Magpies flew all the way, on Sunday!

It was an action-packed Sunday (April 1st, 2012) afternoon in the Barclay's Premier League for the toons as they demolished the mighty Liverpool side at home. Newcastle fans made their roars heard as they flocked St. James' Park (now SportsDirect stadium) in huge numbers as always to support their beloved Newcastle Utd squad. And indeed they were treated to a feast of beautiful football and some heart-warming passion. The crowd could be heard booing former Newcastle players Andy Carrol and Jose Enrique everytime the ball touched their feet.


The first half had a dramatic beginning as Carrol was shown yellow for faking a dive in the Newcastle goal. The former Newcastle number 9 actually had a golden opportunity to score had he stuck with the tackle instead of opting for the dive. The incident angered the crowd and the boos went even louder. On the other hand Newcastle's gritty and passionate play made the game take a breath-taking pace. One couldn't take the eyes of it as the Magpies launched attacks and counter attacks sending shivers down the Liverpool fortress.

It was in the 19th minute that a diving header from the in-form Papiss Cisse saw the home side take lead in an emphatic fashion. The visitors did threaten the Newcastle goal once or twice but were turned down by rock-solid defence of Williamson and Simpson in absence of the veteran Argentinian Mr. dependable, Coloccini. Their endeavour was matched by diligent goal-keeping from Krul. Clearly, the first half belonged to the toon army and Alan Pardew wouldn't have asked for any more from his boys.

The second half started with even better pace and the battle grew more tense. Newcastle's euphoria saw no bounds as the Senegal international Cisse scored again at the 59th minute this time adding a flavour of a graceful tackle with the keeper. This was the striker's 7th goal in as many appearances for Newcastle. It looked like the big man will have his hatrick but was turned down by what looked to be an untimely substitution bringing in the veteran Shola Ameobi.

The visitors showed more skill as Liverpool stikers Suarez and Ballamy changed gears. But it was disciplined defending from Newcastle again that helped them maintain a clean sheet. However frustration continued for Carrol as he was dispossessed by Newcastle midfielders and defenders time and again with determined efforts. This lead to the lanky striker's substitution, who was seen shouting unpleasant words as he left the ground, furious.

The drama continued as Liverpool goalkeeper was sent off for an uncalled-for brawl with Perch in the closing stages of the game. Enrique had to put on the keeper’s gloves when Reina left the ground in anger adding to the embarrassment of visiting Liverpool fans. All said and done, it ended 2-0 in favour of the home team. A thoroughly deserved win, third in a row. A thoroughly deserved win, third in a row and I won’t be the lone person hoping for a place in the elusive Champion's League. Go toons go!

Living to fight another day

What is the worst thing that can happen to a movie buff at home? You might go for the obvious answers like, there is a power cut, or that something is wrong at the cable-guy’s end or that some guests or relatives arrive at the very time of the movie you want to watch the most. But the most frustrating thing that happens to me is the following.

While going through the various movie channel schedules in the newspaper, I come across two movies starting at the exact same time. Both seem equally interesting from the title or from their cast and I have no clue about what they might be about. So I randomly select one and as time passes, I find that the movie I’m watching turns out bad. Giving up on it I switch to the other channel find that the other movie really seems to have a gripping effect on me. But I’m not the person to watch any movie halfway. In fact I even need to see all the titles with which the movie starts.

So the rest of the time is spent in utter frustration regretting the wrong decision on my part. But as I’m still in mood to watch some movie or the other, I watch one of my favorite movies in my CD collection or on laptop and live to fight another day.

What one man can do, another can do

What do you do, when pushed to the limit, pushed to the edge? When the sole option is to fight with hope or die of shame. Well, some give up and some fight no matter what. It’s the time when the universe challenges you and dares you to stand and show to it what you are really made of. It asks those questions time and again: Do you believe in yourself? Do you have faith in your abilities? Do you have the tact and are you smart enough to apply your brain to really think for the right answers and guide others along the way, come up with a plan no matter what the situation? Can you provide the next step to your fellow and friends looking for a ray of hope in darkness? In short, are you a fighter or a quitter?

