tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137733642024-02-28T03:58:54.496-08:00As the Mind Flows...An outlet for Mind to Ramble...Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-85609412811790288672015-05-19T14:45:00.005-07:002015-05-19T14:45:54.998-07:00Blogging area moved.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm now blogging on :<br />
<br />
http://blogs.mentor.com/verificationhorizons/</div>
Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-28436483953165368672011-05-24T03:29:00.000-07:002011-05-24T04:00:42.095-07:00Tech-No!: Verification Methodologies and Design Patterns: Singleton Pattern<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pnfz5WAJsxI/TduPQ-v5DXI/AAAAAAAABng/vdlfJOuUCCw/s1600/Singleton.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 210px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pnfz5WAJsxI/TduPQ-v5DXI/AAAAAAAABng/vdlfJOuUCCw/s400/Singleton.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610235282704633202" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">Definition/Intent: </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">Ensure a class only has one instance, and provide a global point of access to it. It is a creational pattern.</span></div></div><p class="11BodyText" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="11BodyText" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif""></span></p><p class="11BodyText" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif""><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">Participants & Implementation:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif""> <p class="11BodyText" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">Singleton</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">: <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-list:Ignore">–<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">is<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>responsible for creating and storing its own unique instance <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-list:Ignore">–<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">defines an Instance operation that lets clients access its unique instance<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br /></p><p class="11BodyText" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">The “class level” Instance operation will either return or create and return the sole instance; a “class level” attribute will contain either a default indicating there is no instance yet or the sole instance</p></span><p></p><p class="11BodyText" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="11BodyText" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span></span></p><p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">Applicability:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><span> <p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-list:Ignore">–<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">There must be exactly one instance of a class, and it must be accessible to clients from a well-known access point.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-list:Ignore">–<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">When the sole instance should be extensible by subclassing, and clients should be able to use an extended instance without modifying their code.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">Benefits:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-list:Ignore">–<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">Controlled access to sole instance<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-list:Ignore">–<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">Permits a variable number of instances<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 0in; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "></span></span></b></p><p class="11BodyText" style="margin-left: 0in; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">Usage in OVM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></b></p><p class="11BodyText" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="font-family: Symbol; "><span>·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; "> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">OVM_TOP – instance of ovm_root. Only one instance of ovm_top<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="11BodyText" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="font-family: Symbol; "><span>·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; "> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">OVM Factory - only one instance of ovm_factory</span></b></p><p></p><p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 0in; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">References:</span></b></p><p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 0in; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif""></span></b></p><p class="11BodyText" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:1.0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">i.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><a href="http://sourcemaking.com/">http://sourcemaking.com/</a></b></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> <p class="11BodyText" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:1.0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">ii.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.oodesign.com/">http://www.oodesign.com</a></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:1.0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">iii.