Thursday, June 22, 2006
Friday, June 16, 2006
Whattay Match!
My third and last entry today is on the Argentina - S&M match. If you didn't see it, you really missed out on something great. Argentina won 6-0, and the players from S&M were reduced to mere spectators.
First goal - Rodriguez - 6'. Nice goal. Nothing sensational.
Second goal - Cambiasso - 31'. Brilliant goal. Ball was passed 24 times amongst the Argentinians as they slowly advanced towards the goal and suddenly attacked. Fab stuff.
Third goal - Rodriguez again - 41'. Lovely touch. Got the ball into the goal at an amazing angle, and the ball ensured that it stayed there by way of a deflection off the goalpost. And so the score was 3-0 at half time.
A little late into the second half, Lionel Messi was brought in. Diego Maradona cheered heartily from the stands. In less than five minutes, he engineered a goal for Argentina. Finally, however, it was credited to Crespo, though I still think it's an own goal.
Fifth goal - Tevez - 84'. Sublime. Simply sublime. My favourite goal of the match. Tevez single handedly got the ball through two defenders and the goalie and into the goal, in the process making them look like idiots of the highest order.
Sixth goal - Messi - 88'. Messi's first world cup finals goal, making him not only the youngest to play for Argentina in the World Cup Finals, but the youngest Argentinian to score a goal in the WCF as well.
S&M were left shell-shocked while the spectators enjoyed the one-sided game played by the artistic Argentinians. These guys are good!
First goal - Rodriguez - 6'. Nice goal. Nothing sensational.
Second goal - Cambiasso - 31'. Brilliant goal. Ball was passed 24 times amongst the Argentinians as they slowly advanced towards the goal and suddenly attacked. Fab stuff.
Third goal - Rodriguez again - 41'. Lovely touch. Got the ball into the goal at an amazing angle, and the ball ensured that it stayed there by way of a deflection off the goalpost. And so the score was 3-0 at half time.
A little late into the second half, Lionel Messi was brought in. Diego Maradona cheered heartily from the stands. In less than five minutes, he engineered a goal for Argentina. Finally, however, it was credited to Crespo, though I still think it's an own goal.
Fifth goal - Tevez - 84'. Sublime. Simply sublime. My favourite goal of the match. Tevez single handedly got the ball through two defenders and the goalie and into the goal, in the process making them look like idiots of the highest order.
Sixth goal - Messi - 88'. Messi's first world cup finals goal, making him not only the youngest to play for Argentina in the World Cup Finals, but the youngest Argentinian to score a goal in the WCF as well.
S&M were left shell-shocked while the spectators enjoyed the one-sided game played by the artistic Argentinians. These guys are good!
Sohum-isms!
If you've just read my previous blog entry, you would probably think that watching the French Open was what took up most of my time over the last weekend. But no, I had something as much, if not more, enjoyable! My uncle and his family came to visit from the US, and Sohum was part of the package deal. Sohum, aged 5 (Almost 6, he reminds me at every possible instance), is perhaps the most adorable kid to ever walk the planet. So much so that he grabs attention wherever he goes. A little description... He's 4 feet tall ("I'm 48 inches and so I'm not allowed into the deep end of the pool"), just a couple of inches shorter that his sister Maya, two years older than him. He adores Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, and aspires to have his hair styled like Hrithik's. He leaves no opportunity to admire himself in the mirror, and doesn't mind if you watch him while he does so. Adores movies of all sorts and is usually quoting some dialogue from some movie. Can laugh at himself and is very affectionate - the two things I really admire in him. I've tried to make a list of the adorable-est things he's said. Here's my compilation. (To get the full effect, all Sohumisms muct be read/ imagined in an American accent.)
On the first day they were here, we rented Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. From the 2nd minute of the movie, he was dying to know if Rahul would get remarried. My mum sat down to watch the movie when it was about halfway done, and he tried to fill her in on the details - "His wife is going to be Anjali and his daughter is Anjali. One Anjali and one Anjali. TWO ANJALIS!!!".
After falling off a chair, sternly to himself, "You gotta be careful!".
