(Outside a Mexican food joint, in the drive-thru area)
...
I(shouting out): I want a bean chalupa and...
She: A bee? chalupa, okay, anything else...
I(not sure what she heard): No, a beannnn chalupa, not beefff...
She: Bean or Beef?
I: Beannnnnnnnn-uh.... not beeffffffffffff-uh... (louder) No beeffff... No beefffffffff... Only beannnnnnnsssss...
...
...
Very interesting!.
Not just South India, I am able to see a few Americans adapt to this dress.
Apart from other things, this also means that Tamil Nadu has lost a future chief minister (atleast MLA) and TN history will not be as colourful as it could have been...
:`(
@Cricinfo:A number of players walked today, and Michael Kasprowicz did so even though it appeared that David Shepherd, the umpire who must have been hopping all through the lunch break because the score was 111, would not have given him out. Is that dissent? Should he be fined?
@Rediff:And while you are pondering the nuances, here is something else to think about: a Gilchrist, say, has now an established reputation for honesty, for fair play. If, tomorrow, he does not walk when there is an appeal (and there is no suggestion of dishonesty here -- he could genuinely think he was not out, though evidence indicates otherwise), will umpires tend to automatically give him the benefit, even when none exists?
None of the three batsmen who walked yesterday would have imagined in their wildest dreams that such a spin could be given to a straightforward voluntary act on the field.
Objectivity has never been the cricket writer's forte. After all they don't get to report politics or cinema. All they get to talk about is a slow traditional game played wearing white clothes for over a period of five days. So, maybe it is understandable that they try to liven up proceedings by indulging in such imaginary logic puzzles.
I see that the writer's name in Rediff is "Deepti Patwardhan". I would just go as far to ask if this can be called the "Mandira Bedi Effect"?
And stop :-)
Ram Guha has written about laurels given by foreign cricketers to their Indian counterparts and vice versa through the years. He has restricted himself to off-the-field compliments. But one great compliment I can remember was on-field.
The utter bewilderment that Shane Warne showed when he was foxed by a Tendulkar googly in a recent test in Chepauk is probably the best compliment Tendulkar can ever get for his bowling skills! Ian Chappell iced the cake by adding "If there was anyone in the world that you would hope to pick a wrong 'un it should be Warne. This time he couldn't!"
While talking about cricket followers, he rues the fact that today's Indian cricket fans are more fanatics than fans in the way they sometimes abuse cricketers of other nations. As weird counter examples to this we can point out how Javed Miandad made his team do a victory lap in Chennai during their last tour and the team was given a standing ovation at the end of one of the most gripping games in recent times. And a banner that cried out "Kill Azhar!" shown when Azhar was returning to the pavilion in the infamous 1996 world cup semi-final against Srilanka.
By the way, these are not counter examples to the fact that fans today are fanatics. Only that their eccentricity and chauvinism does not have a definite orientation.
The award for giving the "oddest of all compliments" should go to Tendulkar himself. As captain, when he was asked to comment on Jayasurya's 340 on a dead wicket, Tendulkar said he hadn't seen Bradman bat but has seen Jayasurya. He went on to explain why Jayasurya was simply the best batsman that he has seen in his life. Not that Jayasurya doesn't deserve such praise, but I just thought it was too odd in this particular case. To compare Jayasurya with Bradman for making 300-odd on the flattest of wickets against an Indian bowling that can't in anyway be called a "bowling attack" just seemed a little out of place.
I saw half of Balachander's movie "Parthale Paravasam" today and dozed off under the impression that something seriously damaging has happened with Balachander's brain.
When I woke up, Lakshmi had seen it in full and she confirmed my doubts.
Apart from giving us this piece of information, the movie didn't do much else.
After a week of seismic warnings, Mt. St. Helens (at about 2 hrs drive from Seattle) smoked out thick white fumes of ash about an hour ago. For those who don't know, St. Helens is remembered for one of the most recent and devastating volcanic eruptions. It happened one day in 1980 and more than 50 people were killed. Now, all that remains of a once beautiful snow covered mountain is a volcanic monument.
So, this time, her warnings are taken pretty seriously around here. The last time I visited, the mound that had swelled inside the crater over the last 20 odd years looked pretty small and harmless.
But then, what do I know about volcanoes!
:-)
While commenting on the sad state of school education in India, one writer writes that school syllabus seems to be totally disconnected from what is needed for a child to become a good, responsible citizen in the future.
While discussing the type of things that schools should be teaching, he mentions "maintaining equanimity in a crisis" and asks how many schools teach (or lead children towards) such essential skills.
"Maintaining equanimity in a crisis" - how truly important!
