Insipirational- Barcelona Undefeated streak over Real

Real Madrid vs Barcelona  @Santiago Bernabeu[Their home ground], First Classico of 2011. Real comes on a 15 match winning streak and Barcelona[Barca] has faced 2 draws and a defeat in the league. On their home ground, even after a first minute goal by their own Benzema, Real falls 1:3 to the Barcelona's Total FootBall.

Why is this so special and inspirational? Real Madrid is one of the premier clubs in Soccer history. With players like Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham and many special ones, they formed the Galacticos. Winning everything in their way. Then, came Barcelona's home grown players. Barcelona had good players like Rivaldo, Ronaldinho but they could never match to Real's fire power. but, now Real has not one a single game against Barcelona in last 11 meetings.

 Real can boast of the best playersthey can get in the game today, Ronaldo, kaka, Casiillas, Benzema, Hiuain and all. They thrash every other team they play. They have one of the most inspirational Managers in Jose Mourinho. But, still they cant beat Barcelona. How did it all turnaround?

Barcelona has a structure of footbal excellence. They catch the players young, they train them in their inimitable style and then these players have stayed in the Barcelona team for a loong time. The "Total Football" style, means any player can don any position and be useful. Forwards defend and defenders can press forward. They play for each other, for purity of game. Passing is superb, they wont shoot if  a team mate has a better chance and dont seem to one up each other. Qualities like patience, ability, team work, selflessness and dedication to their conviction[style of play]  have brought them greatness.

Barcelona is not infalliable, they do lose, but they still adhere to the same style of play. They mostly play fair and are graceful in defeat. Their effort for the quality of game is admirable. They lose goals because of  excessive passing but still cretae way more chances than any other team.

Real has a lot  more raw talent and it has gelled more as a team this season but still Barcelona is the team to beat. Real has huge stars, pompous and extravagent, they look a dream team on paper and they are good most times. But, the low profile, dedicated to game, nice demenoured Barcelona players are one of the most adored.

It shows in the Player of the year polls also, Real's Ronaldo is pitted against Barcelona's Messi and Xavi. The team work of MEssi, Xavi and Ineista earns them recognition almost as good asa that of the flamboyant Ronaldo.

Novelistic Dilemmas

The Dilemma is:
We unintentially take decisions for people we love, by seemingly telling them what we think they want to hear. We dont tell them what we feel[which is why they ask us] and that may lead to confused[and possibly incorrect] decision in their moment of emotional weakness. Let me try and explain this.

A child suffering from flu asks Mom, "can I have ice cream" ? First case, Mom sees his desire and overwhelmed  by it she says "Yes", even though she doesnot want to. Impact: Child has only one option left. No choice as desire and reply match. Second case, Mom replies "No". Child may not like it, but now child has a choice between his desire and Mom's "No". This may help him overcome the moment of weakness. A crude and distant analogy but this is the point. We are not supposed to steal options fom the decision-maker.

          Assume Mr X has married Lady Y. Mr X has a Premium job offer at a MNC but has to relocate without his family. He asks his wife for her opinion. Wife does not want him to go. She is happy with a little less and does not want separation. But she thinks he wants this job and she should not come in between his career. So, she tells her husband that she wants him to join at the MNC.
          Assume Mr X's mindset is: He is not too career oriented but believes that his wife needs better amenities in life viz money, status glory. So he looks for a Premium job but he does not want it at expense of leaving his family. He loves his wife too much to deny this lucrative oportunity for the family but does not want to go and is content with a little less. His relationship means more to him than anything else but somehow hypothetically spouse is not aware of it.
        Now, Lady Y tells her husband that she wants him to join the MNC. He assumes that she wants him to work away and go for glory, money etc. which is not true. In a way, both are sacrificing for love, but resultant is exactly opposite to what they want. Telling each other what they feel may be a better way. Its then a matter of choice and one must believe in other partner who has to make that choice.

Thinking more on this, the Assumption here is two fold. First, we can correctly predict what goes in other person's mind and Secondly we can premept what other person actually wants. Irony is, human mind is too fast, fragile and flickering. We dont know what we want at times and we may not even know how[correctly] we are perceived either. So, we may be thinking "going right" and be perceived as "going left". [Happens often with me :)]. I am not saying that we dont understand our loved ones, but we may not always be able to correctly preempt their thoughts and emotions. There may be many Mind Readers but i assume most commoners aren't that good.

Knowing ur loved ones' dilemma is the trick. You need to decide, whether you need to give him an option or decide it for him. Its always a dynamic thing and especially important if the relationship hinges on it.

