My Fifa World Cup 2002 Software

I was recently going through some of my old software CD's when I saw this particular software that I had made many years ago. 

It was January 2002, I was really excited about the upcoming World Cup in Japan and S.Korea, the first in the Asian Continent. As I was learning Visual Basic Programming during that time, I thought why not make a software which would be helpful for football freaks like me and also such an effort would make me into a solid VB programmer. The latter part didn't happen, but I did make a really nice software - atleast my friends say so!! Don't remember how long I took to make it, but it did really test my patience as I did the whole project on my old 486 processor PC (boy, those PC's were really slow) and also I had to spend countless amount of hours at Internet cafe's trying to download pictures.

The software provides details of all participating countries, their rankings, star players, venues, stadiums ...etc,. The major feature is the schedule for the first and final rounds, providing users the ability to enter the final scores for each game in a database and to maintain a points table for each group. Another thing I added was the history section, which had information of all world cups since the initial 1930 world cup. The problem was that this software was only useful till July 2002, so I made sure I passed it to all my friends, even my chat friends across the globe. My Malaysian chat friend said that the software was a big hit among her friends in Malaysia. That was nice to hear, atleast my effort did not go to waste. I really enjoyed the world cup that year and my software did play a major part in adding to the excitement.

Download Sofware

Why Get Married?

Marriage is said to be an out of world experience, atleast we have been told so. We find that special someone and vow to take care of them in sickness and in pain till death sets them apart. What a corny line, but how many of them truly follow this with their heart?! I always thought of marriage as an eternal bonding with that special someone with whom you could share everything in your life with and who enjoys growing old with you.

The media of the 20th century have been tirelessly bombarding our youngsters with images of an utopian world of big houses with white picket fences and inside there would be this perfect and happy couple basking in their luxury. How much we all long to be in that happy world .....or dare I say, we would do anything to get that life. The new generation is left to believe that married life is a piece of cake and luxuries can bring happiness, but majority of them are in for a BIG surprise when they get into their married life. Few months down the lane they face their first hurdle and they give up so fast... and after another few months they find themselves picking up their broken hearts as they split their ways. Married life is not hunky dory 24x7, it calls for hardwork. Its a real challenge for two individuals from 2 different backgrounds, with different opinions and attitudes to stay together. Its calls for sacrifice and patience. Family is all about sharing, forgiving and putting your love for your spouse before youself. Most of all its about doing those things that you really hate to do but at the same time what your partner loves to do. No one is perfect. Be happy that you have found that special person who was made beautifully imperfect for you.

"In the end, its these small things that you remember. the little imperfections that make them perfect for you." - www.thinkfamily.sg

Susan Sarandon in the movie "Shall We Dance", gives a beautiful answer to the question - Why people get married? It has stuck with me ever since.

(As quoted from the movie)

"Because we need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet. I mean, what does any one life really mean?

But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything - the good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things........All of it. All the time, every day. You're saying, "Your life will not go unnoticed, because I will notice it.

Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness""

My Dream Bike

The Bonneville Trimph, I became a big fan of this bike ever since I saw Matthew McConaughey ride this baby in the movie, "How to lose a guy in 10 days". Its so simple but mean looking.

The Truth Of Life

How True!!

Forgive and Forget

Many of us can't forgive people who have wronged us, I guess that's human nature. But when we can't forgive them we can't forget them and eventually we become chained to the very thing we hate. To break this chain we need to be strong, like Mohandas Karamchand Ghandhi once said "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong".

I think to forgive someone you need a big heart. Forgiveness is about "thanking" that it happened to you. True forgiveness is when you can say to the person who hurt you: "Thank you for giving me that experience". After all, you can't have anything new in your life, unless you are grateful for what you already have. Now that's the secret to having a new life.

Movie Review: Bachna Ae Haseeno

Newcomer Ranbir Kapoor had given a superb performance in this movie and has cemented himself a permanent place in Bollywood. The storyline of this movie is not that enthralling, its about the "love life" of a guy called Raj (acted by Ranbir Kapoor), who during his teenage days had a brief relationship with two girls, but only to dump them when his idea of "having fun" with them was over. After about 10 years of carefree life, he finally falls madly in love with Gayatri (played by Deepika Padukone). But when she declines his proposal, he realises that what he did to other two girls was torture and he repents for breaking their heart(s). Its a story that most guys my age can relate to (but not like in the movie, going back to these girls asking for their forgiveness).

The songs in this movie are really good, especially the song "Jogi Mahi", a sort of fast punjabi dance number and it could get addictive. I really liked the first romance Raj had with Mahi (played by the attractive Minissha Lamba) in Switzerland, its the kinda romance that can soothe your senses. Really felt sad when it didn't work out between them, they looked like a really good pair. If there is any moral to this story, its "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and ofcourse "Not to play with Hearts".

