In search of myself...

"We receive quite a few letters from customers over here at Chevrolet. Some are good, and some offer “constructive criticism.” Normally we don’t publish them, but we really felt a need to share this letter. The author, Roger B., gave us permission to share portions of the letter about his 2010 Camaro. - Adam Denison, Chevrolet Communications" ---- "I just have way too many problems with this car. Let's start with the exterior: 1. The styling is too aggressive. I'm a pretty passive person by nature and I don't want the personality of this car to project onto me. The front looks like a snarling animal ready to pounce. Scary. 2. The paint is too shiny. I spent last Saturday applying ZAINO to the car and I must have done it wrong because I can't even tell what color it is anymore (Victory Red, BTW). All I can see is shine and reflection. 3. It's too sexy. What with the curves and hips that the body features I'm starting to have feelings about this car...

We hooked up with a cab service provider here in Detroit called Dinesh. Dinesh is an Indian who settled long back in Malaysia and came over to the US to fend for his belly. He's got about 4 cabs with him. Mike is one of Dinesh's employees that can't keep shut and can't help complaining that Dinesh's too old and laid back. Mike's got this typical "cool dude" slang and once used "bam bam bam" against something he was vociferously revolting and lo! we started calling him Bam Bam Bigelow (WWF of yesteryear). He has a great sense of humour and can make anyone laugh. On Monday evening, he was driving us back from office when we spotted a lady busted by the traffic patrol here. The ever-enthusiastic Malay (a friend with me on this trip) expressed his concern, saying "Why do cops give tickets to lady drivers?" Pat! came the reply from Mike, "Cos they are married". We laughed. And then, I asked him what would happen if the lady was...

Yesterday's Indo-Pak match in the champions trophy certainly didn't go India's way, but there seemed to be a good revelation on a rather debatable issue there. The mindset of a batsman during the match. Some of the Pak bowlers overstepped like crazy and I guess I saw about 6 free hits in the match(I watched only till Virat Kohli got out). Of these, five were dispatched to the fence while one was a dot ball. It wasn't that the free hit balls were bad deliveries. They were just super shots. Gambhir picked one from good length and skied it for six. One more he pulled for maximum runs. Jammy (even Jammy damn it!) sent one to the mid wicket fence, etc... Strange how the absence of the fear of failure can bring out the best from a batsman. Can't this fear be avoided in normal circumstances? Why are there millions of balls left outside off stump when the same are connected to perfection during free hits? Got a match in a while. I am out to explore this feeling now. Hadn...

Some time back in school I was taught that reading newspapers is a good habit. Let's take a look at some pieces that have been in the limelight of late. 1) DMK family members at the centre are baffled by the exclusion of the "Z" from their names. For example, Kanimozhi and Azhagiri were wrongly spelt in the rolls as Kanimoli and Alagiri. This was flash news on Times now. 2) The solar eclipse was covered for more time than the eclipse itself. In fact, the masala here was the argument between a scientist and an astrologer on the good and bad effects of the phenomenon. 3) MJ should have reached heaven now and the media is sending his name to hell by writing anything and everything they imagine or even hear of. Gone are the days when the media would write only on the availability of solid evidence. 4) Rakhi ka Swayamvar is selling like hot cakes... er.... dung! 5) Villagers burying their children in sand neck deep to erase the ill effects of the solar eclipse was telecasted, ...

Yes. That's right. Another marriage proposal. This time, it's a girl that I know and who has visited my place in Chennai. As usual, given that my age isn't far from the teens, I said I needed more time. Dad should have replied to the girl's parents supporting my decision. Now where is the problem??? We have a family function in Mysore later this month and I am cent percent sure that I will meet that girl there. How should I face her? Shit man, this is a bad feeling, trust me. I told this to a friend. He said the best way to face the situation is to accept the proposal and get married an year later. But even if I accepted the offer, how would I face my would-be for the first time??? As I type this, my lip edges are touching my ears. I hate this feeling!

With a historic bankruptcy in prospect, GM North America is all set to undergo good restructuring. But what does this mean to GM India? The answer is 'virtually nothing'. GM India with its present sole brand, the "Chevrolet", has been on the move in a good way and the first quarter this year witnessed substantial growth in sales. With more launches in the pipleline, Chevrolet promises to capture markets and hearts. It is not possible that the world's oldest, largest and leading automaker that is bigger than some competitors put together would shut down operations in one go. And it would be a slap on the industrial face of America if it actually did so. This article is directed at those people that carry the slightest speculation on GM's survival, both in India and abroad. GM was never a bad car maker, but too good a paymaster that incurred a lot of bad costs. It will take time for this feeling to sink in to people! GM's future is as strong as its technolog...

I just returned to Bangalore after an official trip to Faridabad. It is one of the most industrialized places in India and sometimes in the four long days I was there, I felt that the industries developed all alone, leaving the masses way behind. There were some things that I found interesting there. 1. Cricket equipment is dirt cheap compared to rates in Chennai and Bangalore - thanks to lesser transit costs from Jalandhar and Meerut where they are made. 2. Paneer Butter Masala is served for breakfast, lunch, brunch, tea, dinner and anything in between. Even more interesting is the size of a paneer piece in it. Easily beats a medimix soap. 3. Three star hotels have receptionists that own personal CNG driven cars and these are used as taxis for customer pick up and drop. The taxi that I used to reach Delhi airport was one such and I ended up paying 500 bucks to a cop on the border, besides the 700 I paid for the "taxi". I got the 500 from the hotel later, thank goodness. 4. T...

I just bought this new cricket bat for my leagues next season. It is an amazing piece of white willow and the balance is just outstanding. It is well knocked-in and ready for use. Sadly, it has a name that made me remove the stickers the day I bought it. It's called MATRRIXX! Now, who on earth would name a bat like that? Maybe they consulted Daffy Duck (of the Looney Tunes) before naming it. Or maybe it is to avoid getting into copyright clashes with the 'Matrix' range from Sunridges (SS). Whatever the reason, the name sucks and I spent a couple of hours removing the stickers without peeling off the willow. Now, sticker-peeling isn't an easy task. It needs great care because the adhesive used is so strong and the wood so soft that it brings out bat chips along with it. After peeling, the entire bat gets sticky and the only solution to erase this is to use either petrol or kerosene and wipe the entire bat with a cloth dipped in it. When I did this, i got a cupful of whi...

To all that don't know how I got into playing league cricket, let me admit it was an accident. In fact, I was taken as a replacement for the AG's office (II Division, TNCA League) gloveman for only two matches in the 2007-2008 season. Looking at my decent ability with the gloves, I was asked to continue playing for them as wicket keeper in 2008-09. Poor things didn't know my (in)capacity with the bat. The truth came out this season. Of the 5 matches I played, I managed a top score of 13 not out in a match that was declared drawn owing to bad light. My average was a stunning 5.33 with two ducks off the first ball I faced. And to add to all that, I have been pushed down to III Division this year. Let's see what's in store. Not for me, for the team I am gonna play ;).

Hats off to this cartoonist. Imagine people doing this! :)

Some of my British colleagues said that the Americans spoke English a little too fast. Some Indian colleagues have similar thoughts. My Italian friends in GM think Indians speak fast. They ask us to slow down at every meeting. Friends at GM-DAT (Korea) speak too slow according to the Italians. GM-DAT employees sometimes complain that people in GM China speak very slow. Is there something slower?

I hit two sixes in a match today. The first two of my life on a ground of considerable size. Feels good now. :)