My Son Failed By An Inch : Chapter 9

The Call

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“Hello Santo, how are you?”

“I’m sorry sir but this is Pirri Gratisso. I manage Mr. De Souza’s work.”

“But where is he?”

“He’s out sir.”

“Since when did his phone become yours? Where is he”

“I am sorry sir but he asks me to answer his personal calls while he goes on for a drink.”

“Then you must know who I am.”

“I am sure you are someone of utmost importance to him as your caller ID says Godfather.”

“Yes. You tell him to call me back, first thing when he returns!”

“Of course sir. Anything else?”

CLT20 2013-Who's winning it?

The Champion's League T20 being held this year features top domestic teams from India and other cricketing nations. This series, consisting of squads which stood first in the domestic league tournaments in their respective nations, promises intense competition among the teams and as a result, a lot of excitement and drama.                  
               

With the qualifying round of the tournament already done with, the stage is set to get only bigger and better. Moreover, given the fact that four IPL teams are contesting in the main draw, stadiums are expected to be jam-packed and TV viewership is envisaged to be large. Although the Chennai Super Kings with the Debonair Dhoni as their captain are the favourites to win the cup, other teams aren't far behind by any means. For instance, the Otago Volts from New Zealand, for whom qualifying into the main draw was duck soup indeed, have a winning streak of 13 matches right now and the way they're playing, it hardly seems it's ever going to end! It would come as no surprise if the Volts go on to clinch the title. Also, the other three IPL teams, especially the 2013 IPL winners, the Mumbai Indians, would be fancying their chances to lift the trophy. Not very far behind are the teams from South Africa, the Lions and the Titans. The Lions, who finished second in the CLT20 last year, would be hoping to go one step further this time around and win the championship. The Australian teams too, though both of them playing the CLT20 for the first time, would be wishing to repeat their ancestors' feat. The Carribean team, Trinidad and Tobago, which ended up runners-up in the 2009 season, would definitely leave no stone unturned in the attempt to win its maiden CLT20 title.

Once The Best, Now Among The Rest...

In tennis, Roger Federer has undoubtedly been a force to reckon with. His impressive stats speak for themselves as 17 grand slam titles,77 ATP titles and a win percentage of 81.3% is no mere feat. Many commentators and tennis players regard him as the greatest tennis player of all time. It's only his recent form which has stopped him from living up to the expectations of his fans around the world.

The Redeemers by Suresh Taneja

The very subject of this book seemed fascinating to me. India has been a home to the problems of corruption and malpractices. These issues have become rampant and deeply ingrained in our culture. The redeemers is a story of how a few young friends embark on a journey to liberate the country from the clutches of these problems. At the heart of it, it is a story of hope .

The protagonists fight from their heart and soul while facing the rage of corrupt souls and dealing with devils. And, they win over them in a delightful fashion. Eventually, it takes 20 years for the country to get the status of what USA enjoys now. The countrymen enjoy the lawful lives and feel proud as they take some time out meet and look back at how these events took place.

Kanha Wildlife Sanctuary

A thick labyrinth of woods,

An enigma of sorts,

A crepuscular heaven enshrouded in divine flora and fauna,

There is no talisman in the world as Kanha.

The placid barasinghas to the noxious tigers,

A harangue of fowls to a nuzzle of elephants,

The obdurate wolves to the tenuous deer,

A lackluster being is unanimously forgotten when you land here.

Heading to the woods on a halcyon dawn,

Encounter a mother deer exalting her dear fawn,

A hedonist’s adept abode to alight,

As if, a dear son, his mother’s sight.

English Bites! by Manish Gupta

Initially, I was a bit skeptical about the book as I had never read language-improvement books before. I used to hate all my grammar text-books as I didn't have the slightest clue that I would one day become a blogger. A book which tries to teach you stuff will always have a certain degree of formality which I more or less hate. Plus, I have grown up reading storybooks and crime novels throughout my life, this was bound to be different.

I was right, the book does score in terms of its uniqueness. It is not typically like a GRE/GMAT/CAT guide but aims to make the reader learn new words and improve his/her vocabulary through experiences drawn from the author's life. Each and every experience is humorously portrayed and contains difficult words with a glossary below to explain their meanings. While I can't say that I am overly fond of the footnotes as it does hamper the reading a bit, they do help you when you are stuck with the meaning of a particular word. He explains them beautifully in the footnotes with detailed explanations of the usage of the word in sentences.

My Son Failed By An Inch : Chapter 8

Old Men Old Habits

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As you get older, time means nothing. Because there is less you can do and lesser you need to do. An arm chair and a walking stick are the only material possessions you can brag about and time, it is your ally as it brings back fond memories heals the sour ones and helps you connect to your creator before you meet and thank him for the wonderful years on this planet. But for Santo, time was the fiercest foe; it never let him sit down for a moment and think what he was doing, He had to battle against it to gain fitness and to work on his technique. He wanted to do so many things in so little time as he had to party, go for long drives, pose for magazines, answer the media and in the process, he never spoke to himself. That is what time did. It never game him a chance to speak to himself. Contemplate. Think about his future.

He gradually saw me as an archaic person trying to preach outdated principles from India sitting in an armchair and watching the sun rise and fall into the ocean while he was busy trying to catch up with the merciless pace of a sophisticated world that was far more interesting and happening. I tried to catch up. But time told me I was too late and languid. I had to let Santo choose.

Corruption free sports: A dream ?

Indian sports has suffered a lot due to corruption in the sports administration. It is time to end it.

For the last 8 months, no Indian athlete has represented the country officially in any multi discipline events. This is because the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) was suspended from the Olympic movement for being corrupt and not following rules as laid out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The reason for suspension is due to IOA's poor ethical and governance standards.

#14 Hawk and Dove vs Iron Fist and Luke Cage

Hawk and Dove, Justice League's militant and pacifist superhero team take on Avengers members Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

Name: Henry Hall and Donald Hall
Affiliated To: The Justice League
Background: Hank (Henry) and Don (Donald) are brothers who represent contrasting ideologies and transform themselves to superheroes by speaking their aliases - Hawk and Dove respectively. By the power given to them by the Lord Of Chaos and Order, the Dove is a symbol of non-violence who seeks to resolve matters peacefully while the Hawk is more aggressive and uses his brute strength to beat super-villains.

Name: Carl Lucas and Daniel Rand K'ai
Affiliated To: Heroes For Hire, Avengers
Background:  In jail for a crime he didn't commit, Carl Lucas underwent an experimental surgery in exchange for parole which gave him steel skin and enhanced muscles. When a crime lord captured Cage's associates, he formed a team with the Iron Fist and took down the crime ring. Calling themselves Heroes For Hire they are mercenaries who pledge to do the right thing.

LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!!!!