Saurkundi Pass Trek

Himalayan Trek - May 21 - June 04, 2011 Slideshow: Monish’s trip from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India to Himachal Pradesh was created by TripAdvisor. See another Himachal Pradesh slideshow. Create your own stunning free slideshow from your travel photos.

100 silly Questions to waste your time :)

LAST

1. Last beverage – Bournvita :D….the next best drink to lemonade :D

2. Last phone call – Vodafone Customer Care….No1 else calls me up *sigh*

3. Last text message – Another Kamran Akmal joke :P

4. Last song you listened to – Uncle Tom’s Cabin :)

5. Last time you cried – Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I guess I forgot how to



HAVE YOU EVER.

6. Dated someone twice? – utna nai hai mereko

7. Been cheated on? – utna nai hai kisiko :P

8. Cried yourself to sleep? – when I had that toothache :(

9. Lost someone special? – nope!

10. Been depressed? - yuppp….most recently cos of Ashish Nehra

11. Been overseas? – :(



LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS.

12. Black

13. White

14. Blue (Cos of the shirts) / Red (I was in Rubies in school :D)



THIS YEAR HAVE YOU

15. Made new friends – I keep making them all the time

16. Fallen out of love - Nope

17. Laughed until you cried – I told earlier…I forgot how to cry :)

18. Met someone who changed you – I might need to meet Adolf Hitler for that :P

19. Found out who your true friends were - NOPE!! They always were :D

20. Found out someone was talking about you – Everyone’s always speaking about me :P

21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list – What did u think!!??!?! Ill kiss strangers??!?!?!? :P

22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life – Everyone except that guy who’s friend request I accepted cos we had 51 mutual frnds.. ( I might know him….just not sure if I do :P)

23. How many kids do you want to have – 22…..can play cricket whenever I want to :P

24. Do you have any pets - Nope!

25. Do you want to change your name – Nope! I already have a jersey on my name.. Another one would be expensive :P

26. What did you do for your last birthday – Cut about 5 cakes :D

27. What time did you wake up today – 10 A.M.

28. What were you doing at midnight last night – Manchester United vs Marseille :)

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for – too see India lift the World Cup :)

30. Last time you saw your father – 6 seconds ago….make that 7 :P

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life – I wish I controlled time :P

32. What are you listening to right now – Love will lead to madness :P

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom – Tom…..hmmmm…ive talked to a dog named Tommy…. Does that count??!??

34. What's getting on your nerves right now? - Im getting late :P

36. Whats your real name – Popeye the sailorman, dint u know :P

37. Relationship Status – Committed to Cricket :P

38. Zodiac sign – Gemini…

39. Male or female – DUH!

40. Natural Hair colour? – Black

41. Hair color now - Black

42. Pet Peeve – Anti Tendulkarisms

43. Need Glasses? - Nope!! Id look a geek!

44. Long or short – BLAH!

45. Height – 5 feet something something

46. Do you have a crush on someone – ive been too busy!

47. What do you like about yourself? – that Im an overconfident, rude, sarcastic brat!

48. Piercings – OUCH! Wouldn’t they hurt!

49. Tattoos – Ewww! They look ugly :P

50. Righty or lefty – Right



FIRSTS

51. First surgery – waiting for that jump from the building or take that spectacular catch and break my shoulder :P

52. First piercing - Never

53. First tattoo – UGLY still!

54. First best friend – Adi??!? 1993 – 2137 :P

55. First sport you joined – Cricket :D

56. First pet – Rabbits…..Neelu/peelu :D

57. First vacation - Kerala! Second year of College

59. First crush – don remember!!

60. First alcoholic drink – Beer! Class 7 – dad gave a sip :P





RIGHT NOW

61. Eating – Roti Aloo

62. Wearing – Yellow Barca T shirt!

63. I'm about to – go take a shower

64. Speaking to - Shilpa

65. Waiting to – doze off in my shuttle :P



YOUR FUTURE

66. Want kids? 22

67. Want to get married? – LOL!

68. Careers in mind? – writer, a wannabe Bear Grylls, commentator :P



WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?

69. Lips or eyes – that is like asking Dumb or Blind!

70. Hugs or kisses – DUH!

71. Shorter or taller - Taller – 6 feet! :P

72. Older or Younger – Older..

73. Romantic or spontaneous -Spontaneous

74. Nice stomach or nice arms – That again is a lame question!

75. Tattoos or piercings - Neither

76. Sensitive or loud- Loud!! Loud enough to be a part of a rock band :P

77. Hook-up or relationship – The Ship that sails through troubled waters!

78. Trouble maker or hesitant – Trouble maker!



HAVE YOU EVER.

79. Kissed a stranger – I answered that earlier!

80. Drank hard liquor – I guess!

81. Lost glasses/contacts – N.A

82. Kissing on the first date? – That’d make me Superman

83. Sex on first date – That’d make me a jackass

84. Broken someone's heart – Naa, im not evil :P

85. Had your own heart broken – how do u think Im living!

86. Turned someone down – Naaa! Im too much of a nice guy :P

87. Cried when someone died – nope!

88. got someone into trouble intentionally – millions of times!

