Btw...dont get confused by the title of the post below and the date mentioned above it...it was a Sunday morning where I come from!
-Ari B
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Another Sunday morning..
That's right, its yet another bright Sunday morning. With December around the corner, things are beginning to get a bit chilly around here, though I must point out, even a normally pleasant 24 degrees can be termed as "chilly" for us Navi Mumbaikars! This Sunday morning is a bit different for me....no classes, no mock tests, no exam the next day....a welcome change after a really long time. As I went through my usual holiday morning routine of reading the newspaper while sipping a cup of hot South Indian filter coffee, I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the stories that caught my eye, on my blog.
One such story featured on the front page of the Sunday Times of India. The headline mentioned the words "SNS addiction", which immediately drew my attention. Some of you may probably be wondering what on earth 'SNS' is. The answer: something which you and me are very familiar with, and indulge in extensively - Social Networking Sites. Orkut, MySpace, Facebook, Hi5 and a whole bunch of others constitute this select group of websites that have more number of registered users from India than the entire population of most European countries, I would imagine! The article mentions how these sites are increasingly becoming addictive and influencing our lives. It points out how the lives of many people revolve around their "friends list". While such sites have been a boon for most people by bringing them closer and providing a platform for discussions through communities as well, it clearly has a very disturbing negative side. SNS addiction is becoming almost as alarming as alcohol or drug addiction, in the way that it's hard to get out of once you've been trapped by it. Studies, work etc. all go for a toss, and one needs to be mentally strong and be able to exercise considerable amount of self-control to ensure that one doesn't get an overdose of SNS.
Another shocking stat revealed in the newspaper was that only 1.08% of the entire population of India has health insurance!! Ok, now obviously a substantial proportion of these people belong to urban areas and having a decent job. But what about those who are actually in the line of fire: workers working in dangerous locations like mines, refineries etc., or people in areas constantly hit by natural disasters like floods and cyclones, or even those living in epidemic-prone areas. Aren't they the ones who really need health insurance? The problem lies in the fact that most of these people cannot afford health insurance. This is where the government should step in. If anyone can help people in this regard, its the elected officials. Forget all the corruption and bureaucracy existing in the system - just for once, can you not just act like responsible human beings and do your job of assisting your people when they need help??
Hmm....lets see whats on in the sports arena....the Indian cricket team look as if they're about to defeat Pakistan in the first test, unless the middle order throws it away.....India are still actually competing in A1 GP(lol..sorry! actually they've done pretty well...6th...good job Narain!!). Coming to football, Liverpool thrash a hapless Newcastle 3-0, that too with Fernando Torres seemingly having left his shooting boots back on Merseyside for some reason! It truly was unbelievable....I counted a total of 6 chances that, on any other given day, Torres would've knocked in with absolute ease! And how about this for a result...Bolton beat ManU 1-0!!!!(mmwaaaaahahahahahaha to all the ManU fans out there!!) Rest of the results were routine stuff, no real surprises, although Everton managing to conjure up 7 against a decent Sunderland side was a bit of a shock.
I cannot help but mention one article I read in the Mumbai Mirror that had me in splits!! It was about something interesting that happened when the national anthems were being sung during the England-Croatia match at Wembley on Wednesday. A British singer was to sing both the English and the Croatian anthems, and he messed up a part of the Croatian anthem so badly, it had some of the Croatian players grinning at each other during their own anthem. Well, what happened was, he was supposed to sing a line "mila kuda si planina", which means "You know my dear how we love the mountains". Instead, inadvertently, he sang it as "mila kura si planina" which literally means "My dear, my p***s is a mountain"!!!!!! OMG!! How I wish I was Croatian and heard that live during the match, would've had a really good laugh! But what was nice to see was that the Croatian players, crowd and the media took it very sportingly and in good humour, and didnt make a fuss about it. In fact, some of the fans are calling on the singer to become their official mascot for Euro 2008, because it seemed to help their players relax!!! Imagine what would happen if something like this was done to the Indian anthem....that person would've been torn to pieces for sure!
Well thats all for now...guess I'll be back when I have something intelligent to write about! Cheers till then..
