2012:End of The World??

Hey guys,
First of all
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
The year 2011 has finally come to an end. It has been an interesting year with many cool things happening like-

• The marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
• Killing of Osama Bin Laden.
• Global population crossing 7 billion.
• Ending of the Iraq war.
• India winning the cricket world cup.
• Ending of the Harry Potter movie series.
• And other things....

So, we can gladly say that the year 2011 was a memorable one althought there were few drawbacks(natural disasters,but they are inevitable). But now the year has ended and no one knows what 2012 holds.
Will the world become a better place with international peace and security, no famines, droughts or calamities and my blog becoming famous ;) ?
Or will the world become a worse place to live in with increased pollution, crime and poverty?
Or will the world end altogether, like predicted by many people in the past?
There have been many debates and discussions going on about the predicted 2012 apocalypse. I do not believe that the world will end in 2012 but after going through this website(http://www.whatwillhappenin2012now.com/) I too became a little worried. Is Planet X, Nibiru, real?
Is NASA really hiding something from the public?
But even if they are and if the world was going to really end, we would have no possible way to save our selves right?
So, I don't think we all should be worried about it because there is nothing much we can really do.
Instead we should now decide to live the remaining days to the fullest and enjoy with friends and family.
So my fellow human beings, Happy New Year again.
May the new year be fun, enjoyable and memorable!!!
And a last word before signing off,

Start Living and Not Surviving ;)
 
Signing Off,
Aalap Asurlekar

Singapore Youth Photography Convention (SYPC) 2011

Hey guys,
I had attended the Singapore Youth Photography Convention 2011 held at ACS Independent on Saturday, 22nd October. It was a fun and enlightening experience. We had to report by 8.45am. When I entered the lecture hall which we were supposed to report in, I saw that most of the people were using Nikon, Cannon and other awesome cameras while I was using a Sony Cybershot. Not good, I thought.

The proceedings started off with the theme being announced. The theme was "Purity". So we went around Singapore taking pictures. I had a lot of fun thought it was tiring as we went from Queenstown to Esplanade. We even lost our way once and that cost us heavily as we didn't have time for editing.

After submission of photos, there was a small talk by a famous local photographer. He told us about his experience in Bhutan and also gaves tips.

The prize distribution was done by a MP. Even though I didn't win, I gained a lot of interest in photography. I guess in the end everyone was a winner as we all got certificates and freebies.

I will surely go for the convention next year and I even recommend it to others as well.

Signing Off,
Aalap Asurlekar

A Balinese Journey

Hey guys,

I had been to Bali, Indonesia around two weeks ago. It was a really fun place and I enjoyed myself there. In this post I am going to write about my stay there.

I went to Bali by AirAsia since it was cheaper and only a 3 hour journey. I slept during the flight, getting up only for the food. We finally landed and the airport was pretty cool with the runway ending into the ocean.

They gave us the visa within a few seconds and so we cleared the immigration pretty fast.

We were going to stay in the Benoa region and I was pretty excited to learn that out hotel, Novotel, was near the beach.

We were going to stay in Bali for five days and four nights. So we decided to finish the sightseeing on the first two days so we could relax on the beach for the other 2.

 

I guess it would be more interesting for you all to see the pictures..... So here's the link to the pictures. Be sure to read the captions though to better understand the pictures.

Bali - A Photo Journey

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Be sure to leave some feedback in the comments section.

Signing Off,

Aalap Asurlekar

The F1 Experience

The Race

The Singapore Grand Prix was held from 23rd to 25th September. I went on the 24th September for the F1. It was the first time I saw a live F1 race.
The qualifying race was held on that day as well as the Shakira concert. Sebastien Vettel got pole position (nothing new about him winning almost all races now, is there??)

Tickets For All Three Days

My friends and I sat in the Padang Granstand which was at a turn. It was thrilling looking at the cars achieve full speed and then having to brake at the turn, missing the walls by inches. It was also pretty loud, but bearable.

There were a lot of different cuisines available. There was Mexican, Japanese, Indian, Chinese and Western. The food available at the F1 was not so good but I did not try all the different foods available, so I can't really judge the food there. I tried the Tacos, which were not bad. But I really loved the ice-cream there. According to me it was the best thing they had for eating.

After The Race

The Shakira Concert

After the third practice race was the Shakira concert. I stood some 50m away. Only the people with the Shakira fan bands were allowed close to the stage.She mostly sang spanish songs but also a few good english songs like Gypsy and She Wolf. It was funny when she walked off stage and people started leaving because they thought that the concert was over but she came back and sang Waka Waka and Hips Don't Lie. Therefore a lot of people missed the best part of her performance.

I will post a few videos I took of the concert later on.

I even wanted to attend the Linkin Park concert which was on the next day but could not do so because I had Science exam on monday :(

So overall, it was a good experience and I will surely go for the F1 the next year if the contract for Singapore is renewed by the F1 guys (Don't know what to call them)

Until next time.....

