Monday, June 23, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
What's his Name ?!
What’s in a name? Apparently a lot! Mine’s a simple ‘Colin De Sa ’ reflecting my Goan origin and urban upbringing in Mumbai . The confusion it creates and has created makes me wonder about Eliot Spitzer, the Ex- New York Governor currently facing flak for his dalliances .And how about the Chief Minister of Delhi , Sheila Dikshit ? Imagine her in Australia , Canada or the US , I don’t even want to go there !
In school in good ole Bombay (as it was known then) I still have memories of my 6th standard science teacher going Kolineeeeeeeen ! Sometimes when its very quiet at night, I still hear the last syllable being said out loud all these years after her lesson had been learnt .Maybe if I visit my school someday I’ll probably hear it echoing and bouncing off the walls!
Many would simply assume I spelt it “Collin “and that was not bad at all or “Collins “ which was a wee bit irritating . Once stopped by policemen when returning from a party with friends in the wee hours of the morning , a good officer re-christened my friend Ryster Coelho with “ Writer Cielo ‘ . He has not heard the end of it a decade later.
I would have thought moving to Dubai might address my grievances but alas my average telephone conversation goes like this.
“XYZ Company !”
“Good morning, I’m calling from 123 company and my name’s Colin , I would like to speak with
so and so … “
(Perfected after much heavy duty brainstorming to prevent what would happen if I said I’m
Colin from 123 company but in vain )
“ Sir , what’s your name ?” ( Goes the operator whatever nationality !)
“I'm Colin “
“ Sir , your NAME ? “ ( by now the operator’s voice is rising and has an edge to it )
“COLIN “ ( needless to say I always follow suit! )
“ KHALED ? “
“ No, C…O…L....I….N Colin “ ( in my condescending best tone reserved for such occasions !)
“ Mr. Khaled please hold the line while I transfer you “
I could complain to my parents but then I have a friend who has been named Gaye !
In school in good ole Bombay (as it was known then) I still have memories of my 6th standard science teacher going Kolineeeeeeeen ! Sometimes when its very quiet at night, I still hear the last syllable being said out loud all these years after her lesson had been learnt .Maybe if I visit my school someday I’ll probably hear it echoing and bouncing off the walls!
Many would simply assume I spelt it “Collin “and that was not bad at all or “Collins “ which was a wee bit irritating . Once stopped by policemen when returning from a party with friends in the wee hours of the morning , a good officer re-christened my friend Ryster Coelho with “ Writer Cielo ‘ . He has not heard the end of it a decade later.
I would have thought moving to Dubai might address my grievances but alas my average telephone conversation goes like this.
“XYZ Company !”
“Good morning, I’m calling from 123 company and my name’s Colin , I would like to speak with
so and so … “
(Perfected after much heavy duty brainstorming to prevent what would happen if I said I’m
Colin from 123 company but in vain )
“ Sir , what’s your name ?” ( Goes the operator whatever nationality !)
“I'm Colin “
“ Sir , your NAME ? “ ( by now the operator’s voice is rising and has an edge to it )
“COLIN “ ( needless to say I always follow suit! )
“ KHALED ? “
“ No, C…O…L....I….N Colin “ ( in my condescending best tone reserved for such occasions !)
“ Mr. Khaled please hold the line while I transfer you “
I could complain to my parents but then I have a friend who has been named Gaye !
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Commonweath Bank Series Win !
As we bask in the glow of this stupendous achievement by the Cricket team , we celebrate a success that has often been promised and hinted at but has eluded us . The Positives from this series have been many and it would be really hard to pin point any . What could be the defining high point of this Series the emergence of Ishant and Praveen ? Gambhir finally stepping it up, Rohit Sharma showing why he is held in such esteem or Dhoni's awesome Captaincy , Bhajji
keeping his cool amid all the hate showered on him or will it be remembered for when Sachin once again reclaimed his Number one Crown at the age of 34 ! Keep it Up India ! Added to the success of the Under 19 Team this is the proverbial icing on the Cake . Finally I'd like to play tribute to the ' God of the Offside' and "The Wall' who might not be seen in India Blues again .
