Visiting Coimbatore (Cbe) is not a big deal as it was a couple of months back. The reason that it was a big deal then was because I was very busy and visiting Cbe included break from my work, catching up with family and friends. Now that I'm neither busy nor I'm visiting Cbe for fun, it has become a part of every month's schedule. Last weekend (Sunday + Monday), I was in Cbe for one such work, which showed no sign of any improvement though I have slogged for sometime now. Success is becoming one word that is getting difficult to spell the harder i try.
Coming to the subject, I prefer not traveling by the Government Transport, especially during the night times. This is because when you tend to sleep in the Government buses, you can't find out where you get hit. I opt to spend 130 bucks extra and get a ticket by some private travels rather than getting hit badly. Also, for my physique, it is quite difficult for me to stretch my legs in a Government bus. However, for the past couple of trips, traveling by travels is getting bitter. For instance, when I was traveling from Cbe to the city I live yesterday, the seat that was allocated to me was hanging on one side with support only on one side. For a moment, I was so angry that I wanted to break it completely. Then, thinking about it struck me that sitting properly on the seat would do for it to break by the time I reached my destination.
Having made my peace with the seat, I was listening to the best music according to me. I'm always proud about my taste for music. If I make a play-list of 50 songs and play it to a crowd (say 100 people) with mixed taste, I'm confident that everyone in that crowd will have a set of songs (not one or two) in that play-list that they loved. This may seem irrelevant now, but I'll link it to the story later :'(.
Coming back to settling on the half-dead seat, I set my mobile alarm to wake me up at 3AM. That's almost around the time I'd reach my place. By mid-night I realized that listening to music was a lost cause because of the sleep. I disconnected the headsets from my mobile, shoved them into my Jeans pockets and went to sleep.
Time: 3AM
Event: Alarm Ringing! [The Dropkick Murphy Number - Theme Music of "The Departed"]
Action: I got up, switched-off the alarm (Note the point! Switched it off. Didn't Snooze it). This proves that I was fully up and aware I was almost reaching Paris as a Rich Noble (during the French Revolution). In simpler words, I was reaching the city I live in. After realizing that it would take some more time to reach there, I put the mobile phone back into my shirt pocket and went to a much environment-aware sleep.
Time: 3:20AM
Event: Sudden halt of bus and glowing lights inside the bus.
Action: I got up, found out that I had reached my place. However, the bus had not reached the second stopping, where I had to get down. It was still in the first stopping. I wanted to confirm if the bus would halt at the second stopping. I got up and walked to the driver's seat.
First Shock (10 degrees): I felt my shirt pocket. My mobile, which was supposed to be there, was not in place.
Reliever: It would have fallen on my seat.
[After confirming that the bus would halt at where I had to get down, I rushed to my seat]
Second Shock (50 degrees): The mobile was not there.
Reliever: It would have slipped down.
[I went down on my knees and checked below the seats]
Third Shock(250 degrees + a small sink in the heart): It was not there.
Panic Button1: I asked the people sitting near my seat (all directions).
Fourth Shock(1250 degrees + a deeper sink): No one had any clue.
Panic Button2: I requested a mobile phone from one of the people there and called my mobile.
Reliever: It was ringing.
Fifth Shock(no measure! A big hole in the heart): No trace of any sound. Chiju! Is it gone?
When the bus reached my stopping, I requested the driver to wait for sometime and he was courteous enough to wait there for half an hour. I searched every nook and corner of the bus. After sometime, in vain, I thanked the driver, got into an auto to get home. My mind had nothing other than the phone. As soon as, I opened the door, I reached my land line phone and called my mobile. It still kept ringing. With a great ray of hope, I got my bike keys. At 3:45 AM in the morning, I rode my bike to wherever the phone could have slipped and fell. How much distance could the bus have covered in 20 minutes? After driving something like 20kms odd, I came back home. Again I called my mobile. The sweet lady (not sweet anymore) called out, "The Airtel Number you are trying to reach is currently switched off!"
It is some lucky *******'s day to get a mobile with a 2 GB memory card that carries a great collection of beautiful songs.