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://home.gwu.edu/~blankeng/Classes/CSCI253/Class%20page%20(spring%202007).htm">http://home.gwu.edu/~blankeng/Classes/CSCI253/Class%20page%20(spring%202007).htm</a></p> <p class="11BodyText" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:1.0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">vi.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.dofactory.com/Default.aspx">http://www.dofactory.com/Default.aspx</a></p></b><p></p><p class="11BodyText" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in; "><b><br /></b></p></span><p></p>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-70152369182254584672011-05-24T02:32:00.000-07:002011-05-24T02:37:43.134-07:00Tech-No!: Clock DividersHere is a good article for Clock Dividers:<div><br /></div><div>"<b><i>Clock Dividers Made Easy</i></b>" - (SNUG Boston 2002 paper)</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/6868408/Clock-Dividers">http://www.scribd.com/doc/6868408/Clock-Dividers</a></div><div><br /></div><div>"<b><i>Unusual Clock Dividers</i></b>" - (Xilinx article)</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/industry/appnotes/xilinx/documents/xcell/xl33/xl33_30.pdf">http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/industry/appnotes/xilinx/documents/xcell/xl33/xl33_30.pdf</a></div><div><br /></div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-11143417098803017112011-05-24T02:26:00.001-07:002011-05-24T02:29:20.295-07:00Tech-No!: Clock GatingHere is an article on Clock Gating basics. This is a SNUG2000 article.<div><br /></div><div>"<b><i>Power Reduction Through RTL Clock Gating</i></b>"</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.eng.auburn.edu/~vagrawal/COURSE/E6270_Fall07/PROJECT/LUO/snug2000.pdf">http://www.eng.auburn.edu/~vagrawal/COURSE/E6270_Fall07/PROJECT/LUO/snug2000.pdf</a></div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-58679478787746500632011-05-24T02:09:00.000-07:002011-05-24T02:15:13.982-07:00Tech-No!: Clock MuxingHere is a good article that talks about various glitch free clock muxing techniques.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >"<span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b>Techniques to make clock switching glitch free</b></i>"</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; "><a href="http://www.design-reuse.com/exit/?url=http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20030626S0035" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); text-decoration: underline; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; ">http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20030626S0035</a></span></div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-27315662888834839132011-05-23T06:09:00.000-07:002011-05-24T01:49:31.234-07:00Tech-No!: Verification Methodologies and Design Patterns: A PreviewEver since I worked on my first project in the industry, a simple Vera based verification environment, I have been thinking about the possible usage of Design Patterns in ASIC/SoC Verification. After all these years, I have managed to get a better understanding of this topic. I have worked on various Verification Methodologies and have identified a few design patterns in these methodologies. <div><br /></div><div>In this series, I will target one design pattern in each post and hope to have a series of articles covering this topic. I will start with the usage of <b><span class="Apple-style-span">Singleton Pattern in OVM</span></b>.</div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-41229298800302366422009-03-24T10:28:00.000-07:002011-05-24T01:51:00.498-07:00Tech-No!: The Ideal World of Verification<p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ever wondered how an ideal world of verification would look like? I would probably see one when the following criteria are met. </span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Infinite Budget</span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">No Deadlines or time limit</span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Infinite resources, consisting of verification experts</span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">An amazing specification which captures every possible detail of the design and frozen</span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A client or architect not making any change requests </span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">An amazing EDA tool which supports every possible feature</span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A very high end machine grid to run your jobs</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So what else would one need in this ideal world? </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Given that these are met how would your verification environment look like?</span></p>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-15049357045100387182009-03-22T00:34:00.000-07:002011-05-24T02:13:16.150-07:00Tech-No!: Clock Domain Crossing (CDC)1) Understanding Clock Domain Crossing Issues:<br />The following link describes the basics of Clock Domain Crossing (CDC) and its 3 main issues namely: A) Metastability, B) Data Loss & C) Data Incoherency and the solutions to these issues.<br /><a href="http://www.edadesignline.com/howto/205201913;jsessionid=TR5Q53DPD0BRSQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN">http://www.edadesignline.com/howto/205201913;jsessionid=TR5Q53DPD0BRSQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN</a>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-24504200873297700392009-03-22T00:06:00.000-07:002011-05-24T01:48:13.592-07:00Tech-No!: Birth of the technical section of my blogBeing a techie, I read alot of technical stuff which I generally bookmark for later references. Managing these bookmarks has been an ardous task. So I wanted to categorize and start a new section in my blog on the lines of Sports Gully, the sports section of my blog. This allows me to easily categorize and review my posts. The new category would be called Tech-No!.Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-72569802378606767892009-03-21T23:12:00.000-07:002011-05-24T01:47:52.674-07:00Sports Gully - Back After a Long Hiatus<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5 Things I Think:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">1) MS Dhoni is the captain with the Midas touch. People tend to appreciate everything you do when you are winning. Any stupid thing decision you make on the field is either applauded or pushed aside saying "He is being different"</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. </span>Dhoni should consult Ponting in this regard, he is sitting on the other side of the fence.<br /><br />2) I have just realized that I'm absolutely crazy about American Football! It's off season now but I'm still combing the sports websites for NFL news. My neighbour at work things I'm crazy!<br /><br />3) India still needs a Fast/Medium pace all-rounder. That is the missing piece for India becoming a team to beat. Irfan Pathan, you are on notice, there is a spot and it is yours for taking. You know what you have to work on.<br /><br />4) The Bangalore Royal Challengers have made a huge mistake in have two different captains for IPL 2. You need quality leadership to win championships, just ask the previous World Cup Winners (most of the underdogs SriLankans (1996) and Pakistan (1992))<br /><br />5) Eagerly waiting for the NBA playoff's to start. That's when the real NBA seasons starts.<br /><br /><br /></span>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-5911802003037463362009-02-27T01:38:00.000-08:002009-02-27T01:51:03.267-08:00Important Inventions of the Next 10 Years<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Being part of an Innovation task force at work has rekindled the thought of innovation in after a long hiatus. So it is apt that I start blogging again with something related to innovation. Were in the middle (I hope) of a down turn and constant layoff jokes here is an article from Business Week which has soemthing to look forward to.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/02/0225_inventions/1.htm"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;"><strong>http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/02/0225_inventions/1.htm</strong></span></em></a>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1160929283441807532006-10-15T09:10:00.000-07:002011-05-24T01:46:59.685-07:00Sports Gully: Extra Innings - What a Joke!<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It was a shame for me to tune into Sony Set Max to check on the start of the first meaning full match of the ICC Champions Tourney (India vs. England) on Sunday. On television was the so called Extra Innings, the pregame show. It was a complete joke. I understand the importance of commercializing the game, but there should be some moderation during this process. It was intolerable to watch a former soap queen Mandira Bedi along with some dude named Rahul Roy interview John Abraham and talk about his movie, to them picking up tarrot cards and some self made tarrot card reader interpret those cards ( By the way, whatever predicitions she made, there wasn't a single coincidence ) and making Tony Craig and Charu Sharma dance to a Bollywood tune (maybe this wasn't as bad as the others).<br /><br />Being a long time cricket enthusiast, I want to see good old analysis of the game from the experts of the game period. I don't want to put up with some kind of stupid tamasha in between the analysis. This nonsense has got to stop! This is a result of giving telecast rights to some soap television channels. I hope better sense prevails and this kind of mockery is put an end to.<br /><br /><strong>Things I think:</strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />1. India need to open with Sachin and Sehwag and Dravid coming at two down.<br /><br />2. India shouldn't be going into a oneday with 5 bowlers. Please make use of the semi all rounders in the team.<br /><br />3. These are my predictions for the ICC Champions tourney.<br /><br />Semi-Final:<br />Australia vs. New Zealand<br />India vs. Sri Lanka<br /><br />Final:<br />Sri Lanka vs. Australia<br /><br />Winners: Australia<br /><br />4. Indian Hockey really needs a revamp! They need a foreign coach, a trainer and good turf to practice on. It is really sad to watch the current state of Indian Hockey.<br /><br />5. ESPN India should telecast more American Football games, wonder how I can convince them to do so.<br /><br /><strong>Quote of the Week:</strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />"Sports do not build character. They reveal it."<br />-John Wooden, American Basketball Coach</span> </div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1151297980761650232006-06-25T21:47:00.000-07:002011-05-24T01:46:34.756-07:00Sports Gully: Is Ice Hockey on its way up in Tobacco Road?<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">The Carolina Hurricanes (based in <st1:city st="on">Raleigh</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">NC</st1:state>) lift the Stanley Cup finals for the first ever time in its 27 years of existence (in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Raleigh</st1:city></st1:place> for the last 9 years). They beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in the seventh game of the best of seven series. So thought I should my two cents in on ice hockey in Tobacco Road.<br /><br />Nevertheless, before we go any further, what is Tobacco Road?