Sports Day!!

Phew!! King of clay versus king of tennis....whatever his failures on clay, Roger Federer is the king of tennis. And Nadal, the king of clay. He's done it again....for the third time now. A hatrick of Roland Garros titles. He outmatched Federer in a game lasting over three hours. 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Nadal.

In cricket, Asia did another treble and beat Africa 3-0 in the Afro-Asia Cup. Thanks to centuries from Dhoni (a blistering one) and Jayawardene. And Rafique and Harbhajan picked 4 and 3 wickets respectively.

Now, I'm waiting for the Canadian Grand Prix to start with rookie sensation Lewis Hamilton starting his first race on pole. Adios and good luck Hamilton!

Contact Has Been Made

As promised, I got in touch with my friend in Muscat, and this is what he has to say.....

oh it was pretty coooool here(except fer the damages)..hehee.. well lets say i
got to enjoy the rain and breeze while walkin on the road (b'fore the real
cyclone showed up!) .. got all drenched and all .. hehehe..it was nasty in
masirah islands (part of oman).. and sameer's side.. went out to see the damages
caused today .. saw cars flown away to the wadis and malls filled with water..
anyways this was the first time a cyclon came here.. enjoyed it!! there was
electricity here .. nothin much happened to my side .. except a tree gettin
uprooted and fallin on the road .. and the entrance of my building being flooded
.. we started clearin all the water ..and also got an australian girl who stays
above my floor to help us out! hehe!! ya right now oman is in a bit of sorry
state ..with all trees uprooted .. walls near the port destroyed a bit ..
flights may operate from today ,pavements partially destroyed.

But there have been reports of some 12 casualties....hopefully it doesn't rise any higher.

Gonu lashes across Oman

Cyclone Gonu, reaching a level 5 category is lashing across Oman wreaking damage, flooding large areas. From news reports seen recently, some 15 people, are believed to have been washed away. Many more are stranded in buildings as the downpour continues. Rescue efforts are hampered due to storng winds, and helicopters are not able help the stranded. The city has been without electricty or with intermittent electricity since the cyclone hit.

I searched the internet for some blogs from Oman and found one which gives a first hand account of living in a city under severe hurricane threat.......
                                                     Sleepless in Muscat


I haven't been able to contact a friend in Muscat.....but a first-hand account promised after I reach him. Here's to hoping that he hasn't been affected in any way and is safe with his family and the rest of Oman.

Religion? What's That? And God?

What is religion? A way of ife? Wasn't religion created to make humans follow the right path, help distinguish betwee right and wrong? Is that what religion is all about even now? Open the newspaper, switch on the television, and you see incidents of religious wars, communal riots. Everywhere, everyday. There's Israel-Palestine, communal violence in India.....why is it that people have to claim their religion above all others?

I have friends from mnay different religions. As far as I know all religions are essentially the same with regards to teachings. Agreed they are different in the 'god' they choose to follow, they way they worship, but when it comes to values, I don't see major differences in any. The religion people choose to follow is their personal choice. Why create wars over it?

What does it matter whether you are a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew.....we are all humans. Forget just humans, if you believe in God, we are all god's creations, animals and plants included. Why the discrimination? Again belief in a higher being is a matter of choice. I am undecided. I question. I waver between belief and non-belief. No one can tell me to believe in God. In the same way no one can force me to believe that god doesn't exist. The idea of a higher being was created to instil a sense  of fear in people, so that they do not stray. I, personally, do not need to fear a higher being, to follow the right path. It's a case of moral values. I do not claim to have never done wrong in my life. Of course, I have. And I'm sure, staunchly religious people have wronged too.

If God and religion is the cause of wars, I'm sorry to say that both of them have lost their purpose. I'm looking forward to a world where religious tolerance is a reality instead of just a fact on paper. When the religion you follow is not an issue, when you don't have to fill in your religion in a questionnaire. Religion should not come in the way of love. A couple should not be prevented from marriage if they belong to different religions. People should not be forced or even coaxed into conversions. Religion should be a purely personal choice. Preaching your religion on loudspeakers, boasting about your religion to people who follow other faiths should be a thing of the past.

Alas, this is only Utopia.