Celebration Time

It is really hard to imagine how the offloading of stake in Sibneft, gathered during the era of Soviet oligarchy, by one Mr. Roman Abramovich, and the managerial genius of a Portuguese, Mr. Jose Mourinho could just be the beginning of a club dynasty that the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United had earlier built.

Yesterday, Chelsea defeated ManU comprehensively, 3-0 at Stamford Bridge to seal off the EPL for the second season in a row. Its not so much as the winning that is important. But just looking at the meteoric rise of a middle-of-the-table team to an almost unbeatable bunch of players is truly great. A couple of seasons ago, when Abramovich spent big sums on buying players and Mourinho, ditching a bumbling Claudio Ranieri, he did cause a flutter in the dressing rooms across Europe. The big bet was not money anymore - but if money could make Chelsea the winners. And here is where Mourinho The Manager came in. Unlike the Galacticos of Madrid, who are all star players in their own right, but not clicking as a team, Jose built a team that is at worst methodical and ruthless at the best of times.

There are still doubts over Chelsea. Their failure at the Champions League being their biggest undoing. Their FA Cup loss last week to Liverpool did not help matters either. Jose Mourinho may be miles away from Sir Alex Ferguson or Gerrard Houllier (I do suspect nationalist sentiments here). Statistics are meant for those people who never realised their dream of playing. Chelsea has brokered a power change in EPL. The game is on.

Disclaimer: I am not a Chelsea fan.

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Sweet child of mine

The clock was ticking by very slowly. It was a long wait. But, soon the baby boy would bring joy to their lives.

The moment had taken a long time coming. About eight and a half months ago, when he heard the good news that he would be a father, his happiness knew no bounds. The life seemed all so beautiful. In the days and months to follow - at work in his laboratory, in moments of solitude, at the umpteen family functions, only the thought of seeing his son grow up to be a bigger scientist than him occupied him and motivated his senses.

"Forget the genetics.Forget the Xs, the Ys, and the XXs, and the YYs. We have strong male gene pool. The first child since the time of our forefathers has been a boy. And not for nothing have we lit those lamps in hundreds of temples, praying for a boy. The Goddess will listen to our prayers", his mother had told him several times over the past week.

Now, walking the corridor outside the maternity ward, he was sure they would be blessed with a boy. The Nature, the family Goddess and the temple priests - they were appeased enough and their blessings sought graciously, for the past year or so. His family was to have a baby boy - the light of his life, the bearer of the family pride, and the son who would be a far better scientist than him.

The bulb went off. He rushed to the nurse. The doctor followed her. His mind was bursting at its seams with impatience. "God Bless You!! Its a beautiful girl".

His world came crashing down.

Pi and Me

I am p Everyone loves pi

what number are you?

this quiz by orsa

For the uninformed, my room number is 314 (100pi).

My association with pi continues!!!

Lessons

This post comes in the aftermath of an election defeat. No, not the Italian one. Neither the one of the many that are happening in our various state assemblies. This is an election defeat I faced. Quite a few lessons I learnt.

1. In democracy, its not just winning that matters. Running a close second makes your voice heard.
2. People get unduly diplomatic during the election time. All around, you see poker faces.
3. Its not just the politicians who do not keep promises. Even the voters forget theirs.
4. Abstaining from voting is absolute cowardice.
5. Getting votes without campaigning gives you a false sense of pride and accomplishment.

And the Gospel Truths:

1. The Pareto Rule (thanks to the Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, common sense has been given a fancy name).

2. The elected ones display the mentality equivalent to the weighted average mentality of the electorate.

Free Will

The cold wind blew across her face. The chill registered. A shiver went through her spine. She could feel her nerve endings tingle. It was not just cold, though the brain told her that. She stared down the cliff. One wrong step and it was over - for good. She put a foot forward. Something struck – fear.

“Fear hits when are you are unsure about something.”

She was sure. A deep breath. Another strike.

“Who is that?”

The brain knocked and said, “Go ahead”. No, the brain was wrong. What was it?

The soul screamed, “What is wrong with you?”

The reply came, “I am using my free will”

“What is it?”

“I decide what to do, when to do, nothing stops me”

“Something does. There is a power beyond all of us”

“Did you see it?”

“I felt it”

“There is no such thing; you just chose to feel it”

“Something makes think before I do something”

“That something is you. It’s all in you”

“But I have looked beyond myself”

“You cannot look far. Nothing beyond your self is your own”

“Is it yours?”

“No, I never claimed anything”

“But if it is not mine, then…. How can that be? It is actually ours”

“You were not given anything, it was just there. You chose to think they were yours. You chose to believe.”

“You mean to say, I can do whatever I wish to.”

“Yes”

“But what stops me from pushing that foot forward?”

“You have baggage of expectations – from life, from yourself”

“I am getting rid of it”

“You cannot”

“Why?”

“It is payback time. You cannot escape from it”

“What non sense?”

“You thought the things around you were yours. You used them as if they were yours.”

“So what? I did not misuse them?”

“True. So far so good”

“I never will”

“Standing with one foot almost over the edge is a misuse”

“Of what?”

“Of free will”

The choice was made. Both the feet were back on the ground. The cold wind chilled her spine. The walk back began. The free will lived on, for a better choice.