<br /><br />Tobacco Road is a legendary phrase when you refer to sports, especially College Basketball (in<span style=";font-family:courier new;color:red;"> </span>the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place> of course). It refers to the Tobacco growing area of North Carolina and it is an imaginary Road connecting the four schools in the area - North Carolina State University aka NCSU (Raleigh), which also happens to be my alma mater, University of North Carolina aka UNC (Chapel Hill), Duke University (Durham) and Wake Forest University (Winston Salem). These schools have nine NCAA titles amongst them. Folks along the tobacco road<i> live</i> for their college basketball.<br /><br />The rivalry between them dates as back as 60-75 years. <span style="color:black;">The rivalry </span>between NCSU and UNC is as intense as the one between <st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region> or an <st1:country-region st="on">England</st1:country-region> vs. <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Argentina</st1:country-region></st1:place>. You can find many a couples at the games with one spouse sporting a NCSU jersey, while the other in a UNC jersey and their kids, well they are the ones to suffer the most with a multitude of jerseys representing their parents. During the peak of the season, you can find intense arguments taking place at the dinner table, as to which is a better team.<br /><br />So when the Hartford Whalers (1979-1997) decided call themselves Carolina Hurricanes and move to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1997, which is a predominantly a basketball and a NASCAR nation, people were apprehensive about the move. How long is this franchise going to survive? The experts thought it was going to survive after the Hurricanes had a dream run in the 2001-02 season and reach the Stanley Cup finals to finally lose to the Detroit Red Wings. During their dream run, the people on the Tobacco Road went crazy over the Cinderella Hurricanes. The hopes were high so the next season started with sold out stadium, yes, ice hockey was after all going to survive, Boom...Lightening stuck and the Hurricanes were having a bad run and did not make the playoffs, the crowds attending the game took a nose dive.<br /><br />I had the pleasure of watching the Hurricanes live the following season. It was electrifying, no not the crowds but the game. They were out of the playoff run when I watched them. It is so easy to forget that people are actually skating at lightening speed and controlling the puck. Everything about this game happens at a very fast pace. The reflexive saves by the goalie, the hard nasty hits against the glass walls and the fistfights on the ice makes this a very exciting game.<br /><br />So, why is there a decline in crowds? It is the typical mentality of the crowd to watch their team only if they are doing well or if they are playing a long-term rival, a rivalry ala UNC and NCSU and UNC and Duke.<br /><br />Now that the Carolina Hurricanes have won the Stanley Cup and brought a first of any professional league title to the area, are they going to perennially attract crowds and will it be half as popular as basketball? Titles at the big stages have evoked a sports revolution in a city or country, so can there be a revolution of ice hockey in Tobacco Road? This, only time can tell.<b><br /><br />Things I think:</b><br /><br />1) Not sure, when was the last time the NHL and NBA titles went to first timers? Do not think the FIFA World Cup will follow the above trend and have a first time winner.<br /><br />2) There seems to be many inconsistencies when in comes to yellow carding players at the FIFA World Cup. It is not the inconsistencies in a particular game but from game to game. This could prove decisive in the final later stages.<br /><br />3) Did Shaquille O'Neal need Kobe Bryant or vice versa for their three titles with the Los Angeles Lakers? Think this question was answered when the Miami Heat won their NBA title.<br /><br />4) The Miami Heat is going to be contenders for a long time with the play of Dwayne Wade. He just dominated the finals invoking memories of the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region> era.<br /><br />5) I was wrong with the Indian Hockey team at the Azlan Shah Trophy. They have won the bronze. Was I being optimistic or pessimistic when I made about them having a dismal run?<b><br /><br />Quote of the Week:</b><br /><br />"The ball is round. The game lasts 90 minutes. Everything else is pure theory"<br />- Sepp Herberger (<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The manager of West Germany, winner of 1954 World Cup</span></span>)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"> </p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"> </p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1150866220949484632006-06-20T22:02:00.000-07:002006-06-20T22:06:32.986-07:00The Next UN Secretary General<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A "very important" question making rounds on most of the news channels on television is "Will Shashi Tharoor be the next UN Secretary General (UNSG)?" Will he, won't he? I don't know. I don't know anything about him apart from him being the author of a book titled "Riots", that my friend adores and that is from some little village in Kerala. Oh! Flash news...He has been with the UN for 28 years (just saw that on television as I'm writing this). Now to the bigger question of Shashi Tharoor's candidacy...the cost. You must be wondering why cost and what cost? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The cost is India giving up its aspirations of becoming a permanent member of UN Security Council, as only a person from a non permanent member of the UN Security Council is an eligible candidate. So India is giving up its long term objective for a short term gain? Is it really a short term gain? How much of a power does a UNSG have? The powers were very evident during the lead up to Bush's Desert Bash. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">India had once rejected the permanent when it was offered on a platter for reasons that are best not discussed. Yet, we are doing it again. I know the context and the circumstances are completely different, but it's the same when you see the bigger picture. What are we conveying to the world? We are just showing how serious we are about the permanent seat.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Few would argue that it is politics. Yes, I do agree as we have seen such flip flop acts a number of times in National and State politics. The buck has got to stop somewhere! It is time we tell the international community when it comes to world politics and we are a strong and resolute country.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyway, Good Luck Mr. Shashi Tharoor!</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1150694250493738112006-06-18T22:08:00.000-07:002011-05-24T01:45:27.775-07:00Sports Gully: The Birth<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have always wanted to write regularly on one of my passions - sports. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">However, for various reasons I would often get started, but run out of steam to finish. So, as I </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">was lazing around this Saturday watching soccer, EUREKA happened. I decided to start...hold your </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">breaths...MY OWN WEEKLY SPORTS COLUMN!!! Apologies for the anticlimax if I got carried away, sports </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">usually does that to me.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now that I knew what was on my plate, the next question was what do I </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">write week in and week out? This I didn't have to think twice. I am a regular reader of Peter King </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Jr.'s Monday Morning Quarterback - MMQB </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/writers/peter_king/archive/index.html)</span> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">on Sports Illustrated, which is a part of CNN. I really like this column </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">for various reasons. I just like the various sub-sections, the flow and </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">the content. Therefore, I am going be shameless and try to </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">adopt the MMQB format. Mr. King Jr.'s column targets American Football </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">while I am going to target sports in general (gives me more opportunity </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">and space to ramble).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">With the content and the potential murky format in place, now the million </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">dollar question was what title should I give my column? My brains got kickstarted </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">and it went through this kaleidoscope of possible names. Let me name a few of the </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">weirder ones for your amusement - "Weekend Wicketkeeping", "Weekend </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Goaltending", "Street-smart Cricketer" and "Street Sports". Then was some </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">some sanity and these names popped out of my head: "Powerplay", </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Touchdown", "Slamdunk", "Touchdown Corner", "Sports Corner" and finally </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Sports Gully". Since, I couldn't think of anymore and save myself from </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">further embarrassment, I decided to stick to Sports Gully. A friend even </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">gave me a professional nod of approval for it.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And just like that...<span style="font-weight: bold;">SPORTS GULLY</span>, my weekly sports column is born.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Lets get to some Sports now!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here are my FIFA World Cup 2006 predictions:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Quarterfinals:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1) Germany vs. Argentina</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Argentina wins in regular period</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2) England vs. Holland</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> An upset special: Holland in overtime</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3) Italy vs. France</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> France in a penalty shootout</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4) Brazil vs. Spain</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Upset of the World Cup: Spain in regular period</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;">Semi-Finals:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1) Argentina vs. Holland</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> A repeat of Group C, Argentina wins in overtime</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2) Spain vs. France</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> The neighborhood tussle! Spain in regular period</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;">Finals:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Argentina vs. Spain</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Argentina in regular time for their 3rd FIFA World Cup. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;">Surprise of the FIFA World Cup I round:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1) Ecuador - For their first ever 2nd round appearance</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2) Ghana - Making it to the 2nd round on their maiden appearance to </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">eventually lose to Brazil.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;">Things I Think!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1) Carolina Hurricanes lift the Stanley Cup by beating the Edmonton </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oilers in game 7 of the best of 7 series. (Ice Hockey)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2) Miami Heat beat Dallas Mavericks in 7 games for their first ever NBA </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ring. (Basketball)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3) India is going to have a dismal run in the Azlan Shah tournament in </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Malaysia. (Hockey)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4) Well have I written anything about cricket yet? Don't think Harbhajan </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Singh will play in the 3rd test either. It has more to do with Greg </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Chappell's theory of having 3 fast bowlers. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5) I still can't get over the fact that Ajit Agarkar isn't there in the </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">test squad after being the only Indian bowler to impress in the one-day </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">series.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;">Quote of the week:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Before the Paraguay game we'll all shake hands. At Madrid we all kiss each other before we go out. Against Jamaica, Aaron Lennon was waiting to replace me and as I approached I reached forward to kiss him, but then thought 'no, better not'."</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">David Beckham on the difference between English and Spanish customs</span>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span></div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1150533803052470002006-06-17T01:38:00.000-07:002006-06-17T01:48:41.233-07:00A Little Nostalgia<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Every Saturday after sweating it out at the KSCA badminton courts, I make it a point to walk into the stadium, sit near the pavilion, and just gaze at the lush green out field and the empty stands. Sometimes, I am walk in and see kids practicing or in a game, but still that green out field and the empty stands have my full attention.</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Every single time I sit there, it takes me back in time to the first time I ever set my foot in the stadium. I went there with huge expectations on the 4th day of the final test match between India and Australia in 1998. It turned out to be a sorry day for the ardent Indian fan and a die-hard Azhar fan, to see India lose that test. Nonetheless, it is a moment I will always cherish, for as I stepped into the stadium and see the lush green out field and a boisterous crowd just left me overawed. It was a feeling that is beyond words. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Now, as I sit here in the KSCA stands and jotting my thoughts down. I cannot help feel that every time I walk though the narrow passage into the stadium, it feels like I am walking back in time. To the days of my childhood, to this cricket crazy childhood, which is best described in my dad’s words, “He is crazy enough to stop everything and even watch little kids playing cricket on the street”. Well, it was time to walk back past the passageway, into the present.</span><br /><span style=""></span></div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1146467951630269722006-05-01T00:12:00.000-07:002006-05-01T00:19:11.643-07:00BigotryIt is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong. -- G. K. Chesterton<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BigotryPradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1146292591022519872006-04-28T23:22:00.000-07:002006-04-28T23:38:58.133-07:00Football...oops, American Football 101: Understanding the Basics<div style="text-align: justify;">Ever watch sportsmen in helmets go after each other for a little oval shaped ball on television or ever been in a situation where you are at a gathering or at a official party in the USA and your colleagues are using jargon such as Quarterback, Running Back, Patriots, 49ers, Chargers, Broncos, NFC, AFC, Super Bowl, 4th quarter, 4th and 1, 5 seconds to go etc? Has this lingo ever evoked a volley of questions while piquing your curiosity; “Are they talking about American football?”, “Why are these people so passionate about such a physical sport?”, “Wish I knew a little more about this game” and “Why is it called football when they hardly use their foot?” Here is a brief overview about American Football.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">History:</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">American Football was derived from Rugby; various versions of football were played in the US since 1850. In 1873, the Intercollegiate Football Association consolidated many disparate rules to have one version. These rules underwent many revisions and by 1882, the rules were well evolved to resemble the present day rules. The first professional football game was played in 1892. The NFL or National Football League was formed in 1920.