Monday, December 25, 2006

3 Kings and a Jack

Formula 1 could well be rated the most glamorous sport in present day world. With other sports catching up on this speed extravaganza, F1 might still manage to be a shade superior. The billions of pounds pumped in stand as a testimony. I am not saying that its pay cheques or the research figures in the ‘business’ but it is by far the most engineered sport. Passion revs up at 20000 rpm on the straights and enthusiasm propels life at 5 times gravity on the trickiest of chicanes. Though the FIA is infallibly trying to make the sport safer, year after year records have been broken. With the onset of yet another season, though it still stands about more than two months of painstaking testing, it surely promises a lot more than it has done in the past.

“I don’t support any racer or team, it is the game I live for” well that has always been my getaway statement each time I have been asked whether I was pro-schumi or the other way. I have loved every bit of the excitement; to a list a few:

It talks about 3 Kings of the Trade and a JACK …

Fernendo Alonso:

Better known as: Youngest F1 Champion

I like him for: ENTHUSIASM. That comes with keenness and a fantasy to win. The way he challenged Michael Schumacher, I respect him for the COURAGE.

I hate him for: TREACHARY. Ditched Renault and left for Mclaren. Can’t wait to see a previously overshadowed Fissichela beat the hell out of him in the Renault.

Michael Schumacher:

Also known as: Greatest F1 racer EVER – Legend – Laps of God

I like him for: SPEED. Others took three pit stops, he took two and won. Did it the other way, and still won. Spun, started from 20th position and won again. A recap of all in the last race again – If there was ever a God for Racing, he drove a FERRARI.

I hate him for: POPULARITY. It is his popularity that’s got him all the accusations to be a cheater and a spoilt sport.

Kimi Raikkonnen:

Also Known as: The Iceman

I like him for: AGGRESSION and he is a FIN. Love to see his anxiety to get ahead of the leader on the first lap itself.

I hate him for: TOO AGGRESSIVE. The Mclaren didn’t respond well. Try it on the Ferrari – He’ll win for sure.

Jaques Villeneuve:

Also known as: Captain Bonkers – Jack Attack – Son of the legendary racer Giles Villeneuve

I like him for: Extremely UNPREDICTABLE moves on the field that has stunned racers and most significantly Steve Slater (the christener of all the above mentioned names). Today he stands not more than a badly paid champion from an acme of being the world champion (year 1997).

I hate him for: NOTHING. Who hates entertainment? If F1 was entertainment, he is my choice.

KEEP CHECKING THIS SPACE FOR MORE F1 Related BLOGGING.

Friday, December 15, 2006

ATLANTIS


So finally i am back after a log time........ Anyways cud have written during exams....but avoided it so that i don't blurt out my frustrations on my blog....looks bad for future record.

So the vacations have finally begun and the Mathura trip also stands canceled courtesy extreme weather in the north and more so me and tinku's reluctance to waste ten precious days of vacations in a freezer.


Again falling short of anything to write on so here i chose my fav topic......if u haven't guessed yet.....
CARS

Just the next day of the last exam i went to the book fair at Vashi station and was looking for a particular book by a last century Russian writer by the name Fyodor Dostoevsky. Obviously cudnt find that book owing to the fact that it was published in 1891. But found another title by the same author. Anyways as i was busy searching for my stuff, Sunny managed to grab the only thing he can think of reading. It was a magazine, not more than 150 pages, but worth more than thousand pages of jeffrey archer or sideney sheldon. Again sunny at his best. He found the UK edition of the mag F1 Racing. obviously we grabbed one and flipped thru the pages......BLISS


Sunny took it home and i cudnt wait to put my hands on it. Went back the next day and grabbed the only copy left of a diff edition. Also managed to search through the sea of shitty native cousins of playboy, awesome stuff like MOTORSPORT anniversary special(400 pages of absolute heaven) and some others like BMW M3 special edition and Jaguar Heritage. I was supposed to wait for my mom to proceed with the boring, once in a six month shopping routines. Cudnt find a place to sit down and read the stuff....... so sat down at the footpath near centre one under a tree shade and glanced thru the entire F1 racing edition. Then chose to read an article. It was on sudden change of team technical directors in the red bull racing team before the start of 2005 season.


Reading on i realised how politics and the usual ill feeling we find in ppl around us are more prevalent in the million dollar sport. I knew it wud be there but not at such levels like team owner and technical director. The whole outcome of the article was that the owner of the red bull team (an Austrian billionaire) sacked the tech dir just because he was not an Austrian but a Britishers. On the other hand the guy sacked is considered as the best and the most respected tech guy in the F1 circuit.

Was really shocking but in a way, subtle. Just made me think that we keep wining about the sick profs and the system around us for restricting our potential and making our lives miserable. But is there any escape to it?????


Is there anyplace where u wont find this? Where u wont be manipulated for the greater gain of the society? Where u wont have to sacrifice for the good of ppl around u???? Where u will be free to work on the basis of merit and not as a money earning machine?????

I think, at the back of our mind we all know that there isn't any. And we all know that there cannot be any. Coz such feelings are always associated with human nature, of which we ourselves are the architect.

Anyways i know of such a place, though fictitious, but i must admit it has played a very important part in reshaping my life. Its called ATLANTIS. ATLANTIS according to the writings of PLATO was a island which had a similar story like our world today, but 11,000 years ago, according to Greek mythology. I came across it in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. She has given that name to a place which is a very important aspect of the whole story.

If anyone is interested to know what happened to atlantis 11,000 years ago, and maybe, i strongly believe, will be the end of this age on earth. Just click here. Might sound too filmy or senti i guess, but kind of self assuring.

A weak hope that the ATLANTIS as described in Atlas Shrugged should exist, and one day i will find it, keeps me going.