Man United, not ManU!

Manchester United. Looong post, be warned.

Inevitable I guess, me writing about this. Those who follow football will wonder about the timing however. Why am I writing about United when they have lost their title to the worst possible opposition, in the most painful manner? Well, those who TRULY follow football will know why. United is one of the most successful clubs in world football. Yet that isn’t what’s special about this club. United inspire awe, wonder and even hate for one trait, to which I shall come back later. Or maybe not.

I started following football during the 2006 WC. I randomly started supporting England, having heard of Rooney and Beckham before. Yes, as much as we would like to pretend, for most of us over here in India, that is how the football mania begins. In essence, we are all cricketiyas J For me, football seemed all the more attractive as a sport. I was tired of always being the one who dropped catches while fielding, who bowled more wides than proper ones and who almost always went last to bat. Football wasn’t about ‘one mistake and you’re out’. In football, you could suck all through the game and no one would notice. I know, good reason right? Anyway, I liked football. And the firangis played it better. So, I started watching.

I saw the Ronaldo-Rooney bust up and got curious about the team for which these two played normally. So, I started watching the EPL that season. I have an uncle who supports Arsenal, and I’d watched the Arsenal vs Barcelona Champions League final with him once (or was it after 2006?). That was all the background I had till then. But I immediately fell in love with the team. United had this sense of speed and forcefulness I didn’t see in any other EPL team at that time. Arsenal were in a kind of recession, and were playing their own version of tiki-taka without any results (and they continue to do so, which is a shame really). Liverpool were under Rafael Benitez. Enough said. Chelsea were the kings at that time. Tyrants, led by the special one.  Jose Mourinho was indeed a brilliant manager, and had established what one of the most effective teams as far as winning a league goes. And it was left to United to do something about it.

It was during that season that I saw the greatest midfielder of his generation, Paul Scholes. I mean, this guy’s passes were brilliant. Quick and incisive short passes, and lobs from another world. And he had the perfect target to aim for. Wayne Rooney. Temperamental, passionate, foul-mouthed and now United’s heartbeat, this guy could pluck those long passes out of the air as though the ball was a magnet and his boots were iron. Or vice versa. Ryan Giggs, the EPL version of Tendulkar. This guy had been playing for what 15 or more years by then, and he was still ripping teams apart from the wing. Give Ryan Giggs an inclined board in front of goal and 1 second on the wing, and you have a goal. Cristiano Ronaldo with his stepovers, speed, killer free kicks and unsurpassed cockiness chipped in with almost as many goals as the strikers. I remember Saha used to play for us back then.  The other two players I really admired were Nemanja Vidic, our brilliant CB whose absence cost us the league this time and Edwin van der Sar. VDS was a brilliant keeper, perhaps United’s second greatest after Schmeichel. But more than that, it was like having an extra outfield player. VDS’s ball distribution was simply superb, comparable to Pepe Reina’s. Anyway, that first season I saw United destroy Roma in the CL semi-final 7-1. That game defined United for me. Counter attacking at its best. United didn’t pass the ball all the time or have insane dribblers. Or not that many atleast. But just the sight of those red shirts running at full pelt, scaring the shit out of the opposition, it was amazing.

We bowed out of the CL to AC Milan, who at the time were still giants. They still are actually. With the departure of great but highly paid stars, they’re sure gonna be able attract some real good talent next season. AC Milan, the team I like most in the Serie A. Ok, so we were out of the CL. Anyway, that was ok. That first season, I saw United lift the Premier League title again. I didn’t know much about them yet, but I saw what it meant to United. The Premier League was everything to United. United had ended Chelsea’s reign. And thats when it started.

The next few years were glorious. Ronaldo was the main driving force. He scored goals like crazy despite being a winger, and Rooney played the perfect partner. We had Nani coming in, Carrick was there. Anderson, the da Silva twins and many more. The 2007-08 season we wrapped up the League title with ease. But there was more. I watched my second CL final, this time with a team to support. Cristiano had scored a brilliant opener with a header. But United didn’t finish things off early and Chelsea got back into it with a typical helter skelter goal from the overhyped Lampard, who celebrates his fluke goals as though he meant every little deflection. I seriously don’t like him Gerrard is better. Anyway, the game went to penalties after a very heated last few minutes. And who better to miss the penalty than our man, Cristiano. Of all the people, he missed as he had done in the SF against Barcelona (oh yes, people can defeat Barcelona by playing football). John Terry stepped up to take the winner. And he slipped. I hate being negative, but that moment is one which I shall savor for ever. And then, VDS saved Anelka’s penalty. Manchester United were kings of Europe again J

I grew even more crazy about United. Ronaldo was at the height of his powers and was scoring goals for fun. Berbatov was there, scoring insane goals at leisure. And we had the engine of Rooney, Scholes, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, Vidic, Rio and the others. We won the title again. And a few teacups along the way. Chelsea regained the title once, but we had won it thrice by then. United were back, and I was hooked on to United for life.

