Thursday, October 12, 2006
Action of the Day # 6
Make an effort to make someone smile today... Its the best thing that you can do to anyone...
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Action of the Day # 5
Don't worry too much about the past. Learn from them in the present and make your future better.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION
A Figment of my imagination
It was a night that was creepier than usual. Timmy, Sandy and Mikey were on their way to their aunt’s place. The drive was supposed to take only four hours. They had left home early in the afternoon. But traffic and bad weather ensured that they were still at least an hour away from their destination. And now this had to happen?
All four tyres of their 1982 Dodge were flat. Their father had given them the dark brown vehicle last fall. It was dark and was raining quite heavily. They had gotten off the freeway into a quaint little town for fuel and snacks. They had tanked up the vehicle and their tummies. Soon they were off again when it began to pour heavily. Visibility was low. They had just driven for 15 minutes when Mikey lost control and swerved off the road into the mud nearby.
“Just our darned luck!!” thought Mikey. Four flats and only one spare. Sandy and Timmy got out too. They were clearly 20 miles away from the town and roughly 10 miles from the freeway. What were they to do?
They decided to call for help. “Well now, somebody please tell me how this happened!” said Timmy to Mikey, “My mobile has no signal.” Mikey and Sandy looked at their mobiles and chorused “Ours too!” Now they were in a fix. Sandy checked the map. They were miles away from anywhere on the map. They decided to walk to the freeway and hopefully hitch a ride…
Fifteen minutes in the rain….
“Hey, look over there. There is a light across the field.” “Looks like a little house over there”. “Maybe they have a phone” and saying so the threesome trudged towards the house. The fields were barren as it looked like the harvesting had been completed awhile back. They reached the house and sprang up the steps. The steps made no sound. Sandy found this surprising. She jumped on the last step again. No Sound. “Well that was creepy, lets see who’s home” said Mikey. They knocked on the door. No answer. They knocked again. Still no answer. The wind howled through the rickety old building.
“Well, let’s go out to the back and see if anyone’s there!” As they turned, the door swung open with a slow creek. Inside sat an old man on an old chair facing the door. “Come in, my young friends.” Surprised, they walked in through the door. “I see you youngsters had a flat and you need to use my phone”. They were taken aback. How could he know? Before anyone could speak, the door banged behind them. They turned around and turned back to face the old man. All they saw was an empty chair.
“Well! Are you just gonna gape at the chair or what?” said the old man from the foot of the staircase. They turned towards him and a wave of relief washed over their faces. He had walked onto to the staircase. “The phone is up on the first floor. Follow me up the staircase. Watch your step” He smiled and began to climb. They climbed the staircase slowly following the old man. Soon they stepped into a long hallway. “The phone is at the end of the hallway. The portraits you see around you are painted from real instances”
They looked up at the portraits one by one. They were now scared for what they saw totally wiped their senses clean off their minds. The first portrait was of a man biting the neck of a crow. The second one was even scarier. The same man was plucking the ears of a rabbit with his hands. More gruesome photos followed as they realized that the person in the portraits looked like a younger version of the old guy.
As they turned to ask the old man, their eyes fell on the last portrait. They were shocked. The old man turned back at them and said “Here is my greatest masterpiece” A shrill scream pierced the silent night. There standing in the portrait was the same middle aged guy holding Timmy’s head, severed off the body, blood dripping all over him. A sickle was in his other hand. Mikey and Sandy turned to look and found Timmy missing. A shiver went up their spines as they slowly turned towards the old guy, only to see themselves facing a blank piece of wall. A phone was on the table nearby.
Mikey and Sandy began to sweat profusely. They had heard of terrifying experiences in lonely houses in horror movies and stories but now it looked like they were bang in the middle of one, themselves.
Sandy reached towards the phone and as she touched it, the phone rang. She jumped backwards crashing into someone. She turned around, saw Mikey and screamed. “What happened?” asked Mikey. “Nothing, I guess I am lil fidgety”, she said sheepishly.
They turned again and looked at the phone. It had stopped ringing. Mikey went towards it and lifted the receiver. It wasn’t dead. Surprised he quickly dialed 911 and the phone at the other end began to ring. Four rings later, somebody picked up the call and he heard a male voice telling him “Thank you for calling 911. You are not leaving this place alive. You are the last one. So die!!!!”
Shocked Mikey dropped the phone and turned around. Sandy was gone. He turned back towards the phone and staggered back. Looking at him was sandy’s face minus the eyes and ears. Her tongue was slit into two and her head was held by the man in the portrait.
He composed himself. This was another painting. He had to get out of here. He turned around and ran. As he ran, blood began flowing from all the portraits onto the floor. He slipped on the blood and fell face first. His face became red from the blood. He slipped and slided all the way towards the other end of the hallway. Then he stopped.
A brick wall stared scornfully at him. He looked around frantically. He was trapped in the hallway. He heard footsteps on the stairway but couldn’t find any way to the stairway. He looked around. He felt trapped like a caged animal. He suddenly saw an umbrella nearby and picked it up. The footsteps were getting closer. He looked around turning and caught the wall panel sliding open in the corner of his eye. He swung around to face his fate. In walked the middle aged man of the portrait. As Mikey stared at him, he thought again that this guy and the old guy were one and the same.
It was an old fashioned standoff: Mikey with the umbrella and the man with the sickle. The man rushed towards him, sickle raised in his hand. Mikey stepped forward and in one stabbing motion put the umbrella into the attacker’s eyeball. A hoarse scream filled the air. Mikey ran, slid forward and through the attacker’s legs straight into the entrance of the stairway. He got up just in time and looked back to see the assailant. All he saw was the old man looking at him with one eye. The other eye was bleeding profusely. The umbrella lay at his feet. He turned around, ran down the staircase and straight into the front door. The door opened automatically as he approached it and he found himself sprawled on the porch steps.
The footsteps began behind him. He got up and ran. A sharp pain rose in his right arm and a thin stream of blood began to flow from his eyebrow. He ran across the fields and towards the road where the Dodge was.
