Sunil Brown Varghese Personal Blog

Away the spider weaves, perhaps backtracking but a little

2011-11-29T11:46:00.000-06:00

For some reason, my interests have perked toward John Couch Adams who discovered the blue planet, Neptune. This icy world contains something called super-ionic water, which from a natural science perspective has hydrogen ions floating around crystallized oxygen lattices. Fortunately, this thought is predestined to end prematurely though the reason for its conception would make for an interesting lateral puzzle.

In the eye of the beholder

2009-12-06T14:31:00.008-06:00

On a warm summer day in early June, as an uncommon sight unfolded at the lush campus of Cambridge University, three squirrels lazily gorged on acorns from their horde upon an oak tree. The distant faint chatter became increasingly intelligible as Albert Einstein, Robert Pound and Jean Baptiste Perrin strolled briskly across the lawns looking for a shade. As they exhausted one reasoning after another under the oak tree, the magnitude of their mental exercise soon placed each in a child-like slumber.

Having had more than their fill for the day, the three squirrels hung the principles of probability by the noose, as they parted a dropping toward the forehead of each of the celebrated physicists. After a few fleeting hours, the three awakened, took a brief look at each other and cracked up uncontrollably. Suddenly though, Perrin stopped laughing. Why?

Crouching Sniper, Hidden Jerrie

2008-10-14T16:41:00.005-05:00

Upon hearing a couple of clangs a few feet south-east, I took flight in the opposite direction painfully aware of my exposed state. A couple of bullets whizzed by the left side as I stopped and lay flat. The huge explosion that followed blew up dust and debris with large chunks landing perilously close. Considering the amount of firepower that was trained upon our battalion and the proximity of the fallen grenade I was lucky to be alive. A couple of my comrades though had not been as fortunate and the steely cold slowly gripped their eyes.

From within the incessant crackling of firearms, Junior Lieutenant Uri shouts for cover fire as he reloads. The concrete blocks shielding me are about three feet tall, narrowing upward and riddle with holes from the ravages of war. Clutching the Scoped Mosin-Nagant, I peer over them and note a couple of machine gunners and a few riflemen. The Jerries had not missed the silence of Uri’s rifle and were pounding the building protecting him. He was not in any immediate danger from grenades as a few other comrades had taken up positions near him disabling the possibility of an easy enemy advance.

While lying flat earlier, I had instinctively reloaded my gun and now as I took aim at the first machine gunner, confidence seeped back into my soul. The first shot blew his helmet off and a quick fire at the next gunner caught him in the abdomen. With the machine guns silenced, the remaining infantry turned the heat upon me as I returned to the safety of the ground.

Call of Duty 2 has proved to be quite the interesting experience as I relive some of the campaigns of WWII. While the action is relentless, a connection with my comrades always felt missing. Perhaps one day a game will appear that paints a more human character upon the mundane soldier who allows the gamer to strategize lying flat on his belly. Possibly then the risks that the gamer takes will be ones that have also accounted for the lives of his companions.

The drowning of festivities...

2008-08-27T10:54:00.002-05:00

Unbeknownst to him, the carefully crafted arrangements for the evening progressed, while he plowed through sunrise finding things rather repetitious. As the autonomy of dusk presented itself, the couple decided to browse through the few outlets in the littlest of apples, hoping to enlighten yet another evening.

After enduring a bisected hour, Sethu's inclination was to settle into quite brooding while waiting to proceed from the local Target store. To alleviate symptoms of lethargy, a call was routed to his good friend Sanjeev, though unexpected brevity concluded their dialogue.

The way back home too, proved uneventful with the monotony continually swelling around him. Save for the appearance of one bobbing dome, parking at the predestined lot and the subsequent ascent home provided little solace. While the principal point of their immediate conversation may go unnoticed ad infinitum, future confirmations would clarify that the thunderous uproar that accompanied their entry home had hardly put a dent upon the pent-up somberness from the day.

Having failed to inject an iota of surprise through a meticulously planned festivity, we the despondent clump of friends, have little going our way. Perhaps years later, as we look back, we may yet find solace upon examining a reminder from this day.

Fast swingin, nose nickin

2008-08-20T21:44:00.014-05:00

Three-fourths arrived on time filled with anticipation for the impending pyrokinesis. Usurping my tardy spot, He Wang kept the play going at a decent pace. After waiting along the sidelines for a couple of games, myself and Shiva teamed up against Wang and Praveen. A couple of anxious minutes in practice shots, and away we went to a flying start. Leading 3-1, our service spiraled upon an audacious trajectory, piercing the opponents side. A speedy cross-court return to my backhand forced my mind to slow things down and consider the developing scenario.

