My Next Best Thing !

Shifting Residence ....

2008-06-10T17:53:00.005+05:30

Hello Folks !

Since features @ Wordpress are too tempting to let it pass, this blog is officially shifting residence to
mynextbestthing.wordpress.com

Looking forward to your views and comments there.

So c'ya there.

Ciao,
Manny

IPL '08 comes to a Close !

2008-06-02T14:39:00.010+05:30

Hurrah !!
IPL is over !! Wat a relief not just for Lalit Modi bcos it began & finished with a bang but for all the pepl in the 120 countries in which it was telecast.
Relief for me bcos I wud no longer be woken up at half past 11.00 by shouts of OUUUUT !!
or SIXXXXX ! or FOUUUUR !

I dont watch the IPL !
For all u pepl who hav clasped their mouths giving a "Weird guy !" kinda luk -
I do watch it ,but sleep is higher on my list of priorities !

The IPL has wooed audiences who thought cricket wasn't as exciting as a futball or golf [:P] to crazy fans who went into a frenzy with every 6 or a 4 ! Right from the Jawans on the border to my next door neighbour who sleeps during the day and watches it till Navjot Siddhu screamed Cheerio! or a Jadeja said Adios! i.e past mid-nite !
On news channels last 45 days , politics,inflation,CBI investigations,rest of the world hav all taken a back seat.
Its been IPL in the headlines ! Such a head ache for non-supporters of cricket who constitute a negligible lot.[I luv cricket, just felt its time we empathised with these pepl too !]

IPL has come and gone leaving pepl in a tizzy. Its left pepl wondering how they are going to spend their evenings from Jun 2nd .
But the biggest success of the IPL has been that nobody lost, it was about who among the franchises got more. SRK and his bandwagon of cine artists tasted success off-screen.{Mallya too wud hav gained, only thing he cud hav lost is ,maybe an opportunity to earn more by investing in smthing else[:)]- like his airlines or spirits co.}[Hah ! I do hav traces of mba in me, Don't u think ?! :P] Fans got edge of the seat entertainment & nail biting finishes. Players got an adrenaline rush and lots [and lots - recurring] of money. BCCI made millions. And so many scores of pepl who worked behind the scenes got jobs in an off season !

Yet there were som at the closing ceremony ,who were celebrating even more than the kids or cricket frenetics ! They were the parents !

Reasons why parents are releived :

1. They can now catch up on their serials frm 8.00 to 10.30 [undisturbed].
2. Their children now eat dinner and remember wat they hav eaten !
3. Their migranes that start usually @ 8.00 lasting past mid-nite is gone for gud[atleast fr a yr.]

So three cheers to the IPL !!
But it has to be given just the importance that it deserves and move on !

Cheers,
Manny
[PS:IPL- Indian Premier League is a cricket tournament that enjoyed quite some popularity and had its 1st successful outing on April 18th this year('08)] .

IPL Fever !!

2008-06-02T10:37:00.014+05:30

Introduction :
Genetic name: ipleus fixationus
IPL Fever also known as IPL mania is a de-generative disorder that often impairs sight,smell and touch and other functions of the brain.

History :
Previously unknown. Origin in India. It turned into a widespread epidemic around mid-April 2008.

Symptoms :
The symptoms include occasional shouting,screaming. In extreme cases breaking property,crying,self inflicting behavior.
Research is on to determine if the condition is chronic. But it is progressive reaching a culmination after 45 days ! Affected pepl may experience tremors at random intervals and will hav trouble getting out of a chair other than jumping about occasionally.
Others include :
1) Emotional changes
2) Difficulty with swallowing and chewing
3) Fatigue and loss of energy
4) High BP
5) Restlessness

Withdrawal Effects :
It is characterised by severe withdrawal effects such as

staring at blank TV screens,
shouting 'HowzzThat !!' while sleeping
wearing cricketing gear at home & doing 'warm up every time u step out of the house !

Possible reasons fr IPL Fever :
1) Head Injury [:P]
2) Easy mental fatigue
The fever by itself is not a fatal disease, but it does get worse with time.

Remedy :
No known remedy exists .
Doctors advise - Prevention is Better than Cure.
Suggestion-
Go into hibernation for 45 days to prevent getting infected !
Highly contagious hence recognize pepl with above symptoms and stay as far away as possible.

... :D ...

MY ASSAM !!

2008-05-25T11:09:00.004+05:30

Assam ! Wat can i say !
I felt sick when i heard i was gonna spend 10 days there. So wats interesting about Assam !
But, man was i in for a surprise. Dunno if u'd believe me. I dont remember the last tim i njoyed my vacations so much.

Let me tell u .. ther's a lot i got to say. So if its bedtime - go sleep.

