The Blunder of All Blunders...

There are some days where you wake up and feel "What a day!" and when you go to bed the same day, you would wish you had never actually gotten up. Well, I'm pretty sure that the Infosys "Chief Mentor" Narayana Murthy had one of those days over the weekend. How on Earth one could condone his actions - I do not know. When we make mistakes in stats in our college, our prof. says "You are blunder!" Well, I would think that he'll say to Narayana Murthy "You are Big Blunder!"

So, what's the fuss really all about? A man in the position of Narayana Murthy should, at the very least know what he's saying. I mean, being a potential presidential candidate - he's made one of the dumbest statements. He said that he didn't want to embarrass the foreigners by making people sing the Indian National Anthem. I mean, to use the word embarrass and National Anthem in the same line is down right idiotic. He might have not meant it, but he's drawing flak from various quarters and in all honestly - he deserves it!

Even if his statement was not misconstrued, why would foreigners be embarrassed at listening to the National Anthem of India? In football, before a match both sets of National Anthems are played – and when one country’s anthem is being played, the players from the other country stand and listen. That’s what the foreigners could have done. Why do something which makes the foreigners look bigger than our National Anthem? Narayana Murthy is a member of the management of the IIM in Ahmedabad, the 4th employee of Infosys and yet he comes out and says something as stupid as this... unbelievable!

This happened days after reports of Sachin Tendulkar cutting a cake of the Indian tricolour. Maybe this case was a bit different, but again we have High Commission officials preparing cakes of an Indian flag. I heard someone say that we cut birthday cakes with people's names on it, so what Tendulkar did was fine. Has anyone ever cut a cake with a god or a goddess on it? Of course, then it comes down to "holy" issues. So, isn't our flag holy? Shouldn't the flag considered to be sacred?

When your national ambassadors go out and make a mockery of the very identity of country, we have every right to be angry. “Sorry” is not going to make amends for a thing. Going to court will barely make a difference. These people can easily say that it was not their fault or that they weren't "thinking at the time", but that will not change what they've done. As my stats prof. would say - They are Blunder of Blunders!

The Priceless Profs...

College life is meant to be fun. I'll be one of the first people to tell you that it isn't as much fun as people tell you it is! That said, my college has brought in some professors who initially made life so very awkward for us - today, they are the most hilarious people on Earth. This is about those people who make my day, everyday.

Being in Chennai, a lot of the conversing in colleges and schools is done in Tamil. Some of the English that is spoken will make people who know the language forget every single word of it. Some of the English that is spoken though can make us laugh so loud that we would cry laughing! The first day this professor walked in and he said - "You peoples must learn imbortance of commnication because it will help in the cambus intrview". That is roughly what he said - given the content, it was even funnier. Then he said "Don't expect me to talk properly, I only know Butler English". Butlers in this context I guess meant Indian butlers, at least I hope it meant that.

He is so funny at times that I cannot even believe the fact that he did a post graduation in Mathematics. Here's another funny thing he said a few days ago to my friend who is the class representative. He was in charge of collecting assignments on a Monday. I'm guessing the prof. wanted to tell him that his presence was indispensable on that day. He said - "On Monday, you be here or don't be here..... you have to be here!" On another day we had a test, he wanted us to staple the papers together and for this he said "Please make the papers stabling and give it" That was ultimately funny, at least to those who know syntax and English vocabulary! He also refers to time pass as "dimebaussing" and often says "Don't come here for dimebaussing".

When he teaches, he does a good Bharatnatyam performance - because that is how much his hands move when he explains. Occasionally he moves his entire body to synchronize the movements with his hand. Whenever I ask him a question in English, he always says "Ah...?" He never gets me! He also always comes up with nicknames.. pretty much like Sawyer used to do in Lost, although this is quite a different "genre" of nicknames. He once called a guy who is pretty fat, "Potato Boy". Another time, when a guy was talking when he was, he said "When I talk, you no middle middle talk, ok?” This was obviously met with all of our laughter when he said "Butler English!”

If this wasn't enough there was another professor who said something which made me laugh my heart out. Unfortunately it might not be as funny when I write it but still - he said, "I went to Bangalore.... and saw ladies conductor (bus) - I astonished!", then reiterating his astonishment he said again "I.....Astonished!" I never quite knew how an insignificant word, 'was' could make to a sentence!

I joined college almost a year ago and I never thought that I would come across such characters. They honestly make us laugh everyday and that is not an exaggeration. Hopefully they will make more people laugh in their classes and make their days in college, like they have done for me!

Road Sense... Nonsense!

Human beings have come a long way in understanding most of the complexities on earth. India has been in the forefront of many innovations, especially in mathematics. All in all, we are considered to be fairly intelligent people. What many people don’t know is that intelligent people don’t necessarily have what is most common – common sense. One of the things which requires a considerable amount of it is road sense – in Chennai, we call it nonsense.

I have a two wheeler and have been riding it for almost 2 years now. In India, the easiest thing is getting the license. We either bribe the Road Transport Office officials or get them through driving schools – either way our road sense is not tested much. Even if it were, there is a lot of difference between riding a two wheeler or a car on an empty street and driving them in the crowded roads in this city. It is hard enough driving/riding on a road filled with cars, but when those cars have drivers who barely know road sense – you feel your longevity is reducing by the minute.

In Chennai, the policy of the public whether you are a pedestrian or otherwise is that there are no rules. People cross the roads as if they were cows, people on their bikes and cars ride or drive as if they wanted to die very soon. Let me illustrate with an example. After I got my vehicle 2 years back I was going somewhere with my father. I was going to take a right turn off a road and so as any sensible person would do, I switched my right indicator on and was about to make the turn when an imbecile overtook me from the right side! Before I could recover from the fact that I nearly collided with this person and hurl a couple of abusive words, he was gone. I think he thought that putting on the right indicator meant that he had every right to overtake me from the right!

There is a popular style in which many of the 3 wheeler (auto rickshaw) drivers work. In a very busy junction, they would be waiting on the left corner of the road. It will strike the genius that he has to actually make a right turn. So, when the signal turns green, he will try to make a right turn from the left side of the road, blocking off the others. This guy also has a ‘thick skin’ so whatever insults any of the others are shouting do not make any significant difference to him. The same driver will make the biggest fuss of his life when a two wheeler overtakes him at a fairly high speed. You know what he’d say then? “Who gave this guy a license?”