In the novels especially, the lead characters preempt what their loved ones want. They leave their loved ones with no choice.[Esp. in some books/Movies Male leads decide course of relationships without ever considering girl's opinion] And choose a life of pain for themselves sacrificing in love. But nobody knows for sure, whether the other side is happy doing what they have been inadvertently asked to. Is the entire sacrifice at the end all in vain?

P.S.  Saying exactly how you feel can have disastrous implications too. Saying exlicitely what you want or what you dont want can kill a relationship. This much heart-to-heart stuff can be shared when there is utmost trust and compassion. Personally, I may also be diplomatic at times. I feel, here is a moral high ground [sacrificing for the ones you love] which come naturally to us. Everybody would do it, but that doesnt make it right. Its ultimately our selfishness if we understand the thought carefully.  Why cant we admit that X loves Y and does not want to live away. Whats wrong in admitting this ?


P.S. It all started from a discussion based on "Paths of Glory".  If Ruth not agreed with George to go on the second attempt, would they have led a happier life ? What if, while catching his last breath George would have wanted, if he could reverse the time and not come on this expedition at all. What if, he would be repenting his choice? What if, he wished that Ruth should have not allowed to him? What if....

P.S No substantial experience, a weird range of thought, limited observing skills and a wandering mind may have lead to this stupid Theory. I tried to base it on rational reasons. But, reasons are based on data and I can easily be missing something obvious here. I say this, as my close friends have a very different view. But, somehow the reason I am wrong has not struck me yet.

P.S. Thanks if you have managed to read through all of the above. :) :D

Rockstar - A classic

Very good music, superb performance from Ranbir, Nargis looking beautiful in every frame, exotic locations and strong emotional story - All these come together to create a cinematic classic.
   Jordan[JJ] is lost in his own world till he meets Heer. Unknowingly they come together, become friends and Heer becomes all he thinks about. He does not realize the inevitable and everything is all fun to begin with. Heer gets married and Jordan is back in his life doing nothing overtly significant. After sometime, he meets her again and the chemistry takes control of them. Due to the social pressures, Heer forces him out of her life. She  does what the society wants her to do, not what her heart longs for.  He doesnt realize what has struck him and sometimes just stays in denial.
    The pain translates his thoughts to musical excellence. Heer is his inspiration and his grief. Contempt for the rules of the society is in his heart, his heart alone amidst crowds. He has success, money, fame, but he is not happy, as his only happiness, Heer, is shunted out of his life. He wants her,  can sacrifice everything for her, but she is beyond him.
    Heer choose a sedate way of life, gets married, has a family and the materialistic comforts. But deep inside, Heer  longs for her happiness, that relationship - where she could be crazy, do crazy, do it all she wants, go anywhere  she wants, with someone she loves - someone whose only thought is, to be with her, forever. Away she suffers amidst all the proverbial good things. She tries to live a contented life doing all the "right things", but still that bliss of happiness eludes her.
    Finally, they meet and all seems to be well again, until...  Heer has suffered too much and for too long and now even her love cant get her back. Heer is in coma and Jordan lives to render music from his vailing heart. Circumstances  have ensured the "Rockstar" will always be in pain. The opportunity is lost on them.

    All the range of emotions from dont-know-what-to-do, just-want-to-be-with-you, longing-to-see-you, dont-want-this-life-without-you, will-be-with-you-forever, are supremely portrayed by Ranbir who gives a spectacular performance. Nargis looking lovely all across the movie, and has delivered quite well in patches. Music is  one the Highlights of this movie. Rahman has come with really amazing music. This is the best movie in 2011 by a long long way.

In the End, It doesn't even Matter.

The only thing which ever matters is you, your life and your own happiness. Rest all are fundaes. Finding happiness in somebody else's happiness is not a correct statement. Tomorrow if that person does some harm to you or your ego, will you be happy for that person. May be. May be NOT. Its your happiness always. Accept it. Your happiness in seeing someone smile, in being with some, in just being in a scene which is happy, in just helping someone, is Your happiness. Its all about you. Remember that.
              Whatever u do, if you know its not gonna work, it will never work. So forget it. Thats what u r gonna do, today or later on after shedding many tears. If u want something, believe you can make it work and be prepared to fight for it. Nothing comes for free. If u want it, you need to do something about it. God is not there to give you your wishes. Fight and take it or just LEAVE it. Dont Crib.
           Love yourself. Its the minimum you can do for you. You are Special. Believe it. Its always true. Whatever people may think, its their obseration from the slit of a pin-hole, thats their world view. They may have their observations wrong. They may have assumptions which are invalid. Their experiences may prove u wrong, but given the sample space of their observations, probability of it being correct is still  close to zero. [One may know 100 or 100 people but 1000/6 billion still tantamounts to 0]. 
         What anyone thinks, in the end, It doesn't even matter. Live your life, do what you like. Free your thoughts. Make yourself  happy. Thats what you live for.

