M&A

The current trend of mergers and acquisitions (m&a's) has spread into all industries. So much so that I have been impacted by one too. No, I'm not an i-banker that closed any deals nor am I an employee that's been canned. It's just that my daughter's school has been acquired by another group, a bigger and supposedly a more profitable group that can run things better at her school. So we've gone from being a 'mom and pop' school to a franchise-run academy! Maybe the future holds better food, open on weekends, better staff, a uniform and definitely a higher fee! There's no place for mediocrity anymore, only the bottomline counts. Especially for the schools.

Music to move

Sare Jahan Se Acha, The Lambada, Jingle all the way, Suprabhatam and a whole host of other random songs from Bollywood, Tollyhood, Kollywood and even the Billboard Top 10! What do they have in common? Absolutely nothing (thank god) other than ending up as monophonic tunes that play when cars back up.

What is the purpose of this tune playing? To warn the buffaloes, sorry people (maybe buffaloes and cows occasionally) that are behind the vehicle to move out of the way. You might think that that is something that would logically happen when one sees a car or truck coming at them. But no, not in India. Be it a person or animal, they continue with whatever they were doing ignoring the vehicle until it almost bumps into them and then (this is even better) glare at the driver as though the fault were his/hers. For a passing observer though, this tune playing is so annoying because it does not cease until the reverse gear is disengaged and that usually happens only after the confrontation with the party blocking the reverse has ended; a quite laborious process.

If you're ever in a state of amnesia and have forgotten which city or state in India you are in, you can find out based on the accent of the person that says the most famous of these reverse tunes "Attention please! This car is backing up"! "Attention please! This car is backing up"! "Attention please! This car is backing up"!

It makes me want to screeeeeeeeeeeeeeam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are the champions...almost

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same" go the immortal words of Rudyard Kipling.

The French Open ended today and with it Federer's quest to become the best ever. Yes, he has many more years of tennis left in him but the chances of a French Open victory seem to have faded. There is only so much kindness that fate will show before the draw gets tougher and the game becomes more difficult. How must he feel?

A football match coming down to a penalty shootout is most exciting for viewers (however nail-biting it might be) but the worst ever for players. It all comes down to the goalie and which side he decides to dive to. The recent Champions League final was all that and more. The Chelsea captain could have won it for them with a simple kick but slipped and missed and went on to lose. How must he feel?

The Chennai Super Kings made it to the final against all odds. As lackadaisical as their fielding and batting was, the chances of a victory were not too remote. To take the match to the last over with 8 runs for the asking captain Dhoni decided to go with Balaji who was just back from a long break due to surgery than with Gony who had already taken 3 wickets. Reason? Take a risk, maybe the batsmen will be fooled by the pace of the ball (or lack of it). 1 ball left, 1 run needed, batsman hits a 4. How does the team feel?

As a avid follower of many sports, I find it so difficult to forget the game and go to bed in peace when the person/team I've been supporting has lost. I wonder how the athletes can digest their loss, make their peace and move onto the next event.

Tonight will be a sleepless night but not because of my little one.