Luis Suarez: Liverpool's Good Kind of Bad..

Ever since the whole “bitegate” phenomenon involving Luis Suarez and Branislav Ivanovic occurred, every single person on this planet who follows football knew that Suarez is not going to last. Not because of the audacity of his actions, but simply because it was a classic case of “history” repeating itself.

Suarez, who represented Ajax Amsterdam in the Dutch League and scored 81 goals in 110 appearances, was involved in a similar altercation with another player that led to the Uruguayan being handed an analogous penalty.  Now that I come to think about it, the word “altercation” is too gentle. The actions of Suarez were hands-down undisciplined and completely irrational. No matter how much frustrated you are on the field, no matter how much things are not going in your direction, you just cannot lose your cool. Don’t get me wrong, but even the best have been involved in some pretty despicable scenarios (David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, etc) but to do the same thing twice in three years just does not cut it.

Coming back to Ajax, Suarez needless to say was on his way out of the club after being handed a 10-match ban. Liverpool was his new home.  Anfield, his new playground. He didn’t even serve a one-match ban. The penalty went just like that. And ask anyone, but that is what the problem is to begin with. “If you commit the crime, you gotta do the time.” Suarez didn’t. Which is what made him take things for granted. Even after the whole Patrice Evra racism ignominy, Suarez always had the backing of Liverpool. It was at that time when the Reds should have taken things in control. Remember the Good ‘Ol days of Jamie Redknapp, Paul Ince, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, David James & co.? “Discipline” was never compromised with in those days.

But nowadays, it’s all gone down the drain. A striker has become bigger than the club. Brendan Rodgers, the manager, (Don’t get me started on him.. that would need two more blog posts) for some shitty reason always goes out of his way to pamper Suarez. Why? Is it because the club lacks decent strike-force? It is because no one at Anfield has that scoring capability? Maybe.. But then again, isn’t that your own created problem Brendan? Buying idiots in the Transfer Window, Shifting Steven Gerrard to a defensive midfielder role, letting go players who could have made the difference, etc, etc, OH GOD etc..

The bottom line is that discipline and passion is totally compromised at Anfield. The aim to win the league seems so distant that there would be a man walking on Mars before the Kop end rejoices. One just cannot let players become bigger than the club. And that is the sole reason why Sir Alex Ferguson will go down as the greatest manager of all time. Sir Alex was never afraid to put his foot down. Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane all have seen the wrath of Fergie. And that is why Manchester United is where it is today.

Luis Suarez is probably the greatest thing that has happened to Liverpool ever since Fernando Torres. Suarez has that talent to become one the Legends at Anfield. If only he does not act like a Red Neck all the time. And it’s not even his fault. The Manager and the Owners just don’t give a Damn. One can’t blame Suarez to demand that he wants to play in the Champions League. It’s natural. Every striker wants to play at the topmost level. But the fact that Liverpool will not be playing in Europe for atleast one more season combined with Suarez’s “I can get away with anything because I’m the King” attitude is what is creating further problems.

Now is the time that Suarez can actually demand what he wants. He’s playing at the top of his game. He’s got the goal-scoring ability. Clubs like Real Madrid are after him. An opportunity to play in the Champions League is in the air. And best of all, he has a 10-match Premier League ban just waiting for him to serve. Why would anyone not want to move away?

I think the Club needs to put its foot down. Suarez needs to go one way or the other. If he doesn’t, then it will be quite a while before he actually gets his mind and heart back in the game for Liverpool. Now is the time that Brendan can redeem himself. Now is the time that the resurrection of the club can start. People talk so much about the Reds’ glorious history.. now is the time to learn something from it. Implement tried and tested ideas rather than experimenting with new ones. Because, quite frankly.. the news one are just not working. To put it in a more “delicate” manner.. the new ideas and “Shit”.

‘Me’gativity and Rs 30..

So here’s the deal.. I’ve known for quite some time that the World is a cynical place.. I’ve known for an even longer time that there exists nothing like “professionalism”.. But there was one thing that I hoped would never diminish.. One thing that I hoped would help the World spin around and give people that glimmer of hope that one does care despite all the anarchy..  That “thing” was Humanity..

And when I write “was”, I mean it 100%.. Every day I keep reading shit on the web that shows horrendous examples in everyday life when people don’t even have the common courtesy to offer a helping hand to people who really want that help.. who really deserve to be helped.. And I l keep blaming them.. I say how can someone be so heartless? How can someone ignore another person’s anguish so calmly and just keep walking? The “Nirbhaya” case is an epitome of what I’m trying to say..