Ten minutes later…
He found the Dodge and stopped in his tracks. Timmy and Sandy were standing by it. A mechanic was near them and he had just fixed all four tyres. “Where were you?” asked Sandy, “You said that you were gonna get help and there has been no sign of you for the last two hours. What happened?” Mikey didn’t respond. He looked at himself; there were no signs of blood on him. “Nothing!” he replied.
They got back into the Dodge with Timmy at the wheel and Mikey alone in the back. The rain had stopped and they were back on the road. As they drove a bit, Mikey saw an old house in the distance. A little nearer to the road, he saw the old man with one eye smiling at him. A sharp pain rose in his right arm. His face became pale as he grabbed Timmy’s shirt. Timmy stopped and asked what happened? Mikey pointed in the direction of the old man and then Timmy said “I don’t see anything. Must be a figment of your imagination” and drove on.
“A figment of my imagination?” thought Mikey as he looked at the old man. The old man had a sickle in his hand!!!
It was a night that was creepier than usual. Timmy, Sandy and Mikey were on their way to their aunt’s place. The drive was supposed to take only four hours. They had left home early in the afternoon. But traffic and bad weather ensured that they were still at least an hour away from their destination. And now this had to happen?
All four tyres of their 1982 Dodge were flat. Their father had given them the dark brown vehicle last fall. It was dark and was raining quite heavily. They had gotten off the freeway into a quaint little town for fuel and snacks. They had tanked up the vehicle and their tummies. Soon they were off again when it began to pour heavily. Visibility was low. They had just driven for 15 minutes when Mikey lost control and swerved off the road into the mud nearby.
“Just our darned luck!!” thought Mikey. Four flats and only one spare. Sandy and Timmy got out too. They were clearly 20 miles away from the town and roughly 10 miles from the freeway. What were they to do?
They decided to call for help. “Well now, somebody please tell me how this happened!” said Timmy to Mikey, “My mobile has no signal.” Mikey and Sandy looked at their mobiles and chorused “Ours too!” Now they were in a fix. Sandy checked the map. They were miles away from anywhere on the map. They decided to walk to the freeway and hopefully hitch a ride…
Fifteen minutes in the rain….
“Hey, look over there. There is a light across the field.” “Looks like a little house over there”. “Maybe they have a phone” and saying so the threesome trudged towards the house. The fields were barren as it looked like the harvesting had been completed awhile back. They reached the house and sprang up the steps. The steps made no sound. Sandy found this surprising. She jumped on the last step again. No Sound. “Well that was creepy, lets see who’s home” said Mikey. They knocked on the door. No answer. They knocked again. Still no answer. The wind howled through the rickety old building.
“Well, let’s go out to the back and see if anyone’s there!” As they turned, the door swung open with a slow creek. Inside sat an old man on an old chair facing the door. “Come in, my young friends.” Surprised, they walked in through the door. “I see you youngsters had a flat and you need to use my phone”. They were taken aback. How could he know? Before anyone could speak, the door banged behind them. They turned around and turned back to face the old man. All they saw was an empty chair.
“Well! Are you just gonna gape at the chair or what?” said the old man from the foot of the staircase. They turned towards him and a wave of relief washed over their faces. He had walked onto to the staircase. “The phone is up on the first floor. Follow me up the staircase. Watch your step” He smiled and began to climb. They climbed the staircase slowly following the old man. Soon they stepped into a long hallway. “The phone is at the end of the hallway. The portraits you see around you are painted from real instances”
They looked up at the portraits one by one. They were now scared for what they saw totally wiped their senses clean off their minds. The first portrait was of a man biting the neck of a crow. The second one was even scarier. The same man was plucking the ears of a rabbit with his hands. More gruesome photos followed as they realized that the person in the portraits looked like a younger version of the old guy.
As they turned to ask the old man, their eyes fell on the last portrait. They were shocked. The old man turned back at them and said “Here is my greatest masterpiece” A shrill scream pierced the silent night. There standing in the portrait was the same middle aged guy holding Timmy’s head, severed off the body, blood dripping all over him. A sickle was in his other hand. Mikey and Sandy turned to look and found Timmy missing. A shiver went up their spines as they slowly turned towards the old guy, only to see themselves facing a blank piece of wall. A phone was on the table nearby.
Mikey and Sandy began to sweat profusely. They had heard of terrifying experiences in lonely houses in horror movies and stories but now it looked like they were bang in the middle of one, themselves.
Sandy reached towards the phone and as she touched it, the phone rang. She jumped backwards crashing into someone. She turned around, saw Mikey and screamed. “What happened?” asked Mikey. “Nothing, I guess I am lil fidgety”, she said sheepishly.
They turned again and looked at the phone. It had stopped ringing. Mikey went towards it and lifted the receiver. It wasn’t dead. Surprised he quickly dialed 911 and the phone at the other end began to ring. Four rings later, somebody picked up the call and he heard a male voice telling him “Thank you for calling 911. You are not leaving this place alive. You are the last one. So die!!!!”
Shocked Mikey dropped the phone and turned around. Sandy was gone. He turned back towards the phone and staggered back. Looking at him was sandy’s face minus the eyes and ears. Her tongue was slit into two and her head was held by the man in the portrait.
He composed himself. This was another painting. He had to get out of here. He turned around and ran. As he ran, blood began flowing from all the portraits onto the floor. He slipped on the blood and fell face first. His face became red from the blood. He slipped and slided all the way towards the other end of the hallway. Then he stopped.
A brick wall stared scornfully at him. He looked around frantically. He was trapped in the hallway. He heard footsteps on the stairway but couldn’t find any way to the stairway. He looked around. He felt trapped like a caged animal. He suddenly saw an umbrella nearby and picked it up. The footsteps were getting closer. He looked around turning and caught the wall panel sliding open in the corner of his eye. He swung around to face his fate. In walked the middle aged man of the portrait. As Mikey stared at him, he thought again that this guy and the old guy were one and the same.