As a child, I learnt that zebra crossings give you the right to cross and that any vehicle should stop in front of a zebra crossing when people are crossing over it. In Chennai, very few zebra crossings remain and even they are being erased by cars speeding over them while pedestrians wait on the side. The irony is that if you try to exercise the right I mentioned above, the driver who is speeding towards the zebra crossing says something very popular in Tamil which translates to “Have you informed your family about your intentions to die on the road?” It is a very short sentence in Tamil though, believe me!

The belief in India is that whenever a new traffic rule is implemented, it just means that the traffic police are going to ask for more money when you are caught. I remember another little incident. I had just finished my board exams last year and was going for a movie with my friend. At a signal, the green light was on and I was to make a U-turn after I had passed the signal. So, as I saw green I took the U-turn only for the traffic police to feel that I had made some sort of an infringement. He told me that I had jumped the signal and then told me to go and see if the signal was red, which it obviously was by then! The signal must have turned red after I had crossed it and the brilliant man had this incredible opportunity to extort me. I was in a hurry; I paid the guy some money and rushed for the movie. As I was making my way home today, I saw that another traffic policeman was standing helplessly as he saw a motorcyclist speed his way past the red light! I was stunned.

A new rule has been introduced for 2 wheelers – the helmet is now compulsory. It is a great rule without a doubt. I ride a 75cc two wheeler, the scooty pep and once a guy came and asked me – “You’re only riding a pep, why do you need a helmet?” I wanted to ask if my head wouldn’t exist if I rode a scooty pep. I mean, there is not point in seeing what kind of vehicle you’re riding and then deciding whether you need a helmet or not. You’re still riding on the same road! It is this kind of ignorance which costs many peoples lives on the road.

There is a very popular instance through which we mock the traffic rules here in India. A driver sticks his right hand out as if to go to the right side, switches on his left indicator and goes straight! I mean, mathematically that is perfect, isn’t it? A minus of a minus is plus! That’s what we are really good at, mathematics!

'Men' In Blue?

Lazy, incapable, overrated, sloppy and toothless are just a few negative words in my vocabulary which I can hurl at the Men In Blue. No one quite ever knew how apt those 3 words would become come the 23rd of March. Let's face it, India were not going to win the World Cup of cricket - but to go out in a humiliating way as we did does hurt.. even though I'm not much of a cricket fan!

Cricket is a sport which almost gives Hinduism a run for its money as a religion in India. Every ball, every run, every mistake and every selection is looked at very closely by vast majority of the public. In a country which treats cricket with so much regard, the players are under immense pressure. You feel sorry for them sometimes without a doubt. That said when a country treats the sport as a religion - the players are surely not less than godly figures! They get hefty pay packages, both from the BCCI and their endorsers. You need to hit just a couple of centuries or take two five wicket hauls to get a solid endorsement. The players are kings when they win, they are all devils when they lose.. and when they are able to enjoy basking in the glory and the adoration of all the fans during the good times, they should also learn to cope with disappointment, and the very valid anger of the fans during the bad times.

Yes, cricketers are human beings. They are prone to their fair share of mistakes.. but, they are also professionals. That word is something which Indian cricketers have not heard of for sure. Professionalism is lacking in every area in India - be it education or cricket. With the amount of money these guys take home, the heart and commitment that they showed for their country - the country which they represent was appalling. Indian cricket is suffering at every level.

The BCCI is the richest cricket board on the planet, that's all it is capable of being. It cannot make firm decisions and choices, something which I felt Greg Chappell was willing to make at tough times. The Asian mentality though, is that some players have the god given right to be in the team, just because they happen to be 'dada' or the 'little champion'. Let us rewind, the little 'champion' is champion of nothing - he has not won a single World Cup. 'Dada' is a great cricketer, but at times I felt that his ego and pride came in the way of making Team India champions. He was overly vocal during the end of his captaincy and was selfish in his last match as captain, period.

We cannot expect a bunch of "yes men" as selectors and coaches who simply nod their heads in front of players and fans. They aren't hired for that. Greg Chappell failed in trying to bring the World Cup back to India. He experimented too much at times. No one noticed the rotation policy when India beat Sri Lanka 6-1 two years ago. He made tough choices even though the public didn't endorse it. He was brave, something which I cannot say for the Indian players.

In my opinion, he is not completely responsible for the pathetic performance of the team in the World Cup. You cannot teach a team with so much experience how to bat 50 overs. You cannot teach them how to show commitment. Of course, as a knee jerk reaction - he will not remain coach and Rahul Dravid will be removed as the captain of India. Dravid is a brilliant batsman, but cannot be the captain of our team. Here's the question then, who can be? It cannot be Ganguly, who has been too selfish and thinks of nothing but himself. Tendulkar has already demonstrated that he cannot be a leader of a team. We might well be in for a South Africa style appointment of a captain, maybe Yuvraj Singh?

What the 11 players have to be taught is that they are not 11 individuals. A collective effort has to be made in order to win anything. We saw disjointed performances devoid of any sort of cohesiveness, not only in the World Cup but matches leading up to it. If India cannot play as a team, we will continue to fail and perhaps in 2011 we will lose to Bermuda too. We aren’t playing tennis or golf, this is cricket – a team game.

Cricket in South Asia has to change drastically either way. We don't have strong enough domestic leagues. We don't have people who are capable of making tough choices and when they do, they're ridiculed. The fans' expectations are unrealistic at times, but India's disaster was something which very few expected. Many people are asking for the senior players to quit. Get real, that isn't going to happen.

As always though, there will be a thorough 'review process' and the appointment of a 'world class' coach is imminent. Then, the Bengal tigers and Nawabs of Najafgarhs will definitely 'learn' a lot.. for instance how to bat for 50 overs and field properly. They will hit a couple of fifties, make their money by dancing in front of the cameras and live a happy life. For Indian fans though, the dreams of winning a World Cup are proving to be elusive.

The Men in Blue are not only IN blues, they're giving us fans a lot of the blues too!

My Reservations on... Reservations!

India has long been hailed as the largest democracy in the world.. yes that's true in terms of population. Our constitution is very in depth and our policy making has been superb. The judicial and educational systems have all been based on the British model. Indians are thus, known to be fairly well off when it comes to planning and policy making.

