Life Etc Etc

Wimbledon 2023 final is done and we have a new champion nullifying all the pre-tournament predictions. In a thrilling merry-go-round of a match, the young contender, Carlos Alcaraz took down the reigning king of Center Court , Novak Djokovic .  Carlos Alcaraz after second set tie-break <Courtesy: Wimbledon > The decade long undefeated streak of Novak in which he took on all comers is finally over. But how good did Novak really have to be in order to maintain his supremacy at Wimbledon? Let's take a look at the stats and facts pertaining to his grand slam exploits since the pandemic: Won six out of the eleven grand slams he contested Reached nine grand slam finals (including Wimbledon 2023) Lost only four grand slam matches since the pandemic ( not counting the disqualification loss at US Open 2020 )  Rafael Nadal contributed to two of those defeats while Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz were the victors on the other two occasions All of the defeats except the most ...

Another day is about to pass us. Before the day passes by, I have a very important question for all of you.  Did you have a good day?   You are not sure, then why don't you ask yourself the following questions? Did you sleep well? Did you have a decent meal? Did you exercise? Did you spend time with your near and dear? Did you dwell on the positive aspects of your life? Did you watch something nice? Did you take up a task? Did you focus on something which is bothering you? Did you do less of what you consider as a bad habit or what spoilt your day the last time around? Did you repent or admit to follies of the past? Did you fight a bad thought? Did you indulge in a hobby or take part in a sport? Did you make a plan for the future? Did you try to help someone? Did you dream? Life is only good if the days in it are good <Credits: Dominik Hofbauer > If you have answered 'Yes' to any of the above questions then you definitely had a good day because a good day is made up o...

I haven't done one of these in a long time and I am glad to be back with a hidden gem. Now there's a 2021 movie with the same name but it's the 1944 version which I hold dear to my heart. So let's jump right into the nitty-gritties of the plot. The Woman In The Window (1944) Plot Psychology professor Richard Wanley ( Edward G. Robinson ) is besotted by the portrait of an enchanting damsel adorning a shop window right next to the club which he frequents along with his friends. Richard Wanley ( Edward G. Robinson ) awestruck by the woman in the window The professor's family is out of town and he spends the evening with his friends lamenting the boredom that has set into their middle-aged lives. After a hearty supper, Richard's friends leave but he spends some more time at the club before heading out close to midnight.  Richard relaxing in the company of his friends Upon stepping out of the club, he once again walks up to the shop window and marvels at the portrai...

Where is it? Around 125 KM from Bengaluru, on the Kaveri river right on the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. What is it? They call it the Niagara of India but after stating unequivocally in my previous blog that nature is incomparable, I will just ask you to make up your mind after looking at the pictures below as some things are indescribable. Hogenakkal Waterfalls as the moon begins to shine Hogenakkal Waterfalls from an alternate view Hogenakkal Waterfalls: The gorge on the Kaveri River  If the sights look familiar then you have probably seen them in movies such as Roja or Raavanan . How do I explore the area? If you are visiting the falls during the rainy or winter seasons then you will not be allowed to take the boat to view the falls. Instead there will be a separate viewpoint to explore the region.  My trip fell in March so I got to use the small round boats known as coracles to catch some eye-popping views. Coracles on the Kaver...

Where is it? Around 60 KM from Bengaluru. Scenic landscape from one of the viewpoints What is it? A hilly retreat with a rich history and fantastic vistas all around. View from the top of the rock face How do I get there? I reached the parking which is at the base of the summit by car. The hairpin bends are a bit challenging but as long as you stick to your lane you should be fine. There are cabs which will take you there and there's also public transport available from Majestic  I believe.   Parking Lot at Nandi Hills What should I take? All plastic water bottles are confiscated at the base of the summit so do carry water in a non-plastic container. There's a bus which will take you from the base to the top of the hill but if you want to explore the surroundings by yourself you will need plenty of water to refuel yourself Take a windcheater (I suggest using a heavier jacket if you are visiting in winter or rainy seasons) along just in case it gets chilly up t...

It's unfair to talk about someone when they are not doing well. Therefore the intention of this blog is not rant on KL Rahul or his performances of late but to lend some statistical evidence as to why ordinary cricket fans like me are pining for a change at the top of India's batting order. I will also urge my readers to look up Jarrod Kimber's video  which presents a very interesting take on KL Rahul's performances. In order to help my analysis, I visited Cricinfo to garner some vital stats about Rahul's career.  I looked at his overall numbers and came up with a scatter plot of his batting performances in tests.  Rahul's test career average from 2014-2023 Scatter Plot of KL Rahul's test performances from 2014-2023 When I analyzed Rahul's entire test career, 64% of his innings yielded less than 30 runs. 86% of these innings produced 20 runs or less.   Rahul's test scores' breakdown When I confined my examination to his 3rd and 4th innings'...

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; Rudyard Kipling ( IF ) I encountered both of the impostors mentioned above during the course of the last year and life has not been the same since then .  What's worse than a disaster?  It's a disaster which follows a triumph. Just when you think that your life is better than ever, you are jolted into reality and reminded how precarious life actually is. It takes a lifetime to set-up something but it takes less than a second for all of it to turn into dust. You have to find illuminated space within yourself <Courtesy: William Daigneault > We, human beings are expendable, replaceable and inherently perishable.  Yet, we act tough and surround ourselves with hubris for the short while we are here. We feed our fragile egos at every turn and one day when life smacks us we complain that it's cruel. The truth is that we are just fortunate to have a lot of things that we take for granted....