It was an old fashioned standoff: Mikey with the umbrella and the man with the sickle. The man rushed towards him, sickle raised in his hand. Mikey stepped forward and in one stabbing motion put the umbrella into the attacker’s eyeball. A hoarse scream filled the air. Mikey ran, slid forward and through the attacker’s legs straight into the entrance of the stairway. He got up just in time and looked back to see the assailant. All he saw was the old man looking at him with one eye. The other eye was bleeding profusely. The umbrella lay at his feet. He turned around, ran down the staircase and straight into the front door. The door opened automatically as he approached it and he found himself sprawled on the porch steps.
The footsteps began behind him. He got up and ran. A sharp pain rose in his right arm and a thin stream of blood began to flow from his eyebrow. He ran across the fields and towards the road where the Dodge was.
Ten minutes later…
He found the Dodge and stopped in his tracks. Timmy and Sandy were standing by it. A mechanic was near them and he had just fixed all four tyres. “Where were you?” asked Sandy, “You said that you were gonna get help and there has been no sign of you for the last two hours. What happened?” Mikey didn’t respond. He looked at himself; there were no signs of blood on him. “Nothing!” he replied.
They got back into the Dodge with Timmy at the wheel and Mikey alone in the back. The rain had stopped and they were back on the road. As they drove a bit, Mikey saw an old house in the distance. A little nearer to the road, he saw the old man with one eye smiling at him. A sharp pain rose in his right arm. His face became pale as he grabbed Timmy’s shirt. Timmy stopped and asked what happened? Mikey pointed in the direction of the old man and then Timmy said “I don’t see anything. Must be a figment of your imagination” and drove on.
“A figment of my imagination?” thought Mikey as he looked at the old man. The old man had a sickle in his hand!!!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
A Second Chance
2007…
There he was, a smart young fellow of 27, earning a decent five figure salary in a FMCG company. He was a happy guy, wife, two kids (twins). A typical normal middle class family with hopes and dreams of making it big. A small happy family.
Then it all came down as the hard raindrops in a thundershower. The glass of reality shattered their existence. It was but over. But what happened?
He lost his job. He was fired on the spot. Why?
One reason: He had been to prison. He pleaded with all his managers. He had realized the sins that he had committed and he had been punished for the same. He said that he had turned over a new leaf since then. No one believed him. Why??? He was lost. He didn’t know what to do.
He left the company and slowly walked home. What was happening to him? He was very depressed and distressed. Hadn’t he been punished enough for his sins? Hadn’t five years been enough? Five years for what?
2000… His Story
I had fallen into bad company. Well actually to me it wasn’t all that bad a company though everyone around me told so. We were having fun and enjoying life. Gradually we began to realize that the fun part was getting really expensive. We were running out of money…and fast. We couldn't ask our parents too much more. I was still twenty with a billion dreams and aspirations in my head. J insisted that to get to our dreams we shouldn’t give up on our lifestyles. So what do we do? M suggested that we rob the newly opened bank and diamond store ZZZ.
Well. To be frank, we found it to be really funny. A big Joke but, as we thought more about it, we realized that this was the only way. Hard work took ages to provide fruits of success.
So we decided to rob the store. We chuckled to ourselves the concept of having a diamond store and a bank at the same location. More loot for us at one shot, we thought.
The plan was laid out for a day where there would be visibly less crowd, sometime mid month. We were 8 guys. The plan was laid out like this:
2 to rob the diamonds' section, 3 to rob the bank, one of whom was to hold the manager hostage, one lookout if anything went wrong and two guys in separate vehicles for the getaway.
And there we went….
It was a lazy Thursday afternoon. We arrived on schedule. Before you knew it, we had the whole situation in our hands. Everyone co-operated beautifully. Everything was going on great. We got the loot of diamonds and cash. Millions worth. Whoa! we were rich.
We were so happy that we made one crucial mistake. We forgot our hostage. Fifteen minutes was all we got of enjoying ourselves like one of the TV shows when suddenly the screen went blank.
Our tyres burst at a spike strip and before we could gain control, twenty police vehicles surrounded us. We were hauled up and taken away. In an instant, everything was gone. From Dawn to dusk, as they say, it was all over.
I spent five years behind bars. My original sentence of seven was reduced to five due to good behavior and I was released on Independence Day. The prison sentence had done its work. I didn’t want to go back. I decided to reform myself. Enough was enough. In the next few months, I got myself a decent job, got married as well. Atleast I hoped that a family would ensure that I didn’t stray again, no matter what.
The following year we were blessed with twins. Everything seemed to go so well. And then this happened.
2007…
Well isn’t the prison system designed to reform… Well then why don’t people accept it? If someone has been to prison, does that mean he is a criminal for life? Our hero continued his walk home. He didn’t know what else to do. Why didn’t anyone believe that he had reformed? He had a family for god’s sake!!! And the worse part is that there was nothing wrong in his job. He had done everything efficiently enough, even better than most people. A promotion was replaced by a dismissal. For what?
Thoughts of suicide entered his mind. But no!!! What would happen to his family? He decided that he would not give up. It wont be easy but he decided to keep trying. He got home and told the news to his wife. She was very supportive and encouraged him to go on trying. And so he kept on trying….
-------------------------------------Author’s Footnote-----------------------------------
The prison system everywhere is designed for reform. Then why is society so intent on not accepting a reformed ex-convict. Justice must be done. These people must be given a chance. Would you… yes you…not give your kids or loved ones another chance when they did something wrong? Then why not these people. A chance is what most of them ask for and a chance is what I think they need, nay, deserve in order to excel. Let us give them that much atleast.
There he was, a smart young fellow of 27, earning a decent five figure salary in a FMCG company. He was a happy guy, wife, two kids (twins). A typical normal middle class family with hopes and dreams of making it big. A small happy family.
Then it all came down as the hard raindrops in a thundershower. The glass of reality shattered their existence. It was but over. But what happened?
He lost his job. He was fired on the spot. Why?
