27 May 2014

Step away from the ball and No one gets hurt !

Hello,

I haven't been writing much lately. In fact I have written exactly as many posts in the last few years as Abou Diaby's starts for Arsenal this season. Also, the same number of questions I would correctly answer, if you happen to ask me something/anything from my Engineering subjects. And co-accidentally, the number of people who resist from uploading photos of their recently-married/recently-onsite pona moonjis on facebook. 

0

Then you ask, why now da? why?
Why post something after all these years ? 
Like as if something great has been in the making all along ! 
Making yourself look like Tarantino or Shankar going by their work/years ratio. (See what I did there)
Why? 
Because a few things happened da. That only opened my eyes ! 

Atleast I have my eyes opened !

One of those things being my favorite defender Nemanja Vidic leaving Manchester United. Now, Vidic has always been an Adi Aaal (henchman) figure throughout my life. For a 13 year old kid watching football, he made sure I did not have to go through the heart break of watching my team concede a goal every time. He was determined to not make me sad. He protected me. He did the same for his 40 year old goalkeeper. He also did the same for his hothead right back. Vidic is that strong insurance you need in your team, so the Rafaels and Evanses can play confidently. They know any mistake they make, the Great Serb will cover for them. They know any opponent who provokes a fight, will have to go through him to get to them.
 
Calm down Bitches ! I got this.

Ten sports analyst/Layman terms la classifying, as far as defenders go there are two types:
1. Be there or 
2. Get There.
While Vidic is not considered amongst the brainiest of defenders who will already be there types (Like a Mertesacker - with his brilliant positioning despite his awkward height), he will definitely top the list of defenders who will get there by determination types. Vidic will get there to take the ball even if you were the Roadrunner sprinting away. He will get there and disarm you in the most efficient of ways. Even if he slips, he will never give up, wave hands in a depressing manner and blame Life, Earth, Universe like an average English defender would do. Vidic would rather get up and sprint forward without giving up hope and ultimately minimize the damage that were to happen. 

And of course there is the third type of defender, Don't be there and Don't get there ! which thala Evra has been preaching a couple of seasons now with fervid devotion.

 Vidic also teaches one to care not for style, but give it all for substance. The Job always comes first. He will probably be best-suited if you had to pick football players for Gladiators. He won't care if he bleeds. In fact, he will bleed every match if it means the opponent wont score. (And he will smile while bleeding too) He won't care if he is fractured. He won't care if Cobb brings a freight train through Old Trafford. Nothing would move him. The job would still come first. He would simply do anything for Manchester United regardless of the consequences. Also, I for one, cannot imagine something that could frighten/scare Vidic. Large lizards or awkwardly hopping frogs or nasty roaches wont disturb him. Not even a flying one! It is infact he who scares the life out of people. It is for this very same reason and the respect he commands, you sneakily move away from viewing the picture of Mrs. Vidic on the Man United WAGS section ! No, not her !
 
Despite all his toughness, Vidic is a loved footballer. He is ruthless, yes. Aggressive, yes. But he is not hated like Pepe is or Materrazi is. That itself tells you the quality of the work he puts in. Referees will think twice on his tackles to give penalties. Not out of fear of him, but dubious because of the efficiency of the guy. And no matter how he left them flying through the air during the 90 mins, his shirt will still be sought after by players at the end of the match.
  
There are people who would criticize him for leaving a team when they are in trouble, but for me, he is probably saving awkwardness and trouble for the club he loves, as he has been declining a little (still managing to be our best defender this season) and will get old in a couple of years, making the club mull over a one-year-extension/should-we-tell-bye-bye situation. Clear, decisive and showing the way always !

Thank you Nemanja for showing me football is much more than life or death. Thank you for giving your team everything even when all was lost at times. Thank you for being that stronghold who protects me from the Chezhians (Chelsea fan) and the Saamis (Arsenal fan) of the world, for no one ever picks on Nemanja Vidic. Thank you for being that awesome defender you are that made Ronaldo and Rooney go sprinting on counter attacks without a worry in the world. Thank you for everything Vida !