89. Been arrested? – Do traffic cops count/?!?! :P



DO YOU BELIEVE IN.

90. Miracles – Everything that happens to me seems like a miracle!

91. Love at first sight – Does Maria Sharapova count??! :P

92. Heaven – Heaven on earth!

93. Santa Claus – Nope!

94. yourself – duh!

95. Angels – This is getting boring!



ANSWER TRUTHFULLY.

96. Is there one person you want to be with right now? – I dunno how many ppl I want to be with!

97. Had more than one boyfriend/ girlfriend at one time? – nope!

98. Do you believe its possible to remain faithful forever? – Why not!

99. What's the one thing you cannot live without? – Cricket!

100. Posting this as 100 truths? – had loadsa time on hand and then it got boring!! But woooopie,, I finished :D

10 wishes to fulfill before I knock on Heaven's door

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.

1. Knock on heaven's door only after 130 years. Yes, you read it right. I intend to live 130 years. 20 survived, 110 to come.
2. Own a Hummer. Good things come in small packages but better things come in bigger ones. Owning a Hummer is right up there on my wish list.
3. Go skydiving. A list of things to do is never complete without skydiving. That 2 minutes of adrenaline rush is something definitely on the list.
4. Have a python for a pet. I find the thrill of having this huge cold blooded slithery reptile as a pet at home very intoxicating.
5. Play cricket with SRT on the terrace. Even better get him out caught one bounce, one hand
6. Become a millionaire in a casino in Las Vegas. Who wouldn’t?
7. Trek up the Himalayas. Climbing mountains is not a task for the faint hearted. I have a dream of standing atop one.
8. Learn to do a back flip. Just for the sake of it.
9. Get involved in an adventure which includes a huge treasure chest, deadly smugglers, ferocious cops and also a ghost. Blame the books I read as I grew up.
10. Complete all of the above said things. DUH!!!

25 Random Things!

1. 25 is such a huge number for a lazy person like me. There, #1.. I am lazy
2. I go to sleep when everyone else wakes up. I'm the watchdog of my house.
3. My favourite pastime is staring at the ceiling. I make it a point to stare at the ceiling for atleast 5 minutes in a day
4. I supposedly have Barbie eyelashes.
5. I always wonder why people swear. To remove their frustration, to express joy, to show despair and anguish, to shower praises??!!!???... Whoa!!
6. I'm an eternal optimist.
7. I like people who talk, be it sense or nonsense. Probably because i don't talk a lot. I'm more of a listener.
8. I am starting to realise that 25 is a huge number after all.
9. I'm not religious. I don't believe in going to temples. I'm not an atheist either. I believe in God. Or probably the fear of him made me say that :P
10. I'm 20 years, 4 months and 1 day old on the day of writing this.i.e., I have survived 7426 days on this planet.
11. I love numbers. Mathematics has always been my favourite subject. #10 should say something about it.
12. I enjoy contradicting people. I like arguing and i win most of the arguments i get into even if I don't support the point I'm arguing for.
14. I'm not photogenic. I don't like being clicked.
15. I'm a complete sport-a-holic. I can watch ESPN and Star Sports all year long.
16. Bizarre, Weird, Ridiculous and Pandemonium are a few of my favourite words.
17. Apart from numbers, I love spellings and grammar. I have a good/bad/irritating habit of correcting grammatical errors, whoever the person, however grave the situation may be. (Good, Bad or Irritating decide)
18. I have received more compliments for my handwriting than for anything else. I'd never trade it for a million bucks. Anything more you offer, I might consider.
19. 13 is an unlucky number. Check #13.
20. I am petrified of tablets. --TOP SECRET--
21. My ultimate goal in life is to buy a Hummer.
22. I like sudoku and puzzles of any kind. I try solving crosswords in the newspaper despite failing every single day. Proves #6.
23. I had a weird collection of things as i grew up. While people collected stamps and coins, I collected different species of bugs, tattoos and names of pens.
24. I know nothing about cooking, not even Maggi.
25. I had never flunked in a test and that was something i was proud of. And then i flunked my learner’s license test.

P.S. So badly hope that there are no grammatical or spelling errors in this whole thing.

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US Open 2010 - 'Rafa'slam

We didn’t quite get to see the Roger-Rafa final we were hoping for, but as the US open finally came to an end, for the third consecutive year, after a rain delay, there were a pair of well deserved champions.

Nadal beat the super Serb Novak Djokovic in 4 sets to win his 9th Grand Slam. With this he joined the likes of Rod Laver, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer in achieving the Career Grand Slam. Meanwhile the sparkling mum, Kim Clijsters beat Vera Zvonavera in the women’s final to win her second consecutive and the third title overall at the Flushing Meadows.