PS: Dedicated to the memory of my K810i and the Rahman Wallpaper that it displays. Miss you!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Cricket 2009
Well, this is the first time that I am writing about PC games. People who know me would never discuss PC games with me. Dangerous Dave still remains my favorite game . Counter Strike is another.
However, Cricket is one PC game i used to play since my childhood. Thanks to EA Sports & Brian Lara Cricket, I have loved to play Cricket on my computer. Now lets walk through a couple of cricket games that have been released and played a lot of times.
Cricket 97:
Very well appreciated for its graphics, considering the technical advancements at that time, Cricket 97 was famous. The "Howzaaat" sound made by the players, every time a wicket fell, would never be forgotten by anyone who has played the game. One other memorable thing about the game is the way the batsman used to crumple, with an "Ohhhhhh" from the crowd, when he gets hit by the ball.
Brian Lara Cricket (1999 I suppose):
Though I had not played the game as much as i had played Cricket 97, it was a good one with improved animation and clearer faces of the cricketers.
Cricket 2003 (or 2005):
I don't remember the exact year. But, the game had improved difficulty levels and simulated the real game in an even better manner compared to the previous versions.
Cricket 2007:
This is the latest version that I'm playing even now. However, I would not give any positive feedback (Refer SKOAR for a good laugh). With all the players' names misspelled, the quality has definitely deteriorated, except for a better look.
Cricket 2008:
A few sites claim that inclusion of the IPL patch to the 2007 version is this. But I am not very sure about it.
Although all the above mentioned versions are famous and successful, the fan base for playing PC Cricket is gradually decreasing. However, here might be what Cricket 2009 would be like. (Just to spice up the sales a bit, you know)
Cricket 2009:
Scenario:
The objective of this level is to successfully transport the players from their hotel to the ground.
Time Limit:
10 Minutes
No. of Attackers:
12
However, Cricket is one PC game i used to play since my childhood. Thanks to EA Sports & Brian Lara Cricket, I have loved to play Cricket on my computer. Now lets walk through a couple of cricket games that have been released and played a lot of times.
Cricket 97:
Very well appreciated for its graphics, considering the technical advancements at that time, Cricket 97 was famous. The "Howzaaat" sound made by the players, every time a wicket fell, would never be forgotten by anyone who has played the game. One other memorable thing about the game is the way the batsman used to crumple, with an "Ohhhhhh" from the crowd, when he gets hit by the ball.
Brian Lara Cricket (1999 I suppose):
Though I had not played the game as much as i had played Cricket 97, it was a good one with improved animation and clearer faces of the cricketers.
Cricket 2003 (or 2005):
I don't remember the exact year. But, the game had improved difficulty levels and simulated the real game in an even better manner compared to the previous versions.
Cricket 2007:
This is the latest version that I'm playing even now. However, I would not give any positive feedback (Refer SKOAR for a good laugh). With all the players' names misspelled, the quality has definitely deteriorated, except for a better look.
Cricket 2008:
A few sites claim that inclusion of the IPL patch to the 2007 version is this. But I am not very sure about it.
Although all the above mentioned versions are famous and successful, the fan base for playing PC Cricket is gradually decreasing. However, here might be what Cricket 2009 would be like. (Just to spice up the sales a bit, you know)
Cricket 2009:
Scenario:
The objective of this level is to successfully transport the players from their hotel to the ground.
Time Limit:
10 Minutes
No. of Attackers:
12
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Admissions cost a lot!
Last weekend, i completed my so called "training", which eventually got extended for no strong reason i see. We had the weekend off and i immediately rushed to the get the feel home treatment of Coimbatore. One of my roaming buddies (the razor guy) couldn't make it there at the same time. So i had so much time to idle around the city. As a part of the re-planning process (am a trained software professional right?), i decided to visit one of my uncles (dad's brother).
