random ramblings

I don’t like Chelsea much – Russian billionaire’s money, boring play, don’t like the attitude. I like Liverpool – it was the club of Owen, Gerrard and Suarez. I remember the way they won the Champions League years back, that is what makes someone follow sports. And their anthem of “You will never walk alone”. I follow Barcelona – due to Ronaldinho, Pep Guardiola earlier, Messi, Macherano, Xavi, Iniesta.. and where Suarez is now. Also since they have close knit players who are loyal to the club for long, from youth academy days. I don’t like Real Madrid – in spite of Zidane having played there. Too much money, greedy for quick results, no loyalty. I root for Manchester United – due to Alex Ferguson, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney. Loyalty, passion, grit maybe the other reasons. I don’t like Manchester City – in spite of talents. Same as Real Madrid – money can’t buy results always. I want England to win when they play – due to Owen, Gerrard...

“This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.” -        Walt Whitman പഴവങ്ങാടിയിലെ തിരക്കുള്ള ഒരു റോഡിന്‍റെ സൈഡിൽ തൽകാലത്തേ...

“Aap kidhar ho” I took a sip of hot ginger lemon tea, black, from Chai Point “Mein Gate 11 ke bahar, Chai Point ke pas hoon” “Mein bhi idhar hoon” I was watching the backs of cab drivers standing, to see which one with mobile phone will turn. One turned and I raised my hand. He showed the hand written placard with my name that he was holding. I hadn’t seen that even though I had looked through all of them on the way out. But then I didn’t try to call immediately, had to buy a tea first. Chai Point tea is good, though MDP’s black and lemon tea has replaced it as favorite recently. He didn’t like it that I had passed in front of him. He might have written out the placard, that didn’t come to use. “Mein ne dekha nahin tha” I tried to apologize, he didn’t acknowledge. I now walk faster – to start quickly, to beat peak traffic of Bangalore. He didn’t hurry up though, was trailing behind me. I was irritated a bit about this slow pace. He was a tall fellow, heavily built. Ha...

I was reading this article by Chelsea Manning about six years in prison (for leaking classified US army information to wikileaks). One interesting quote from the article - And through it all, one thing has remained clear: It is important to read everything. To absorb everything. Act as your own filter for information. Search for your own answers to questions. If we rely on others to digest information for us, than we can’t say that we truly understand why we have done what we’ve done and where we will be going. We cannot, and will not, understand the world looking at information filtered through one lens. These days information is spread through the masses through facebook and whatsapp. I feel the most recent election in Kerala was the first where Social Media would have played such a big role – there was a news that 71 constituencies out of 140 would have significant influence due to social media (even this needs fact check). Everything someone said or did during campaign ...