Nemanja Vidic. Captain. Leader. Killer

15 December 2011

150 things to do before you turn 30

Suttufied list from another blog.
The rules of the tag are,
  • Bold for things you have already done.
  • Italics for things that you are dying to do!
  1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
  2. Swam with dolphins
  3. Climbed a mountain (Azhagar kovil counts? )
  4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
  5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
  6. Held a tarantula
  7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
  8. Hugged a tree
  9. Bungee jumped
  10. Visited Paris
  11. Watched a lightning storm at sea
  12. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
  13. Seen the Northern Lights
  14. Gone to a huge sports game
  15. Walked the stairs to the top of the Eiffel
  16. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
  17. Touched an iceberg
  18. Slept under the stars
  19. Changed a baby’s diaper
  20. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
  21. Watched a meteor shower
  22. :P
  23. Gotten drunk on champagne
  24. Given more than you can afford to charity
  25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
  26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
  27. Had a food fight
  28. Bet on a winning horse (metaphorically yes)
  29. Asked out a stranger
  30. Had a snowball fight
  31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
  32. Held a lamb
  33. Seen a total (partial) eclipse
  34. Ridden a roller coaster
  35. Scored more than 20 runs in an over.
  36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
  37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
  38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
  39. Had two hard drives for your computer
  40. Visited all 29 states
  41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
  42. Had amazing friends
  43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
  44. Watched whales
  45. Stolen a sign  ( Examination in Progress from web design lab is on my bedroom door. \m/ )
  46. Backpacked in Europe
  47. Taken a road-trip
  48. Gone rock climbing
  49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
  50. Gone sky diving
  51. Visited Ireland
  52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
  53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
  54. Visited Japan
  55. Milked a cow
  56. Organized your CDs Song folders.
  57. Pretended to be a superhero
  58. Sung karaoke
  59. Lounged around in bed all day
  60. Played touch football
  61. Gone scuba diving
  62. Kissed in the rain
  63. Played in the mud
  64. Played in the rain
  65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
  66. Visited the Great Wall of China 
  67. Started a business ( 360 Bazaar Partner :D )
  68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
  69. Toured ancient sites
  70. Taken a martial arts class
  71. Played for more than 6 hours straight
  72. Gotten married
  73. Been in a movie
  74. Crashed a party
  75. Enjoyed hostel life
  76. Gone without food for 5 2 days
  77. Made cookies from scratch
  78. Won first prize in a costume contest
  79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
  80. Gotten a tattoo
  81. Rafted the Snake River
  82. Saved someone’s life
  83. Been on a television news program as an “expert”
  84. Gotten flowers for no reason
  85. Performed on stage
  86. Been to Las Vegas
  87. Recorded music
  88. Eaten shark
  89. Kissed on the first date
  90. Gone to Thailand
  91. Bought a house
  92. Been in a combat zone (Paintball ! )
  93. Buried someone close
  94. Been on a cruise ship
  95. Spoken more than one language fluently
  96. Performed in Rocky Horror
  97. Raised (Babysat) children
  98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
  99. Passed out cold
  100. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
  101. Picked up and moved to another city to start over
  102. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
  103. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open
  104. Had plastic surgery
  105. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
  106. Wrote articles for a large publication
  107. Lost over 100 pounds
  108. Held someone while they were having a flashback
  109. Piloted an airplane
  110. Caused a car accident
  111. Touched a stingray
  112. Broken someone’s heart
  113. Helped an animal give birth
  114. Won money on a TV game show.
  115. Torn a Ligament
  116. Gone on an African photo safari
  117. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
  118. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
  119. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
  120. Ridden a horse
  121. Had major surgery
  122. Had a snake as a pet
  123. Hiked to the bottom Drove to the top of the Grand Canyon
  124. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
  125. Visited more foreign countries than Indian States
  126. Visited all 7 continents
  127. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
  128. Eaten kangaroo meat
  129. Eaten sushi
  130. Had your picture in the newspaper
  131. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
  132. Gone back to school
  133. Parasailed
  134. Touched a cockroach
  135. Eaten fried tomatoes
  136. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
  137. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
  138. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
  139. Skipped all your school reunions.
  140. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
  141. Been elected to public office
  142. Written your own computer language
  143. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
  144. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
  145. Built your own PC from parts
  146. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
  147. Had a booth at a street fair
  148. Dyed your hair
  149. Been a DJ
  150. Shaved your head 
As of now : 74.

09 November 2011

" The Ten Commandments of Air Travel " by the average moviegoer.

