The Cold Chronicles: Part 1
A severe cold isn't all that bad. You get to cut class without a conscience attack. And if it means one less session gnashing teeth and holding breath under the watchful gaze of Jain Baba, the illness is even sweeter. But today, resting as I was from any academic endeavour, I made use of the time to catch up on some reading. Reading, not of the paper and ink kind, no, but of the html and asp kind.

Saddam Hussein is suddenly the most popular guy in the world. Increasingly, as we have progressed down the centuries, fame demands more and more insanity, or stupidity. I can imagine the headlines if we had Jesus Christ around in the 21st Century. "Jewish man converts water into wine. Shares of Johnnie Walker crash." Or, "Bearded holyman feeds 5000 people with 5 loves of bread. US decries blatant violation of WTO norms." Its a sad world today for potentially famous people. Today, if you want your fifteen minutes of fame, you have to kill, be killed spectacularly, or be found in a hole in the ground. Or you could do what the Bobbits did, but that would be a one-time, no comeback method.

Zidane is the world's best footballer again. The last thirteen best footballers have been from Italy or Spain. And a whole lot of them from Real Madrid. What balderdash. Its almost like India and the Kabbadi championships. Not that India isn't good at it, but calling it a world thing... no no no. Them Americans call their baseball thing the world series too. But then thats a country where an austrian bodybuilder who speaks English like a bull being neutered and has less brains than free seats in a gujju restaurant on Saturday night becomes Governer.

India won their first test in Australia after 1981. Wow, thats 22 years ago. I was two years old. Wonderful victory too. The flip side is I have to wait till 2025 for the next time. You think I am joking ? Try telling my dad's friend who saw that 1981 match live. Spare a thoought for Steve Waugh though. His last test series, and he's lost one already. And he has a huge paunch too. He should have known better. The world is intrinsically unfair towards fat people. Oh you don think so? Met anyone fit, good looking with cholesterol?

Okay, to end this monologue, I was watching friends today. When its over this season, a part of me will die. I know I know, its not as funny anymore, and the jokes are getting all stale. But it was nice cozying up to an episode with friends over pizza. Atleast it beats living in a hole in the ground all day, growing a beard, with most of a million dollars in cash. Or does it....