On Sunday, we went on a shopping spree. My mum promised to buy him and Maya whatever they wanted. He had his heart set on a basketball. My uncle said it would be difficult to carry it with them, but Sohum's mind was set. He didn't want anything else. I tried showing him a dozen different beach balls, and even tons of colouful basketballs. But he wanted the very first one he had seen - a classic orange B-ball. When his parents agreed to let him have it, he went down and picked it up. And then he quietly said to himself, "I've never had one before!". Maya and my uncle and aunt picked out their stuff. Throughout this time, he kept saying to himself "This is the best ball in the world!". He was very reluctant to give it to my mum when she needed to get it billed. When we got it done, we came outside and gave it to him. He was thrilled. "Mhave (Aunt in konkani) buyed it for me?", he asked. He went down to play that evening, and didn't let go of his beloved basketball. When he came back up, he told me that he had already learnt a new move.
Outside on the balcony, he got up onto our balcony, raised his arms and said, "I am Karma. There is no one stronger than me!". He is still under the impression that my mum was a super-villian he cured.
He wrote down his name in running hand, in Hindi and in block lettering and announced that he had written his name in three languages - Cursive, Hindi and American.
This one isn't something he said - it's something he did. He polished off two helpings of vanilla ice-cream with chocolate sauce faster than anyone else I've seen (And let me tell you I've seen some fast 'uns!) In fact, he is such a chocolate freak that he had a sip of chocolate sauce as if it were water, and then went 'Mmmmmm'! Actually, he enjoys food of all sorts. Must run in the family...
When my uncle first told us he'd be visiting us, I was very scared that the Sohum we had grown to adore two years back would have changed. I wasn't entirely wrong in this, and Sohum's actually changed in two ways - he's lost his lisp, and he's grown even more adorable. Even though he's all of five and a half and forty-eight inches tall, we all have a lot to learn from that little kid.
On the first day they were here, we rented Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. From the 2nd minute of the movie, he was dying to know if Rahul would get remarried. My mum sat down to watch the movie when it was about halfway done, and he tried to fill her in on the details - "His wife is going to be Anjali and his daughter is Anjali. One Anjali and one Anjali. TWO ANJALIS!!!".
After falling off a chair, sternly to himself, "You gotta be careful!".
On Sunday, we went on a shopping spree. My mum promised to buy him and Maya whatever they wanted. He had his heart set on a basketball. My uncle said it would be difficult to carry it with them, but Sohum's mind was set. He didn't want anything else. I tried showing him a dozen different beach balls, and even tons of colouful basketballs. But he wanted the very first one he had seen - a classic orange B-ball. When his parents agreed to let him have it, he went down and picked it up. And then he quietly said to himself, "I've never had one before!". Maya and my uncle and aunt picked out their stuff. Throughout this time, he kept saying to himself "This is the best ball in the world!". He was very reluctant to give it to my mum when she needed to get it billed. When we got it done, we came outside and gave it to him. He was thrilled. "Mhave (Aunt in konkani) buyed it for me?", he asked. He went down to play that evening, and didn't let go of his beloved basketball. When he came back up, he told me that he had already learnt a new move.
Outside on the balcony, he got up onto our balcony, raised his arms and said, "I am Karma. There is no one stronger than me!". He is still under the impression that my mum was a super-villian he cured.
He wrote down his name in running hand, in Hindi and in block lettering and announced that he had written his name in three languages - Cursive, Hindi and American.
This one isn't something he said - it's something he did. He polished off two helpings of vanilla ice-cream with chocolate sauce faster than anyone else I've seen (And let me tell you I've seen some fast 'uns!) In fact, he is such a chocolate freak that he had a sip of chocolate sauce as if it were water, and then went 'Mmmmmm'! Actually, he enjoys food of all sorts. Must run in the family...
When my uncle first told us he'd be visiting us, I was very scared that the Sohum we had grown to adore two years back would have changed. I wasn't entirely wrong in this, and Sohum's actually changed in two ways - he's lost his lisp, and he's grown even more adorable. Even though he's all of five and a half and forty-eight inches tall, we all have a lot to learn from that little kid.
Not One, Not Two, But Three!
Okay... I did some serious soul searching, and decided that instead of one killer entry, I'd post three normal ones. The story goes something like this.
