Crow's Nest...

I would really like it if google stopped treating blogger as an orphan child. I mean they have updates for all the software with new innovative designs every day and they can not come up with a decent blogger application. This is sad. I would really like it if the current app would allow typing the post in landscape mode as that is easier on my thumbs and faster to type.

This experiment in education of masses, by coursera , seemed very intriguing to me from the very beginning. The upside of the experience was that it was free and endorsed by some big names in the education arena. I jumped onto the ship from its onset. Currently I am enrolled in a course that is eight weeks long and I think I am enjoying it. My goal for enrolling in the course was many fold. I wanted to educate myself about the health care act and I thought that there was no better person to learn from than Obama's health secretary. I also wanted to reap the benefit of free education. Then there was this desire to see how the education system works in America from a student perspective. So far it has been a rewarding experience. I have learned a lot about Medicare and Medicaid and the discrepancies that exist in the health care system in united states. I have also learned to more effectively compare our health care systems with others around the world. I now have a better idea of w...

The second half of last year was exceptionally and unusually dry. There was hardly an inch of rain for good nine months. Then there was brown thanksgiving and Christmas. Even the new years was bone dry. But then came march this year. It has rained more than eleven inches since march this year. I do not mind the rain much. Infact I look forward to some rain as it keeps the grass green and our water bill down. However once my roof started leaking I was really disappointed. Especially so since the apartments we moved into were supposedly brand new and modern in construction. They were not supposed to dribble like an incontinent man so soon in their life cycle. I think there are nineteenth century homes in this town that have more continent roofs than ours. It is also very disconcerting to think that all this leaking roof is going to breed a lot of mold eventually and then there will be no stopping the upper respiratory infections. I am disappointed to say the least. The bummer is that the...

Pakistan faced Bangladesh in the finals of Asia cup 2012.  I had a chance to watch some part of the final live on TV.  Bangladesh lost the game after a good fight.  The game was over in due time and everything went back to normal.  Only that it did not.  No one knew that Bangladeshi crowd and the board are such sore losers.  Having reached the finals of Asia Cup, they thought they were crowned the winners as well. Since that time Bangladesh has left no stone unturned to sour the taste of victory for the Pakistani team. One must realize that Asia Cup was scheduled after long and tiring tours for Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.  Bangladesh team was the only relatively fresh team in the tournament.  I also think that Sri Lanka had no interest in winning the tournament after a long but pretty successful tours of South Africa and Australia.  Indian team was in Australia for about three months and lost almost all games there.  Pakistan had ret...

Pakistan played a one day against Afghanistan in Sharjah.  Sharjah is the adopted home ground of the Afghanistan team since conditions are not suitable for home games in Afghanistan.  Both teams had something in common, both do not have home grounds available for playing games.  This is a sad situation.  But this also makes this match up interesting and unique.  Afghanistan did better than my expectation in the game.  They were able to score more than 100 in the game.  Then they bowled well as well and were able to take three Pakistani wickets.  So I would say that Pakistan win was good and expected but not thoroughly impressive against a non test playing nation.  Then again Pakistan's record against non test playing nations is not a very good one. I do think that Pakistan should have rested its experienced players and played with a different one day squad.  This way new players would have received some exposure. I was also interested ...

Almost ever game night I think of a most probable outcome to the ongoing series and almost every time I am proved wrong.  Just last night when I went to bed I had thought to myself that the result will be forthcoming in the third and final test between Pakistan and England during the second day of the match.  However, it seems, that I was wrong once again.  No sweat as I do not consider myself a cricket guru.  My know how of the game is no more than knowing the names of few players in my home side.  The keen interest that I used to possess appears to be there no more for well over a decade.  I do not sweat that either as for most part of the decade it has served me well to remain distant from the following.  Had I remained a die hard fan, I would have run into countless moments of dejection and despair.  But then again that is the whole point of the game.  To hope for the best and not get the exact result you want.  My reason for not fol...

Pakistani team has done it again.  They have pulled off another win against the number one test team in the world.  They have, technically, achieved this feat on a pitch that is away from home.  The conditions are similar but not the same in the middle east.  Pakistan has beaten England in the second test in Abu Dhabi.  I just watched the highlights of the final day of the game on Ten Cricket.  It was a treat to watch.  There has been no good news coming out of Pakistan or about Pakistan for such a long time that every little news that is good catches our fancy and makes us happy.  I think there is double reason for us to be happy on this win.  We beat the number one test team in the world and we beat the country that has given us relentless pain and agony for the past few years in the game of cricket.  English are shameless in the game of cricket.  The way they behaved with the test match controversy involving Inzamam and then our ...