World Cup Final[ly]

Photo courtesy

India won. The euphoria might have subsided a little, things maybe resuming back to normal slowly after Saturday’s Indian victory. The crackers have stopped bursting, people have stopped yelling, taking to the streets waving Indian flags on automobiles. But what remains and what will is that India won the World Cup. And that’s a big achievement, and you already know that if you claim to be following cricket even if only for a while.

I’ll not get into cliché’s and state facts such as how many years it has been since India last lifted the cup.

I’ll also not draw comparisons between the ’83 victory and this one. Or for that matter, try to debate on which team was better, or who was the better captain. It is one thing to compare two teams from the same era, and something totally different to compare two teams from different eras. You cannot objectify the comparison.

I can say this, Dhoni and the Indian team (I hate to refer to them as Dhoni’s men, as I did not see Dhoni as anything more than 1/11th of the playing 11 who might have contributed equally as every playing member, but certainly no more.) are just as good as Kapil and his team of yesteryear.

What is more important is that on the way to the finals, they knocked out Australia, which I am sure will always be etched in Ricky Ponting’s mind. I am sure the Australians must have thought they could breeze past India, and disbelief was writ large on the faces of the Australian players. And no, the Australians did not lose because they played poor cricket. Ponting was almost at his best. Everybody gave everything they could on the field. You could see it in the way Brett Lee ran in to bowl his deliveries, and dived near the boundary line to cut himself near his eye-brows. They gave it their everything, and yet came short of an Indian team that although has looked spotty, has been very consistent, and has been extremely gritty. Looking at the way the Australians bowled to Suresh Raina, I felt that’s where they went wrong. They did not bowl to him like he was  a batsman, and for that they paid the price. You don’t bowl to a capable batsman in that fashion and easily get away with it.

The Pakistan match was equally exciting, although for me, the Australian victory was sweeter.

Compared to the Quarter-Finals and the Semi-Finals, the Finals was something of a damp squib. Well, it was not without excitement, and I am sure the team must have sat down over the team meeting and decided that there was no necessity to throw the bat at everything and throw away the wicket.

I consider this the highlights of the Finals,

• An outstanding opening spell by Zaheer Khan, (only to be compensated for later, but still.)
• All of the Indian Bowlers did well (barring Sreeshanth of course).
• Harbhajan Singh provided an important blow. Although, to be quite honest, I have never considered Dilshan a batsman. How he did well in this tournament is something of a surprise to me.
• Jayawardena’s innings was outstanding. If you look at the scorecard, you might not get a good idea of how well he paced his innings, and how towards the end, he almost effortlessly, and with almost zero risk, increased the scoring rate.

• The Indian innings was studded with a couple of important moments. When Sehwag went cheap, people were literally speechless. It was disappointing. It would have been wonderful to see Sehwag belt the Lankan bowlers the way he did Gul.
• Yet again, Sehwag without so much as consulting with the runner, went for the ‘Referral’ which was pretty stupid!
• Sachin’s dismissal was very disappointing, because he was beginning to get into the groove. Also, it would have been the perfect stage to get his 100th 100. I am sure had that happened, a couple of things would have been different. He might have been considered more seriously for the Man of the Series. (Yuvaraj might still have walked away with it, but I am sure ut would have been closely contested.) He would definitely have been the Man of the Match. I am not sure if as people claim, India would have lost.
• In My Opinion, Gambhir played an extremely good innings. Well paced, no risks. The running was a little spotty like the previous games. But at least this time, he didn’t lose his cool, and run himself out.
• Dhoni played a good innings. Was it a Captain’s knock ? Well, if the emphasis is on Captain, rather than knock, certainly.

Dhoni Bashing:

I am sure we are all divided in our opinions on whether Dhoni is a good captain. And I am sure that there are those of you think that the Captain plays the biggest role in a win or a loss. I couldn’t disagree more. Sure the captain plays an important role. But a good captain need not necessarily be conspicuous.