The beauty of policy making though, is that no matter how great the policy is - the implementation has to be done equally well. India is pathetic at implementing policies. Our constitution is based on us being secular and that no one should be discriminated on the basis of caste, creed or race. That's very fair, as we are a very much a secular nation. In striving for 'equality', our leaders today are making huge mistakes - one of the biggest in my opinion would be the reservation or quota system in education.

Reservation is a certain amount of admissions withheld for a certain class of the society by an institution (which can be up to 50% of the total admissions). After the Mandal Commission released their reports in 1992, Backward Class and Other Backward Class got a considerable amount of concessions and exemptions and the Forward Community has been suffering since. Reservations discriminate in a very subtle way. They are based on the premise that people in the Backward Communities don't have money and that the Forward Communities do. Fair enough. What about the brains though? A university in Chennai requires the people of the forward community to get 98% (agg) to enter. Backward classes need around 70% - and all the students will invariably be mixed up in the same classes!

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have now implemented a 33% OBC reservation. The entrances are tough enough as it is, with people needing to score the 99th percentile to get in. Where do people from the forward communities get a chance then? Then, people look abroad and it is said 'brain drain is a big problem in India!’ Brain Drain isn't the problem genius; it is the absurd reservation policies we have in place which are.

Reservations also have their impact on the quality of students who are eventually 'produced'. They also provoke forgery of certificates of various individuals in the forward community. Educational Institutes ask for obscene amounts of money in the name of 'capitation’ for those students who didn't make the cut off - an impossible mark to get for an average student. The ramifications of reservations are thus undesirable.

The rates of poverty have declined at a slower rate than the increase in the rates of educational reservations over the past 20 years. If you want to support the backward classes, you must alleviate them from their dire situation. We have been slow to do this and now reservations have been put firmly in place to satisfy political needs. The quality of education and quality of students will definitely be on the decline. India will still produce very enterprising individuals due to the sheer density of population, but the potential of many people will be wasted by a political issue.

So then how is this in line with our constitution, which strives for a secular republic? How are we ignoring the class, caste and creed of the people? The reservations which were intended against discrimination are now unfortunately a medium of discrimination against a certain sect of people.

At times the implementation of the policy does not reflect what the policy makers set out to do.. we certainly see that in India.

Bollywood Movies = Expensive Mistakes

Movies were, once upon a time a way through which people were entertained. They were a shift from the daily routine and a movie would take people's minds off things. Actors were people who were dedicated to their profession. They rarely ever cared about
what they were going to get paid.

Today, where every profession is in an 'industry' - we have the "Bollywood" film industry in India. This industry probably has the least critically acclaimed films anywhere in the world. The "stars" are mediocre actors at best with the exception of a few. The movies revolve around a soundtrack. The "box office" is the sole determinant of whether the movies do well or not. It is more of a business than an art and that is saddening.

Of course, when we come to the actual crux of what a movie is in India - we realize why Bollywood is not an acclaimed industry abroad. 50% of the movie's popularity is determined by the quality of the songs (There are 4-6 which are almost 5 minutes each). One of these songs is almost definitely an 'item number' for the pleasure of all the male viewers. These songs have very little connection to the actual theme of the movie and the item numbers are out of place. Very less emphasis is actually on the acting or the plot of the movie. In fact, there are more clichéd endings in Bollywood movies than most other film industries in the world. There is no appeal or intrigue which English movies depict with a certain amount of consistency. Also, there are movies like Salaam-e-Ishq which try to kill the audience with lengths of up to 4 hours. It's sheer madness!

Naseeruddin Shah, in an interview to the BBC after the Bafta awards said, "I really don't think we make films that can match those from other parts of the world. And I am not referring to Hollywood - we make copies of Hollywood. We can't match the types of films made in Iran for example, Poland, Japan, Mexico or Brazil, Vietnam or Korea. These countries are producing the most incredible movies and we are still plodding on with our boy-meets-girl safe, old formula. That is the reason I think our films aren't taken seriously".
This was after Rang de Basanti - one of the better made Indian films in recent times failed to win the best foreign film award.

Movies were made for entertainment and were never made solely for money. The passion and commitment to make a good film is lacking in India - a country where models end up becoming 'film stars' and film stars have more endorsements to make than movies! No wonder none of our movies even get nominated for the major international awards. We can keep on talking about the wonderful costumes worn by Hrithik in D2 or his dance moves in any of his movies. Very few people actually talk about his acting. People in India don't even know what a good movie is! I went to watch EkLavya, an art(ish) film - and the acting performances in the movie are sterling. Many people told me "that movie is no good, there's just one song!" That line sums up the public’s expectations of what a movie should be.

In a country with over a billion people, I'm convinced there's someone who wants to make a creative film. It is just that the public just want to watch a nice happy ending so there is very little chance of an Indian film making the grade abroad. Also, we don’t have people who are daring enough to take risks and make movies which tickle our grey matter. The Indian film industry's net worth is quite high, and it is growing an audience base to rival Hollywood. That said, the soaring budgets of Bollywood movies and the ever so boring/predictable endings are quickly making them expensive mistakes.

An 'Ode' to Commercialism

Even words cannot define how business affects our lives today. No, I'm not actually going to write an ode to commercialism but I sure am intrigued at how we are all caught up in a whole load of rubbish and how easily we fall prey to business ventures.

Business is defined as an activity performed to make profits. Profits are all that businesses strive for. Making profit out of selling mobile phones - acceptable, making surplus from selling merchandise of a football team - also acceptable. Making profits from selling cards and flowers and so on....... for a very conspicuous celebration every year - February the 14th is genius! How people get trapped into buying things for people they 'love' today and fight with tomorrow is hilarious to see.

Here's an interesting stat - today people in India spend a whopping 12 billion rupees, yes that's right RS. 12 BILLION on February 14th. While I support the spirit of making profit - trying to influence youngsters by making them buy gifts for people who they might like or love might be a marketing wonder, but is a disaster on the ethical side of things. The reason being that the people who they like or love most probably might not even feel the same way about them. So, then these businesses try to make people buy love... make it an activity of materialism.

I was really outraged when a guy from Hutch, soon to be Vodafone came up to my door and said there’s some special Valentine’s Day offer and that he had a special scheme which was only available today. Why? What on earth is so special today that people end up getting new mobile phone connections today? What does that have to do with Valentine’s Day?

