India vs Sri Lanka

India won thanks to Dravid (so what's new about it!). No sign of trying Venugopal Rao as an all rounder. Can't see the point of having a batsman coming so low down the order if you don't plan to use him as a bowler. Sounds like Raina is a favorite of Chappell and Dravid. Hopefully, he'll deliver consistently. If he does, he can certainly seal his slot for the next World Cup.

In any case at least Dravid is consistent about using Sehwag as a bowler unlike Ganguly who had the habit using Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvraj and himself very infrequently. For instance, you'll find Sachin bowling 10 overs in one match and not bowl at all for the next 3-4 games. Likewise for the others. Unless they are used regularly as bowlers we can't count on them to play the role of the backup bowlers. Sounds like Dravid has firmed up on Sehwag as one of his backup bowlers.

The next match should be interesting with Ganguly back in the side probably at the expense of Raina, Venu Yuvraj or Kaif. Both Kaif and Yuvraj blew a good opportunity to cement their spot in the team. The WI match is hardly a test. The true test is against SL and particularly Muralitharan.

Cricket: Indian Oil Cup Opener

India start off the season with a "lousy" performance. I don't understand the logic of playing Venugopal Rao in the all rounder slot and not being tried as a bowler. I guess the target was too small for the new captain to experiment. Thankfully he scored some runs to hold his spot at least for next match. With Laxman likely to come in the next match and Ganguly to follow in the one after, two slots from this team are sure to open up.

Jayasurya with a broken shoulder is good enough to stand up to the Indian bowling and take SL to victory. That speaks volumes about how pathetic our bowling is. As for the batting, Muralitharan is still a mystery for most Indian batsman (barring Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid).

At least for now I don't see much change in India's performance. The team is performing exactly as it did after the tour to Pakistan last year (2004).

Google's Add Content

Check out Google's Add Content feature on the Google customizable home page. Pretty neat stuff. Slowly but surely Google's customizable home page is heading towards becoming an improved more hip My Yahoo clone. Its funny how Google started of with search and is slowly incorporating all the generic portal features but with their own clever spin: free email, customizable home page, maps etc. etc.

Zopa: Borrow money from others via the web

Check out this site. Very interesting concept. I saw it mentioned in Business 2.0 magazine. Currently based in Europe.

The India ODI team: First Signs of Greg Chappel's influence?

VVS opening in one day games. Suresh Raina, Venugopal Rao two definite World Cup 2007 prospects in the Indian team. JP Yadav for the all-rounder spot. The end of Agarkar? -- Sounds like Chappel had something to do with these changes? I suspect that with VVS opening, Dhoni might be retained for the slog in the last 15 overs. Something India has always struggled with.

Badani and Sriram (in particular) must be wondering what more they need to do to return.

Top 10 signs you live in the Silicon Valley

10. At parties you no longer discuss startup ideas.
09. You are happy you have a job.
08. You can't imagine life without a wireless LAN at home.
07. You already use Skype or have been planning to give it a try.
06. You are constantly debating about public vs private school for your kids.
05. You are forced to wonder what its like to live in Bangalore.
04. You are complaining about the hot weather even when you know that you enjoy the best possible weather on the planet.
03. Traffic is no longer one of your top complaints.
02. You got burnt (at least partly) in the dotcomm days.
01. Your worst nightmare --- A real estate bubble!

BJP headed for a split?

The differences between the hardliners in the BJP and those in the Advani camp who aspire to embrace a more moderate veneer are increasing by the day. I think its only matter of time before the split in the party occurs. At the present time there is little sign of unity and no sign whatsoever of the next line of leadership emerging and gaining control of the party and crafting its future. As the Congress govt is cruising along in its second year in power, the BJP in its current form appears to be headed towards self-destruction.

Ashes First Test: England disappoints

Its pity that England barely put up a fight chasing 420 in the last innings. England needed a Rahul Dravid to play the anchor role!

Vaughan is hopelessly out of form and I suspect might end up in "Ganguly" mode as the Ashes progresses. Flintoff's batting form is in bad shape too. Pieterson has sealed his position with two fine knocks. The Aussies have proved once again that they are an incredibly strong test side. I'll be surprised if they loose even one test this series.

John Roberts: President Bush's master stroke

The Democrats were all geared up for tet another battle as President Bush was ready to announce his Supreme Court nominee. With the selection of John Roberts, President Bush has foxed his opponents once again. A virtual unknown, the Democrats are going to have a hard time digging up dirt on this candidate. The conservative groups appear to be pretty happy with this choice too. In short, President Bush has kept his base happy and made life hard for his oppenents.

At present it looks unlikely that fighting John Roberts candidacy will win them any political mileage. It might be prudent for the Democrats to pass on this battle and instead go after the Karl Rove controversy.

Ashes: First Test

Man, what a start to the Ashes! Wonderful days play. I hope the series remains as engaging! I never expected England to bowl so well. The comeback by the Aussiesis is quite typical. McGrath is a genius. 500+ wickets and the guy is still so brilliant.