-Ari B
One such story featured on the front page of the Sunday Times of India. The headline mentioned the words "SNS addiction", which immediately drew my attention. Some of you may probably be wondering what on earth 'SNS' is. The answer: something which you and me are very familiar with, and indulge in extensively - Social Networking Sites. Orkut, MySpace, Facebook, Hi5 and a whole bunch of others constitute this select group of websites that have more number of registered users from India than the entire population of most European countries, I would imagine! The article mentions how these sites are increasingly becoming addictive and influencing our lives. It points out how the lives of many people revolve around their "friends list". While such sites have been a boon for most people by bringing them closer and providing a platform for discussions through communities as well, it clearly has a very disturbing negative side. SNS addiction is becoming almost as alarming as alcohol or drug addiction, in the way that it's hard to get out of once you've been trapped by it. Studies, work etc. all go for a toss, and one needs to be mentally strong and be able to exercise considerable amount of self-control to ensure that one doesn't get an overdose of SNS.
Another shocking stat revealed in the newspaper was that only 1.08% of the entire population of India has health insurance!! Ok, now obviously a substantial proportion of these people belong to urban areas and having a decent job. But what about those who are actually in the line of fire: workers working in dangerous locations like mines, refineries etc., or people in areas constantly hit by natural disasters like floods and cyclones, or even those living in epidemic-prone areas. Aren't they the ones who really need health insurance? The problem lies in the fact that most of these people cannot afford health insurance. This is where the government should step in. If anyone can help people in this regard, its the elected officials. Forget all the corruption and bureaucracy existing in the system - just for once, can you not just act like responsible human beings and do your job of assisting your people when they need help??
Hmm....lets see whats on in the sports arena....the Indian cricket team look as if they're about to defeat Pakistan in the first test, unless the middle order throws it away.....India are still actually competing in A1 GP(lol..sorry! actually they've done pretty well...6th...good job Narain!!). Coming to football, Liverpool thrash a hapless Newcastle 3-0, that too with Fernando Torres seemingly having left his shooting boots back on Merseyside for some reason! It truly was unbelievable....I counted a total of 6 chances that, on any other given day, Torres would've knocked in with absolute ease! And how about this for a result...Bolton beat ManU 1-0!!!!(mmwaaaaahahahahahaha to all the ManU fans out there!!) Rest of the results were routine stuff, no real surprises, although Everton managing to conjure up 7 against a decent Sunderland side was a bit of a shock.
I cannot help but mention one article I read in the Mumbai Mirror that had me in splits!! It was about something interesting that happened when the national anthems were being sung during the England-Croatia match at Wembley on Wednesday. A British singer was to sing both the English and the Croatian anthems, and he messed up a part of the Croatian anthem so badly, it had some of the Croatian players grinning at each other during their own anthem. Well, what happened was, he was supposed to sing a line "mila kuda si planina", which means "You know my dear how we love the mountains". Instead, inadvertently, he sang it as "mila kura si planina" which literally means "My dear, my p***s is a mountain"!!!!!! OMG!! How I wish I was Croatian and heard that live during the match, would've had a really good laugh! But what was nice to see was that the Croatian players, crowd and the media took it very sportingly and in good humour, and didnt make a fuss about it. In fact, some of the fans are calling on the singer to become their official mascot for Euro 2008, because it seemed to help their players relax!!! Imagine what would happen if something like this was done to the Indian anthem....that person would've been torn to pieces for sure!
Well thats all for now...guess I'll be back when I have something intelligent to write about! Cheers till then..
-Ari B
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
News channels with nothing new
This is an issue that really has been irking me over the past few months. There's no doubt that over the past 7-8 years, the rate at which 24x7 news channels have sprung up on our television screens has really taken the media scene in India by storm. Politicians, celebrities, sportspersons...everyone is under scrutiny like never before. There's hardly ever a moment in a day when u dont see the phrase "Breaking News"/"News Flash"/"Taaza Khabar" blazing across your TV screen, causing you to stare with rapt attention at the alphanumeric characters rolling across the bottom of the screen and interpret what the latest the world has to offer u is.