One reason: He had been to prison. He pleaded with all his managers. He had realized the sins that he had committed and he had been punished for the same. He said that he had turned over a new leaf since then. No one believed him. Why??? He was lost. He didn’t know what to do.
He left the company and slowly walked home. What was happening to him? He was very depressed and distressed. Hadn’t he been punished enough for his sins? Hadn’t five years been enough? Five years for what?
2000… His Story
I had fallen into bad company. Well actually to me it wasn’t all that bad a company though everyone around me told so. We were having fun and enjoying life. Gradually we began to realize that the fun part was getting really expensive. We were running out of money…and fast. We couldn't ask our parents too much more. I was still twenty with a billion dreams and aspirations in my head. J insisted that to get to our dreams we shouldn’t give up on our lifestyles. So what do we do? M suggested that we rob the newly opened bank and diamond store ZZZ.
Well. To be frank, we found it to be really funny. A big Joke but, as we thought more about it, we realized that this was the only way. Hard work took ages to provide fruits of success.
So we decided to rob the store. We chuckled to ourselves the concept of having a diamond store and a bank at the same location. More loot for us at one shot, we thought.
The plan was laid out for a day where there would be visibly less crowd, sometime mid month. We were 8 guys. The plan was laid out like this:
2 to rob the diamonds' section, 3 to rob the bank, one of whom was to hold the manager hostage, one lookout if anything went wrong and two guys in separate vehicles for the getaway.
And there we went….
It was a lazy Thursday afternoon. We arrived on schedule. Before you knew it, we had the whole situation in our hands. Everyone co-operated beautifully. Everything was going on great. We got the loot of diamonds and cash. Millions worth. Whoa! we were rich.
We were so happy that we made one crucial mistake. We forgot our hostage. Fifteen minutes was all we got of enjoying ourselves like one of the TV shows when suddenly the screen went blank.
Our tyres burst at a spike strip and before we could gain control, twenty police vehicles surrounded us. We were hauled up and taken away. In an instant, everything was gone. From Dawn to dusk, as they say, it was all over.
I spent five years behind bars. My original sentence of seven was reduced to five due to good behavior and I was released on Independence Day. The prison sentence had done its work. I didn’t want to go back. I decided to reform myself. Enough was enough. In the next few months, I got myself a decent job, got married as well. Atleast I hoped that a family would ensure that I didn’t stray again, no matter what.
The following year we were blessed with twins. Everything seemed to go so well. And then this happened.
2007…
Well isn’t the prison system designed to reform… Well then why don’t people accept it? If someone has been to prison, does that mean he is a criminal for life? Our hero continued his walk home. He didn’t know what else to do. Why didn’t anyone believe that he had reformed? He had a family for god’s sake!!! And the worse part is that there was nothing wrong in his job. He had done everything efficiently enough, even better than most people. A promotion was replaced by a dismissal. For what?
Thoughts of suicide entered his mind. But no!!! What would happen to his family? He decided that he would not give up. It wont be easy but he decided to keep trying. He got home and told the news to his wife. She was very supportive and encouraged him to go on trying. And so he kept on trying….
-------------------------------------Author’s Footnote-----------------------------------
The prison system everywhere is designed for reform. Then why is society so intent on not accepting a reformed ex-convict. Justice must be done. These people must be given a chance. Would you… yes you…not give your kids or loved ones another chance when they did something wrong? Then why not these people. A chance is what most of them ask for and a chance is what I think they need, nay, deserve in order to excel. Let us give them that much atleast.
Question of the day? # 5
Would you like to live in a real world or in a virtual world? Are the two worlds different?
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Question of the day # 4
Are there good people and bad people or are there only good actions and bad actions?
Friday, September 01, 2006
Movie Review: 12 Angry Men(1957)
The Movie "12 angry men" is a 1957 classic starring an all male cast including henry fonda, e g marshall, joseph sweeney etc.
WARNING: Spoilers below!!!
The movie, which goes by the tagline "Life Is In Their Hands -- Death Is On Their Minds!",
is about 12 jurors who have to decide if a young boy of 18 is guilty of murder or not. The boy is charged with murdering his father and a guilty verdict would send him to the electric chair.
The movie begins with the 12 men on the jury leaving the court room and moving to the jury room to decide on the verdict. It starts with 11 people in favour of guilty and one (juror # 8 played by henry fonda) in favour of not guilty. The case seems simple. But the plot unravels more.
The discussions begin. Each character is portrayed quite brilliantly and the actors have done a marvelous job. Indeed, it is very difficult to find acting of this calibre in today's cinema.
The discussions proceed to and fro as the jurors fluctuate from their decisions. Some of the scenarios put up are worth any discussion in the way cases are handled.
One dialogue which stood out for me was, when during the break of discussions, juror #6 tells #8 in the restroom
"Imagine you manage to convince all of us that the boy is not guilty, and it really turned out that the kid knifed his dad. What would happen?"
Personal aspirations, prejudices, talks about baseball games, patience, anger are a few things one would encounter in the movie.
For more... watch the movie...
All in all, this 96 minute movie makes you want more. A brilliant juryroom drama which probes into people psychologies as well...
WARNING: Spoilers below!!!
The movie, which goes by the tagline "Life Is In Their Hands -- Death Is On Their Minds!",
is about 12 jurors who have to decide if a young boy of 18 is guilty of murder or not. The boy is charged with murdering his father and a guilty verdict would send him to the electric chair.
The movie begins with the 12 men on the jury leaving the court room and moving to the jury room to decide on the verdict. It starts with 11 people in favour of guilty and one (juror # 8 played by henry fonda) in favour of not guilty. The case seems simple. But the plot unravels more.
The discussions begin. Each character is portrayed quite brilliantly and the actors have done a marvelous job. Indeed, it is very difficult to find acting of this calibre in today's cinema.
The discussions proceed to and fro as the jurors fluctuate from their decisions. Some of the scenarios put up are worth any discussion in the way cases are handled.
