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| Monday, July 30, 2007 |
| No Title For This BlogPost |
Yes, I have been away. No, I haven't stopped blogging. Not yet! It may happen some day. Who knows? Our lives move on. Clocks keep ticking. There are moments when other priorities take over. This is probably one such moment, which demands a pause. Not that something phenomenal is happening around me, but its just the realization that I stopped blogging the way I used to.
I am not the same blogger anymore. I used to protest loud over some issues. I liked to do that. I have toned down now. Why? Am I concerned that someone is reading the blog? Not really. Am I concerned my writings could be used to judge my character? Ummm, no. Am I concerned they would appear in search results for eternity? No again. People who know me, know me for real. People who don't know me, why should I care. There are so many other things to worry about anyways, aren't there? And about People who want to know me but don't know me, now they wouldn't judge me just based on the writings and without talking or meeting in person even once. Right? I hope I am right.
But I am not the same blogger anymore. I used to love doing research. I still do. But I haven't done much recently. Why? Am I so busy that I don't get time? I used to visit hell lot of other blogs, read fellow blogger's blog-posts and even interact actively. Not quite so now. Why?
Frankly, I don't know the answer. It isn't the case that I don't have much to write. Because there are still many topics that do form in my mind. Its just that some end up in the draft stage and the rest don't even make up to there. Even this very post was a draft for weeks! It isn't the case of readership or comments. While every blogger (and that includes me) likes to get feedback and know the reader's ideas and get a different perspective on the same topic, it is not something that drives me. I have some loyal readers who also know me in person, and I thank them (you?) for continuing to read. It isn't the case of not making money through blogs etc. I don't run any advertisements. I blog because I like to share my thoughts (not my food, though. Don't even think of touching it) and thats about it. So what is it? I don't know. I guess I just need a jump-start, like a car's engine. Something motivational, that got started me in the first place. It is rightly said that it takes a lightning bolt for people to come out of their shells and scamper about; until then they stay complacent and lazy and their idle minds are nothing but Playboy's devil's workshop. But I don't fancy any lightning bolt. I am out of my shell. I just need a small electric shock. Hopefully, I will get it soon :-)Labels: blog, Me |
posted by Mitesh @ 11:35 PM • 
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| Wednesday, July 18, 2007 |
| Back to Square One? |
I might be painting a grim picture here, but this is what it seems to be heading for. Recent news about Al Qaeda regrouping in Pakistan, Pakistan's Red Mosque siege and other suicide bombings are scary. Scary because of several reasons: First and foremost, its a nuclear country. Musharraf himself came to power by overthrowing Nawaz Sharif in 1999. What if he is now overthrown and the country is taken over by radicals? Who gets to control the nuclear weapons? What if few are smuggled into Kashmir or Bangalore? Maybe US, UK or some other European country as well. Second, US continues to pour billions of dollars every year into Pakistan. Where is this money going? Given the dubious nature of Pakistani leadership, what guarantee exists that some portion of this money won't trickle down into the hands of extremists? Money is all they (extremists) need to function - they need it for training schools, procuring weapons, recruiting & brainwashing young students who have lost their families in attacks, jihadi propaganda, Taliban-ish style modus operandi and such.
Musharraf has had the full support of US all these years and enjoys it even now. Pakistan has been proclaimed as a front-line ally of America in the war against terrorism, much to the chagrin of other Islamic nations. And some Pakistani tribes and groups too. There is lots of opposition to his government from within Pakistan. He has already survived few assassination attempts, thanks to US-donated technology of jamming radio signals. But if he goes, it will be chaos and the area will become highly unstable. I think it is in the best interests of everyone (India, US and others) that Musharraf stays in power in such a precarious situation. Atleast he has the loyalty of Pakistani military.
US is being kept out of the tribal areas of North-western Pakistan because it might complicate the situation further. The people there have never appreciated the idea of Pakistan lending their airports and army bases to US military for fighting against their Taliban friends, and the never-ending search for Osama bin Laden. If the situation gets worse and out of control, Musharraf might ask for US help to stabilize his regime. And US would gladly accept, because she wants to enter Northwest tribal provinces of Pakistan, where Al Qaeda is regrouping and supposedly, Osama Bin Laden and his men might be hiding. As far as India is concerned, that in itself will not be a problem. The problem would begin when US withdraws the forces and leaves the country, maybe in a mess. Till now, anyone would say the solution for India is to keep the borders strengthened and prevent runaways from entering. But its probably too late now.
The recent Glasgow attacks and the foiled car bombings in London had the Indian Muslim connection for the first time. Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of State, had earlier said "India has over 140 million Muslims, and it has the second-highest Muslim population in the world, and yet you will not find even one Muslim joining international terror networks.” Saying any such thing in a country where there is hardly any control over the population is a blasphemy. And he is probably already regretting that statement, amid news pouring in that Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are operating and recruiting heavily in pockets of India. If this is true, the day probably may not be far when we would hear news like "Indian terrorist responsible for US suicide attacks". And if such things do happen, it would complicate the lives of all Indians. Because stereotyping would never vanish. It means, hearing verbal assaults, angry stares, subject to random checks at airports, tourist destinations and maybe even physical assaults. Not with everyone, but probably someone. Who knows?Labels: Al Qaeda, India, Islam, Musharraf, Pakistan, Politics, Taliban, Terrorism, UK, US |
| posted by Mitesh @ 11:41 PM •
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| Sunday, July 08, 2007 |
| Federer wins...again! |
Rafael Nadal so deserved to win today. Right until he had his leg bandaged in the 4th set, he was right on the top and made Roger Federer fight tooth and nail. Federer barely managed to win his sets - 7/6 4/6 7/6 2/6 6/2.
I was rooting for Nadal, as Federer was the obvious favorite before the match and anyone beating this champion would need to pull off a stunner. Just like I would always root for Agassi when he played against Sampras. But unlike Sampras-Agassi, Borg-McEnroe, Steffi-Martina or other great competitors in the past, Roger Federer seems to have no competition in his times (on grass and hard courts). He is on a roll and he finishes off even before reaching 5th set. But not today. No one has taken him to the 5th set previously, as far as I remember. Nadal came close to so many break points today, unlike Federer. However, it was Federer's ability to hit aces that did it. He hit almost 25 aces compared with Nadal's two! It was the fourth set that was unarguably the best set according to me, as Nadal stunned Federer game after game and set up a thrilling final set. The match was there for Nadal, but he just couldn't catch up with the Federer Express.
(Image Source - Wimbledon.org)Labels: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Tennis, Wimbledon |
| posted by Mitesh @ 12:53 PM •
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| Tuesday, July 03, 2007 |
| Maggi |
Who the hell said one can cook Maggi in 2 minutes? Has anyone of you ever made Maggi in two minutes? I must have cooked Maggi a hundred times easily (ok, I confess on behalf of all single Indians in US, that Maggi is our main dinner dish on many a nights) and each time it must have taken atleast 8-10 minutes. Boiling the water itself takes time and even then, mixing the noodles and masala takes easily more than 2 minutes, as the noodles absorb the water. Chance to sue Nestle?Labels: Food, Maggi, Nestle |
| posted by Mitesh @ 7:49 PM •
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| About Me |
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Name: Mitesh
Home: Bangalore, India
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