Kashmir (Not the Led Zep version); And 'A+' to BBC.

اگر فردوس بر روی زمین است
همین است و همین است و همین است

Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.

If there is paradise on face of the earth,
It is this, it is this, it is this.
-Amir Khusro

I thought Shah Jahan was moved to poetic outburst on taking in the beauty of Kashmir when he said this, but like all romantic notions this seems to be an exaggeration, a fallacy and not a little bit of an anticlimax. See this post [on a blog called AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY] for a fuller explanation. How interesting.

Anyway.

In the beginning of October, BBC online posted a great Special Report on Kashmir. There are several related links and articles here, starting from a very factual Background [roots of the crises, the forgotten plebiscite, the LOC etc], Voices from Kashmir, Key Questions Answered, even a page on Possible Solutions and Pitfalls.
It's kind of your summarised overview of the problem. Read and understand, my friendships. It's a non-propaganda-angle report. Not the Indian, Paki or Chinese version. Facts as is.

There are many reasons BBC World is my preferred news source.
Objectivity in news stories is the primary one.
Newsreaders and presenters don't have that annoying nasal twang from umreeka. [This is very important.]
Also, an overwhelmingly large number of these respectful presenters have no notion of frivolous Botox-usage. They exhibit more than one facial expression and it's usually the right one for the story.
You can often find obscure news pieces here, special reports, great documentaries, some really kick-ass shows like Hard Talk and The World Debate, even their travel and entertainment segments are top-notch. Oooh, which reminds me, how nice is Top Gear?
I could go on and on but here is where I stop.

Six days to go. Madness and mayhem.

Tee hee. Why not?

Pakistan's tour of India kicks off officially on Nov 5th at Guwahati. There is a warm-up match in Delhi on Friday, though. (As if we won't be watching that.)
Here's the schedule

• Monday, Nov 5, 2007 : 1st ODI at Guwahati
• Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 (D/N) : 2nd ODI at Mohali
• Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 : 3rd ODI at Kanpur
• Thursday, Nov 15, 2007 (D/N) : 4th ODI at Gwalior
• Sunday, Nov 18, 2007 (D/N) : 5th ODI at Jaipur
• Thursday, Nov 22-26, 2007 : 1st Test at Delhi
• Friday, Nov 30 - Dec 4, 2007 : 2nd Test at Kolkata
• Saturday, Dec 8-12, 2007 : 3rd Test at Bangalore

Who's coming to watch the test in Bangalore? Wheee. Raise hands and then email your petitions to me.

General info: Very expensive stadium tickets available from the globalticketservice website.
I know I can't afford them.

Meanwhile, the ICC has announced the officials who will keep the troops in check after the battles commence.
Match referee for the ODIs: Roshan Mahanama [I like]
Match referee for the tests: Ranjan Madugalle
Umps: Ian Gould, Billy Doctrove and local appointments- for the ODIs
Simon Taufel, Billy Bowden, Billy Doctrove - for the tests

Bye, boys. See you later.

"My life closed twice before its close;
It yet remains to see
If Immortality unveil
A third event to me,
So huge, so hopeless to conceive,
As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell."
-Emily Dickinson

The day after Eid after an unusual silence from Boomsa when I called her to chit-chat and find out were she had been during the festivities, she gave me the news. Li'l Joey was gone. The street dogs got him. And Boo didn't want to tell me over Eid. For which I am grateful.

Be at peace, Jo darling. You were much loved and didn't you know it. I had brought you truckloads of food and would have loved to see you shovel your way through it.
Here's Jo when he just came home with Boomsa as a baby.

This was the Monday immediately after Eid. 15th October, 2007. I went over to Boo's house to hang out with her and take solace in Hot-Cross-Bonz. Who I was SO GLAD TO SEE because it had been a while.
(I have no shame in admitting that I felt far more strongly for Bonzo than Jo-Cat, obviously because I hardly knew the little darling. I had met him a few times for a few hours and he was endearing as dammit, but Bonz is my firstborn and he's been with Boo and I since way back when. There's no comparison.) So the sudden news of Joey's death put things in jarring perspective. I drank Bonz in that day. He was being a babe as usual. He gave me all the attitude he had saved up especially to throw my way, he turned his back on me, he walked away in utter disdain several times, used me as a scratching post at will and had me begging for more. As usual. He is, of course the only man who's ever made me beg for his affections. We watched TV where Bonz was especially enthralled by a pet show. On puppies, even.Bonzo loved the sheer khorma I had made for Eid. He pigged out on a lot of it. A LOT. He was fattened, I was flattered. It worked well for the both of us. While in the kitchen Bonzo amused me by wondering about a certain black ant that was working his way towards somewhere under the fridge. Here's a video. Please note his darling meowing: "What IS this thing?" and his utter disbelief when Ant escapes.


