Steven Gerrard- The man who made me romanticize Liverpool F.C

To be honest, I don't know where to start, what to write. A sense of emptiness erodes my mind now. There’s sheer sadness mixed with all kinds of weird emotions; a sense of impending emptiness. It’s hard to imagine Gerrard divorced from Liverpool just as hard as it was to envisage that second half in Istanbul.

After hearing the news that he'll be leaving LFC at the end of the season, I had been thinking about it all day. I was finding it difficult to sip my morning coffee, have my lunch. I’ll be thinking about it all week. And all month.  All the way until the end of the season, and into the new campaign. Stevie G will dominate thoughts, emotions and opinions just as he did matches in his prime - deservedly so.

He’s played the game like a Kop imagines they would - with drive & relentless motivation that could rescue the most challenging situation and the passion that made those around him believe the implausible was possible. Get the stuck in? Tick. Pull off a worldly effort and sin the most important of matches single handedly ? Tick. Take one for the team? Tick.  He gave every inch of himself and then dug deeper to somehow serve up more.  Oh God, there is only one Steven Gerrard.

I’m banging around my own head because we’re not just losing a phenomenal player, we’re losing a phenomenal player who represented everything you wanted him to. By living his dream, Gerrard has allowed millions like me - regardless of geographical location or caste or creed, to experience theirs too - through him and with him. HOPE in our hearts? Yeah, he ensured it was always there. He did things full tilt as though everything counted on him, and very often it actually did.

Despite his age and diminishing powers, he’s still the club’s top scorer this season, he’s still the one everyone turns to when the going gets tough (see the final group game against Basel in the Champions League). He’s expected to work his socks off and come up with another in a long line of rescue acts. He’s earned the right to step away from the centre of everything to the ordinary. We know he’s not even close to what he once was. He might have read it, heard it, been consumed by it. The all-action hero has to slow it down. Hit the brakes, play at his pace. He owes himself that, we have to respect that.

At 34, Gerrard has decided to depart after giving every ounce of himself plus some to his boyhood club. At 24, and throughout his career, he could have guaranteed himself an extended honours and trophies list by joining any of football’s powerhouses. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Chelsea - they all knocked, and except for a short dalliance with the idea of calling Stamford Bridge home, he threw away the welcome mat. Don’t forget that. Never forget that.

Moreover, I’m sure BR and the rest of the transfer committee need to be precise and surgical in their shopping. You just can’t replace him. You just can’t. Regardless of how you interpret his fading impact on the pitch, Gerrard's still the one. I’m sure. Liverpool are losing world class player, an influential personality, on and off the pitch. We are losing leadership. We are losing motivation. We are losing the man who’s aura alone commands the corridors of Melwood and Anfield.

Luis Suarez was made up playing with him. He put Fernando Torres on another level. Xabi Alonso? He loves Stevie, him. Thierry Henry wanted to call the man who “will go to places other players won’t” his teammate. Zinedine Zidane? Oh, he only referred to the Reds skipper as the best in the world. Xavi, Wayne Rooney, [insert any name here] - he is one of your favourite player’s favourite players.

You can’t and won’t replace Gerrard. But Liverpool have to arm themselves with the kind of character and quality that can help plug the multiple holes that will appear when he drives out of Melwood for the final time. And the rest of us? What do we do? We wonder. We reminisice. We feel the sting. We think about it all the time. We get emotional. We wish him well. We rinse and repeat.

We expect the emptiness, but fill up with the archive of awesome he’s offered. We pick ourselves up and drive forward like he’s so often done. L

THE INEVITABLE TALK OF NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS!

So, here comes the inevitable question. The question that comes up at every new year's. What's for New Year resolutions? People have to ask that, sometimes, just to have something to talk about. You go around and wish people, not friends, just acquaintances and what else? Instead of fumbling for a question, you could just throw in this question and watch out for the answer. At other times, it's pure curiosity. If it is someone we admire, it could mean a chance to get to know what more plans they could have to better their lives. On the other hand, if it is someone we think is just okay types and the question accidentally pops out of our mouth, we could see if they realize as well as we do, what their short-comings are and if they have any plans of improvement. Then there are the years when we can’t come up with a "sounds interesting" resolution that we can boast about to our friends and so we would like to see if we can pick up some nice resolution from someone else. We are all pretty old people now. Not 'old' in the normal sense of the word. I meant to say that we have all seen a good number of New Years' and have seen what exactly happens to the list of resolutions, how much ever small or large it may be. Yeah, that is said with the obvious assumption that this blog's readership does not consist of little school kids, at least in majority(because kids, these days, are not to be under-estimated). We are experienced people, as far as New Years and Resolutions are concerned, that they have also turned into a cliché for many. I'm sure; a little school kid will have a definite and confident list of resolutions, which I can't compete against.

