499 or 500 marks.. Is this the latest?

499 on 500. Amazing Grade X results –  yes!! Or wait, maybe no? How can someone get a whooping 499 on 500? So is this the new trend? It seems like there will soon be a time when we’d have to change the question to how many students ‘didn’t’ score 100%. Yes, it’s good to be competitive, but the what’s the point of competition when the value for marks has been lost?

No offence to any of you lovely juniors!:) Trust me, I am proud of your results. 🙂 Congratulations!!:) And to all of you who be like “OMG I lost *these many* marks! Wish I’d gotten that!”.. Please, stop! You’ve worked but if you didn’t get the marks you expected, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. And if you wanted to prove to people but didn’t get what you want, it’s okay too. Remember, you study for yourself and not for others. 🙂 Yes, I agree it’s important to score well in grades 10 and 12, but they don’t define life. Your real test begins after school – the Test of Life when you face the outside world. Good luck!

The week that was… Just Amazing! <3

“Help, but do so without expecting anything in return.”

And I think thats what has kept the bond going so strong, this long. 🙂 Though the families are from 2 countries that are thousands of miles away, the friendship has come down to the 4th generation.

These 3 friends(in the photos) came to Coimbatore for the 1st time on the 22nd and we were pretty excited. When we met them 10 years ago for the first and last time, we could just not communicate ‘coz they didn’t know English and we didn’t know German. 😦 We’ve never met / spoken since then too. But now, when they were here, we had so much fun that we felt that we’d spoken to each other forever. 🙂

For those of you who wanted to know what we did together, here is a glimpse of the week through pics.. 🙂

Photos courtesy : Johanna. 🙂 Thank you so much. 🙂 some of it from the iphone too. 😀

The People : Mom, Akks, Maamai, Maami, Shamb, Raghav, Ammamms, Thaths,                           Johanna, Aunt Conny, Roberta, Virginia and Giorgio. No fun without them! ❤

Must thank : all the people who cooked / drove us around! 🙂 Nothing would’ve been possible without them..

Stay at Valparai : WoodBriar Bungalows.. A home away from home, actually! 🙂

Day 1.. 🙂

Twin sisters! 😉
Awaiting the arrival of the rest of the family. 🙂

Day 2.. Of Mehendi, Banana leaves and Thoppi Dosas..

Mehendi time! 🙂

Eating with their hands.. 🙂

Thoppi Dosa.. after so long! 🙂 This really fascinated them.. 🙂

Day 3.. 🙂 Of Travel, Valparai, Photos, Christmas Fun and Dances..

Sharing happiness.. 🙂

Sweet times! 🙂

Catching up over a cup of tea.. 🙂

The brothers deep in thought while playing chess.. 🙂

Having fun.. 😀

Rock pool! 😀

Designs created by flowers and leaves on the rocks..

Bliss. 🙂

Sibling(s) posing.. 😀

A lovely li’l river in Valparai… 🙂

Group pic.. 🙂
Oops! No no, Family pic! ❤ :*

Enjoying the cooollddd water! 😀

Christmas thatha on his way! 😉 😀

Of Christmas gifts and Teddy Bear hugs. 🙂

Christmas special! 🙂

Christmas : learning their way of celebration..

Dancing around the Bonfire! 😀

We celebrated Christmas their way! 😀

Day 4… Of Treks, Music, Sarees and Crazy photos.. 😀 

Indian Gaurs in action… What a fight!! :O
Just a few metres away from us! :O

And we finally spotted a Malabar Giant Squirrel.. 🙂

Singing away to happiness at the hammock with the awesome cousins! 🙂

Saree love! ❤
They were actually comfortable in their sarees! 😀 🙂

Eating and dressing the Indian way.. 🙂

1 craaaazzyyyy photo session! 😀

The last group pic of their stay here! 😦 But we are waiting for them to come back next year to celebrate a special occasion of the 2 families ! 😀

Day 5… Of Good-byes! 😥 Farewell time. 😦

And it was farewell time already! 😥

So, that, was the week! 🙂 Fun, happiness, love, crazy photo sessions, traditional times and laughter filled the air.