It will be really cool start to the Ashes if Engaland manages a victory here, perhaps with some heroics from Pieterson! Dream on :-)

Fastrak toll on Dumbarton

Sometimes when I drive through the fastrak lane on Dumbarton bridge, I don't see the sensor go off and the display read "VALID". Instead the display remains blank and there is no beep. I wonder why? Am I getting a free ride? :-)

Saif best actor?

I am sure there has to be a better performance than Saif Ali Khan in Hum Tum. I think he acted well in the movie, but I don't think it was so great that it deserved the national award. Surely, there has to have been a better performance. SRK in Veer Zaara was certainly impressive, if the idea was to pick a commercial cinema. Mommy's present perhaps? :-)

Natwest Final: Eng Vs. Aus

Aussie thulped England. When Gilchrist gets going, then all bets are off for the opposition. Gillespie returned to form too. Hayden badly needs a break. In general, I think the Aussies are a better test team than a one-day side. So having won the one-day series don't be surprised if they make a clean sweep the test series. I don't think England has the bowling depth to get Australia out twice. I think all this talk about Aussie vulnerability will be a thing of the past, once the Ashes get going. In any case, should be a good series.

NatWest Challenge: Aussies win in style

This match was almost a mirror image of the first match of the Natwest Challenge. The performances where identical:

Collingwood => Brett Lee
Trescothic => Ponting
Vaughan => Martin
Hussey => Flintoff

Fine "leading from the front" knock from Ponting. The now familiar England batting collapse followed by a middle order fight back. Flintoff finally made a big score.

At least we now have a final match to look forward to. I hope its more evenly matched unlike the first two matches where the scores and performances where identical except the roles where reversed.

Lovely Sweets in Fremont

A low key, hole in wall place that serves Indian food (punjabi cuisine) and plenty of "lovely" sweets, this restaurant/sweet shop is worth trying out. The food is good and always freshly cooked. The sweets are exceptional especially the "rasmalai".

We returned to this restuarant (mostly because its a little out of the way) after a few years and definitely found it worth our while.

NatWest Challenge: Aussies struggling!

Aussie lost their first ODI to England. What a comprehensive defeat! England has done a wonderful job and now have a huge psycological edge after winning the first ODI. The pressure is on the Aussies.

I think Aussies are making a mistake by persisting with the same team match after match. Gillespie needs to be replaced. While Hayden needs a break. Shaun Tait and Katich deserve to be brought in.

Its a pity the new rules had little impact on the match.

Natwest Final: Eng Vs. Aus

Man, what a final! Hats off to England for their fighting performance. Its commendable to see tail-enders fight it out till the very end. (I can't remember the last time India's tail-enders accomplished anything even remotely close).

The Aussie's are still struggling. They no longer look like a champion, unbeatable side. All out under 50 overs for a score of less than 200! Hussey is a great find. I think Katich should be brought in place of Hayden (who hasn't made a big score in a long time). Gillespie could use a break. He has become the weak link in their bowling attack. Shaun Tait or whoeverelse is on the bench should be given a shot. After the wonderful opening spells from McGrath and Lee, Symonds kept one end tight, but Gillespie was exposed. Ponting's gamble of going for wickets caused him dearly because his best three (McGrath, Lee and Symonds) had very few overs left and Collingwood and Jones setlled in well by the time Hogg came on. It might have proved better if he had introduced Hogg earlier in the attack promptly after England were reduced to 33 for 5. In a desperate attempt to hit their way out of trouble the England batsmen might have tried to attack Hogg and lost their wickets. I guess Ponting had more faith in his bowling attack to get the needed breakthoughs.

England's top order is in bad shape. But their bowling looks very strong. Most importantly, they appear to be an inspired, fighting unit just when the Aussie's seem vulnerable.

It will be very interesting to see the new ICC rules for ODI in action in the three-match Natwest Challenge.

Shalimar in Fremont on weekends

If you plan to eat at Shalimar on Fri, Sat or Sun nights, I suggest you go early or plan for a long wait. Its extremely crowded and I understand that even if you order a take out the wait is pretty long.

In true desi style, the Shalimar folks have no proper process for sign up and table access. Its a free for all. Very often customers get into arguments about who showed up first. At least on one occasion I heard there was serious brawl!

You might find junta standing next to you at the table waiting for you to finish and leave! To avoid/minimize this, see if you can get a table that's deep inside rather than close to the door.

The food is still very good. The chai is free and so are the onions, chillis, pepper and chutneys.

Bonfante Gardens

Looking for a nice place to visit with your kids on a weekend? You live in the SF Bay area and don't necessarily want to drive a whole lot? Bonfante Gardens near Gilroy might be your answer. It is just south of San Jose after Morgan Hill. The park has plenty of rides, games, gardens, boat rides, train rides, etc. You can easily spend an entire day there and have lots of fun with the kids. The rides are not high pressure rides and hence perfect for smaller kids.

And finally the best part. The park is not well known. Very few people in the bay area are aware of its existence! The positive of course is that its not very crowded, which makes it an even better place to visit!

Its cheaper to get your tickets online.