R-Rated

There are about 90 odd blogs of mine written since 2003. If you wish to read those, they are at http://www.njusstu.blogspot.com

So, I was at the Metrodome today volunteering for Asha expecting Monster Jam. But it was not to be, rather it was Twins fest. What is Twins fest? 10,000 fans lining up from early morning outside the stadium in cold conditions to purchase Minnesota Twins merchandise and memorabilia from current and past Twins players. And worst of it all, none of the merchandise that were being sold could be personalized. WTF. Twins fest happens every year and almost the same players who were part of the team in 2007 participated in the event the previous year (2006) as well. Someone please explain the point in getting the same merchandise from the same players year after year. It just shows the greediness of the team owners who possibly want to suck out as much money from the fans before the season even starts and the (dumb) fans who willingly oblige. Twins season does not even start until March 31st. In a fast fading economy, Americans need to be told how to save some money rather than spend boatload...

Well, the short stay at Puerto Rico was damn sweet to say the least. Dorado, San Juan (capital), Fajardo, Luquillo and El Yunque - Mucho Gracias for a good vacation. 80 degree weather and beautiful ladies made it worthwhile. The assembly line tours (on thursday and friday) were a good learning experience. The manufacturing floor tour for Leads assembly for Pacemakers and Defibrillators were made very educational and easy by the floor supervisors. Going back to the Embassy Suites hotel after work, changing into swimwear & off to the beach for some fresh air and spending some quiet time in the jacuzzi were some good memories I got from there. On saturday, in old San Juan, we saw the San Cristobal and El Morro forts. These 2 forts were once the stronghold of the military guarding the capital city from intruders, watching over the vast Atlantic Ocean. Had a late lunch at Tantra , an Indo-Latino restaurant. There was nothing latino about the chana-masala though. Sunday was probably...

Back from Puerto Rico yesterday. Great place, awesome weather, fantastic experience. Check back for more later.

Team India will not leave Australia midway through their test tour. Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik make a strong case for their inclusion for the Perth test. Ishant Sharma is among the wickets and should be a real threat. Steve Bucknor is "out" and billions of Indians heaved a sigh of relief!! The "monkey-business" is finally getting buried in people's minds and printed more in the form of T-shirts . This week, Tata Sons Chairman Mr. Ratan Tata unveiled the Nano. Proud moment for India and the Tata group, coming up with the cheapest car in the world. The car is going to be a sure fire hit among middle-class India. The dream of Ratan Tata to "give" more to the common man is going to help the TATA brand even further. Agreed that the car does not boast of lot of features that standard cars have but then again, standard cars do not come with a price tag of Rs 1,00,000/-. The thing State Governments will have to think about now is, how on earth are we ...

Here we go again, a much anticipated and high octane Test Series between India and Australia (in Australia). One team is full of superstars at the fag end of brilliant individual careers pitted against a team built one-by-one solely based on their cricketing ability and undying commitment to the team. The series score as I write this blog is India - 0, Australia - 2. Two to go. Hoping the series will go atleast 1-2 or more optimistically 2-2 in India's favour. There are enough reports on rediff, cricinfo and timesofindia criticizing India's batting blunders during the Melbourne test. India was unable to score less than 200 in each innings, which is pretty dissappointing considering each of India's top 5 batsmen, Jaffer, Dravid, Laxman, Tendulkar and Ganguly each have posted atleast one double-hundred in Test Cricket. Cricketing ability was not in doubt in that test, more so commitment to the team-cause. India's bowlers were pretty impressive in holding Australia for les...

Saw "TZP" over the weekend in Chicago. I don't recollect a good children's movie other than 1993's "Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke". The common link between those two; Aamir Khan. The "Perfectionist" is at it again taking the mantle of Producer, Director and Secondary Lead. The primary lead is of course, Darsheel Safary, who is first-class as the dyslexic 'hero' of the film. It is unbelievable to see him act the way he has. Credit must go to the director, who ALWAYS makes or breaks a film. This being AK's first film and knowing his history of "ghost-directing" most of his previous movies, you sure know this won't be run-of-the-mill crazily directed over-the-top movie. Natural performances from all who have acted in this one. Jokes are funny and sentimental scenes are worth shedding a tear or two. Ask Kirti and she will say. At one point during the movie, I saw Kirti, the female next to her and the female next to her all crying...