I didn’t realise how crazy I was about United till the end of the 20080-09 season. One of the greatest comebacks at the Old Trafford happened that night (night in India). We defeated Spurs in a season defining game. But what was more special, even ominous for me, was what loomed the next day. Not something I write about where my mum can see it anyway :P

Why are United so successful? Do United have no problems at all? Well, read about the Glazers. I'd rather not get angry and start using the beautiful words. United have a history, a proud history. we have overcome adversity time and time again. Not just on the pitch, but elsewhere too. If you've time, read this.

But if you want to read something really awesome, read this. This man is Manchester United, as far as our generation goes. I know, how lazy can I be right, with all the links? Well, if you want, you can stop reading now. Its ok. Just check out the previous link before leaving though.

Some other moments I cherish are the title wins, the Macheda goal against Aston Villa, the Scholes screamer against Barca with Messi looking on, the CL knockout win against Arsenal, seeing the 1999 CL final for the first time, the 8-2 over Arsenal this season, the Rooney bicycle kick against City last season and the way we lost to Bayern in the CL QFs. 

I’ll tell you why all these matter, even the loss. It’s because they are example of the thing I love most about United. United thrive on adversity. We just never give up. Love them or hate them, a United team in full flow is one of the most electrifying sights in football.

United set the standard in England. Atleast as far as the PL era goes, United have been the one constant in England. Even now, when our noisy neighbours splashed their money around and other teams whimpered, we stepped up to the plate and gave City hell. We are still at the pinnacle of English football. United can only improve. I’d have said we’ll be back. But seriously, have we gone anywhere?

United, for life J

P.S. You shall not refer to United as ManU and call yourself a fan. It is a derogatory term used by our rivals in connection with a tragic incident. Thank you :)

The past few weeks...

A blog entry after quite some time. I’ve been quite busy over the past few weeks. Exams kept me occupied from the day before the first to three days before the last (refer to our crazy time tables for further details). I’ll go on typing whatever comes to my mind. The stuff I say might not even be in chronological order.

Incident and midsems...

The highlight of my month so far (and this holds good for most of my college mates at NITK) was our college cult fest Incident. The Fest To Die For, The End Of The World Party and other titles abound, the fest really was a masterclass in planning and finances, from what little I saw of the workings behind it. With a dedicated bunch of students working on everything from how to get the money for the fest to how to spend it, Incident ’12 was perhaps the most meticulously and creatively conceived fest to date. Few people from outside NITK (or even inside for that matter) realise why Incident is different. Let me put it simply. EVERYTHING that happens is handled by students. Whatever can go right is done by students. Whatever can go wrong... well let’s just say that is taken care of by enemies both foreign and domestic (I’m sorely tempted to use emoticons right now, but I won’t. Instead, I shall continue to misuse parentheses). Anyway, there you go. Incident ’12 happened, but not quite as we planned it.

The Empire struck. Well actually it did not strike, it just lay back in its cool cloistered abode and watched the dream of its ‘subjects’ come crashing down. Incident ’12 was an example of how the actions of many can be negated by the inaction of a few.  The midsems came and went in the week before Incident and now we await the results of the same. I’m not even bothering to cross my fingers.

Notice the amount of space Incident took up in comparison with the part about tests? That should tell you the story.

Our consolation was a performance by a GNR tribute band, Jailbreak. I heard that this was pretty good, and so was the opening act by a local band which actually performed Tulu rock songs! I missed it all as I had to leave for Bangalore that night.

Tiruchi Venganur Sundaram...

Yup, that’s the full form of TVS which I finally checked after a very namkeen reminder. Why TVS? Well, a week before our midsems, we had a test conducted in college. It was on a Saturday, and for once I actually took the effort to go back to college on a Saturday. The test was by TVS Motocorp, who by the way make 3 wheelers as well, to hire (on what seems like a subsistence wage basis) a few young engineers to work for them over the summer. To be honest, before I wrote the test I wasn’t even sure the Apache was a TVSM product. Yes, I still aim to be a mechanical engineer.

Anyway, I wrote the test. After some really shady elimination process (inverted pyramid stuff, I tell you!) 14 of us Mechies were invited to their plant in Hosur for a day. So, back to the last day of Incident. While the rest of the college swayed to the tunes, or whatever it was they did, of Jailbreak, we set off for Bangalore. I won’t tell you stories of my trip to Blore. But I shall give a few points.  I like saying things in points.

1. Never switch off your Nokia 7210 thinking you’ll conserve battery life. You’ll end up without a mobile for days. Unfortunately for me, this happened on this trip. Allow me to say “Saavu marre!”.