One dialogue which stood out for me was, when during the break of discussions, juror #6 tells #8 in the restroom
"Imagine you manage to convince all of us that the boy is not guilty, and it really turned out that the kid knifed his dad. What would happen?"
Personal aspirations, prejudices, talks about baseball games, patience, anger are a few things one would encounter in the movie.
For more... watch the movie...
All in all, this 96 minute movie makes you want more. A brilliant juryroom drama which probes into people psychologies as well...
Thursday, August 24, 2006
The Executioner…A short Story
The Executioner…
Executioner… That’s what they called me… Why? Because I was the best of the best.
My Name: John
Last name: Unknown
My Profession: Hitman
Welcome to my world!!! The world where a kill is like eating a sandwich, a piece of cake…
It all started ten years ago. The world was all black and white. The people were either too good or too evil. It all began on that fateful day, the 13th of November. It was cold and dark. Winter had sent in quite harshly this year. The snow fell more like a blizzard than like a postcard scenery. On that fateful day, I was trudging through a foot of snow. I was making my way to the supermarket to get some groceries and there I saw it…rather them…
The Man was getting hounded by 2 goons. I rushed to his aid as he ran past me. They ignored me. Bad Choice! I tripped one of them. He whirled around falling and the crowbar in his hand struck my face. The numbness struck me and was quickly replaced with a soothing liquid. Then I realized that it was my own blood flowing from a cut above my brow. Everything seemed to be a blur after that as I vaguely remembered snatching his crowbar and mercilessly butchering him to death.
Moments passed. They seemed like eternity. I had heard of moments that lasted forever but this was the first time I experienced the same. I looked down and saw something that looked like last week’s beetroot and pumpkin mash. Then I realized that they were his brains splattered in front of me. Honestly I didn’t know that a blur and a crowbar could do so much damage.
I sat there in a daze. I had just murdered a person in cold blood. I looked around. There was no one there. I guess the other guy was still hot on the pursuit of his victim. The alley was dark and I felt dazed. I sat there for a while. Suddenly I heard a voice screaming at me.
Groggily I got up and saw the other goon run towards me with a gun in his hand. Looked like he was gonna shoot me… Next thing I knew I picked up the crowbar from the ground and threw it straight towards the imaginary bull’s eye in the middle of his forehead. THUD!!!
He looked like a corpse… Shit!!! I just killed him; of course he is a corpse…
I looked up and suddenly realized that in this world what I did was wrong. There were no witnesses. But what I did was wrong!!! I decided to turn myself into the authorities. I started walking towards the nearest police station. It was a mile away. The weather was cold and I broke into a slow jog to keep myself warm. I felt good and I dint know why… Was it because of the double kills? Man I felt good. I continued to run a little faster. Wow I actually liked it… Maybe I can make a living out of it. I continued to run past the police station. And so my career began as a professional hitman.
I started off with low alley hits and made my way up. Now, ten years later, I am number one, the numero uno, not just in this country but in the entire world. All my shots were accurate. It was as if my eyes had a habit of picking up bull’s eyes on victims. I had a six month waiting list. I am the greatest.
Am or Was?
I suddenly remembered the three bullets in my gut. Pain was searing through me. I tried to recollect what had happened… “Oh! Yes the setup!!!”
This was to be a regular operation . I had to take out an underworld don, Carlos was his name, while he went to church to pray.
The client: Robert, The Mafia Don’s Right Hand
The Reason: He wanted to be the new don.
It was a straightforward hit.
Sniper gun, take the don off when he returned and walk. But somewhere things went terribly wrong. When I looked through my sniper lens when Carlos came out, he looked straight at where I was and waved. It couldn’t be right. It looked like he was waving me goodbye and then I felt a hand on my shoulder wheel me around and pump three bullets in my stomach. It’s a painful way to die, being shot in the stomach.
I looked up and saw Robert’s face clearly. This was a bloody setup. But Why??? Questions would have to wait, now it was time for a hit back. I wasn’t going down that easy. I pulled out my 8” blade and buried it deep inside him. The initial shock never left his face. He looked like one of those funny ghosts. Very funny. It cracked me up.
Me: Why?
Robert: For my Brothers
Me: Who were they?
Robert: They were good. Remember the alley ten years ago.
Then it struck me. My first kills were his brothers. Guess some people remember a grudge for a long time. Feeling no guilt whatsoever, I proceeded to cut his stomach and intestines. I was a big fan of the Japanese hara-kiri. Here Robert got his hara-kiri just the way I wanted him to. Slowly.
I staggered back and fell on the floor. Its gonna be a while before I die. I remembered the past.
I can hear footsteps now. It must be Carlos’ men. I close my eyes, waiting to die. I can hear the door to the terrace open.
BANG!!!!
Executioner… That’s what they called me… Why? Because I was the best of the best.
My Name: John
Last name: Unknown
My Profession: Hitman
Welcome to my world!!! The world where a kill is like eating a sandwich, a piece of cake…
It all started ten years ago. The world was all black and white. The people were either too good or too evil. It all began on that fateful day, the 13th of November. It was cold and dark. Winter had sent in quite harshly this year. The snow fell more like a blizzard than like a postcard scenery. On that fateful day, I was trudging through a foot of snow. I was making my way to the supermarket to get some groceries and there I saw it…rather them…
The Man was getting hounded by 2 goons. I rushed to his aid as he ran past me. They ignored me. Bad Choice! I tripped one of them. He whirled around falling and the crowbar in his hand struck my face. The numbness struck me and was quickly replaced with a soothing liquid. Then I realized that it was my own blood flowing from a cut above my brow. Everything seemed to be a blur after that as I vaguely remembered snatching his crowbar and mercilessly butchering him to death.
Moments passed. They seemed like eternity. I had heard of moments that lasted forever but this was the first time I experienced the same. I looked down and saw something that looked like last week’s beetroot and pumpkin mash. Then I realized that they were his brains splattered in front of me. Honestly I didn’t know that a blur and a crowbar could do so much damage.
