The pursuit of perfection!

The pursuit of perfection!

Its been a while since I've seen someone produce something so outrageous that you think its almost unfair for one human being to be so utterly dominant. Tiger when he won for the first time at Augusta, Tendulkar at Sharjah in 98, Sampras for a couple of sets in his 99 wimbledon final against Agassi, Lance when he won the tour in 2001, and Roger Federer everytime he steps on to a tennis court these days.

Federer, when he burst onto the scene at Wimbledon 2001, was a promising youngster. His exquisite all round game quickly came to the fore especially in 2002 and 2003. Tennis these days, even the men's game, is purely a baseline affair. The serve and volley game is now long gone with the likes of Goran, Henman and Phillipoussis having retired. Hence, we may never get to see the volleying skills of Federer in full flow ever again. His game has long surpassed any of his peers and for quite sometime now he has been chasing history. Whatever false hopes of victory that an opponent might carry quickly disappear after a couple of games against him. Given all this, you'd think that he wouldn't need to add to his game.

Yet, Federer has been steadily improving all this while. When you think of Federer, things that come to mind are his casual style, the forehand, the effortless ease of his game, the audacity of some of his shots, but today when I saw him play, the thing that stood out the most was his backhand. Even when I saw him play against Blake in Shanghai at the end of last year it was not this good. I have always believed that Justine Henin's backhand is the most gifted shot in all of tennis. I now think Roger Federer's backhand is the most potent. There is only so much you can do to a tennis ball. The topspin backhand is hit with more wrist whip and flick than anyone else i've ever seen. That shot looks so dismissive now as if he is telling the ball to go to hell and stay there. But the thing that kills you is that viscious sidespin that he is imparting to his slice. Its quite amazing, even on rebound ace, that the ball just spins so much and dies. I can only wonder what will happen on clay and grass. Earlier the opponent always had a glimmer of hope, thinking they could somehow outrally him on the backhand side but its tough to say which side is stronger now.

Its only a matter of time before he wins at Roland Garros. Last year he was pipped at the line. But with that new and improved backhand, 2007 will probably be the year. After that there wont be much left for him to achieve. But that does not deter a man like Roger Federer from the never ending pursuit of perfection!

Rain drops keep falling on my head

Rain drops keep falling on my head

Let me go ahead and state the obvious : In general, we tend to appreciate things only when we are starved of it. I usually walk or bike home for lunch everyday from work. Today I had, instead of sunshine, rain for company. It was one of those gentle rains after which the sun was trying to break out from under the clouds forming a lovely rainbow. It was such a refreshing change. I think the last time it rained in Santa Barbara was in august or september. I'm all for the sunshine and pleasant weather but once in a while when the rain comes along u suddenly feel light and carefree. The smell of fresh air and the ground just before it rains, the constant sound of the raindrops hitting u, the little puddles that begin to form, there is something innocent about it all. The only thing possibly more enjoyable is ofcourse snowflakes. I've had the chance to experience the seasons(all 4 of them) for a couple of years now and I absolutely love it. The fall colors, people overreacting on the first day of spring :), the long days of summer and ofcourse that special feeling when u goto bed one night only to wake up to see the city covered in white the next morning. I still havent seen snow this year ofcourse but i'm hoping to change all that in february and march with a couple of trips up north.

Speaking of snow, whats with all the weird weather this year in North america? I know the standard retort is global warming or El nino or la nina but it cant possibly explain everything. I mean it snowed in seattle and austin even when new york hadnt seen a flake of snow all winter. We, here on the south and central coast of california, have seen freezing temperatures beating all our record lows comfortably (supposedly due to an arctic blast from nevada of all places). Heck, its been one of the warmest and driest winters in minneapolis and unusually pleasant in the northeast. I find it all very interesting. Who knows, maybe it is all these ocean currents which are having an effect. I'm interested in seeing what summer holds in store.

In the meanwhile, raindrops on roses ........................these are a few of my favorite things :).

A birthday post!

Hmmm, its been more than six months now since I wrote anything and it just feels awful. But if any day can break that indifference, its my birthday!

Birthdays are always a time for introspection. A look back on the year that has passed. I've had an extremely eventful and probably the most successful year of my life so far. This is my second major transition in the last 3 years. Its funny how stark the difference between work life and student life is. Its been just over 3 months now and the routine has already taken over me. Grad life was anything but routine. You have no clue where when or how you will have your next meal or nap! They both have their own pluses and minuses and I'm not going to compare them any further.

I was talking to a friend of mine about how this is the year of differences. Shapely 24, as my dad calls it, will be different. It is really the first time out on my own. Yes, minneapolis was the first time away from home but there were always people around so it never felt like you were on your own. I miss the stuff that I've come to expect from a birthday..........buying new clothes, a quiet dinner and movie with my family, riding the kinetic and a peaceful night's sleep. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the job staying challenging, lots of travel (i'm not going to miss out on a single long weekend) and a year of active blogging.

Lets see how all that works out in a year from now.

My New Bike - an 80s Motobecane Mirage Sport

My New Bike - an 80s Motobecane Mirage Sport

Ever since last summer, when I had a couple of chances to ride a road bike, I've been wanting one of my own. The timing was finally right - Start of spring, lovely weather, sem is ending soon. Best activity for the summer - biking.

Buying a good road bike is a lot harder than a mountain bike. First of all, its a lot more expensive. A modern day bike with a titanium alloy or carbon fiber would cost atleast a 1000 bucks. So used bikes are the way to go. And if you look around hard enough, you can get hold of a nice vintage 80s european bike like I did.

Tips for buying road bike
1. Search for local bike shops which sell used bikes. Ask the people there as to what would be an appropriate bike for you.
2. Test ride a few bikes to get a feel for what is right for you. You may find out that you are looking for something different. Make sure you know your size.....its probably the most important thing for a road bike.
3. Post an ad on ur local craigslist. There are some great bikes available there. Follow it closely.
4. Always bargain. In most cases, u will get the bike for half the asking price.
5. Try and find local biking clubs and speak to members. They are a valuable resource.
6. Ofcourse, the internet. There are a number of forums where there is a lot of discussion and advice on buying a bike.

From just riding my bike back from the person I bought it, I absolutely love the way it rides. Its so smooth and shifts really well. And most of all, its fast, very fast. I can't wait to take it out on a long 30 mile trail. There are plenty of bike trails to explore around the twin cities. My guess is joining one of the many local group rides is the best way to get to know them.

Minneapolis is white

I went to bed at 1 last night with hardly any snow on the ground. I wake up to a completely white city at 8 in the morning. This is the Minneapolis that I like. Barren trees, houses, roads, cars, sidewalks all covered in inches of snow. It just feels so pure. The snow this winter has been playing hard to get and has been as frequent as posts on this blog. But I think after last night's downpour, there are no doubts.
Its the ideal conditions to go skiing, but first.............snow fight!!!

Whats been keeping me......

Whats been keeping me......

From blogging
1. research- this semester has been terribly loaded with research work. hence i haven't gotten around to this.
2. laziness/inclination - haven't really had the enthu to post anything.
3. lack of events - usually i blog when i find or do something interesting. Nothing of that sort has happened unless you are interested in learning about non-linear optimization techniques.

But I had to break these holds sometime. Spring break is an ideal time. I can't believe its been a year since I was at vatsa's on his birthday. time flies. ofcourse, this spring break's agenda is much more mundane than last year's. nothing exciting except for the mid-week skiing plan. can't wait!
more will follow.