But for quite some time now, certain news channels have caught my eye for all the wrong reasons. I must admit, I love watching news channels almost as much as I love watching football...and whenever I switch on the TV, as a routine, a brief scan of the available sports channels is immediately followed by a skim of all the news channels for the latest happenings around us. But the sight that really irritates me during this process is that of some channels, particularly Hindi news channels, showing absolute rubbish which they proclaim proudly as "Taaza Khabar!!". I apologize for being biased in this regard, but one cannot argue the fact that such stories can only be seen on a group of channels, and all these channels happen to be Hindi channels. Let me give you an example. One of the news stories that I came across on a couple of these channels was that of "The Great Khali", an Indian wrestler in the famous WWE (formerly known as WWF). This guy is a monster, standing at more than 7 ft. tall and weighing 400 odd pounds. He seems to be making a huge impact among the wrestling audience in the US, and the news channels here have used the huge popularity of the WWE in India for advancing their "TRPs", so to speak. They carried a huge exclusive on the guy, proudly calling him "an ambassador of our nation" and describing how he is a prime example of Indians achieving success abroad. Now, I do not refute the fact that he is successful and that he has achieved a lot in the WWE. But, really, is this the best example they could garner? A WWE wrestler who is where he is just because he is "genetically unique", and not because of his Indian origin?? I can name a hundred other Indians who deserve that time and space on the screen for their achievements abroad. There are far more inspiring success stories out there than a guy who screams gibberish into the microphone and leads everyone into believing he's speaking Hindi!
This is just one example....one keeps seeing more and more such stories cropping up day-by-day and hogging our screens. How can I forget the infamous Kareena-Shahid kissing episode that was shown so distastefully on a particular news channel that it made me sick to my stomach. People, did it never occur to you that you don't have to show an ID card and prove you are 18 to watch television?? Do you not realize that news stories do not carry PG certificates with them?? I shudder to think what would have happened if a cute little kid was channel surfing that day, and came across these graphic pictures. Then he calls his mother and asks her in the most innocent of tones, "Mummy mummy, yeh log kya kar rahe hai???" How could that mother respond?? Imagine her dismay!
This is a sincere appeal to the media, not just in our country, but all over the world....stop behaving like a greedy business house and realize your role in society. Try not to take advantage of the weaknesses of certain sections of the audience, and show them what they should be shown, and not necessarily what they want to be shown. You guys are responsible for making us responsible citizens, please do not digress from that endeavour!
Until the next...
-Ari B
But for quite some time now, certain news channels have caught my eye for all the wrong reasons. I must admit, I love watching news channels almost as much as I love watching football...and whenever I switch on the TV, as a routine, a brief scan of the available sports channels is immediately followed by a skim of all the news channels for the latest happenings around us. But the sight that really irritates me during this process is that of some channels, particularly Hindi news channels, showing absolute rubbish which they proclaim proudly as "Taaza Khabar!!". I apologize for being biased in this regard, but one cannot argue the fact that such stories can only be seen on a group of channels, and all these channels happen to be Hindi channels. Let me give you an example. One of the news stories that I came across on a couple of these channels was that of "The Great Khali", an Indian wrestler in the famous WWE (formerly known as WWF). This guy is a monster, standing at more than 7 ft. tall and weighing 400 odd pounds. He seems to be making a huge impact among the wrestling audience in the US, and the news channels here have used the huge popularity of the WWE in India for advancing their "TRPs", so to speak. They carried a huge exclusive on the guy, proudly calling him "an ambassador of our nation" and describing how he is a prime example of Indians achieving success abroad. Now, I do not refute the fact that he is successful and that he has achieved a lot in the WWE. But, really, is this the best example they could garner? A WWE wrestler who is where he is just because he is "genetically unique", and not because of his Indian origin?? I can name a hundred other Indians who deserve that time and space on the screen for their achievements abroad. There are far more inspiring success stories out there than a guy who screams gibberish into the microphone and leads everyone into believing he's speaking Hindi!
This is just one example....one keeps seeing more and more such stories cropping up day-by-day and hogging our screens. How can I forget the infamous Kareena-Shahid kissing episode that was shown so distastefully on a particular news channel that it made me sick to my stomach. People, did it never occur to you that you don't have to show an ID card and prove you are 18 to watch television?? Do you not realize that news stories do not carry PG certificates with them?? I shudder to think what would have happened if a cute little kid was channel surfing that day, and came across these graphic pictures. Then he calls his mother and asks her in the most innocent of tones, "Mummy mummy, yeh log kya kar rahe hai???" How could that mother respond?? Imagine her dismay!
