~Adieu Agassi

The saga of one of the greatest players ever the courts produced came to an end at the center court at the 2006 US Open on Sunday. The tears said it all.

Sporting a crazy cap, colorful T-shirts and redefining style in tennis, this Las Vegan had already made people talk. People had written him off, thinking he is just another guy with an attitude, that would bring him down and he proved them all wrong. His game did all the talking. He is the only player who has won all the Grand Slams and also the Davis Cup and the Olympic gold. Now, that sure speaks volumes about his abilities. Agassi did not play Wimbledon for sometime, as he openly stated that he was against the traditionalisms they imposed on the game. People thought his baseline game would not suit the courts of Wimbledon, but surprisingly his Grand Slam breakthrough came in Wimbledon in the next couple of years, when he finally decided to play there and he did play there sporting white T-shirts, shrugging his colorful ones. The Sampras Agassi rivalry was always exciting to watch (I shall always remain a Sampras fan, but do admire Agassi’s game). The French Open is always the elusive title and Agassi has captured that as well. His hand-eye coordination is impeccable and his volleys are always entertaining to watch.

He was one of the players who combined strategy and mobility. I always enjoy his lofted volleys and drop shots. He has the best return-of-serve and there is no question about that. He was not the one to shoot aces down the line in every match; predominantly a baseline player Agassi was very good at judging the opponent. He made them rally and conserve his energy; he always played the mind game. Power tennis took a back seat when Agassi was around. In 1998 he bounced back to the no. 6 spot at the end of the year, after plummeting to an all time low of 141. He has gone a long way since then. Married to another sports legend Steffi Graf, he had a bet with her that she should play with him if he won the Australian open (which he apparently did not win) This guy has been candid all his career and has always spoken his heart out. Tennis is sure to miss one of its greatest players and this year also marks the last game of another of Tennis’s legends Martina Navratilova…she is another player I can write sequels about.
~Adieu Agassi

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Small Talk!

Have you ever just out of the blue talked to a stranger when you are in the elevator? Were you the one to accost people into a conversation when you are standing in line to buy your movie tickets? Do you talk to your colleagues when you are in the coffee room? Ok if you did not you are not the kind who is very good at small talk. What is small talk anyways? I did google a bit and found out that wikipedia defines small talk as meaningless chatter! well yeah thats what it is but it is a social grooming process. It is the only time where you get to know some more info about your colleague or just another person. You might know that they were up the night before taking care of their sick child, or that he/she is getting married or just about anything. One of my friends says that small talk makes people think that you are incapable of making serious talk...I beg to disagree.It goes a long way in making business negotiations..now dont ask me how it helps but apparently it does and thats wat they say.

Ok...now how do you make small talk?

1. Talk to just about anyone and everyone about anything and everything.
2. talk to your doorman, cabdriver, someone u meet on the subway
3. Read and watch the news, learn about different topics you can converse about not just the weather and the weekend. there are many other things to talk about. May be the person you talk to might be interested in some TV show or some particular type of sports. This doesnt mean you have to know everything...but you could always try. Again remember nonsense small talk will only gain you more disrespect. You cant just barge into some conversation and talk what you want. Always keep in mind that your small talk should keep the other person interested in the conversation.
4. And...most importantly be a good listener. You are the only one talking..its not a lecture...its a conversation.
5. Do something new that is not typical of you, try to walk out of your confined circle.
6. If you remember some funny stories that you can relate to what you are talking about, tell it. Make people laugh and you get some good laughs too...Laughing is good for health and keeps your spirits up.
This is what small talk does, it does build your confidence and makes you come out of the closet where you are hiding with all your shyness and all your no's and dont's.

Of course refrain from using abusive language or any comments that might hurt other's feelings. Consider the mood of the people you are conversing with, if you know that guy's aunt is dead..you dont want to go and make small talk with him and tell him all crazy stories ..yes you do want to make small talk..but not the experiment kind...you need to show some concern.

But carry on with your experiments and a little small talk goes a long way in building relationships.

Tennis and Rabbits!

Just like how the shutterbug bit me, I also fell hook line and sinker for Tennis. Though, I stink at that game. But am still learning…so that’s a good sign isn’t it?Tennis is an absolutely amazing game, the very thrill that you get a point by making a passing shot or a volley or a serve just gives you a feeling of exhilaration. Lawn tennis was one of the earlier forms of Tennis and now people play it on almost any surface, I play on concrete turf! But on any given day, lawn tennis rules. Wimbledon always has its own charm and glory and no other Grand Slam can take that away! There is something royal about it! And then it reminds me of Sampras and Becker and Graf! Well I can just keep going on and on but this time around am not rambling.

If you are thinking it’s just another game, let me tell you all about it. It’s not just getting on court and playing, there are so many things that you need to play tennis. First there is the racquet…it can’t be just another racquet, gotta be a good one! Then comes the tennis balls…there are the junk balls which turn all furry after you hit a couple of shots (even if you are the worst player… these tennis balls are worse than you!). Of course there is the availability of the court to play! You have to get your footwork right; you have to follow through with every shot; you have to swing the racquet; you have to keep watching the ball; your forehand and backhand has to be strong, and you cannot just dance around on the court! When I play exciting tennis, its always mostly my feet are glued to the ground and I end up watching the ball pass by me or if I do take it I slam it to the net or hit it for a six! I would have been good at cricket I guess!

My forehand has absolutely no swing or powers so it barely makes it across the net …so I don’t even want to get started about my backhand. Of course there is the hitting of the tennis balls into the other court or into the bushes and spend half the time picking them up. We end up losing and finding a lot of these tennis balls every day. Then there is the thing called service, now I somehow manage to get my serve in but it lands on you like a soft snowflake…its just cakewalk to hit it. Now that is easiness served on a platter for you what more could you ask for?


But when I play tennis the most interesting part of the game is when I spot the brown rabbit having its evening snack, looks like he is people savvy…but yeah if you get too close to him he runs away. I always wonder since he comes from just behind the woods if he is the rabbit and I am Alice, so is there a wonderland then??

Jai Hind

Tiranga hai garv se phaila
Sar ooncha hai hamara
rag rag mein himmat bhara
Hindustan hai desh hamara

kayi jaat kayi baasha
kayi log kayi sanskriti
rehthe sab is desh mein
anek hai yahaan ki aakriti


kashmir ki jannath se
kanyakumari ki sira tak
rangon se sajaa hai yeh
Hamara rangeen baseraa

jahaan hariyaali khethon ka
haseen vaadiyon ka hai milaap
jahaan dilchusp afsanon ka
meeti yaadon ka hai aalaap

jahaan himalay ki godh mein
behthi hai sunehri ganga
woh bharath desh hai hamara
garv se phaila rahe sada iska tiranga


Jai Hind!