The thing that used to give me solace was the fact that I had this idealistic mindset that made me believe that had I been in the shoes of those people, I would have certainly never acted that way.. I would have gone out of my way to make that person feel better in one way or the other.. I would have offered that person assistance that would have made me smile at the end of day.. It would have made me feel light and ease that heavy burden off my shoulders, which would have otherwise killed me from inside.. That I would have been able to sleep peacefully that night knowing that somewhere someone is happy tonight because of me.. (Even is that happiness was just for a split moment)

But all that changed.. It changed to such an extent that nothing will ever be the same again.. You see what really messes a person’s mind (or shall I say fucks up a person’s mind) are those nonsense news articles that show people being duped while attempting to help other people in need.. It has instilled fear within others that makes one apprehensive and think twice before rushing out to helping someone in need.. Hey.. who wants to get their shirt dirty while trying to help someone whom you don’t even know.. Right?

And you know what the worst part of all this is? Sometimes it’s not even about fear.. It’s about the shame and embarrassment that one would feel if others come to find out that you’ve been duped while attempting to help someone.. That people would laugh at you because someone standing at a red light with a baby and a fake medical receipt in their hand “swindled” 50Rs off you so that they could buy medicines..  That’s the kind of BULLSHIT that the world has to deal with today? Why would someone help others in need when “fear” and “embarrassment” become more important that Humanity itself?

While these thoughts always kept roaming in my mind, I never thought that my life would change to drastic ends due to something that happened to me while on my way to office.

I was about to reach office.. I saw this guy coming from the other side.. There was something about him that intrigued me.. Probably he saw it too.. Maybe he saw that I was intrigued and that’s why he chose me to be his next victim? Ya Right, Anything that I can say to make myself feel better.. But anyway, this guy (who was not dressed shabbily) came up and surprised me by talking in immaculate English, asking for Rs 30..

He said, “Buddy, I really need some help.. I’m literally in Dire Straits right now.. could you spare me Rs. 30? I’ve come from Bangalore and have run into trouble.. I need to catch an Auto to go to my relative’s place in CR Park”.. I was stunned for two reasons.. One, I never expected such a thing happening to me ever.. Two, the guy was speaking perfect English that made me want to believe him..

I asked him, “How’d you run into trouble? Don’t you have an ATM card?”.. He said, “I have an ATM card but it’s cancelled because my Home Loan ran out too long.. I really need some help.. Could you please help me?”… I asked him, “Why don’t you call your relative to come and pick you up?”.. He said, “I don’t have a mobile on me.. I left it with my wife in Bangalore.. I’m really in Dire Straits right now.. Please help me.. All I’m asking for is Rs 30”.. Almost immediately my mind started picturing future situations where I was being laughed at and made fun of by my friends.. I pictured situations where I saw repenting afterwards that how could I be so gullible to let this man take advantage of me..

I told him, “Dude.. Your story is just not convincing.. Better luck next time”.. and I walked away.. I walked away so fast that I didn’t even turn around to look at him.. I kept walking and walking and walking till the time I entered office.. and even then I didn’t turn around.. I felt that he was following me even inside my office.. I felt that while that man was still standing on the road in his physical sense, his soul was actually following me to haunt me for the rest of my life..

I sort of consoled myself.. I told myself that don’t worry bro.. You’re gonna see him tomorrow as well.. He’s gonna be standing right there doing the same old thing.. running the same old play.. following his same old routine.. And then you’ll know that you made the right decision..

It’s been almost a month now.. Everyday while walking from the Metro Station to my office, I hope to run into that man.. I hope to see his face once again.. I hope to see him asking for Rs 30 from some random person on the road..With each passing day, I hope more than ever now.. I hope that I see him in his physical state so that his spirit would stop haunting me at night.. I hope to see him so that I can go back to that “Idealistic” world of mine where I was someone who used to criticize others for not helping people in need rather than being that person myself.. I hope and I hope..

Was Rs 30 really that much for me to compromise with my principles and ethics? Was Rs 30 really that big of an amount for me to kill and bury “Humanity” once and for all? Was Rs 30 really worth me selling my soul to the dark side? Was Rs 30 really the mark where I draw the line between me and morality? Was Rs 30 something so huge that it made me scared of being embarrassed by my friends?

At the end, it was just a paltry mount of Rs 30 that he was asking for.. But for me.. It’s much more than just a number..

Here Without You Baby...

This one's for Her.... Even though I might sound horrible, I know that my voice means the world to her.. As her voice means the world to me... :)

Social Conventions -- Pain Personified..!!

There are three kinds of people in this world.. There are introverts.. There are extroverts.. And then finally there is "Me".. While I was under the false pretension that I fell under the first category, I recently was enlightened that I am actually my own "category"..