Standing precariously at the front-center position, Wang wasn't the wiser to what had transpired. A cross-court return is always a risky maneuver to undertake when in an offensive position and the expeditious ones tend to leave the man behind cornered against straight drives. Executing upon this strategy, the Armortec made contact with the birdie just a few seconds before the fateful event transpired.

A series of unfortunate events embarked as the birdie in distress sliced through Praveen's machinations and forced Wang to lend a helping hand. Effortless racing behind the birdie, placed Wang upon a hit-or-miss precipice and he undertook an all arching swing shot. Impressed by his partner so far but not willing to pin any further hopes upon him, Praveen ensued a backup strategy.

Hoping to catch a missed swing, he edged ever closer to the gargantuan machinery executing before him. While it is true that due to its contact-free nature, badminton is a relatively safe sport, pairs in doubles need to coordinate their movements well. The lacking in this department led to the racket seeing a target upon Praveen's face and the subsequent anxious moments for all.

Akkara Kazhchakal, along the shores of satire...

2008-08-02T13:52:00.010-05:00

While the few TV series that I watch with some consistency had been introduced through casual conversations, expecting the same from one in my native language was unusual. This indeed was the case for Akkara Kazhchakal, a sitcom from the Kairali channel, which takes a satirical look at the early Keralite communities of the US.

Though its capacity to entertain beyond linguistic borders is uncertain, it is a worthy attempt at depicting the clash of ideologies. Cultural differences, generation divides and social stratifications, while divisive in nation states, prove to be fertile grounds for comedy in the global state.

Battle Royale

2008-07-27T22:45:00.005-05:00

When the initial team announcements for the ISA Cup '08 were made, the tournament trajectory that most anticipated seemed obvious. With the reigning champions Red Bulls, also packing most of the winners from the Fun Cricket '08, the runners up had a lot to prove in their round one match. On July 12th, the two teams met to display some scintillating cricket.

The Assassins brought to the table a versatile bowling lineup with above average fielding and of course the need to redeem the ghosts from their past. The Red Bulls on the other hand, can be described best as the old guard having many veterans from prior tournaments. Talented batsmen backed by good fielders and an average bowling lineup summed up the hype built before the match.

The unfolding of a surprise ending through many twists and turns put the finals on notice for becoming a must-watch event. The 26th of July though turned inconclusive with the rain and dark tormenting players. To reach some conclusion, a 10 over sprint to the finish was decided for the succeeding day.

The games started with the Bulls winning the toss and electing to bat. From the get-go the batsmen seemed to need more time than was provided to settle in. A mediocre run-rate followed by an early wicket culminated in Vinay's entry. The pair then went on to face a few balls well though an untimely run-out led to Praveen's wicket. With the exception of Rana, what followed later seemed to be a repeat of this initial sequence as the fall of batsmen could not be halted.

Successfully capitalizing on the weakness displayed, the Assassins brought down the required runs to a manageable 75. As the subsequent innings began, a few missed catches by the Bulls on some crucial wickets early in the game should have given them a hint of their fate. On the other hand, the risks during the first couple of overs paid rich dividends for the Assassins as they amassed 22 runs. This pace didn't letup until about the 5th over by which time they had a comfortable tally scored.

Though a better bowling performance was showcased during the last few overs, the Bulls seemed ready to sing the blues as the pivotal wicket for the Assassins remained elusive. Needing three runs off three balls, a four down leg side nailed the match for the Assassins. In ambivalence, the dejected Bulls watched as a sea of black erupted in jubilation.

Armortec aspirations...

2008-07-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

Recently, I've had the misfortune of breaking my trusted Carbonex 30 Muscle which was a splendid piece of equipment. The Cab30 generates good power and the accuracy of shots is impressive. Mated with the BG-80 string at 21 lbs, the smashes that came from it always commanded respect. It was fairly light at 3U(85.0-89.9g) and was fairly head heavy. The only time I had any trouble was when it was strung with the BG-65Ti, which lacked the grip on the birdie for tumble drops.

While the Cab30 is good, it has a small sweet spot that needs a very accurate contact. So when it came time to choose a new racket, I wanted something similar with an isometric shape. Also, the racket still had to be head heavy for me to be effective in a doubles game and preferably lighter. After going through reviews in badmintoncentral.com and a few in Amazon, I settled on the Armortec 500. That soul-searching decision has dented my wallet a bit. With the big games tonight, I'm eager to try the 500 and justify this financial exuberance.