Apart from this video, I took several pictures and videos of Bonz on my phone. That's the last set I'll ever have. More's the pity. Bonzo was great onscreen.
Bonz and I played for hours that Monday. We hadn't done Socker for a while, which is our game of soccer played with rolled-up socks. In the absence of sock-rolls, I used soft chewy balls, his old buddy Party Pooh and other assorted throwies. Much fun and exercise later, Boo came home and we continued the games till late into the night. Hot Bonz demonstrated amazing theatrics while pursuing and clawing the ball etc.
I went home after Boo announced she would cancel gym plans and that this indoor exercise was far better than anything else. I nodded in agreement.
The next day, I went to Vellara Junction and procured excellent fun items: a mini-cricket set with 2 plastic bats and balls. And a Buzz Lightyear tennis/squash/badminton/what-have-you twin racket set. If we were going to play, we'd do it in style.
Tuesday the 16th was even more fun than the previous evening. Bonzo was in his element. He did a few nifty moves involving upending the potted palms. He played donkey in the middle, on the side, ahead and behind. He banged his head no less than 29 times against various doors, beds, sofas and chairs. In spite of us having moved a lot of the movable furniture around till we had a clear playing field inside the house.
I have no pictures of that last day with Bonz. I thought there was time enough for that. This was to be our daily workout regime, n'est pas? I said bye to Boo and Bonz at around 2130 pm and rode home to the boondocks.
17th October, Wednesday afternoon. I let myself in at Boo's house. I waited to hear the tinkle-tinkle of BonzoBells running up to disregard me and frisk me for food. Nothing. He wasn't home.
I twiddled my thumbs, read the newspaper, called up Boo to complain about Bonzo being a rowdy loafarr type, went out to the balcony several times to call out to him, practiced come-hither looks in front of the mirror, performed this act on the balcony and, in the end, resorted to the one medium all idiots use to while away time: I switched on the telly.
Boo came home in a while. We pretended to be casual about Bonzo's long absence. "I hate it when he does this." "Bugger's eaten his meals and taken off to paint the town red, eh?" "Hanging out with the boys, is he?"
Inside, we were both worried but we didn't say so.
I spent some more time with Boo waiting for Bonz and left for home feeling not-so-good.
And the next day, Thursday now, Boo called me early in the morning. Bonzo had not returned.
That day I searched the streets over and over. I called out to Bonz in lanes and alleys I'd never visited before. I spoke with many strangers, most of whom were really sweet. Some couldn't be bothered about missing cats. I even walked into someone's house because I heard mewing there. It turned out to be a very nice lady with 2 cats of her own. They were outdoor-access cats and much smaller than Bonz. I left her house feeling hopeful. Kids and security guards were especially concerned, I found.
Many times that day I came across people who were laughing at me because I happened to be crying. How anyone can do that is something Boo and I discussed later and came up with no answers to. I put up basic posters all around the neighborhood. Creeps started calling in to chat me up using Bonz as an excuse. One creepy 40-something b@#^%$% actually followed me around when I was putting up posters and started pestering me because he was Kashmiri and thrilled to bits I was as well. How does that work? "Hey, you lost a pet? Want to hear me lie about me seeing him and then ask you personal questions about your life?"
On the upside, the anger makes one forget about the grief for a while.
Friday morning: A security guard from a nearby apartment complex calls me and says he's seen Bonzo's body in a dump. There's no mistake because he saw the collar. Titla was a sweetheart and imediately drove me there. I showed the guard Bonzo's photos. He confirmed.

Titla and I waited for Boomsa to come home. Sushma returned soon as well. We sat together, the four of us that day, talking for hours, and it was a little comforting.
I got up to go home where no one is very big on cats, even my Bonz. My affection for Bonz and Jo was seen as an amusing aberration. Well, haw haw. I have only this as an insipid excuse to be grumpy and sad at home. Boo is in a far worse place. She has to come home to a new silence and this will take getting used to. Be strong, Boo.*Call me anytime and we'll go away.* Hug*
Friends who were unbelievably sweet and supportive over the next few days, I thank you.
Tits: You are my lifeline.
Jellicle, Soulmia, Pinkah, Ruth, Giggles: My love and gratitude.
Bob: You asked! ;-)

I love you, Bonz. And you, Joey.
And now, enough, no more.

All videos and pics of the boys will be up on my You Tube and Picasa pages soon. For their legions of fans.

Tum toh bilkul Eid ka chand ho gayee ho

The Eid chaand I sighted from the car park at Garuda mall. Evening of 13th October, 2007, being a Saturday.
This was the first time I saw the Eid moon myself. So of course I didn't know the appropriate du'a to read at the opportune moment. *smacks forehead*
[I have to say, it looked suspiciously like a 2nd day moon].

Anyway, immediately on catching the above glimpse, Ozz, Nida, Suhail and I, who were driving home together, called up the entire maternal side of our family wishing parents, aunts, uncles and cousins "Eid Mubarak!" [On speaker-phone and loudly, noisily, rowdily.]

Unclear photo clarity courtesy frantic mobile phone clicking. Contrary to popular belief, I don't carry my tripod and real camera around all the time.

Shite week and then some. Returning soon....

Farewell, Inzy

And very extremely well done, and hats off and curtseys and a huge standing ovation. I [heart] you.


I know I'm going to miss this giant when I watch Pakistan play now on. (I know you will too, Boomsa.)
From 1991 to 2007, Inzy has enthralled cricket-loving fans worldwide. Thank God for Imran Khan who discovered the lumbering giant and stuck by him for the '92 World Cup, which Inzy was eventually instrumental in winning. And there's been no looking back ever since.

*wipes tears*




Here's the video of his final interview and the chokey scenes with his team after.
Loved it when he says in true Inzy style, "Thenk you, bwoiz."


Some articles from yesterday and today: Pak greats hail Inzy, Irreplaceable Inzy, SA's guard of honour as he stepped in to bat in his final match etc. Many more fitting tributes will come up pretty soon I expect.

When they said I was clinically insane,
what did they mean?
That I went about it scientifically?
That there was a method to my madness?

The numbers game

What a race today. And look at the Drivers' points now: 107, 103, 100. Yeeesh.
Full low-down on the Chinese Grand Prix from the formula1 site.
Unfortunate and inexplicable end to Hamilton's Shanghai run opens up the whole board again. What was that?

Anyway, it's all down to Interlagos now, where, frankly, anything is possible. This is going to be one of the most eagerly watched races to ever close a season. On paper, each of the top three have a chance at making it to number one. The probability is still that Hamilton will take the Championship and go down in history as the first debutante to take home the grand prize, but Alonso and Kimi are on his tail and how...

Ruthie!!!

