Scribblings

I didn't think much when I wrote about my funniest moment. How could I? How can somebody enjoy something which makes no sense to them let alone be funny. I even wrote it as a self dare just to see if I can. But I guess enough people thought it was funny. So Arun, here goes another one on paper.

This time around, Arun was visiting me in Mysore and as usual we had a great time. You see, Mysore is one of those places, which looks so ordinary and 'o my god' boring on a day to day basis but taken to the right place on the right time with (of course) the right people there is no place like it. I have even been to the exact same place twice; the first time I couldn't wait to get out, even thought to myself, if this is what they call a picnic place probably their streets would be filled with death. But the next time; it was about a half a kilometer away, the sun about to set and with a bunch of people I hold so dear. It was magic. I had one of my best times. So coming to the night in question.

Again I was (as you might guess) very tired. We both were watching TV and I dozed off. Then I was told (I didn't remember a thing until he told me the whole deal in the morning), it was about thirty minutes later that Arun had slept. He says, moments after that; I woke up, got up, turned on the light, lie down again, then woke him up and asked him why the lights were on and to turn it off. Good times, maybe scary times for him but nevertheless those were the days.

I always remember what Robin William's character says in Good Will Hunting. It goes something like this, it does not matter if you are perfect or she is perfect, what matters most is that you both are perfect for each other. And I think this holds good even between friends. We are all imperfect in our own way, maybe I should exclude Arun, I think given the circumstances he is as perfect as it gets. But seriously, you cannot find more diverse group of four, anywhere. Any given time, one of us doesn’t really understand or appreciate another's action. Vadi might not understand why I got to buy that mobile/ that car/ that bag/ that watch/ that shoes, for that matter anything. Vadi doesn’t understand why Karthik can’t/won’t make it to the LV trip. Karthik doesn’t get why Vadi wont get a girl and Arun is wondering why Karthik gets all the girls(I might be killed for saying all this) and I still can't understand why Arun had to leave because some college mate of mine is coming to town. But here is the spoiler; we have always; whatever the circumstance stood by each other. Without prejudice, without judgment, without question, without nothing.

Further more, I cannot count the number of times they have all saved me. Not just helping out with money or advice or consoling but help me in a way that gives meaning to life worth living for. When I fly they keep me rooted, when I'm distracted they keep me focused and when am down (I don’t know why but I keep remembering this) they ask me how can you say you have reached the bottom because I'm right below you pushing you up. Smile. I can go on, same as anyone of us would speak about the other.

We started out together in school, then college together, and then work together and we even stayed together. But now some of us are married, in different countries, different work life but there is a beauty in it, see fate can only take you so long; its then up to us to walk rest of the way. And so here we are ten years now, it takes a lot of effort and a lot of sacrifice but then, all this is worth it. Guys, thank you for everything; thank you for nothing. Here is another one that makes so much sense to me. "They said, I bet they'll never make it. But just look at us holding on; we’re still together still going strong"

I would be the first to acknowledge, I am imperfect in so many ways you don’t dare imagine but then again we are perfect.

As I have said before, I’m dumbstruck when delivering good news. For this though, I even had difficulty deciding on a title. Should it read “Championship is back home” or “Boy! You look good in Red” or simplicity incarnated “Top of the world, where we belong”. But I decided on this because for any true Red Devils’ fan this would do, need nothing fancy. This means patience; this means so much pain; this means we won’t let go of our belief; this means we have the heart and soul to comeback. This means we are the champions.

Take a second, and let it sink in. O! Boy we are the champions. Yes, I can hear the millions singing it, we are the champions. This must be the best season of all under Sir Alex. What do you say about this gentleman that isn’t already said? The way he diffused Rooney-Ronaldo situation or how he brought in Evra and Vidic, virtual unknowns who later went on to be the pillars of our defense. Sir Alex looked like a kid with his favorite toy out there on the pitch collecting his medal. And if I know him correct, he would already be planning the next season.

At this point you might think, this is just a fan making noise for one championship won. In a way its true, looking at it you might even think how Chelsea had won it so easy last two seasons and a add that perfect year Arsenal had three seasons back. But then you would be missing the bigger picture. Believe it or not; this ain’t about the championship.

Sir Alex set out yet again to build a new team. When everyone was biting their nails and wondering what would happen to United once the class of 92’ faded away. Back of our minds we were wondering would we follow Liverpool after their days in the sun. This team vindicates us. Win or loose as I said before we are there, reborn. Protecting the history and laying out the future. This team can be; sorry they have proved over the past two years that they are here not to carry the name of this club but to make a name for themselves. In this process we have seen some of the astounding football ever played.