Adventures down south

2008-07-15T21:25:00.000-05:00

We very much looked forward to the visit with our uncle in Texas after spending over six months in Manhattan. The few weeks preceding our trip were filled with anticipation and excitement, but time protracted against our wishes. The day finally arrived and we started out on what would become a memorable journey.

Visions of Texas woven from the fabled tales of friends indicated a place bustling with activity. Upon arrival, we were surprised to find a very laid-back host city having all the amenities of a metropolitan town without the congestion.

The thoughtful planning was evident in both the developed and expanding portions of McAllen. Being close to the Mexican border, the Rio Grande Valley conceals an enormous economy that is built around the free economic zone concept. McAllen is the second largest city in the valley and is well connected to popular destinations nearby.

We were lucky to be with family and got to see many popular destinations such as the border with Mexico, the San Juan church and the La Plaza Mall. A full days worth of time was spent on South Padre island where we made quite a few feathered friends. As our trip drew to a close, mixed emotions got the better of us.

Descension

2008-06-12T21:29:00.000-05:00

From the time Aisal got the call to head for the basement, the gravity of the situation surged inside us. Here I was, having racked up a few years of experience in Manhattan only to be seen scrambling for some emergency supplies. A tornado tearing up through our town had always seemed to be a statistical improbability, what with all the years of ignoring storm watches and sirens.

15 minutes in the basement with our neighbor inched along painfully only to be interrupted by phone calls signaling the changing direction of the storm. After a few conflicting reports from anxious friends, both households got the all clear to head back. For receiving just a limited experience in this tragedy, we both are grateful. As the new dawn brought forth the full scale of what transpired, we were humbled to be counted among the lucky few.

Most pictures if not all were taken by Aisal

Got a clue?

2008-05-14T17:03:00.000-05:00

During the weekend, the merry band (Sunil, Aisal, Praveen, Shiva, Sethu & Arthi) decided to face off with a game of Clue, mostly because our lives in Manhattan have reached an apex. As with any new game, there was the usual "rules" routine followed by the "let’s just get on with it' phase. And here is where a few stumbled upon the limits of the human mind.

For a turn-based game, few have been gifted with the photographic memory required by this board game, which by the way it gleefully omits, when one is at the store, looking for a good time! As we traversed through the turns toward the murderer, many a times I wondered if it really wasn’t just me…

Suggestions clad in accusations flew about and everyone seemed to see through the other’s hand. And finally, as the accusations rolled, so did the heads. Three marched to their dooms betting on odds rather than facts. As Aisal crossed the finish line, the rest kept pondering on what could have been…

The framed word

2008-04-18T00:36:00.001-05:00

Dazzling grace flowing by, gleaming in the morning light
A living robe flank either sides, both motionless and bustling kinds
From the stillness of the sky, shall the fowl descend in flight
Seeking pap with eager dives, as thy attire ripples by

Too common a flu

2008-04-14T14:32:00.001-05:00

For the past couple of days, I had been getting the déjà vu vibe. It became official today morning when I took a nonchalant whiff out of the processed coconut/ginger/green chili mix that Aisal prepared. After clearing round one a couple of weeks back, it looks like my arch-nemesis has decided to stick around for the next bout. While man races toward the nearest planet and explains the creation of the universe, it seems a bit ironic that he should lose count of the times the common flu has prevailed over him.

Wishing you a healthy (..cough..) day.

Is the grass greener on the other side?

2008-04-09T11:05:00.000-05:00

Having sampled the varied badminton talents at K-State many times over, the chance to see what's out there came up during the weekend club effort at KU. Quite a few players from four universities converged in Lawrence to measure the gains from their prior efforts and for K-Staters this was a first. Along with the diversity in talent, we had the opportunity to get to know a professional coach whose few critiques seemed well timed to act upon.

It has been quite a few years since using a feather birdie and the variations to its properties over time was something we had to get used to. Quite a few times, changing a birdie midway led to spikes in errors on our part. Breaking the strings on a couple of rackets also left a bad taste in my mouth, rectified only by an enormous home-style Chinese lunch, late in the afternoon. Overall, the experience proved positive and worth the time and effort.

No techie, bad boy, down now...

2008-03-31T15:06:00.000-05:00

After spending some time unplugged from the Manhattan Blogging Community, I've decided to forge ahead on a forked road. The mundane details of the last few burgeoning entries seem to have put off the good MBC folks relaxing with drinks on peaceful hammocks. This new blog hopefully will contribute positively to the intricate balance that the community tiptoes along.