The use of Magic Johnson in this topic is not due to any particular reason except that this was the guy I was first compared to when I was growing up in an all boys’ school. The reason for this comparison was not because I was able to play basketball like him but because I resembled him physically. And even that is exaggerating it a bit. I was not six foot tall but I was taller than most of the other guys at school. I did have dark skin. I was also fat which I am sure Magic Johnson was not. He was however the reason that I got interested in basketball.
Anyways this post is not about Magic Johnson. I am only writing this to say that I actually bought a basketball and have been going to shoot a few balls three days now. Isn’t that amazing?
The first time I went was right after I bought the basketball. It was on sale for three bucks. I figured why not, and then on the way home I decided to stop at the court and test it out. It has been almost two years since I last played basketball. I did manage to get some of the shots in the basket though.
The second time I went I managed to get more shots in so I am figuring if I keep going then I will be Magic Johnson in no time at all. I was interrupted a few times though. The first was when this girl who was out walking her two dogs managed to throw her doggy ball straight at my head. I heard “sorry, sorry” before I saw the ball flying right past my nose and the dogs come running between my legs. Well it didn’t hit me and the dogs didn’t knock me over so it was all right. And then this other guy (out walking his dog) came past that girl with her two dogs. Well. It was supposed to be a scene straight out of a chick movie right? They say hi. The dogs sniff each other’s butts and whammo… they go out on a date.
Alas. It was not to happen. The dogs took one look at each other and were at their throats. It was more like Alien vs Predator than any chick movie I had seen. The guy was shouting. The girl was screaming. They were lunging at their respective dogs trying to pull them off the other one. Not to happen however. The dogs paid no attention to their owners and kept on biting, barking, growling and chewing. The guy finally started kicking and punching his dog, all the time cursing, which finally deterred the dog. The guy seemed like he was going to bust a gut. He was red in the face and huffing and puffing. All the time this was going on I was trying my best not to laugh out loud.
Anyways that was the highlight of my day. I went back to shooting some balls and went home. Yesterday I also went to the court but there was no dogfight that day. The girl was there but she managed to aim her doggy balls away from me. Pretty unexciting after the other day anyways I managed to score some shots from the furthest end of the court. I reckon I keep going and going until I have perfected my skills. Who knows this could also assist me in losing some of the kilos I have put on since coming to Australia.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Taste of the Army
I remember the day I went to Girifushi for Basic Army Training. There were four guys with an ‘A’ level qualification and I, being one of them, was put in charge of one of the platoons – Mike Platoon to be exact. I remember thinking I was in over my head as I listened to the guys and girls in my platoon bitching and whining about not being fit enough to handle the training. The problem was that there was nobody to whom I could whine and bitch to. I did not know any of these guys with whom I would be spending the next few months in very extreme conditions. My friends with whom I had been recruited had already finished their training. I had lost out because I had gone to serve on an island.
I did know some people. There was one guy who had served on that island with me. There was another who had been drafted with me and there was one who had been a classmate. Of course they all were in different platoons and I was stuck with strangers. Before heading off to Girifushi I had been on my knuckles a few times. I was not looking to score any points with the platoon leaders on training officers. I just wanted to get there, do my thing and come home. That was my attitude to everything undesirable, I suppose. When I was drafted, I remember thinking I had to serve four years which was my bond and then I could get out.
So off I went to four weeks of extremes that I would rather not get into. Even if I wanted to I don’t really remember much except that I was more tired and exhausted than I had ever been in my life.
There are some things that do stand out. Like being taught how to eat (to army standards!!) there was a particular way of holding the knife and fork and spoon. Also all the food had to be consumed no matter what it was and no matter how much they put on the plate. And it had to happen in a set time of about ten minutes or sometimes even shorter period of time.
The first thing I did when I finished that training was revert back to how I was before. I stopped holding my cutlery in army standard and just used them in any way else I could. I took my time eating, savouring every single taste that could come out of the food and delicacies that I had to consume.
I am still trying to make up for that time when I missed putting my sense of taste to its fullest use. I take my time and often am not even halfway through my meal when my wife finishes and puts her fork down.