My original plan (before Nadal won, and when I had a nasty feeling that he would win!) was to post a really huge blog entry about him and the match. Then, my cousins came here for a few days, and I just HAD to put in some Sohumisms. But I decided it would be unfair to both Rafa and Sohum - they both merit their very own blog entry. So it became TWO blog entries. I started writing this earlier this evening, and stopped in the middle, saying I'd put in snippets of the Argentina - Serbia & Montenegro match into one of the blog entries. But, as luck would have it, the Argentinians played SO well that I have to give them their very own blog entry as well! So here goes...
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Rafa is first without a doubt!!!! Rafa won!!! He 'just did it'! (Living up to Nike slogan and all.) After one whole year of waiting, I got to see Rafa magic at Roland Garros again. There's something about Rafa - my darling little cousin was sweet enough to remind me that he's absolutely ugly and I agreed - that just makes me feel all light and happy. He's just... Amazing!
Before I go on to the big one - the finals - let me run through the matches I haven't yet run through on my blog.
Quarterfinals:
Beat Novak Djokovic, an equally adorable 19-year-old from Serbia & Montenegro. Most painful match of Roland Garros for me. Djokovic was down 6-4, 6-4 and 0-15 (I think!) when he retired due to a bad back. I was heartbroken. I wanted it to be a five setter with Rafa winning. Djokovic looks like a player to look out for in the next few years - tons of promise!
Semifinals:
For the first time since 1985 (Not too sure about this), the final four in the Men's singles draw were the top four seeds, and everypone expected an intense match, but it was not to be. Rafa made short work of Ljubicic, beating him 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7). I, for one, thouroughly enjoyed the match. Rafa got through Ljubicic's amazing service and ended up finally winning quite easily. That left Rafa to contend with the Fed-Ex in the finals...
Finals:
Thrilling match, to say the least. One of the only times in my life when I actually said "Food is secondary"! Feddy thrashed Rafa in the first set. 6-1, I believe the score was. One of the most dreadful parts of the French Open (Close second to Djokovic's exit). I think I was close to tears at this point of time. My little cousin Maya was actually quite shocked to see me in that state, and tried to console me by saying that she'd support Rafa as well. I just prayed and prayed that Rafa'd come back. And he did. With a bang. Returning the favour. By taking the second set 6-1. The match was absolutely even at that point of time. I was so thrilled with Rafa's re-entry into the match that I had started yelling "Vamos Rafa!" at the top of my voice. By this time, my aunt was also shocked - I don't think she's ever seen this hooligan side of me before! Third set was quite tight. Rafa won 6-4. My confidence got a boost. Rafa got an early break in the fourth set and hung on to it for quite some time. I was full happy and all. I thought the match was sealed when Rafa was serving for the match at 5-3. But for some reason, (nerves, I guess) Rafa lost his concentration and his service game. The match was back on. I was at the edge of my seat. At 6-all, the tie break began. Feddy got an early mini-break and I was disappointed. (Not that I loved Feddy less, but that I loved Rafa more!) But Rafa being Rafa, he got a double mini-break back and went up one mini-break. On his first match point, he won the tie-breaker 7-4, the set 7-6, and the match [1-6], 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). He collapsed in trademark fashion on court as the entire stadium, nay, the entire world cheered him on. Nadal's record against Federer has now gone up to 6-1, and Nadal's current tally has gone up to 60 consecutive match wins on clay! (More records at http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2006-06-11/200606111150044467719.html )
Rafa, in spite of his superior record against Feddy, still is completely in awe of him. (Feddy does that to people!) And that is just one of the many things that add to Rafa's charm!
My original plan (before Nadal won, and when I had a nasty feeling that he would win!) was to post a really huge blog entry about him and the match. Then, my cousins came here for a few days, and I just HAD to put in some Sohumisms. But I decided it would be unfair to both Rafa and Sohum - they both merit their very own blog entry. So it became TWO blog entries. I started writing this earlier this evening, and stopped in the middle, saying I'd put in snippets of the Argentina - Serbia & Montenegro match into one of the blog entries. But, as luck would have it, the Argentinians played SO well that I have to give them their very own blog entry as well! So here goes...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rafa is first without a doubt!!!! Rafa won!!! He 'just did it'! (Living up to Nike slogan and all.) After one whole year of waiting, I got to see Rafa magic at Roland Garros again. There's something about Rafa - my darling little cousin was sweet enough to remind me that he's absolutely ugly and I agreed - that just makes me feel all light and happy. He's just... Amazing!