And to leave you all with something funny I partly came up with and heard.
Hayden and Symonds in the bar after the Game
"Roy , what’s the Name of that bloke who called you a Monkey ?"
Symonds ,"Singh"
"Roy i'm not in the mood for Song and Dance right now "
"huh , Mate ?"
"okay what about the other guy who took those wickets yesterday?"
"Kumar"
"Roy , the Indian bowler not the Lankan keeper '
“That is him ‘.
"Okay will you at least tell me the name of that new String bean Fast bowler ?"
" I Shant "
"Why you being like that ? "
" I shant ok "
"Your really are an ape '
Boom ! and Symonds shoulder tackles Hayden
And thats how Mathew Hayden got his boxing ring match and the Winner still was and is
India !
Let the Jokes Begin !
keeping his cool amid all the hate showered on him or will it be remembered for when Sachin once again reclaimed his Number one Crown at the age of 34 ! Keep it Up India ! Added to the success of the Under 19 Team this is the proverbial icing on the Cake . Finally I'd like to play tribute to the ' God of the Offside' and "The Wall' who might not be seen in India Blues again .
And to leave you all with something funny I partly came up with and heard.
Hayden and Symonds in the bar after the Game
"Roy , what’s the Name of that bloke who called you a Monkey ?"
Symonds ,"Singh"
"Roy i'm not in the mood for Song and Dance right now "
"huh , Mate ?"
"okay what about the other guy who took those wickets yesterday?"
"Kumar"
"Roy , the Indian bowler not the Lankan keeper '
“That is him ‘.
"Okay will you at least tell me the name of that new String bean Fast bowler ?"
" I Shant "
"Why you being like that ? "
" I shant ok "
"Your really are an ape '
Boom ! and Symonds shoulder tackles Hayden
And thats how Mathew Hayden got his boxing ring match and the Winner still was and is
India !
Let the Jokes Begin !
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Road Trip to Remember !
Had written this some time ago but have only just found the time to post it .
Road trip to Remember
We had originally planned to drive from Austria to Hungary to visit Eric’s friends there known to him from his internship days . Things didn’t pan out as planned , I didn’t have enough time to get the visa and Plan B was made . This involved driving from Austria ( Amstetten ) to Munich and seemed like a good plan . Then Eric came up with the idea of going there via Neuschwanstein, the Bavarian Castle of King Ludwig II ( also known as Mad Ludwig) or schloss as castles tend to be called in Germany . One look at the map and my stomach did a flip flop , getting to Munich was easy enough , all we’d have to do is stay on the highway but this Neuschwanstein or ‘Nuisancestein’ thingy meant getting off the highway driving at least a 100 kms West and then another 100 kms North following an intricate network of roads to get deep into the Bavarian Alps in Germany . Brave adventurers that we were in the spirit of our forefathers, before us ( honestly I’m sure there would be some ) we decided to go ahead . Careful preparation was made , many maps consulted, some bought, some borrowed ) food and Red Bulls were stocked up.We have at our disposal an Audi TT Quatro which is checked ,fueled ,lubed and we are ready to roll . An early morning breakfast in an eerie side room , the people who run the Inn are kind enough to leave us breakfast there and we leave at 5am in the morning . Eric’s at the wheel and me playing navigator .
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Soon we are on Austria’s main highway A1 which runs from Vienna to Salzburg and beyond . We are headed for Germany , after half an hour, we have our first scare , Eric’s sure he’s left his passport behind in the hotel room in Austria . Panic stricken we check his bag and mercifully find the passport . We’ve settled back now and trying to figure out how to configure the I-pod and I-trip with the car’s FM radio , after several attempts we abandon that and make do with the FM stations available and after listening to “Ich Bin Ein Lustiger Student “ or something to the effect we find English FM , another disaster averted ! And that simply means “Im a Merry Student ‘ you pervs ! Two hours later we pass Salzburg and we are in Deutschland searching desperately for Rosenburg , Eric realizes in my enthusiasm I have re-christened the town Rosenburg when the place we need to get to is Rosenhiem but what’s the difference in a burg or a heim ! We get onto the 472 , make our first stop at a gas station , ask the attendant for directions , guzzle some more red Bull and set off again . We are lost for the first time , somewhere in the vicinity of Bad Töhl we pull over at an Inn , Eric takes the map and seeks directions .