A belated post about a fun girls' night out last week, bringing in Ruthie's[right] happy birthday. The night that was the 25th of September running into the 26th of September. Wheeee!
I had asked Ruth some time last week that I be allowed to take her out on a very hot date, and she acquiesced. Pinkah was soon a part of the dinner plans, and finally Sophia was inveigled in to make it a lovely quartet. The original plan was to rendezvous and stuff face at Shezan on Lavelle Road. [I won't say who suggested it. WE ALL KNOW. Hmmph. Let us just say that up to some point in the recent past, this used to be a nice, respectable restaurant to eat out in, which is why we agreed to go there in the first place.]
I collected Ruth from a pre-arranged scientific meeting point, and in the pleasant light drizzle, playing dhin-chak songs on the car stereo, we headed towards Shezan. Pinkah arrived shortly after, dressed to the nines, whatever that means.
No sooner were we seated than we realised that this is not the sort of shady joint we wanted to be celebrating Ruth's Coming to Life in. The table cloth was the same as I remembered from 1997 and that is not a good thing. There was only one other table occupied, the waiters were looking listless and the lighting was not conducive to out festive mood. Also, some trash music was playing and I cannot abide with bad music when I'm out to enjoy. All of us were individually thinking the same inward thought: "How can we get out of here and who will bell the cat?" (Though outwardly these may appear to be two separate, independent and unrelated thoughts, the use of the conjunction 'and' renders it one whole undivided unit.)
So, we tried to look casual and talked of the weather and laughed amusedly at the still-not-arrived Sophia's incoming texts about her deranged auto-ride and her ETA, but all the while the twiddling of out thumbs and the tapping of our feet intensified and the frowns on our foreheads deepened. To kill time (and not look cheap), we ordered a few Iced Teas and Onion Rings [for what is a night out if not initiated with deep-fried fresh-breathy-snacks]. The final straw for me, that famous one which broke the unfortunate camel's back, was tasting the so-called Onion Rings. Gaaaak!! They were terrible. Being unable to take this substandard turn of events any more, I thought I would scream aloud, "Let's GOOOOOO!!!" but was pre-empted from so doing by a simultaneous wail from Ruth and Pinkah. Obviously all of us had seen the light at the end of the tunnel and it was decided that we make good our escape from the shady Shezan as soon as possible. (We also vowed never to hide our feelings again and talk openly about things that were bothering us.)
As soon as Sophia arrived we left, and in our wake stood the offended waiters shaking their fists and cussing at us becuase we had not been too subtle about our disenchantment with the place, the lousy food and the desire to GET OUTTA HERE! I believe we also laughed loudly and disdainfully at many points.
Anywhooo.
Pre-departure, we four had decided that we would head to the very nice Cafe Fresco's on Cunningham Road. We all piled into my car and we drove there in high spirits and a flood of bad jokes. As soon as we turned in to the graveled calm of Fresco's parking lot, I knew it was good decision. Being a weeknight and slightly drizzly, there were no raging crowds or noisy teenybopper sorts milling around the place. Just a set of cheerful, comfortable, well-behaved dining folk, all enjoying their own personal enjoyments.We ordered the food, settled in pretty well on our table, enjoyed the gazebo ambience, the light rain, the toned down music and each other's company.The food was quite excellent. Starting with the hummus [ordered cleverly by Sophia] which was as authentic as any I've had, right up to Pinkah's Penne Pasta with Arabiatta Sauce ["A penne saved is a penne earned," I offered, when Pinkah couldn't finish her portion], Ruth's Chicken Parmesan and my Grilled Fish- all were very satisfying and also, delicious.And then........ the desserts!!!!! Now, anyone who knows anything about eating out in Bangalore will tell you that you get the best desserts at Rahila Rauf's patisserie. Where is this little piece of heaven to be found? Why, attached at the hip to Fresco's, which just happens to be her husband, Mr Rauf's joint! Wheeee....
So, to cut a long story short, Sophia and I quickly tippy-toed to Rahila's counter at the back and there we had the expected spasms and fits of unbridled joy that one is wont to exhibit when faced with her creations at a close range. We walked across each dessert with awe, and it must be said, rapidly-filling drool in our mouths. If it were not for the amused waiter standing by, I believe we would have stood and applauded each masterpiece with tears in our eyes.
As it was, it took us a good ten minutes to finally zero in on the two most desirable desserts for our table. We settled on the "Oreo Mud Pie" thingie [that may not be the correct name, but it had Oreos in it] and "New York, New York", which is cheese cake, New York style. The Oreo creation was fantastic! I don't even like dark chocolate but this particular dark-choc dessert was something else. The cheese cake ranked a close second but only because the chocolate was so damn good. *Standing ovation* for Madam Rauf.
It was unfortunately time to leave after that, and we decided that since there was still time for Ruth's birthday to arrive [about 15 minutes or so till midnight], we would drive along to Sophia's home on the wrong end of the edge of Bangalore and scream "Hap Birdday!" when the time was right.
And so it was. We took off in the car listening to fascinating item songs as Maiyya Maiyya, Ganpat, Cash and other contemporary gems of the Hindi fillum industry. By and by we came to midnight and we all yelled and shrieked and laughed "Happy Birthday to Ruthie". Amid much mirth, noise and inanity, Sophia disembarked at her home. The return journey then began and much to the disappointment of the remaining three of us, Sophia wasn't there to enjoy an absolutely fascinating item song called "Mummy", which beats the pants off every other song in history for sheer lyrical ad vocal genius.

Here are some lyrics, if you don't believe me:
Kehte hain sabhi ki badi haaat hoon main,
Tell you what, taqila ka ik shaaat hoon main [X2]
Magarrrr khayaaaal yeh rahe zaraaaaaaaaa....
Mummy ko nahin hai pata!!!
Naa, naa, mummmmy ko nahin hai pata!
So, Mummmmy se naaa kehnaaaaaaa........!

Haaaaaaaaaaaahhahahhaahhahahahaaa..... Happy birthday, Ruthie doll.

More pictures of that night, here. Unfortunately, I didn't take any shots of the desserts.

Oh, God, I HATE real-life drama queens. H-A-T-E.
Grrrrrrrrr.