Before I go on to the big one - the finals - let me run through the matches I haven't yet run through on my blog.
Quarterfinals:
Beat Novak Djokovic, an equally adorable 19-year-old from Serbia & Montenegro. Most painful match of Roland Garros for me. Djokovic was down 6-4, 6-4 and 0-15 (I think!) when he retired due to a bad back. I was heartbroken. I wanted it to be a five setter with Rafa winning. Djokovic looks like a player to look out for in the next few years - tons of promise!
Semifinals:
For the first time since 1985 (Not too sure about this), the final four in the Men's singles draw were the top four seeds, and everypone expected an intense match, but it was not to be. Rafa made short work of Ljubicic, beating him 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7). I, for one, thouroughly enjoyed the match. Rafa got through Ljubicic's amazing service and ended up finally winning quite easily. That left Rafa to contend with the Fed-Ex in the finals...
Finals:
Thrilling match, to say the least. One of the only times in my life when I actually said "Food is secondary"! Feddy thrashed Rafa in the first set. 6-1, I believe the score was. One of the most dreadful parts of the French Open (Close second to Djokovic's exit). I think I was close to tears at this point of time. My little cousin Maya was actually quite shocked to see me in that state, and tried to console me by saying that she'd support Rafa as well. I just prayed and prayed that Rafa'd come back. And he did. With a bang. Returning the favour. By taking the second set 6-1. The match was absolutely even at that point of time. I was so thrilled with Rafa's re-entry into the match that I had started yelling "Vamos Rafa!" at the top of my voice. By this time, my aunt was also shocked - I don't think she's ever seen this hooligan side of me before! Third set was quite tight. Rafa won 6-4. My confidence got a boost. Rafa got an early break in the fourth set and hung on to it for quite some time. I was full happy and all. I thought the match was sealed when Rafa was serving for the match at 5-3. But for some reason, (nerves, I guess) Rafa lost his concentration and his service game. The match was back on. I was at the edge of my seat. At 6-all, the tie break began. Feddy got an early mini-break and I was disappointed. (Not that I loved Feddy less, but that I loved Rafa more!) But Rafa being Rafa, he got a double mini-break back and went up one mini-break. On his first match point, he won the tie-breaker 7-4, the set 7-6, and the match [1-6], 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). He collapsed in trademark fashion on court as the entire stadium, nay, the entire world cheered him on. Nadal's record against Federer has now gone up to 6-1, and Nadal's current tally has gone up to 60 consecutive match wins on clay! (More records at http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2006-06-11/200606111150044467719.html )
Rafa, in spite of his superior record against Feddy, still is completely in awe of him. (Feddy does that to people!) And that is just one of the many things that add to Rafa's charm!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Rafa Won!!!
Rafa won!!!!! I'm really busy now but I promise to come out with a killer blog entry really soon!!!
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Vamos Rafa!
Well, well, well... I think I have disappointed some frequent blog-readers of mine by going through 3 whole matches of Nadal winning without any blog entry on the aforementioned. Well... This makes up for it all, I guess. Plus, I have a very valid reason for not having posted any blog entries. My cousins are expected tomorrow, and as a result of the confirmation of their trip, our entire household has gone into spring cleaning. I can actually see the bottom of my study table after approximately 2 years. Also, I can see the corner of my room after approximately 2 years having kindly donated the large IIT books obstucting the view to a poor unsupecting junior! And, the little time I have online, I spend looking at the official Roland Garros site. ( http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/index.html if anyone's interested!) In fact, I have been spending do much time on the site and seeing the Open that my mind has invlountarily started noticing weird things, like the logo of Roland Garros, besides being and R and a G with two lines, actually resembles a player running to reach a drop shot. I have begun to admire (the name of the person who designed the logo... no idea who he or she is) greatly, because, as anyone who ever tried to design a logo will tell you, it is no easy task to combine letters and include a relavent graphic at the same time!