As of late, all that's been going through my mind is "how" and "how" can I avoid meeting my relatives... (ya.. I wrote how twice).. And its not just relatives, its people in general... These are people who I either don't know or people whom i've not met in a looooooon time...

I don't know why i've been in this rut lately... The thing with me is that once I get to know someone, I can be quite the rockstar to have around... I mean come on, have you met me? Style and charm come naturally to me... (Ahem... Too Much? I thought so too...)

But anyway, wat i'm feeling these days is completely against my principles... Its against my living ideologies... Its against the sacred shrine of "Freakrazy"... I guess, the problem is that I don't want to go thru these situations alone... I want someone to be there to make me feel comfortable... Someone that takes off that extra weight on top of the dumbell kept on top of the lid of the pressure cooker that is my life... But then again, one can't have someone with oneself all the time... One has to learn to get past these atrocities by oneself...

But then again, Does One Give A Damn? One Does Not Think So...

posted from Bloggeroid

Morning Metro...!!

You know, the Metro has been an "integral" part of my life for quite some time now... A lot of memories in it... My mind always ponders over the weirdest and the weighty stuff whenever I'm standing in a Metro...

 

That’s another thing you know... A guy of my age cannot (I Repeat CANNOT) just hop on a Metro and sit comfortably... Half the seats are reserved for Ladies... The Other half for Aged people... So a Young Male in his 20s to 40s just cannot sit in a Metro until and unless he coughing like Crazy...

 

I remember specifically the momentous occasion in my life when I woke up at 5am just to be a part of that very first Metro train that started from Noida City Centre.. That story was quite a hoot I tell you.. In fact, It was a Hoot-And-A-Half...

 

It was 6 am.. I was standing at the new Noida Sector-32 City Centre Metro Station waiting for the first train of the morning. Wiping that sticky gunk off my eyes, I remember very clearly that I envied the guy I saw the day before driving the “Suzuki GSX-1300 Hayabusa” for two reasons. The first of course being his awesome bike and the second that at that very instant, he was probably dozing off somewhere dreaming about a promise land where time stands still.

 

I see the guy standing in front of me. Fully dressed with a laptop bag around his shoulders and fresh as a daisy. I tell myself that he’s probably off to some big meeting at a fancy office in CP deciding whether or whether not to sell off that last stock of the Reliance City Builder Mutual Fund. I look at myself and find my jeans faded, shirt un-tucked and fly unzipped.

 

I thank god that even in my deep state of sleep, I remembered to wear my jeans in the first place. I give a slight “chuckle” and the guy turns around and with his two big, bright, wide-open eyes stares at me. I with my half-open, still gunky eyes try to give a smile to make what’s best of a worse situation (which I now realize, was nothing before after what I did). The guy gives a pathetic look and turns around and I say to myself, “Wow, that was pretty much as gay as the day can be”.

 

Finally, the train arrived. It’s interesting to note that, when you have time with you on a platform waiting for a train, everything seems to be running slow. The time was 6:03 am and I had been waiting for 3 minutes, which seemed like 3 hours. The lot of us (don’t know exactly how many) got into the new German imported coach (don’t know the exact details about the train either).

 

I, as of habit of always making an entrance, get in last and find myself struggling to find a seat. I have an option to sit with the “Mutual Fund” guy but realize that I have already instated a sense of fear in him, which might get him to call the cops on me. Then, I realize that the Section 377 has been abolished in Delhi and there’s nothing that he can do. It’s then that I say to myself again, “What the hell am I saying?” It’s at times like these that I feel that one must not talk when one is so dizzy that one can’t even get rid of the gunk in his eyes even after trying for 7 minutes (Oh Yes! The gunk is still there).

 

7 minutes later we exit Noida and reach Mayur Vihar’s Samachar Apartments Station. It was just 1 week before that moment when I was driving my car on road that I could see just below me. And I remember telling myself that it's a whole different experience altogether when one doesn’t have to stop at red lights and listen to those boring rj’s when one's stuck in a jam.

 

I remember telling myself one night while looking at that beautiful station flashing with lights that the day I step into that metro train and look down towards the road, I’ll tap my feet and do a little moonwalk. But, now being there for the first time in that train, looking at that road, with that stupid gunk still in my eyes, fly still unzipped (Maybe that’s the reason why everyone kept staring at my during my journey) and the whole “Mutual Fund” guy episode, I decided against it.