I sat there in a daze. I had just murdered a person in cold blood. I looked around. There was no one there. I guess the other guy was still hot on the pursuit of his victim. The alley was dark and I felt dazed. I sat there for a while. Suddenly I heard a voice screaming at me.
Groggily I got up and saw the other goon run towards me with a gun in his hand. Looked like he was gonna shoot me… Next thing I knew I picked up the crowbar from the ground and threw it straight towards the imaginary bull’s eye in the middle of his forehead. THUD!!!
He looked like a corpse… Shit!!! I just killed him; of course he is a corpse…
I looked up and suddenly realized that in this world what I did was wrong. There were no witnesses. But what I did was wrong!!! I decided to turn myself into the authorities. I started walking towards the nearest police station. It was a mile away. The weather was cold and I broke into a slow jog to keep myself warm. I felt good and I dint know why… Was it because of the double kills? Man I felt good. I continued to run a little faster. Wow I actually liked it… Maybe I can make a living out of it. I continued to run past the police station. And so my career began as a professional hitman.
I started off with low alley hits and made my way up. Now, ten years later, I am number one, the numero uno, not just in this country but in the entire world. All my shots were accurate. It was as if my eyes had a habit of picking up bull’s eyes on victims. I had a six month waiting list. I am the greatest.
Am or Was?
I suddenly remembered the three bullets in my gut. Pain was searing through me. I tried to recollect what had happened… “Oh! Yes the setup!!!”
This was to be a regular operation . I had to take out an underworld don, Carlos was his name, while he went to church to pray.
The client: Robert, The Mafia Don’s Right Hand
The Reason: He wanted to be the new don.
It was a straightforward hit.
Sniper gun, take the don off when he returned and walk. But somewhere things went terribly wrong. When I looked through my sniper lens when Carlos came out, he looked straight at where I was and waved. It couldn’t be right. It looked like he was waving me goodbye and then I felt a hand on my shoulder wheel me around and pump three bullets in my stomach. It’s a painful way to die, being shot in the stomach.
I looked up and saw Robert’s face clearly. This was a bloody setup. But Why??? Questions would have to wait, now it was time for a hit back. I wasn’t going down that easy. I pulled out my 8” blade and buried it deep inside him. The initial shock never left his face. He looked like one of those funny ghosts. Very funny. It cracked me up.
Me: Why?
Robert: For my Brothers
Me: Who were they?
Robert: They were good. Remember the alley ten years ago.
Then it struck me. My first kills were his brothers. Guess some people remember a grudge for a long time. Feeling no guilt whatsoever, I proceeded to cut his stomach and intestines. I was a big fan of the Japanese hara-kiri. Here Robert got his hara-kiri just the way I wanted him to. Slowly.
I staggered back and fell on the floor. Its gonna be a while before I die. I remembered the past.
I can hear footsteps now. It must be Carlos’ men. I close my eyes, waiting to die. I can hear the door to the terrace open.
BANG!!!!
Monday, August 21, 2006
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
REALIZATION – A Short Story
REALIZATION
– A Short Story in first person by Shriram B R (Thats me incase you havent figured it out yet).
4:27 Hrs Today
I woke up with a nauseating feeling. My throat was dry and it felt very sore. I dragged myself to the wash basin and looked in the mirror… “Damn! I look terrible”. I opened the tap and tasted the water. Surprisingly it was sweet. The water has never tasted this sweet in my apartment. Nectar! Nectar, it was like nectar, the drink of the gods. I took a swig and felt relieved.
I staggered out of the bathroom, wiping my eyes and the stark reality hit me like ten ton brick going at 100 kilometers an hour. There she lay in a pool of her own blood. I clutched against the wall. “What had I done? There she was, the love of my life, or was she?”
23:00 Hrs Yesterday
I always held her responsible for my father’s death. I don’t know why but I knew she was responsible. I wanted her to suffer for the pain that I was undergoing. She was a pretty little girl; I loved her more than anything else. We were set to be married soon and all was well.
She began to go out more with her friends. Why did she have to do that I couldn’t understand? My father passed away last month and I was distraught. She was around comforting me. During this period, I wanted her to stay beside me all the time and why not? I was under a terrible loss and it was my right to expect her to be beside me and she had to. That was her duty… to serve me and stay by my side. But things have been getting out of hand off late. She shouts at me all the time and why does she do that? I end up losing my temper and abusing her too and sure as hell, she deserved it…. Things got to a real boiling point today.
I was in a foul mood because she had been out all day and not beside me. She came home at 10 in the night and asked how I was. I asked her to go to hell. Then began the bad argument. I couldn’t stand it. How could she speak to me like this? I deserved all the patience and understanding and here she was yelling at me about me being a sadist, an immature possessive person, one who didn’t let her do what she wanted. But why should she? She should do what I wanted her to!!! What the hell?!!!
Things got out of hand and I hit her….hard. She reeled around and fell with a low thud. I got a strange satisfaction from letting her have it. She deserved it alright and I felt good about giving it to her. Man! All that adrenaline sure felt alright. I looked at her and smiled.
Then I noticed something. A thick reddish liquid flowed from her head staining the marble floor. What have I done? I rush to her and turn her over. Blood runs down her nose and ears. She isn’t breathing any more. All the adrenaline has disappeared and a shocking numbness fills me. I can’t believe I did this. The room begins to spin as I stagger away from her and drift into the unconsciousness that envelops me like a warm blanket on a cold wintry day.
5:30 Hrs Today
Well, whatever she had done, did she deserve this? Of course she deserved something bad, but death. I do not know!!!! I try to figure out what can be done with the body now. Sure a lot of people may have seen her coming into my apartment as usual but if they find out that this has happened! Gosh! What would happen to me and my prestige!
Something has to be done. It will be just like the movies. I will take her body to the cliff and drop it off, or better yet, I will put her in that car of hers and push it off the cliff. Everyone will think it’s an accident and I will be safe. Good Riddance anyways.