This is a sincere appeal to the media, not just in our country, but all over the world....stop behaving like a greedy business house and realize your role in society. Try not to take advantage of the weaknesses of certain sections of the audience, and show them what they should be shown, and not necessarily what they want to be shown. You guys are responsible for making us responsible citizens, please do not digress from that endeavour!
Until the next...
-Ari B
Sunday, November 18, 2007
The cat has belled the nation
Well its been more than a year, and having been perpetually involved with college activities and then preparing for the notorious CAT exam, I have decided to resume where I left off...which is basically nowhere 'cos I never really started blogging anyway! Just 2-3 posts in mid-2006 and that was the end of it.
It is kind of ironic that I decide to resume blogging due to one of the very reasons I stopped in the first place....the CAT exam. This post comes to you on the big day itself...life after CAT attempt #1 has begun. The 150-minute bomb attack on the human brain is finally over. I described it as "notorious" initially because thats exactly how it is slowly turning out to be....just when u think that the IIMs are starting to appreciate the fact that making things tougher than they already are for the candidates doesnt help, they turn around and do exactly that!! While I used my strong sections - thats PS (Problem Solving) and DI (Data Interpretation) - to my advantage, my weaker section - thats the verbal section- is bound to thoroughly weaken my overall performance.
Well, as they say, miracles do happen. And boy do I desperately need one now! Just this morning, I wake up to find a miracle had been achieved by - or rather for - the English football team. Needing Israel to defeat Russia (which many pundits couldn't see happening) or an even more unlikely (next to impossible I should say!) Macedonian win over Croatia, English hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 were hanging by a thread and weren't even in their own hands. But, lo and behold! Israel defeat Russia 2-1 and what's more, Macedonia defeat Croatia 2-0! A miracle has indeed been achieved, and the English team can not only go through with a draw against Croatia, they may even top the group!! That's the kind of miracle that's needed here. May the Gods favour us hard-working souls!!!
Rest later. You guys will see a lot more of me from now on in this section!
-Ari B
It is kind of ironic that I decide to resume blogging due to one of the very reasons I stopped in the first place....the CAT exam. This post comes to you on the big day itself...life after CAT attempt #1 has begun. The 150-minute bomb attack on the human brain is finally over. I described it as "notorious" initially because thats exactly how it is slowly turning out to be....just when u think that the IIMs are starting to appreciate the fact that making things tougher than they already are for the candidates doesnt help, they turn around and do exactly that!! While I used my strong sections - thats PS (Problem Solving) and DI (Data Interpretation) - to my advantage, my weaker section - thats the verbal section- is bound to thoroughly weaken my overall performance.
Well, as they say, miracles do happen. And boy do I desperately need one now! Just this morning, I wake up to find a miracle had been achieved by - or rather for - the English football team. Needing Israel to defeat Russia (which many pundits couldn't see happening) or an even more unlikely (next to impossible I should say!) Macedonian win over Croatia, English hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 were hanging by a thread and weren't even in their own hands. But, lo and behold! Israel defeat Russia 2-1 and what's more, Macedonia defeat Croatia 2-0! A miracle has indeed been achieved, and the English team can not only go through with a draw against Croatia, they may even top the group!! That's the kind of miracle that's needed here. May the Gods favour us hard-working souls!!!
Rest later. You guys will see a lot more of me from now on in this section!
-Ari B
Friday, June 16, 2006
A week after becoming a free bird..
Well i'm well and truly into the holiday mood now (read: getting bored). This is one problem with vacations.........unless u have concrete plans or specific objectives to accomplish during them, it really does start to become extremely dull. And though, yes, I do have certain things that I wish to do during the vacations, I really doubt how many of those goals I ultimately will achieve.
For example, I want to give learning to play the guitar another shot, and I have started trying out some simple songs and going through some lessons. But since I am at a beginner's level, I really am not able to go too far and sometimes not being able to strum properly or getting the chord positions wrong repeatedly does tend to frustrate me pretty often. But I'm sure every guitarist on this planet goes through this period sometime or the other during the course of learning, and I guess I just have to keep trying harder.
