Nine - Haulage

Accesories are a girls best friend, not diamonds although they are a close contender. I fell in love with this satchel as soon as i saw it, its a little small for its purpose ( school bag) but i put up with the fact that i carry my folder around now if it means i can use it. I didnt realise that its actually very similar to the proenza schouler satchel. I also bought this leopard print scarf, its stunning and not my usual style, but i think my style is changing. I bought both of these on eBay, if you would like to know the seller then leave a comment below!

I also have been decorating my new room, so here is a sneak peak before i do a total post on it. You would not believe the transformation. It still needs more pillows, striped light blue ones and the room needs more blue tones and just the " finishing touches"

starbuck coffee

do you know STARBUCK COFFEE?

Starbucks' 40th Anniversary is today,

and the worldwide coffee house chain is celebrating

with a new logo, new coffee brews and new baked treats.

interesting isnt it?hehe

hmm i wonder how the new coffee and the new chunky sweet baked taste...

urrgghh...

mmm~~

lalalalallalalaaaaa~

i think it will taste superb!! :D

ok lets see the pic first.. then u can imagine the taste later~~

starbuck new product line..

on the left is the new coffee brew .. TRIBUTE. 

it is four different coffee beans, including Aged Sumatra, Sun-dried Ethiopian, and beans from Papua New Guinea and Colombia, go into making the Starbucks Tribute Blend

next one is the new cocoa cappucino! 

combining fresh espresso, 

bittersweet mocha sauce, 

steamed milk and foam 

and topped with mocha drizzle.

soo yummy!! :D

last one is the new baked treats!!

eight tiny sweets that include Cake Pops (available in Birthday Cake, Rocky Road and Tiramisu flavors),

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, 

Mini Cupcakes (Carrot Cake and Peanut Butter) 

and Sweet Squares (Lemon and Salty Caramel).

now let see the new logo :

enjoy ur starbuck moment.. :)

ICC Cricket World Cup Finals 2011

Fresh Fresh 
~~~
India wins Cricket World Cup 2011
~~~

The stage is set for the battle for the supremacy over the world of Cricket. It will be India Vs Sri Lanka in the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup Finals on Saturday, 2nd April 2011 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Both India and Sri Lanka have been co-hosts for this World Cup -  staged across the Indian sub-continent over the last 40 days. The sub-continental giants - both of whom have won the World Cup once - will be taking on each other in the finals at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.

India were touted as the favorites for winning the championships. They have lived upto that expectation, losing just one match on the road to the final. Sri Lanka too were considered as a strong side. They too have grown from strength to strength to block the tickets to Bombay.

In the semi-finals, Sri Lanka played against New Zealand. After restricting New Zealand to just 217 runs, Sri Lanka kept their cool in the difficult run chase - winning by 5 wickets. 

The top order fired for Sri Lanka, as it has done all through the tournament. Guys in the middle order also digged in to take the team to a glorious victory. Importantly, it was their champion spinner - Muttiah Muralitharan's - last match on Sri Lankan soil. And Sri Lanka heads to the final with the intent of wearing the Champion's Crown once again.

The other semi final was between India and Pakistan. It wasn't a cricket match. It was a battle. The hype before the match was simply too huge too comprehend. 

Adding to the pressure was the fact that the Prime Minister's of both nations - Dr. Manmohan Singh of India and Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan - were meeting on the sidelines of the cricket match. This is what they called as cricket diplomacy.

India batted first and the Indian top order looked as if they were firing. Only Sachin was able to dig through the innings, with the blessings of the generous Pakistani fielders who dropped him four times. India managed to score a respectable total of 260 runs.

In the second innings, MS Dhoni - India's captain - led the team into the field. The entire nation contemplated Dhoni's choice to play Nehra over Ashwin - expecting it to back fire. 

Pakistan got off to a great start. But India took wickets at regular intervals. All the five bowlers bowled like champions in the most important match in a decade. The Pakistani team fell like nine pins. Misbah-Ul-Haq, the eldest Pakistani player, scored at a snail's pace, virtually awarding the match to India.