In Ramadan, thumbs ups, and thumbs downs

My best time of the day: Post suhur [the prescribed pre-dawn meal during our fasts], when I've cleaned up in the kitchen, everything that needs to go back in the fridge has, and I have settled down for Fajr [the morning prayer]. After Fajr, some tilaawat, lots and lots of dua'as and assorted durood shareefs, which are really beautiful since I more or less understand the Arabic in the different duroods. [One of my favorite duroods is Durood-e-Taj. And then I find this on the web. I am disturbed. Anybody?]

Anyway, after my favorite time of the day, I go to sleep. [:-)] *gasp*

Other random points, being thumbs down-s:
1. Ramadan is not about not eating. I don't understand how a Muslim can get up in order to stuff face till the last permissible minute and then immediately go to sleep after, without even offering Fajr. *shudder*
2. And then to forget about the prayers during the day, leave off shaving [men], act lazy, lethargic and martyred [why for???] but get all perked up in time for the Feast that is Iftar. *shudder again*
3. Watching TV is not more important than Suhur or Iftar. Particularly watching item gaanas to while away the time.
4. Hullo? Lying is forbidden anyway, try not to do it while you're fasting at least.
5. Pigging out at Iftar and Sehri is uncool. And not propagated anywhere. Why act like it's the last meal you'll ever be having?
6. Think about this month in terms of what you've been taught all your life, the example your parents have set for you and the sense of personal responsibility that you really should have if you're old enough to fast.

Ugh. I'm mad.

F1 update

Heee heee. I like this Vijay Mallya. One 'attitude' answer from the bearded baron, on his acquisition of Spyker [crossing of t's and dotting of i's on the deal to be completed by September end]:

Q: Did you look into any other motorsport options?
VM: Formula One is the crown of motor sport and it is my style to look at the crown and not at the grass roots.

Meanwhile, at Fuji today, Hamilton took another well-deserved pole, making him an almost-certain winner of the Driver's Championship, 2007. Alonso crashed out [:-(], rookie Heikki Kovalainen came in 2nd for Renault with a few near run-ins with 3rd place Kimi and Ferrari. Kimi started at 21st [!!!]. Brilliant driving.

Kick-ass moment of the race came at the very end when Massa pulled a great skin-of-his-teeth overtake on Robert Kubica. Vaaav.

Two more races to go this season. Hamilton stands at 107 points, ahead of Alonso at 95 points and Kimi in third at 90.

*Drumrolllllllllllll*

Till later today, when the first ODI between India and Ozz takes off.
I will swing by the midwicket region outside Chinnaswamy Stadium hoping to catch a few balls hit-out-of-the-ground by the Blue Boys-some-Men. Down, Ozz! Down Under with you.
I watched Dhoni's press conference today. Aww. He's sweet. Henji.
Meanwhile the Ozzies started their verbal BS even prior to getting on field, where we are of course, expecting to witness some fine low-quality sledging and hooliganism. Even that Sreesanth. Someone needs to tell him to take it down three notches. It's embarrassing to watch.

The Jena Six

I started reading up on the Jena Six issue only after I came across a post on Umar Lee's blog. Strange that there has been no news coverage of the Jena Six around here. Disturbing even. Are we turning insular like the Americans [yes, I WILL generalize]? MORE.
This is not a story set in the times of the Civil War or a historic anomaly. These are events that have unfolded in present day America, Deep South or not being irrelevant. See here for another related article.
Most disturbing points that stand out:
1. We learn of blatant Black-White segregation even today, in a high school in Jena, a small town in Louisiana.
2. Black students had to ask the principal permission to sit under the shade of a 'White tree'. They do so.
3. The KKK-style noose act by the White students is brushed under the carpet as a 'joke in bad taste.'
4. Black-White tension simmers through the high school for the entire semester. And passes on into the town.
5. A Black student, Robert Bailey, is assaulted at a dance considered to be 'White'. Only one White youth is arrested. He is eventually given probation and asked to apologize.
6. White man pulls a gun on some Black students at a gas station. They wrestle it away from him and get charged with theft. White man goes free.
7. Confrontation between a White student, Justin Barker, and Bailey in school - Bailey is taunted for the attack on him at the dance, and a fray ensues. Barker is allegedly knocked down and beaten by a group of six Black students present at the time of the confrontation.
8. Barker hospitalized for a few hours but seen out and about the same night. No major damage.
9. Six Black students - The Jena Six - allegedly the attackers of Barker, were arrested, charged with attempted manslaughter and expelled from school.
10. The six were arrested in December 2006 with outrageously high bails ranging from USD 70,000 to USD 138,000, leaving all of them unable to post bail for many months.
11. The first student went on trial this June - Mychal Bell. He was tried by an all-White jury, presided on by a White judge.
11. Bell was convicted [big surprise] of two felonies: aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit second-degree battery and faced up to 22 years in prison.

In light of rising international outcry and the controversy this case has stirred up, there may be hope for the Jena Six yet.
On September 15, a Louisiana court overturned the conviction because Bell shouldn't have been tried as an adult on battery charges in the first place. (Bell was 16 at the time of the arrest.) Major irregularities have already been noted in Bell's trial, such as the public defender not producing a single defense witness..... Some other nonsense about the prosecutor using the argument that Bell's tennis shoes were a 'deadly weapon' and hence justified the charge of aggravated battery. Ye gods.
On September 20, a peaceful rally of more than 10,000 supporters of Jena Six took place in the small town. Among those present were Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton, Mos Def and Salt n Pepa. Whatever.
Anyway, I'll be watching.

Tribute to Bob

Jimbo, I refuse to accept responsibility for the near-miss on Monday. Pttth. Take it back.
As fellow-heart-shattered-cousins, we must stand together in these difficult times and try and heal the wounds that recent events have wrought upon our tortured souls..... *violin undulates in background*
I must confess that I never prayed your recommended dosage of nafal namaaz. I feel deeply for the international text messages you kept on sending as reminders, but but but... I just didn't. I have so much Qadhaa-e-Umri to make up, it's not funny. Do I make up my Qadhaa or pray Nawafil? Come on, you're a sensible boy. You have to understand! [Saab is becoming insanely defensive now. She must stop.]
But I sent hundreds of Durood, lots of Ayat-al-Kursi and an unending stream of dua'as for things to swing Pakistan's way, esp once Misbah started his match-saving heroics. To think it all came to no good. [Probably on account of all the baddua'as I had been sending their way earlier...] At least we got some sawaab out of it if nothing else.