Signing Off,
Aalap Asurlekar 

Off To Bali

Hey guys,
Yes I am in Bali and am sorry that I will not be able to post anything till this Sunday. After coming back I will write about the Shakira concert during the F1 and also about my trip to Bali.
I also have a new category called "My Life". I thought that my cricket posts were getting a bit boring and so I will shorten my future cricket posts and will post pictures and other more interesting posts in the "My Life" section.
Signing Off,
Aalap Asurlekar

First Win As Captain

Hey guys,

Sorry I didn't post anything last week cause I have been busy with exams, cricket and thinking of what to post. I chose to post today cause I thought it would be good practice for my writing cause I have English exam tomorrow and also my exams are starting again and won't be able to post over the next week.

Ya so anyways a cricket tournament started last week. It's called Howzat and the games are played every Sunday. I was chosen to be the captain of the team Singapore Cricket  Club. Pretty cool rite!!

We had our first game on 11th September, Sunday. I was captaining after a pretty long time, almost 5 years, and was pretty nervous. We played against Australian International School (they called themselves AISS Roos). I won't be writing about the match in much detail like my first post cause it might get boring so I will sum up the match. I won the toss and choose to bat cause it was a wet pitch. Our opener got out pretty fast and so did our number 3 and 4. I went in at 5 and got out on 2 :( Our situation was looking bleak  as we were 80 something for 5 off 18 overs. We were also playing with only 10 guys. But our tailenders did a fantastic job of batting all 30 overs and we put on a respectable total of 116 runs.

It was a defendable total and our bowlers did well. I opened the bowling and my other partner ended up with figures of 5 overs, 4 runs and 1 wicket!!! I ended up with 5 overs, 15 runs and 2 wickets. I even got a run-out. We won the match, but just. The match boiled down to the last over and they needed 10 runs off 6 balls. They only got 5 and my first match as captain ended well with a victory. 

It felt nice to be the captain of a winning side ;) I hoped to continue my streak but it ended in the second match itself. More of that in the next post.

Signing Off,

Aalap Asurlekar

Meeting With Hayden and Kasprowiscz

Hey guys,
So on 6th of September, I had the opportunity to meet two great Australian cricket players - Matthew Hayden and Michael Kasprowiscz. It was an "Coaching Clinic" organised by the Singapore Cricket Club in the evening and I was in the batch of 15 to 18 yrs old.
 Most of you may know Hayden cause he plays or used to play rather for the IPL cricket team Chennai SuperKings, but Kasprowiscz retired earlier and is not part of the IPL. Hayden is a batsmen while Kasprowiscz is a bowler, so I spent the "Coaching Clinic" with him.
When I entered the club, I first saw two very tall guys, obviously 6 foot something. I realised that it was Hayden and Kasprowiscz and thought to my self - How will I take my picture with them??? I thought that even if I tip-toe, I barely reach their ears!!!
So I changed from my school uniform into my cricket dress. I went to the field and we were gonna start in 10 minutes. The cricket field was pretty crowded and I was overjoyed when I realised that we were going to get a free bottleand a cap as well. The first thing the two (Hayden and Kasprowiscz) did was to split us according to our strenghts - batting and bowling. I went into the bowling part with Kasprowiscz.(Have I mentioned that??) He gave us  a few tips and told us about a few of the interesting matches he had played. It was then time to hit the nets and we were given brand new balls to bowl with. But it lasted for about only 15 minutes and then it was autoograph time. Everyone was crowded around both of the international stars and I had to push my way in. I felt like I was in the MRT during rush hour!! I finally managed to get an autograph and a picture with both of them. In the end we even got to keep the new balls we had used. Looks like the meeting was very fruitful indeed.

 Me with Michael Kasprowiscz

Me with Matthew Hayden

Signing Off,

Aalap Asurlekar

The Best Partnership Of My Life.......So Far

Hey guys,
I am going to tell you about my cricket match which was on Saturday, 3 September 2011. It was against KPGM in the Corporate League Division 1 at our home ground, GIIS Queenstown.
I arrived late for the match by 10 minutes and by the time I arrived we had already begun fielding. After reaching the ground I quickly changed into my cricket shoes, was wearing slippers, and went on to field. I got to bowl the sixth over but didn't bowl so well giving 2 wides. In my next over, I got 2 wickets but bowled 3 more wides. I finished my bowling with figures of 21 runs for 2 wickets.
We had got them all out on a low total of 128. So we needed only 129 off 30 overs, the lowest we needed so far in the league.
Our openning batsmen looked good but when they got out the wickets started falling and only Manbir-one of my coach- had reached double figuers. I went in to bat at number 5 and at a bad situation. We were 44 for 5 of just 6 overs. I started quite nervous but became more comfortable later on. I scored a boundary off my second ball and it helped build my confidence. My other partner got out and so did the next batsmen who came in. My friend V.S Tanmay then came in at 7. It was a bleak situation with a few wickets but a the positive side was that we had around 20 overs left. So we batted well and put on a partnership of 40 runs in 7 overs. Ya I now it may not sound much but we were playing against 20 to 40 yr olds and were under pressure.
We were playing well and having fun, with Tanmay sledging the other team(Hard to believe I know), but I played a stupid shot and was caught at slip. I got out at 94 for 8. Tanmay soon followed and the last pair was now batting. I still had hope as we needed only 20 runs off 66 balls! But unluckly the last batsmen got out. Sad, I know. Our partnership of 40 was futile but still, we had fun.
Now I had to go home and prepare for my exam on Monday!! :(


Please leave your feedback in the comment section below.

Signing Off,
Aalap Asurlekar :)