And if u are the type who likes challenges stick around !
[top- no prizes fr guessing wat it is, but its the state symbol ]
[bottom - A house entirely made of bamboo]

Yay yay Assam |

My first surprise - am i dreaming or have i overslept my time.
I havent seen people more fashion conscious than these here ! People had done something or the other to their hair/face that i didnt know wat .

There were som who just lovd to experiment.
One day i suffered temporary blindness when i saw a guy[maybe a girl... er.. frget it !]
with a hair color that reminded me of algae from biology class !

Dont step out onto the road unless u hav a translator by ur side. Bcos ur rikshaw/taxiwala doesn't speak proper hindi leave alone english !
And people just lov their beetle leaves. They lov their pan 'Thooo thooo' much [:P].
I hav seen boys as small as 10 chewing them & going ahead and painting the town RED literally !!

Places to visit:
Assam state zoo :
Its gr8 becos there r just as many animals inside cages & just as many outside it.
Enclosure maintenance is top class [:P]. If u step out of the zoo alive - its bcos the carnivores r all well fed. Thank the zoo keepers !

And if u hav lost a lot in the BSE[Bombay Stock Exchange] keep off cos the zoo has the most bears and u hav already had ur share past few months !! [:D]

Kamakhya zoo ... er ... sorry temple :
At first impression i thought it was a mini Noah's arc. Every animal domesticated by man cud b found here. Whichever god believes in bloodshed ? This one does , atleast the priest thinks so .
Offerings to god is done through animals. Now this is something i cannot stand. If he thinks his god likes it, he better take his head off next time. That way his god will love him more !
Apologies to those who think wat im saying is blasphemy !

Naukhalikay falls :
This is in meghalaya but a must see , though i didn't. Clouds enveloped us at the inopportune moment. And i was left to feed the goats there. Nowhere else have i seen goats feeding exclusively on Uncle Chips & Ruffles Lays !

Mawsmai caves :
Its near shillong but definitely a must visit. A series of tunnels that requires various yogic postures to complete. A "must" for those with flab. A few trips in & out of it and u vil end up looking really thin, step aside Talwalkars.
Cave's entrance on left.

Dispur Super Market :
Yup - it is called a Super Market but i couldn't find anything super about it but for the super high prices ! If your eyesight isnt all that gud u might just confuse the fish for brinjal as they lie together in one heap ! If u r a veggie u better make a lot of adjustments.
I also came across a few strange looking vegetables but i was in no mood to try them out .
Apart from that there is the usual chaos that we chennaiites are familiar with. The only time when veggies r cheap is in Jan & Feb. The bazaars are more active at noon.
To give u an idea of wats different here:
1.Bamboo shoot pickle [!!]
2.Olive pickle [1st time im seeing it]
3.Corombola [im guessing it s a fruit]

Most products carry a 'Made in Kolkata' apart from 'Made in Bhutan or Bangladesh'. Even the newspapers give equal importance to happenings in Bengal.
Like Dada is cheered more than Sachin !

[Wake Up !]
Stay up for this if u hav dozed through the above .
Few final words:
Inspite of poking a little fun at them. The friends i made here tells me the assamese r genuinely nice people who call a spade a spade whether u like it or not.
Two wheeler riders are at a disadvantage u cant have
anybody riding piggyback ... i mean[:)] ... pillion - bcos of the darned ULFA who i heard hav used motorcycles fr their cause. So more cars less 2 wheelers lesser traffic violations.
Lastly for all u bird watchers ! U will be kept quite busy !! [:P]

Reasons why u need to forgive me :
1. Typos, spelling mistakes
2. More than a few exaggerations[:D]
3. This is no travelogue. So i wudn't know if u r interested unless u comment [:)].

Cheers

[PS : They have many shopping malls - gud ones r : Pantaloons,HUB,PawanSunz .. etc]
Pantaloons' on the left.

The Next Best Thing !!

2008-05-25T10:59:00.000+05:30

Hello Folks !

…ER .. Is an introduction mandatory on every blog ?

Oh well let me not break the tradition and get on with it. ..

[ Warning :

This blog is for anyone i repeat 'ne'one who dosnt mind spelling mistakes as u vil find loads of them on this page. And well i dont want to be blamed if any purist has a heart attack !

Secondly if u r the type who takes satire and sarcasm too seriosly, my advise : click the X mark at the corner of your browser window . ]

Uptill now i thought blogs were written by the jobless for the jobless. As i hav started to blog now [!] i hav decided to change that opinion of mine .

My reasons for starting a blog :

I am jobless [:D] and i will be for the next month or so ! By the end of it, im sure u will be hoping just as much as i am - That i get a job !

And as i am always yapping about wat i think about this & that .. i cudn’t hav found a better way to do that ! My next best thing to eating, sleeping is expressing & thats wat i wish to do here .

I will do my bit to cut out the boredom factor while you do your bit to stay awake !

Lastly you have every right to either a)appreciate, b)flatter or c)praise me if wat i express is worth it !

Thanking you in advance for your co-operation .

Manny…..