Dhoni in the post-match presentation said that had they lost, there would have been many questions. Well, India won, and I still have those questions

1. Why was Sreeshanth played instead of Ashwin ? You cannot even say he did well, and hence your instincts worked well. I think the only saving statement you could make in argument is ‘What if Ashwin had conceded more runs?’, and that is slightly lame.
2. Why did Dhoni come up the order instead of Yuvaraj ? Now, if someone offered an answer saying ‘Left-Right’ combination, I might be in agreement. But those of you who immediately feel like saying ‘He played a Captain’s innings’ or any of the n number of variants of that, I cannot agree with. If he was so intent on coming up the order for the team, why not ahead of Kohli ? Why, when the platform was already steady ? I believe, the intent was a personal one, to try to do well for himself. I see nothing wrong with that if you are a player. But when you are the captain, there is conflict of interest. Yuvaraj could have possible made a 100.
3. IMHO, Dhoni did not deserve the Man of the Match more than Gambhir did. Gambhir was the person who steadied the ship. The final scorecard might not reveal everything, but you will be able to see that Dhoni was very tentative early on, and only later when the score looked very gettable did he go after the bowling. Looks like it was his lucky day. I would have at least Dhoni to share the MoM with Gambhir, instead all he had to say was, “He was responsible for his own dismissal’. How crass!

MS Application Results Fall 2011

Having applied to MS, (in the US), I have been eagerly anticipating for the results to come in for the past few weeks, nay, few months now. Well, I had assumed – wrongly it seems, that by around this time, I should have heard back from most, and I would have a few options to choose from. I have been wrong on both counts.

First, I have not yet heard back from a number of them. There is no indication either that I will hear back in the coming few days. Secondly, I have more rejects than admit. (yes, no grammatical error there. Not admits.)

Well, the wait has slowly turned into impatience, and as of now into anxiety. I am not sure how the other results are going to go. I just hope it all goes well, and more importantly that I hear back at least in the next fifteen days. (hopefully with a positive reply.)

Pakistan: Done. Sri Lanka: Next. Bleed Light Blue

India Sri-Lanka to clash in the 2011 World Cup Final

India made it through. They managed to beat Pakistan and secure a berth in the finals against Sri Lanka. An all Asian final.

A little on the match-gone-by,
I saw that amazing over where Sehwag carted Gul all over the park, and it was a pleasure to watch. Well, see the match was being screened at work. However, once Sehwag was dismissed there was little point in continuing to watch the match. So, yes I did miss most of the Indian batting, which I hear involved yet another middle order semi-collapse, and almost 6 lives for Sachin. Lucky day Sachin.

I did get to watch the Pakistani batting, and in phases they looked like they were going to get there easily. For me the player of the match was Munaf Patel. Sure he bowled a few bad deliveries, but for the first time in this tournament, I saw him bend his back, and was surprised to see him bowl at 140 kmph. We all thought there was perhaps some problem with the Speed Gun there. Tested by our company a few guys jokingly remarked. When Nehra touched the same mark, people all around were of the opinion that it was a competing IT services company that tested the machines calibration

Mis-sed Ba-dly on H-tting:
I am not sure what was going through Misbah’s mind, but I am sure there would be some hue and cry over his tactics. (if there was even one.) In the end, he succumbed to the mounting asking rate.

All of you who predicted that India would win versus Paksitan, rejoice. You were right. Go get yourself something nice.

The Match against SriLanka,
It will most likely be an evenly fought contest. I know a lot has been said about the Sri Lankan top order, but as someone pointed out, they haven’t really been tested yet. Not that India has the fire-power to test them, but still. I think if you distill it, it boils down (let’s not get into Chemistry too much) to Sachin vs Murali. Both teams want to win the game for the mentioned individuals, but looking at the matches, it has looked the other way.

Once again, may the best team win.

(Lighter)Side Notes:

Three is Crowd:
Did you observe the three commentators these days ? Whatever happened to three is crowd ? The commentary room even looks crowded now. Now, Sidhu could have manage by himself instead of three folks, but rumor has it that telecasting Sidhu over air was causing harmful environmental effects.

There is also talk that, cricket needs to take a cue from this, and play three teams in one game. Say what ? There would be a lot more excitement exclaimed one commentator. The matches would go down to the wire more than once every match added Ravi Shastri. Navjot Singh Sidhu headed to the nearest public library to find quotes to do with the number ‘three’. He is going to be buried over books for the next few days. Phew! What a relief.

Decision Review System: (DRS is not to be confused with VRS)
On a side note, do you think a batsman/bowler can use the DRS more than once for the same decision ? I know it doesn’t make sense, but it would sure be bizzarre. That’s out. I want a review. Reviewed – your out. I want another review. What ?
Call your panchayat thalaivar.
I was not ready.
That came in too fast. Bowl again.
Not trials ? That was the first ball of the over. Come on!