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The beautiful Inn keeper puts us on the right track , we are carefully following the map’s now since we are off the highway , another stop at yet another gas station and I’m behind the wheel , the man advises us to get onto Highway A95 , drive South and take the xxit at Eschenlohe and head to Ettal . The map confirms that he’s right and not be one of the clichéd Psycho’s that give directions in cheesy horror movies sending the lambs to the kill . The key he gives us to use the rest room has a massive block of wood attached to it by a short rope , guess its to prevent an absent minded tourist like me putting it in his pocket and driving away but we are mighty tickled! After a couple of tries we get onto the road that leads to the highway and a while later we are on a German Autobahn for the first time . Its common knowledge that there are no speed limits on German Autobahn’s , we are doing 170-180 and are in the slow lane! There are cars overtaking us all the time ! Eric pushes the car to 220 and we can feel the big heavy Audi tremble and groan!
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German Cars , Autobahn’s and lots of Red Bull make an extremely potent combination . You can speed all you want on the Autobahn but you must strictly stick to speed limits in smaller towns and roads . I must note we do not spot a single accident the discipline of the drivers is impeccable , if we had similar rules in Dubai I have no doubt it would resemble a war zone within days .We are doing very good time now and in about half an hour are at the exit, from here it’s a flurry of quiant towns . We pass a succession of them with names like Oberau, Ettal , Linderhof and Reutte.
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Bizarrely the road we are following takes us back into Tirol , Austria . A border town , from here the landscape starts changing dramatically , we are approaching the foothills of the mighty Alps , the surrounding countryside starts changing and becomes hilly , we are now driving on narrow windy roads with blind turns . The route from here to the castle is one of the most scenic I have ever seen. We see a small stable and Alpine ponies grazing in the paddock , there is a small idyllic café up on the hill and that’s framed against the sheer rock of bare mountain which has been stripped of all greenery, this is a must have photo .
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So many stops for photos are made that we are worried if we will ever reach the castle and Munich. I wonder if I’ve missed my calling in life and if I’d make a good paparazzi but I cannot deny my love for photography! We make a pact no more stops for photos and break it within a couple of minutes but its not everyday that I can see snow coned Alpine mountains, lakes, streams, (melting ice mostly). Eric’s lived in Canada and has seen sights like these but even he is awestruck at the panoply of the Alps in the horizon. We see a dry river bed and descend for some more pics , clumps of melting ice remain in it yet !
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We stop at an Inn, the Lady at the reception speaks fluent English and reconfirms that we are on the right track . A few kilometers ahead we reach a massive lake which Takes our breath away and stop for more pics and to soak in the panoramic beauty. Once again we make the no more stops for pics pact , we almost succeed !
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Driving on the mountain roads is a bit unnerving for me , there are blind turns all over, no dividers on the roads and the vehicles on the opposite side are doing 80 , once again I’m impressed with the discipline of the Drivers , we can take a blind turn at 80 without having to worry that some idiot might be on our side of the road in the opposite direction! By now we are nearing the castle and spot signs in German saying Königsschlösser which means King of Castles . The landscape changes again its the flatter plains now and there are proper roads.We are as excited as adolescent boys about to see their dates on their first prom . We get our first glimpse of it against a backdrop of sheer imposing Mmountains and it takes our breath away , as we get closer we can spot another castle , the Hohenschwangau.