My uncle's son is doing his 12th standard right now. So my uncle and aunt were like talking all about M.B.B.S & B.Tech admissions to me (Yeah Right!). They listed all the colleges and universities they have applied (for a moment i thought they were also going to join M.B.B.S or whatever). The sum they have spent for all the applications almost equals 3.5 grand. I was speechless already. When i finished my 12th, i was looking out for which movies to see rather than which universities to apply (maybe that accounts to my current state now, so, lets not pull at that string). Still 3.5K was too much just for applications. He is not Hermione (Harry Potter) to use a time turner and attend many many colleges and courses at the same time.
When we were talking on these grounds, my uncle's neighbour gave an entry. The conversation went like this. Lets call the uncle as U and the neighbour as N.
U: Hey N! How did it go? Got the application?
N: Yes! There was a big queue. I stood by morning by 9 AM and was able to get it only half an hour back (time is 6:45 PM now).
Myself (thinking): Ridiculous! Freak!
U: Oh! That must have been pretty bad. So, what brings you here?
N: I get "The Hindu" daily. Heard there was an ad about an admission/application (no difference) in "The Indian Express". So, i just wanted to take a look at it.
U: Oh Sure! (Handed the newspaper to him) Good Luck!
N: (Opened the paper and went through the ad) (speaking more to himself) Oh No! That is another 1000 bucks, which totals up to 8 grand.
(I could not take it anymore. However, i just kept quiet, waiting for him to leave)
After noting down the details, the neighbour left. All the emotion in my mind burst out within fraction of a second. "Is this man mad? 8 grand? Waste of money! Forget about that! He looks so young! I can't even believe that he has got a kid who is going to join college next year!"
Actually i was quite right. The neighbour was indeed too young to have a kid that old. The admissions and applications were for a kid who is going to join Kinder Garden (KG).
I was all like !!!!!
Shocking (but true) facts i learnt:
My uncle's son is doing his 12th standard right now. So my uncle and aunt were like talking all about M.B.B.S & B.Tech admissions to me (Yeah Right!). They listed all the colleges and universities they have applied (for a moment i thought they were also going to join M.B.B.S or whatever). The sum they have spent for all the applications almost equals 3.5 grand. I was speechless already. When i finished my 12th, i was looking out for which movies to see rather than which universities to apply (maybe that accounts to my current state now, so, lets not pull at that string). Still 3.5K was too much just for applications. He is not Hermione (Harry Potter) to use a time turner and attend many many colleges and courses at the same time.
When we were talking on these grounds, my uncle's neighbour gave an entry. The conversation went like this. Lets call the uncle as U and the neighbour as N.
U: Hey N! How did it go? Got the application?
N: Yes! There was a big queue. I stood by morning by 9 AM and was able to get it only half an hour back (time is 6:45 PM now).
Myself (thinking): Ridiculous! Freak!
U: Oh! That must have been pretty bad. So, what brings you here?
N: I get "The Hindu" daily. Heard there was an ad about an admission/application (no difference) in "The Indian Express". So, i just wanted to take a look at it.
U: Oh Sure! (Handed the newspaper to him) Good Luck!
N: (Opened the paper and went through the ad) (speaking more to himself) Oh No! That is another 1000 bucks, which totals up to 8 grand.
(I could not take it anymore. However, i just kept quiet, waiting for him to leave)
After noting down the details, the neighbour left. All the emotion in my mind burst out within fraction of a second. "Is this man mad? 8 grand? Waste of money! Forget about that! He looks so young! I can't even believe that he has got a kid who is going to join college next year!"
Actually i was quite right. The neighbour was indeed too young to have a kid that old. The admissions and applications were for a kid who is going to join Kinder Garden (KG).
I was all like !!!!!
Shocking (but true) facts i learnt:
- There is a play school my cousin attended when he was small. That play school is booked for admissions till 2011. When do the parents book the playschool? As soon as they are engaged?
- My aunt teaches maths in a "famous & costly" school. She had recently evaluated the new admission test papers (for 8th standard). The guy who got a centum was overthrown by a guy who got a big fat "0" because of the 40 grand paid by the parent.
- The yearly fees for a 8th/9th standard student in the same school (mentioned above) amounts to 38 grand (My sister spent less than a lakh to complete her engineering).
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