Soulmate: Natasha Bedingfield

Natasha Bedingfield has a talent for making beautiful touching songs (so does her brother, Daniel Bedingfield). I like most of her songs. In the past I must have listened to this particular song many many times, but today as I was driving back home from work with the FM Radio playing in the background, this song ("Soulmate" by Natasha Bedingfield) came up as if on auto request. This time the words seemed more clearer and made more sense. Every single one of us must have asked this question to ourselves atleast once in our lifetime. No matter how much we cover up the fact that we long for a soulmate, it will eventually drop on you like a rotten tomato. Here goes the stanza of the song.

Who doesn't long for someone to hold

Who knows how to love you without being told

Somebody tell me why I'm on my own

If there's a soulmate for everyone

By the second stanza I was singing along with Natasha... I felt like I was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a small air-inflated raft all alone singing this sing. Need I say that this time the drive back home was a long one.

Bindra is Kinng

Abhinav Bindra won the first ever individual Olympic gold for India. This shooter from Punjab is the current World and Olympic Champion in the 10m Air Rifle event after shooting a total of 700.5. None of his shots were below 10.0. His win was no fluke, he was consistent and precise on his target. Hope this inspires lot of other Indian sportsmen to aim for an olympics gold. You rock Abhinav, I stand in awe of you man for making all of us Indians proud.

Beijing 2008: Spectacular Opening Ceremony

On 8th of August 2008 (08/08/08), at 8pm after 8 minutes and 8 seconds, the Olympics of the modern era was inagurated at the Beijing Olympic Stadium, nicknamed "The Nest" because of its resemblance to a Bird's Nest. The timing was not a surprise as the number 8 is a very auspicious number for the Chinese. That night the world witnessed the most spectacular opening ceremony ever made by human race. The display was so colourful and well co-ordinated making everyone wonder whether it was really done by humans or by machines.

Billions across the world watched it on TV. For 2 hours everyone's imagination was suspended into a surreal Chinese Dreamland. A display that made a lot of minds in the West wonder if the power has really shifted to Asia. With Japan, Korea, China, India and the Middle East growing like anything, those days are not far away. China has shown that determination and hardwork will bring it to the top. Its no secret now, that man power is real power. Kudos to China for the spectacular show.

My First Crush

I really don't remember how it all started. But all I can remember is that I was in 6th grade and there was this beautiful girl in my class called Anna Solly, who I had a BIG crush on. She was silent and used to sit in the front of the class while I sat in the back (yeh, typical back bencher) giving me the advantage of occasional peeks at beautiful Anna (movie stuff, rite?). Anyway, looking at her everyday really made my day(s). As if that was not enough, we shared the same cafeteria for 3 meals a day. God really made sure I was happy throughout the day. She probably didn't even know that I existed, thanks to myself for being so insignificant during my school days. The academic year flew by so fast. Before I knew it, I was packing my bags for a different school in a different country. I always regreted moving away from her, most of all not ever talking to her.

Slowly I started forgetting her facial features one by one, hardly a year had passed and all that my imagination had was her silhouette. To rightly put it, I was madly in crush by a factitious Anna Solly. Years passed, but she still remained inside my mind like a dormant volcano only to burst out when I was really lonely and her thought was like hot soothing lava completely melting me on the spot.

After 6 years I came back to India. I never looked up for her but where ever I went, I found someone who knew her, her whereabouts or what she was upto. I slowly started putting the pieces together. Sometimes it felt like a wild goose chase and sometimes like an unexplainable purpose from God. Maybe I was closing in on her, or may be not.

Her name caught on with my college roommates. During my 3rd year in college, I had adopted a stray kitten and my roomie's happily named her Anna Solly. A kitten with a last name??Strange!! But the kitten was so cute that for me they couldn't have given her a better name. I looked after Anna Solly day and night and I was so happy when I was with her. Whenever I came back from college, there she was waiting for me (now only if it was the real person) at the doorsteps of the house. After some months when the college shut for summer vacation, I had to leave Anna Solly with our neighbours. When I came back after my vacation, she was gone and I was really sad. That was the closest I ever came to being with Anna Solly.

After many many years and many girls, Anna Solly still remains (a mystery). Sometimes I wonder if I am in love with an imaginary girl or if its God's way to keep my mind engaged from the pain's in real life. Whatever the reason, Anna Solly always brings a light at the end of the tunnel. The funny part is that I have no clue how she looks now and could miss her even if I saw her in a crowd. I have heard people say that she is still very beautiful, but like someone rightly put it, those unseen are even more beautiful. I know she is way out of my league but I have never given up hope of seeing her once again in this lifetime.