My belief is that marriage is the ultimate symbol of love. Whether it actually is or not is a completely different matter altogether. When you commit to another person for the rest of your life (or at least at the time of marriage), it is impossible to match that feeling with a gift, a card or a bunch of roses - they might supplement that feeling, that's it! Here we are though, in a world where we simply don't know what will happen tomorrow - trying to make people buy a whole bunch of gifts for their boy/girl friends at that time is just another indication of what a materialistic world we live in.

Valentine's Day, by the way is a day where people express their love for each other WHILE exchanging flowers or a symbol of their love, not gift hampers! The problem today is a rush of feelings is considered strong enough to buy those hampers and while I have no problem with Valentine's Day per se, how people get impinged by the commercial side of it baffles me... and so I have to pay my respects to those people who have masterminded such a phenomenal rise to the National Income for a so called developing country! You deserve your profits, because people are foolish enough to believe in the rubbish you sell! I just hope such sort of money gets pumped back for the welfare of our country rather than producing more teddy bears and candy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Who are ya??"

I've just witnessed a cracking week of football.. a week where Arsenal did the 'double' over Man Utd ("Manure"..?). In what was the "blockbuster" weekend in the Premier League, Arsenal and Liverpool pulled off what they would call invaluable results. How Liverpool actually manage to win games really baffles me. They are just a richer version of Bolton with a Steven Gerrard. That's about it. How Arsenal continue to perform well against the top 3 and still remain 4th baffles me even more! This time, Manchester United showed the lack of concentration which I've only seen Arsenal possess in games against Sheffield Utd, West Ham and Bolton.

The biggest news of the week though, would be the announcement of the new President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) - Michel Platini. The French legend's helm is sure to be a stormy one, with reforms in the Champions League being promised. He also wants to impose salary caps - how that will be possible with players like Lampard, Ballack, Terry, Cole (Aren't they all at Chelsea?!) earning over a 100g (pounds) per week is really the big question. The main debate will be about the Champions League though.

Platini wants to trim the number of participants from the major nations (England, Italy and Spain) and trying to increase the number in the so called minor ones (Poland, Bulgaria). As far as I'm concerned - the current format is alright. If teams from Poland and Bulgaria start competing in the group stages, the knock out rounds will become down right boring. There will be no intrigue left in the competition which is really the best in terms of quality of football played in the world. The whole idea of "Champions League" will be spoilt. Teams which are weaker will be easier to play against for the big guns and in all honesty trying to reduce the number of 'big guns' will only reduce the quality of football.

The format of the Champions League already provides enough space for upsets to happen. We, as football fans really want to see Barca vs. Arsenal, Man Utd vs. Inter and Bayern vs. Liverpool - not Sparta Prague vs Wisla Krakow or Slovan Liberec vs. Legia Warsaw! Platini should consider other alternatives to improve football - not decrease the value of the Champions League. The teams which participate from England, Italy and Spain are top class, period.

If this proposal does get ratified, who knows what the G-14 of teams would do? Start a new competition for themselves? He better look at all these consequences before he pushes for such a radical change in European Football.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to all the Arsenal players who played against Man Utd. They never gave up and in particular Rosicky and Fabregas were outstanding. Van Persie made a huge impact and he really is the new 'Van the man'. Henry scored with his head, which is a really rare occurrence! The Arsenal fans were magnificent and after the 94th minute, they were chanting to Manchester United and their fans -- "WHO ARE YA?!" and rightly so!! We beat the Red 'Devils' twice this year and we deserve to celebrate 2 magnificent results!

A New Year.... Many New Problems....

When it was the 1st of January 2007, many people actually wanted to forget their problems and brush them under the carpet - under the illusion of a "new year". The end of last year was eventful - the beginning of this year seems like it's going to trump last year in terms of happenings in the world. That is just down right frightening.

I'm not one for politics - but unfortunately, politics does have its impact on society! So, then I have to discuss this particular issue. Capital Punishment.. the debate probably has been going on for decades. When a certain dictator was subject to this on 30th December, the world yet again opened this unfinished chapter. He probably deserved it at the end of the day, but the way things were carried out were not supposedly in the best of interests of all parties involved.

It is very peculiar this - when I thought the US had caught him, they would send him off to The Hague. That's what happened to Slobodan Milosevic. Instead he was tried by a court in his own country, which was inexperienced in dealing with such cases and was sentenced to death. Consistency in law is something every human deserves and I don't know why 2 dictators were dealt with so differently. They both were accused for genocide, weren't they?

Capital punishment still exists in 69 countries. Some countries have imposed a moratorium, some have abolished it altogether. Is it wrong? I don't think so. It should be used in the rarest of rare cases and must be used when a certain individual deserves it no matter what.

Laws are so strange in the sense that a man who has raped a woman and killed her might not be sentenced to death, but a man who has smuggled drugs into a country might be! That was a very very general statement because only a few countries actually do the latter. I remember watching a certain case on TV, where the man had raped and killed 40 odd women and he got a 'plea bargain' and didn't face death. That, in my opinion is the hypocrisy of law itself. Capital punishment should have been used in this case, and it wasn't.

A person should be sentenced to death for 2 things essentially:
1) For the extremity of his/her actions (obviously, against law) and
2) To show others not to try anything of that sort. Those are what I can say as a layman, I'm no lawyer. Abolition of capital punishment unfortunately is impossible. The EU has this rule wherein a country cannot become its member unless it scraps capital punishment. That is rather absurd.

Capital punishment should and probably will exist. The frequency and reasons for which it is used must however be correct. The consistency of the application of law also should be done properly. As far as I'm concerned, capital punishment should exist - but the frequency of its use should be restricted. Human Rights Activists can harp all they want about their facts, but how can a person live in a society which he has caused considerable damage to according to law?

About my title - every new year we make resolutions, resolutions which are supposed to change our lives and our society. We end up not doing anything and within a week feel "Ah, I might do it next year". Violence is on the rise, bloodshed is on the increase. Every time I turn to a news channel I see murders, mass murders and so many things which end up disturbing me. New Year? What New Year?

On an optimistic note though.. I hope everyone's New Year is prosperous. 2007 will be a great year for most of us.. as long as we don't watch the news often!

06 Reaches Its Twilight

So, the year is finally coming to an end.. and what a year it has been! Believe me when I say this... there have been ups (I never thought I could be higher!) and downs (I thought I was 500 feet below rock bottom!).. most importantly though, I have learnt a lot of stuff! 2006 has been a year of transition.. transition in private life and academic. I've had my share of difficulties as far as my private life goes.. but private life is private so I will not go further into that.. when it comes to academics.. the most obvious one would be the switch from school to college.