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We stop to relieve our bladders, multitasking is the buzzword of the new Millennium so we get some pics of the Castles whilst juggling our own equipment whilst standing at a safe distance from each other! (mentioned as a necessary deterrent just in case anyone might feel the need to borrow my camera!) We set off again, we drive through a fairy tale town called Fussen and resolve to stop there on our way back. Fussen is the closest town to the Castles .Finally we are at the tourist parking lot of the Castles . The time is 12 .10 pm its taken us 7 hours to get here from Austria .We are more than a little weary but the sight of the Castle spurs us on ! Its looks like its out of a fairy tale sitting so pretty upon a great mountain, we find out later that Disney have used it as the inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle . We pay for our tour tickets and have to make the climb up to the Castle supposedly a good solid half hour of climbing , I convince Eric we must ride the Pony carriage up the hill .
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The Ponies can get us up to a certain extent we are told, after that we must still walk , we pass a small waterfall and from there start walking , we take the steep slope ( there’s a gentler one ) as we want to get there faster, huffing and puffing we reach the Castle gates , admiring it up close , look at the surrounding scenery and get the customary pictures . We await our turn to get past the turnstiles, that done we now tour the Castle with an English speaking guide , the take no photos policy inside the Castle leaves us a bit frustrated so a few of the smart ones among us try to beat that by hanging back from the rest of the group when they move on to the next room only to be sternly reprimanded by the German speaking guide’s enjoinder ! The tour is done and we’ve seen the bedroom , court room and dining room of the King , he encouraged innovation and could be called a gizmo freak in his day ! The King was also obsessed with swans and they are all over the artwork of the Castle , even the Castle’s name Neuschwanstein literally mean “New Swan Stone ‘ . The Bedroom also has a tap in the shape of a swan and activating a button, water would flow from its beak, running water from a spring in the Mountain powerful enough for the purpose ! King Ludwig II was a big fan of composer and writer Richard Wagner and swans are a big part of his operas too. There is also a lot of Christian art depicting the Middle Ages and The Holy Grail.
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The view of the mountains, the lake and the plains beyond is breathtaking; I wonder what it must have been like to be King in those days especially in winter and to be immured in such an imposing monument. It feels like a fantasy world far removed from that harsh reality called life! There is a suspension bridge across the Castle at an approximate distance of about 2 kms and Eric is determined to go there , we are wrongly guided that it’s a short drive away from the Castle and end up going all the way down . Now we find out that the bridge was just a short walk away from the Castle, Eric is ready to climb up once again but my weary aged bones scream for mercy and I politely decline!
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Without his fellow adventurer, Eric’s enthusiasm dies out and we drive to Fussen the fairy tale town we passed earlier for lLunch . We look around the city center , take a few pics , buy a few souvenirs . We find a warm buffet offered by a eatery named ‘Zum Hecten Schenke Wirthaus’ , (knew there was a Divine purpose behind me retaining the food bill) and of course no meal in Bavaria is complete without the customary beer but we decline one because we have a long drive ahead . We finish lunch and walk around a bit more and come across a quaint Bavarian market. It’s a clean and pretty marketplace, possibly the cleanest I’ve ever seen in my life.
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We finally head back to our cars and start the drive back to highway A95. And yet again make a few stops on the way for pics , the stops are fewer now as its getting colder and the light is fading , I’d hate to be on the mMountains if there’s no daylight . We stop beside a incredible stream and take a few more pics finally and we are back on the Highway A95 leading directly to Munich with me at the wheel!
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I’ve never driven so fast in my life before and I even manage to scare Eric and why not in Schumacher land do as the Schumies do! An hour later, we are in Munich searching for our Hotel but that’s a story for another day. Memories of this road trip will always remain ingrained in our memories and our hard drives thanks to Steven J. Sasson or should it be George Eastman but I’d prefer to convey my thanks to the accessible agent, my fellow adventurer, friend and colleague Eric, without whom this trip would not have happened.
Monday, April 23, 2007
When The Desert Rocked !