It's better to love someone you can't have than to have someone you can't love

The Spanish Conquer Euro2008

A lonely goal from Torres in the finals was enough for the Spanish to claim the Euro 2008 silverware. Spain was awesome all the way through the tournament. They played like they owned the field and eventually took control of all the games they played.

I am a big fan of this red team and the Spanish have always been one of the best teams in football. Luck however always seemed very cruel to them in major tournaments. But in 2008 they played like they had a purpose. They played as a team and in front of them, their oppenents looked like mere spectators. They dribbled and passed with such grace that the gods themselves would have favoured a Spanish victory. Congrats Spain, lets hope this is a start to a new era in football, The Spanish Era !!

Movie Review: Love In The Time Of Cholera

This movie is inspired from nobel prize winner Gabriel García Márquez's book with the same title. Inspite of not reading the book, I felt this as an awesome romantic movie. The story takes you to Columbia in 1971 where Florentino Ariza (played by Javier Bardem) who is a telegram boy falls in love with Fermina Urbino (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) when he sees her through a window at her house. Florentino realises that she is his soulmate and few love letters later, they were both in love.

Fermina's father objects to this and takes her away. A year later Fermina marries a wealthy Doctor and forgets Florentino. Florentino becomes heart broken and could not forget the love of his life. As time goes on, Florentino develops on his poetic skills and becomes a successful man. After 50 years of waiting, he finally learns that Fermina's husband has died. He again starts writing her letters and finally wins her heart. When they were young, her father objected to their love. Now when they are too old, nothing was going to stop them from loving. The movie brings out that there is nothing revolting about loving at an old age and that love is eternal. Finally after 53 years, 7 months and 11 days, Florentino's heart was atlast fulfilled. Finally a quote of Florentino from the movie:

"Age has no reality except in the physical world. The essence of a human being is resistant to the passage of time. Our inner lives are eternal, which is to say that our spirits remain as youthful and vigorous as when we were in full bloom. Think of love as a state of grace, not the means to anything, but the alpha and omega. An end in itself."

My Dads Ol' Car

Ever since I can remember, this has been our family car, I literally grew up in it. It took us through some happy as well as sad times. My father bought this Toyota Corolla in the year 1980 (yeh, a real old timer), its as old as my younger brother. Its been part of my family for the past 28 years. My father takes really good care of his car. No wonder, the car has always been a reliable piece of equipment even into its old age.

During the past couple of years, rust had creeped into some of its exposed parts and the rickety old timer had become grumpy making a lot of rattling noises during motion. On the roads, people look at it with fascination, while some with disgust. Nothing can hide the fact that this car has endured some unbelievable desert summer heats during the past 3 decades. Both me and my brother took our first driving lessons on this car. This 1980 Corolla did play a major role in moulding me to the kind of person I am today. My father has been dreaming that Toyota will award him for preserving this car for so long and probably take the engine back to their factory in Japan to do research on it (Ok, that part was my dream .. hehe).

Finally today my dad sold it to a Pakistani man for 1,000 Riyals. Its nothing much to sell a car for, but lately it had become a burden for us to carry around. When I was two and a half years old, I snatched the car keys from my dad and ran out of the house only to fall down just before reaching the car. The key pierced my cheek and it made a dimple on my left cheek which appears to this very day only when I smile. The car had made a mark on me as a reminder of the good ol' days. Even though now we miss it dearly, nothing can takes its place because it has made a mark in our hearts.

The Angel At The Reception

I ran up the stairs of the old shabby building, I was late as usual!! My forehead was strewn with light perspiration. In a quick flick I had removed my shoes and as I entered the office on the first floor. I instantly felt something was missing from this picture. It took a few seconds to sink in that it was the beautiful girl who sat at the reception of the office. Without even my knowledge, she has now become part of my everyday life.

It was July of 2007 and I had enrolled myself in a small training institute in the city of Cochin for some certifications. To be frank, I hated the institute and the classroom environment they offered. Few days after I joined for classes, I noticed this girl who sat at the reception. She was very silent, simple and beautiful as an angel. I must say, God couldn't have made her anymore perfect. She was a breath of fresh air in that crapy place. It was really nice to see her there everyday.

Beauty like hers is meant to be admired. The Creator has made all creatures beautiful, but for some .... he has given that extra touch to give pleasure to our senses. Beauty is like a beautiful bird that is in flight enjoying its freedom. The moment you try to possess it and put it in a cage .... the beauty is lost.

