A boiling hot sunny day.. A sumptuous lunch to die for( or is it to.. SUICIDE for??).. N finally an ever-so-monotonous college schedules made by few goddamn people you’d love to kill for free.. N there you ‘ve got your complete recipe for ultimate boredom! But at long last.. got a perfect li’l recipe of my very own to look to when things get this much worse.. Blogging, of course.
But maybe.. I am a li’l short of options to write about something as of now so I see no better way than football(Oh.. I love it!) to have some fun all the way. N talkin of football, I ll now get you into the nuts n bolts of the recent UEFA CHAMPIONS’ LEAGUE draws that have us, the fans take to the edge of our seats right away.. shimmering with profuse excitement n anticipating with much aplomb the 4 exquisite rounds of pulsating fixtures where some top notch european giants will be desperately gunning for glory n vying with each other to lay their hands on the most prestigious of all prizes this planet has to offer.. LA OREJONA- THE COUPE DES CLUBS CHAMPIONS EUROPÉENS.
I ll here take a quick look only at the sides who stand the most realistic of chances to go all the way in the competition, with no offense to the rest of the sides who deservedly got this far. But the road to success from here on will certainly not be paved in gold.. The battle ll be tougher than ever. Yep, that’s right.. In all certainty, where a precious moment of magic(or madness..!!) could presumably seal off your fate altogether.. There’s no room for any complacency now even for the cream of the crop in europe.
Now let’s get down to the action straight away.
THE CONTENDERS :
The Champions' league draw last 8 in Nyon, Switzerland
#1. BAYERN MUNICH :
FC BAYERN MUNCHEN
The Bavarians were certainly looking off color in their past few games but they choked their critics in breath-taking fashion, with a resound thrashing of a lacklustre FC BASEL side with consummate ease, winning the tie 14-1 on aggregate(watch out.. europe!) n proving their mettle in the process as a genuine contender for the title. On friday, they got a difficult, but manageable draw against french outfit OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE.. But their eyes ll surely be already on a potential semi-final showdown against the competition co-favorites REAL MADRID CF. In that scenario, a look even beyond the semis ll be a tough ask for the german behemoths.. But the very fact of the final being hosted at their very own home ground ALLIANZ ARENA may well act as a sheer motivation for jupp heynckes’ men to at least put some real fight.. Coz to become the best.. Inevitably, you ‘ve gotta beat the best. N they know that well enough.
#2. REAL MADRID :
LOS BLANCOS
A DAVID vs GOLIATH battle here on cards really.. After REAL MADRID CF drew cypriot minnows APOEL NICOSIA in the last 8 draw in Nyon. Considering the glaring gulf in class between the two.. An easy progress for the spanish powerhouse is all but certain. Well, it just so happens that there have been always some noise from time immemorial about Jose Mourinho’s second season being the most fruitful one.. N frankly I do believe it. He has in 2 years time fine-tuned a glamorous but arrogant side into a gritty rock-solid n stellar attacking unit with sky high confidence. They have some outrageously gifted midfield n defense while an enigmatic CRISTIANO RONALDO spearheading an already lethal midfield to tear anyone apart on their day. But.. one team that has stood in their way always.. Their arch-nemesis FC BARCELONA.. Have always denied ’em their fair share of successes n left ’em contemplating what just went wrong! But Even if the world thinks there is no way you’ll succeed against this Barcelona side, this time, all Madrid have to do
is prove them wrong once to make ’em eat their own words. Am I right? A simple change in
mindset is all it will take for the Men in White to do the impossible.. Coz inside the word impossible itself, is possible. For the 9-time european champions.. This.. is the judgement time. An epic EL CLASICO for european supremacy awaits.
#3. CHELSEA FC :
THE BLUES
Chelsea’s shambolic defensive frailties were exposed brutally at the SAN PAOLO by a fire-flying SSC NAPOLI side as evidently seen from their cataclysmic collapse in naples.. N many had even written off even their faintest of chances.. But the blues did salvage some pride n stepped up the gear to turn the tie on its head at the STAMFORD BRIDGE triumphing 5-4 on aggregate.. Much to the dismay of a shell-shocked Napoli. The premier league giants may well be in buoyant mood after such heroics but still the squad harmony remains in question while the players remain irreversibly short of confidence. Then there’s a £50 million man Fernando Torres.. who has still been unable to seamlessly integrate into Chelsea’s 4-3-3 system. The whole sale overhaul of hierarchy by owner Roman Abramovich did not help Chelsea’s cause much either. Reigning champions Barcelona are likely to be lying in wait in the semi-finals where finishing line looms increasingly large for the blues. Like I said, the only way to get past Barcelona is Desire n Quality.. The first one they have aplenty.. The second.. I doubt that. Its about time to hit the panic button.. Roman!
#4. FC BARCELONA :
THE BLAUGRANA
They are widely touted as THE best side ever to have graced a football pitch.. Probably the greatest ever. N then you look at their star-studded squad.. Top quality all over the pitch.. n the outright favorites for the competition.. N u think.. Is the hype justified? Well.. the records say it is. The easy-on-the-eye one touche silky brand of football they showcase.. Many believe they play on another whole new horizon altogether.. Hard to even figure out.. let alone breaking ’em down. N what if that is still not enough?.. They ‘ve got 3-time BallonD’Or winner the diminutive argentine maestro, LIONEL MESSI.. Who many regard as the best ever! A pivotal last 8 clash with italian powerhouse AC MILAN certainly grabbed plenty of column inches in papers worldwide but against this side’s mighty attacking prowess.. I think even the Rossoneri don’t really stand a chance.. At least not with the li’l argentine mozart pulling the strings in an immaculate Barcelona midfield. A final frontier showpiece with either Madrid or Bayern is the least one should expect from a side of such calibre.. Provided the Blaugrana avoid any surprise defeat.. N you fancy they will. Beyond that.. Even I don’t know much!!