And with two wickets a piece, the five Indian bowlers wrapped up the Pakistani innings with a bowl to spare, winning by a majestic 29 runs.  

With this, the euphoria is set to rise further - culminating in the final's in Mumbai. Sachin Tendulkar, India's Demi-God will be playing it in front of his home crowd. The entire nation will be hoping that India wins.

If there is one star which is missing on Sachin's proud chest, it is the victory medal of the World Cup. And Sachin would be making every possible effort to win the Cup for India, in what should be - for all practical purposes - his last World Cup match. ( A few blog posts back, an anonymous visitor left behind a comment, saying - Sachin will play two more World Cup's. You never know what the future holds.) 

But as they say, Cricket is a team game. And the entire team needs to back up Sachin. India needs a fiery start from Virender Sehwag and a stable knock from Gautam Gambhir. Yuvraj Singh should score a decent knock and Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni should make a respectable contribution.

Among the bowlers, Zaheer Khan has to lead the attack once again. Harbhajan has to bowl with all his guile. Munaf Patel was impressive in the big game against Pakistan and should keep his cool. 

And, if - once again - you have too choose between Ashwin and Nehra, Nehra should get a place in the playing eleven. But you never know how the uber cool skipper - MSD - would think. Whatever may be the choice, the chosen player should play his best.

Most importantly, it's the captain - MS Dhoni. He is the captain of the ship which has sailed so far. He is the general of the army which has won all these battles. Dhoni would have got a lot of flak - be it for his selections, or for his interspersed poor keeping, or his mediocre batting through the Cup. 

Whatever may be the case, captaincy is his stronghold. He should construct his best thoughts over the next two days, prepare a plan for every single eventuality which may shape up in the game, and lead his team with confidence. He has a team which is extremely talented, and has a huge heart. He just has to rally them like a bunch of champions and take them to the glorious pedestal - a victory in the Cricket World Cup.

As for what Sri Lanka needs to do, I will just leave it to the Lankans. They are India's opponents - and any tips are not advisable.

However, it will be worthwhile to analyse Sri Lankan's for the benefit for India. The top three batsmen - Dilshan, Tharanga and Sangakkara - are the most dangerous. India should prepare a very strong plan to get these guys out.

Among the bowlers, Malinga has been very very dangerous with his slingers. Sachin and Sehwag should rip apart his bowling, and demoralize him completely. 

The spin twins - Murali and Ajantha Mendes - will use all their tricks to get the Indian's out. India should play them with utmost caution, and capitalise on their weak deliveries.

Simply speaking, India have an uphill task against Sri Lanka. A long fifteen years back, in 1996, when I was just a little school going boy, India played Sri Lanka in the World Cup semi-finals at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta. The Indian batting crumbled under pressure and India lost poorly. Sri Lanka went on to win the match, under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga. 

I just want one thing. India should avenge that defeat and win the Cricket World Cup 2011.

For the next two days, the entire nation will be on tenterhooks. After celebrating the victory against Pakistan, the entire nation will sit down and prepare the plans for winning the World Cup. From trains to buses, from schools to colleges, from TV to Radio, from corporate boardrooms to the neighboring tea-shops - it will be just one thing - India and World Cup. Everything else will take a back seat.

You don't have any Octopus Paul predicting the winners. But if you are interested in following someone, it should be the guru of spin bowling, the wizard of spin - Aussie spinner, Shane Warne. He has been predicting winners with amazing accuracy. Do not forget to check him out on his twitter page before and through the match.

I strongly hope and pray to God that India emerge victorious in Mumbai on 2nd April 2011, in the World Cup final.

And by God's grace, if this wish comes true, entire India will erupt into a state of joy and euphoria. Just three days more - and India will be crowned as the Champions of World Cricket.

Dhak Dhak Go, India Go!!

Why??

Among the billion stars,
Why is the sun the brightest?

It's the same reason why,
She is my closest.

Among the million suns,
Why is ours the topper?

It's the same reason why,
My life revolves around her.

Among the thousand galaxies,
Why is ours the classiest?

It's the same reason why,
She paints my life vividest.