These are some of the options the ICC has been handed by leading experts on this subject.

India vs Pakistan Semi Final:Get Used To The Tension

Well, it’s all set. Everybody is talking about it. Every news channel you tune into, every random blog on the internet, including your’s truly’s. It’s everywhere. There is talk that a number of offices are airing the match live at their premises. Great news. I still think most people will be anxiously looking at their wrist-watches, wall-clocks, cell-phones and what not, for the time to strike 2:30 tomorrow. Of course, there is the toss before that.

Well, I am sure people are already making detailed predictions, which will later translate to I-Told-You-So. There are still others who believe the entire thing is fixed anyway (psst.. conspiracy theorists.). When people ask me, I tell them, to their chagrin, that wait till the game is over tomorrow and I will tell you the result. Well, there is no point in really trying to device an algorithm to predict who will win. If there ever was an ICC ranking for ‘Most Unpredictable Team’, I am sure Pakistan would top the table, with India not that far behind. So, there.

I don’t know about what each team has to fear in its opponent, but here’s a list of what each team should be worried off inside their own camps,

Pakistan should hope that,

• Shoiab Akhtar doesn’t play. Sure, he makes a good football goalkeeper, and runs in like a SUV without brakes, but will he be able to make early inroads ? Doubt it.
• No one spots Afridi chucking. Well, yes, I said it. How can a Pakistani spinner, who can also spin the ball, bowl 130+ Kmph, when India’s own Anil Kumble couldn’t manage so much. Heck, Munaf Patel can’t bowl as fast.
• That the players use Soda Moodis (read, soda caps), Zippers in trousers (I heard they discontinued that), for intended purposes only, and not to remove a good amount of the Cricket balls surface. They should also really hope that Afridi stays away from the Ball during the drinks break. Here’s why.

India should hope that,

• Sachin plays well, but doesn’t make a century.
• Yuvaraj Singh is awake on the pitch. And is not in a foul mood.
• That Gambhir will ground his bat when he runs between wickets, and will run between wickets only when there is a run. Well, you need to have seen the ‘Quarter Final vs Australia’ to understand this. See this anyway.
• That the Indian middle order does not behave like a Cycle stand. (to quote Sidhu)
• That Ashish Nehra doesn’t play. What good could ever come of that ?

In any case, let there be a good match, and may the best team win. [cliche]

Oh, and here’s a video I found on my friend’s wall (on Facebook of course), which is nicely made.

About PaD: In an endeavour to well, make some of my transient thoughts more permanent, I thought I’d write a post-a-day. Well, generally short. But occasionally, well, longer.

Desi Version of Matrix-Reloaded

Well, nothing to do with Matrix Reloaded, really.

A while back, I wrote this post – “Desi Version of Matrix – Dodge This“. This is well, a lame(r) follow up to that.

I recently happened to watch the movie ‘Prince‘  – Hindi of course. And trust me, if you happened to watch Prince Of Persia and puke, don’t even attempt watching this. The first thing you have to do of course is imagine that “The Matrix” was written by either Infosys or TCS guys. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, go do some reading.) Who else, could possibly forget to factor in ‘hysics/Gravity into “The Matrix” ?

“Oh shit, you guys, we forgot that module totally. All we have is the “return null;” when you call that method“, someone must have been saying. “Let’s bill the Aliens more for that. They never made mention of it in Version 1.o“, someone else would have added. What would have resulted even then, would have been some sort of an unpredictable world, where one moment you hold the world record for long jumps, and the next moment, you can’t avoid stepping on dog poop right in front of you. Disgusting, yes.

Anyway, lets not digress too much into Indian IT Services.

So, if you have watched the movie, my sympathies are with you. If you haven’t, my sincere advice to you would be not to watch it. Well, if you get the kicks by looking at other people’s stupidity, then by all means, please do.

Let’s take a few frames from the movie, and see what it tells us,

1.Master of Disguise

Well, Matrix alone was not good enough. So, we now need to rip MI as well. I am sure you didn’t notice it, and you will be shocked when I reveal this, but the Sardar on the right is actually ‘Vivek Oberoi’. Whoa !! Really ? Shit, you must be kidding me.

2. Forgot Password

You always have video cameras in large facilities which directly record someone entering a key-code. for someplace secure Obviously! What if he forgets and wants to know ? The password recover form actually sends a mail to the attendant in front of this monitor, who then looks at the screen and promptly replies. Very efficient system. Developed in-house by an unnamed Indian IT Services Company.