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Field:</span><br /><br />• The playing field is 100 yards, with stripes running across the field every 5 yards (field also called Gridiron for this reason)<br />• On each end of the playing field is a 10 yard zone (marked with diagonal lines) called the end zone<br />• The total field is 120 yards long by 160 yards wide<br />• In addition to the 5 and 10 yard, lines there are the "hash marks", a series of lines marked at every yard down either side of the centre of the field. These lines are used by the officials for placing the ball down prior to the start of each play.<br />• The goalposts are set on the back line of the end zone. The front line of the end zone is called the goal line.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Teams:</span><br /><br />• A football team consists of three units, Offense, Defense and Special Team<br />• Each team is allowed eleven players on the field at a time. There can be unlimited substitutions provided the ball is dead (end of a play).<br />• If a team has the possession of the ball, its offensive unit is on the field.<br />• The Offense uses a wide variety of "plays" to achieve its objectives using regular changes in team line up for "running plays" or "passing plays".<br />• The Offense uses a wide variety of "plays" by making regular changes in team line up for "running plays" or "passing plays" to advance the ball to the opponent’s end zone.<br />• Offense is lead by the Quarterback (QB). The QB at the start of a play can either hands the ball over to the Running Back (RB), who runs with the ball, or throws the ball to the Wide Receivers (WR).<br />• The team, which tries to prevent the offensive unit from advancing, has its defensive unit on the field.<br />• If any of the team is kicking the ball (kick-offs, field goal attempts and extra point attempts), then special team unit of both the teams are on the field.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Objective:</span><br /><br />• The object of the game is simply to score more points than your opponents’ by either crossing your opponent’s end zone with the ball (touchdown), or by kicking field goals (field goal).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Game:</span><br /><br />• The game starts with one team kicking the ball off to the other also known as “kick-off”<br />• The receiving team must catch the ball and try to advance it as far back toward the kicking team as possible<br />• The play ends when the player with the ball is knocked to the ground (tackled), or makes it all the way to the kicking team's end zone (touchdown).<br />• The spot where the kick returner is tackled becomes the line of scrimmage. The ‘line of scrimmage’ is a term used for the place where the ball is spotted before a play is run. This establishes the starting point of the game.<br />• The Offense and Defense line up at the "line of scrimmage" prior to each play.<br />• The Objective of the Offense is to gain a minimum of 10 yards in four attempts (known as "downs").<br />• If the offense makes the 10yards on any of the four plays, it automatically begins another sequence of four downs to achieve 10 yards. This is known as "first down".<br />• A team keeps possession of the ball until either it fumbles it (drops it), fails to make 10 yards progress in four attempts or the ball is caught by the opposing team.<br />• If the Offense believes that it cannot make the 10 yards on fourth down it, will punt kick the ball deep into the opponents’ territory and the opponents’ Offensive team takes possession.<br />• At each play, the defense seeks to prevent the yardage being gained or to take possession of the ball by creating a "fumble" (the offense dropping the ball) or an "interception" (where a pass is caught by the defender rather than the intended receiver).<br />• If a receiver does not catch a ball and it touches the ground, either directly or when knocked down by a defender, then the pass is ruled "incomplete" and the Offense keeps the ball for the next down at the same line of scrimmage from the previous one.<br />• Both Offense and Defense can score because the Defense may re-gain possession of the ball during play as the result of a mistake by the opposite offense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">An Example:</span><br />• The first play of a series is called first-and-ten because it is the first down and 10 yards are needed to receive a new set of four down.<br />• Suppose on the first play, the team on offense picks up three yards. The next play would then be second-and-seven, because it is second play of the set and they still need seven yards to get a first down.<br />• If they were to pick up six yards on the second play, it would leave them one yard shy of the first down marker, therefore setting up a third-and-one situation. Third-and-one because it would be the third play of the series and they would still need one yard to get a first down.