Among the few basic needs,
Why is water the most needed?

It's the same reason why,
She is my elixir and loves me the dearest.

Like the precious diamonds,
Why is she still undiscovered and unknown?

It's the same reason why,
Life begins only with the strongest blessings and the greatest fortune.

The Loss Of A Habit

A long time back I had read about this quote.

~~ Good habits, once established are just as hard to break as are bad habits.
~~~~ Robert Puller

Well, when I read this one, I prayed to God that all the good habits that I posses stay with me, forever.

But sadly, in recent months, I have lost one very good habit which I possessed. A habit which I deeply cherished. A habit which made me many a precious friend. A habit which started countless discussions in innumerable situations.

It is the habit of Reading. It was the habit of Reading.

Sadly, I have lost the habit of reading in all its forms. Be it news papers, or magazines, or books. All of it.

There was a time when I used to start my day with reading of the newspapers. I would go through all the pages and read the most eye-catching ones first. I would also make a mental bookmark of the articles that I needed to catch up later in the day - possibly over the evening tea or while having dinner.

But off late, early morning sleep has been more precious. The only thing after getting up is to get ready and head off to work. This has made reading of the news papers a rarity.

The only solace is the fact is that I manage to catch up with the online newspapers - spending a maximum of 20-30 minutes a day on it. But it does not give the same satisfaction as that of reading a "real" news paper. What's bad is the fact that the quality of news articles that show up on the first page of the website are not upto the mark or diverse enough to give me full fledged information about the going on's in the world.

Next one is the habit of reading books. I was a voracious reader at one point of time - gulping upto three books a month in my tight schedule. Reading was the most common pastime over the weekends and holidays. I enjoyed reading about any topic under the sun - fiction, non-fiction, thrillers, comics, romance, business, biographies - the list was endless.

Back in school, during the summer vacations, I used to enroll at the local library. It used to offer a facility to take two books at a time, for sixty rupees a month. 

I used to make the best use of that opportunity by reading two books a day. And most importantly, every school year - wait for the vacations to arrive.  

But then came my personal computer - only to steal away the company of my humble books. Enticing Electronics took over the humble Paper.

This picture made me wonder whether it was the same me who used to read the Harry Potter books on the same day of they being released, keeping every other thing on the sun aside, only to finish the book and get to the end of the mystery. With Harry Potter, the mystery never ended.

I would also love to read before sleep. Falling asleep while reading was one of the pleasures life used to offer.

I maintained an online compilation of the books I had read and I planned to read. Shelfari was the website where I maintained this list. It took me quite a while even to recollect this website. I had to take support of my email to do so. That explains the gravity with which I have lost it all.

And then came the habit of blogging. Blogging, like Reading, is quite addictive. And for the last few months, it has been Blogging Vs Reading. Blogging has won hands down.

The advent of movie franchisees has been another factor which led to this situation. Twilight has been one of the most sucessfull novel series in the last couple of years, and I was keen to check it out - by reading. Ultimately, I ended up seeing the movies - killing any chance of reading the books.

Another thing which has contributed to this downfall is the short articles that we read on the internet. Although they are easy to grasp, they have resulted in a reduced attention span. And a reduced attention span does not make life easy for reading books.

There was a time when every alternate shopping trip with friends consisted of visiting the neighboring book store. Flipping through the books, looking for interesting stuff was a great way to pass time and connect. And If something caught you eye, by God's grace, you could buy it. And make the best utilization of the purchase by sharing it with your friends.

These days I force myself to get a few of books - every few months - just in the hope of kick starting back the habit. Or maybe read some magazines to develop the interest back.

The only book that I can remember of reading in recent times - without putting it down - was "Freakonomics". I loved the concept of the book and the answers put down to simple, real world, questions.

Books make you think, and that was the case with "Freakonomics" too. I had purchased this book while traveling for work - over the Xmas weekend. Incidentally, the travel back home was delayed due to bad weather, delayed flights and a shutdown airport (in the capital city of the biggest country on the earth). 

Made me wonder - Why do we have all the travel troubles in the midst of the holiday season?? If you have read "Freakonomics", you will acknowledge that this is one question which the authors of the book would love to answer - with their excellent analysis.

This loss has been hurting me more over the last few days - since I discussed books with two people. Some one told me that she had slept only at 2.30 in the morning - because she couldn't sense the time while reading. That made me jealous. That made me recollect my old times. 

And someone else told me that her favorite book was "The Kite Runner". And I professed that "To Kill A Mocking Bird" is my favorite. Incidentally, this lady was able to recollect the most significant line of this book - thanks to her sharp memory. 

~~ "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

