A Great Friend - Saurabh Bhardwaj

I am writing this post with a very heavy heart as just about 20 minutes ago I have said good bye to one of my best friend, Saurabh Bhardwaj. It is only when the time comes to actually say good-bye, you realize how good has someone been your friend.

Saurabh is a very dynamic personality, full of only and only positive energy with a lots of ideas cooking in his mind all the time. Last two years of our association has been really great and looking back to those days I can clearly see that I wouldn't have done the amount of social initiatives that I did had he not been there. Together, we founded Sankalp Foundation, completed the course of CSIM and worked on many projects ranging from some work in the stocks market to planting as many as 133 trees in a single day! He is truly an awesome personality with a very focussed mind.

Now that today is his last day in Hyderabad, I don't want to make it too sentimental and I just wish that Saurabh, my friend, may you achieve what you have destined yourself to achieve and may you get success in all your new and future endeavors. Lastly, he said that it was a great association he had with me for two years and hope this association continues later as well. Trust me friend, I also wish the same!

Fir Milenge
Arun

Health is Wealth

Hey Friends,

I am back on blogging! :)

First of all, I'd like to thank Sakshi whom I didn't know a day ago but she somehow has revived my motivation to blog again. :) I don't know her except the normal hello-hi kind of chat on the net but she seems to have the similar interest in fitness as I do (and she is probably doing something for her fitness but I seem to lag here a lot :P).

Anyways, they say that you need to earn only one thing in your life, health. Rest all the other things will follow automatically. True it is that health is wealth and you should never compromise on that. So, what should we do to have a healthy living? The answer is simple:

1. Sleep: You can never achieve a healthy body without a relaxed and healthy mind. Your mind, just like any other part of your body, needs some rest to revive its strength. You can never feel fresh after working for 20 hours a day with 7 days a week. So, plan out a complete 8 hours (minimum 7 hours) of sleep a day. It would be good to have it in one stretch. This will give your mind enough time to cool down itself and will make you feel fresh while waking up.

2. Early to bed and early to rise: makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. The old sayings haven't lost their lusture yet. You should plan your sleep at around 11 PM in the night. Make it a habit!

3. Eat: You should not intake fat, fried or oily stuff. Say no to rice. Eat healthy and nutritious food only. Best is to take an appointment from the doctor and have a balanced diet chart. Never ever go for dieting. Instead eat healthy and nutritious food only. No alcohol or cigs dude! Why to pay for something that is killing you slowly? Instead, save some money and take cyanide!!!

4. Exercise: Do have a daily exercise schedule. It wouldn't take much but will give your body a strength to live for 100 years :). Ideally, an hour to two a day is must. Focus on cardio. Elderly people can go for morning/evening walks whereas the software professionals such as me should definitely hit the gym or even better should go out and play some sports. It soothes your mind, relax your body and is a nice little outing on the daily basis. Believe me, it won't take that much time. Just the determination!!!

In total you need to give 10-11 hours a day (including sleep) to your body and it'll take care of you for the rest of your life!!! :)

One last point, don't hide yourself behind the wall of excuse that your job doesn't allow you to spend time for your health. Just notice how much time do you waste eating at cafeteria in the afternoon and evening. Why not do something productive then? :)

For those of us who are so pathatically disowned by the goddess of health, it would be worth mentioning that Anil Ambani goes for a daily jogging of whopping 10 KMs. If a guy at such a level can spend so much amount of time on his health, why can't we?



Signing Out
A

Life (sometime) doesn't go the way you want it...

It isn't quite uncommon for a new age Homo Sapien to curse his life for it not align to what he wants. People are frustrated with their loved ones, their grades at school / college, their boss, their job, their private or professional life, with everything. In their act of cursing someone or something, often they look at only one side of the coin while totally ignoring what is there on the other side. One should realize that the question isn't why it happened the way it happened but what steps did I take to make it end like this?

There are some things that aren't in your hand and you really can't do much about it. But for others, there is always a second choice. They say, 10% of your life isn't under your control but the remaining 90% is the outcome of what choice did you make. Life always gives you a second chance and a second choice and if you don't have it, the show isn't over yet.

