Summer Musings

Summer is well and truly underway. I stand corrected, it’s been awhile since the start of summer but now I can truly feel the heat. Literally. The day time temprature has been in the high 80s and early 90s (in Fahrenheit, obviously) for quite a few days now . It’s not THAT hot by Indian standards (it’s only about 30 degrees) but I have gotten used to the much mellower tempratures here in the heart of Illinois.

It can get very boring at times during summer. I’m sure most people will agree with that, but there are certain factors which make this summer different from any other summer. I have graduated from college (yes, thank you – the About page is still in works) so I have no classes to worry about any longer. But, on the other hand, I have no job (so far). And thanks to the rules made by the Department of Homeland Security, I cannot work part-time either. So, I’m well and truly jobless. With no classes, no job, and nothing much to do – there are all the ingredients ready for a dull and boring summer.

However, cependant, jedoch, sin embargo……

There are a number of things which make this summer worthwhile:

• I get to spend a lot of quality time with my girlfriend. She has just two classes (and I have none), so we get to spend lots of time together which is always good. Except the weekends that she goes back home, which sucks. But – she told me that we’ll be spending the July 4th weekend together. Her. Me. Fireworks. Awesome.
• Since I have no job, I have been looking for one (duh). Let me tell you this – job search is not the most fun thing in the world but it is something that I have to do. The most pissing off part is the wait. I have applied for numerous jobs but heard back from only 3 or 4 of them – all negative (damn you economy!). But, I am still looking forward to getting replies from all the companies that I have applied to – the positive ones.
• Most of the TV show seasons got over way back in May and they don’t restart until Fall. However, Top Gear’s 13th season kicked off last week and Weeds restarted in June. These are two shows that I do like to watch, especially Top Gear. So there is something to look forward to every week. Also, I’ll try and strikeout a few movies off my wishlist. I have one up at Jinni (check out the site) but they don’t let you share it. Dumb.
• Now that I have some time to spare, I’m planning to do some reading. I have hardly read any books in the last 2 years (except the big, fat textbooks – but they don’t count). Right now I’m reading a John Grisham novel – The Appeal. Next up – The Three Mistakes of My Life by Chetan Bhagat and…… the last of the Harry Potters (I keep forgetting what it’s called). Now don’t go about making a big hue and cry over that. I know I haven’t read the last Harry Potter. I’ll read it this summer. Relax.

I should update the blog more frequently. That would give me another thing to look forward to.

Anyway, that’s all folks (sorry Warner Bros) – for now.

P.S. The heat has got to me and I have started tweeting. Follow me and I’ll follow you. Now, there’s an offer you can’t refuse. Maybe.

Global Recession – Not in Madrid!

Apparently, the world’s economy is in slumps. Actually, not apparently – it really is a bad time. I know, because I’m trying to land myself a job. So, it sucks for everyone… except…  for one man in the capital city of Spain – Mr. Florentino Perez. He might be relatively unknown to most people but he is the current president of the Spanish football club – Real Madrid. Now, if you follow any sort of sports news, or for that matter, just happen to go check your facebook feed once a day (who doesn’t), you will be aware of the two biggest transfer headlines this summer:

• Kaka moved from AC Milan to Real Madrid for a sum of around €65 million.
• Crisitano Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid for a world-record breaking fee of around €94 million.

Within a week, the top of the world’s most expensive transfer list was shaken up, twice. By the same club. If there was any recession/credit crunch, Mr. Perez in Madrid is certainly not feeling it.

The first of these transfers took place on Monday, June 8th and at that time, it grabbed the #2 slot on the most expensive transfers list. Kaka is, by all means, a great player and one of the best footballers around. But, 65 million euros is still an exorbitant amount to pay for a player, in any sport. Football, of course, has a history of producing these over-the-top transfers. You still have to raise an eye though, when you see these world record transfers happening when on the other hand big companies (read, American car companies) are fighting bankruptcy.