And so I cleaned the blood off her face and carried her in my arms. Stealthily I made my way to the parking with and got into her car with her on the passenger side. All was quiet. I started the engine. “Everything is gonna be alright”. We moved out and I started driving steadily towards the cliff.
Dawn was beginning to break and people were out on their morning strolls. As we approached the cliff, my mind became a movie as my life flashed before my eyes. As I approached the cliff, the scenes were getting more frantic. And then suddenly I realized that it had been my fault all this while and not hers. Her frantic pleas and suggestions were only to get me back on track. Realization dawned at 90 kmph near the cliff.
How could I not realize this earlier? How could this happen to me? What have I done?
I thought long and hard while looking at the still beautiful face beside me. “I am sorry” and then after a few moments thought which seemed like eternity, I knew what I had to do. “I know what must be done; I will do this to set everything right.” Determined, I was to do it.
I drove the car into the railing and off the cliff, into the scintillating darkness. “I hope hell would forgive me now” were the words I heard from my mouth as I sat behind the steering wheel of her car.
– A Short Story in first person by Shriram B R (Thats me incase you havent figured it out yet).
4:27 Hrs Today
I woke up with a nauseating feeling. My throat was dry and it felt very sore. I dragged myself to the wash basin and looked in the mirror… “Damn! I look terrible”. I opened the tap and tasted the water. Surprisingly it was sweet. The water has never tasted this sweet in my apartment. Nectar! Nectar, it was like nectar, the drink of the gods. I took a swig and felt relieved.
I staggered out of the bathroom, wiping my eyes and the stark reality hit me like ten ton brick going at 100 kilometers an hour. There she lay in a pool of her own blood. I clutched against the wall. “What had I done? There she was, the love of my life, or was she?”
23:00 Hrs Yesterday
I always held her responsible for my father’s death. I don’t know why but I knew she was responsible. I wanted her to suffer for the pain that I was undergoing. She was a pretty little girl; I loved her more than anything else. We were set to be married soon and all was well.
She began to go out more with her friends. Why did she have to do that I couldn’t understand? My father passed away last month and I was distraught. She was around comforting me. During this period, I wanted her to stay beside me all the time and why not? I was under a terrible loss and it was my right to expect her to be beside me and she had to. That was her duty… to serve me and stay by my side. But things have been getting out of hand off late. She shouts at me all the time and why does she do that? I end up losing my temper and abusing her too and sure as hell, she deserved it…. Things got to a real boiling point today.
I was in a foul mood because she had been out all day and not beside me. She came home at 10 in the night and asked how I was. I asked her to go to hell. Then began the bad argument. I couldn’t stand it. How could she speak to me like this? I deserved all the patience and understanding and here she was yelling at me about me being a sadist, an immature possessive person, one who didn’t let her do what she wanted. But why should she? She should do what I wanted her to!!! What the hell?!!!
Things got out of hand and I hit her….hard. She reeled around and fell with a low thud. I got a strange satisfaction from letting her have it. She deserved it alright and I felt good about giving it to her. Man! All that adrenaline sure felt alright. I looked at her and smiled.
Then I noticed something. A thick reddish liquid flowed from her head staining the marble floor. What have I done? I rush to her and turn her over. Blood runs down her nose and ears. She isn’t breathing any more. All the adrenaline has disappeared and a shocking numbness fills me. I can’t believe I did this. The room begins to spin as I stagger away from her and drift into the unconsciousness that envelops me like a warm blanket on a cold wintry day.
5:30 Hrs Today
Well, whatever she had done, did she deserve this? Of course she deserved something bad, but death. I do not know!!!! I try to figure out what can be done with the body now. Sure a lot of people may have seen her coming into my apartment as usual but if they find out that this has happened! Gosh! What would happen to me and my prestige!
Something has to be done. It will be just like the movies. I will take her body to the cliff and drop it off, or better yet, I will put her in that car of hers and push it off the cliff. Everyone will think it’s an accident and I will be safe. Good Riddance anyways.
And so I cleaned the blood off her face and carried her in my arms. Stealthily I made my way to the parking with and got into her car with her on the passenger side. All was quiet. I started the engine. “Everything is gonna be alright”. We moved out and I started driving steadily towards the cliff.
Dawn was beginning to break and people were out on their morning strolls. As we approached the cliff, my mind became a movie as my life flashed before my eyes. As I approached the cliff, the scenes were getting more frantic. And then suddenly I realized that it had been my fault all this while and not hers. Her frantic pleas and suggestions were only to get me back on track. Realization dawned at 90 kmph near the cliff.
How could I not realize this earlier? How could this happen to me? What have I done?
I thought long and hard while looking at the still beautiful face beside me. “I am sorry” and then after a few moments thought which seemed like eternity, I knew what I had to do. “I know what must be done; I will do this to set everything right.” Determined, I was to do it.
I drove the car into the railing and off the cliff, into the scintillating darkness. “I hope hell would forgive me now” were the words I heard from my mouth as I sat behind the steering wheel of her car.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Restaurant Reviews#2: BOMBAY POST
Today's Restaurant: Bombay Post
Location: Airport Road, Bangalore, India
Style: Indian
The restaurant is located in the heart of Bangalore on Airport Road... You cant help but notice and return the smile of the jolly doorman with the huge moustache who is very courteous.
The restaurant is a themed restaurant... You feel as though you have been transported to the past. One wall is completely painted in Black & White with actors and actresses of Bollywood yesteryears. The fans and lighting are of olden times and give the place the retro look and feel. Chairs are comfortable enough.
The Menu card is like an invite to an opera of yesteryears with opening pages talking about opening nights and opening acts. The Menu does whet your appetite with the variety of dishes available for both veggies and non vegetarians.
Food is lovely, tangy and fills your tastebuds with an assortement of tastes. Food Quantity is good and filling. Desserts are yummy too. Paneer and Extra Spicy dishes are very good.
Service is quite good and people are very hospitable. The whole restaurant exudes a vibrance of old hindi movies which is refreshing and enjoyable.
