Rock/Metal & Me

I started listening to Rock & Metal when I was a teenager. Since then I have always been asked as to why I listen to Metal (in particular) and how I can endure the 'noise' etc. My answer always was that I listened to it because I liked it. Now research has revealed that there was a much deeper reason behind my liking for Metal. It was because Metal was a comfort for the bright child in me. Apparently, being a Metalhead was my way of coping with the pressure of being smarter than all the boneheads around me. The things us smart people have to do......

Cricket

I decided I won't be just another cricket crazy Indian fan after the 1996 world cup semifinal in Calcutta. That day Srilanka scored 254, a modest total on a good wicket, after star batsman Jayasurya was caught on the boundary playing a lazy shot. In reply, India collapsed for less than 200. Oh wait...that was what happened today, world cup 2007, wasn't it?

I remember thinking that day, that the Indian team will never dominate the game unless structural changes happen in domestic cricket. And I think that is true even today. However, at the end of the day, it is just a game of cricket we have lost! Structural changes or not, it is just a fucking game.

The better team most often wins. And the Indian team would not need reminding that they were not the better team. They tried and failed, like all of us have at one point or another in our lives. But in our cricket crazy country, I guess we can fail but our cricket team cannot.

Are you listening?

Finally...there is some new material from one of my most favorite vocalists, Dolores O'Riordon of the Cranberries. Though the band is still on their hiatus, they have been at it since 2003, Dolores is coming out with a solo album called 'Are you Listening' in May. The first video from the album called 'Ordinary Day' surfaced on the Tube yesterday. Enjoy!

PS: I will comment on the video later, when I have had a chance to listen to it a few times. Right now I am just looking forward to listening to her awesome vocals on a brand new song.

Nooyi & Nandan

I found this fascinating interview of Indra Nooyi by Nandan Nilekani on the Economic Times. I had come across this last month, but only found time to read through it now.

Having been associated with the beverage industry for more than 2 years now, I found Indra Nooyi's story of how Pepsico transformed itself very interesting. You can also find some very interesting tidbits about Nooyi's personal life in the interview.

However, the interview is quite long and the terrible format of the interview on the Economic Times website doesn't help. Things might be easier if you hit print and then read the print preview pages.

Thanks to Sambhar Mafia where I found this interview.

Added later: Forgot to mention that Nooyi says she only sleeps for 4 hours a day. And here I am, complaining that I can manage only 6!

BANNED

all talk about football in general and Arsenal in particular, for the next 200 years. Applies to conversations in person, on the phone, chat and emails. And did I mention my dreams (more appropriately nightmares)?

It hurts....