I wish to go for an MBA after my four years of engineering, and would like to specialise in Finance. Actually, for the past year or so, I have been pretty fascinated by the stock markets and their trends, though as of now, those points are just points and I cannot really make out what they actually mean. That is why I have started to take an interest and learn about the stock market, shares, investments etc. I would like to at least get started on this during these holidays.
Apart from that, its just your regular run-of-the-mill vacation for me........catching up on reading, watching the World Cup (need I mention that?!), watching movies, orkutting, blogging etc. Recently saw Phir Hera Pheri, and let me tell you, if you go and watch it in a theatre, you have just wasted a 100 bucks (or whatever the ticket price is) and 3 hours of your life!! It is a really huge disappointment and hardly manages to tickle your funny bone. Of course, there is the odd scene or two which will have you chuckling, but overall the gags are repetitive and mostly bland. Definitely a no-no, but if it comes on cable and you have nothing else to do, you may catch it.
Well, one thing I am looking forward to is a trip to a beautiful place near Ratnagiri called Ganpatipule. I will be there from Monday to Wednesday...so until then....Have a nice day!
For example, I want to give learning to play the guitar another shot, and I have started trying out some simple songs and going through some lessons. But since I am at a beginner's level, I really am not able to go too far and sometimes not being able to strum properly or getting the chord positions wrong repeatedly does tend to frustrate me pretty often. But I'm sure every guitarist on this planet goes through this period sometime or the other during the course of learning, and I guess I just have to keep trying harder.
I wish to go for an MBA after my four years of engineering, and would like to specialise in Finance. Actually, for the past year or so, I have been pretty fascinated by the stock markets and their trends, though as of now, those points are just points and I cannot really make out what they actually mean. That is why I have started to take an interest and learn about the stock market, shares, investments etc. I would like to at least get started on this during these holidays.
Apart from that, its just your regular run-of-the-mill vacation for me........catching up on reading, watching the World Cup (need I mention that?!), watching movies, orkutting, blogging etc. Recently saw Phir Hera Pheri, and let me tell you, if you go and watch it in a theatre, you have just wasted a 100 bucks (or whatever the ticket price is) and 3 hours of your life!! It is a really huge disappointment and hardly manages to tickle your funny bone. Of course, there is the odd scene or two which will have you chuckling, but overall the gags are repetitive and mostly bland. Definitely a no-no, but if it comes on cable and you have nothing else to do, you may catch it.
Well, one thing I am looking forward to is a trip to a beautiful place near Ratnagiri called Ganpatipule. I will be there from Monday to Wednesday...so until then....Have a nice day!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Berlin Beckons...part II
The past 2 days have seen matches with mixed tempos. On one hand, we had the likes of France, Switzerland and...........wait for it...........................yes, Brazil, would you believe it, putting us to sleep (quite literally....about 60 min. into the Brazil - Croatia match I was zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...................!!). On the other hand, one of my favourite teams in this WC, Spain, put on a master-class that left the Ukraine players wondering what sin they committed in their previous life to receive such a thrashing in their very first game ever in a World Cup!
To start off with, Korea showed us how a comfortable game on paper can be converted into a mess by just about managing to beat underdogs and newcomers Togo 2-1, with a substitute needed to come on and grab the winner. On the back of this performance, I cannot see Korea progressing from the group stages, and will have to come up with something special against France and/or Switzerland to have any chance of going through. France-Switzerland was probaby the most boring game of football I have seen in a long time, though England-Paraguay would come a close second. Thierry Henry for some particular reason is just not able to deliver for his country the way he does day in and day out for Arsenal. Zidane looks a shadow of his former self.... and to top it all the average age of the French starting XI was over 30 or something!!!!! How can anyone expect them to go all the way?!
Group H saw two very exciting games with contrasting styles of play. Spain, as I mentioned earlier, made a statement, and the rest of the 31 teams better beware. Even without their talisman Raul, this young and talented team looked at ease against quality opposition, and I see the likes of Fabregas, Puyol, Torres and Villa as the stars of this tournament. I only hope they do not choke in the knockout stages as they did last time around. Andriy Shevchenko definitely looked like someone just returning from injury, as he struggled throughout the match to get a decent chance of scoring. In the end, Spain more than deserved their 4-0 victory. The other match was thrilling for other reasons. Tunisia and Saudi Arabia didnt exactly produce world-class performances, but their high tempo and an immense desire to win brought the match to life. A pulsating end to the match saw the Saudis almost winning it with a late goal, but Tunisia produced an even later goal through Radhi Jaidi, who has produced such headers regularly for Bolton Wanderers in England, to break the hearts of Saudi supporters all over the world. If the Saudis had pulled this one off, it would probably have been the best moment in the lives of those 11 Saudi players. Ultimately 2-2 was a fair result, one would have to admit.