Now onto the real stuff... A brief review of Nadal's round 2,3 and 4 matches, one by one.
Round 2:
Some almost 30-year-old American Chink called Kevin Kim for an opponent. I got a little scared for some time, considering this Kim dude had striking similarities to Michael Chang, and no need for me to remind everyone of the fact that Michael Chang won the French Open. Later realised that the poor guy has been taking part in grand slams since '96, and has got past the 2nd round only once. And that his career high singles rank was 63, some one and a half years back. Nadal belted him 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. I believe I brought Rafa a fair bit of luck by making my headband between points.
Round 3:
Rafa's first encounter with a seed, it also happened to be on his 20th birthday. I was fully scared, and I am justified in being so. Paul Henri-Mathieu. Seed 29. Age 24. Current rank of 32. Played a particularly good match last year in Roland Garros in the 3rd round against Guillermo Canas, I think. I was quite scared for Rafa. My sister did not help matters with her continuous "I have a FEELING that Mathieu is gonna beat Nadal!". Match started quite badly for Rafa. First (super-tight) set ended in Mathieu winning it by the skin of his teeth - 7-5. I was really disappointed but continued to root for Nadal. (Duh!) Second set went Rafa's way and he ended up taking it 6-4. But I could see that he wasn't going to have the match easily. When Rafa was serving for the third set at 5-4, 15-all, he suddenly walked to the chair and pointed to his throat. I was heart broken. But it turned out that Rafa had just got a banana piece stuck in his throat! He took the set 6-4. As the fourth set grew older and older, I could see that Nadal was tiring out. As my sister reminded me, he's not used to long matches - if it's clay, he belts and if it's not, he gets belted. Crowd by this time was gunning for Rafa's throat. Somehow, he hung on, and sanity prevailed. He wrapped up the fourth set 6-4.
I was on the edge of my seat throughout the match. Each point was so hard fought for by both players! It was an amazing piece of tennis, and I'm sure I would've enjoyed the match tons more if I hadn't been such a big Nadal supporter!
Saw Rafa celbrating his birthday later on. He had this huge birthday cake with these two huge candles, and he almost got the entire cake splattered onto his face by Nicolas Massu. Belated Happy Birthday, Rafa!
Round 4:
Lleyton Hewitt! Need I say more? I was s***-scared, to say the least. I mean, a former world number one, 2 time (?) grand slam champion, and one of the grittiest players ever. Gosh! My fear was somewhat diluted when Rafa won the first set 6-2. I was just beginning to feel confident and all when Hewitt won the second set on a freak point. My sister again began her "I think Rafa's gonna lose" stints. After that it was pretty much belting. Rafa won the next two sets 6-4, 6-2 to advance into the quarters. He now faces Novak Djokovic, whom I find absolutely adorable, but hope he loses to Rafa in spite of that.
Somewhere towards the end of Rafa's Hewitt match, he really warmed my heart. (He never fails to do that!) On the verge of winning, Rafa began to point to one corner of the stadium. I thought that he was pointing into the crowd because someone had a distracting ringtone or something. Chair umpire started saying something but Rafa continued to point. Chair umpire Maria Pascaul (A guy. Seriously!) got off and he and Rafa had an animated discussion and began to look in the direction in which Rafa had pointed. I was properly curious now. The next thing I knew, this tiny ballboy comes scuttling along with blood pouring out of his nose and the chair umpire tells him to go and get treated. Apparently the ballboys aren't allowed to leave the court unless the chair umpire tells them to do so. So Nadal saved a life!
(Yeah, yeah, I know it's a silly thing to write about, but one overlooks such facts when the person in question is Rafael Nadal!)
My time spent with the French Open has also led me to start noticing and realising weird things, as I said. One of them is that Rafa's left shoe has "Vamos" written at the back and the right one has "Rafa". When read continuously, his shoes read "Vamos Rafa" which is Spanish for "Go Rafa!". Also, April 8th last year (which happens to be my birthday!) heralded the start of a new era for Rafa. He hasn't lost a match on clay since that day.
As you can see folks, I'm very busy doing absolutely nothing. I'm still open to suggestions for movies to watch/ books to read/ anything to do.