 The result of the poor resolution making is that there is this silly exchange you could get into.

 "Hey! Happy New Year!"

 "Thanks, man! Happy New Year to you too .. "

 "So? what's your resolution?"

 "Eh?"

 "New Year Resolution.. what have you come up with?"

 "Oh! umm..." *shrugging shoulders and feeling stupid for having not thought of it at all* "... err.. nothing" 

*smiles* “.... “

 "Uh, what's yours?"

 *Most proudly* “.. I have resolved not make any resolutions ..”

*smiles*

 " Bwah! ..” *grins back knowingly* “.. I'm sure that's not the first time you're making that resolution.. " 

*blinks* and gives a “yeah! I never thought of that” kind of look and smiles again.

 Yeah, that conversation did really happen on New Year's morning. It sounds pretty detrimental.

 I know, there are a whole lot of 'experienced' people, who still make earnest New Year resolutions and work towards them. I appreciate them all for their discipline and determination to improve their lives. I'm sure there is something special about New Years, which demands resolutions out of us. For those who count on New Year's for resolutions, I'm sure that the belief and the psychological resolve alone will help a great deal in the journey towards the goal.

 If I believe in that statement, have I resolved my mind about anything for the New Year?

No.

Why not?
'll tell you.

It's simple. I keep making resolutions all year round. Every now and then, there's something I notice about my life that needs improvement. I give it due attention, think it over and resolve to improve on it. I come up with ways of improvement. It might be long term or short term resolutions. Sometimes, it's a resolution that has been made the umpteenth time all over again. Still, it helps. Even a little improvement is improvement. 

There are resolutions that cannot be attended to immediately. They require a lot of planning and time. They are always made, over and over again, unashamedly, when circumstances warrant them. Even now, I have a handful of resolutions to attend to. They are put into priority queues. Some of them remain dormant, until it's time to bring them out into the open. It does not matter that they are dormant. They sit in some nook or corner of my mind, so that they aren't completely forgotten. Some situation in everyday life will bring them back to the forefront of the thought process. Depending on the circumstances, they will be attended to immediately or pushed back into the dark corners again, to be looked into later.

Yes, it is a good idea to resolve to work on very long term and long unattended issues on New Year' Day. However, there are the some things about our day-to-day life, which constantly need our attention. Life is not the same always. The routines are not the same either. Not everything that determines our days is under our control. It's simple. Let's take for example my daily routine. I have always prided myself on my discipline for being an unfailing early riser and going to college, irrespective of the time at which I go to bed. My discipline was broken, largely due to circumstances that I have no control over. I’m used to watch movies late night and I could not entice sleep to my bed. Alright, I did manage to continue being an early riser, in spite of the fact that I sleep very late at night and don't get to have my full night's quota of sleep, also because of situations not entirely under my control. Then came the winter. The winter turned out to be colder than earlier ones. The fever came next. My routine was broken at that point of time. I now happen to go to college by the 8:00 A.M. Blame it on my college. I can't have my evenings to myself. I can't get ready to college in the cold hours of the early morning. Life was haphazard and a mess for the first few days, until I observed the patterns and resolved to fall into a routine. Any resolutions I had made earlier, that depended on the fact that I was an early riser, were no longer applicable. I then set out to make newer resolves to improve my life, based on the current trend of my days. That is why I didn't make any New Year resolutions. I resolve to do many things, as and when I realise the need for improvement.

Another strange thing about New Years is that another person's resolutions could also affect you in a positive way and take your life one step ahead in the right direction, could make you do something which you always wanted to do, but never thought of doing, maybe because you never imagined you could do it. There are some resolutions that you should have made a long while ago, but they never occurred to your over-worked minds. All of a sudden, you find your life taking a positive turn, without any conscious efforts or thoughts on your part. What does that mean? Do we keep making resolutions and New Year Resolutions unconsciously too? Sounds psychic? Why can't we let our lives be what they are and stop struggling to improve them? That's not the way to live, unless our lives are most perfect and change is something alien to our lives. You ask me what's the point I'm trying to drive? Just that New Years are definitely a time to hope for better things in life, consciously or unconsciously.

