I have graduated from point-and-shoot! I bought a Canon EOS 1000D DSLR camera. So, you can expect some photos also on this blog! Hopefully, that will make me a more consistent blogger! Thought of starting a separate blog for photos, but decided against it finally. I will host the photos on Flickr.
A tag! After a long time! I have not been a regular blogger these days, but the football world cup was a wake up call for me to come back and write something here. But as my favourite Italy were sent packing in the first round itself, I didn't find anything interesting that gave me a drive to continue. I was sitting comfortably, and wow! - I am tagged by Dhanya!
This seems to be an interesting one, which wants me to look back deeply and find out some content to be written here.
First - the rule
Have you ever wanted or done something your gender is not supposed to?
If you are a woman,
Have you ever wanted something that is considered ‘manly’? Like a basketball, a cell phone, a dog, a camera or a new laptop? A new car or motor bike? Ever wanted to be a pilot? A doctor or not a nurse? And the manliest want of them all – The remote!
As a kid did you enjoy playing with a bat and a ball?
There was a time when books were considered ‘manly’, women authors had to pretend to be men – would you say books are still rather manly – women should want to embroider and crochet?
If you are a man,
Have you ever wanted something that only women are supposed to want – like bags, shoes, clothes, creams, perfumes, babies, flowers? A peaceful home and a happy family? Have you ever been afraid of the dark or of insects?
As a kid did you ever want to play ‘teacher-teacher’, cooking or did you like playing with a doll? Have you ever enjoyed cooking? Bought something in pink? Loved chocolates?
Are magazines and books, TV News and blogs for men or for women?
Religion and God? Pets? Politics? Air planes and cars? Technology? – Who should want them, men or women?
The tag condition is – list at least ten things you have ever wanted or done which your gender is not supposed to.
Here I go!
Slovakia gave me a heart-break in Johannesburg! Italy had a realistic chance of going through to the second stage with even a 1-0 win against Slovakia. But what we saw tonight was different. It was a resurgent Slovakia that played against the world champions. Italy made the two changes in their starting line-up, that I had predicted in my last blog post. Claudio Marchisio and Alberto Gilardino were left out. They replaced Gilardino with Antonio Di Natale as I expected, but Gennaro Gattuso was the replacement for Marchisio. They also paid the price for this decision. They had to call back Gattuso and induct Andrea Pirlo in the second half; all too late.
It was a poor defence that spoiled Italy's chances in the world cup. There was nobody to safeguard Federico Marchetti and their goal. Even Fabio Cannavaro and Giorgio Chiellini were playing forward. Daniele Di Rossi didn't have any role to play in the match. Di Rossi is at his best when he can play as an attacking midfielder. The out-of-form Riccardo Montolivo was passing the ball to places where there was no Italian player! Fabio Quagliarella was the livewire they were looking for, but it was too late for his guerilla strikes too. They played well towards the end, but it was their lapse in defence that denied them a win and place in the second stage.
It is sure that there will be some changes in the Italian team soon. This could be the last international tournament for some of the players including Cannavaro, and also for the coach Marcello Lippi. There is hope for Italy in young bloods like Simone Pepe and Quagliarella. Italy are out, but the shows goes on! Waka... waka...
The match between Italy and New Zealand in Nelspruit was a crucial encounter that could give a clear picture to the standings in Group F. But instead, this match turned the group wide open. Probably this is the one group in which all the four teams still have a very strong chance of qualifying to the pre quarters.
It was a painful start again for Italy. They conceded a goal in the beginning for the second successive time in two matches. But as in the first match, this was an eye opener for the Italians. They controlled the game for the whole part of the remaining 80 minutes, except for one instance towards the dying moments of the match. It is only fair to say that Italy dominated the game, but Mark Paston was the only one who stood between them and a deserved win. Full marks to the spirited New Zealand goalie who could give his country a great chance going into the last group game against Paraguay.
Italy's substitutions seemed to be misfit and illogical. It was for no specific reason that Simone Pepe was replaced with Giampaolo Pazzini in the beginning of the second half. Pepe has great capacity in taking amazing curves from corner kicks. If he was there in the second half, they would not have required the service of Riccardo Montolivo to take those corners. His kicks flew away without purpose. Another substitute Mauro Camoranesi was not generous enough to pass the ball on to his team mates.