Until the next round of matches.......
To start off with, Korea showed us how a comfortable game on paper can be converted into a mess by just about managing to beat underdogs and newcomers Togo 2-1, with a substitute needed to come on and grab the winner. On the back of this performance, I cannot see Korea progressing from the group stages, and will have to come up with something special against France and/or Switzerland to have any chance of going through. France-Switzerland was probaby the most boring game of football I have seen in a long time, though England-Paraguay would come a close second. Thierry Henry for some particular reason is just not able to deliver for his country the way he does day in and day out for Arsenal. Zidane looks a shadow of his former self.... and to top it all the average age of the French starting XI was over 30 or something!!!!! How can anyone expect them to go all the way?!
Group H saw two very exciting games with contrasting styles of play. Spain, as I mentioned earlier, made a statement, and the rest of the 31 teams better beware. Even without their talisman Raul, this young and talented team looked at ease against quality opposition, and I see the likes of Fabregas, Puyol, Torres and Villa as the stars of this tournament. I only hope they do not choke in the knockout stages as they did last time around. Andriy Shevchenko definitely looked like someone just returning from injury, as he struggled throughout the match to get a decent chance of scoring. In the end, Spain more than deserved their 4-0 victory. The other match was thrilling for other reasons. Tunisia and Saudi Arabia didnt exactly produce world-class performances, but their high tempo and an immense desire to win brought the match to life. A pulsating end to the match saw the Saudis almost winning it with a late goal, but Tunisia produced an even later goal through Radhi Jaidi, who has produced such headers regularly for Bolton Wanderers in England, to break the hearts of Saudi supporters all over the world. If the Saudis had pulled this one off, it would probably have been the best moment in the lives of those 11 Saudi players. Ultimately 2-2 was a fair result, one would have to admit.
Until the next round of matches.......
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Berlin Beckons....part I
So people, here is the first edition of "Berlin Beckons"....my insight into the biggest event of the year....the FIFA World Cup. Firstly, apart from those regular die-hard football fans, how many of you know what the full form of FIFA actually is?? Well, fyi, its "Federation Internationale de Football Association".....the supreme governing body for football/soccer in the world. Just thought I'd mention that, may look dumb, but I am certain there are many people out there just wondering......why is it called the FIFA World Cup......are FIFA the official sponsors or something......?! Believe me its true..!
Anyway, coming to the tournament itself, I shall kick-off with the matches that took place last evening/night IST...i.e on 12/6/06. It was an interesting day....a day of no surprises I would say. Australia firstly deservedly beat Japan 3-1......I thought this game saw the socceroos show the true fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude that has made Australia arguably the best sporting country in the world.......seriously they are good at any sport you can think of!! Except maybe ice hockey and the likes..! But look at the list......cricket (obviously, they're the Brazil of cricket), hockey (again almost like a Brazil there), soccer, tennis, athletics, swimming......goes on and on, and they're excellent in virtually all of em. Coming back to the match, I agree with the majority view that the goal for Japan should not have stood as the Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer was clearly being impeded. But Tim Cahill truly showed why he is good enough to play in the EPL with 2 crucial goals......the second one was brilliant.....we really are witnessing some very good goals in this tournament!!
Coming to Czech - USA, after that game, I was left wondering how on earth the US are ranked 5th in the world in the FIFA world rankings!! They were trampled over by the "bouncing Czechs".....pun unintended.....though they did have the odd sight of goal. The star of the show was truly Tomas Rosicky.....just signed newly for Arsenal........I think he really is a fantastic signing for the Gunners....an attack minded midfielder.....perfect to replace Robert Pires, maybe even better. Well, 3-0 was the scoreline, and yup i actually fancy the Czechs to make the semis..........i feel some people really underestimate them.......a very clinical and solid team. As for the US, I dont think they can make it past the group stage on the back of this performance.
