Sachin Tendulkar

I don't think that I'm going to even think about explaining the title this time around. It is self explanatory, thank you very much. In fact, I had planned to simply put some thousand-odd pictures of this living legend over here in this post instead of writing anything at all. That would have served the purpose well enough, I guess!

Is it even possible for a human being - a mere mortal - to even give a fitting-enough introduction to this demigod who prefers to dwell upon this planet rather than somewhere in the skies above, forget about completing the entire description? So, I'm not going to try doing anything of this sort. I'm only going to try and write something which may not do full justice to his stature, but would also not offend any die hard Sachin fan

Well, I've been held by the charm of this magician ever since I first got introduced to this sport. The way he would swing his bat to send the ball racing down towards the boundary (or above the boundary, right into the stands) - he does that with equal panache even now after so many years - would leave me gaping at the TV screen, no matter how many times he did it - and he did it often enough. The quick runs between the wickets, the unconventional sweeps, the hooks, the pulls, everything, got my pulse racing like nothing else. The way he would slaughter the opposition's bowling attack was more than enough to send any team into a very-justified panic attack at the very thought of having him in the middle while it was their turn to field. The huge pileup of runs scored by him leaves little to be said. However, it is not the sheer number of his centuries and other career milestones alone, but the grit and determination which he possesses, which make me hold him in awe. He has not stopped trying to improve himself even though he has achieved a God-like stature in Cricket.

Today he hit his first century of this year's edition of World Cup - and England constitute a good enough bowling threat. It may not have been one of his best, but the awe factor stills lingers about it. I'm sure there would be many more to follow. But, nevertheless, I wish him All The Best!!

Shopping And All

It actually feels very nice to get up fresh in the morning, having cleared the emotional clutter of last week, and to write about something which is so very close to my heart, or, no, something that has now become an inseparable part of my whole existence upon this planet - Shopping!! I'm sure that all the ladies who happen to have come across this piece, would now not be willing to give up on reading the rest of it; and as far as the men are concerned, even they can feel free to read on...

So, I'd told you that I was pretty darned upset last week - for the uninitiated, I'd been a victim of one highly dangerous sadist - and so I'd spent quite a lot of my time simply moping away, you know, staring blankly out of the window, not talking or smiling much, and all that. It was in those moments of self-doubt and emotional outbursts, when Shopping came to my rescue like some old and trusted friend.

It took me even less than a second to decide that all I needed to do was to hold the hands of my Guardian Angel (Her Excellency, Shopping), and let her guide my way out of that feeling of despair which hung in the air all around me. So, I simply followed the cue and found my way to the only shopping mall in the city - not that it is much of a mall, by the by - and let myself loose upon most of the too-willing saleswomen who welcomed me into their showrooms with bright smiles and hellos.

I felt that air of gloom lifting up and being replaced by the very-familiar breeze of cheerfulness as I tried piece after piece of clothing, and examined one accessory after another. I could feel life returning to my body. I could feel the sparkle returning to my eyes. I could smile without having to fake any emotions.

I returned with just a single piece of clothing and matching earrings after nearly 2 hours of effort. But most importantly, I returned with myself! So, all in all, it's not really a bad exercise, this shopping. I hope all you men out there are listening!!

The Sadist

Well, okay, the title doesn't demand much explanation this time around, and this really bugs me because there's no way I can use the curtain-raising moment to showcase my skills at sarcasm, or to blow a bit of my own trumpet. So much for having my own blog, and all that jazz! But, to start with it all, I'd like to have the definition here for all of you understand what's going to follow. So, according to Dictionary.com (a wonderful online dictionary, by the way), a sadist gets sexual gratification by causing pain to others, and such a person ENJOYS being cruel.

And, I became one of the victims of one of the several of this particular species, just a couple of days ago.

The effect which such people have on the psyche of normal, happy and chirpy birds like yours truly, is quite tear-evoking and also hatred-evoking. Once such a person has unleashed one of his tricks upon the folks belonging to the latter category, there's no way they can manage to regain their smiling demeanor and hopeful attitude towards life for the next few days at least. It's like you suddenly got engulfed by something dark and vicious from all around; like the flow of something vital in you, got stopped. The feeling of hopelessness and despair is too crushing, at times.

It is in one of these moments when the erstwhile chirpy bird can seem to remember almost all the profanities and cuss words he/she ever heard in their life, but this time, they speak them out aloud with quite a lot of malice intertwined. They wonder if it were indeed possible for such a person to have been created by the Lord Almighty. It seems more likely that the Devil got to work on their mind.

The sadist just laughs away while you writhe away in pain; he smirks with a malicious glint in his eyes while you grind your teeth because your hands are tied with the cords of institutional-setups; he immerses himself in pleasure as he bruises one more of his victim knowing fully well that the healing would be a long, painful process, and the scars may even stay there for life.

I may see light again after some more days because I have a strong emotional support, but I wonder what happens to the less fortunate of my kind. I'll try to come up with a lighter piece of writing which sounds happier and more cheerful, next time. But thanks for reading through my grief.

Post-Twilight Syndrome

Now, isn't this one a self-explanatory title as well? And so, without taking up much time and writing space in telling all and sundry about my now-famous quality of giving apt titles to my posts, I would immediately get down to today's business.

As a prelude to whatever is going to follow, I want to tell all you people that I read all the four books in the Twilight Series within a span of THREE days! While I read through this charming series, I skipped meals without realizing that I was hungry, I missed my lectures without any regard for the then-upcoming Minors, I stepped out of my room only when it was ABSOLUTELY essential, I talked only if there was no other option available, I logged-in to my Facebook account only to post status updates about the reading experiences of this very series; in short, I behaved like someone possessed, or better still, like some young-woman-on-a-mission!!

And then, before I'd even had enough of this saga, it was all over. I'd fallen hopelessly in love with Edward Cullen, his mystique, and the entire magic that he had woven so effortlessly all around me and my whole world; and then, suddenly, it was all over. It was as if I had been cruelly pulled-out of some beautiful enigmatic world; as if he was reality and for some odd reason I was being made to live a long nightmare. I would dream of him while I slept, and my waking hours were more-or-less devoted to thinking about him, and him alone. 

Twilight had become my world, and Edward Cullen had become my God; and I don't care if it's a blasphemy because for me, this was the truth.

Things got a tad bit better after a few days, but that feeling of awe has still not subsided. 

But it's amazing, you know, this feeling of loosing control...