I had been seeing her for 2 months now and all of a sudden she had disappeared. It took me few more days to learn that she had left the institute for a better job. A sudden cold gripped my heart (boy, I was sad!) and I couldn't understand the feelings I was going through for someone I hardly knew, hardly spoke to .... and whose name I didn't even know. It was not any crush or not love, but its the kind of happiness that makes you smile inside when you see something beautiful and now that happiness is lost!... sniff. I guess its human nature, we don't know what we have until we lose it. We take everyone around us for granted.

A quick search around the institute and I found her name, ...a quick internet search and I found her email id and her home address (Thank God for Google). That night I wrote her a thank you email and few days later I did hear from her, but thats not the point here. But that her presence had brought light into my otherwise dull and boring life. Its angels like these who take earthly mortals like me into that heaven of happiness, even if it means for a few seconds.

Thank you Angel.

Modern Towers of Babylon

Oil rich nations in the middle east have started a new race to build the tallest tower in the world. Dubai is in the forefront of constructions and is trying to be a major tourist and buisness hub of the world. Work is already in progress on the Burj Dubai (Burj means 'Tower' in arabic). It is said that this one-billion dollar Burj will reach heights of 700 meters and will have more than 160 stories.

Kuwait had also unveiled a plan to built a 1001 meter tower (that's more than 1Km!!) in its northern city of Subbiya. The city will be nicknamed as the "City of Silk", as its lies on the historic Silk Route connecting Europe with Asia. The city itself will be completed by 2030 and will house some 750,000 people. If you thought nothing could top that, think again. Recently Saudi revealed that it is planning on building a mile - high tower called Burj Al-Meed which will be spread over an area of more than 2 million square. This tower to be located in Jeddah and is estimated to cost $10 billion.

It is recorded in the Bible that early humans made a city with a sky-reaching tower in the plains of Babylonia. "Then the Lord came down to see the city and tower which those men had built, and he said, 'Now then, these are all one people and they speak one language: this is just the beginning of what they are going to do. Soon they will be able to do anything they want!'" (Genesis 11: 5 - 6). So God mixed up their language and he scattered them all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. Now that we have found English as a common language, we are back at it again. With all the money and resources in our hands, we have become arrogant and selfish. Surely God is watching!

Williams 2008

Williams F1 team has finally come out with their 2008 season car, with the first race of the F1 season just around the corner. I have to say that I have always loved the colours of the Williams car, the navy blue and white is just pleasing to my eyes making this car good looking as always. Williams F1 team is entering their 30th year of racing and I am sure this new car will make them one of the best teams in the F1 camp. I am not sure if I will be supporting Williams this season with Narain out of the team and new team "Force India" finding a place on the grid. Surely, I will be a Williams fan deep inside and continue to support them. I am a little excited and looking forward to seeing all the F1 cars on the grid for the super sunday race at Australian GP on 16th March.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Jenny John !! (actually its on March 4th, ok ok - belated wishes)

I know it sounds a little odd to be wishing myself on my birthday, but whats the problem in congratulating oneself for getting through one very tough year. Biggest gratitude to God for getting me to this point in life. I have reached the 29 milestone and this is my last year in my twenties and it does hit you like a ton of bricks that your youth years are almost over. Achievements are very minimal and life has thrown some major surprises along the way, but I believe all that has happened did for a good reason. One of my friends once told me that, "Our lives are like carpets in the hands of a carpet maker, half way through - the picture on the carpet doesn't make much sense. But when its over, it will be one beautiful masterpiece". Obviously, the question is - What Next?? I am least worried about my future, especially when I have God as my carpet maker. With God I will conquer and it will be one beautiful life ahead.

Wakeup To A Green Life

I recently got the chance to see the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" made by the former US vice-president Al Gore. Its a true wakeup call for the human race, no wonder the movie won the Oscars in 2007. Really, what are we humans doing to this beautiful planet?? We take it for granted and keep polluting and we have surely gone past the point of no-return. The Heat and Cold at some places have reached record highs and we humans still continue to live irresponsibly tampering with the balance of nature.

Green House Gases have caused climates across the world to change drastically in the last couple of years. The recent cold waves across Afghanistan, droughts in Sudan, hurricanes in Oman, China and the floods in Mumbai are some of major calamities that the world has witnessed recently. The Earth has been sending us messages through these calamities, but it still hasn't opened our eyes to the truth. Sadly these calamities are going to keep on coming until its kicks us right where it hurts.

I'm afraid the time for warnings has come and gone, its now the time for action. Environment groups say that, individuals should make an effort to change their lifestyle to be more environmental friendly. But that could take decades. I believe that, for a faster action Governments, Companies, Schools and Religious groups should take action by bringing out new rules, alerting people and being strict. Sometimes we humans need the right kind of push to fall into the right gear.

