Thursday, August 24, 2006

mean machine...


Koenigsegg CCR Technical Data:

Acceleration: 0-100kmph(0-62 mph) in 3.2 seconds.
Top Speed: 395+ kmph(242+ mph)
Braking Distance: 31m (100-0 kmph)
Engine: Supercharged V8
Power: 806 hp
Torque: 920 Nm
Chassis: Carbonfibre semi-monocoque

Need i say more...


Wednesday, August 16, 2006

champion of the underdog

strange as it may seem, i hate champions. im all for the underdogs. be it sports or entertainment or everyday life... i prefer the underdogs to the champs. dheres always an urge in me to see the champs being toppled by an unsuspecting, harmless-looking, run-of-the-mill darkhorse. i guess it brings more variety and a wave of fresh breeze into the scene. looking at it from the underdog's POV, that incident wud his life's single greatest moment. a moment that he wud cherish for the rest of his life.
and looking at it from the champs POV, it wud seem even more interesting. the look of shock on the erstwhile champ's face is a sight to be behold. thats like a reminder to say, nothing should taken for granted in this world.
i can cite many examples where i hate to see the champs win...again. most prominent in the list wud be the Australian Cricket Team - The Juggernaut. i know they are best 11 member outfit ever to have walked the pitch, i know its a thrill to watch their professionalism and their committment, i know they are the dream team for any nation...but nothing gives me more joy than seeing them being beaten. imagine my joy when they lost to their competitive rivals South Africa after posting that mammoth 420 plus total. thats a fairy-tale match for every sports-lover.
the nxt prominent person that i wud LOVE to see loose is the German who fires up the F1 track - schumi. how much i love to see that arrogant bastard loose...surely hez the finest driver in the F1 circuit till date, but his arrogance puts me off. talent does not give u a go-ahead to be arrogant. moreover its no fun if schumi wins all the races. i mean we all need some action, some drama, suspense, anxiety and excitement in our sports. monotony is the last thing u want in sports.
and ofcourse the Brazilian Football team. the most prominent football nation since the beginning of the world cup. personally im a gr8 fan of ronaldinho and his football dexterity. nevertheless, i prefer a German or Portugal or an Argentinian win.
gr8 admirer of Federer, but wud love to see Blake steal a win from "Him".
i never understood why writers refer to a champs loss as an "upset". common ppl, not everybody is upset coz the champ lost. dhere are quite a few who are enthusiastic abt it - one person/team in particular. and that upset win means more than anything else in the world to the hard-fought winner. this darkhorse winner deserves every accolade and more for his/their achievement, considering the fact that he/they overcame all odds. hence its not fair to call it an "upset".
jus reflect upon the so-called greatest upsets in sports. and in every one of them, u can see history being made. ppl have been talking abt it for years and will be talking abt it for years to come. keep at it, underdogs....

...a dialogue

r: My head is flooded with an ocean of questions so I thought I'd bug you with one. I hope you don't mind!

Do you ever think that people marry (with the excuse or reality of love) simply to avoid being alone? That being alone is such a frightening concept that they forge ahead into marital bonds to avoid the experience? I look around and see people who marry because it was the "next step" in life, or because they don't want to be alone, because their spouse is physically beautiful. I also hear people say that they date because they can't be happy by themselves. It's weird how that's true for a lot of people. Blaaah... what say you?

ish: well one of the main reasons y ppl get married is coz, as u sd "its the next step". there's a life cycle to follow for every1. study, get a job, marry, have kids, make sure the kids are settled, retire from work, and lead an OLD life.
any aberration is not socially accepted. but most importantly if u dont follow the life cycle u are a "social outcast". and along wid it comes all kinds of branding. ppl start thinking dheres something physically wrong wid u, mayb that u are an homosexual, or jus outright crazy.
its this fear of being a social outcast that make ppl conform to the society. have u ever heard the saying "patters are apriori".
dhere are these set patterns that are made in advance, and u are moulded by the society to fit into this pattern.
also ppl marry coz of their physical/sexual needs. u mite say, u can have sex widout marriage. but then in a country like india, thats exactly not how things go on. is it?

on a personal basis i cant totally deny that im an exception to this rule. though im one who doesnt care much abt the society, i still dont want to be unanimously be hated by the entire population. so i wud rather fit-in.

Friday, August 04, 2006

of sports and movies

sports and movies are somthing that appeals to my all my senses. so its only natural that movies made on sports are a BIG thing wid me. dheres something more abt such movies apart from the high-flying sporting action. most of these movies are based on true stories. stories abt men who had to overcome many odds to make it a perfect fairy-tale ending. so apart from being a wonderful "action" movie, these movies are in many cases "inspiring".
foremost in the list wud be Remember the Titans. dheres never been a better made sports movie than this. denzel washington was THE MAN. ive lost count of the number of times ive seen the movie. its beyond my comprehension to decipher this pop quiz - "why was denzel not given an Oscar for Remember the Titans?" a man of such calibre, for his performance in that movie being denied an Oscar still beats me.
another movie worthy of mention is Coach Carter. though the movie was awe-inspiring it cannot be put in the same league as Titans. the reason wud lie in the performance put in by Denzel. Samuel L. Jackson , despite being a gr8 actor was a misfit for the role of a coach. i wud have preferred a more energetic and agile Denzel than an old and weary Samuel for the role.
Glory Road was another gud attempt at making an inspirational sports movie, but coz of the lack of a strong performance by any1 in particular, the movie wud jus be branded "watchable". Friday Night Lights was another poor attempt at appealing to the sports aficionado. how can a not-so-happy-ending be inspiring???
on the lighter side of things The Replacements is a fantastic comedy-sports-movie. there is a very nice feeling abt that movie that makes me watch it as many times as is humanly possible. same is the case wid The Longest Yard or Water Boy.
and then dhere is Jerry Maguire.......
JM is in a class of its own --- cut-throat-competetive-romantic-comedy-sports-dramatic movie. i wud consider it one of the best movies ever made. the movie had to be big hit wid the audience. it has something for everybody. competition and business strategies in a field never b4 ventured by any hollywood movie makigf franchise - sports agents. whoever took sports agents seriously???
dheres the wonderfully romantically picturized scenes between Tom Cruise and Renee Zellewegger. and then dheres the cutest big-mouth 8-year old ever in Hollywood. who can forget Kwan-lover Cuba Gooding Jr.?
the movie sure has to be one of the best made ever in hollywood. and the best part is that JM has set a standard for all sports movies. a standard that wud be tough to beat. well i can only pray to the Lord of Movies - whoever that is - to bless us wid more gud quality awe-inspiring sports movies.