I did know some people. There was one guy who had served on that island with me. There was another who had been drafted with me and there was one who had been a classmate. Of course they all were in different platoons and I was stuck with strangers. Before heading off to Girifushi I had been on my knuckles a few times. I was not looking to score any points with the platoon leaders on training officers. I just wanted to get there, do my thing and come home. That was my attitude to everything undesirable, I suppose. When I was drafted, I remember thinking I had to serve four years which was my bond and then I could get out.
So off I went to four weeks of extremes that I would rather not get into. Even if I wanted to I don’t really remember much except that I was more tired and exhausted than I had ever been in my life.
There are some things that do stand out. Like being taught how to eat (to army standards!!) there was a particular way of holding the knife and fork and spoon. Also all the food had to be consumed no matter what it was and no matter how much they put on the plate. And it had to happen in a set time of about ten minutes or sometimes even shorter period of time.
The first thing I did when I finished that training was revert back to how I was before. I stopped holding my cutlery in army standard and just used them in any way else I could. I took my time eating, savouring every single taste that could come out of the food and delicacies that I had to consume.
I am still trying to make up for that time when I missed putting my sense of taste to its fullest use. I take my time and often am not even halfway through my meal when my wife finishes and puts her fork down.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Journey towards knowledge
I remember a time when I had four good friends. We would walk to school together as we did not have bikes which we could ride to school with. Anyways I would get up in the morning and get ready for school and go outside. More times than not, my friend S. would be waiting for me or just coming down the road. His house was just two blocks up at the end of our road. We would walk together towards the other end where we would meet up with another friend, N., whose house was at that end. Cross the road and joined by M. the four of us would walk up Majeedhee Magu to Sosun Magu where we would be met with the last member of our little Qunitet, Sh. So the five of us would be taking our time – talking about nothing and everything – while on our way towards the school. This would sometimes take half an hour but should have taken only fifteen minutes.
Sometimes the five would not be all there. Sometimes S. would get a bike which meant that he would ride to school which he often did. Sh. didn’t really join up with our quintet until the last year of school or so. So mostly I remember going to school with N. and M.
Let me tell you about N. He was quick witted and quick tongued. His would move a mile a minute. He always had something to say about each and every topic. He and M. were very good friends. M. was a bit on the heavy side but not as fat as I was at that time. M.’s family were supporters and managers of a very famous football club. He also had a quick tongue. I remember once we made plans to make our own movie. I was going to write the screenplay. N. was going to star in it and M. was going to direct it. That didn’t happen as we gradually lost touch over the years.
After we finished Grade ten, N, S, Sh and me all went to SEC. M. didn’t. I think he didn’t have the grades but anyway I lost touch with him. We would see each other on the road sometimes and talk for a bit but we never met up and did anything together. N. became really popular in SEC. he had lots of friends and although we remained good friends, we saw less of each other.
S. and Sh. Remain to this day my very good friends. They are part of my inner circle and know all there is to know about me. Even though I am in Australia, S. is in India and Sh. back home we still keep in touch via the internet. N. is in Russia and the last time I saw M., he was working at the airport. I saw him the last time I went back home on holidays.
During my years of studying I would always remember those walks in the early morning that the five of us together took while going forth towards that fountain of knowledge that would eventually drive us some distances away from each other. So here is a shout out to all of you my four walk buddies wherever you are. Stay cool. Drop me a line when you can.
Sometimes the five would not be all there. Sometimes S. would get a bike which meant that he would ride to school which he often did. Sh. didn’t really join up with our quintet until the last year of school or so. So mostly I remember going to school with N. and M.
Let me tell you about N. He was quick witted and quick tongued. His would move a mile a minute. He always had something to say about each and every topic. He and M. were very good friends. M. was a bit on the heavy side but not as fat as I was at that time. M.’s family were supporters and managers of a very famous football club. He also had a quick tongue. I remember once we made plans to make our own movie. I was going to write the screenplay. N. was going to star in it and M. was going to direct it. That didn’t happen as we gradually lost touch over the years.