I can just picture Misbah singing to himself, that fantastic teeny-boppy song by Junaid Jamshed, "Hum kyon chalein uss raah par.. etc".
Which obviously lead him to play that 'SuperScooper, Lights are gonna find me' shot. Gaaaaak!

Anyway, enough. No more. Take it back.

HAAAAAAALP!

Hi all...... Two gorgeous little girls need loving homes. Either one loving home for the both of them together, or one loving home each, individually, separately etc. These are two of a threesome, newly born in a Pranjal's neighborhood.

Spread the word or come forward and take the little beauties home yourself. Just look at them.... Rrrr!

For more details, please go to Pranjal's blog [she's the kind soul who first sent out the SOS about the pups , and has adopted one already].
Also, please save this link in your Favorites/Bookmark it, and then keep checking in regularly to see if you can help. Most importantly, spread the word. Adopt a stray!

INDIA - WORLD CHAMPIONS, 2007!

Ladies and gentlemen, after the most edge-of-seat, thrilling, gripping few hours of great cricket yesterday, Team India has emerged as the first ICC Twenty20 World Champions, and as Boomsa said, nothing can ever change this fact. Congratulations to the winners. It was a match worth the watching and could have swung wither way towards the very end, which is what I was hoping for in a final. [That I was hoping for many other things from this match is another matter altogether.... *wipes stray tears*]
Excellent write-up here.

Let's look at this match from a PURE MATH angle.

The afterMATHS: [Events not listed in chronological, organized manner since the writer is suffering hugely from emotional trauma and subsequent mental imbalance. Points listed below are coming in short, sporadic bursts like black nauseous waves. Other morbid allusions can be made but there is no time and it won't change anything.]
1. India defeat Pakistan to win the first ever Twenty20 World Cup by a narrow 5 runs in Over Number 40 of the day.
2. The BCCI announces a reward of USD 2 million for victorious Team India. This amount is approximately 0.0083% of what the BCCI actually has in its coffers, classified under the head 'Profits for Eternity'- (Inside sources)].
3. Misbah ul Haq has 5 runs to get in the last 4 balls of the penultimate over. Very doable like the 1 run required off 2 balls in the previous India-Pak showdown. Instead, Pakistan 152 all out.
4. Irfan Pathan deals a heavy match-winning blow, finishing with 3-16 and clinching Man of the Match, and Rudra Pratap impresses as always with a smart 3-26.
5. Shahid Afridi gets Player of the Tournament for his 12 wickets and brilliant all-round play during the entire T20.
6. Underrated Gautam Gambhir never gets more than a cursory mention for his very brilliant top-of-the-innings score of 75 runs at a strike rate of 139.
7. Umar Gul bowls another dream spell as he has been doing throughout the tournament, and he picks up 3 wickets for 28, making him the highest wicket-taker of the T20s.
8. Mohd Hafeez drops Rohit Sharma at long-on on ball 19.2 of the Indian innings. The ball pops out of the boundary giving India 6 more to their total.
9. India get 6 more, and in the end India win by 5 too many? [Aaargh. The hurt....]
10. Afridi throws away his wicket in the 12th over and Pakistan stand at 77-6. It all seems over for the Green Men.
11. Misbah ul Haq, my hero for the tournament, steps in again with a Herculean 43 and pulls Pakistan to the brink of victory, including four very special 6es in the death overs.
12. Sohail Tanveer also chips in with 2 brilliant 6es in Sreesanth's over. He finishes with a worthy 12 off 4 balls. Well done, lad.
13. Ball 19.3 of the Paki innings. 5 runs to win, 4 balls in hand. Misbah plays 'that shot', scooped up backwards over the wicketkeeper hoping to fly by the fielder at shortish fine-leg, but NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
It's all over.....
[Actually it started as "YESSSS!!!! YESS! YES!!!!! Whaaaaaa...? Who's that? Wha...? NOOO... NOOOOO... NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"]

The beforeMATHS:
1. 10 dosas to Robin Uthappa courtesy Ravi Shastri. Recreated by SamGoose, Boomsa and a Sharmon Legend.
2. Yuvi sits pretty on INR 1 crore after his magic six sixes in one over against England.
3. Approximate betting on the India-Pakistan finals: INR 1500 crore. In India alone.
4. Betting odds: Illegal betting space - India odds on favorites to win at 1:1.55, Pakistan close on heels at 1:1.80. Legal betting space, Bet365, offers odds of 1:80 for India, and 1:90 for a Paki win. Skybet is more conservative with the same rate for both.
5. Wanderers Stadium has a sellout crowd of 30,000 plus.
6. Hearts broken worldwide: 165 million [primarily Pakistani hearts, but other hearts like mine are included here too.]
7. Hearts filled to bursting with elation: 1 billion [primarily Indian hearts, but other hearts worldwide too beat for the Men in Blue.]
8. Losers in India and Pakistan, or Indians and Pakis worldwide who didn't care which way the match would swing: 234 [Including the scientists in Antarctica].

Here's a short post-match interview of some very miserable Pak fans. The gentleman is a Suhail Qasim Malik and the lady is a Nida Haji. Interview by this very saddened writer.



Also, at the end of all things, I am very fond of MS Dhoni who has turned out to be a stellar captain of the young Indian side. [On an aesthetic note: It certainly helped that he took the trouble to wax/shave, and was in prime physical condition since he was letting go of his shirt. Nice biceps, Milkman.]

