In search of myself...

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...