 

The people on the train were not enjoying the ride to that extent as I was. It wasn’t my first time on a metro train, it’s just that I felt this genuine happiness that this is something that I could enjoy and feel good about. It’s something that my “city-mates” and me can take pride in. Connectivity to Delhi has been an issue for a lot of time now. With the whole DTC buses being banned to the Taxis and Autos not being able to cross the border without paying heavy taxes issue, now has come a time that we can say “Ab Dilli Duur nahin”.

 

People were showing various emotions on that train, some sleepy, some serious, some suspicious (damn that early morning chuckle at the station), but just one of them was actually feeling the ride experience. I just felt that I could travel in that train for the rest of my life. I enjoyed the view, I enjoyed the announcements, I enjoyed that I never actually got to sit or else I would have missed the view, I enjoyed that in just took me 36 minutes to reach CP, I enjoyed people staring at me for my “fly” issues, I enjoyed struggling to use my Delhi Metro card for the first time, I even enjoyed the “Mutual Fund” guy. I reached CP at 6:38 am and realized one thing that made my day.

 

That, Just looking down at that very instant at that breathtaking beautiful site (that included people stuck in jams in their cars and a very broad and long sewage canal) made me realize that everything has been worth it. Everything from it taking months on construction work to loads of hours of traffic jams due to that construction, from inconveniences faced by me when I made those trips to the Sector-18 market to not being able to enjoy the amazing skyline view of Atta market in the night, from trying very hard to control my anger for the metro workers who blocked those roads to not able to just zip through with my bike as before, from taking the horrifying bus (which had weird messages inscribed on the backseat) to CP to getting up at 5:30 am to ride the metro for the very first time, everything was worth it, everything for that very first early MORNING METRO ride...

Holi 'Just Another' Day...!!

You know, if the date today was 27th March 1998 and I was in Allahabad instead of Delhi, I would have painted the town Red/Blue/Green/Magenta (That’s rite.. I said Magenta as well...)

The reason being that I was amidst an awesome group of people who were willing to act like complete idiots just for the sake of it... Dad was still serving that time.. We lived in these amazing Defence colonies with tons of fun at every nook and corner... there were people always ready to be freaking out as there was always someone or the other who was thinking on the lines of "Freakrazy"...

That’s one of the many many many things that my Defence background gave me and I'm proud to have it.. I can say without any regrets that I've had an astonishing childhood... Probably the best that a Child can ask for... Full of adventure... Without fear... Never saying "never" to anything that might drop the hint of having a tinge of crazy... Always trying new things... And BEST OF ALL... Always having this "venturesome" group to just Lose It.. :)

Holi back in the day was just another occasion to have fun with my Defence Brats... I remember the "strategy meet" that we used to have a day before about how to best position ourselves in the bushes so that we can ambush the on-goers in the best possible manner... We used to prepare charts with full fledged attack plans... throwing maneuvers... Artillery inspection.... and god knows what naught... After all, we did have that "Defence" blood brooding inside all of us just waiting to come out and blow the freaking crap out of others...

I remember this one time in particular when I was at that tender age of "hating" any and all girls around me... (I guess Puberty was just about to kick in.. :O ).. But anyways, I remember that time in particular because I stayed up all night a day before Holi just to get my stuff right... And by stuff I mean all the armament for a full-scale ambuscade... I made water balloons.. Some filled with water and some filled with Egg Yolk.. I prepped up my Steel Customized Pichkari.. 'Twas customized in the sense that I had this bucket that I used to hang on my back like a backpack and a pipe coming out of it that I could connect to my Pichkari and "Reload" without the need to actually find a source of water... (Yeah... I was that much into Holi back Then..)

So anyway, On Holi morning, my friends and I get together and go through all the final planning related to the bushwhack we had planned for the Girls... Come to think about it now, I can’t believe the details that we covered just to ensure that we encompassed all the "Rules of Engagement"... We made plans to go after the "weaker" section in the Girls fraternity... No "Man" was supposed to be left behind just in case the Girls too had a plan of their own... We made plans to cover each other's back... We decided that we would head out in groups of two... This gave us the leverage to implement the "attack-and-reload" phenomenon... That meant while one of us would be engaged in firing off the Pichkari, the other would be reloading his Pichkari for a second round of attacks...  

All in all.. Those were awesome days... Unlike now... I don’t know what exactly has changed now, but I do know that things are definitely not the same... I know for a fact that I DONT have a group that indulges in "Freakrazy" like me... I know that I don’t have the backing that I need... I don’t have group that is willing to act like complete idiots just because one of us wanted to see how that feels like…  I don’t have a group that would be willing to break the windows of a vacant house with Cosco balls just because we wanted to experience the effect of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s entrance music (That was Awesome BTW).. I know that I'm not in my childhood anymore and I need to act like grown-ups, but Boo-Freakin-Hoo... Why Should I? I had a wonderful childhood, kind of like the one that I intend to give my Kid as well... So why shouldn't I be a Kid at Heart?