The Governments of different countries can take small steps like banning incandescent bulbs and promoting CFL's (Compact Fluroscent Light's) which can make a big difference in saving energy. Another thing the governments can do is to replace taxi's and public buses with hybrid vehicles which cause less pollution.

Paper receipts from ATM Cash Machines is one major culprit for paper wastage in the modern days. They are pointless as we can check our account balance on the ATM Machine itself. Banning Paper receipts on ATM machines can be a wise move and it could save huge numbers of trees or maybe even forests!!

God has put Humans in charge of this beautiful planet, but our generation has made it worse and unlivable for our future generations. We are too busy living that we are losing the precious from right under our nose. It reminded me of the saying "If you put the urgent before the important, later when there is nothing urgent there will be nothing left that is important".

Movie Review: I Am Legend

Its the year 2012 and the whole world has been infected by a man-made virus which transforms people into agressive zombies that come out only in the night. Spooky stuff, rite? Its based on a novel written by Richard Matheson in 1954. Robert Neville (acted by Will Smith) is the last human who has survived the virus and the zombies. Robert, a former army colonel and scientist sticks on to a strict daily routine which keeps him alive. During the daytime when the sun is out, he goes out of his home roaming the streets of Manhatten looking for food with his pet dog called Sam and before sunset he is back in his house. The dog seems a little dumb and doesn't seem to obey Robert, a little strange when they spend lot of time together and are the last creatures on the earth.

Robert Neville doesn't give up hope and is on the constant search for a cure for the virus. He also sends out a radio message everyday to find out if there are any other survivors like him. Anyway he seems to lead a luxurious life. I wonder where he gets his gas for his SUV and his generators. But then it's a sci-fi movie, anything can happen! I liked it when Robert quotes singer Bob Marley.

"Bob Marley had this idea. He believed that he can cure racism and hatred by injecting music and love into people's life. When he was scheduled to perform at a peace rally, gunmen came to his house and shot him down. Two days later he walked out on that stage and sang! Somebody asked him, why?? He said, the people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking a day off. How can I?? Light up the darkness."

Robert finally brought the light into the darkness by finding a cure for the zombie virus.

If you are scared of zombies, keep away from this movie. In my personal opinion, its an above average dramatic one-man sci-fi thriller movie and Will Smith has really nailed his portrayal.

The Sydney Test

The Sydney Test Match was a true test to reveal the true gentlemen in the sport of cricket. Everyone knows that the Aussies are good in sports, but they are equally an arrogant lot. The Australian cricket team is the precursor to the Aussie arrogance, their lack of respect for others was clearly evident when they man-handled and pushed aside an Indian Cabinet Minister after winning a cricket series at India in 2006.

During the recent Sydney Cricket Test match between Australia and India, the Australian team accused Harbajan Singh of racially mocking Andrew Symonds (an Australian from Caribbean Origin) by calling him a "monkey". What connection does the word have with Symonds (apart from the fact that he looks like one)? Indians themselves are at the receiving end of racial abuses, so how can they racial abuse someone else? Harbhajan Singh was provoked by Symonds himself when he offended Singh with a "F*** Off" and in the same match Brad Hogg called the Indian captain, Anil Kumble a "Bastard". Which one do you seriously think is offensive?, no one from the Indian side reported that to the ICC match officials. The Australians acted just like cry babies. Everyone in the cricketing world knows that the Australian's are in the forefront of sledging, they openly use offensive language and gestures and easily get away with it. A Gentleman's Game, my a**!

Clearly India lost the Sydney Test Match due to blunder decisions made by the match umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson. Steve Bucknor is a good umpire, but lately he is getting old and making lot of wrong decisions and he strongly needs to consider retiring. Umpire Mark Benson made the mistake of asking captain Ricky Ponting to know if Ganguly was out, ofcourse he is going to say Ganguly is out! What else did he expect?? I am not of the opinion that technology should completely take over the umpiring decisions in cricket, but a batsman should be able to challenge an umpires decision.

During the 2003 Pakistan-Bangladesh Series, Pakistan captain Rashid Latif was suspended for five one-day matches by match referee Mike Procter for claiming a catch which had touched the ground. The same Mike Procter being the match referee for this series also should have banned Ponting and Clarke for claiming catches. Why the double standards? If there is any racism, its against the Asians. What happened to the ICC's strong stand against racism?? Inspite of all the unfair treatment towards the Indians, they should be applauded for shaking hands with the Aussie's after the match. I agree with what Kumble said "only one team was playing with the spirit of the game".