World Cup 2011: Framing the moment!

Ooh, I don't remember feeling such a high in a very long time. And, I think, it will be so for a while. When I went to bed on 2nd April (actually 3rd here in Australia) at 5 am, I found it hard to fall asleep. In fact, as it happens after any important exam, I kept getting dreams where 4 runs of 1 ball were required & oh, I would wake up only to realise that the reality is sweeter than dreams. India has won the World Cup!

Now, that I love cricket Sachin is no secret. But then, doesn't Sachin equal cricket? Anyway, so this World Cup was a very important one for me. His last WC and all...I was hoping that India win it, of course and that Sachin get a 'Man of the Series' and 'Man of the Match in the final'. One of the three wishes came true. But, thankfully it was the right one.

Due to the time difference, we only watched the first innings of all the matches. And, very early in the tournament I realised that if we continue to ball and field the way we were, we don't stand a chance! Now, I don't know much about bowling (having concentrated on watching batting Sachin through out my life). But, this inference was not difficult even for me. Anyway, India did very well in Quarter and Semi Finals.

And then the finals on 2nd April 2011- Saturday, which suited us perfectly well as we had Sunday to catch up on sleep. After the toss goof up, when Sri Lanka chose to bat, I thought if India have to be World Champion , they must earn it against all odds. So, the outcome of toss should not matter. And then, after the first five overs, I said to Ritesh, "I think its going to be one-sided match, look at the way we are bowling, Zaheer Khan-3 maidens, and bowling is not even our strength". But, it seemed, Jayawardene (and to some extent Sreesanth too :)) played to prove me wrong. Ritesh went to work on his assignment and I started following the game through my mobile on cricinfo. After making all the Indian bowlers completely ineffective, Sri Lanka made 274. Again, some drama- India had bowled very slowly and as a result there would be a very short break. When Harsha Bhogle said that Sehwag and Tendulkar might have to miss supper and come out to bat, I was tensed. That's when Ritesh asked me if I wanted chocolate milk :) Now, the match was being telecast here from 11.45 pm which was precisely the start of Indian batting. So, no more streaming was required.

Ok, as the openers walk to the field, I say to Ritesh, I want Sehwag to be there at least for 15 overs. I don't want all the pressure on Sachin. As if I had jinxed it, Sehwag gets out on the second ball. And then, soon Sachin gets OUT. Needless to say, then all the pressure was on me! Ritesh said, "Ya, this is going to be one-sided, but in favour of SL". I called mom and started ranting- "He deserves this cup, he has been playing for 21 years, this is just NOT FAIR". Mom said, "Beta, abhi baaki log hai na, woh khelenge, jeet jayenge beta:)". Though, she confessed that she is also watching some movie on the side so that her blood pressure doesn't rise. Talk about cricket crazy people. My yet to be 6 year old nephew, Arjun has been hearing about World Cup through out the month and how Indians might get it and had a genuine query about the distribution of one cup to so many Indians.

Just when I was about to give up hope, Gambhir and Kohli showed promise. Ritesh temporarily abandoned his assignment and joined me. And when our heart-beats were getting normal, Kohli was caught and bowled by Dilshan. That got Ritesh & I into discussing some finesse of cricket like what would happen if a batsman hits a ball towards the other batsman and he hits it as well. And we kept building on that hypothesis as to if that ball crosses the boundary, who gets runs for that and similarly, if some fielder catches it, who's out? We would have continued but, then Dhoni got to bat. And then, there was no looking back. We WON!!! With a SIX!!! And that's when they stopped the telecast. We quickly started to stream to be part of the celebrations and the presentation-ceremony. Oh, it was amazing! Excitedly, phone calls were made and received. "Alright, now I'm happy, Sachin can retire whenever he wants to and even I'll retire from watching cricket then", said I. But wait, let that 100th century come along & did I hear that Indian team is visiting Australia this summer. Well then, I'm not retiring just yet!

Roti Making made easy...

In her pursuit to make our lives easy, (without any domestic help available here), my mum sent us Roti Maker a few months back. And my, it has really changed our lives. For all those who ask whether 'roti' really puffs? does it come out soft? Here's the proof. Check the video we shot yesterday while making rotis after coming back from office...

