Revival of scrabble

I’m hooked…it’s an addiction and I am not ashamed to admit it! Wait wait…before you go running to get help, let me clarify. I am only talking about the Scrabulous game on Facebook. And without trying to act like a salesperson, I must urge you to play it if you haven’t yet tried it out. Its fast, its fun and its challenging. I started out playing (or trying to) with my friends but that didn’t work out as we were rarely online at the same time and I still have a game open that I started 10 days back!! Then I tried out this cool feature of ‘Join a table’ or ‘Host a table’. You can play with anyone online even if you don’t know each other. Most people mention how much time they have and how fast they would like the game to progress, which is a HUGE help when it comes to selecting the person you want to play with.



There are downsides ofcourse. My friend told me that some shady guy tried to chat up with her while playing. Also, most people end up cheating and use word finder softwares to make words you have NEVER heard of (and I have quite a good vocabulary if I say so myself). So you may feel a little shortchanged when someone makes a word like Mulattos (???) and earn some 75 points for it!!!

But then, all’s fair in a game as they say…go online my friend and sign up…if you are not afraid of being challenged by me that is!!

My IPL moment

OK, you will have to forgive me....I am still a little dazed...after all being in the company of Glenn McGrath, AB De Villers and the likes, I am allowed to be so!

So here I am working quietly on my desk at work and suddenly there is a huge commotion outside. And in troop half the team Delhi Daredevils! For the uninitiated, I am refering to the Delhi team of the much crazed IPL (Indian Premier League) and for the very uninitiated, I am talking about cricketers.



Manoj Tiwary looks a little uneasy with all the attention he is getting and Asif seems to be getting used to it....but the man himself....Glenn McGrath or Pidge like he calls himself, takes it all in his stride and smiles away for the cameras. Crowds in the already packed Nehru Place area are on the verge of a stampede....security has a tough time to keep it all under control....and then there is the photo op. A senior official shouts above the din 'Brand team, why dont you come up for a photograph'. The rest happens so fast that I can barely remember...but it involves a lot of flashes and McGrath sitting right next to me.

So cant really complain...Tuesday afternoon did not turn out so bad after all...

IPL Fever

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IPL fever has gripped the country!! For those who don’t read the newspaper (or listen to radio/ talk to people / see the news…) and for those not living in India and thus not consumed by this phenomenon, IPL refers to the Indian Premier League. The concept of sport clubs is not that novel, it’s been done to death in soccer, baseball, basketball and most other sports in the west. What is novel though is the fact that India picked up this concept, merged it with a format that is racy and gave it a shot of entertainment. Lo and behold, what do you have? An alternative for those bored of family soaps on TV!!

Critics have enough to say about this series. They cry hoarse about the fact that it’s not about cricket anymore, it’s about entertainment. The 20-20 format is taking away the skill and the art of the game. It’s a batting game and is unfair to bowlers. Everything is too commercialized; the seriousness of the sport has gone away. It won’t work because people watch cricket with the fervor of national pride and will not care less about regional teams….

Well, you know what? It works. There is no questioning the fact that it is a runaway success, shutting up all those who turned up their noses at it. Stadiums are packed, people are glued to their screens and it’s the topic of discussion in every office cafeteria. Loyalty to teams may be missing, but people are happy taking sides in each match and predicting the result. I agree, there is much more of the entertainment factor than we are used to. But then, who said that’s a bad thing? A person like me who slept off while watching a one-day match in Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium can not wait to watch who will win tonight. The target audience is being redefined; there is a new enthusiasm in the game, whether it is a product of Sreesanth’s antics or Akshay Kumar dropping from the sky, or even Shah Rukh Khan dancing every time his team hits a shot. In a world of individualism, where people are going more and more into themselves, IPL in its own small way is bringing people together. Drawing rooms are being filled with friends and its something exciting to talk about and debate. So for once, just drop the criticism and go cheer with your friends as two teams battle it out tonight…after all, the party has just begun!