I was looking forward to watching Italy play and see how much of an effect the turmoil at home because of the ongoing scandal inquiry will affect their performance.....to my relief it didnt seem to bother them. They put up a highly efficient performance, with some good passes and moves on the back of solid defending. Andrea Pirlo continued the trend of excellent goals in the competition with a fine strike.....he's known to do that especially from free kicks pretty often for AC Milan.....and it was nice to see Iaquinta get on the scoresheet.....havent seen much of him but he did impress in the group stage of the Champion's League last year for Udinese.
Well, all eyes on Brazil in the coming set on matches, with the triple R brigade ready to pounce on the Croats and steal the show.......Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo, Robinho....get ready for some Samba magic!! Until the next.....
Anyway, coming to the tournament itself, I shall kick-off with the matches that took place last evening/night IST...i.e on 12/6/06. It was an interesting day....a day of no surprises I would say. Australia firstly deservedly beat Japan 3-1......I thought this game saw the socceroos show the true fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude that has made Australia arguably the best sporting country in the world.......seriously they are good at any sport you can think of!! Except maybe ice hockey and the likes..! But look at the list......cricket (obviously, they're the Brazil of cricket), hockey (again almost like a Brazil there), soccer, tennis, athletics, swimming......goes on and on, and they're excellent in virtually all of em. Coming back to the match, I agree with the majority view that the goal for Japan should not have stood as the Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer was clearly being impeded. But Tim Cahill truly showed why he is good enough to play in the EPL with 2 crucial goals......the second one was brilliant.....we really are witnessing some very good goals in this tournament!!
Coming to Czech - USA, after that game, I was left wondering how on earth the US are ranked 5th in the world in the FIFA world rankings!! They were trampled over by the "bouncing Czechs".....pun unintended.....though they did have the odd sight of goal. The star of the show was truly Tomas Rosicky.....just signed newly for Arsenal........I think he really is a fantastic signing for the Gunners....an attack minded midfielder.....perfect to replace Robert Pires, maybe even better. Well, 3-0 was the scoreline, and yup i actually fancy the Czechs to make the semis..........i feel some people really underestimate them.......a very clinical and solid team. As for the US, I dont think they can make it past the group stage on the back of this performance.
I was looking forward to watching Italy play and see how much of an effect the turmoil at home because of the ongoing scandal inquiry will affect their performance.....to my relief it didnt seem to bother them. They put up a highly efficient performance, with some good passes and moves on the back of solid defending. Andrea Pirlo continued the trend of excellent goals in the competition with a fine strike.....he's known to do that especially from free kicks pretty often for AC Milan.....and it was nice to see Iaquinta get on the scoresheet.....havent seen much of him but he did impress in the group stage of the Champion's League last year for Udinese.
Well, all eyes on Brazil in the coming set on matches, with the triple R brigade ready to pounce on the Croats and steal the show.......Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo, Robinho....get ready for some Samba magic!! Until the next.....
Monday, June 12, 2006
Reply to me by me..
Dear self (and actually whoever's reading this),
Thank you for the note of congratulations. About the duties that you mentioned, well yes i agree to abide by all of them except one - I CANNOT STOP TALKING ABOUT FOOTBALL!! So, people, you are gonna get a lot of expert soccer opinions on the ongoing football extravaganza in my daily special post which I shall entitle "Berlin beckons..".
About the flowery language part, do not worry, I'm lousy with words. I cannot write an essay without a thesaurus......else it will be comparable to an 8-year old's essay!!!!! Thats exaggerating it a bit, but well you get the idea. And if you decide to dispute that claim by pointing towards the word "Assiduous" in my Blog title, well, if you wanna know, I just flipped open a dictionary and that was the first word i saw!!! Cant help it.....my blog title has to be good you know!!
*Addressing my audience now*
Blogging is not your regular cup of tea.....although it is relatively easy to come out with your thoughts, organizing them and making them into words and further into sentences is quite a task. I regularly have read blogs by people who are extremely expressive and emotional.....who claim to speak from their heart......who have the uncontrollable urge to open out to the world surrounding them........well, i have news for you boys and girls, I'm not one of them. I'm just a guy who wants to know more about himself.......I wanna explore my inner self........and this is one of the best ways to do it. I am not a very emotional guy........but at the same time I want to know for a fact what I am good at and what I am not. So, in view of this, if anyone finds the time to reply to my posts, they are always welcome and appreciated.