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scoring:</span><br /><br />The methods in which you can score points are tabulated below:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Touchdown </span> - <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Carrying the ball or receiving the ball in the opponents end-zone</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">6 pts</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Extra Point </span> - <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A play after a touchdown when the ball is kicked between the post</span></span> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">1 pt</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Extra Points</span> - <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A play after a touchdown when the ball is passed or carried into the end zone</span></span> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">2 pts</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Field Goal </span>- <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A Goal kicked normally on 4th down when the offense does not believe they can make 1st down</span></span> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">3 pts</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Safety</span> - <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">When an Offensive player is tackled in possession in his own end zone</span></span> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">2 pts</span><br /><br />Hopefully, this small introduction to this very interesting game will help you with all the “overhead transmission” that tends to happen when someone is talking about American Football.<br /><br /><br />References:<br />http://football.about.com/cs/football101/a/bl_football101.htm</div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1119436732577047762005-06-22T03:35:00.000-07:002005-06-22T03:38:52.580-07:00A New Star in the Making?<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">No, No, No, I’m not joining the bandwagon of sportswriters and talking about the latest sensation Eleni Daniilidou, who just sent Justine Henin-Hardenne packing in the first round of Wimbledon. I’m referring to Angela Haynes, know who she is? I don’t think many would have hardly heard of her, well I didn’t until yesterday and she didn’t even get past the first round of the Wimbledon, where she lost to Serena Williams in a tough three setter.<br /><br />This tie really caught my eye yesterday. I must admit it was a real pleasure watching these two go at it in the first set. I had never seen that kind of hitting on grass especially in women’s tennis. The way Angela Haynes matched stroke to stroke and at times even better Serena was very commendable. Serena broke serve twice and Haynes came right back with back to back breaks. Some of her passing shots and service returns were exquisite. Every time she was in trouble, she served right into the body of Serena, cramping her for room. I had never seen Serena run around the court like the way she did in the first set. In simple terms she was getting beat in her own game. The game finally went into the tie-break; we could see a rise in the level of tennis and intensity from both the players. It was a narrowly fought tie-break, with fluctuating mini-breaks and it was 12-12, when a couple of unforced errors due to frustration on the part of Serena saw Angela Haynes win the first set.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I couldn’t watch the rest of the game, but Serena finally did win the game 6-7(12-14), 6-4, 6-4. But, the first set will remain on my mind for a while to come. It is also interesting to note that Angela Haynes was coached by her father in Irvine, California ala Serena. One can only imagine where she would go with her talent and the future of this 20 year old sure does look bright after her performance in her first ever Wimbledon.<br /><br />More information can be found at:<br />http://www.wtatour.com/players/playerprofiles/playerbio.asp?PlayerID=310617</span></div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1119198387448459492005-06-19T09:17:00.000-07:002005-06-19T09:44:34.113-07:00Finally back on the Wooden Floor!<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Been a good day today, went shopping with cousin and picked up 2 books, Bill Bryson's Made In America and A Short History of Nearly Eaverything. Very eager to finish up with Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, shall not talk much about it now, as I plan to have my review of the book on here.<br />Watched "Kicking and Screaming", was an okay movie, nothing great. Will Ferrell in his normal goofy elements but think it was better than Elf....Ummm not sure!<br />Well, now the best part of the day....I finally made it back to the badminton court and No! I just did'nt watch but had a short work-out....good enough to make me sweat a little. I maybe a little sour....oh well! I'll live :)<br />Here is my quote for the day:</span><br /></div></span></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">"There is nothing in life so difficult that it cannot be overcome.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">This faith can move mountains, it can change people, it can change the world.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">You can survive all the great storms in your life."</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">- Dr. Norman Vincent Peale</span></div><div align="center"></div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13773364.post-1119112651167890902005-06-18T09:34:00.000-07:002005-06-18T10:12:37.363-07:00First Post!!!<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >This is exciting, as I post my first ever blog. This post is as a result of some blog-speak from my former roommates and friends who got me interested in blogging. I'm hoping this is going to be a medium for my mind and heart to speak. So hoping to keep it going with the following lines.....</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—<br />I took the one less traveled by,<br />And that has made all the difference."<br />- Robert Frost</span><br /></div>Pradeep Sallahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01598994509163317990noreply@blogger.com0