So do hope for the best and have a grand experience this year! Besides, if you have made any "sounds interesting" kind of New Year resolutions, do let me know. I'm all ears for the bragging ..
:-P

I Support the Cause

Thousands of people have joined the fight against corruption. A hundred noble ideas are floating around on how to slay this monster. In the melee of ideas, let's not forget the specifics of this debate. Reduced to a few lines it is as simple as this: There are two bills before the public - the Toothless Government Lok Pal Bill & the Jan Lok Pal Bill. Which of these do you choose? Once you make your choice, you can suggest tweaks. But FIRST make your choice.


Eye Opener # 1: "The Chief Minister of Punjab is the Minister in charge of Vigilance Department of Punjab. Interestingly, the same vigilance department is also investigating charges of corruption against himself and his family and is prosecuting them." The Government Lok Pal Bill operates on the same principle.

Eye Opener # 2: "According to the Lokpal model proposed by Government of India, CVC will enquire into the role of bureaucrats and Lokpal will look into the role of politicians, as if politicians and bureaucrats indulge in corruption separately."

Eye Opener # 3: "Even if a corrupt person is sent to jail, there is no provision in law to confiscate his ill gotten wealth or to recover the loss caused by him to the government due to his corrupt practices." The Jan Lok Pal Bill tackles this loophole.

Eye Opener # 4: "Presently, we have institutions of Lokayuktas in 18 states. They are merely advisory bodies. They neither have resources nor powers." The Jan Lok Pal Bill will make mean Lokayuktas in every state. With more power.

Eye Opener # 5: "In addition to imposing departmental penalties, if a case is made out, Jan Lokpal or Jan Lokayukta will file a case in trial court. The court will have to complete the trial and announce punishment within next one year."

Eye Opener # 6: "Each bureaucrat, politician and judge would be required to submit a
statement of moveable and immoveable assets owned by him and his family on an annual basis, which will be put on the official website. If an asset is subsequently found to be owned by a public servant, it would be deemed to have been obtained through corrupt means and would be confiscated " Now you know why the establishment is afraid of Jan Lok Pal Bill.

Eye Opener # 7: "The Chairperson and members of Jan Lok Pal will not be eligible for appointment to any position in the government or for contesting elections after they leave office." In my view, this is a brilliant clause.

Eye Opener # 8: "Rather than CJI giving permission to register FIR against a corrupt
judge, a seven member bench of Lokpal should grant such permission." The judiciary is scared of the Jan Lok Pal Bill for this very reason.

Eye Opener # 9: Is Jan Lok Pal a super cop? "Not at all. Because against politicians (for their conduct outside parliament), judges and bureaucrats, Lokpal will only investigate complaints of corruption and file a case in court. The courts will have the power to try and award punishment. Lokpal will not have powers to award punishment."

Eye Opener # 10: Did you know this? "After investigation is completed in any case, when a case is filed by CBI in a court, CBI’s lawyer is selected and appointed by the Law ministry. Therefore, if any minister is involved in any case, law ministry would appoint such a person, who would try to kill the case rather than get the accused punished." Now you know why CBI ties itself in knots before the courts.

Down the memory lane............

The scorching sun and shady lanes and the endless chatter were beginning to fade. The memories were also going to grow dimmer and dimmer as the rushing time would carry us far away from one another, into distant unknown lands where we had to build our lives. They cried, sobbed and wished they would never part. They never wanted it to end. Nothing could be done. They knew it. It was all over now. The moist eyes were everywhere, in whichever direction you turned.

And I… I was apart from them all. Not a single tear rolled down my cheeks. Nor a single drop filled my eyes. Only a handful of people felt like I did, felt nothing. No overwhelming sadness nor too heavy a heart at our last day in college. I looked forward to the future. I saw nothing of it. Still, the future was good. I made new friends. Fell in place in new surroundings. Had new experiences and savoured every one of them. Soon, there was nothing new. Nothing new happened. All that was new became old. In fact I don't miss my college. I had never loved my college but I made a few friends there which I cherish for the rest of my life.