Understanding Dhoni - The Phenomenon

CSK wins the IPL4 and defends its crown. Accolades start pouring in again and Dhoni is topic of discussion everywhere, in FaceBook discussions, on news channels, at lunch tables and so on. Dhoni is vilified by some and deified by others. Its all about Dhoni everywhere. Here we evaluate the phenomenon that is Dhoni.

        Dhoni, is a very good wicketkeeper and a better than average batsman. He picks himself automatically in most of the IPL or International sides, even in ALL-TIME 11's. Add to it the way he conducts himself as a captain and his responsible innings at crucial times[read WC 2011 finals and many successful run chases] make him an invaluable player.

       That being said, he is just a part of all those wins. He displays the talent but he is also lucky to be a part of great teams. CSK won so many titles beacuse of Raina's, Badri's, Vijay's, Bollinger's and Ashwin's super efforts. Dhoni can be credited with giving them confidence but its anybody's guess what would he do with a side like Rajasthan Royals. On the flip side, Sachin had the best side on paper but has not won IPL yet.

       Some Videos about WC2011 show Dhoni as the India's saviour with no mention of other players, which in my opinion is a disservice to all those who made us win the cup. Zaheer khan took 21 wkts in subcontinent conditions and dismissed top order batsmen but I dont see him in the news but Dhoni always is!!!  Zaheer's contribution, like that of Ashwin for CSK, got overshadowed by Dhoni. The only contribution of Dhoni in WC was 91*, those runs were scored in finals and under presssure, duly acknowleged [he got a MoM for it]. But, it in no way makes Dhoni the warrior who brought us the cup.

       Cricket is a team game. Dhoni is a good captain of great teams. One feels that, Dhoni somehow gets credited with the success achieved by his team mates.The success he has achieved is more about the teams and their players rather than Dhoni himself. But this deified Image has been created  by people and media alike, which makes him look larger than life. Hoping that with the end of the cricketing season, this Dhoni phenomenon mellows down a little.

Fun @ Kiva

Last Friday[5/20/2011], went to Kiva at Range Hill Rd with some friends. Our interns had just completed their internship,so it was party for them. It was also Shane Warne's last IPL match [which Mumbai lost], and we watched the match on the big screen.

The place has really Nice Ambience. Good food coupled with Great music made for an Awesome evening. Music is the USP at Kiva. The DJ was playing awesome songs after 10:30pm and it was fun to be there. Dead in the night watched Pirates of Carribean4 at E-sqaure. I liked the movie but my frnds did not.

While at Kiva, sometimes I felt totally odd one out. I was the only teetotaller and the only non-vegetarian. We ordered a pitcher of Taquila and some Beers. Then I ordered a Sprite and the shocked Look I got from the Bartender was priceless. :D

My frnds though were mostly in control of themselves. Apart from some odd comment or slight difference in walking, that is. :) Watching the Movie and expert comments from the group were icing in the cake.

Are you Strong person?

Most of us have perceptions about how strong we are. Here is what being strong means to me.

A strong person is one who though afraid, is willing to move forward and willing to accept pain in order to do the right things.[for him and others around too !!!] People who cry, who reach for help [may need some motivation], who use the knowledge available to them to improve their own lives, are strong in my view.

Sometimes we need to take a tough decision, a decision that may hurt. A strong person will take that decision even though he may end up days in agony and pain. Doing the right thing, even though painful makes us strong.

We all make mistakes in life. [Yeah, Even I !!, have made mistakes :D]. What we think when things go wrong, determines if we are strong or not. Strong persons show courage in the midst of their fear. They realizes life's mistakes can also be unexpected blessings. They accept mistakes, correct them and move on. Accepting mistakes is Strong!

Being truthful, forgiving, and caring for someone who needs it, is strong !! Being a calm influence, someone who can inspire, is strong! Anybody having a positve look and rational thinking is strong! One, who corrects one's own opinion, is strong! [People rarely do it.] Confused people are strong enough to challenge their thoughts. Stubborn people, who know it all, are weak. They are weak because they can not dare to test their own thoughts/beliefs.

It is the strength of character, of virtue, of generosity that makes you strong. If something bad happnes and tears roll down your eyes, if some situation scares you and you feel overwhelmed, that does not make you weak. If you get over all the bad things and end up doing the right thing in your own eyes, then you are indeed strong !! People who are nice, soft spoken are strong. They may not realize it. But, it is just a small matter of believing !

Ending with this note:
"I can handle anything that life throws at me - I may not be able to handle it well, or correctly, or gracefully, or with finesse, or expediently - but I will handle it. Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!!!!!." --- Anonymous.