2. Bangalore, despite the myths, doesn’t always have great weather.

3. If any place needs a change of name, it is the supposedly Majestic bus stand of Bangalore.

4. Cousins are indeed your first and best friends for life, no matter how infrequently you meet.

5. Infosys, Biocon and all those fancy companies you hear about are NOT in Bangalore. They’re a torturous bus ride away. And Hosur is in Tamil Nadu.

6. TVS Motors has one of the finest manufacturing/assembling facilities for bikes in India.

7. Songwriters beware. The Tamil film industry is always on the lookout to ‘improve’ your songs.

8. We seriously need a national language. I vote for Tulu.

9. But seriously, I vote for English.

10. No one knows Bangalore, which in my opinion is a case study on how NOT to connect a city. If you have so many awesome places (which you do, no doubt), please set up an efficient transport system.

11. I saw the Manchester United bar. I just saw it.

12. Mangalore Special Bhel Puri exists. Supposedly we make it sweet.

13. If you want a cool new phone, please don’t take your recently deceased phone to the service centre.

Well, that should be enough for now.  I’m trying my best to keep this blog from turning into a diary and yes, I’m failing miserably. Time for an abrupt ending.

No seriously, that’s it.

  

Infinity Pack Abs

I guess you might be wondering what Infinity Pack abs are. Well, you need a basic understanding of calculus for that. This picture (is it there? I used the URL) might help.

Six packs, Eight packs and other such physical attributes seem to be all the rage these days. However, what perplexes me is that even those with a background in mathematics (read ALL ENGINEERS) seem to drool over this phenomenon. Why? Because Infinity Packs are even cooler! Let me explain...

Fourier Transformations are basically used to convert continuous curves to discreet ones right? Like, sinusoidal inputs to ones which computers and their minions can make sense of. Basically chopping off the major part and keeping the high and low states. 

The guys (or girls) with a discreet amount of abs are on the right side of the graphic, while we infinity packs are on the left. We just have so many abs that they form a continuous curve which average eyes cannot see! We are the ones with more abs, infinitely more abs than SRK, Aamir or Esha Deol. 

I hope this makes many people feel better about themselves (or makes them wish that I stop blogging, anything will do). Thank you. 

PS: If you notice, the transformation is reversible. The catalysts (or more specifically, the functions) are gluttony and exercise.

The Brainwave

I recently had a brainwave. That I should blog. Turns out I had such a brainwave over a year ago as well. I had actually opened a Blogger account and posted something, something cheesy. Well that was Swiss. Time to add some cheddar. 

Why am I blogging? Because I want to share my thoughts with the world, pour out my feelings into cyberspace for the world to see, to improve my writing (typing?) skills. Because in half the interviews I faced so far, I've been asked if I blog. Because I want to say yes the next time I am asked that. Good reasons eh?

YEAH RIGHT! I'm blogging because I'm jobless, and am too lazy to drag my laptop over to my ex-roomie's room to.... ahem, work. Last year we used to 'work' through LAN. I'll cover the lack of LAN in another post. Or maybe even this one.

What should my first (technically second) post be about? Well, I thought I'd write about myself, but then again, I thought better of it. Its better to let you decide if you want to know about me, so I'll be filling up the About Me thingy after I post this. I guess the title of my blog should be a much more interesting topic. EGG HALF FRY! 

Again, I can give you many awesome and deep stuff about the symbolism of such a title. An egg half fried, a half baked cookie, a jack of all trades but a master of none, crisp on the outside but soft in the middle (wait for it, don't gag yet!) or a boy who is turning into a man (there you go, now you can gag).... All that. But there's a simple and logical explanation. Yesterday I found out that I had the whole morning free, so I stayed up till after 1 in the morning. That's when I decided to act on my brainwave (that of "I shall blog" fame). But then I got hungry, so I visited the NC (must click!) and had the usual-  "Onji half fry bread, radd vada pav bokka lassi." 

Yes, that is what I eat at midnight. I do this more often these days because the toilets in my new wing are usually not in a state where you first need to empty two bucketfuls of water mixed with shampoo before you can use them. Usually. Okay, lets not digress (awesome dialog, fetches you ten points in every group discussion!). I came back to my room... no, I CLIMBED back to my 4th floor room (the infinity pack abs stand testament to this routine) and set about 'designing' my blog. And naturally, the first thing that came to my mind was THE dish. Well that's the story of the title. I guess the description doesn't need any... description. 

I guess that's pretty much what I want to say for now. No, I want to say a lot more. But I am at home for the weekend and I really need to sleep. If you found this post bearable, please do come again. Hum blog kartein rahenge, aap aao ya na aao. No seriously, do come again! :) (I just HAD to put in a smiley!)

First Post

Well after trying out a flop website (click here to see it) which had me as its sole patron, I decide to start a blog. So here's my first post. I hope that once I figure out what its real objective is, my blog will become more meaningful...later...