School was good - that said I always whigned about it when I was there. College is ok. I am whigning everyday about it! But, that's the way life is! No one is ever satisfied with what they have.. There's always something missing, something to fill - that I suppose leads us to complain and whigne endlessly. This is one of the things that I have learnt - be satisfied with what you have, your situation could be a lot worse!

I would divide this year into 2 halves.. this year has literally been a year of 2 halves. I have changed fairly significantly in the second half. How? In the first half of this year, I was in school and was about to face my board exams... was really into studies and cared very little about anything/one else. As my board exams drew to a close, I had the holidays of a lifetime. I had loads of fun with my friends and went to S'pore... I applied to college and got into the one which was really my only choice.

Then, as the World Cup 2006 came nearer - I got really excited. The World Cup was the biggest dissapointment of my life.. it was poor, devoid of any quality and Italy undeservedly won it in my opinion. The months June, July and August were very very tough for me - for various reasons... September was honestly the month I had been waiting for after 3 pathetic, unforgiving months.

By September, I had turned a corner. I had finished off what needed finishing off... and had gotten over a whole lot of mess. Sanity was restored and now I feel a whole lot better! Academically, there hasn't been a year better than this one.. I performed well in my exams - got into college and haven't looked back since.

Overall, this year was a good one. As I said - I have changed a hell of a lot this year and am thankful for the changes brought about in me for various reasons. I feel that mentally I have become stronger and I feel that my anticipation of various situations  has become better. I'm very clear about what I want to do - academically and personally. I might not exactly be doing everything perfectly - nevertheless I am happy about myself and happy about life! That's all that matters to me! 2006 might well be the year I will never be able to forget for years to come..

One Month On...

This entry should have been here a week ago.. I finished it and some weird mishap happened and it was erased! Anyway, a month can be a long time but for me... it has been quite a quick one in all honesty. November, the month that I dread the most - certainly from this year on as I have confirmed that I have the tendancy to fall hopelessly sick in this month. It happened last year, is happening this year and I just hope it doesn't happen next year! Plus, the added woes of Arsenal failing as usual in the month which has passed us by every year has left me hating November 2 very good reasons.

I didn't get to write in my blog either!

The Premiership is finally shaping up with Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal leading the pack.. it's really Man Utd and Chelsea leading the pack. Arsenal were terrible in November - I think we just won 2 matches in that month, losing 2-3 and drawing at our new stadium (a very bad habit). Nevertheless, after we beat a lacklustre Tottenham with some well deserved fortune at last and without Thierry at that - I feel we should qualify for the Champions League next year with ease, something we just, just achieved last year.

The English Premiership is so diverse, it is a combination of rough football, technical class and tactical genius. Rough football - Bolton &^*^%$, Blackburn, Everton et al spring to mind. Technical Class? Don't look beyond Arsenal and Man Utd. Tactical genius - Jose Mourinho... as much as I hate to admit, he is tactically adept - switching Michael Essien to right back against Man Utd being a prime example. The Spanish League has a bunch of divers playing to find out who is able to score the best out of 10 in a diving competition... most of them fare well I must say! Italy is as corrupt as can be.. ermm.. don't look beyond AC Milan, Juve, Lazio and Fiorentina. I can't believe Italy actually won the World Cup - then again it is technically the worst competition football has to offer. So, EPL is really the best league in the world.. without a doubt!

The press pack that follow football clearly have lost their brains haven't they?! In voting for Fabio Cannavarro as the European Player of the year, they've proven that it takes just a bunch of 6-8 matches for you to impress for them to give you such a prestigious award. I would have gone for Henry - not just because I admire him or that he is an Arsenal player but, because he was in the Champions League final and the World Cup final - and he wasn't just IN them, he helped Arsenal and France respectively to reach those finals. By the way, Cannavarro was part of the defense which was torn apart by Arsenal at Highbury in a match we won 2-0 against Juve in the quarter finals of the Champions League. So, please give us all a break and show us some sense will you - press pack?!

Lastly, I will give a fairly bold prediction ... predict the Premier League winners. Slate me if I'm wrong.. but I really have a gut feeling the Chelsea will make it 3 in a row.. Why? 2 words, Squad Depth. Man Utd don't have it and will ultimately fall behind as they are also in the hunt for the Champions League and the FA Cup. More than squad depth, you have to look at the quality of squad depth at Jose Mourinho's disposal and you have to admit - they really do have the bench strength which Man Utd don't have. Even though they have made a good start, I feel eventually that the bubble will burst and Man Utd will fall behind.

That said, the EPL is a funny league where unpredictable things happen.. so who knows if Chelsea lose to Arsenal next week and if Man Utd maintain a good run of results - maybe they
can win! This will bring happiness to the people who want a new winner of the EPL - I definitely am one of them.. but the winner might as well be Chelsea if Man Utd are going to win it!

Introspection

If you read the description of my blog.. introspection is very much an issue which I want to do through my entries... What is introspection? Introspection is like the activity described by Plato when he asked, "...why should we not calmly and patiently review our own thoughts, and thoroughly examine and see what these appearances in us really are?"

Everyone faces times when they have their 'backs against the walls'.
You wake up in the morning thinking "Oh damn, here's another day". That's not a very good sign! Dreading life is something that I dread of... Another issue I have is that I have a short fuse... very very short fuse indeed. There have been times in my life, when I've simply lost my cool.. I've lost my temper so badly that I've felt like throwing something at someone.. Why?

That's probably a million, zillion dollar question. I obviously don't want to lose my temper, it just happens! I don't plan for it to happen. It's just a trigger that someone presses - and that's it! I competely explode! The worst part is, that when I lose my temper - I lose control of my mouth. I say things which are exaggerated - and this is in a bad sense! I say things which I probably don't mean at the time, but they just come out. I used to be really uncontrollable.. but now I have mellowed down to an extent. What's the point of wasting your energy on pointless things? What's the purpose of wasting your time by pondering over the most meaningless things on this planet?

What I've learnt - and this is already at my age... is that we should learn from bad experiences. We are humans, and so mistakes will be made by us. There's simply no point in being in a state of despair when you've made a mistake.. I think we should learn from our mistakes - only then will we become better people. When we have a bad experience - we must make sure that such a situation doesn't arise again.