Final note: Am glad I watched the match in the confines of my own home with like-minded SPORT-LOVERS, because I know this is the only way I could watch the game objectively without being irritated or disturbed. I say objectively, in spite of supporting Pakistan yesterday, because that is how we have been raised to watch and play sports. If someone plays a good stroke, it doesn't matter what side they're on, we'll be applauding them. Indian, Pakistani, Arab, Israeli, American, Aussie doesn't enter into the equation. I hate the Aussie team in totum but I know a good shot when I see it, and I'll know to clap for Gilchrist, PONTING EVEN, if he plays a sweet shot.
It has happened so often that a good game has been spoilt for me by fanatics [and not fans], idiots shouting obscenities, cheering blindly for their own side, not appreciating any move by the opposition, drowning out commentary with their uneducated opining or arguing loudly with expert opinion based on their overheated sentiments... But what really bothers me most of all is obscenities. I don't like potty-mouths around when watching sports. It's a different ball-game, as it were. Don't sully it with $##$@!!!

Thanks to Shro for being my shoulder to cry on late last night when I called her for late-night-emotional-support dinner meals. The original plan was for me to pick her up and drive to Ulsoor Lake where I would take the final plunge, with suitable accessories as rocks, an anvil and strong rope. And Shro would then take the car back home. Boomsa was to collect my remains the next morning.
As it turned out, this did not happen. We went to KFC instead.

Very cute scenes on the roads of Bangalore after the victory: Fans of all ages took to the streets brandishing the Indian flag, stopping cars to give high-fives, yelling and cheering ecstatically all over the city, sharing unadulterated joy with complete strangers on the roads and not misbehaving at all. When my car was stopped, I was treated with great deference and joy after it was noted that I was a lady. Yay. I love that we don't have hooliganism here, for the most part.

"Hazaaron khwaahishein aisi ki har khwaahish pe dum nikle;
Bahut nikle mere armaan, lekin phir bhi kam nikle."
-Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib
[What I was crooning myself to sleep with last night.]

What Dreams May Come....

By this time tomorrow night, millions of people all around the world, especially in India and Pakistan, are going to be either deliriously happy or inconsolably heart-broken.
We will hear of and witness on the one hand, cussing of the lowest, vilest, blush-inducing-est order, of TV sets being destroyed, tempers hitting stratospheric levels, unbelievably biased, stupid criticism, and allegations of match-fixing from couch-potato-know-it-alls, and on the other, yelps of uncontrollable joy, humanoid roaring and cheering, goofy patriotic/non-patriotic fervor, intelligent, sportsmanlike and objective remarks on the nobility of the game etc.....
I belong to the latter group. I might throw in a well-meant cuss or two but on the whole I'm going to really, thoroughly enjoy the game. I nose it.

Read here.
Here let me help you. Focus on this especially fascinating section: "Pakistan remains the only unbeaten side in the tournament, having defeated Scotland, tied with India – should we count the 3-0 bowl out verdict as a loss? – and then topping its Super Eight group with victories over sides like Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It has scripted its wins on some fine shows by its middle-order batsmen and the bowlers."

Teee heee.
Play val, bwaiiz! Please.....

Will we have the perfect final?

Which is to say a World Cup India v Pakistan?
Can such things be?
Will this Saturday be a great day for the Asian subcontinent and a terribly morose one Down Under?

Will Pak down the Kiwis?
And can India pull a win over Ozz?
Will they, won't they?

Here's a nice montage of recent Indo-Pak series, with Salman Ahmed and "Ghoom Taana".

Lola Boney M

Mooooaaahhhaaaahhaaaaaaa.
This is a hilarious video. Check out the very cool actor in the white robe. His expressions are pricless. [This post is esp for you, Chy.]

So, of course, it has been established that I love Lola Kutty and Ranvir-Vinay type nonsense humour. Do watch 'Ranvir, Vinay Aur Kaun' on Star One at 10pm daily. Sometimes it's really unbelievably laugh-out-loud.

D-d-d-dil, dil, Pakistaaaaannnn!

The title is an old Vital Signs song [1989 release] that has since become a background score for most of Pakistan's cricket tribute videos and promos. It has the whole '80s organ, synthesizer sound going. ;-) [For those of you who know it, you have to be smiling already.]
Have a look at one of the many cricket montages with this song as b/g.



As to last night: Excellent, lads! But, this is almost too good to be true!
Pakistan pulled another superb six-wicket victory, this time over Australia at Jo'burg yesternight. Shoaib and Misbah did their magic with a 119-run partnership after the Pakis were tottering early on in the innings. Things started off pretty well with Mohd Hafeez in to open instead of Salman Butt. But, as expected, one quick wicket followed another and the score suddenly stood at 46 for 4. Us Pak fans were in the familiar posish of biting nails, experiencing belly-flutters and in general thinking up various ingenious ways to kill ourselves. "NOT AGAIN!", was the general cry.
And then, and then...... this happened!


Apart from the dreamy Misbah-Shoaib partnership, Shahid Afridi shone out in his performance once again. Great bowling, superb fielding and that oh-so-sweet squint-eyed smile. This Pathan has come into his own in the T20 format. All we need now is a really berserk batting innings from him to bring us to tears at the pure joyous madness of it all.
InshaAllah!
Did you see him hit the stumps quickly, calmly and with great smoothness to run Clarke out? I did. Vaav!
Cheers to you, boys. Try for the Cup, why not?

In the meanwhile, India has just pulled off a great victory over England. They posted a huge total of 218 in their 20 overs, thanks to a fantastic half-century by Yuvraj in just 12 balls. This included a goosie-inducing six sixes in one over off poor, poor Stuart Broad. India now have a crucial match against SA tomorrow which will decide whether they continue in the tournament or not. I hope they make it through- it means another possible India-Pak play-off.

Which reminds me- India v. Pak series coming up in November-December in India. Will they come to Bangalore? Will they? Will I get the chance to stalk the Pakis at their hotel and scream shamelessly during matches LIVE AT THE STADIUM? .......
Here's hoping.

Finally!

WARNING: This is a pro-Pakistan-cricket-team post. Narrow-minded bigots should leave off reading now. Because they won! They won! They played great! Wooo hoooo!