The movie “The Edge” portrays this situation acutely and with a charm beyond description. It tells the story of a billionaire gentleman named Charles in his sixties, played by Anthony Hopkins who gets lost in the woods along with two of his friends while on a vacation. Charles is a soft-spoken, well-mannered, quiet yet smart, calm and collected and a know-all person. He has knowledge of the world that extends well beyond his own domain of business and money. But what really separates him from the rest of the people is his amazing ability to apply the knowledge he gathers from his reading in practical world. Alec Baldwin plays Bob, one of Charles’s buddies. Bob is a out-and-running fashion photographer and is closely associated with Charles’ charming young wife Nicky who is his photo-model.

When the three men find themselves lost in the woods, Bob and Steve look up to Charles for moves. Charles doesn’t disappoint and gets them underway into a self-rescue mission. He quickly magnetizes a needle rubbing it with his sweater and places it on a leaf on water and needle shows them the direction they need to take to reach home. When his friends think it’s too amazing to be true and show disbelief, Charles says, “Just because you are lost in the woods, doesn’t mean your compass is broken” and they get going. But this is not the end of their troubles; they now need to keep away from a man-eating bear chasing them. Despite all their efforts to keep away from the bear, during the first night in a head-on battle with the bear they lose their buddy Steve. Although, mentally shattered the duo continue on their track while the man-eater is still on their trail.

The other twist to the plot is that Bob has been having an affair with Nicky and Charles happens to know about it. So Charles always has this at the back of his mind and fears that Bob won’t even think twice if given an opportunity to murder him for his pretty wife and money. But his opinion changes when Bob once saves his life. As the two continue their relentless track through the unforgiving wild, they hear a rescue chopper moving through the sky twice, but both times it doesn’t spot them. With all events going against them and even the last of the matches exhausted, Bob quickly begins to lose hope of getting out of the woods alive. Charles however, tranquil as ever asks, “Do you know, you can make fire from ice?” At this point, Bob is furious to see this old rich man enjoying this hostile situation with calm and composure unlike other men in his shoes. When Bob asks how, he says, “You take some ice in your hands mold it into a lens, hold is across the sun and you have fire”.

With passing days, Charles calls the shots and comes up with ideas for gathering food, from building traps for squirrels to making fishing hooks. But they are not yet through with the man-eater who is constantly on their trail smelling them through their bloody wounds. Tired of this constant fear haunting their days and nights Charles finally says he’s had enough and decides that the only way to get rid of the bear is to kill it. He recalls reading the technique by which young African tribal boys would kill the wild beast. He convinces the very reluctant Bob with this idea asking him to say after him the line “What one man can do, another can do”. And after a long game of hide-and-seek when the man-eater eventually comes face-to-face with them, it is again Charles who makes the man-eater rest in peace.

As they travel along they see an abandoned wood house with some utensils, a first-aid box, a boat, a gun and bullets. The two men are happy thinking now that they have the boat, the river would take them home. But Charles suddenly feels the pang of his life, with the thought that the only girl he loved doesn’t actually love him but loves Bob, as he holds the proof of the same in the form of a written paper in his hands. When Bob comes to know about this the devil in him takes over and thinks why not kill Charles, now that his way home is secured.

He holds the gun pointing at Charles outside the house but just when he is about to shoot his luck fails him and he falls in hunter’s trap-hole that injures him too badly to recover. But despite this Charles lends him a helping hand and brings him back into the house, gives him first aid and tries to console him. The next morning, Bob finds himself lying in the boat and Charles rowing and feels the guilt of his life. As Bob he is too week to continue and feels uneasy, Charles rows the boat towards a nearby bank where he would light a fire for Bob to feel better. At that very moment, they here the chopper again and this time it manages to spot them. Charles is excited but Bob knows he is breathing his last breaths. He calls Charles closer and asks, “Never too late for a kind word ha Charles?” Charles says, “Don’t die on me Bob”. Bob apologizes and dies.

On returning back home when the reporters ask about the other men, Charles says, “They died, saving my life”.