The thing I love about life is that it evens things out.
If I do a dreadful deed, I will pay for it.. whether it's today, next year or in 1o years! Perhaps, I believe in karma then. It's what one of my friends calls 'universal law' ie. What goes around, comes around!

There have been other times in life, where I've felt that I was not at fault.. I've felt that I had been hard done by. I feel vulnerable at those times.. my mind wanders into some crazy thought. I've had the support of my friends which has somehow always kept me up there.. sane and completely stable. I always talk about issues in my life with them.. it takes a huge burden off my chest and gives me a different perspective to my problems.

I want to also talk about my academic experience in what they call 'the crucial years' down here. When I returned to India 4 years back, I was disillusioned, disinterested and very capable of becoming disheartened by academic failure. I really hung in there for one year, and as I began to study a bit more and more - I got the rewards. As the rewards kept increasing, so did my interest. As my interest rose... results became a lot better Really sounds like a piece of cake,
doesn't it? Whatever I've achieved though, has not been done by me.. it has been done with the courage that The Almighty has bestowed upon me.. absolutely no doubt about that.

I have grown over the past 4-5 years. I can't imagine what life has in store for me for the next set of 4-5 years! I've made mistakes about judging people, losing my cool far too easily, getting really tense for stuff which I should not even get the 't' in tense. Mistakes are made by everyone.. I certainly hope something strange doesn't shroud my thoughts in the future.. because clarity is priceless! Certainly, I have learnt how to deal with the above said issues...

To end this, one quotation which I want to follow and want everyone to follow...

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - M.K. Gandhi

Football... At Last!

Yes! The time that I've been waiting for... to write about one of my passions, football. As an Indian, it is really strange to have football as my favourite sport above cricket - whithout doubt at that! I guess it all started 6 years back.. when I was abroad and there wasn't really any cricket and football was the only sport I could really watch. The thing I love about the sport is that it isn't really stop-start like cricket.. it is really continuous and at most times that I watch, quite an exciting sport. Why, you might ask? As I am a proud fan... erm.. fanatic of ARSENAL F.C.!

I cannot get into anything specific today... but, I really got inspired to write this entry after we beat Reading 4-0 away. So, I will try to be more general. To me, football is synonymous with Arsenal.. anyone who knows me and watches "Arsenal".. will definitely think of me! I've even made certain people support Arsenal.. after some brainwashing.. but I don't think they regret it even a bit! I love Arsenal.. they are the team who really in my opinion play football the way it is to be played. I love our manager... "Arsene" (Nothing to do with the name 'Arsenal'.. coincidence) Wenger.. What a manager! He epitomises what I feel managers, or for that matter men should be! I truly admire him.. and without him, I might not even be supporting Arsenal today.

Arsene Wenger.... "Professor"

Today, any football fan would put their hands up and say that Arsenal are the best football playing team in Europe. Many people won't understand what I mean by this.. Football in England (English Premier League) is physical... incredibly rough and requires loads of stamina, pace and technique... Arsenal at times have been found wanting in another department.. the strength zone. We've not been able to cope with physical oppositions in the past, and are known for the constant whinging for lack of protection from the referees.

The player I admire, love, idolize even.. has to be without a doubt.. THIERRY HENRY! He came to Arsenal as an unknown left sided midfielder.. with Wenger converting him to be a player who has won the Player of the Year (English) 3 times, top the European scoring charts twice and getting nominated for the Ballon D'or (European Player of the Year) and FIFA World Payer of the Year Award once too. He loves Arsenal, and most importantly us! (The fans!) He has been a truly loyal servant to the club and while many of our opponents would feel that he is arrogant, I can't find a single Arsenal fan who will tell you that.

Thierry Henry... God! 

When I look back at days as an Arsenal fan.. the best moment has to be at Old Trafford, 2002. It was in the second half.. Sylvain Wiltord scored the goal that won us the title against our bitter rivals.. and a team I really don't admire much.. Manchester Utd. A moment of great dissapointment would be not so long ago.. the night in Paris, against Barcelona.. I really dreamt about Arsenal winning the Champions League, for years! We reached the final and really should've capitalized on our chances that night. Jens Lehmann (Keeper) got sent off within 20 minutes of the game, and that made things really tough. Even when Sol Campbell headed in on the half hour mark.. it looked difficult and a rather ominous task ahead of the team. I just looked at the number of minutes to play on the tele.. and watching each minute pass by, made me feel relieved... then came the dreaded 2 goals in 4 minutes that wrecked me. I was distraught.

 My Time as a Fan... High.. OT, 2002... and Lowest of Lows... Stade de France, 2006 (Left, Right respectively)

That said, Arsenal have moved to a brand new stadium this season. We started shakily (if there is a word like that!) and now we're really starting to play the football that Wenger stands for. Movement, technique, skill, pace and all that... it's just a treat to watch us when we play well. I just hope that we are able to mount a serious title challenge on money hogging Chelsea.. who have bought their way to being champions. I know that it will be tough, but what isn't in life? I will be an Arsenal fan for life... I will love Arsenal for life... and really would love to write more stuff about them on this blog.

I hope to be writing on more specific issues in football very very soon. As far as I'm concerned.. there are too many of them to discuss here!

Beauty Pageants - Allure or Absurdity?

The Miss World Pageant was held last month I think... with a lot of hype, lot of advertisements and panache which is always the case in such events. Do such beauty pageants really exhibit beauty? Are they played on a level playing field? Is the purpose of such pageants to show the world how many beautiful women/girls (at times!) there are?

According to Wikipedia.. the free online encyclopedia..

"A beauty contest, or beauty pageant, is a competition based largely, though not always entirely, on the physical beauty of its contestants."

I think we can remove that little bit in the centre 'not always entirely'. To call such an 'event' a 'competition' is funny! What is a competition? A competition in my opinion is something wherein talents and perseverance are tested to the largest possible extent. Intelligence, athleticism, bravery even are attributes which can be tested and compared not because an individual needs these to live life.. but because most of us are not born with such attributes. What about physical beauty though? Can an unattractive person wake up all of a sudden in the morning and look attractive? Obviously not!

So, comparing physical beauty is seriously demeaning to women. Surely they would have more pride won't they? What then, is the ulterior motive of such pageants and what attracts women/girls to participate in them? It's really a 5 letter word that rules all... MONEY.