In the last one week, I have met several people who really don't know from where are they going to get their next meal. They are all over the streets of Delhi and no matter how much I try to help that someone on a traffic signal, the situation doesn't get any better. Everytime it's a new face, a new life begging for a Rs 5 note from your wallet. I am not talking charity here but my point is that think about those people who don't even have that much control on the things happening aorund them. Now, is it good for you to curse yourself or your luck or whatever? God has blessed you with an option to make a choice. Don't insult that gift.

I always believe that whatever happens, happens for good. If it had to end this way, probably it was best for you. Probably the other side could have been even worse that you might not even stand by that.

I wish that things go really well in your life and I hope that you make the right choice at the right time.

God Bless You
Arun

India tour to Australia: A game of shame?

There is no point for me writing a post to point how dirty did Australia played the second test match as one can see that the entire world is against them on this. But still somehow I am not able to resist myself in writing some of the points I observed.

While doing the aftermath of the match, when someone asked Ricky Ponting about his views on some of the controvertial decisions and catches (including his huge appeal for an incomplete catch), here is what he had to say:

"... In my opinion umpires are also human and are subject to make errors and in Ganguly's decision, the umpire (Mark Benson) was looking for me (captain) to ask if the catch was complete. I asked Clarke about the catch and he was confident that he had taken the catch and so I confirmed the umpire about the catch and said that Ganguly was out and this is the way I think the cricket should be played...".

No Mr. Ponting, the game SHOULDN'T be played this way. As a rule and also quoted by Sunil Gavaskar when talking about these controvertial decisions, it is stated that in case of a doubt the umpire has to consult the leg umpire (and not Ricky Ponting, opposition team's captain) to clarify his doubt and if the leg umpire is also not sure about it then the third umpire is reffered to for the decision. In case of the third umpire also not sure about the issue, the benefit of doubt is given to the batsman which was clearly not the thing in Ganguly's case. Though I wonder, how good would it have been asking the third umpire on this as he himself gave some wrong decision when he got the liberty to use technology and see the replay multiple times.

In all, it was a bad day for the Indian side watching the australian team, the umpires, the third umpire and the match referee all against India and giving the wrong decisions all the times. Some of the controvertial decisions that I remember are:

1) Symonds not given out twice (finally hitting 150+) was a major blow to the Indian side.

2) Ganguly's decision - Clarke grounded the ball.

3) Dravid's caught behind decision - Dravid never touched the ball by his bat.

4) Jaffer's decision - Brett Lee did a no ball but umpires were kind enough to Lee not to see that.

5) Third umpire decision of stumping etc.

On the top of this, the Harbhajan-Symonds controversy where the match referee (Mike Procter) found Harbhajan guilty on the plea of just two Australian player when none of the umpire heard the comment. Sachin, who was in the crease when the incident happened, was also not considered worthy enough to listen to. Harbhajan being banned for 3 matches is a big enough punishment anyone can give to a player (that too when the charges weren't proved) considering the maximum punishment was 4 matches ban. Anyways, history knows how the same person banned 5-6 Indian players for some matches sometime back even when they didn't do anything that should make someone ban them for some matches.

In my opinion, Indians should just boycott the series as the Australian team and their allies have forgotten even the basics of the sportsmanship which says that it doesn't matter who wins or loses the game, what matters is how the game is played.

Related articles:

'Bitter' Australia-India Test leaves sour taste - media

Aussies rally behind Harbhajan

Team India c Benson b Bucknor

Rotten from first day to the last

Indian team stays on in Sydney to push ban appeal

Three former captains slam Ponting on racial issue

Kumble questions Australia's spirit

We will fight the false slur against our player: BCCI

Found a banana pile on road? What NOT to do to avoid skidding over it!

For a long time I admired the camouflage effect behind encryption algorithms for they work so well in hiding what they actually carry and misdirect the possible hacking attempt leaving the original content save, secure and in restricted hands only.

Life is going pretty fast and every hour passes as if it had never begun. A milestone is approaching very fast and to some it might seem like a cat approaching a rope tied rat. One suggestion that might do the trick for the rat is that don't panic and be a brat and kick the cat ;). Victory will be yours dear rat ;).

With the best wishes to all those rats I would like to finish this crap (this post :) ).

ArUn TaNgRi