So this isn’t a feeble cry from a mindless fan. But it’s a salute to a marvelous person, a knight in glittering armor who saved us all. This is a pat in the back for those warriors who found our way back home.

The one match which stands out vividly in my memory is the one Devils played hosts to Blackburn Rovers. You see, when ever am alone or thinking about soccer (that’s almost always. Not being alone but thinking of soccer) I realized that we are in front (that hasn’t happened for a long time). I keep calming myself thinking more than half a season to go and let me not get carried away. But that match, I said to myself that from that point on if we still manage to loose I wouldn’t care. Simply put, that match for me we were the champions.

Playing good is one thing, playing so good that it borders insanity is another ball game. It looked as if they set out to punish Rovers for scoring the goal. It is quite funny to look at because the one thing about Manchester United that pulled me and millions alike is that killer touch, that ‘never die’ attitude. It’s how they put the fear of the devil in the opponent’s heart and mind. It’s how they would defeat their opponents without a single pass made. This attitude has somehow seeped in; these youngsters have now started speaking that language.

I really miss David and Ruud, I really do. They are embedded in our hearts forever. But this team is throwing up a few names who are going to live in our memories for long. I have been a Manchester United fan for a long time now. I have known Becks way before he became this Footballing god. But I have always felt bad that I didn’t have that chance to see George Best or for that matter Eric Cantona at his best. Somehow the fast rolling ‘old’ videos certainly don’t do justice to their brilliance.

This boy, yes; sometimes you got to keep telling yourself that they are just boys. Anyways this kid called Rooney; he makes me feel what I guess millions would have felt in the presence of such greatness. Mark my words, he is this club’s future. I know Ronaldo is being carried around as the greatest. He is really good, I adore him. But with no doubt in my mind if Ronaldo is the face of the new red Manchester, Rooney is certainly the body and soul. I like it that he gets little media attention and I like it even more that he doesn’t seam to bother.

"The only thing when I go to bed tonight is I have got a team with confidence, a team that will run to the last minute and will definitely have a go, no question about that.

"When you put all these things together, I can sleep okay I think tonight."

-Sir Alex Ferguson

So can we, so can we; and thank you for that.

What is the funniest moment in my life? That’s been the question am struggling to answer for past couple of days. I can definitely tell you the most memorable, that’s got to be the trip to Kodayar hills. Yea that was amazing; let me see that was some ten years back and I still remember it so as yesterday. That’s not much but definitely qualifies as most memorable. I can try my hand at the ‘saddest’, that’s got to be a heartbreak. So there was one. Let me see, I can even come up with the ‘most absurd’. That’s would be spending all the money on lunch and traveling unreserved on a train; sleeping in the luggage rack for twelve hours straight. I can go on, If you insisit on trying me; Here goes. The ‘Most exciting’? That would have to be the first day of my first job. The ‘most romantic’? the ride to Mel Kotai and even the tough one the; ‘most embarrassing’? That’s perhaps for another time.

But now I’m having a hard time figuring out the funniest, just where did my ‘funniest moment’ go? O yea, there it is. I guess it was around four years back, and it was New Years Eve. We did the usual stuff then my roommates and I called it a day in the wee hours of the morning. I was as tired as Roadrunner must have been between takes. But my friend kept on talking, without me realizing I had slept in the middle. I woke up with a start, realized I missed what he just said and dutifully asked him to repeat himself. To which he refused and I for one who didn’t want to be pushed, came back with this imaginative yet smart reply. “Not a big deal, I would look it up in my missed calls”(for people of last generation or simply those not in touch with the world, missed calls are the list of calls which you failed to answer on your mobile phone).

Right, Accepted. I could see the frown on your faces. What a moron I got to be to come up with something so lame. I thought about making up something so cool and funny in a Vin diesel kind of way. I even contemplated of writing this and then you call reading this to be your ‘Most embarrassing’ moment. Even copying something from a 80’s edition of Reader’s Digest crossed my mind. But that is besides the point. I guess funniest need not be Jim Carreyish, in most cases it might not even make sense to others. But imagine this, after I just said that; it reached my brains of what just came out of my mouth. We both sat up laughing, laughing our arses off. This even woke up my other roommate. And it took five minutes to compose ourselves to narrate what happened then we kept on laughing.

Yup, that was the funniest moment of my life; he teases me to this very day. Even my wife to be, got so scared thinking what’s in store for her when she heard this story. Miss you guys.