It ain't crime, until you're....
It is, in fact, unfair that we put forward our comments based on what we see in the newspapers and the magazines... Its because of the skewed reports that are being splashed that we relegate some honest people and idolize a few dishonest ones. Greatest example of this could be Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who did enough to kill a country and climb to the pinnacle of glory on the corpses, (that corpses still keep piling only keeps taking him higher up), he and his lineage should owe the indian magazines and political system for this, contributing to many Indians' woes. TN CM Ms.JJ did not escape from this. Her antogonizing the media proves to be her nemesis and its repercussions are soon to be seen in a higher magnitude.
Cricketers today are beginning to become subjects of this mishandling by the media. With so much happening in Australia the last few days, fanatics of this religion get to know about sportsmen from other countries and umpires only by the way the media projects it, well, they'ren't to be blamed completely either..
Let's take the case of Rahul Dravid trying to change the state of the ball (well, I honestly don't know how advantageous it could be, if not for the same magazines/newspapers). Accepted its bound to happen in the game, but, Mr. Wright coming out with, it was accidental and unknown cannot be subscribed to. A lozenge sticking to someone's fingers and the individual using the ball to remove it??? Well, he may have to answer it better. No doubt Dravid has always been an honest cricketer, but please don't bring out such baseless statements to support him. Ofcourse, few years back when Sachin tried to remove a reed of the seam... well, that can be said unknown or accidental, although, being a senior player, he should have known better than not to take it to the umpire(s), still, he wasn't trying to bring in any unfair advantage for his team. The way the media brought it out and singled out the match referee, Mr.Denness, for this, is definitely to be condemned... It was a warning to the player that he did not repeat it again and is expected to be taken in the right spirit. Similarly, in Australia, Sachin being given out SBW (Shoulder before wicket)... well, happened to see the foto in someone's blog recently and Iam pretty much convinced, the ball could have gone on to hit the stumps.. then, why all the hue and cry??? Because it was Sachin.. That, he took that and the recent decision by Mr. Bucknor with little fuss just shows his greatness... But, the media has always done enough to bring out the hooligans in the audience and then don't hesitate to blame the crowd either... Accepted that the ICC and some match referees come down heavily on teams from the sub-continent and some lesser-blessed players, like the Mr.Ware incident in the fourth test, but, more often than not, the newspapers amplify it to disproportionate levels that most people feel, it would be justified if their team boycotted the ICC unless a select few were removed from the panel...
That this is to continue, despite the editors and the journalists knowing it well, is a bane.. As for anything else, its for the people to understand that it's just a sport and these are just passing phases...
Well, afterall this whole blog came in wake of Sambit Bal's article in Cricinfo, Dude, where's my country?, That Mr.Ware went unfined for the incident and would hence have his slate clean leaves Dravid to learn that, it ain't crime until you're fined... Hope, this thing is soon forgotten and someone warns Mr.Bucknor for his stupidity.

Ulloorla vela pogaadha maadu... (A bull that can't be sold in one's own village)
Well, this saying would have become cliched by now, may be because of my repeated uttering. In the villages, if there's a bull with some deficiency, they cannot sell in it their own village, as ppl in that village will be knowing about it. So, what they do is, take it out of their village and sell it to ppl elsewhere.
Now, that's what's happening to engineers (not others don't do it, but this is predominantly seen in Engrs) from India. There was a time when it was really tough to get a job in India(that was before I completed my B.E, when I finished it was so very easy that even I got a job). And the ones that were offered weren't that high-paying. So, people started to fly to the US in swarms and made their colonies in various universities. After coming here, the situation here (read US) is no better. But, the same logic of flying back now does not work for three reasons:
1) People don' t want to leave out the possibility of getting a job here and earning in dollars
2) In two-odd years (frankly none completes the 2-year course in 2 years), these people have managed to incur debts that they cannot possibly repay with their indian salary. Well, this atleast is the feeling of most people...
3) People who stay here because they don't want to be left out and feel stupid, when the first two categories get lucrative jobs in the US
(Though there is a fourth group of people who claim they don't have jobs for their qualification in India, they too belong to one of these 3 groups and just have a new pretext, so are left out here)
So, when their course is supposed to be complete, they start showing their creativity and put their brains into designing out a methodology to stay in the US, like not completing master's, taking up a PhD, etc. The bane here is, even people who manage to earn enough (thru RAs, TAs and GAs) don't want to go back, for there's no satisfying the thirst for money. The outcome, just like Engineering (B.E) in India lost value, the MS is becoming common. And very soon, PhD is to follow track.
Just had another of these conversations with a person who worked with me in India. When I said I was planning to come back to India (this could be like the statement so many have made and obviously had not followed, but atleast now, I sincerely hope to go back), he asked me to do my PhD here and started talking of all the plusses. This was followed by the statement "Indian companies are recruiting like they never did". Well, if a person like me, who has no drive to do a PhD, starts doing it only because, there doesn't seem to be a decent opening for him, its only a disgrace to PhD. All the more, when there are so many openings in India, why not go back and stay with parents???
Really hoping that I'dn't be drawn into this mucky dragnet and get sullied... Immediate Goal - Complete MS within August and get out of the US before being lured by anything else
"Enna valam illai nam thirunaattil... Yen kaiyai endha vendum velinaattil???"