Mar 9, 2007 is a day I have waited for eagerly ever since it was divulged on Iron Maiden's website that they would headline the 2007 edition of The Dubai Desert Rock Festival . The line - up announced is Mouth Watering, Junkyard Groove , Lauren Harris , Mastodon , In Flames , Children of Bodom , Stonesour , Prodigy and the Legendary Iron Maiden . All the bands except for Junkyard Groove ( From Chennai , India) and Lauren Harris ( Daughter of Steve Harris ) are well known . As the days tick closer, Children of Bodom pull out due to an injury to one of their members and we are naturally edgy about a similar thing happening with Iron Maiden. Eric wants us to get Airbrushed tattoos but that idea falls apart after some initial enthusiasm.
After an interminable wait , The Day finally arrives Eric, Brendan and I meet at Kurt's place , all decked up in our Uniforms . Kurt is at his procrastinating best and we miss Junkyard Groove and Lauren Harris . Just as we have almost pulled up at the Venue , Kurt realizes he's left his Ticket at home , for the second year in a row !!! Brendan saves the day by giving him an extra ticket he has and a friend picks up Kurt's ticket The Venue is abuzz and alive , so many different nationalities here but we are one united by our taste in music and the black shirts we sport . I can spot Iranian Indian , Lebanese and British flags . By now we have met with Bernard, Shane and Ingrid, we’ve bought our Desert Rock Money and exchange it for that most precious Golden Liquid, the cold beer revives our languid bodies and infuses some energy . Is it possible to attend a Rock Concert here and not run into Ramakant ? I inevitably do!
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Mastodon have finished with their Sound check and Start their performance They are brutal, heavy , energetic with killer Guitar rifts and launch into songs like 'The wolf is loose ‘ , the Mosh Pits appear miraculously almost out of thin air .
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Two beers later and Mastodon are done , In Flames take to the stage against the dying rays of the setting sun. They are awesome, technically brilliant , have a tight set and are a fine example of why
Metal thrives in Scandinavia and is in such good health . They all wear the same Shirts, and it strikes me that its probably the first instance I've seen of a Metal Band wearing something that could amount to a uniform.
http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000380ir6.jpg
The sun has set now and the Stage Lights are finally on, Stonesour take the Stage to a parody of Europe's, The Final Countdown which swiftly metamorphoses into 30-30/150, a hard and heavy track, a reminder of Corey Taylor’s Slip Knot days perhaps . Shane and me are probably a bit buzzed on all the Fosters or maybe it’s the all encompassing spirit of the place and agree that we are Teenagers today and must give the Mosh Pits one try within seconds its apparent to us ( atleast to me ) that this is no longer for me, I’m trying to get away and escape with my life . I'm lucky to get away with just a punch to the face from some young frenzied maniac and whilst managing to escape I knock someone down ! Stonesour are probably the most mainstream of the Bands so far with tracks like ‘ Through The Glass ‘ . Innumerable more beers and trips to the Loo later, its the Turn of The Prodigy. This is the best performance of the night so far, the Lighting and effects are awesome. Electronic beats mixed with Power chords and drums, the energy levels are at an all time high . Prodigy are reluctant to unveil any new material and so we are treated to all the classics like Firestarter and Smack My Bitch Up among others. The Prodigy are done, there's a small break now. Lots of Props appear on Stage , the crowd is tense , the anticipation is thick in the air after all this is what many of us came here to see . No Sound Checks, no indications and after what seems an eternity, Maiden explode onstage. They are everything I have dreamed of , I'm in a daze, is it really 17 Years since I have been listening to them and finally seeing them Live is like a high I've never known, why then do I have this feeling of Déjà vu ? They blaze through three tracks from the new album and I’ve revised my earlier opinion, this is now the standout performance of the night, Maiden highlight their class and live up to the top billing .Wrathchild is the first Classic and then they proceed to unveil many more like Hallowed Be Thy Name, The Evil That Men Do , The Number of The Beast , The Trooper . Kurt and me whisper in awestruck wonder about how Bruce Dickinson manages to shriek and roar and grunt and groan night after night yet perfectly preserve his trademark voice. ‘Scream for me Dubai ‘ , he yells again and once more we scream our Voices hoarse . An hour and 10 minutes later and they are finally done , we don’t want to leave but have no choice , reality hits me the show is over time to go home now and savor what will always be a momentous day for me .
