Step away from the ball and No one gets hurt !

Hello,

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

0

Then you ask, why now da? why?

Why post something after all these years ? 

Like as if something great has been in the making all along ! 

Making yourself look like Tarantino or Shankar going by their work/years ratio. (See what I did there)

Why? 

Because a few things happened da. That only opened my eyes ! 

Atleast I have my eyes opened !

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

Calm down Bitches ! I got this.

Ten sports analyst/Layman terms la classifying, as far as defenders go there are two types:
1. Be there or 
2. Get There.

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

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

 Vidic also teaches one to care not for style, but give it all for substance. The Job always comes first. He will probably be best-suited if you had to pick football players for Gladiators. He won't care if he bleeds. In fact, he will bleed every match if it means the opponent wont score. (And he will smile while bleeding too) He won't care if he is fractured. He won't care if Cobb brings a freight train through Old Trafford. Nothing would move him. The job would still come first. He would simply do anything for Manchester United regardless of the consequences. Also, I for one, cannot imagine something that could frighten/scare Vidic. Large lizards or awkwardly hopping frogs or nasty roaches wont disturb him. Not even a flying one! It is infact he who scares the life out of people. It is for this very same reason and the respect he commands, you sneakily move away from viewing the picture of Mrs. Vidic on the Man United WAGS section ! No, not her !

 
Despite all his toughness, Vidic is a loved footballer. He is ruthless, yes. Aggressive, yes. But he is not hated like Pepe is or Materrazi is. That itself tells you the quality of the work he puts in. Referees will think twice on his tackles to give penalties. Not out of fear of him, but dubious because of the efficiency of the guy. And no matter how he left them flying through the air during the 90 mins, his shirt will still be sought after by players at the end of the match.
  
There are people who would criticize him for leaving a team when they are in trouble, but for me, he is probably saving awkwardness and trouble for the club he loves, as he has been declining a little (still managing to be our best defender this season) and will get old in a couple of years, making the club mull over a one-year-extension/should-we-tell-bye-bye situation. Clear, decisive and showing the way always !

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

Nemanja Vidic. Captain. Leader. Killer

150 things to do before you turn 30

Suttufied list from another blog.

The rules of the tag are,

• Bold for things you have already done.
• Italics for things that you are dying to do!

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

As of now : 74.

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

1. There will exactly be one celebrity per flight.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday Drabble

*Beep*

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

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

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

The Real Balon D'or

Celebrating Manchester United's 19th title

AG Books

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

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

Ok. If you know the person, its kinda ok i guess. I mean, yeah I will write something and you will get it now, what you could not get in the past 4 years of being with me. 

But it gets especially tricky when you don't know the person good enough. I mean, I understand you talk to a friend of mine and you are my classmate and I was standing near him, when you gave him the book. But no, I m not the widowed mother of two children and you really don't have to be polite dear. 

Yes. I know the picture ain't related much to the article. 

But again, 'Politeness' is a reciprocal privilege when it comes to AG books. So the ones who write, always write good, sweet things. Not necessarily true things. Just good and sweet stuff. You will never come across a AG book that reads,

"Dear owner of this book,

May you rot in hell for all eternity :)

Sincerely, 

The guy who you never passed the bit to, keeping it for yourself and so failed his internals :-@"

The true Indian way of doing things would be to look at the previous writers and write your own tweaked version of what they write. Doing which will tell you every AG Book would contain the following :

1. There is atleast one six-page-writing, with xoxos, love yous, mmmuahs thrown in, best friend girl for every girl.
2. Everyone wishes you for "a bright future", but doesn't want you getting a higher package than them in your campus placements. True story.
3. The owner takes in strenuous efforts and writes an introduction in the page put in to separate the content from the bounded cover. Some greeting card stuff.
4. The recession version of AG books is an old diary. Has an antique look and let writers choose their own day of the 365 days!!! woohoo!  
5. Everyone gives their contact details. Their address, phone numbers, DOB and all. And you are forced to think if attaching a resume is a good idea.

Now had Mark Zuckerberg not got his 'spark' from Harvard Connections in the Social Network, I m pretty sure he would have thought of it in his final year while writing AG books. Facts apart, I still write AG books for the love of other people. Yes I found slam books and +2 TNEA counselling application forms similar, but unfortunately I am an altruist. 

All the best!!

Have a bright future!! :-D "

Vishnu Gowthem.