It opened its doors when most Indians had no idea that you could use the internet for things other than porn and email.

It started way back in 1997 but I discovered it only in 1998. (I was discovering email and porn for a year, see)

Like breakfast and biryani, it became a part of my life.

Through it I discovered many wonderful things like Private Messages, Private rooms and words like Feck, BRB and ROTFLSHTCCOMNEWIWDA*.

Through it I made many wonderful friends. I looked at making female friends but some of them turned out to be male heh heh …. that besides, I made friends all over the world. In the US, the UK, Oz and The United States of Hyderabad! While most of my ‘offline’ pals went ahead and moved out of town and out of touch, most of my online pals still remain and I guess will continue to do so. And we have only one thing to thank for that.

Rediff chat finally comes to an end.

After 9 years of making us laugh, cry, tear our hair out and showing us how to make rooms like ‘Unhook my tight bra’ we are told that we must move on. There are some who still know how to get in and still do. Me included. I know in the last couple of years I haven’t been on Rediff in the manner I used to but knowing now that its going, I know I shall miss it like anyone would miss their favourite pub or hangout when it goes away.

I go now, thinking about people. In no particular order. By their handles or Yahoo IDs or their given names. Hippogriff, Hosannah, AcuteRapier, SantaNudeAss, Ghost Rider (heavens, so close together heh heh), Bleu, Pitbull, LilMermaid, Champagne, CrazyCoco, Charu, TheIdiot, SinSmittenCyberKitten, NecroAsh, HestaDaMolesta, Danielle, Kaybabe, Suparn, Kanurite, Hexa, Nehausa, Zoonyspaz, Martian, The Sorceress, GhostWhoSpoke, Ego, Dapps, Smilin Angel, Mesmeriser, UglyDuckly, Anjelica, Chikks, Cereal Killa, Moonie, Tianna, TiaKitty, CountryGurl, ADitty, CapnNemo, Hydeous, Poiuy, Rebelle, InsaneJane, Fang, Cactus, TheDiva@Num, Cube3, Weedie, Sapphire Lady, J Guv, LambChops, NS, Nescafe, HRH, Tia Maria, Blondesca, Dinkoo, Fax, CatWoman, VampireSlayer, Natalie, Eyros, WHY, GirlInBlue, SirCaustic, Azzman, Kunal, Oriflame, Pesty, Suave, SimplyBlack, Belledonna, Alfie, Kaluha, Shaz, WudHut, Swanky, Moksha, Hacking, Promises & Lies, Bella, Percival, Cherie, MannatG, Mocha Chocolatta , Gorgish, Indian, Knobby, Cleo, Ex Ex, Le Quack, NorthernLights, PChica, Phaedrus, Sadhs, PravinVermin, RKR, Ace, Ahnooie, AlPac, Ballz, Heath, Zomb, Reindrop, Rico, NangaSadhu, SheFlu….. etc… etc… and if you’re name isn’t here you can be sure it’s because old age has caught up with me.

Thank you all for the laughs and all the memories.

Riggy … Rigger Mortisse…. The Nizam /-

* - Rolling on the floor laughing so hard that Coke came out of my nose even when I wasn’t drinking any

PS - you can still get on @ http://www.rediff.com/chat/chathom.htm

The Bangladeshis might be forgiven for thinking they are starring in an porn movie called Chitty Chitty Gang Bang post Day2 of the 2nd Test.

For the first time ever in the history of Test cricket have the top four batsman of a side scored hundreds in the same innings. It was all a bit much if you ask me, Jaffer cemented his place in the side post his last test pair, a wicket-keeper who is now a batsman scored his first test hundred while our most capped player got his 37th and in the midst of all this the man Ugly loves to hate brought up his 24th.

After all this Zaheer got his act together and lopped the head of the Bangladeshi batting leaving them half gone for 50 or so. Looks like this one might finish on Day 3 unless the Bongs pick themselves up and play a bit like they played in the World Cup.