For each other, we are always there.                                                                                       After how ever many years, we’ll always care.                                                                               Many years down the lane, to hurt each-other, we’d never dare.                                          India and Germany – the bond will always be fair.                                                                   Love and happiness – we’ll always share.                                                                                   You and we – We’ll always hug like a teddy-bear. 🙂

We are Family. ❤

The BEST excursion, ever! <3

This is a memoir of the awesome excursion to Coorg, Mangalore and Udipi that came to an end a few hours ago. 🙂

21.08.13

Excited and ready to go with over 140 other friends, my bags are packed. I reach the station at 6:45 pm. West Coast Express comes an hour late. In the train, our compartment echoed with songs, chatter, excitement and laughter. The train takes us to Mangalore. 🙂

22.08.13
We reach Mangalore at 5.30. Beautiful travel to Coorg. Abi Falls, Rajah Seat ( ice cream in the rain!! coolness! 😀 ) and a Temple.

23.08.13
ThalaCauvery (sooo cold). 360 steps to wonderland or rather dreamland (climbed up all the way to have a birds eye view of the beautiful scenery). The white mist that makes us think that we can’t see anything suddenly clears and we all go ‘Wow’! 🙂 Then we stop at the Golden Temple ( A Buddhist Monastery ) . Its dinner time. We stop near a public shelter. We are on a road in d middle of no where and when we are through 3/4th our dinner, there is a power cut ! The boys form an outer circle, making sure we the girls are safe. They form a barrier to stop strangers from entering. Its so nice to see our classmates care for us 🙂 ) That, is now the adventure of the trip! 😀 Then, we begin the journey to Mangalore. Since there was a delay in getting dinner ready, our drive to Mangalore is delayed. We reach Mangalore at 3 am! 😀

24.08.13
Up at 8. Our bags are packed. We head straight to the beautiful Krishna Temple at Udipi. Now that we are done with our lunch at Navaratna hotel at Mangalore, we have been given 4 and a half hours to spend at the City Centre Mall which is right opposite our hotel! 😀 I actually shop till I drop – for the 1st time in my life! 😛 We have our dinner. And now, its time to leave to the station. 😥 While we wait outside the hotel for the bus, it begins to rain. We begin to sing songs like Barso re, Mazhai Varudhe and other rain-related ones! We get into the bus. In the bus, we sing Tum Hi Ho.. Abh Tum Hi ho… Zindagi abh tum hi ho! All of us are in tears! We reach the station at 9 pm, only to find the train there already. We wish that the train was late. We board the train and it leaves at 10 pm. We chat, sing and walk around. We sleep and we wake up at 12. We wish DK! We go back to sleep. We wake up at 5.30. We chat, chat and chat. We share our experiences and wish the trip was longer. We reach Cbe at 6.45!! And here ends the last excursion of my life!

On the whole, an AMAZING 3 days of my life. I so wish the 3 days were 10 days at least. Now, its back to school, books and exams 😥 But, I’m rejuvenated, happy, and blessed! 🙂

I made 1000000s of memories, a whole lot of new friends and thoughts to cherish forever! 🙂

Sachin – The God of Cricket!

God never retires! But the God of Cricket has! 😦

Here are some of my favorite quotes on Sachin by famous players:

Andrew Flintoff : When you bowl to him, you are not just trying to get him out! I want him to walk of thinking, “That Flintoff, he’s alright, isn’t he?” I feel privileged to have played against him.

Mark Waugh : When you play against Tendulkar, you almost want to see him get a few runs just to see him bat!

Ravi Shastri : He is someone sent from up there to play cricket and go back.

Mark Taylor : We didn’t lose to a team called India. We lost to a man called Sachin!

Brian Lara : Sachin is a genius, I am a mere mortal.

Paul Strang : What we ( Zimbabwe ) need is 10 Tendulkars!

Shane Warne : I would go to bed having nightmares of Sachin down the ground and hitting me for sixes!

Hashim Amla (reassures himself as he board a flight) : Nothing bad can happen to us if we are on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it!

Navjot Sidhu : His mind is like a computer. He stores data on bowlers and knows where they are going to pitch the ball.

Harsha Bhogle : If Sachin plays well, India sleeps well!

