How I won my battle against a corrupt Nikon Dealer!

I had just lost my camera case back in Dubai. On coming back to R-land, I had to get one. The problem was weird. I own a semi SLR, which is too large for the cover of the basic digital cameras, and too small for the case of a proper DSLR. There was just one place to buy it. The big issue with it was that the dealer (who shall remain unnamed) was demanding more than the MRP. I thought for a sec. Had I refused to buy it, I would have to go to Delhi to get one. Eight hours would be wasted. So, I decided otherwise. But what I did do was to ask for a bill. Now, that was clever, considering what I did with it.

Vengeance in Catalonia

The second leg between Chelsea and Barcelona at the Camp Nou, at 81 minutes and 15 seconds, Alexis Sanchez put the ball at the back of the net. The TV room at the Rajiv Bhawan roared to life. The word 'Heartbreak' popped into my mind, images of the 93rd minute goal from Iniesta three years ago came flashing back. Such was the atmosphere there that we failed to hear the commentator shouting,

Offside. Offside, it won't count, it's offside. The flag went up before Sanchez hit the ball. 

My heart skipped a beat, so did every Chelsea supporter's around the globe.

Chelsea's Unfinished Business

Iniesta's 93rd minute wonder strike

Everyone's got unfinished business with them (Barcelona) 

This was exactly what Frank Lampard told the press after Chelsea's draw with SL Benfica, reminding fans and players alike how it felt on that fateful day back in April 2009, when Iniesta's strike, deep in injury time, steered eventual Champions Barcelona into the final.

The Arabian Nights

To be frank, my trip did not get off to a great start. Just after landing at the airport, I had to go through a lot of stuff, which I have written in detail here. Gut feeling said it was gonna be two weeks full of hatred. However, it was not to be...

Confessions of an IITian

Two minutes. That was exactly the stoppage time. With innumerable number of baggage, I got down somehow before the train started moving. I looked up. Clear Sky. No clouds. I smelled the air. Nothing so special. Well, Roorkee it was. This was the place I was about to spend the better part of my next five years. In two rickshaws, we somehow fit the luggage and moved on towards our hotel, the heat constantly reminding me that it was gonna be really tough staying without an AC.

Why di Matteo is not just a puppet?

Roberto di Matteo

To start with, I was not very excited when Roberto di Matteo was appointed the caretaker manager of Chelsea. True that he has been an important figure at the club as a player, his most memorable moment being the fastest goal scorer in an FA Cup tie (which has since been broken by Louis Saha) and maybe, the fact that he has never lost at Old Trafford. Still, I was not a big fan of him. Add to it, the fact that he was fired as the manager of West Brom less than a year back (In fact, his stint included a 6-0 thrashing at Stamford Bridge). And the circumstances of his appointment were not something you would call nice. The youngest manager in the Premier League had just been fired by the Czarist Abramovich, even though he had been sleeping in his office for the last two days, trying to bring the team back together. Exactly one month has passed since that fateful day.