3. Free Hand Drawing.

Well, if you have watched a good number of English movies, you know that they often make holes in glass. Well, they have a pivot like thing with a laser pointer, and voila. Well, if you were very good at drawing Circles free hand, you don’t need the bloody pivot man! I am actually jealous. I could never do that as a kid.

4. Pointed Shooting.

If you observe the gunman to the left, (I’d like not to use the word sniper), you can see that unless the bullet curves, it has no chance of exiting from that muzzle, and hitting our Kevlar touting, Shade wearing Hero. Actually, nor does the guy on the right.

5. Smooth Landing.

All you pilots listen up. That’s how our guy can jump from a 10 storey building, and land on top of a moving vehicle.

6. Iron Man 3

Well, if it isn’t, then what is it ? Believe me, it’s going to better than the first 2 parts. Another picture below. Out guy probably listens to Music on Winamp when he does the swoosh of weapons design on the screen. (Notice the logo ?)

Jarvis, go get me Samosas, and girls who will dance to ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’ and ‘My Name is Sheila’.

7. Bridge = Full House.

I had some difficulty capturing the exact images, but if you can see, what is being attempted here is a sheer fall, onto a wooden bridge on a bike! Beat that Hollywood. The height looks like at least 10 metres. Well, that bridge is of some pretty good build.

8. Free Fall Lessons.

Fall from a height.

Purr-fect landing.

9. Bike Stunts.

Well, what would movies be, if they didn’t have a few bike stunts ? Sounds absurd no ?

Sure, the girl in the mini skirts, is worth squinting your eyes over, but did you observe the guy on the bike ? He does a couple of circles around the girl with that same exact tilt of the bike. Well, not impossible. Certainly not impossible in Indian movies.

Sure, I’d like to do that myself , but then, I’d also have to drive the bike you know.

Yet another tale of perfect landing. I am ordering the shock-absorbers on that bike. My bloody mono-suspension sucks! On seeing this, I couldn’t help but think of the scene in ‘True Lies’ where Arnold tries to get a horse to jump across a building.

As me, and my friend were discussing, ‘Indian movie makers can never get Physics right. Which is why they go for Chemistry instead’

The Exit Interview

Disclaimer: The following write-up has nothing to do with my personal experience , or that of anyone I know. It is a work of fiction, and by golly, if you think your interview went in a way described below, you should write to me. I’d be interested in knowing you. This post also has nothing to do with the HR policies or any policies for that matter that my previous, current or future employer might have. Let’s just leave it at that-HR tells me, that should suffice . Kidding of course.

Me and a friend of mine were having a jolly good discussion over Ice cream cones, and suddenly the topic seemed to shift to ‘Separating from the Company’, or ‘Putting in the Papers’ as is known in some circles. Well, all it means is that you are going to quit the organization, or as one might have heard a few years earlier, Resign from a job.

Well, I am not very good at specifics of this, but I am good at letting my imagination run wild at times, and I thought up a few scenarios, and the two of us had a few good laughs. (So, if you find inaccuracies in the process itself)

I am going to take three different guys, a) serious, b) likes a good laugh, c) indifferent, and see how their exit interviews might (or to be honest, might not) go,

(Why so) SERIOUS

Interviewer: So, tell us, why are you quitting the company ?

Serious guy: (Immediately heating up, half shouting) Are you kidding me ? Didn’t I just come out of the meeting with my manager, after shouting my throat off, and here I am five minutes later, filing my separation. And you ask me why ? Oh, why don’t you tell me Sherlock ? [thinks to himself: Jerk! You think just because you are in Human Resources, you can instigate me with a seemingly benign question. You filthy pig! I wish I could strangle you] – (knuckles clenching and unclenching all the while.)

Interviewer: No, but seriously. I am supposed to be writing down the reason here, in this form.

Serious guy: Oh, come on! You can’t be serious about being serious. And just so you know, no one around here takes you seriously. But anyway, I’ll do you a big favor and tell you why. Because  the company sucks!! Every stupid policy you have sucks!! Everything that results from the neurons firing in your brain and your superiors brain and his superiors brain is simply, well, sucky! [thinks to himself:I wish I could reach across this table and pummel your face with my bare hands. Ah, yes, that would be justice.] (Grins menacingly)

Interviewer: This is no place to vent your anger. I can get you a therapist for you, once we are done here. If you can just tell us plain and simple why you are quitting, we could get this over with.