Well... Can’t answer that I guess... It’s all Destiny... We just need to keep walking with out heads down... It’s like a journey... If we stand still, we get nowhere... If we run too fast, we amplify the risk of falling down... Hence, we just need to walk... Walk with our heads down without thinking about heavy stuff...

Kinda Sucks Doesn't it?

Sepang Spite…!!

After some delirious drama at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, Red Bull’s German driver Sebastian Vettel came out on top by piping his own teammate Mark Webber for the prestigious victory.

The Malaysian Grand Prix promised to deliver a remarkable showdown of driving skills for two reasons – One, the passion of the racing fans heading into only the second race of the season, and Two, all the drama surrounding the use of “intermediate” tyres during qualifying..

Its been quite some time that I have seen something like all 22 (or 24 in some cases) drivers using intermediate tyres at the start…

After Adrian Sutil rocked Q1 and Q2 a day before by using medium compound tyres, the use of the intermediate came into play because the Sepang Rain Gods showed their ugly faces..

Ferrari’s Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, who was second fastest in qualifying yesterday, started in 2^nd place for the first time since Bahrain GP 2010 and was rightfully being termed as the Renaissance Man…

But, the whole “Comeback” was shattered when Webber began his awesome racing maneuvers.. Right from the start when the five red lights went off, Webber was on the offense when he challenged the Ferrari duo of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa..

The Weber-Alonso Fiasco saw Webber move from 5^th into 3^rd in the first lap itself and then finally to 2^nd after a hard fought battle with the Spaniard.. Alonso had his front wing clipped, which eventually gave up on Lap 2, therefore allowing Webber to move into 2^nd.

After 5 laps, Red Bull’s “tyre change” gamble seemed to pay rich dividends when Vettel straight away went for the medium compound tyres.. The track temperature at that time seemed to coming up with time and therefore the change was implemented..

The Red bull strategy was followed by all the teams almost instantly, which led to a “traffic jam” like situation in the pits..

Speaking of pit stops, there was one team in particular that seemed to have a horrible day there – None other that Sahara Force India..

Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta’s pit stops were complete disasters as the India-based team were having all sorts of problems with the hydraulics..

Due to these tyre changing fiascos, Force India’s Malaysian adventure just went from horrible to absolutely devastating as it forced both drivers to retire early..

 In fact, it seemed as if all the action on the circuit was less on the track and more in the pits… Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton even went to the extent to head into his old team McLaren’s pits by mistake… Classic move Lewis… Telling them who’s the boss.. J

On the other hand, Australian Grand Prix winner Kimi Raikonen and McLaren’s latest recruit Sergio Perez seemed to be having their own mini battles at the wee end of the grid as at first they were fighting for 9^th-10^th position and later for the 6^th-7^th spot..

While the “Iceman” was confident that he would win that battle, Massa had other plans to implement.. The Ferrari driver took full advantage of the Kimi-Perez duel when he overtook both of them to move into 6^th in Lap 50…

Another driver who had luck really pulling him down was McLaren’s Jenson Button,who at one time was even leading the race... The only thing that was not in his favor was the fact that he had one pit stop lesser that everyone else..

Before McLaren could even think about “planning” a gamble for Button to finish the race with his worn out medium compound tyres, Webber took the lead from Button on Lap 35..

That promptly forced Button to head into the pits one lap later and change his tyres.. However, disaster struck Button’s already horror-struck luck when his cars stalled right after moving out… It was “race-over” for the Briton..

Meanwhile, Vettel’s combo of fuel saving and DRS helped him overtake Hamlton on Lap 38 and therefore the triple world champion proved that the Briton still has a long way to go before he adjusts with his new team..

Red Bull and Mark Webber seemed to have everything under full control when on lap 45 an impeccable pit stop by the Australian proved the same.. Webber headed into the pits with a 20 second lead over his comrade and a perfect 20 second pit stop allowed his to come out of the Pit right where he left off… In front of Vettel…

Finally on Lap 46, Vettel moved into the lead by using his DRS to perfection.. Webber, who did everything he could to hold his ground, was completely outclassed by the German’s skillful moves..

After overtaking, Vettel said, “Come On Mate, This is Silly…”

All in all, the Malaysian Grand Prix was quite synonymous to being “team wars” with Vettel vs Webber (Battle for 1^st) and Rosberg vs Hamilton (Battle for 3^rd)..