After we finished Grade ten, N, S, Sh and me all went to SEC. M. didn’t. I think he didn’t have the grades but anyway I lost touch with him. We would see each other on the road sometimes and talk for a bit but we never met up and did anything together. N. became really popular in SEC. he had lots of friends and although we remained good friends, we saw less of each other.
S. and Sh. Remain to this day my very good friends. They are part of my inner circle and know all there is to know about me. Even though I am in Australia, S. is in India and Sh. back home we still keep in touch via the internet. N. is in Russia and the last time I saw M., he was working at the airport. I saw him the last time I went back home on holidays.
During my years of studying I would always remember those walks in the early morning that the five of us together took while going forth towards that fountain of knowledge that would eventually drive us some distances away from each other. So here is a shout out to all of you my four walk buddies wherever you are. Stay cool. Drop me a line when you can.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Tales of a cop - Part 1
What would you have done?
It was just another night on duty. He was placed as receptionist at the main gate and was going to be there for the whole eight hours. Normally it was two but due to some of his colleagues being sent to the Island stations and some being sick and some whose talents were too much to be wasted on reception duty, he was stuck there for the whole of his shift.
It did not faze him that much. He liked the idea of being alone on duty and having some quiet time for his writing. Pretty much nothing of any consequence happened at the main gate other than the occasional visits from officers from the other sections. But as it was the late shift these visits were not going to happen until the early hours of the morning. By them he would be all too ready to be relieved.
So it came as a surprise that the man who was brought in that night was brought in through the main gate and not through the back one which is normal for any arrestee. It was an even greater surprise that the man was in handcuffs and that he smiled at him and offered his hands to be shook all the while referring to him by name.
He was much too amazed to do anything but smile back and shake hands with this man. All too quickly he was ushered up the stairs to the holding cells and he was left there wondering what the hell just happened. He had shaken hands with a man who was in handcuffs and who seemed to know his name. He scratched his head and sat back down behind the desk still wondering.
The man was not familiar. He looked the same as most of the people from the islands did. Dark, sun-burnt skin. Scraggly black hair that were turning grey in places heralding that he was past middle age. His eyes had looked kind but the overgrown beard gave the appearance of a mildly deranged caveman. He was wearing a green tee shirt and brown pants.
He was still trying to remember whether he knew the man when his colleague came back downstairs after handing the man over to the cell guards. As he was sitting down he asked him who that man was. He replied that the man had been a cop about two years ago and had retired and gone back to his island. He had been in this same patrol.
It dawned on him who the man was when he was told his name. He remembered the time he was a recruit and was placed in this patrol and the man had been a senior officer. Senior, as in older. He did not have any stripes which did not mean much as folk from the islands did not have a good education. And without a good education it was hard to get promoted.
But he still remembered the guy as being kind and nice. What had happened to have this man in handcuffs and in a cell in the same place that he had worked for most of his life?
His colleague came out with the story that the man had cut up another man with a knife, so bad that he had bled to death. This other man was the man’s father-in-law. It seemed that the man had a daughter about ten or twelve years old. He had found out that this other man – his daughter’s grandfather – was molesting her. And had been doing it for sometime.
He had waited for the old man to finish his prayers at the mosque and waylaid him on his way back home. He had used a kathivalhi for pretty much what that knife had been made to do – and carved up the old man.
After telling this story, his colleague went on that he would have done the same if faced with the same circumstances. He, himself was not too sure what he would have done. But then people were driven to do some crazy things in difficult situations. He just hoped that nothing of that sort would happen to him and force him to decide.
It was just another night on duty. He was placed as receptionist at the main gate and was going to be there for the whole eight hours. Normally it was two but due to some of his colleagues being sent to the Island stations and some being sick and some whose talents were too much to be wasted on reception duty, he was stuck there for the whole of his shift.
It did not faze him that much. He liked the idea of being alone on duty and having some quiet time for his writing. Pretty much nothing of any consequence happened at the main gate other than the occasional visits from officers from the other sections. But as it was the late shift these visits were not going to happen until the early hours of the morning. By them he would be all too ready to be relieved.
So it came as a surprise that the man who was brought in that night was brought in through the main gate and not through the back one which is normal for any arrestee. It was an even greater surprise that the man was in handcuffs and that he smiled at him and offered his hands to be shook all the while referring to him by name.