PS: Well, please don't mistake my statement to meaning something like ppl studying with RAs, GAs and TAs shudn't look for jobs here... may be they're more eligible, but they too form a section and hence the mention
PPS: This will continue... Feeling sleepy now
PPPS: Bouquets and Brickbats expected... Shall add the comments section soon

N@'s wits
Frankly have nothing to blog this time either... But, happened to go through nattu's (my undergraduate college mate, house mate, oor suthal mate,..............) blogs... Well, frankly I'ven't seen anything funnier... He's the best in these...
Looking back at his college days, he was one of the best programmers, but never had the patience (don't say, lwt). He made one of the biggest blunders in his career and till today that's the first thing we shout at him for...
neways, not in real mood to blog now, but look at some of natticisms...
- Brett Lee a.k.a கா லி
- And who can forget the fight, for 'strategic position' in the boss kadai for Friday night kesari...The population in the college temple too drastically increases on Fridays, not because that Friday is a auspicious day for the Hindus. Sarkarai Pongal and Panchamirtham(not exactly..but its a little more than a fruit salad) were distributed to 'bhaktha-k(e)odis' on Friday. Most of them including me, used to wait patiently for 'night saapadu' er..prasaadam, I mean. And the kovil mama, slows down his 'poojai prep' pace drastically on Fridays to drive away the impatient ones.
- for the past one week I have been surviving on Noodles, Bread and Apple Juice. If this continues for 2 more weeks, I may be featured on 'Incredible Makeover Stories'. So, do watch out when someone who looks like a southindian shows up in that program. ;-)
- An observation: The first thing a Telugu guy on seeing someone who resembles a southindian is "manavaada?". If your answer is no, you can be guaranteed that is the end of the conversation. The guy would most surely be looking at the ground or towards the sky, the next time he sees you..
- Prancing Tiger, Hidden Kangaroo - On Indian team in Australia
- Performance of Australian Full-time bowlers

Chuck Lee - 39.3 overs, 5 maidens, 201 runs, 4 wickets

Jason Humblepie - 45 overs, 11 maidens, 135 runs, 3 wickets

Nathan Broken - 37 overs, 13 maidens, 97 runs, 0 wickets

Steven (Please) Katchit- 17 overs, 1 maiden, 84 runs, 0 wickets

Stuart MuckGill - 38 overs, 5 maidens, 146 runs, 0 wickets

Well, that's not all, look at his knowledge base.. man, whoever blogs and reads blogs, his page is a must-visit

Dishonorable Departures...
It was probably a farewell of highest grandeur to Stephen Rodger Waugh at the SCG y'day... In fact, I sometimes felt if Waugh should win his last test match, only because it was a great captain-cricketer's last match, but grappled back to fairness, for the way India played the series and the match.
It is really touching to look at the way great cricketers have been retiring these days. Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram, Courtney Walsh, Nasser Hussain, Arjuna Ranatunga, and of course Mohammad Azharuddin and Hansie Cronje. Most of them were captains is another important thing to note. They have all been great players, no questioning their commitment and capability, but, the fact that, they did not have the best way to march out of the scene does hurt. Now, Steve Waugh joins the list. To my knowledge, he would be one other player who has dug the team out of trouble a number of times, though Lara would outnumber him in this. Only that he more often had someone else to do the job and had to seldom take it on him, like may be his last innings, when a new-comer in Simon Katich gave him excellent support. At the same time, its necessary to keep in mind that the opposition had only one experienced bowler, who was worn out bowling a total of 85+ overs in three days. But, a standing ovation is definitely due to this man who has given cricket so much and demanded respect from every cricket fan in the world.

P.S: Looking back in the history of sports, there have been others too, who've had kind of an infamous exit. This article from The Age on Farewell Flops, shows it.