A thrilling match to watch for Paki fans last night, as the Little Green Men finally pulled together and brought down the Lankan Lions with a superb all-round performance on the field. This level of play is what makes it all the more painful to watch when Pakistan loses matches because they do have it in them to win a lot.
Stars of the night:
1. Younis Khan: Brilliant batting and fielding, nut-case smiling, and just great fun to watch. Very well-deserved Man of the Match and I loved his acceptance speech later. :)
2. Shoaib Malik: Superb captain's knock. Younis and him took it all away at a deadly Twenty20 pace.
3. Shahid Afridi: The cocky Pathan does it again. He helped with the bat and then got three very crucial wickets, esp Jayawardene and Silva who were looking to make trouble.
4. Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul,Mohd Asif and Mohd Hafeez: "Vaaal done, bwaaiz!" as the very cute Kamran Akmal loves to say.

The fielding was great, as was the running between the wickets. This young, fit Pak side is looking really good, throwing themselves at the ground and at stray balls and scooting across to convert a single into two runs (or a double into three) with a disdain that is heartening to observe.

All the raving for last night's performance concluded, the fact remains that this evening is a whole different ball game and we might very well see our favorite unpredictable boys scatter in the wind against the Aussies, as is their wont after a dreamy victory.

Hoping for the best....
*fingers crossed*

PS: Also, it HAS to be said. The Pak side is probably the best-looking team in world cricket right now. Easy on the eyes, if you know what I mean.

The weekend from hell....

1. McLaren out of the Constructor's Championship. Grrrrr.
2. Pak lose to India after a gut-wrenching match with some atrocious losing tactics by the Pak bowlers. I could have killed someone.
3. Ferrari pull a one-two at the Belgian GP. Alonso limps in third.

My eyes!!! My eyes!!! [Pic stolen from here.]
And if that weren't enough, Alonso pulled another one on Lewis. Ye gods. What was he thinking? [Does he think?]

Saving graces:
1. Alonso and Hamilton still in the Driver's running. Four more races to go this season.
2. We'll have another India-Pak play-off, hopefully.
3. A very lovely time at Mad Nut's house, including a bizarre midnight romp last night. Snowflake is a dorrling. As is Nuts. *hugs*
4. Ramadan has been excellent so far. Three days down, and so far so good. Haven't ventured too off-track yet.
5. Cousin-fun at my place, as is usual on weekends.

Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

McLaren convicted of industrial espionage, fined $100mn dollars and thrown out of Constructors' Championship..... :( More.
Which means the Reds take home the Constructors'. Damn. Grrrrrr. I want to bite something.

Only light at the end of the tunnel: Both drivers given clean chit and are in the running for the Drivers' Championship. So what'll it be? Alonso first and Lewis second, or the other way round?
[That's for all you Ferrari freaks out there.....]

I am going to curl up and die now. Excuse me.

Two more reasons I hate Ponting

1. Obviously, he looks like my favourite person's twin so that can't be a good thing. Immediate negative marking for looking like George Bush. Must have been separated at birth, as blogged here.
While we are on the topic of his looks, more minus points for Ricky Ponting being very hairy. And he doesn't take the trouble to go wax/shave himself like some considerate men. [Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt.] ;)
2. In last night's match against the amazing Zimbabweans [fantastic, thrilling match!], I saw Dirty Ricky SPIT ON HIS HANDS AND RUB THEM TOGETHER NO LESS THAN 10 TIMES. Why? Why would anyone do that? Yuk. Gross. I was cringing the whole time after the match when he was shaking the Zimbabweans' hands and my whole being was screaming, "Nooooo! He's filthy! Go wash your hands immediately!"

Sam-Goose sings

And how! I am so proud of this item.
Please go here and listen to very vundrefull songs by a Sam-Goose. Sam-Goose is a poet, a student of music, a beautiful belter of songs [or a belter of beautiful songs, if you will], and, quite unrelated to anything, she is also nuts. I mean insane.
Listen to her work, read her blog, spread the word, and send her a lot of money [through me].

I want.... the MotoRAZR2- SHARPER THAN EVERRRRRR!

Absolutely love the new MOTORAZR2, or what it promises to be anyway. I have always had a Motorola from the time I got my first cell phone [not too many years ago]. Am currently using the sweet ol' MotoRAZRV3i for over a year now and think it's the best phone ever [for my purposes]. Battle scars and many falls later, it still works wonderfully well.
Am thinking of upgrading soon, provided the whole world and its uncle don't go out and buy it before me. On the other hand, my current phone works just fine so maybe not. I can go and stare at the RAZR2 and have demos at the mobile stores once in a while.

The current ad for the MotoRAZR2 is great. It's one of my favorites, close on the heels of the Happy Dent "Mera Dil Roshan... Mera Mann Roshan..." one.
Love the story, both actors, the choreography, the chemistry between the two, and of course, the very excellent soundtrack song: Le Disko by Shiny Toy Guns. Which I have just downloaded. (And which is a type of song I might not have liked if I had heard it on its ownsome.)

Shiny Toy Guns RAZR2 TV Uncut Commercial

And here it is.

Unbelievable

I thought SA had NO chance of a win today after the fabulous Chris Gayle went berserk and splattered shots all around the Wanderers, but I was forgetting that this was the same team that did this back in 2006, and on the same ground.

Full match report here. Tough luck, Windies. Maybe that's why you shouldn't drop catches and bowl wides?
Well done: Gayle, Gibbs, Kemp. [But mostly Gayle. :)]

Haaaaaahaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaa.......!!!!!

If a picture speaks a thousand words....... I love Nawaz Sharif's expression here.

I'm sorry, I can't help but find this whole deal insanely ridiculous. Not that I'm saying General Busharraf is correct in going against the Pakistan SC's decision etc etc, but he may just have not done the worst thing ever. I mean, really, this is Nawaz Sharif we're talking about. Contrary to what his surname might imply, he's no Angelic Innocent out to salvage Pakistan from the wreckage. He's just another dirty politician in what seems to be an unfortunate never-ending stream of slimeballs in this country's political sphere. [Look at the other alternative: Benazir. Eeks.]