1. There will exactly be one celebrity per flight.

2. The guy with the beard has a drug problem !

3. There is always a highly talented, multi faceted doctor with cross platform expertise travelling in every flight. Should the flight crash, he will be the first to survive.

4. There is also a fatherly figure around to give you advice on life, the universe and other stuff whenever you want. And of all the time you can get it, you will only want it minutes before getting killed.

5. There are two pilots flying every plane and one always dies.

6. There is one happy family who makes another passenger realise he/she should get back with their estranged spouse.

7. Kids on board will survive plane hijacks with ease. The same cannot be said for their parents though, who usually top the "its-a-sacrifice-for-the-team" list.

8. After a flight crash, that girl you gave a second look in the airport lobby will become your soul mate.

9. There is one devout christian to pray to Jesus whenever things go wrong. With luck you might also get a Muslim or a Korean co-passenger.

10. The air hostess is always a good person. :-P

25 July 2011

Sunday Drabble

*Beep*

"What's in your bag? ", the theater guard inquired.
"Oh nothing. Just a bomb! ", I grinned.
Sensing the sarcasm, he let me and my friends straight through with a smile.
The movie highly rated for its father-daughter sentiment and the protagonist's acting as a retard, lived up to its potential. It had a truly lasting impact and as we left the theater, I couldn't help but feel strangely empty.
We started walking towards Anjappar for lunch.
Why?
Why the sudden coldness?
What was it, that was missing in my life?

"Dai un bag enga da? ", answered a friend nearby......

A drabble is an extremely short work of fiction of exactly one hundred words in length.

14 May 2011

The Real Balon D'or

Celebrating Manchester United's 19th title


14 April 2011

AG Books

" I don't quite grasp the concept of AG Books. I mean what is it? I understand that Autograph (AG) Books with respect to a college final year student, are regular-but-with-a-fancy-cover-attached-and-you-pay-triple notebooks that students give one another, when they finish college to write something. Ya something. But what do I write? Do you want me to write about you? Really? Isn't that a bit like posting a FB status with just the words 'comment on me' and tagging everyone? Or do you want me to write about myself? Do you wanna know more about me? Ore confusion!

I think in all fairness, the AG Book-er really means to say to the AG Book-ee, "Err this is a book. With lotsa pages in it. Forget the fact I gave it to you and asked you to write. Write whatever that comes to your mind. Anything you want. Anything that you can come up with your knowledge of the universe. Anything. And yeah, one tiny, small detail. Make sure they are all relevant to me, alright? (grin) "

Ok. If you know the person, its kinda ok i guess. I mean, yeah I will write something and you will get it now, what you could not get in the past 4 years of being with me. 
But it gets especially tricky when you don't know the person good enough. I mean, I understand you talk to a friend of mine and you are my classmate and I was standing near him, when you gave him the book. But no, I m not the widowed mother of two children and you really don't have to be polite dear. 
Yes. I know the picture ain't related much to the article. 
But again, 'Politeness' is a reciprocal privilege when it comes to AG books. So the ones who write, always write good, sweet things. Not necessarily true things. Just good and sweet stuff. You will never come across a AG book that reads,
"Dear owner of this book,
May you rot in hell for all eternity :)
Sincerely, 
The guy who you never passed the bit to, keeping it for yourself and so failed his internals :-@"

The true Indian way of doing things would be to look at the previous writers and write your own tweaked version of what they write. Doing which will tell you every AG Book would contain the following :
  1. There is atleast one six-page-writing, with xoxos, love yous, mmmuahs thrown in, best friend girl for every girl.
  2. Everyone wishes you for "a bright future", but doesn't want you getting a higher package than them in your campus placements. True story.
  3. The owner takes in strenuous efforts and writes an introduction in the page put in to separate the content from the bounded cover. Some greeting card stuff.
  4. The recession version of AG books is an old diary. Has an antique look and let writers choose their own day of the 365 days!!! woohoo!  
  5. Everyone gives their contact details. Their address, phone numbers, DOB and all. And you are forced to think if attaching a resume is a good idea.
Now had Mark Zuckerberg not got his 'spark' from Harvard Connections in the Social Network, I m pretty sure he would have thought of it in his final year while writing AG books. Facts apart, I still write AG books for the love of other people. Yes I found slam books and +2 TNEA counselling application forms similar, but unfortunately I am an altruist. 
All the best!!
Have a bright future!! :-D "

Vishnu Gowthem.