#5. AC MILAN :
IL DIAVOLO
The outsiders with not so realistic of chances. Even considered as the perennial underdogs for their last 8 tie too. Still, Milan’s european pedigree can never be called into question. Sitting pretty at the summit in serie A, they are capable of springing a few surprises too on the grandest of stages as they ‘ve done a countless no of times before. Barcelona could eventually prove to be a potential banana skin for the 7-time european champions.. But you can count ’em out at your own peril! Here’s the no-nonsense deal for Milan’s charges.. get past the favorites.. n in most certainty they ll surely go all the way through. Sounds simple right?.. But they do know how hard it is. All the same.. at least u can believe.. Nothing wrong with that.
So be ready folks. Let’s get away from philosophy now n wait for some mouth-watering clashes of the titans that wait in line. There’s so much at stake.. So many twists n turns n ups n downs yet to be seen. The emotions palpably running high through the fans already which makes it quite a spectacle! But that’s what this game is all about.. isn’t it?
So.. With all this talk about football I thnk we now need to take a break.. seriously!
N yeah.. I am not a scientist who has devoted my life’s work to researching statistically significant findings or an anthropologist who discovers the secrets of other cultures. No.. I am just a person who is passionate about the beautiful game of football. That’s it.
If you ‘ve got any problems with that.. I tell you what.. I ‘ve got just two words for ya..
WHO CARES..??
See you again folks.. Sayonara.
The Allianz Arena- Venue for the FINAL SHOWPIECE EVENT
Yes.. it is true.. As arguably the world’s largest social network officially turns 8 years old today.. I, along with millions of other FACEBOOK-AHOLICS(as I call ’em..!) will surely reflect on the indelible impact FB has had on our lives however big or small that maybe..
I personally, for the record, ‘ve been on FB for 961 days on the go, having joined during my first years of engineering. And my FB experience morrors those of oyhers in many possible facets.
As we ‘ve changed our relationship statuses a countless no of times that we can hardly remember.. Flipped n glided through our tagged photos(sometimes.. err.. all the times.. those of others too) and every once in a while untagging n unfriending the ones we now deem unfavorables.. Seen friends’ last names change for mysterious or obvious reasons.. Bid adieu to fellow FB users whose walls(.. now we call THE TIMELINES™) have become digital memorabilias.. We have cried.. We have smiled.. We have told our stories.
Just shy of its sixth birthday bash on Feb 4, 2009, FB saw me register for an account. Back then, it was not so much hyped n was only crowded by some college bullies. I was 18, living in a dorm at my college hostel. I just owned a NOKIA 3500 then unlike now as I have since gone on to own a DELL STUDIO XPS laptop as well as a SONY ERICSSON HAZEL alongside a MOTOROLA GLEAM.. n a PDA.. But coming back to the old days I accessed FB only on campus computers & opera mini on the fone.
FB so quickly found its feet in my not-so-heavy schedule.. n soon enough it became a hobby.. An addiction later on. Something I would check in every so often & not everyday as I do now. But as more n more old faces poured into the service in numbers beyond count- first my cousin sister(Hi Ekili Apaa.. I hope u “LIKE” this story..!) n friends.. then my other sisters n old buds- I rather began to rely on it more n even more. I soon replaced my physical diaries n scrapbooks which I so carefully n routinely updated in high school, with an online version of database of memories..
In 2006, FB unveiled NOTES..which I used as my first crack at blogging.. To showcase my celeb-skills. It fostered content sharing on FB to new heights.. so much so that even media organizations began to perceive the site’s humongous untapped potential to bring in more readers to their stories. This piqued my interest profusely. FB then capitalized on that revelation by introducing a SHARE button after just some months. In 2008 it unleashed its CHAT feature n in the process brushed aside all other prevalent IM apps to push its claims further up as the reigning social networking giant. More n more sophistications continued to follow- Merging walls n Mini-Feeds.. Usernames allowing custom URLs for users(.. A really majestic feature!).. the @facebook.com email address integrating the emails(.. did they want to slam-dunk GOOGLE with it?.. Im not sure..).. Even just a year ago my FB experience got bamboozled tremendously.. First, FB chat presented with it videocalling capabilities.. Then came the SUBCRIBE feature allowing to subscribe to personalized profiles n seeing anything publicly.. n most recently.. n notably.. The walls got transformed into TIMELINES..
Somewhere beneath all these changes.. I sent virtual gifts.. Poked some of my friends.. Cringed at the ads appearing on my screen.. Updated my status like a psycho maniac..
Now its year 2012, & FB is used by biggest of celebrities as well as the common folks. It has become an essential part of our lives just like those sleeping pills for oldies n those tonics for kids. Together we ‘ve come a long way. We ‘ve grown up side-by-side. Shared the fondest of memories.. n the bitter most moments alike.
Happy Birthday, Facebook.. Long may you continue.. Good luck..
..& by the way.. Zuck(..Mark Zuckerberg.. CEO, FB!) & Co.. Thanks for all this. Thank you very much.
Amrit Pattnaik - The Life Beyond.. 