However, the second transfer is the one that bugs me the most. It sits right on top of the most expensive transfers list, even above the great Zidane’s transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001. Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo is a very good (not great, not brilliant, just very good) player but do you seriously think he is worth 94 million euros?! That is equal to around £80 million. I understand that Real Madrid had money to waste, but they could have wasted it away in so many better ways!

• He pulls off the most ridiculous and the most useless crossovers, sometimes too ridiculous for his own good.
• Over the last few years Ronaldo has developed a knack of falling down on the pitch when no defender is within yards of him. And then get up and whine to the referee like a baby does when someone steals his bottle of milk. He does it so smoothly, with such effortless ease, that it reminds me of James Bond holding a conversation with the next girl he’s going to sleep with.

His behavior was so unprofessional at times during the last season that I sympathize with Sir Alex Ferguson (the Manchester United manager), even though I hate ManU. I think they got themselves a really good deal. No one in their right mind would give away such a huge amount for such an over-rated player.

Maybe, just maybe, Florentino Perez is gay and saw the photograph on the right.

Fancy it, Perez?

Good for him, good for Ronaldo, and to Real Madrid – good luck dealing with the Diving Queen.

I know this post sounded like a rant – it was.

I know this post must have infuriated quite a few ManU/Ronaldo fans, but then – that was the whole point.

Great! – A Writer’s Block Already :/

So I’m back. And I have no idea what I’m going to write. I have the so called writer’s block – but here’s my two cents on that phrase: I am NOT a writer so shouldn’t I be immune to the “writer’s block” ?! Maybe, I should put my “thinking cap” on. The deal is that I don’t do caps – in fact, I never had a cap, until recently. Does that mean I never thought before that?

Lest I drive everyone away, I’ll stop dissecting literature-related phrases. I’m gonna start rambling and see where I get.

I’m a n00b to blogging. Yes, you guessed it right. N00b stands for a newbie. I’m not trying to be cool here spelling the word with two zeros in it. That is how it is actually spelt! And the word has been recently added to the English language. The English language has more than a million words now. Other recent additions include Web 2.0 (the millionth one), Jai Ho! (thanks to Slumdog, which by the way, has also made it), Sexting (very self explanatory), and Defriend (Facebook, anyone?). Here is the link to the Global Language Monitor website – it lists the fifteen finalists for the millionth word in English language. English becoming a universal language and people being able to communicate easily is all well and good. But, I bet Shakespeare will be pulling his hair out right now.

In other completely unrelated news (I promised you randomness in my first post), I haven’t yet updated written anything in my about page. I’ll do that soon.

Saw The Ring today (again, I have seen it before). Don’t you think it has a few loose ends? Where and how did the girl record the “killer tape”? And if her aim was to just send a message, don’t you think that it would have been easier to just leave a note?

Hah, randomness galore. I think I’m done for the day.

Thoughts, criticism (in small doses), and questions are welcome. If nothing else, just leave a “hi” in the comments so that I know who’s reading.

Till.. umm.. another day.

Cheers.

I have a blog – finally!

So I finally started blogging – well, not quite – but at least now I have a blog where I can put down my thoughts if and whenever I want to. Should have done this much earlier. I thought about starting a blog last summer – June 2008 to be precise, it’s June 2009 – you might say – procrastinator, but I say – not bad! It’s a start, no matter how late.

Have been looking at my girlfriend’s blog for the last few days and that just pushed me over the line. Oh, and I managed to convince her to try out WordPress instead of Blogger (WordPress, do I get any brownie points for that?). Following a good blogging practice from the onset – I will link to her new blog. The fact that I have loads of free time on my hands also helps. Yes, yes, I had “loads of free time” last summer too – will you let that go already?!

I believe that now that I have gone past the petty things like, choosing a blogging service, choosing a blog name, choosing a theme, blah blah blah, I can really get down to some serious (AND regular blogging). I will write about anything and everything, expect the tags to be about random stuff (heck, I may as well create a “random” tag so that I don’t need to brainstorm tags each post ).

Alright, not a bad first post – what do you think?

(I’ll have an updated “About” page soon)