It was then that the winds of change blew my way. They were winds from the long forgotten land. They held a promise. They would carry me back in time. Back to a passing phase that I had left behind once and for all, nearly two years back. The winds carried with them the scents from the past that brought back memories. The memories closest to my heart had not dimmed a bit. They were as clear as ever. The memories made me expectant. It was not that college failed to touch the heart.
We arrived in droves. Chatted, caught up, smiled, laughed, wore long, shiny black cloaks, graduated, did all those mischievous things, posed, clicked and thought not of the certificate in hand. I valued only the moments, the return of that time when I, as part of the batch of Electrical engineering batch of 2009, once called the place, my college, my own. New places, new people and new experiences had widened my horizons and given me more wisdom. In the few hours spent there, I experienced the feel of all the words that were spoken, the deeds that were done and then all of those unspoken words and unfinished deeds. All that could have been and all that should not have been. Those wonderful friendships that were unconsciously born and consciously strengthened, all those nameless games played and the endless times spent together. Now I miss all of my dear friends Thommi, Damu, Rohan, Sree V, Tension and Abdu. The old and wise salty winds from the ageless and vast sea, the winds that had witnessed the ups and downs of that phase of my life, whispered into my ears cherished words from my past and carried, also, all those unheard melodies. I had rubbed onto them some of my past life, all that they had witnessed when I walked the lanes and sat under the trees, through those four years. It was my last chance to relive those days, in this cycle of the turning of the wheel of time. I shall wait for the wheel of time to turn past my age and then long after my age, come back to it, so I can live it all over again, with the wisdom gathered in this age. A rush of nostalgia and a sense of longing filled up my heart for the next three days. Now work has occupied my mind and put a leash onto the wandering down memory lane.

Now everything flashed in front of my eyes with the leisurely defined precision of images from a slow motion film. Life is strange and so are its ways. Man is emotional and so am I. If ever I happen to go back to that college of my past, all alone, on a no occasion day, I shall wander the lanes and sit with eyes closed under the same old class of ours, and the wise old winds from the sea will whisper into my ears and caress my memories...

I want.......................

I want to improve the quality of my life.

I want to watch more and more great movies.

I want more physical space.

I want to ride more and more Vintage bikes which I love.

I want a 1BHK apartment all to myself.

I want the apartment to be located in a calm residential area.

I want the rooms to have enough cupboards and wardrobes.

I want a book rack in the bedroom where I can stack up all my passionately collected books and movies.

I want to have a comfortable table and chair in the hall, for my laptop.


I want to make the time to read the classics I picked up from second hand bookstores.

I want to watch all the classic movies which I've collected in a completely surreal atmosphere.

I want to read and relish some of the greatest books and movies by the greatest film maker of all time, the celestial auteur- Padmarajan.

I want a spacious, bright and airy balcony as part of my apartment.

I want the balcony to give me a beautiful view of clean, neat and quiet surroundings, be it a neighbourhood of buildings or of trees and plants.

I want to grow a sweet little garden in the balcony and tend to it everyday.

I want to have many flowering plants in my garden that will bloom and make my garden colourful.

I want to have enough flowers in my garden, so that I can pick some and arrange them in a vase to keep on my table.

I want a huge vase at home, so that I can surprise myself with a huge bouquet of red roses and display the gift of surprise and love in my vase, for me to set my eyes upon and break into a smile.

I want to sit at the balcony, enjoy the breeze, the plants and the sky, sipping steaming hot coffee, with my favorite music wafting in from the house.

I want to keep all my things well arranged and organized.

I want to keep the place I live in clean and neat, spic and span.

I want to have the space to display all the little and big things that I keep adding to my various collections of odds and ends every now and then.

I want to make my apartment warm and cozy, and the place where I can both relax and unwind even if it means I am working on something.

I want to curl up on a cloudy rainy day, by the window of my apartment, the falling rain playing music, the falling drops forming a blurred image in the background, my eyes focussed on the book in hand and me lost in its words, lost in the magical world it creates.

I want to curl up on a cloudy rainy day on my bed on the floor of my bedroom, snuggled under my blanket, enjoying the chillness from the rain and the warmth from the blanket and drift slowly into dreams and then into deep sleep.

I want to cook my meals everyday.

I want to eat healthy food everyday.

I want to stop spending so much of my hard-earned money on hotel food that fails to satisfy me.

I want to add a whole new set of clothes to my ‘half-filled with fading clothes’ wardrobe.

I want to study for not more than five hours at college everyday.

