Vantage point




Saturday, May 18, 2002

Got the COEP College magazine today, which has been christened "Syamantak" this year. I think that's one of Lord Krishna's names. Seems like the Magazine committee has never heard of a thing called "proof reading" because there are many typos and spelling mistakes, that the magazine is more like a Pune University Question paper or textbook.

The 5th and final test between India and West Indies starts today. Holding writes that there is more grass on the Sabina Park pitch than he has ever seen in his life. Not an encouraging sign for our players, should we have to bat first. The test will be over within three days or less? I dunno, but I get this feeling that Sachin is gonna do something big this time. I feel that the Kingston test of 2002 will be a historic one. My bones say it, that's all.

The usual drama that follows any terrorist attack has begun. Vajpayee and pals are syaing "This shall not go unanswered" and blah blah blah. Get over it, guys, and admit that you are chicken. Remember 13th december when the parliament was attacked? You people said the same things, yet here we are six months later, with the army probably playing tiddlywinks at the border out of boredom. Do you think they are the RSS or Shiv Sena cadre that they will mindlessly follow what you are saying? Don't play with the army, you assholes. If you mean to go to war, do so, otherwise shut up.

Our plans of watching 'Deham', based on Manjula Padmanabhan's 'Harvest' have gone awry. First Chaitanya had to stay home for some guests, then Sharwari had to go out, then Madhura had some problem or the other and finally Sharwari had a headache. The movie has finally moved to screen 4 with a flat rate of Rs 100 per ticket and is hence out of bounds.

Now we have started planning to watch "Monsters Inc." at INOX on Monday and heaven knows how many obstacles we'll have to surmount before that finally happens.

It is very rare to find a textbook that is amusing. That is why Andrew Tanenbaum's "Computer Networks" comes as a pleasant change. Written with a persistent dry wit, it manages to captivate your attention and explains difficult thigns very easily. He also tells a few jokes midway, like this one when he was lambasting ISO.

question- What do you get when you cross a mobster with an international standard?
answer - A guy making you "an offer you can't understand".

Wish there were more textbooks like these.

Maybe I'll write one sometime.......