Rudy Kortzen : I never get tired during umpiring whenever Sachin is on crease!

Rev.  David Shepherd : Sachin Tendulkar! If he isn’t the best player in the world, I want to see the best player in the world!

And THE BEST ever:

Mathew Hayden : I HAVE SEEN GOD! HE BATS AT NO.4 FOR INDIA IN TESTS!!

His BEST out of all his awesome records in ODIs:

# First player to score a double century.

# Runs – 18426.

# Most no. of Centuries – 49

# First player to score 10000 runs in ODI.

So many credits to your ODI cricketing carrier and so much more you can achieve, but why did you have to retire? Why? Why? 😥

You will be missed by the whole of India and the rest of the cricketing world, God Sachin!  

The Wall – The Best, The Man! :)

Rahul Dravid. 🙂

Hats off to Rahul Sharad Dravid- a man who has taken the most number of catches and bowled the most number of times in test cricket, a man who was the first to score a century in all the 10 test playing nations then and a man who has to his credit 19 century partnerships with one person, the God of Cricket- Sachin Tendulkar, which is a world record!

When Dravid crossed 10,000 Test runs, a wall was built at his home ground – the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore to commemorate the landmark. The wall contains 10,000 bricks, a silhouette of Dravid batting and the words ‘Commitment, Consistency, Class’ inscribed on it. The wall also has a digital run counter on it that keeps updating the number of Test runs Dravid has scored.

He has been a role model to many. He’s taught everyone how to handle difficult situations.

When he was passing a rough phase in his cricketing carrier, he faced all the criticism without anger. This IS how a cricketer should be unlike certain emerging cricketers of this age, who make horrible gestures and use harsh words to other players for the smallest of arguments or fights and at the crowd for teasing them or for holding banners that express something against them- a few things an educated person shouldn’t do.

Rahul Dravid is the supporting Wall for many other cricketers. Without him, survival on-field and off-field is tough! He teaches them the tricks on-field and off-field, he teaches them GOOD character! Thats how a cricketer ought to be.

In the cricket world where “match-fixing” has become THE word, one cricketer who need not come into mind is, for sure, Rahul Dravid because, in his dictionary, the words- My India and This Nation’s Pride Lies In My Hands are highlighted!

Sachin’s words to the great man on his retirement: “There can be only one Rahul Dravid!’ So true.

Anil Kumble on Dravid’s retirement: “It has been a glorious carrier embellished by Rahul’s contributions. To many, a memorable victory for India and Karnataka. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Rahul. Rahul, we’ve enjoyed every run that you’ve scored, I’ve enjoyed every moment that I’ve played with you. Its been a great honor. My first thoughts had drawn to Rahul- my friend and colleague for 20 years- quiet, unassuming and completely consumed to his enthusiasm and passion for the game. Rare are those individuals who hold that unique combination of exceptional talent and commitment. His ability to concentrate for long hours remains unmatched. He is someone who is constantly in search of perfection and this attributed in striving for excellence at all times. His carrier saw over 13000 runs in test, over 10000 runs in One-day Internationals and a very unique record of over 400 catches in international cricket- a fantastic record indeed. However they only capture his contributions partly. His reassuring presence at the crease or on the field allowed every other batsman the rare indiscrete shot. I was really fortunate to have played alongside you. Its been an honor. You’re the perfect ambassador for cricket and an ideal team man. We have shared some wonderful moments together on the field and have had our share of worries as well. In all of it, you’ve been a constant friend and a colleague that I depended on for advice. Now as a different role, as president of the Karnataka Cricket Association, I wish to say that you are an inspiration and role model and you’ve been responsible for a lot of young cricketers to have taken up the game. You are amongst Karnataka’s finest cricketing stars.” Such is the respect given to this one great man!

Rahul Dravid on his retirement: “I would like to announce my retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket. It has been 16 years since I played a first test match for India and I feel it is time to move on. Once, I was like every other boy in India, with a dream of playing for my country. Yet, I could never have imagined a journey, so long and so fulfilling. I’ve had a wonderful time. But now its time for me for a new generation of young players to make their own history and take the Indian cricket team even further. No dream is ever changed alone. As I look back, as one does at such a time, I have many people to thank for supporting me, for teaching me and believing in me. My approach to cricket was very simple. It was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I’ve done some of that. I have failed at times but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride. Thank you.” He thanked so many people in his speech.. I haven’t included because the list was long. The last 4 sentences… that simplicity is what makes him an excellent human being and a man of words, deeds and cricket too! 🙂

Theres a lot to learn from the Wall- a humble and dedicated man!