Oh, while I think Sachin should have retired post the World Cup, I see that he as added 2 more test hundreds to his kitty in a week. How much more can he go on? I shudder to think he’ll want to go to 40. (Not in test hundreds but in age). Some said this was perhaps his most laborious and unattractive hundred ever, all I can do is doff my hat in admiration. He’s no spring chicken but if could bat his way to 129 without having to crumble with cramps like the much younger Kartik and Jaffer, his fitness levels have to be way up high. Good on yer, old man - it’s nice when you show the young bucks a thing or two.

There’s one more test left. One more chance for Sachin to come out there and bat with the abandon of the 21 year old blaster he once was. I watched him pummel Mike Whitney and Craig McDermott on a blinder of a wicket at the WACA many moons ago - will we see one more or is that asking for too much?

Rigged/-

Last week I spent 5 extra hours at the Delhi Airport.

This week Bangalore decides to treat me to a few extra hours at their at the moment empty and terribly cold airport. I don’t even have an extra shirt, let alone something that will keep me warm. An Indian Airlines flight that was to have left at 3 am will now depart at 5:20am (if I’m lucky) and I will get home at the grand hour of 7 am. Sheesh.

A quick trip to Bangalore ended with a bunch of colleagues first hitting TGIF and then shifting over to Athena. Having finished with that a large gathering of us went to Empire and pigged out like we hadn’t seen food for a week.

Here I am now. Cold. Not So Hungry. Alone. Sleepy. Cold. Sweaterless. Check-In Baggage-less. Coffeeless.

*Sigh*

Rigged/-

This last week went by rather quietly.

The highlight of my week was being caught at the NayiDilly Hawai Adda by a nasty flight delay. My flight that was supposed to take off at 8:40PM finally took off at 2 AM the following morning. In the meanwhile I was subjected to a waiter at the ITC Bar asking me to cough up 500 bucks for a Coke. Coca Cola I mean. Is all of Delhi like so? Needless to say I chose to walk out of the bar and head to the ‘Lounge’ on the first floor for a terrible meal.

More excitement followed. I was at an event that starred a Telegu film heart-throb. I had my hair open and thus signed autographs and posed for pictures (and this is true) with adoring fans of the said heart-throb, who having been short-changed by the chap’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it visit, chose ME instead.

Oh yes, we had cricket (again) and this time the Old Boys Association (read The Dada and The Tendon) prolonged their careers by scoring 100 and 101 Vs Bangladesh. Seems to me they just wanted to prove a point that they still COULD score test  centuries (even if its the Bongs) and once they got their landmarks they decided it was boring and threw it away.

I also partied every night for some strange reason. Karaoke on Thursday night, Retro Night on Friday, Complete Bollocks Waste of Time Night on Saturday and easy night with pals on Sunday. Hmmm. I think I should stay home more often.

Oh - also watched a rather cool movie. Smokin’ Aces. If you like Guy Ritchie or Tarantino or Senor Rodrigues, have a watch. Great cast ( Andy Garcia, Ben Afleck, Ray Liota, Alicia Keys to name a few) and a crazy plot. A must see in my book.

Thats all folks. I think.

Riggy/-

This is such a fantastic video on what Web 2.0 means. For businesses, for nations, for societies, for us.

Watch.

Here I am, on a Sunday afternoon , sitting at TGIFriday in Bangalore and thinking I had me a damned good weekend. For our three avid readers, let it be known I am sitting here waiting for Ugly, who, when I spoke to last, said it would take her 30 minutes to get here. We are not close to 50 minutes and my wait continues.

I have had a great ol’ weekend. The internal conference I came for ended with the most fantastic after-party, by which I mean the 60 or so of us got high - some on spirit, some on life etc and danced the night away. I then played Pictionary with a bunch of really cool colleagues at 3 am in the morning, pub crawled on a Saturday night, played cricket on Sunday morning and then waited for Ugly. And still do.

I think I like Bangalore more than I did last year. And the year before. I think I will come back more often now.

Rigged/-

PS. Still no sign of Ugly.

PPS. She showed up ten minutes after this post was done. Looking summery in pink!

The ITC Sheraton in Hyderabad has two Polish singers that perform at the hotel bar. Good stuff. And the ad is even better.

Rigged /-