~~~~ Atticus Finch, in To Kill a Mockingbird. 

All this made me wonder - maybe it is time to revive this wonderful habit. I can't make a resolution, because, they say that resolutions are meant to be broken. But an attempt can be certainly made.

If wishes were horses, and horses could fly, I would also love J.K. Rowling to start writing again. Her narration was awesome and reading her books kept me engaged for hours altogether. 

A visit to the bookstore at my office could also help. They offer a generous discount of 10% on every book that you buy.

Maybe the help of the good old "Reader's Digest" can be sought. It's short articles might help to tide over the attention span problem. And once that's taken care, a good flowing book can bring back the good old days. 

A few of them are already in the pipe line - an almost biography of Winston Churchill, a book by N.R. Narayana Murthy on the Indian society - A Better India, A Better World, and a book with the name - Flirting With Disaster.

Well, only time can tell whether I will be sucessfull in my endeavour. A worthwhile resolution could be to come back to this blogpost and leave a comment on completely reading the above mentioned three books. Let's see how soon it happens.

And have you lost any habit recently? Was it for the good or bad? And if it was for the bad, I certainly hope that you are taking those small steps back - to reclaim that habit which was a wonderful part of your life.

Hiding

Hiding is a fundamental human trait which we would have all attempted at some point of our life. It means preventing someone from knowing a fact, or seeing something.

If I consider today's online newspaper - the top two headlines are about hiding and concealment. The first headline says that one person bribed another person (a politician, to be specific) for a Million US Dollars. Now both these guys are concealing this fact from the general public for their own benefit.

The second one alleges that a little child has been killed by her parents. This allegation is made by the widow of the man, who was also their servant, and was also killed on the same night.

Here too you have a strong evidence that something is very fishy and concealment or hiding is being attempted.

While these are things which are being followed in the public domain, and are extreme cases (especially the second one), the situation is not different in our small personal life - our little world itself.

We would hide for a variety of reasons. 

Let's say that you are happy about something. Sharing your joy, they say, increases it. But then you don't share it with all, but only with a special few. Or with only your special one. And from the rest, you conceal.

The reasons for this are multitude. You may not want someone to share your joy. Or not want someone to feel jealous about your joy. Or maybe think that the person does not have to be privy to your joy itself.

The same thing can be said about stuff which hurts you. You don't want your loved ones to share the same anguish as you do. You do not want them to inflict them with the same pain as you are facing.

And in broader interests, you conceal something. You bury that thought deep in your heart. You keep them away from such situations to isolate them. 

It can also be said about things which you proudly possess. And you don't want others to have their prying eyes rest on your valuable assets. 

You would hide them completely so that those glaring eyes don't have a look at them. Like the gold, silver and other precious ornaments and valuables that you keep in the safe lockers.

Let us consider things from the perspective of someone from whom something is hidden.

If you consider the first illustration of the murder, it results in a deep sense of hurt and helplessness for the close ones of the people on whom the crime was committed and the society in general.

Moving onto simpler situations - like the one where the joy is hidden from you. In the aftermath, I bet you would consider yourself foolish to even think that the person should have shared his or her joy with you. It's like falling flat on your face.

And if something which was concealed was done with the intent of preventing the hurt, you would feel a deep sense of anguish. A tornado of torment would run through your mind - making you think on whether you could have done something to reduce or eliminate the reasons which caused the hurt.

Oh my God!! Is this such a complex trait? Does this have such resounding impact on the lives of people??

