Gunners – Can they hit Bull’s Eye?

It’s the clash of the titans in the premiership this Saturday. And a result here would go a long way in deciding who holds aloft the coveted cup, come May.

As a Red Devil fan, I had mixed emotions watching the match between Liverpool and Arsenal. It was a match where Arsene Wenger showed the world what he has got in store for Manchester United and the rest of Europe. As I watched the match I got reminded of the famous quote that the infamous football pundit Alan Hansen said during United’s treble winning season. ‘You will never win anything with kids’.
First it was united and now it’s Arsenal who are making him eat his words. It was a day when ‘Kidology’ as some newspapers quoted, reigned supreme.
After Thierry Henry’s departure, Arsenal was written off to even qualify for Europe and it certainly looks like Arsene Wenger is going to have the last laugh. . In Fabregas, Wenger has unearthed a gem. And you could see the youthful exuberance flowing through the entire team. They seem to fear no one and in Gallas, they have an able leader to guide this team.

To be frank, Liverpool was lucky to get away with a point and the score line 1-1 doesn’t reflect Arsenal’s domination in the match. Certainly, Sir Alex wouldn’t have been surprised by the result even though he left a few minutes before Arsenal equalized.

Having said all this, am sure even Wenger knows that this Saturday will be the real test. Facing the champions by itself is no mean task but it becomes even more difficult to face United in the kind of form they are in. The quality that United now possess in their ranks will stretch gunners to the limit.

Sir Alex knows that his team’s midfield and defense hold the key. Arsenal, will hit United on the break and there is going to be no reprieve. With Scholes and Carrick out, Hargreaves and Anderson will be tested. And if Rio Ferdinand’s injury turns out to be serious, then United will be facing an uphill task with the inexperienced Pique left to guard United’s central defense against Adebayor who Ferdinand termed as the ‘toughest guy’ to defend against, last season.

In the end, it will be battle of nerves and who holds it till the end. I have a sinking feeling that this match is going to be decided by mistakes (Referee and Defense :))

The Speech!

Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in this history of mankind.
Mankind -- that word should have new meaning for all of us today.
We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore.
We will be united in our common interests.
Perhaps its fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution -- but from annihilation.
We're fighting for our right to live, to exist.
And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice:
"We will not go quietly into the night!
We will not vanish without a fight!
We're going to live on!
We're going to survive!"
Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBR4g_H7JD4

Every time, every single time i hear this speech, i get goosebumps. Its not about my passion for hollywood movies, nor is it about Bill Pullman, but simply reading between the lines.
I tend to correlate this with what's happening with our nation. A question crops up. The world might hate Americans, their arrogance but still look at them. They are passionate about their nation and their patriotism oozes in everything that they do.
It might be trivial but i still think about the number of hollywood war movies that have come out as box office hits as compared to our bollywood's and kollywoods. They keep churning out such movies to instill in the minds of common man, what their countrymen are doing to keep their nation a better place to live.
On the other hand our movies receive flak from our own people. Everyone looks at the technology and the aura surrounding the HOLLYWOOD and tend to ignore the theme that our movies try to project.
We need to think on our feet. Its time we put up our hands and say 'Lets stop aping the West'. There is so much in our military history for us to boast about. It ain't about movies alone but just go to the History section in any bookstore and no points for guessing which books are bestsellers. World wars, American war heroes, Battle of Iraq, Greek wars, Roman battles ...World History is fascinating i accept, but India is a part of this world. 'Train to Pakistan', 'Indian Mutiny', 'Indian War of independence' all these are precious too. They tell us what's been forgotten.
I love India and so does every single citizen in this wonderful nation. But we need to show it not just in words but in our everyday life. I cringe when i look at the forwards about our military heroes. I am no different and that attitude needs to change. Let us for one last time 'Ape the west' , this time for their patriotism. Their feeling of oneness when it comes to things concerning their nation.
We have our Vande Matarams(thanks to A R Rahman) and Chake De India's but someday i want to see a speech similar to the one above, made by either one of our politicians or any common man.
And that day i will stop watching hollywood war movies or reading american history forever. I am sure i wont repent doing that, rather, with a smile i will write about the goosebumps i got when i heard the speech about 'My India'.

Ever wondered...?

Ever wondered what the exact moment is,
when a girl looks extremely beautiful?
I found it that night
when the moonlight danced on her face
and the brownish curls of her hair
lay untended.....
the fading pimples,the only blemish
giving a rose tinge
that might be mistaken for a blush.

Ever wondered about the one place
you would do anything to be in?
She stirred from her sleep
thanks to those curls of hair
playing hide n seek between her lips...
And i realized with a tinge of jealousy
thats where i wanted to be
though it meant breaking the spell
caused by her face
with a momentary shake...
But i still wonder...
if i can truly shake off that moment...

- Excerpts from my Personal Diary