He was much too amazed to do anything but smile back and shake hands with this man. All too quickly he was ushered up the stairs to the holding cells and he was left there wondering what the hell just happened. He had shaken hands with a man who was in handcuffs and who seemed to know his name. He scratched his head and sat back down behind the desk still wondering.
The man was not familiar. He looked the same as most of the people from the islands did. Dark, sun-burnt skin. Scraggly black hair that were turning grey in places heralding that he was past middle age. His eyes had looked kind but the overgrown beard gave the appearance of a mildly deranged caveman. He was wearing a green tee shirt and brown pants.
He was still trying to remember whether he knew the man when his colleague came back downstairs after handing the man over to the cell guards. As he was sitting down he asked him who that man was. He replied that the man had been a cop about two years ago and had retired and gone back to his island. He had been in this same patrol.
It dawned on him who the man was when he was told his name. He remembered the time he was a recruit and was placed in this patrol and the man had been a senior officer. Senior, as in older. He did not have any stripes which did not mean much as folk from the islands did not have a good education. And without a good education it was hard to get promoted.
But he still remembered the guy as being kind and nice. What had happened to have this man in handcuffs and in a cell in the same place that he had worked for most of his life?
His colleague came out with the story that the man had cut up another man with a knife, so bad that he had bled to death. This other man was the man’s father-in-law. It seemed that the man had a daughter about ten or twelve years old. He had found out that this other man – his daughter’s grandfather – was molesting her. And had been doing it for sometime.
He had waited for the old man to finish his prayers at the mosque and waylaid him on his way back home. He had used a kathivalhi for pretty much what that knife had been made to do – and carved up the old man.
After telling this story, his colleague went on that he would have done the same if faced with the same circumstances. He, himself was not too sure what he would have done. But then people were driven to do some crazy things in difficult situations. He just hoped that nothing of that sort would happen to him and force him to decide.
Monday, April 03, 2006
spidey wallpaper
get the new spiderman 3 wallpaper here
this is gonna be one awesome movie. cant wait for it to come out. then i just have to convince dina to go and see it with me...
life's little coincidences
i rented two movies yesterday. DOOM and SERENITY. if you look at the names i guess they would be complete opposites but i found some similarities between these two movies that i could have just rented the one or the other instead of both. but i guess they have their own unique qualities.
both DOOM and SERENITY involves genetic mutation. what with scientists trying to inject a 24th chromosome into humans in DOOM and the "Alliance"/government injecting PAX to try and control the people in SERENITY. In both movies they end up as psychotic monsters unable or unwilling to control their rage and hunger for the human flesh.
the best thing in DOOM was Karl Urban. The Rock was completely wasted int his movie and none of the supporting cast is worth a second look. the first person sequence in this movie did not live up to the hype. mebbe cos i did not play the game that this mnovie was based on. all in all this was a waste of money.
SERENITY at least had some good stars. i loved Summer Glau. she had the best fight sequence i have seen in a long time. Nathan Fillion is good as the captain of the crew and the girl playing his love interest Inara is beautiful. Summer Glau is outstanding!! the plot was a little weak and slow at times and not what i expected. but it was bettere than DOOM.
both DOOM and SERENITY involves genetic mutation. what with scientists trying to inject a 24th chromosome into humans in DOOM and the "Alliance"/government injecting PAX to try and control the people in SERENITY. In both movies they end up as psychotic monsters unable or unwilling to control their rage and hunger for the human flesh.
the best thing in DOOM was Karl Urban. The Rock was completely wasted int his movie and none of the supporting cast is worth a second look. the first person sequence in this movie did not live up to the hype. mebbe cos i did not play the game that this mnovie was based on. all in all this was a waste of money.
SERENITY at least had some good stars. i loved Summer Glau. she had the best fight sequence i have seen in a long time. Nathan Fillion is good as the captain of the crew and the girl playing his love interest Inara is beautiful. Summer Glau is outstanding!! the plot was a little weak and slow at times and not what i expected. but it was bettere than DOOM.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
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