Now onto the real stuff... A brief review of Nadal's round 2,3 and 4 matches, one by one.
Round 2:
Some almost 30-year-old American Chink called Kevin Kim for an opponent. I got a little scared for some time, considering this Kim dude had striking similarities to Michael Chang, and no need for me to remind everyone of the fact that Michael Chang won the French Open. Later realised that the poor guy has been taking part in grand slams since '96, and has got past the 2nd round only once. And that his career high singles rank was 63, some one and a half years back. Nadal belted him 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. I believe I brought Rafa a fair bit of luck by making my headband between points.
Round 3:
Rafa's first encounter with a seed, it also happened to be on his 20th birthday. I was fully scared, and I am justified in being so. Paul Henri-Mathieu. Seed 29. Age 24. Current rank of 32. Played a particularly good match last year in Roland Garros in the 3rd round against Guillermo Canas, I think. I was quite scared for Rafa. My sister did not help matters with her continuous "I have a FEELING that Mathieu is gonna beat Nadal!". Match started quite badly for Rafa. First (super-tight) set ended in Mathieu winning it by the skin of his teeth - 7-5. I was really disappointed but continued to root for Nadal. (Duh!) Second set went Rafa's way and he ended up taking it 6-4. But I could see that he wasn't going to have the match easily. When Rafa was serving for the third set at 5-4, 15-all, he suddenly walked to the chair and pointed to his throat. I was heart broken. But it turned out that Rafa had just got a banana piece stuck in his throat! He took the set 6-4. As the fourth set grew older and older, I could see that Nadal was tiring out. As my sister reminded me, he's not used to long matches - if it's clay, he belts and if it's not, he gets belted. Crowd by this time was gunning for Rafa's throat. Somehow, he hung on, and sanity prevailed. He wrapped up the fourth set 6-4.
I was on the edge of my seat throughout the match. Each point was so hard fought for by both players! It was an amazing piece of tennis, and I'm sure I would've enjoyed the match tons more if I hadn't been such a big Nadal supporter!
Saw Rafa celbrating his birthday later on. He had this huge birthday cake with these two huge candles, and he almost got the entire cake splattered onto his face by Nicolas Massu. Belated Happy Birthday, Rafa!
Round 4:
Lleyton Hewitt! Need I say more? I was s***-scared, to say the least. I mean, a former world number one, 2 time (?) grand slam champion, and one of the grittiest players ever. Gosh! My fear was somewhat diluted when Rafa won the first set 6-2. I was just beginning to feel confident and all when Hewitt won the second set on a freak point. My sister again began her "I think Rafa's gonna lose" stints. After that it was pretty much belting. Rafa won the next two sets 6-4, 6-2 to advance into the quarters. He now faces Novak Djokovic, whom I find absolutely adorable, but hope he loses to Rafa in spite of that.
Somewhere towards the end of Rafa's Hewitt match, he really warmed my heart. (He never fails to do that!) On the verge of winning, Rafa began to point to one corner of the stadium. I thought that he was pointing into the crowd because someone had a distracting ringtone or something. Chair umpire started saying something but Rafa continued to point. Chair umpire Maria Pascaul (A guy. Seriously!) got off and he and Rafa had an animated discussion and began to look in the direction in which Rafa had pointed. I was properly curious now. The next thing I knew, this tiny ballboy comes scuttling along with blood pouring out of his nose and the chair umpire tells him to go and get treated. Apparently the ballboys aren't allowed to leave the court unless the chair umpire tells them to do so. So Nadal saved a life!
(Yeah, yeah, I know it's a silly thing to write about, but one overlooks such facts when the person in question is Rafael Nadal!)My time spent with the French Open has also led me to start noticing and realising weird things, as I said. One of them is that Rafa's left shoe has "Vamos" written at the back and the right one has "Rafa". When read continuously, his shoes read "Vamos Rafa" which is Spanish for "Go Rafa!". Also, April 8th last year (which happens to be my birthday!) heralded the start of a new era for Rafa. He hasn't lost a match on clay since that day.
As you can see folks, I'm very busy doing absolutely nothing. I'm still open to suggestions for movies to watch/ books to read/ anything to do.
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