I want to be able to leave from college after the stipulated five hours of work, irrespective of any pending work.

I want to be able to go to sleep whenever I want to.


I want to get back to my routine of going early to college and coming back early from college.

I want my evenings to myself.

I want to pack my evenings tight with things that I love to do.

I want to walk for at least fifteen minutes everyday.

I want to play cricket or football on weekends.

I want to make time to practice photography with my camera even though I'm not that good in it.

I want to go off on little nature expeditions on weekends with learning photography as the principal objective.

I want to see growth in every aspect of my life.

I want to work earnestly towards attaining the growth I want to see in my life.

I want to lead a life of such standard that I would be perfectly content with it and relish the experience everyday.

I want to be at peace with myself and my goals. :) :) :)

Bravo Spain...... Braaaaavooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

The champions of Europe are now the CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD. A well and truly deserved win to one of the biggest under achievers of world football. Spain is not just a 1st-time winner, but first team to win the World Cup after losing opening game of tournament. This victory sees Spain become only the third nation to hold the European and world football crowns at the same time, two years on from their European Championships success in Vienna.


Tonight, Andres Iniesta is the hero of a nation. The midfielder from Albacete is 26. Xavi said of Andrés Iniesta in 2009 the following “Iniesta is easily Spain’s most complete player. He has everything.” According to Wayne Rooney " Andres Iniesta is the best football player in the world today". And what he said was exactly correct. It was the 'footballing brain' of Iniesta that won Spain the WC 2010. Iniesta's winner was met with scenes of joy in Madrid, where over 200,000 ( Source : BBC) fans gathered to watch the match on a big screen in the city centre. We had a disppointing start with a 1-0 loss against Swiss but however, the Spanish grew stronger as the tournament progressed, impressing fans with their unrivalled passing game and strong defence. We conceded just two goals throughout the tournament and reached the final thanks to impressive victories over Portugal, Paraguay, Germany in the knockout stage. Spain joins seven other nations to have won the World Cup in 19 tournaments since Uruguay won the inaugural title in 1930, and caps a stunning run of 15 victories in 16 matches during qualifying and the South Africa Finals. We came into the WC by winning 10/10 matches in the qualifiers. With an unbeatable streak of 48 games and winning 45 of those ( Beating the record of Frank Pushkas lead Hungary team in the 50's). The Dutch missed the opportunity to repeat Brazil's heroics of 1970, when the Samba kings won all of their qualifying matches before sweeping the group and knock-out clashes on the way to our victory in the final. With most of the focus on the creativity of Iniesta and Xavi and the goal-scoring feats of David Villa, defender Sergio Ramos toiled unheralded for most of the tournament but he owned this final.

As I said time and time again " A champion team can always beat a team of champions' and SPAIN is a champion team. FIFA already recognized Spain's impressive run by placing three Spanish players on the shortlist for Golden Ball award nominees, more than any other team. Now its time to celebrate. Bravo Spain. Viva La Espanaaaaaaaa...

Germany humiliated Argentina ( Round of 8 match, WC 2010 -- A small analysis

Now Argentina can go home. Germany stormed into the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup with a 4-0 drubbing of Argentina. Congratulations to Germany. They got off to a flier, exposed all the Argentine defensive weaknesses -- the ones that everyone knew about but chose to ignore --early on and played a smart defensive game. As the game wore on, the more Argentina pushed, the more susceptible they were to counterattacks. And the Germans showed once again that they're ruthless on the break. Once the game was 2-0, it was really all over. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller were outstanding today.


Argentina? Aside from a spell after about 20 minutes, they never got going today, did they? Still, they've been a treat to watch here.Must say they were over dependant on Messi – an ultra hyped player. They ain’t had a so called ‘MIDFIELD GENERAL’ to control the game but Germany had one in Bastian Schweinsteiger. They lacked a tactical game plan, and some creativity in the midfield. Maradona is a great player. Perhaps the best player to have graced the game of Football. But as a coach, he was an utter failure which was very well evident from the WC qualifiers. Germans unleashed a merciless massacre which made Argentines look so limp! Feeling sorry for Maradona's heartbreak .. A real team takes the stage. The German team was hungry for a win and nationally proud. If more nations had such team pride as opposed to personal glory the competition would be much more fierce, vastly more entertaining and ultimately a greater event. A well deserved win for the Germans. Now BYE BYE ARGENTINA!!!!!