I thoroughly enjoyed various amusing quotes such as this:
"Not long after he arrived from London to cheers from supporters accompanying him on the plane, Sharif was charged with corruption and money-laundering and bundled away by police from the airport VIP lounge. Four hours after landing, he was on a special flight to Saudi Arabia." [msnbc.com]

For sensible reporting on this: Go here.
Which reminds me, I HATE THE TIMES OF INDIA.

Adding image to injury

Just for you, Bob!

Not to put too fine a point upon it....

Monza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

McLaren pulled a perfect one-two at Monza yesterday, with some kickass top speed, blinding laps from Fernando Alonso all through the race to clinch pole position and a lovely overtaking maneuver by Lewis Hamilton after his Pit Stop #2 to pull in second ahead of Kimi.

* Hamilton's view as he overtakes Raikkonen.
The Hamilton-Raikkonen overtake was THE moment of the race for me, because I was afraid Kimi's one-stop strategy might just be able to take away the second position from McLaren. And eeks! It did for a bit, when Kimi pulled in just ahead of Lewis' car exiting from the pit lane.
But Kimi had suspension trouble [yeah, whatever] and Lewis managed a neat overtake on the first chicane which left me screeching with joy, high-fiving nobody, punching the air with my fists and renting the peace of the neighborhood asunder with some very juvenile cheering...
*All race pics bummed off the F1 site.

As is usual on weekends, Suhail bhai had come over and we had a rollicking mad time. I had promised chicken pulao [mama-style] and I delivered. Accompaniments were tangy tomato chutney and yoghurt. [For excellent pulao recipe, please send me fan mail.]A very burpalicious, albeit late-ish lunch was had around 4:30pm.
What followed was the absolute nuttiest Sister and Suhail have ever been in a long time. There was one hour to kill before the race started and the Deranged Duo decided to sing the blues away. (They thought they were really good.) A number of very elegant, soulful, classic Hindi film songs were destroyed in the process as our two star performers refused to shut up till the hour was up. The horrific renditions were punctuated by a series of giggling fits, tune-improvisations and very, very bad poetry. [Which is a loose term for rhyming words.]
Fortunately all tales of terror must have an ending, and in spite of it seeming like Time stood still while these two yodelers went caterwauling, the glorious hour of 5:30pm eventually came and my miseries ceased.
Start lights on, lights off, and GO!

Ozz and Suhail [boys in pic] are Reds - Ferrari supporters. [Blech.] They stopped acting cocky soon after reality sunk in, which is to say post the Lewis overtake which sealed the McLaren one-two deal. Hah. Sister was with McLaren, so no animosity there. [McLaren fans' -sis and I- pic on left].
To celebrate our resounding victory, I brought in some steaming hot noonchai along with a gloating smile, and special Kashmiri bakery: Kishtwari kulchay and baakirkhaani. The opinion all round was that the chai was very good. I would like to thank Nandini-double-cream-pasteurized-homogenized-no-need-to-boil-before-use milk.

Once that was done, we watched some nonsense TV programs like Miss Teen USA, AXN Fear Factor Psycho, Page 3 type no-brainer entertainment segments, and primed ourselves for the US Open Men's Finals, which according to many sources would be played at 9:30pm , IST. This turned out to be the biggest lie of the century as many hours later, droopy-eyed and despairing, we realized that the match would only be played at a mysterious, suspenseful hour which none of us would be able to guess at. Another friendship, Iqbal, had also come over in the hopes of being able to see Federer win the Open, but his dreams and aspirations were thwarted as no LIVE broadcast from Flushing Meadows seemed available. Except the insipid Women's Doubles Finals which was not gripping at all.

Suhail and Doc eventually left around 1:30am by which time we all convinced ourselves that the match would only happen post 4:30 am IST. This turned out to be the second biggest lie of the century because as it turned out, the match started at 2:30am, which fact Suhail bhai called in to inform us of.

I watched the match very sleepily, from a supine posish under a comfortable blanket in the TV room. My involvement in the proceedings was at best lackluster and I slept through many points.

And that was the Sunday that was.

Happy Birthday, doll!

To Febi, on the right.
[Yes, that's right, I have NO PICTURES OF YOU!!!!]

And so it ends...

The US Open 2007 cranked down to a nice, smooth close early this morning. [Morning for us here in India anyway. What a very crappy time to have to stay up to watch. I mean, 2:30am for yawning out loud.]

As expected, Mr Ice Cool Fedex took his amazing fourth-in-a-row US Open Trophy [Vaav!] after downing a very deserving runner up, Serbian Novak Djokovic [Very cute by the way, with 'outstanding' hair], in straight sets: 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.
It wasn't one of Federer's best performances by a long shot [oh, look, a pun]. Too many unforced errors on the part of both players, but a little disconcerting to see it from the racquet of Fedex the Faultless. But, ho-hum, he took home the goodies anyways.
I particularly loved a certain feline allusion about the tightness of the match and Federer's response to it: "But leave it to Federer, the cool-handed Swiss, who might constantly look self-assured but, when pushed to the wall, responds like an alley cat."
Hah.
Fuller report here.

In the women's draw, Justine Henin won an easy final against Kuznetsova and I didn't watch the match except in highlights [what a very superlative one-handed backhand she has] so I shall say nothing about it. All I know is, Justine must be in very excellent form because she overcame both the Williams sisters, back-to-back. I did watch Venus' game this Open and I thought she was dandy. Which means Justine is obviously dandier, so well done!

This concludes my annual broadcast on the US Open. Till 2008, then, no more of this.

*whispering* "I think A.R.Rahman is Anonymous-ly leaving comments on my blog. I am famous!!!!! Yay!!!!"

{Finds it difficult to whisper "Yay!"}