The Miss World Pageant gets television viewership to the tune of 2 billion people.. convert that to dollars, it will be billions and billions of them. The 'charitable organization' then donates 250 million dollars (wow, whopping amount!) to charities. This was only really started after 1996, when major protests threatened the 'competition' from going ahead in Bangalore, India. The Miss World Organization does not disclose financial results to the public.. I wonder why?! The Miss Universe Organization is owned by NBC and The Trump Organization. Why do corporates have to run the show if the real purpose of such pageants is to showcase beauty?

There are very few rounds which actually test the intelligence of the participants. Importance is given to swimsuit rounds and rounds where the participants wear night gowns and all that... How can these pageants even claim to judge the contestants on aspects other than physical beauty?

What do these pageants ultimately do for our society? They create a totally wrong image about beauty. Girls and boys alike would probably feel insecure about their looks, and spend tonnes and tonnes of money on cosmetics. They aren't going to enhance a thing, so again cosmetic companies gain! In India, if you win the Miss World or Universe competitions... even Miss India for that matter - your future is pretty much in the Bollywood Film Industry. Not in the place where 'They would want to help the society, the children and all the handicapped people in the world' (The answer we often get in the final round of these pageants when they're asked.. 'what do you want to do for the society?')

Ultimately, beauty pageants defeat the real meaning of beauty. They create a massive divide in our society and attempt to classify human beings on not talent, but what we have the least control over - our looks. They create huge revenues for a variety of industries and claim that they donate 'massive amounts' of money to charities. They create an endless list of models, who are really just used by corporates to promote products and directors to make item numbers in movies. They really degrade the status of women in the name of enhancing it!

The future of Beauty Pageants is good.. unfortunately. Beauty pageants at one time weren't even televised on British Television until 1998, due to the sheer lack of interest of the public. In countries like India and Venezuela though, these pageants will be very closely watched if not, justified. No one can learn how to be physically beautiful, and as long as that fact is not understood - these pageants will suck out the very virtues upon which our society is built upon.

Education In India.. Over-rated?

India is renowned for tourist destinations, fantastic food and... and bright students! If you go abroad and say "I studied in India", everyone says.. "Wow! That must have been tough!" Indian Education is notorious for over burdening students with a load of facts which will never make a difference in their future!

So, what problems do I have about Indian Education? My opinion really developed in Singapore, where I lived and studied for 3 years. Although, academically my development might have been stunted in those 3 years... my personality and the way I looked at the world changed a whole lot thereafter! Indian education is very one dimensional, the only dimension being academic excellence. The syllabi are advanced and students that age probably don't even understand what they're reading! They just memorize and replicate that in their exam paper.

I had a very difficult time tuning myself back to the rigours of this system when I was in class 9. There are 2 "centralized" exams in class 10 and 12 (What so many people call "crucial years!") It was just too damn boring! You need to have loads of focus and absolutely no distractions what so ever to get yourself out of this system unscathed. It's just studying a pile of books - and whatever you study will not really help you in the future. Why is this system sucking the interest out of students?

This is why. Marks are given precedence over everything. So, schools have to make more students get loads of marks. A school's performance is based on the record of its students in those centralized exams. Schools will thus, never compromise on results. Consequently, it is the students who suffer.

A well rounded individual is one who not only gets judged by the marks that he/she gets. It's really your personality that has to be developed at schools. When we are children, our brains are like clay.. they can be moulded in any which way.. personalities can be developed. Instead, all this system of education does is impart textual facts... which are not the be all and end all of learning.

I remember reading somewhere, that education is just not just an assimilation of facts. It is gaining knowledge. I also believe that it should be all about understanding, interpreting and anticipating situations which are associated with real life. Very less or no importance is given to extra curricular activities in India.

What can be done to change all this now? I am dumbfounded when someone asks me that. That said, the IB (International Baccalaureate) has a good approach. The curriculum really allows schools to develop personalities. The academics begin in the business end of school days (classes 9 through 12), where the student is not only expected to score good grades but also is expected to excel in the practical side of things too!
Indian Education must ensure that it doesn't remove every iota of life from the very future of India.. the students!

Practical education, hands on stuff and trying to dilute the effect of marks on the future can be ways to improve the system. There has to be a revamp and it can be done in a graded way.. like the reservation of seats is being done at the IIMs!.. little by little every year.

When we deal with the future generation, we deal with young minds who will make decisions for the future of the nation. When we mould their brain in such a rigid way and make them suffer in the latter stages of their life.. it is neither fair on them or the nation herself!

Which forces me to conclude that.. Indian Education is Over-Rated. It is simply unacceptable to call this an educational system which produces smart individuals as they are just as good as the authors of the books that they've read!

I can go on and on.. but I'll stop right here! You must have got the point by now.

Don't know what I'll write next... might be a while before I do. CYA!

Changes in this blog... Already!!

Hello to everyone who has taken their precious time out to read my entries... Firstly thanks a lot!
Now, there are some changes I would like to bring to your attention.. If you look to your right under the links section, you will see a list of blogs which I think are worth reading.. and the last link is the one you can use to subscribe to my blog.
Just click it and in the following box that appears, click "Yes". For Internet Explorer users.. click "Subscribe to this feed" on the top of your page (in the yellow box). This means you will be intimated through your browser about my blog updates. Makes life a whole lot simpler!!
To those who like football, I am afraid I am not going to be able to write a whole lot of stuff about the EPL just yet. Will do it soon though.. but I might have some other stuff to write about before that!

Again, Thanks a ton! CYA!

School Life... My Way of Looking At It!

I was looking at topics to write my next entry about.. and when I asked one of my friends... he said.. "Write about school life, your style".. What's my style you ask?
Many people have said to me.. that I am an insensitive wreck. I don't care much about emotions and don't attach myself very quickly to things.

When it comes to school.. I switched 7 schools in my life.. so putting that into perspective, I could never afford to get attached to any school. You get attached, switch schools and the whole re-adjusting story begins again! Did I enjoy my school days? Sure, by and large I did.. I will not say.. "School days were perfect and idyllic.. I miss everyday of it". No! I don't even remember every single day of school so how on earth will I miss it?

Where my view differs from others is here.. in my previous school.. mostly everyone was moving from that school to a new institution for the first time.. it was a first for most! Not for me though. I knew, that people move on.. adjust.. and forget. But, there was so much hoo-haa about school and the paradise we're about to leave. Yeah.. ok, school was fun.. but it wasn't the only place to be! The thing that made me different from others was the fact that I had experienced all of that 6 times prior to them. It gets old!

