ChinmayC Blog

As I hoped Spain indeed won! Then why the break? Well, celebrations took place before the match began! Spain deserved to win, they won! But... It was not worth the World Cup final! It was real pain! Each team was so desperate not to lose that they forgot to play soccer! Foul...most foul! It was a competition for committing the largest number of fouls! Meantime Team India lost the first test against Sri Lanka very convincingly. Everybody worried about Indian bowling, but the it was the star batsmen who let the team down. And of course, Murlaitharan got exactly what he wanted to retire with. 800 wickets! A feat very tough to beat. Congratulations to Murali and his team!

             Vs.        All set for a New World Football Champion to emerge tonight! Netherlands, two time runners up in 1974 and 1978, never became the Champion. Spain never made it to the final before. I am going to support Spain all the way, not because Octopus Paul made the prediction for a Spain win; but because Spain has been playing tremendous attacking soccer after the starting loss to Switzerland. Their passes and coordination are beauty to watch. Netherlands too have their highs in terms of marauding moves. Some rate it to be the best ever final of all World Cups! But I am for Spain to be the New Champions! See you later!

France and Italy never made it to the last sixteen. England and Portugal failed to qualify for the quarter finals. Brazil crashed out at the quarter final stage. Argentina suffered a crushing defeat to bade adieu to FIFA World Cup 2010. They were all strong contenders for the title. And yet! For many the biggest upset would be Brazil losing to Netherlands. While credit must be given to the winning team, one cannot stop wondering about Brazil's inability  even to equalize. In fact, Brazil never played the kind of football they are known for in this World Cup. Yes, they kept winning till the quarter final stage, but those wins were against mostly weaker sides and not convincing by any means. North Korea, a rank outsider, nearly cornered them. Then, that hand ball goal for Brazil with the referee joining in the circus still stinks. Demanding Dunga's head would hardly be a solution. Brazil must find an answer for their football.

Football is very physical, very tough, involves lots of tearing, pushing and legging and a part and parcel of the human body. Is this the reason for FIFA's puzzling unwillingness to welcome technology in? They want it to remain a dangerous primeval sport that it was? They say human errors add charms to the game! But human errors at whose cost? That Super Sunday Soccer was mouth watering and incredible. England and Germany racing full swing up and down the field promised what was expected. But, that goal that wasn't given in spite of clear replays robbed the jest out of England. Well, you only say this game is totally body oriented and so your horrible decisions would definitely affect the bodies. Of course, England could have bounded back and altered the course of the game, but that goal that wasn't given still stank. Mexico matched Argentina in pace and fury. It was a game to relish. But, your decisions again marred it. Bravo, Mexico still fought like lions even after conc...

True. Incidence of heart disease has been increasing world over, particularly in India. Most common risk factors are: high cholesterol with high triglycerides,  high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, junk food habits and of course, smoking and alcoholism. It's okay to warn people about risk factors. So that they become careful and apply moderation in everything they do or eat. But, studies based on selected samples and on a selected time period are increasing by leaps and bounds. They are mostly hypothetical and speculative. Some random samples cannot be binding for all. So, they mislead and confuse people. And, above all, they intend to terrorize people without realizing the simple fact that a negative bend of mind could also be harmful for the heart health. Recently I read about such a study in a newspaper. The study says that four hours of TV watching a day could increase the risk of heart disease by more than ten percent over the normal r...

Along with FIFA World Cup football matches every evening in India, today we had a bonus of an India-Pakistan Onedayer in the ongoing Asia Cup cricket championship in Sri Lanka. Like always, the match was tense intense fluctuating and edge of the seat suspense. Finally India won thanks to Harbhajan hitting a six in the penultimate ball of the final over. A reminder of the Javed Miandad last ball six winner at that historic Sharjah match against India in 1986. Watching football at the same time one is reminded of a basic difference between the two games. No, not those that of rules or fan following. It's the commercial breaks! Once a soccer match starts you are blissfully free of commercial breaks for 45 minutes. No breaks can afford to break in--not during goal kicks, free kicks, throw ins, corners, penalties or after scoring goals. Not even during injury intervals. Only at half time breaks come when you can also take a break! But oh cricket! After every over, after every wicket fa...

Yes! Monsoon is in Mumbai! Maybe the exact date was not met! But it had been lashing the city since June 11. And, major downpours happened on June 14 and June 16. The moment you started enjoying the black sky, the rain drops, the drenched street and alleys, the dramatic change in climate, the windy wavy beaches and seasides...well, the related problems also surfaced. Water logging, traffic jams, local train delays, chaos in airports and so on. Yesterday, it was all in one day. Heavy rains since dawn and the high tides later on. And, the forecasts of more rains and high tides for next twenty four hours. But as always, monsoon does not need forecasts to unfold its fury...today being a day of clearing sky and interludes of sunshine. At the moment lets look at the positive side. Rains are needed for all the good reasons. So enjoy! Monsoon is here to stay for next four months.