Shah Rukh "MJ" Khan

The 5th ODI between India and Pakistan is on. And thanks to the wonders of technology, I am able to type in a few letters into my browser window and watch the match live. Awesome.

Sreesanth (shanth ho jaa, vats) has been having a good time so far, with 3 quick wickets. Sree doesn't come without the antics though - he had a go at Mohammad Yousuf and even Sachin was laughing. Yousuf was grinning too.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Rameez Raja was doing an interview with the man of the hour, Shah Rukh Khan. SRK has been promoting Om Shanti Om like a demon possessed. Good, then, that he looks the part. Did you catch a glimpse of him jumping around during the Twenty20 finals? He looked so bad! At the risk of having my house stoned, I admit I am a fan of the King Khan, but nowadays I put it down to his eminent watchability. He has a strange magnetism that seems to ooze through the screen, grab you by the eyeballs, and ensure you find it hard to take your eyes off him.
But I digress.

He looked so bad at the aforementioned finals, he looked like Michael Jackson in his current avatar. MJ barely looks human now (a must-watch is Carlos Mencia's stand up on this topic).

SRK has the sunken cheeks, the oversized sunglasses, and a ponytail (oh God, the ponytail!). But then again, observe how he grabs your attention - he looks so bad now that you can't take your eyes off the freakshow. Maybe the King of Bollywood saw a pic of the King of Pop in one of his queenie glossies, and decided King-King Bhai-Bhai.

Shahrukh - Getting There.

Speaking of bhai-bhai, why was every third word out of his mouth in the above-mentioned interview 'Pakistan'?

(man, does this post look straight out of Filmfare, or what? Oh well, some tripe never hurt anybody)

^

One of the more funny sites I've come across recently.

www.xkcd.com


^

Sachin aala re!

India managed to lose to Pakistan yesterday. Again.

But more tragically, Sachin got out on 99. Again. For the 3rd time. A record.
15th time in the 90s. Another record.
He already has 41 ODI centuries. Another record.

What can you say about this man? What more can you ask of him on the cricketing field? All the morons insulting him, baying for his blood, should be ashamed of themselves. Apart from the obvious fact that all your breast-beating on the Rediff.com comments section won't matter one iota when it comes to picking the team (which makes all the kicking and screaming on forums quite stupid, really), who the hell are you to stand in judgement of his retirement or exclusion from the team? Don't forget, your eating, sleeping, breathing, shitting, drinking, sitting, standing, crying, laughing, all largely depended on this man's exploits on the cricket field during the late 80s, right through the 90s, and for at least the early part of this decade.
Have some respect.

Of course, when you say that that's your opinion and you have every right to it, I will agree with you without hesitation. But not before I give you a taste of my own opinion.

This is Sachin Tendulkar you are talking about. Our superhero. Our Batman Forever.
You are only permitted to stand in awe and keep your mouth shut.


^

[Links to the TOI article mentioned in the "Batman Forever" post here. Go to the Hyderabad edition, December 11th, 2005, pages 1 and 15.]

Love Story

Make no mistake, little one, this is love.

When it rains, you wish you were back on that highway, sitting on a bike, the wind in your hair, the droplets in your eyes. Just so you can sit in a watchman’s cabin again. And shiver, but not just because you’re cold.
When the sun is about to set, I wonder if you catch the glint in my eye, and know what I’m thinking.
When you hear that song, you look around for me with a wild desperation, like an addict who hasn’t had a fix in days.
When I take a picture, I wonder if I’m doing it right and if I make you proud.
When you’re bending over all that paper, you stop suddenly, smile, and sit straight.
When I pass from in front of a reflective surface, I stop and preen, and pray that I look good enough to stand next to you.


Make no mistake, babe, it will not be easy.

There will be fights. Many of them.
There will be times when you wonder if I am being unfaithful, and I will wonder why I can’t make you laugh like you used to anymore.
There will be times when you wonder if it’s still worth it, and I will wonder if you are being unfaithful.
There will be long silences, maybe even absences, and we won’t know which one of them brought the other on.
There will be lots of bad luck, and time, circumstances and the universe will work against us on a regular basis.
I will die first.


Make no mistake, darling, this is beyond mortality.

Every sunrise will, must, find you in my arms.
Every moonlit night must see your tiny hands in mine.
Every Sunday will see you walking around the house in one of my old shirts.
Every candle flame will remind me of the glow on your face, of the first time.
Every time you look at the kids’ hair you will ask why they couldn’t have inherited that bit from you. I will ask a similar question when I look at their feet.
Every New Year’s Eve will remind you of just one thing. Or maybe two.
Every so often, I will pack the kids off somewhere – grandparents, summer camp, boarding school, army duty, I don’t care – and I will rediscover you in every way I can think of.


Make no mistake, my love, this is for the rest of our days.


^