The fact is, people move to college, make new friends... start a whole new life and live it! And, in today's world, dwelling on the past does no one any good! I think people who criticized me then, would now have a fair idea of what I meant at the time.

That said, when I look back at school, I really did not appreciate it at the time. The fun we had, the troubles we faced.. were unique. But, human that I am.. I just saw the problems and not the good things! When I was leaving school, I thought I will be moving on.. to a new place, college... new experiences, and a change! I might have been a bit rash thinking like that in hindsight.

Will I miss school? Sure. Do I call school days the best ones of my life? I cannot tell you, I'm 18 and have barely lived a life... ask me 10-15 years later.. I will give you a definitive answer. The bottom line is that, school was awesome. School days were ones where, I was so massively focussed on my goals, that it baffles me sometimes how I used to have so much clarity. School was the place where I grew, where my personality developed, where I made friends - whom I can approach about any problem I have even today and I will never ever have a poor opinion of such fabulous institutions.

So, please.. just because I didn't feel the same way as soo many of my peers did.. It doesn't mean I don't have emotions etc. My opinion varies a bit, but I still enjoyed my school days! So, give me a break!

EPL, surely next... CYA!

Explications Unltd......

Welcome to my blog! Discussions here will not be constricted to 'x' or 'y'... I would like to talk about a variety of issues... of course which pertain more or less to my life and what's happening in it.. A certain sport called football being an integral aspect... moreover, Arsenal F.C. being the centre of attention at most times! Yes, I am an Arsenal fan.. fanatic at times.

I really don't want to deviate from my topic for this particular entry. I want to share what I believe must be the pillars of life... lets call them "THE 10 COMMANDMENTS".. a little dramatic? That's fine..! These really reflect my beliefs on how life should be lived... IT'S JUST MY OPINION... NOT A BUNCH OF RULES! So.. let's get straight to them!

1. FOCUS - THE NAME OF THE GAME

Honestly... anyone who knows me would say.. that I kill them about this 5 letter word... Focus. It's an absolute necessity in today's world. Why, you ask? Without focus... you are going to a certain place.. called nowhere! Focus really allows you to concentrate on what you really want in life, even helps you understand what you want in life! Without Focus, you're basically blindfolding yourself and trying to cross a 12 lane freeway.

2. FORESIGHT

No Foresight? Kill yourself then. A person without foresight, simply cannot afford to be that way in my opinion. Foresight allows you to anticipate, prepare for the various contingencies life so very ordinarily throws at your face. Have an idea.. a fairly clear idea of what from your future, it's never going to be 100% correct - far from that.. but, at least you won't be in for silly surprises.. bad ones at that!

3. AWARENESS - ESSENTIAL

You come across people in life, who don't have a clue about what's happening in it! You feel like asking them... "How the hell do you live?" They don't know what others think of them, even family members! They are either stupid or acting really stupid. I hate people like these.. can't stand them! Be Aware! It's way too important.
No Awareness? You're then asking for trouble. Often, it's said "Life is so unpredictable". Most of this unpredictability is due to the fact that people are not at all aware ... be aware, at least 50% aware - you mitigate situations of unpredictability which often baffle us.

4. CLARITY - INDISPENSABLE

Clarity is what a lot of people lack. It's very difficult to have clarity when you are in a place in life where you are stagnant - don't know what's happening or going to happen, don't care either! Sometimes you ask someone about something they've done, and the reply you get - "I don't know" or "You know, I really am not sure".. and after all the problems have sunk them deep into a pit, the one question that person would ask you - "So, what do I do?".. I say - jump off a hill because you quite simply are a burden on this planet! This is exactly what happens when one lacks clarity. If you don't understand "Cause and Effect Relationships", even in life... start questioning yourself!

5. RATIONALITY - HOW I WISH I COULD THINK RATIONALLY SOMETIMES!

The most difficult thing in life is taking a neutral point of view and correlating it with your situation - it is pretty close to impossible! But, you know that if you think rationally in a tough spot the simplest solution is right in front of you. It is getting yourself to think like this which is the tough bit. You'll end up doing the right thing with the absence of bias, your own 'emotions' - if you think rationally.

6. PRIORITIZE

Many people take exception to this particular word - Priority. At every stage in one's life, you have priorities - they keep changing, because of the dynamic nature of life. But, strangely - when one needs priority the most, they haven't an idea of what they have to do! If you prioritize - you get your act together, you know what you have to do and invariably end up getting it done.

7. REVIEW AND EVALUATE

No, I don't mean this from an exam point of view. Everyone needs to know where they are, where they're going.. if what they're doing today is actually going to supplement what they want to become - or if it is going to demolish their aspirations all together. Evaluation of overall 'performance' in life is so important. This, for a fact is not done by many - but if it is... how perfect would this world be!

8. PASSION - LOVE WHAT YOU DO!

Most people do certain things.. (and mostly this refers to educational matters, others too) because someone else has told them to do that.. or because of a stigma that if they do what they really want, society will look down at them. So, does society live your life? Is society going to face your crises with you? Society is only present to pass judgments about people.. it is better not to heed what society feels. What ever you do, be passionate about it - be interested! Anything you do without interest will simply not be completed by you..

9. VALUE FRIENDSHIP

How many people have I seen not valuing friendship! It kills me to think about it! It is very commonly said - Friends are the ones who stick by you through thick and thin - "A friend in need is a friend indeed!". Friends will get you through any crisis in life... make sure you stick to those who value you, whom you can trust.. If you can't trust a person.. don't even look at them - they are the ones who will end up digging your grave.
Also, if you have something to say about someone - say it to their face.. and say it clearly. Don't go gallivanting around saying trash about people.

10. BE YOURSELF!!

I have been listening to this song by "Audioslave" called 'Be Yourself'.. the title didn't really strike me at first. But, how pertinent is this to life? Very. Many people behave one way with one person.. and completely differently with another person! Be Yourself, regardless of gender or character of the other person... it is the least you can do! If you lose your identity.. you stand to lose the one thing that life has bestowed upon you - your character.

"Just be yourself, that's all that you can do!!"

Hope this entry was somewhat enlightening. I myself don't follow all of this all the time... you can't be perfect at all times. Life is all about "Trying your best", not perfection. Yes, some of this stuff is very scathing when it comes to certain types of people.. but that's just the way I feel. There's absolutely no offense intended towards anyone in particular..

Hope to be writing about the English Premier League soon enough... until then.. CYA!