Among the other stars, Roger Federer was upset by Djokovic in the semis, although a world No 3 beating the No 2 shouldn’t be considered much of an upset. Andy Murray failed to live up to the hype surrounding him as he succumbed to Wawrinka in the third round. The Andy from the other side of the Atlantic, Roddick, flattered to deceive yet again as he crashed out in the second round. Among the women, Zvonavera, who had earlier reached the finals at Wimbledon, played some unbelievable tennis to get to the final. Venus Williams, in the absence of her sister, had a golden chance to win the title in front of her home crowd, lost to Clijsters in a disappointing semifinal. The Russians, Kuznetsova and Dementieva, and the Serbians, Jankovic and Ivanovic failed to create any waves.

But the US Open 2010 will be remembered for Nadal’s perfect run in the tournament. The win will draw more comparisons and open up more debates as to who’s the better player among him and Federer. Both Federer and Nadal are top notch players in their own style. While Federer has the charm and aura around him while he goes around his task at ease, Nadal relies more on his speed and strength to get him through. It can be argued that Nadal has still a long way to go to reach Federer’s record of 16 Grand Slams, but it’s easy to forget that Rafa is a good three and a half years younger than Federer. Questions will also be asked whether Nadal can maintain his fitness for so long as his knee is known to break down. But then questions were also asked earlier on his ability to play on hard courts, and he answered his critics by winning the Australian Open in 09 and now the US Open. The debates will continue but there is no denying the fact that Nadal has put himself in the pantheon of all time greats with this victory.

In a 'fix' yet again

Pakistan vs. England,
Lords,
4th test,

Day 2
England were reeling at 102/7. Mohammad Amir was running riot having taken 6 wickets. Pakistan seemed to have made a comeback in the series and looked all set to level the series 2-2.

Day 5
Mohammad Asif offers a simple catch to Paul Collingwood and Pakistan crumbled yet again for another lowly total of 147. Moments later Andrew Strauss lifts the Natwest Trophy, but the series definitely hadn’t ended the way England would have imagined, amidst fixing allegations made against the Pakistani players.
Over the past 6 months, I have just been awed watching Amir and Asif swing the ball the way they have been doing and trouble the best of batsmen. The allegations made against the Amir, Asif and Butt took the cricketing fraternity and the fans world over by shock. It is just heart wrenching to see an eighteen year old kid, when the world was beginning to sit and take notice of his talent chose to tread the wrong path and put his career at stake.
Pakistan cricket seem to run from one controversy to another. They have seen it all: right from ball tampering incidents to forfeiting matches to public spats to doping scandals to terrorists interrupting matches. The root cause for the continuous turmoil in Pakistan cricket can be attributed to the lack of a strong governing body. The PCB (Pakistan Confused Board) is as much in the news as the Prime Minister of the country. They make huge, harsh, illogical decisions and distribute life bans to players and a while later they retract back their decision and the same players are back in the team (probably in the center of another controversy). Even after the fixing allegations came up, the PCB refused to drop the players for the ODI series. It is this leniency that makes the players take advantage of the system. Fortunately the ICC stepped in and suspended the players. It’s about time the ICC steps in and makes some harsh decisions and impose life bans and some heavy fines on the guilty players.
Somehow the cricketing maniac in me believes that Pakistan cricket will rise amidst the crisis and be a superpower once again .

But is it just me hoping against hope?

A Post-Mortem report

India add yet another chapter to their first test disasters losing to Sri Lanka by 10 wickets, which, in spite of a whole day’s play being washed off.
So what went wrong?
Though there were many other reasons for the humbling defeat, it eventually comes down to the bowling that made the difference. When you play a test with four bowlers, you really cannot afford one of them to have a bad day and it doesn’t get any better when two of them do, and the third one is only making his debut. It clearly looked like Harbhajan and Murali were bowling on two different surfaces. Not so motivating for the one Murali named his successor, is it?
Harbhajan is way past his prime and Ishant looks the shadow of the bowler who troubled Ricky Ponting in Australia a couple of years ago. Watching Malinga and Herath score runs at will, the Indian batsmen would have thought to themselves which attack they would have rather fancied playing.
The batting performance was nothing to boast about either. The middle order having played no cricket since the IPL would have liked more than a single practice match ahead of the test series. Gautam Gambhir had a match to forget and Dravid looked patchy throughout his innings. Sehwag, having played brilliantly in the first innings, played one shot too many in the second. Yuvraj never loses an opportunity to set tongues wagging about his place in the test line up. Sachin was exceptional, but you can’t expect to save a match (forget winning) by scoring eighty odd. Laxman played a good knock, but it was too little too late.
India can still stage a comeback in the series. Sri Lanka will be weakened by Murali’s presence but test matches are still all about picking 20 wickets, which looks a bit farfetched for this Indian bowling attack. For India to put up a fight, the batsman will have to pile a mountain of runs. Not something the world No.1 ranked team would like saying!!