31-Dec-2008

On the last day of 2008, reminiscing back on this year, all I can say is 2008 was not bad, and am peeking around the corner for 2009.

Work has been the same though Sylantro has now, officially, become Sylantro-Broadsoft (more on that later). People leaving, people joining has been the trend all over the place so not much to bother there - unless people I like leave. So far that has been down to only one person - so hoping for a good 2009.

Life, in whole, has been nice with the occasional surprises. Every day is full of intriguing twists and turns but in general has been good. Having spent (still spending) quality time with my family, it sure is a nice way to end the year. Having a warm and caring family should be part of life. Well, I did learn a lot on how to live, what to do and what not to do - so it's good to go for the next year.

Friends have been the regular routine. Some getting married and flying off and some staying close as ever. There were a few who did make me realize not all is as clear as crystal.

Now for the Mighty whites, Leeds. Not so good after a bright start in League One. With the sacking of Gary Mac, Grayson now at the helm, a win to end the year, things might turn around in the new year.

Anything else? Yep. My HDD's are all working now! (keeping my fingers and toes crossed)

Happy New Year!

Christmas

Christmas has come and gone this year but the holiday spirit still lingers on. The Tree with all its glitters, Santa's, bells, wreaths and small presents make their presence known with the occasional tingle and the streamers and cards show wishes from the past. Though, by the time I came home, Mom and Dad had completed the decorations, with a neatly wrapped present (mine!) under the tree. Ahh...some things do not change :) - When I left home a good few years back to move on to Bangalore, I thought I would miss all the charm in a family Christmas, but so far, that has not been the case. Christmas has always been the time to be jolly, with family and friends, with lots of good food and a festive atmosphere hanging in the air.

Mortal Kombat

A few minutes back I got a rather strange phone call. Some guy was asking for a particular 'wei' in Chinese. Not that strange but after a few 'wei's, when I asked him for the number he wanted, he said "This is Kung Lao" - WOW! This was like a bolt out of a clear sky. Watching Mortal Kombat yesterday - and playing it as well, made me jump up when I heard the name Kung Lao. Well, after a few apologies, he hung up. hmm..Maybe I should have told him I was Shang Tsung :)

Live like a King.

Day 9: 0824 hours
Coming Home is always a pleasure and the last 8 days have been just plain awesome. Living like a king (as some of my friends call it) is never something to complain, I would say.
I wake up to the sweet chirping of birds on my window sill and get a nice cup of tea while reading the paper. In the meanwhile the bath is made ready and I take a warm bath and by the time I come out, a few of my dresses are laid out. I make my pick. Then comes the healthy and heavy breakfast - which really is a break of fast!. After breakfast, it's off to my room to start my day's work (after all I am working from home!). Within an hour or so, a cup of tea and biscuits arrive on a plate. I munch them happily and continue with the work. Anything else to eat? Is the question. Am good thanks is the answer!. After solving a few more tickets, IM'ing a few people and sending a few emails it's time again to go to the dining table - for Lunch. Mom and Dad wait for me to grace the table :). A sumptuous meal follows and am almost full to the point of feeling dazed (Yes, sometimes I am almost full!). Next comes another round or tickets, IM's and emails with something to munch on if needed. At around 1600 hours, the table beckons again for tea, biscuits and cake. One, two, three and maybe more pieces vanish quickly of my mom's home-made cake!umm...tasty! Maybe a few pakoras too. Off again. A few more tickets...and the rest. It's almost time to call it a day now. Goodbye's to my favourite people at work and I log off. Then its time for family, friends and the good 'ol places to hang around! Bye Bye!

Tea - Relativity.

Here I am sitting at my table at 0700 hours drinking a nice cup of tea and listening to the birds chirping outside my window. How long has it been? How nice it is now! With all the concrete jungle's coming up in Bangalore, the early bird is never to be seen. Alas! What have we done to mother earth?.

"Gazing through the window at the world outside
Wondering if mother earth will survive
Hoping that mankind will stop abusing her, sometime"

Shifting from earth to down to earth now!

Life, people say, is there to be lived. Some live the dream and some wait for it to end. The sad fact is that everything in life is relative. For those not living the dream - the grass is greener on the other side. Anything, for that matter, is relative.

Why is it wrong? - Only because there is another way to do it. Thats relative.
What is good? - Because the other is 'bad'.

So on and so forth.

Well, I think I had too much sugar in my tea! :) - Have a good day or a good night (where ever you are - again relative!) ;)

A New beginning

After the sacking of Gary Mac, Leeds have appointed Simon Grayson as their 9th manager in 10 years - not a good place for managers, I guess. But with Grayson's record, this could very well turn out to be a good move for the Yorkshire club. Having done a tremendous job with limited resources at Blackpool, much will be expected of him at Elland Road - even an immediate jump back in to the top 4 and a promotion perhaps!

Still a strong mighty white as ever can be!

The Draw.

The draw for the Champions League has been done! And it's mouthwatering looking at the ties. Some of them bring back old memories and rivalries! Scolari's Blues take on -former Chelsea man-Ranieri's Juve. Am hoping for the Italian giants to knock out Chelsea and pile more misery on their 'near-Champions of Europe' journey. The other fixture which will prominently hug the limelight is the defending champions against Inter. Mourinho comes back to England, with his Nerazurri, to face his old friend - Sir Alex. That is going to be one hell of a game! One other intriguing game would be the battle between the Spanish tacticians: Juande Ramos and Rafael Benitez. Real do not look like the team that had been demolishing others in their path, but a trip to Anfield will surely bring the best out of them.

Chelsea v Juventus

Villarreal v Panathinaikos

Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich

Atletico Madrid v FC Porto

Lyon v Barcelona

Real Madrid v Liverpool

Arsenal v Roma

Inter Milan v Manchester United

The matches will be played on Feb 24/25 and Mar 10/11 as the Champions League knockout phase begins. Game on!!!

Here I am, up from 0345 playing Pro Evolution Soccer, checking emails and now blogging! - Not that I wanted to be the early bird, but somehow got up and couldn't get back inside the covers. And the irritating knee after last evening's game is no help either. Anyway, all that aside, life goes on as usual, and me planning to go home today for the Holiday Season brings a smile to my face.

Though am gonna miss this place, a few people and Charlotte of course!, it's gonna be fun at home! Am kinda looking forward to it as the last few weeks have be rather tumultuous. Now that the dust has almost settle down, it's back to the grinding wheel.

'Tis the season to be Jolly! With a yo ho ho and a bottle of wine (lets skip the rum for the season :)!)