http://img243.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000463uh6.jpg
After an interminable wait , The Day finally arrives Eric, Brendan and I meet at Kurt's place , all decked up in our Uniforms . Kurt is at his procrastinating best and we miss Junkyard Groove and Lauren Harris . Just as we have almost pulled up at the Venue , Kurt realizes he's left his Ticket at home , for the second year in a row !!! Brendan saves the day by giving him an extra ticket he has and a friend picks up Kurt's ticket The Venue is abuzz and alive , so many different nationalities here but we are one united by our taste in music and the black shirts we sport . I can spot Iranian Indian , Lebanese and British flags . By now we have met with Bernard, Shane and Ingrid, we’ve bought our Desert Rock Money and exchange it for that most precious Golden Liquid, the cold beer revives our languid bodies and infuses some energy . Is it possible to attend a Rock Concert here and not run into Ramakant ? I inevitably do!
http://img182.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000367yy3.jpg http://img243.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000365if0.jpg
Mastodon have finished with their Sound check and Start their performance They are brutal, heavy , energetic with killer Guitar rifts and launch into songs like 'The wolf is loose ‘ , the Mosh Pits appear miraculously almost out of thin air .
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/40/1000344ls6.jpg
Two beers later and Mastodon are done , In Flames take to the stage against the dying rays of the setting sun. They are awesome, technically brilliant , have a tight set and are a fine example of why
Metal thrives in Scandinavia and is in such good health . They all wear the same Shirts, and it strikes me that its probably the first instance I've seen of a Metal Band wearing something that could amount to a uniform.
http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000380ir6.jpg
The sun has set now and the Stage Lights are finally on, Stonesour take the Stage to a parody of Europe's, The Final Countdown which swiftly metamorphoses into 30-30/150, a hard and heavy track, a reminder of Corey Taylor’s Slip Knot days perhaps . Shane and me are probably a bit buzzed on all the Fosters or maybe it’s the all encompassing spirit of the place and agree that we are Teenagers today and must give the Mosh Pits one try within seconds its apparent to us ( atleast to me ) that this is no longer for me, I’m trying to get away and escape with my life . I'm lucky to get away with just a punch to the face from some young frenzied maniac and whilst managing to escape I knock someone down ! Stonesour are probably the most mainstream of the Bands so far with tracks like ‘ Through The Glass ‘ . Innumerable more beers and trips to the Loo later, its the Turn of The Prodigy. This is the best performance of the night so far, the Lighting and effects are awesome. Electronic beats mixed with Power chords and drums, the energy levels are at an all time high . Prodigy are reluctant to unveil any new material and so we are treated to all the classics like Firestarter and Smack My Bitch Up among others. The Prodigy are done, there's a small break now. Lots of Props appear on Stage , the crowd is tense , the anticipation is thick in the air after all this is what many of us came here to see . No Sound Checks, no indications and after what seems an eternity, Maiden explode onstage. They are everything I have dreamed of , I'm in a daze, is it really 17 Years since I have been listening to them and finally seeing them Live is like a high I've never known, why then do I have this feeling of Déjà vu ? They blaze through three tracks from the new album and I’ve revised my earlier opinion, this is now the standout performance of the night, Maiden highlight their class and live up to the top billing .Wrathchild is the first Classic and then they proceed to unveil many more like Hallowed Be Thy Name, The Evil That Men Do , The Number of The Beast , The Trooper . Kurt and me whisper in awestruck wonder about how Bruce Dickinson manages to shriek and roar and grunt and groan night after night yet perfectly preserve his trademark voice. ‘Scream for me Dubai ‘ , he yells again and once more we scream our Voices hoarse . An hour and 10 minutes later and they are finally done , we don’t want to leave but have no choice , reality hits me the show is over time to go home now and savor what will always be a momentous day for me .
http://img243.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000463uh6.jpg
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