Go Underground !!

I know, I know... Its been almost 2 years since it was released & a sequel is also out in the market.... But its only now that I've finaly got a chance to play Need For Speed: Underground....
And all I can say is "Wow" !!
This is just the kind of game that I relish... Superb Locales, Exotic cars, Mind-blowing graphics & an extremely addictive gameplay... (was up till 2 am last nite !) Just imagine, there are like a zillion goodies that you can add to your car, to make it look like a devil or zip like a real beast....
The "Drag" & "Drift" modes have really added another dimension to the NFS series... they truly rock !

Oh.. I almost forgot... The Soundtrack - mainly hip-hop & punk rock.... absolutely ROCKS !!!

Next Stop: Underground 2

Tadap Tadap Ke...

This song is truly what u call "haunting" !
A brilliant composition by the otherwise lacklustre Ismail Durbar, this song made the career of the inimitable KK...

The way the music slowly starts off, sad violin notes being prominent... u are already hooked to it... & then KK takes over, varying his pitch superbly. He is duly helped in this cause by some beautiful lyrics...

Aided by splendid picturization(your heart goes out for aishwarya's tear drops when she's 'statued'), this song conveys the sentiments of a heart-broken lover just about perfectly...

Start of the day...

After trying out all possible methods of killing time, I'm now left with no other choice but to start work....
With Guns'N Roses for company, I venture into the deep, complex world of eclipse....

:)

They've learnt to Rock alright !!!

I was there !!

Yep.... After deliberating for more than a week (due to the alarmingly increasing prices for concert tickets !), I finally gave in to the temptation of MLTR... But boy, it was totally worth it !!
I managed to get into the 2nd Row (Thats right, baby !!) from the stage.... It was probably as close as u can get to the real thing...

The show started on a mellow note.. with the guys singing a few new-n-not-so-popular numbers...
But "Complicated Heart" & "Strange Foreign Beauty" got the crowd going....
"25 Minutes" & "Breaking My Heart" followed & by this time the crowd was in full swing & thirsty for more...
Then they started belting out one hit after another.. "Sleeping Child", "Someday" (Which, not surprisingly, drew the loudest cheers), the rocking "Angel Eyes", "Paint My Love" & more....
The best part for me was when they played "Wild Women".... It is one of my favs, but I really didn't think they'd play that !! That was simply terrific !!

The final number was "That's Why", ending with a superb elongated guitar piece by the amazing Mikkel Lentz, the Lead guitarist ( & the elvis lookalike !).

By this time, every single person in the crowd was just swaying to the music & totally enthralled by the ambience it created...It seemed that the band was really enjoying it & they played to the gallery with perfection. As always, we never wanted it to end...

The most striking aspect of this concert was the reproduction quality of the music... It sounded almost the same as it does in the albums... I guess a lot of that has to be attributed to the unique voice of Jascha Richter, their lead singer & the most recognizable face of MLTR...

Way to go dudes... :)

Brian Charles Lara

Aaah.. That recurring question?? Who's better.. Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara...

Y'know... its just one of those questions which is gonna spark a debate regardless of the place/time/context in which it is asked....

The other day, I was just watchin' the highlights of an WI vs AUS test match held in Barbados in 1998-99 season. (Link to scorecard)
Now, Anybody who can recollect that match will tell you in one go that Lara beats Sachin hands down.....
why??? Coz Sachin, for all his greatness, hasn't played an innings like that !
Chasing 311 to win on a last day pitch, Lara scored 153* and carried the team home with just the last wicket standing... (The next best score was 38 by Jimmy (P)adams !)
It was an innings of pure class which included a memorable confrontation with McGrath. (Bouncer hit on the head, next ball pulled away for four... verbal duels in between.. u can visualize it..)
It was a kind of innings that characterizes a Hero.. a Champion Sportsman.. that one guy whom the crowd absolutely loves... that one guy whom u just love to watch play....
And Lara has played a lot of those innings.....

Sachin is a great player, a master batsman & more importantly an unmatched team player, whose commitment towards the country is unparalleled & whose determination is inspiring....
He is a pure batting genius, technically flawless.

While Lara relies purely on rhythm & flair, Sachin relies on technique & only ocassionally, his mood.
And this is where I feel the difference is.... that "mood"...
Remember that Nairobi match in 2000, when Sachin smashed McGrath in a brilliantly pre-planned attack.. Although he scored just 40 odd... it was enough to spur the team, the crowd, the fans... everyone... India beat Aus in that game & went on to reach the finals in that tournament.
This mood of his apparently shows up only once in a while.. Sharjah in 1998, more recently in the WC 2003...
But when it matters the most.. Sachin has failed to live up to the expectations... WC Finals & Lots of other finals come to mind....

This doesn't mean I'm putting lara ahead of tendulkar.. no way.... but this is just a hindsight on those what-might-have-beens...

As an ending note, try & recollect Ind vs Pak test match in 1999 in chennai... doesn't it seem strikingly similar to the WI vs AUS match above...
Only here, Sachin fell when India where tantalisingly close... Lara didn't...

FantASHtic !!

Okay Okay, I lifted the title from a british tabloid's headline... but still, it was fantastic !!
Probably the only series that comes close to the Ind-Aus 2001 series... but then again, being an Indian, I'm bound to be partial to that one.

It is cruel that shane warne had to drop the most crucial catch... considering the fact that he'd virtually played like an one man army.
Just can't wait to see India play England now!

A few unforgettable moments, in pictures















Andrew Flintoff consoles Brett Lee after England's nail-biting 2 run win at Headingley.. This Image went on to become a series defining one.




Andrew Strauss takes an absolutely incredible one handed catch to send Gilchrist packing home.




Kevin Pietersen survives some superb bowling from McGrath & Lee en route his series-clinching century at the Oval



The Jubiliant England Team with the Urn... (Could this be the shift in power of cricket??)