To sum up this week,

• இந்திய‌ கிரிக்க‌ட் வ‌ர‌லாற்றில் முத‌ல் முறையாக‌, இர‌ண்டு வீர‌ர்க‌ள் த‌ன்மான‌த்துட‌ன் ஒய்வு பெற்ற‌ன‌ர்! மேலும் தெறிந்து கொள்ள ப‌டியுங்க‌ள் cricinfo.com

• my roomie's ongoing search for a belt to match a shoe that is apparently brown -- the common concensus here is that the shoe is red in color.  Just think about the ones the police inspectors in tamil movies wear. Come on, no self respecting belt manufacturer will ever make one in that color for crying out loud!

• Bosses for once are nice to their reports.  What is going on??  However, with all due respect - the crankiness still persists.

• A gorgeous Christmas tree was setup outside my office and every evening will be a sight to behold for the next 2 months with all the spectacular lighting.

• And finally, my quest for the perfect haircut in this country continues.

Rubbing salt

More than India's sound thrashing of the world champion Aussies, it was the final presentation ceremony and the numerous discussions that followed that will be etched in my memory for a long time.  If the players got under their skin in the aftermath of the mauling at Mohali (மா நா‍‍-வுக்கு மா நா ;-)), it was the commentators and the other hosts' words that were so scathing to say the least -- boy wasn't the cricketing world waiting for this thrashing?!?  I bet Ian Chappell was not able to sit inside the neo sports studio after the game.

 

Everyone pays for being arrogant.  Aussies got their due back this time.

The flush

It has always been a steady bash of hot weather throughout the year back home save 2-3 months when its in the low thirties and ofcourse the NE monsoon -- ask any native of Madras and you will know that the seasonal changes ceased to exist - or so it seems!

Living outsitde the city for a couple of years now has been a great chance to observe how things change climatically in unseen waters.  I have often wondered how these guys define dates for the start of a season and they are pretty accurate indeed.  Regardless of the prediction, it looks to me like there is a sudden rush of blood for mother nature that indicates that a seasonal change is on the way in the next week or so.  I call it "the flush".

Now that we were all enjoying the spectacular fall colors this late into the year, nature has apparently decided "enough".  Super heavy rain for the past 2 days flushed out all leaves out of the trees.  The barren look on the trees sends a chill down your spine as Winter stares hard at you -- "here I come".  We can safely sing "ellam black and white-il therigiradhey" for the next 4-5 months.

I can't wait for the next flush -- 2 days of close to 55-60F temperature and overnight rain to clear out the snow and usher in summer.