Serious Guy: What ? I just did [Now I am just going to kill you.] You know what, write down whatever the hell you want to. I don’t care. (get’s up and leaves. Slams the door on the way out, and goes to the Smoking Zone for one last smoke inside Campus.)

HR scribbles on the form: Employee has major issues with anger. Did not volunteer any information for reason on quitting., in spite of me being persuasive. Also seems to be paranoid. Well, I am not a shrink, but this guy quitting has nothing to do with the company. He has issues!

Guy who likes a Good Laugh

Interviewer: So, tell us, why are you quitting the company ?

GWLAGL: Do you know policy A that you guys implemented last year – that’s why. [thinking to himself: He he] (Has a smile on his face)

Interviewer: What about policy A ?

GWLAGL: What about it ? [thinking to himself: He he]

Interviewer: What ?

GWLAGL: What ? [thinking to himself: He he]

Interviewer: (Puzzled!!) No, but seriously. I am supposed to be writing down the reason here, in this form.

Serious guy:Fine fine. You know policy B you guys implemented last year ? [thinking to himself: He he] (Trying to act serious, but can’t help smiling)

Interviewer: Yes. Now, what about policy B ?

GWLAGL: What about it ? [thinking to himself: He he]

Interviewer: What ?

GWLAGL: What ? [thinking to himself: He he]

Interviewer: [phew! again!] This is no place to kid around. If you can just tell us plain and simple why you are quitting, we could get this over with.

GWLAGL: What ? (Smiles a wide smile.)

Interviewer: You know what, that’ll be all.

GWLAGL leaves without saying a word.

HR crumples the form and throws it into the waste paper basket. Takes it out, smoothens it, scribbles on the form:  He had to be kidding me!! You know what, I quit!!

Indifferent Guy

Interviewer: So, tell us, why are you quitting the company ?

IG:Errr….

Interviewer: No, but seriously. I am supposed to be writing down the reason here, in this form.

IG: Meh.

Interviewer: Do you actually have a reason for quitting ? I need to write this down here.

IG: (This time just shrugs)

Interviewer: You know what, that’ll be all. We are done.

IG not bothered by this temper tantrum, remains seated.

HR writes,

Reason for Employee Leaving: Meh!!

then gets up, and leaves the room leaving our man sitting there.

Natural-Ice Creams

Well, as someone who considers himself will, an ice cream liker, (maybe not someone who is crazy about ice creams) I recently discovered “Natural” Ice creams, which came highly recommended by some colleagues. Well, if you are not sure what that is, it’s just a brand/chain of Ice Cream stores all over India.

I think there are a lot many good ice cream brands/chains in India, some of them being – Kwality Walls, Baskin & Robins and maybe even Amul. (Did anyone say Arun ?) I particularly like a few ice creams by Baskin Robins. Rum punch in particular. I am sure there are also those of you who swear by either ‘London Dairy’ and ‘Haagen Das’

So what’s different about Natural ice creams anyway ? How are they any different from any other ice cream maker ? Well, to be honest, I don’t know and I don’t care. If you really want to know the specifics, you should probably look up their website. All I care about is, they have some good ice creams and they are one store that’s open till midnight. For a late riser like me, any shop which is open till midnight is a boon.

All that aside, they have some very good flavors, especially the fruit flavors. And for a price of 35 Rs per scoop (They charge a Rs5 extra for the waffle cone.), its pretty nominally priced as well. Well, I haven’t tried out all the flavors yet, but of the flavors I have tasted, I would rate the flavors in this order,

Mind-blowing:

Sitaphal - their best flavor IMHO, Mango - comes in a close second, Tender Coconut – I’ve never really had this flavor before, and its good.

Good:

Jackfruit, Chickoo, Anjeer

Not So Great:

Guava, Kesar Pista, One-More-Flavor-The-Name-Of-Which-I-Cannot-Remember-Right-Now-But-Will-Update-Later

Cramster Turtle-Magnetic Tank Bag-Reviewed

I recently bought myself a “Cramster Turtle” – a magnetic tank bag. I thought I’d write a review of it, since the original Website itself has missing information, and most other sites where I searched before buying the bag, had the same information copy pasted there – verbatim. Well, that’s not a review.

