smell of the earth when it rains for the first time ? The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain drops after a dry sweaty, muggy spell of heat.. It's been over a decade I left India but I still remember that smell. For that matter, I think India is very fragrant country. (Just to make myself clear, I am not talking about all the distinct odors, sniffy smells etc ...ouch... that's a whole different story...I am talking about aromas, fragrances :) Those small flowers like Tuberose, Jasmine, Gardenia, Roses.. tiny delicate flowers packed with powerful fragrance. When the wind whisks away their scents, they make you stop and acknowledge their presence. In US, there are very pretty, beautiful flowers but they lack that powerful fragrance. I have a Jasmine plant and it blooms with 20-25 flowers at a time.. But you almost have to put your nose on it to smell it. Back in India, I am sure it will bask the whole building with its smell.

And now the idea struck my mind..what if we got best of both worlds for both sides of the world ? What if trees and plants in Indian subcontinent started showing beautiful fall colors before they shed their leaves for winter... and what if all those pretty flowers in US side of the world started smelling ? Won't it be ideal ? I know if I Google it, there will be hundreds of pages explaining what happens why and why it's not possible... I don't want to hear all that scientific explanation... I just feel everyone should get to enjoy these natural wonders all over the world. No marketing gimmicks, no profiteering.... Just a refreshing moment to forget everyday hectic chaos.... a brief pause to take a breath and be thankful for common blessings of life.

Delightful Priceless Pleasures-courtesy Nature !

Riding the wild Dow Jones

Today was another crazy day on wall street... just watching it on computer...Dow moved 400+ points both direction throughout the day... It was another wild day of wide swings, heavy buying and selling, high volatility and high volume..In a such a sea-saw day, the lucky day traders must have made a killing. They say gambling is an addiction... what is playing in the stock market then? With complete understanding that its tough on economic front, global front, housing front...all those fronts.. billions were still bet and today was right bet.. I am not sure if the conventional wisdom, financial/ statistical analysis and all that bookish knowledge pays off more or just lil luck and ability to handle risk still brings in the fortunes? But all I know for sure is sitting on the sidelines is not an option. Period !

Inevitable

I was driving my car, and notice the pale red battery light on the dashboard... Oops… battery must be about to give up.. I make the next stop, check the manual.. The manual says that “ Red indicator suggests that battery is not charging up , take it to the nearest service center”... I drive back home. I tell my husband ... we both agree that we should take it to service asap... We definitely don’t want car to break down in middle of busy intersection, get a tow... and all that mess. Plus we have a warranty on the battery!! Drizzle and cloudy skies start the day early next morning. I suggest my husband to take the car to service center. After all, macho man is better there than a pretty woman... (how prejudice me ;) He takes the car to the service center….. By now, the rain has picked up a lot. The auto technician checks the car and of course, its not the part that's warranted, its something else... well, we have no choice...car needs to be fixed... But auto guy also tell him that the station is very busy and they won't be able to fix it until late afternoon. The guy assure him that the car is perfectly drivable and there should be no problem for several more miles.... he calls me to tell the situation...decides to come back.. hurray lets make it a rain day for work…… we plan to go out for lunch and drop off the car after that.......I am expecting him back home in about 15 mins.... I decide to get ready.... 20-25 mins go by... he's a no show... I am starting to wonder and my phone rings... It’s him in frustrated voice on the other side...... the car indeed broke down... battery completely dead... luckily, he managed to stir it away from the busy road...but now, he's stuck in the middle of the house and the center..... I call the tow truck, get in the other car, find him , we wait for the tow truck , get the car towed to the center ...the same technician greets us and towed car with the big surprised face ......It’s raining very hard now...we come back home all soaked, wet and frustrated ....Everything that we wanted to avoid, happened precisely-exactly- sequentially :-l The destined inevitable beat the proactive planning, execution and expert advice this time and I sincerely hope it’s the last time............

American Sports and World Championships

I am married to a sports affectionado whose one of the dreams is to own the season box seats of every game in town...nice dream but hindrance is that I dream of going to all those games in Limo ;) very stylish isn't it? so you see, there's dreaming big individually and there is dreaming bigger jointly... so currently we settle in watching it on TV :( Anyway, I have been watching a lot of American sports on TV regularly, can make sensible comments about it..not only about size, clothes, styles, shoes, cheerleaders but also about strategies, play calls, schedules and what not.. anyone listening? :o Sports seem to be the passion of America. Every season, every month, one or other thing is on...Folks are extremely passionate about the teams...some probably live their lives with it..I sometimes wonder how can you be so much passionate about it? I can understand about players.they make their name, fame, money with it ...but fans? I may never know that... End of September is around corner and everywhere I start to hear about World Series..then comes the foot ball ( American football mind you, not Soccer ) and by end of January, we will hear about the World Championships. same for the Basketball and Hockey ( again ice hockey.. not the other hockey other parts of the world play) . The team winning the final game is called " WORLD CHAMPION" . News media goes gaga over it..Championship rallies , fanfares ...the hometown of World Champions goes fanatically crazy........No doubt, its very entertaining but I am curiously amazed by the title " WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP" ... how a game between two American professional teams ( sometime even across the town teams) qualifies to be World Championship? for sports like Baseball or ice hockey, half the world probably doesn't even know what it is... yet no one seems to mind it here... I wonder if it is confidence or arrogance ? The line in between is very thin... if you like it its confidence, if you don't its arrogance..Or is it reflections of decades of economic / military world dominance? Or a classic example of Big fish in small pond?

Taking a plunge....

My first ever blog post... finally taking time to type my thoughts... wish somebody could develop a software like " Think and Type " ... well till then just trying to jot down my wandering imaginations and straight forward thinking...After years of formal education and experience in Business environment , trying to see if I can still unleash my creativity... Either it will be motivational or witty or both....