“Rahulji, thusshi great ho! 🙂

Its a war!!!

Now, though I’m a big-time cricket fan, I dedicate this article to the Indian Hockey team who have some wonderful players- players who breathe hockey, live hockey and play hockey.

Dont the press/media realise that ‘hockey’ IS the national game of India? When the Indian cricket team is just playing some random match out there in Australia, how many Indians know that the Indian hockey team is playing an important qualifier match in Delhi today to get a place in the 2012 London Olympics?

The newspapers and media has a WHOLE page or a whole 2 hours dedicated to the Indian Cricket team if they win some match (If its the world cup, thats fine). But, when the Indian Hockey team wins a final match of any cup, no one cares a wee bit. If the cricket team wins a world cup, each player gets whooping 2-10 crores, and when the hockey team does the same, they get only 1-10 lakhs. That is just so UNFAIR especially when Hockey is India’s national game.

Examples:

1. Yuvraj Singh, all of you know, is undergoing treatment for a stage-I cancer in the U.S which is definitely curable. Gopal Bhengra and Dhyan Chand, 2 leading hockey players were not even given financial aid when sick. Dhyan Chand has 400 goals to his account but is sadly no more, because of the negligence of the Government while Gopal Bhengra, a famous player stays in a tiny hut in Jharkand.

2. A leading newspaper of India, in its website has a separate page for cricket and has a link on the homepage and has put Hockey in the ‘other sports’ section.

People waved black flags at Simon and shouted “Go back, Simon!” Whats the use of shouting such slogans when that country’s sport is still played and loved by all and our own country’s game is not heard of much in the news and is not played by all?  We Indians don’t realize that Hockey is India’s pride and NOT cricket?!?!?!?! Why is it that the media/press don’t advertise India’s pride when so many countries host the game and make a HUGE hungama about it? People will know whats going on and will start liking the game if and only if it is advertised.

I hope someone takes note of this and brings back hockey to the state it was 20-30 years back.

War

Now, though I’m a big-time cricket fan, I dedicate this article to the Indian Hockey team who have some wonderful players- players who breathe hockey, live hockey,play hockey and die hockey.

Dont the press/media realise that ‘hockey’ IS the national game of India? When the Indian cricket team is just playing some random match out there in Australia, how many Indians know that the Indian hockey team is playing an important qualifier match in Delhi today to get a place in the 2012 London Olympics?

The newspapers and media has a WHOLE page or a whole 2 hours dedicated to the Indian Cricket team if they win some match (If its the world cup, thats fine). But, when the Indian Hockey team wins a final match of any cup, no one cares wee bit. If the cricket team wins a world cup, each player gets whooping 2-10 crores, and when the hockey team does the same, they get only 1-10 lakhs. That is just so UNFAIR especially when Hockey is India’s national game.

Examples:

1. Yuvraj Singh, all of you know, is undergoing treatment for a stage-I cancer in the U.S which is definitely curable. Gopal Bhengra and Dhyan Chand, 2 leading hockey players were not even given financial aid when sick. Dhyan Chand has 400 goals to his account but is sadly no more, because of the negligence of the Government while Gopal Bhengra, a famous player stays in a tiny hut in Jharkand.

2. A leading newspaper of India, in its website has a separate page for cricket and has a link on the homepage and has put Hockey in the ‘other sports’ section.

Okay, people waved black flags at Simon, shouting “Go back, Simon!”  Whats the use of shouting such slogans when we Indians don’t realize that Hockey is India’s pride and NOT cricket?!?!?!?! Why is it that the media/press don’t advertise India’s pride when so many countries host the game and make a HUGE hungama about it? People will know whats going on and will start liking the game if and only if it is publicized and advertised.

I hope someone takes note of this and brings hockey back to the state it was 20-30 years back.