For the basic information, you should check out the Cramster website. I have no intentions of re-posting whatever information you can already find there.

I have a few cribs with the “Cramster” folks – not with the product itself. I am really really happy with the bag. They simply don’t have enough information and photos on their website – which is really sad considering that they have a good product lineup and good products.

Basic Information:

• Cost: ~1500 Rs. I bought it on ebay and was charged a shipping of 100Rs I think.
• Color: Black (although other colors are available)
• Has Scotch reflective material in some places.
• YKK Zippers. (Well, brands like Louise Phillippe and Allen Solly use it too. So, it must be good I guess.)
• It has a sling, to put on your shoulder. (detachable of course)
• There are also four pegs at the extremities of the bag – just in case you want to secure your bag to your bike with say ropes, maybe you could do that too.

Dimensions, Pockets …etc:

• Dimensions (Before Expanding): 13.5″ l x 11.5″ w x 7″ h
• Dimensions (After Expanding): 13.5″ l x 11.5″ w x 9.8″ h
• (Some space is taken up by the rain cover which is inside the main compartment.)
• Map pouch Dimension: 11″ x 9.5 ” (Has a transparent sheet, and a zipper) The map pouch is present on the inside of the flap.
• Mesh Pouch Dimension: 9.5″ x 9″ (tapers towards the end – 9.5″ x 8″) The Mesh pouch is directly below the flap. The flap sticks to the bag using Velcro.
• There’s also a key holder between the Map pouch and Mesh pouch.
• Side pouches (x 2 on either side)Dimensions: (8″ l x 3.5″ w x 1.5″ h ) Tapers Downwards. Should be enough to fit sunglass cases, spectacle cases, a small water bottle (500 ml), a digital camera …etc.
• You could also put knick-knacks inside the rain cover pouch.
• Has a rain cover, which has elastic lining, and covers the bag fully. Not sure how effective it would be during rains.

Where Do I Plan on using it:

I own a Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler. As anyone might know, motorbikes have issues with storage, compared to the scooters. Mine has a tiny compartment under the seat which can all but hold the first aid kit, the toolbox and the bikes papers.

I do a fair bit of travelling on weekends, and on the weekend that I don’t go on trips, I go shopping – for essentials of course. I love my Samsonite backpack, and it mostly suffices be it trips, carrying laptops or even bringing back juice cartons and biscuits. But sometimes, it cannot hold everything on the weekend shoppings, and on the trips, if you have a pillion rider, then your backpack is an issue. I find wearing it on the front cumbersome, and even slightly risky to be honest.

Welcome the Cramster Turtle. It looks stylish and snazzy to be carried around malls. It managed to get a few stares – not what I bought it for, but still, pretty cool, eh ? It also fit in all most of the stuff I bought, and was really easy to ride back home with it mounted on the tank.

Note: If you are that person who is used to hanging covers from the handlebars, then you should really consider the Turtle. Not only are the plastic bags irritating – they are also risky! I find my control on the bike compromised, when I hand anything from the handlebars.

So in short, I plan to use it for,

• To office maybe (when I have to carry some small stuff, and my bikes cover)
• To the mall – when I go shopping
• On trips, where my pillion will not complain.

FAQ’s:

You should first go through the FAQ’s on the Cramster website.

The below are based on my experience so far, and I take no responsibility for any inaccuracies. If you do find inaccuracies, do comment, and I shall have it taken down.

1. Does it fit well on the  tank ? At high speeds will it hold ? A: It fits very well on my bike. You need a metal tank of course. I did decent speeds of 60-70 in the city, and didn’t for one moment think it might come off. I’ll report back after my trips where I expect to do more than 70
2. Is it roomy enough ? A: Yes. In fact I think it is roomier than maybe required in most cases. You can also expand the bag by approximately 2 and a half  inches of height. I always like expandable bags – like my Samsonite backpack. Only, in this case, I would have liked the expand to be like say 2 – 2.5 inches and the normal height of the bag to have been a little lesser, so that it appeared sleeker.
3. Will I have problems controlling the bike with the bag mounted on the tank ? A: Most probably not. On my bike, I did not face any kind of discomfort, and I had it fully loaded. Also, the handlebars do not really come anywhere near touching the bag, unless when titled to the maximum on either side (see pics below.) – which is not all that much of a problem, and even lesser so since you don’t expect to turn the handle to the extremity all that often.
4. Can I see the Instrument Panel, when the bag is on my tank ? A: Well, I could while driving. It did not come in the line-of-sight at all. But then, I am not sure if that might be an issue with other bikes. Some bikes like the Avenger have the fuel level indicator on the tank itself, and you might not be able to see such things. My room mate has an Avenger. Maybe I could try it on that, and see if it hampers visibility.
5. Will it affect aerodynamics ? A: Well, if you are really into aerodynamics, and are calculating the solution to some problem, maybe yes. I didn’t feel it adversely affect the aerodynamics.