And if you are confused between hiding or showing - you could give a small hint. A small clue would keep that someone thinking about what you are hiding.  And make you exceedingly alluring.

This thought is beautifully conveyed by the lady below.

It was this advertisement, featuring Natalia Vodianova, for Idylle by Guerlain perfume, which got me thinking about this offbeat topic. (It's another matter altogether that it has taken me approximately two months to compose thoughts on this subject)

So when did you hide something the last time? And from whom? And why did you hide it? And was it for good or bad? Just contemplate.

Two

Two. It is one of the first numerals that you learn as a child. To be precise, its the second , right behind the number "one". And that's where its slotted forever- second. 

Any of its desires to come in first cannot be realized. They are just dreams- pipe dreams. They are just wishes. 

Well, this picture is a bit special. It was the icon on my messenger when my return back to home after a long assignment was just two days away. The excitement was just palpable - considering that I was returning after a long period of three months.

But when the D-day arrived, the exhilaration of Day One beat the fervor of Day Two. If Day One seemed like a running race, the previous day seemed like a pedestrian walk. 

Day Two lost to Day One!! Why? What does number two feel when he comes behind number one?

Another incident that I remember was when I was back in school. As part of the school's annual day - a play was being staged. It had a scene of a wrestling match between a well built fellow and a guy of modest build. Incidentally, I was the referee in that staged match.

The almost fatso was supposed to lose - signifying a victory of an underdog. Surprisingly, after a few trial runs, the guys just developed cold feet and refused to play the role. 

Everyone including the teachers were surprised. What had made the guy refuse to play a role, a character, which would be seen by more than a thousand people on that day? Every parent loves to see his child being appreciated by a wider group of audience. Yet, this silly guy was not taking up this opportunity.

After a bit of coaxing and prodding, he revealed the real reason. He didn't want to lose a staged match in the play in front of the entire school. He didn't want to be number two. He wanted to finish first. This incident made me realise the importance people placed on coming first.

You must have heard about Alpha Romeo. But then have you heard about Beta Romeo ? No. He does not exist. To win in love, you need to come in first - at least once. 

You have several quotes said by famous men and women on winning. The one that comes to my mind is this one. 

~~ Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.

 

Here you can realise the importance being placed on finishing first. And the disgrace of finish second. Is it really this serious? Is winning so much important?

Shiv Khera, a motivational speaker, once said - 

~~ Winners don't do different things, they do things differently.

Made me wonder what do people who come in second do? Nothing? Or something which is already done? Or do they do something differently, but the difference does not stand out or is not recognized? 

You must have heard about the quote - Two is a company, Three is a crowd. 

I make my memory jog in the reverse direction, and run a Google Search. Yet I am not able to recollect an incident in near times when I felt so. Was it because I was too generous not to have such a feeling? No. I think I was the one who was the crowd. 

If one is good, two is bad, then three is worse. 

You would have seen those athletic competitions where they award prizes for the people who stand in the top three. Being number two does not look bad after all in such cases.

But what if the game had just two players? Well, if you lose, your heart will just sink.

Catch the thoughts of the British cyclist Victoria Pendleton who won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Women’s Individual Sprint event.

Need I say more???

You must have heard - It takes two to tango. 

Well, although it takes two people - a man and a woman to have a wonderful tango dance, the intent of the quote is slightly different. 

What it actually means is that to be sucessfull in some endeavour, if one is not sufficient, two might do the trick. An active co operation or a close handshake between two might make the enterprise a winner.

And if you are following the Cricket World Cup 2011, then you must have seen this advertisement featuring Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan Singh, with Pepsi, is seen promoting his flagship ball - The Doosra. This ball has taken many a wickets for India in some crucial moments of the match. The Doosra in english would mean The Second. 

And from the last two illustrations, we can see that you can be a winner with a "Two" too. 

Don't lose heart if you are second. 

If "One" is straight as a stick, "Two" has those generous curves. After all, the winning post might be just beyond those bends.

Lidl - March 2011

Source: http://www.lidl-info.com/cps/rde/xchg/eigenmarken/hs.xsl/lidl-info.htm