Even if Italy could not post a win in the first two matches, they still have a very strong chance to move to the next round. All they need to do is win the last group match against Slovakia. This would definitely give them a berth in the pre quarters. They might even go through with a draw in the last match, but then things would depend on the Paraguay - New Zealand match. But I don't think the world champions would want to do that. They should get the services of Andrea Pirlo from the beginning, and the off-colour Claudio Marchisio should be left out. Antonio Di Natale should play in the starting line-up instead of Alberto Gilardino. Hope to see the same controlling game from Italy in Jo'burg, but with better finishing touches.
Italy has always been a slow starter, especially in world cups. For their world cup opener against Paraguay, they had to pick four relatively new international players in the start line-up. Paraguay gave them a run for their money by scoring first unexpectedly. The header from Alcaraz was too good for a misplaced Gigi Buffon. One would have thought that this could put the world champions on the back foot; one because it was a shock, and two because Italy's recent form hasn't been any great.
But what we saw in Cape Town was a focused and resilient Italy in the second half. There was only one team in the second half and all the time the ball was in the Paraguayan half. Simone Pepe for his known speed was too good for the opposition to handle. He played along the right side in the first half and along the left in the second. And quite rewardingly, the equaliser and a breath of life came back to Italy from his corner. All De Rossi had to do was make the contact with the ball at the right time. Italy would have been in a better position had Montolivo not wasted a golden opportunity in the first half. What was relieving was to see Camoranesi taking the field in the second half. Marchetti's replacement of Buffon came as a surprise.
With New Zealand holding Slovakia in the dying stages of their group match, all the teams can rest on one point each, much to the relief of the world champions. Italy now faces New Zealand in Nelspruit in their second Group F match on Sunday.
Regular readers (if any!) of my blog would know my interest in sports, especially in cricket and football. It is time for football fever again as the 2010 world cup kicks off in Jo'burg. As always, my favourite team is Italy, irrespective of whether they win or lose. Last time (in 2006) I wrote the preview of the Italian team on my blog. This time, for a change, I wrote it for www.footballkerala.com. You can read the article here (Shortened URL at http://bit.ly/9cHtcv)
Bodyguard is a film which made news even when it was being made, not for the hero, but for the heroine. Nayantara was making a come back to Malayalam film industry through this film. Even though she has made several appearances in Malayalam movies, none of her performances so far, Rappakal included, cannot be deemed telling. Bodyguard gave her ample room to 'act' and not 'show'.
Jayakrishnan (Dileep) is a young man who appreciates an aberrant ambition, which is to become the bodyguard of some prominent person. One day, he hears about Asokan aka Asokettan (Thyagarajan) a popular businessman in a nearby village. He goes there seeking a job as Asokan's bodyguard. Though the people in the village welcome him with great hospitality, he is treated with apathy and disdain by Asokan and his family members. He meets Ammu (Nayantara), Asokan's daughter who initially feigns that she is a servant in Asokan's house. He mistakes Ammu's brother (Appa Haja) as a womaniser attempting to beset Ammu and attempts to save her. In the effort he severely beats him up. Albeit admitting his mistake, Jayakrishnan is drummed out from the house. On the recommendation of someone who both Asokan and Jayakrishnan know, Jayakrishnan is called back to the house where his fascination of becoming Asokan's escort comes true. Later Jayakrishnan saves Asokan and family from a murder attempt which increases his credibility and acceptability in the family. On seeing a potential threat to Ammu's life, Asokan appoints Jayakrishnan her bodyguard in college, for which he even arranges for Jayakrishnan's admission in college! Undoubtedly, Jayakrishnan tops the class!
Annoyed with the attire and attitude of the bodyguard, Ammu and her friend-and-roomie Sethulakshmi (Mithra Kurien) play a trick to get him away from them. Ammu initiates an anonymous call to his mobile and beguiles him into believing that she loves him. Ammu fakes her voice and calls from a caller ID restricted mobile so that Jayakrishnan gets no clue as to who the caller is. The way this gab is transmuted into a strong virtual relationship and the consequences of that relationship form the rest of the story.
Director Siddique follows the conventional pattern in portraying the wicked bodyguard as a super hero, college topper, and even a rank prospect! Dileep was his usual self and Nayantara impersonated her role with ease and elan. Thumbs-up to the little boy who storms in with his impressive looks and presentation skills in the dying minutes of the movie, even though the diary story is hard to digest! The movie lost its continuity in the last fight scene, in which, all of a sudden, all the characters were seen in a totally different place than the one showed in the previous shot. The film presents an out-of-the-blue climax, which is interesting yet totally inane from a pragmatic perspective. Overall, despite the obvious downs, Bodyguard is a watchable movie. I would give the film 6.5 out of 10.