Anyway, thats that....now I shall be off to watch Australia play Japan....not the best match in prospect but still....soccer is soccer for me....doesnt matter who is playing!!! And i actually happened to notice while channel surfing that India is playing test matches in the West Indies.....do people actually watch that now?!! So then, till next.....Good Day!
-Me
Thank you for the note of congratulations. About the duties that you mentioned, well yes i agree to abide by all of them except one - I CANNOT STOP TALKING ABOUT FOOTBALL!! So, people, you are gonna get a lot of expert soccer opinions on the ongoing football extravaganza in my daily special post which I shall entitle "Berlin beckons..".
About the flowery language part, do not worry, I'm lousy with words. I cannot write an essay without a thesaurus......else it will be comparable to an 8-year old's essay!!!!! Thats exaggerating it a bit, but well you get the idea. And if you decide to dispute that claim by pointing towards the word "Assiduous" in my Blog title, well, if you wanna know, I just flipped open a dictionary and that was the first word i saw!!! Cant help it.....my blog title has to be good you know!!
*Addressing my audience now*
Blogging is not your regular cup of tea.....although it is relatively easy to come out with your thoughts, organizing them and making them into words and further into sentences is quite a task. I regularly have read blogs by people who are extremely expressive and emotional.....who claim to speak from their heart......who have the uncontrollable urge to open out to the world surrounding them........well, i have news for you boys and girls, I'm not one of them. I'm just a guy who wants to know more about himself.......I wanna explore my inner self........and this is one of the best ways to do it. I am not a very emotional guy........but at the same time I want to know for a fact what I am good at and what I am not. So, in view of this, if anyone finds the time to reply to my posts, they are always welcome and appreciated.
Anyway, thats that....now I shall be off to watch Australia play Japan....not the best match in prospect but still....soccer is soccer for me....doesnt matter who is playing!!! And i actually happened to notice while channel surfing that India is playing test matches in the West Indies.....do people actually watch that now?!! So then, till next.....Good Day!
-Me
A letter to me..
Dear self,
Congratulations on achieving your first objective of your holiday period. You have successfully created your own blog section, and it is now your duty to post your views and thoughts on any electrical signal to be decoded in your brain a.k.a control centre. It is also your duty to make sure you do not drive people away from this blog by repeatedly posting your opinions on football only and expecting each and every homosapien to become a soccer fan just because the World Cup is going on!! You shall not attempt to impress any girls just for the heck of it by using very flowery language in your posts and wasting your own precious vacation time which you will anyway end up wasting, whatever you do. You shall not disrespect anyone or anything, for that matter, even a teapot or a piece of wire! You will, though, attempt to entertain and humor your audience through a couple of trademark wisecracks, which only the learned and the sophisticated will understand and appreciate the creativity. Finally, this is your space, this is not my space, so I am not the ultimate authority........but actually i am you........or are you me.....anyway the fact is that we are we and whoever we are we are you and you are us.........umm actually ignore that........i confused myself........that is i confused you........so ultimately you confused me................hell i think im gonna stop. Good Day, sire.....
-You (or me, whatever)
Congratulations on achieving your first objective of your holiday period. You have successfully created your own blog section, and it is now your duty to post your views and thoughts on any electrical signal to be decoded in your brain a.k.a control centre. It is also your duty to make sure you do not drive people away from this blog by repeatedly posting your opinions on football only and expecting each and every homosapien to become a soccer fan just because the World Cup is going on!! You shall not attempt to impress any girls just for the heck of it by using very flowery language in your posts and wasting your own precious vacation time which you will anyway end up wasting, whatever you do. You shall not disrespect anyone or anything, for that matter, even a teapot or a piece of wire! You will, though, attempt to entertain and humor your audience through a couple of trademark wisecracks, which only the learned and the sophisticated will understand and appreciate the creativity. Finally, this is your space, this is not my space, so I am not the ultimate authority........but actually i am you........or are you me.....anyway the fact is that we are we and whoever we are we are you and you are us.........umm actually ignore that........i confused myself........that is i confused you........so ultimately you confused me................hell i think im gonna stop. Good Day, sire.....
-You (or me, whatever)
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