"The Edge" - Trailer

The Edge (1997) - Soundtrack - 01. Lost In The Wild 

The shame of our times

The film "No country for old men" portrays the harsh and unbearable reality of our current times which is far from the lives our fathers, grandfathers and ancestors lived. The story is quite simple. The plot happens to take place in the countryside of modern America, where a man finds a briefcase filled with millions of dollars. The people to whom it belonged have killed each other in a gun battle and their corpses are lying there to rot in the deserted countryside, in scorching sun. And then begins a cat and mouse game between him and a psychotic assassin hired by the mafia to whom the briefcase originally belonged. When the news of the mass murders spreads, the town sheriffs get involved and try to unravel the mysterious and brutal serial killings that take place after this event, courtesy the hired hit-man.

The old sheriffs of the town have been there working and doing their duty for so long but they haven't experienced crime as it happens in today's world. They talk to each other of the times when they saw children playing outside without any fear and how people in the neighbourhood used to feel protected and happy in each and others company.  The lead sheriff seems pretty nostalgic about his father and of the fact that he has been continuing the family legacy of being the town sheriff in the foot steps of his father and grandfather. These old guys can't really make sense of the bad bad world of the time. But they have to work in desperation and keep their faith like their ancestors. Can we make sense of this money-crazy world, where human beings are butchered worse than the animals in slaughterhouse?

Lets face it. Our forefather's lived in a much peaceful and kinder world. Their idea of happiness did not necessarily come from money. They lived with dignity, worked with honesty, behaved with simplicity, helped each other with empathy and believed in the power of kindness. If we reflect on our lives today and try to find how many of the above qualities it encompasses, we would definitely be put to shame.

Fortunately, some of us still have time, to understand, get wise and change the way our modern world works. The way to do it is to be the change you want to see in the world. Easier said then done ha? Lets give it a try.  At this point I can't help but quote a few words from Gurucharan Das's lecture that I happened to listen to : "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars".

Clear the mechanism, and focus

It was in the movie "For love of the Game", that I first heard about the secret. Kevin Costner plays the role of a serious Baseball player who is well established in his art and almost a "Guru" to other budding amateurs playing for his club. Mentoring the younger lads he repeats to them what his father told him during his childhood days, when he himself first learnt to play the game - "While playing, first thing one has to do is, clear the mechanism" (Here *mechanism refers to your mind) of distractions like the crowd, the sounds, the cheers, the boos, the worries, the rewards etc and just focus on the next task at hand, in his case, the next ball to be thrown or hit. Remembering this, definitely helps; in any game as well as in life. If you know that you follow this, success and failure hardly matter as you know that you have given your best to that moment and justice was done from your side.

This is a bit off-topic, but there is another interesting quote that he makes in the movie "Bull Durham"  that was also based on Baseball. It goes, "It's a simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes it rains. Think about it".

When I thought about it, I felt I understood this philosophy. Sometimes it goes according to your plans, sometimes it goes according to your enemy's (opponent's) plan, while other times something weird happens; that which you never imagined or expected. May be this happens when God (or the unknown almighty force) has his way.

*mechanism n. 1 a piece of machinery. 2 the way something works or happens. ~ Oxford English Dictionary.

A scene from "For love of the Game"

Nostalgia

There is something about living in the same place for a long, long time. The bond between a man, his house, his surroundings and the earth he sets foot on every day is beyond description. In solitude he sees the same landscapes, with mild changes now and then. The odours in the air he breathes, he recognizes, and the nostalgia sets in, bringing with it pictures of childhood. He can still hear the noise of children playing in the neighborhood, the shouting, the howling and laughter that is free of reservations; and it sounds like sweet music. The people of his childhood have now turned old and weary, yet they smile with same affection while they walk along the same road, time and again. He sees the sun rise and sun set at the very same place, and the mysterious patterns of clouds it leaves behind as it returns homeward. These drawings of the sun appear sometimes, while the sky remains clear at other times. This is a constant enigma he faces. He often remembers his kite flying in the clear sky and the pains he took making one during his vacations. Nothing can ever replace the satisfaction of being part of that festivity. He recounts how the coming of the rains changes the whole surroundings of his place, how each of the trees and plants turn green and how each drop of rain sounds and how it tunes itself with the smell of mother earth.