Out in Kangaroo Valley

We decided to make the most of 'Canberra Day' long weekend. The plan was to go out somewhere near by for a couple of days, so that we could be back by Sunday, just relax at home on Monday and be ready for office (which basically is loading the freezer for the week days).

We started at about 1.30 in the afternoon on Friday from office directly, filled Petrol, bought some chips and 'Up & Go' and hit the Federal highway. We were going to Kangaroo Valley which is a small town, 200 km east of Canberra. It was overcast in Canberra since morning and we expected the weather to be same in Kangaroo Valley too, given its vicinity to rain forest. Its approach has about 20 km of very winding road. We didn't want to drive through it on wet road in the dark and hence, left early. The drive was pretty smooth, in fact uneventful till just before those hairpin turns, I started having a mild headache. I've learned through years of experience (!) that the best way to avoid motion sickness in such conditions is to drive myself. So, I took over the wheels and we proceeded.

We crossed the Hampden Bridge (which was build in 1898 and is the oldest surviving suspension bridge of Australia) and entered Kangaroo Valley.

We had booked at a place owned by an old couple. They lived on the ground floor and a 'studio' on the first floor was rented out. The wife is a painter herself and some of her paintings adorned the walls of the studio.

Book shelf in the studio.

The kitchen window overlooking the church below-

Between Ritesh & I, we had carried 5 books. Our plan was catching up with reading and sleeping a lot. But, on seeing the cupboard full of books, we

decided to check those books out. I chose one of an Australian Writer- Emma Robertson (in fact, she lives just outside Canberra) Wits' end before breakfast- Confessions of a working mum. It was a fun read, have read about three quarters of it in our one and half day stay there. I plan to check the local library to get a copy and finish reading the rest of it. Ritesh picked one on United Nations, published in 1963, to see how things were then. We had dinner and retired early that day.

Next day, we set out to go from one gallery to another. 'Kangaroo Valley' has a population of 350 people. In that there are 14 artists. No wonder, this town has a character. There are lots of paintings of various artists, wood-work, metal sculptures, glass work, pottery in various art galleries located on a single street. We started with the wood gallery.

Loved these rocking horses, wanted to buy one of these for Arjun. But, remembered that these can't gallop all the way to India on their own.

Wooden cookware and some birds carved out...

After this, the next gallery had glass wares. While I drooled over the totally unaffordable and very beautiful vases, Ritesh busied himself admiring the metal artifacts. Have a look...

A diver ready for the act-

Below: An astronomer using his telescope...

We then visited a shop which sold artefacts made in India and Bali. We absolutely loved a mirror with its carved frame, which was made in Bali. It reminded me of Rajasthani Jharokha. Having decided to buy it on our way back, we went to a nursery near by. It was a very hot day and being amidst plants helped. Actually, Kangaroo Valley is surrounded by a lot of greenary. And the best thing about being there was we could see works of art everywhere. See the statue we saw in the garden of the studio we were staying...

Very simple, yet so powerful.

Lovers' embrace...

Tired of walking all afternoon and that heat, we came back to our room just in time to escape the pouring which began soon after. Lightening struck left, right and centre. I was quite scared to be surrounded by all the trees and living in a wooden cabin. Anyway, it subsided and by the time we could go out again, all the galleries were closed. We went out for dinner and then tried to follow the India- South Africa World cup match on Ritesh's mobile. For some time, we wished we could have watched the match live. However, after Sachin's dismissal, it certainly was not worth it. Early in the morning, Ritesh checked the score and news and told me the outcome. I was happy to have missed watching such a disappointing match. Anyway, I had decided that I would not let bad weather (or poor performance) spoil my mood. So, I got up, packed the bags and we went out for breakfast. Poached eggs, mushrooms and baked beans on toast with a cup of tea helped me keep my promise towards self. We then went to pick up the goodies we had selected (and could afford) from various galleries (actually just two) the previous day.

Ritesh secured the mirror at the back seat and put the seat-belt around it. We were then, ready to go. I again took the driver's seat. Ritesh asked me thrice if I really wanted to drive. First time I considered it as a husband's concern for his beloved wife, second time, I thought it might be his concern towards himself. But, then finally when he asked a third time I realised that the real reason was the fun of driving on that twisty, turny road. I explained him that my getting sick would ultimately prove a mis-adventure for both of us and he understood. Our next stop was Fitzroy falls.

On our way to Fitzroy Falls...

The Falls...

We took a walk in the forest (actually there are walking paths, so it's not really in the forest) to go to another lookout.

On our way, we observed a woman, touching the lizards which were wandering and her kids getting very excited. I looked at Ritesh and said, "I think we are pseudo nature lovers", if there is such a term.

Fitzroy Falls from another point.

On our way back, we spotted remains of a Banksia Tree. Ritesh of course, could not resist a toilet joke!

Doesn't this tree look like it is straight out of a fairy-tale?

That was all the sight seeing we did. We came back home feeling very refreshed. Ok, we were tired physically, but what I meant was we had a good break. And, now the mirror we bought-

This is a rectangular piece, the angle at which I clicked photo makes it look trapezoidal.

Here, with the windows closed :)

The Grand Plan!

There was a time while evaluating my life, I asked myself, “Am I enjoying the work? Where am I heading to in my career?” The answer to the first question was a definite YES and to the second one was Hmm..NO IDEA. That’s when I decided to sit back and analyse all the options I had. Taking GMAT, doing all the research required for admissions, meanwhile getting another year of experience and then applying to some good B-schools was my plan.

That was precisely the time when he came in my life. We started exchanging e-mails and then phone calls. I was very reluctant to commit to anything first as I thought it might divert my focus from the exam I had planned to take. But, we kept talking anyway and don’t know exactly when I let my guards off. I remember ditching my friends mid way while shopping to be able to be at home and have a good, long chat with him. I became aware of his sensitive side, his witty side and his ability to look at the funny aspect of a serious situation.

My exam was done and our phone bills kept soaring up. I started thinking of ‘our relationship’. I waited for a few weeks, but he seemed to be in no hurry. So, I decided to stir up his emotions, and in our next conversation, I told him that I was working on the list of B-schools I want to apply to. I said I plan to hurry up the process and asked if he had any schools in mind. He very coolly said that I should apply to ‘Harvard’ with my such a good score. And, he went on about how I should work on my application. Normally, I would be happy to hear it from someone, especially if that someone was the one I liked…but, not on that day. Logic was beyond me then, Yes, I was smitten!

After hanging up the phone, I kept thinking that why couldn't he say Melbourne Business School or any other school for that matter, closer to where he was? I thought either guys really don’t understand any hints or he is completely fine with my going to the other side of the world. Well, I was sad and annoyed at the same time. But, my thought process was interrupted by his call. As soon as I picked up the phone, he asked if I planned to start my MBA that year itself. I said, “Yes, why do you ask?” “Because,” he said, “I have a different plan…”

Well, today we enter the fourth year of that plan.

Happy Anniversary, Ritesh!

Water Water everywhere...

It has been disheartening these past few days with the floods in Queensland- also called 'Sunshine State' otherwise. 'Flash flooding' as occurred here is a kind of inland Tsunami. Water comes gushing in within a matter of a few hours and sometimes just a few minutes. When it began in South East Queensland, people were taken in by surprise, vehicles and houses washed away. In other places, people were prepared and evacuated in time, but when we are talking of water levels of 10s of meters, it is not possible to save the buildings or the belongings. I was in Gold-Coast, Queensland last month. The numerous waterways within the city can be viewed from the plane. The sight is beautiful. And then, there were these gorgeous villas on the banks of the river, with boats and ramps going into the river. I thought, they were ideal holiday homes as Australians love water so very much. I dare not think of what has become of those houses now.

Crisis situations like these, make heroes out of ordinary men. We hear stories of people bravely saving trapped neighbours, elderly, kids on radio all the time. And, I must say the media here is doing a good work. Sensationalizing tragedies for their benefit is so common these days that if a TV channel doesn't do it, I am surprised, even find it extraordinary. Here, whenever I switch on the TV, of course I see the unbelievable scenes of properties, roads drawn under water, but also tales of how the Queenslanders are helping each other in the mammoth cleaning process and how willing Australians across the states are to help the affected with food and essentials. And I must say, that not only the channels like ABC and SBS, but all the local channels too are spreading this positivity. I am happy to see that the media has not completely lost its conscience. They say Queenslanders are bred tough. Yes, their resilience reminds me of 'Spirit of Mumbai'.

Also, I have started admiring Anna Bligh, (the Queensland Premier), more with her every speech. If true leaders are not born in a crisis, they are certainly identified in one.