Photos (Off the bike):

a little later

Photos (On the bike):

Minor Cribs:

1. I feel – and just my opinion this, that the bag is a little bigger than maybe required in most cases, unless you are into serious touring of course. As mentioned above in the FAQ’s, I would have liked the bag to have been a little sleeker when the ‘Expand zipper is fastened’
2. It would have been very nice if the bag also came up with some kind of a provision where it could have been used as a Backpack. Yes, I know it’s asking for a little too much. Plus, it’s probably for the best – most people might already be carrying a backpack, and wouldn’t want this to serve that purpose as well.
3. The material feels a little thin. While I am sure it would be durable, I would have liked it to be just a little thicker.
4. They could have had one extra compartment, or a place to put small things like say strips of medicines, your pens…etc. Most backpacks have this.

Your Say:

The poll should have read – “What do you think of the Cramster Turtle“

I also bought a pair of Twister Gloves, the review of which I plan on writing soon.

Honda CBR 250R

For all you Pulsar owners, and R15 owners – here’s news if you haven’t already read about it elsewhere – Honda CBR 250R.

The first articles I saw on this, was when I was randonly browsing the internet and chanced upon it. I was thrilled to say the least. Of course, there weren’t those many pictures available then ( some three months back ?), but there are plenty of pictures now.

Bike India Magazine (if you don’t alreay read it and are a bike enthusiast, I suggest you check the magazine out), ran a cover story in their December2010 issue. Old news then ? Not really. The bike is not yet out in the Indian market.

Now, unless you are a ‘Cruiser’ type guy, just the news should be enough to send a tingling sensation through your spine. In my opinion, the looks/styling are fantastic. The seat looks really comfortable. I am not the kind to go into details like split grab rails, and such, but the bike looks functional and stunning. The bike is expected to have a top speed of 150 kms +. On good roads, thats simply awesome. Well, yes, inside the city or even just outside, that’s not going to come in handy ever – not unless you have a death wish.

It comes with dual disc, and even an ABS option – which can be a blessing on good roads. I am not sure if it has options to disable the ABS, change settings …etc hich some high end cars boast of. If it doesn’t, then braking on bad terrain will be a problem.

I am pretty sure this is going to kick Karizma, P220and even R15 in the crotch and easily get away with it. The Ninja would definitely be in the same league – maybe even slightly better, but the CBR 250R is expected to be priced at around 1.5 Lacs.(INR)Music to the ears of people who could never afford a Ninja which comes at 3 Lacs.(INR)

Official Video:

Some commentary:

Some Pics:

You can also read about it here and on the Official Site.

P.S:

If the bike had already released, I would have definitely gone in for it. I recently bought a Honda Unicorn CB Dazzler. I hope to pen down a review on it soon.

Is Facebook killing the Blog ?

I was just going to post on Faccebook. But the post had me thinking if I should post it on the blog instead – since that made more sense.

Makes you sit up and think, doesn’t it ? Most people that used to be active on blogging circles, are now active FB users. (at least the people I know of) Not to generalize, but I think more people are taking to FB when it comes to sharing thoughts, tidbits, and photos of course.

FB can never be enough for serious writing or creative writing for that matter. However, most people just want to share on what they are upto, or funny one liners, and fb seems to be sufficient for that. Not only is it enough, it is also perhaps a better alternative. Truth be told, I visited a few friends’ blogs after a long long time, (I am visiting mine after quite a bit) and found posts that were at least 2 years old.

Makes me wonder if it’s just that the people I know, have grown out of blogs, not having time enough for it any longer, or if its a changing trend across age groups ?

Anyway, what I was coming to is, after ages of inactivity, I plan to write more frequently again. I think I have the time, and am bursting with ideas which I haven’t been able to share with people I interact with on a daily basis. (for various reasons)

I also wanted to do some modifications to the blog – widgets, theme and stuff. But I think that can wait. Content first