But now, he finds people changing their homes like changing clothes, without thought and with perfect ease. The reason they give is, more space, more money, better views, better facilities, better job and the list goes on. But he wonders whether anyone thinks about what they'll miss.

Can this person ever leave this place of his heart, for whatever reason?

Quote justified

It was a day like any other except that we had to dine outside. Me and my brother decided to go in some well known restaurant. The mood was all set. But that one question as always started revolving in circles around my head, much like the stars and question marks shown around a cartoon character in a confused state. "Which restaurant?". I made a suggestion and saw a frown on bro's face. When he couldn't suggest any better I justified my choice saying that I'd heard some of my friends saying that so and so dish is best served at the place.

And there we were sharp at 9.45 p.m. As we entered we saw a crowd of like-minded people who must have come with similar thoughts and best intentions. We quickly selected a place that was meant for only two. This was just before a helper there made the very same suggestion, although we could have had made ourselves more comfortable by choosing a place meant for more people. I think, why I didn't make that decision was due to a reasonable thought that crossed my mind that said, hey, after all, we are just two and the main purpose is to enjoy good food; and why make other people wait from filling their tummies in the beautiful restaurant. Within seconds we found ourselves sitting face-to-face across a small table while the waiter waited on us placing a menu each in our hands. Once again a new question arose, "what dish?", and the confusion was getting on my nerves. Fortunately, I remembered my buddy's words, "they serve the best Chicken Biryani!". I felt relived for no longer having to make a choice. My bro had "American chopsey" in mind. So we ordered these two dishes. The prices were exotic. As we ordered, obviously I was thinking what to have as starters. But according to bro this was enough food to fill ourselves up. We were done with the ordering business, I thought. However the waiter was shrewd enough. "Col-drinks, sirs?", he asked. I talked to myself as always, "Col-drinks are bad for health and one of the worst ways to spend one's hard earned money". I said, "No thanks" and my brother said "Coke" and the waiter left us with a fake smile.

Then the wait began that usually lasts till eternity in most restaurants. Bro got a friend's phone call and he was in conversation while me, being a bit unlucky at the moment could only spend time appreciating the walk-ins and walk-outs of beautiful people, most of whom were trying hard to make their presence felt. I thought, it's great to earn and finally spend it on the most basic human necessity, food. By this time, it was as if we were through with most part of a film and were heading towards a great climax.

When the waiter finally arrived, we saw a huge bowl of "American chopsey" placed before our hungry eyes and a slightly smaller (not really) bowl of "Chicken Biryani". Seeing the sizes of the two bowls, pressure began to mount on me as I could never in my wildest dreams think of gulping so much. The great thing about the waiters is that they would never reveal the secret of the bowl-size before the order is placed, keeping their loyalty to the restaurant intact.

We started with the "A. chopsey" and a couple of spoons really made our taste-buds vibrate with joy. However as time went by we understood the enormity of the task ahead of us. The chopsey would just not get over. As it grew colder we began to get a bad taste of the perhaps left-over crum noodles. We decided to switch to the main item, the "Chicken Biryani". All the anticipation led to a anticlimax as we left digging loads of pepper seeds in the dish in order to have a decent bite. There were more pepper seeds than rice seeds. I thought the one good thing I did was to order it boneless. If I knew about the overload of pepper in advance, I would have rather ordered it pepper-less. Within 5 minutes we had mutually agreed to stop eating and parcel the food back home. May be it was the exotic price we had to pay that led us into the parceling business.

When we got home and told our sad story, we were ordered to dump the parcel straight into the garbage bin. Once this was done, I was looking for some consolation. The strawberry ice-cream I'd got home the other day came to the rescue and I felt better.

It's funny how plans go wrong. But to be able to share the experience makes oneself feel lighter.
If you are thinking about the title, the quote goes: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon.