Sydney here I come!

I most definitely am not talking about a girl named Sydney and going to her. I will actually be going to Sydney, the Aussie city tomorrow though it'll be the Boxing Day when I actually arrive there. Which means twenty or so hours of on-the-road which isn't exactly the correct term but you know what I mean. Though I love travelling flying is the most disliked part of it. Even though it's unavoidable. I really do wish we had Harry Potter style disapparate and apparate technology. However it's a small price to pay compared to the awesomeness of travelling, so no complaints really. Just bitching.

I've not made very many specific plans though. Except the Australia vs India Sydney Test on 3rd January. Someone I know rolled her eyes complete 360 degrees hearing that I'll be going to a cricket match and sit there for 8 hours on my vacation. But she's such a cricket tragic what else can you expect? Anyway, this is one golden opportunity for me to see the legends of the game like Ponting, Sachin, Dravid and VVS probably for the last time. Not gonna miss it. I do wish Ponting would score a 100 there. Would be an added bonus if Sachin gets out in the nineties again.

Other than that I'm planning on going whale watching though not yet sure when and where. Probably because I'm staying at my sister's place (not my own, but probably better than my own if I had one) so guess I'm trusting her and her hubby to take me around. The only other fixed item in the list is the fireworks on new year's eve at Sydney Harbor. In between I guess I'll go here and there seeing stuff; probably Opera House, Harbor, some Kangaroos (hopefully eat one too) and, er, I don't know, I'll tell you when I know. I don't think I would be doing a post-a-day travel diary this time like I did for the Beijing tour, but hopefully I would get to write something of my accounts there. I don't think it would be as much adventurous as Beijing but you never know. Fingers crossed!

Okay then, later peeps!

Who Wants To Be Famous?

Sometimes I wonder what is it like to be someone like Sachin Tendulkar, Angelina Jolie, Tiger Woods or Barak Obama. You have all the money in the world and a bit more, well perhaps Obama doesn't, but what the fuck, when practically you're the most powerful man on earth you don't really need money. And then they have the recognition, are loved by many - in Jolie's case it's a scary thought though - and simply put, famous and popular. They can pretty much get what they want.

Except freedom.

In a recent interview, Sachin said that he hadn't walked the streets of India for close to a decade. Poor guy. Imagine, you, not being able to walk the streets of Colombo, not being able to go to Pillawoos and have a Kottu without having to sign forty autographs. Though all of the above said four guys wouldn't mind that, I would, though there is no need for me to be so since nobody really give a shit about me going anywhere. And that's the first ever sentence I wrote with two "though"s in it. However, the point is, being all that comes with a cost and I will never want their lives, not at such a high cost anyway.

I'd like to be Brad Pitt for one night though.

The Great Little Master

It was inevitable.

And fitting too.

Probably the greatest batsman of this era, and without doubt one of the greatest of all time, finally achieved a milestone he truly deserved.


Sachin breaks the world record

In 152 matches Sachin has achieved 12027 runs, 39 centuries and hearts of millions of fans around the world. What more can you ask for?

And to be able to survive - not to mention thrive - for almost two decades carrying the weight of expectations of millions of cricket-crazy Indian who wouldn't think twice before burning their heroes' houses after a couple of failures is no mean feat. Yet he managed to survive and remained on top all this time.

That's class.

And toughness.

To add to that, being such a legend in the game, he still managed to be a humble person whom everyone seems to like. That, in my opinion is the greatest achievement of all.


Being congratulated by the Aussies...

Sachin may be gone in few years, and somebody might take his records, but the wonderful memories he leaves behind will remain forever...

Thank you Sachin, you truly have been a pleasure to watch!



Read Sanga's tribute here.