Avg. Cost for 2: 700/- INR
Rating:
Locale: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Food Quality: 8/10
Food Quantity: 7.5/10
Vegetarian Variety: 7/10
Non-Vegetarian Variety: 8.5/10
Menu Card: 7.5/10
Value for Money: 8/10
Recall value: 8.5/10
Overall Rating: 8/10
Location: Airport Road, Bangalore, India
Style: Indian
The restaurant is located in the heart of Bangalore on Airport Road... You cant help but notice and return the smile of the jolly doorman with the huge moustache who is very courteous.
The restaurant is a themed restaurant... You feel as though you have been transported to the past. One wall is completely painted in Black & White with actors and actresses of Bollywood yesteryears. The fans and lighting are of olden times and give the place the retro look and feel. Chairs are comfortable enough.
The Menu card is like an invite to an opera of yesteryears with opening pages talking about opening nights and opening acts. The Menu does whet your appetite with the variety of dishes available for both veggies and non vegetarians.
Food is lovely, tangy and fills your tastebuds with an assortement of tastes. Food Quantity is good and filling. Desserts are yummy too. Paneer and Extra Spicy dishes are very good.
Service is quite good and people are very hospitable. The whole restaurant exudes a vibrance of old hindi movies which is refreshing and enjoyable.
Avg. Cost for 2: 700/- INR
Rating:
Locale: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Food Quality: 8/10
Food Quantity: 7.5/10
Vegetarian Variety: 7/10
Non-Vegetarian Variety: 8.5/10
Menu Card: 7.5/10
Value for Money: 8/10
Recall value: 8.5/10
Overall Rating: 8/10
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Question of the Day# 1!!!
If a tanker carrying fuel runs out of fuel enroute to the delivery area, can it be refueled from the fuel that it is carrying???
Restaurant Reviews#1: SUNNY'S
A Big hey to everyone after a long hiatus...
Starting today i will be reviewing restaurants and eatouts...
Why??? Coz i just felt like!!!Thats all... :)
Major Foodies here i come
Today's Restaurant: Sunny's
Location: Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore, India
Style: Continental/International
The restaurant is located in the heart of Bangalore just off St. Marks Road... The first thing that strikes you when you enter is the fact that the place is well lit with natural and artificial lighting... Floor to ceiling Windows enhace the feel of the place. The seating looks spacious and comfortable and kudos to the guy who managed to arrange so well in a limited area. Chairs are confortable enough.
The Menu card is just a little above normal with a writing is a running Italicized font. Simple and nice. Variety is limited for the complete veggie (including yours truly) though there is abundant choice for the others. The waiters do not write your order down in front of you, but do it aside after you have told them all the items you would like to have. This is something different and refreshing.
Food is tasty, cooked well and less spicy. if you need it to be more spicy, do mention it in advance. Food Quantity is good and filling.
Desserts are yummy and come in a variety of crockery depending on the dessert... People who are bored with round as a shape will find that to be refreshing.
Another interesting thing that i noticed here was that the staff were ready in an instant...
A table had just been vacated by the guests and in 60-90 seconds, three people had gotten around to cleaning it up and preparing it for the next set of people...Complete change... Imagine in less than two minutes. thats awesome service.
Avg. Cost for 2: 1000/- INR (For the uninitiated, thats Indian Rupees)
Rating:
Locale: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Food Quality: 8/10
Food Quantity: 8/10
Vegetarian Variety: 4/10
Non-Vegetarian Variety: 8/10
Menu Card: 6/10
Value for Money: 7/10
Recall value: 8/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Starting today i will be reviewing restaurants and eatouts...
Why??? Coz i just felt like!!!Thats all... :)
Major Foodies here i come
Today's Restaurant: Sunny's
Location: Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore, India
Style: Continental/International
The restaurant is located in the heart of Bangalore just off St. Marks Road... The first thing that strikes you when you enter is the fact that the place is well lit with natural and artificial lighting... Floor to ceiling Windows enhace the feel of the place. The seating looks spacious and comfortable and kudos to the guy who managed to arrange so well in a limited area. Chairs are confortable enough.
The Menu card is just a little above normal with a writing is a running Italicized font. Simple and nice. Variety is limited for the complete veggie (including yours truly) though there is abundant choice for the others. The waiters do not write your order down in front of you, but do it aside after you have told them all the items you would like to have. This is something different and refreshing.
Food is tasty, cooked well and less spicy. if you need it to be more spicy, do mention it in advance. Food Quantity is good and filling.
Desserts are yummy and come in a variety of crockery depending on the dessert... People who are bored with round as a shape will find that to be refreshing.
Another interesting thing that i noticed here was that the staff were ready in an instant...
A table had just been vacated by the guests and in 60-90 seconds, three people had gotten around to cleaning it up and preparing it for the next set of people...Complete change... Imagine in less than two minutes. thats awesome service.
Avg. Cost for 2: 1000/- INR (For the uninitiated, thats Indian Rupees)
Rating:
Locale: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Food Quality: 8/10
Food Quantity: 8/10
Vegetarian Variety: 4/10
Non-Vegetarian Variety: 8/10
Menu Card: 6/10
Value for Money: 7/10
Recall value: 8/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
FIFA WORLD CUP 2006: GERMANY... A RECAP.
Well what a world cup it was… For one, the team that I was supporting won the coveted trophy…and for another Germany united as a nation to spur everyone on…
Well lets get on with the rewind::::
Group Stages:
Well, did the group stages see enough surprises? Of course they did… Here they are the main features of the first round,
Ecuador beat both Poland and Costa Rica to reach the second round in group A
Voracious home support puts Germany on top of Group A beating all the others and scoring 8 goals in 3 matches.
England huff and puff to qualify on top of Group B inspite of Sweden playing quite well…
Trinidad and Tobago get their first ever world cup point in Group B with a draw off Sweden.
Both Argentina and the Dutch are pushed to the limit by the Elephants from Ivory Coast who end up losing very marginally in both matches in Group C.
Argentina slam 6 past hapless Serbia & Montenegro to top the group with the Dutch in second from Group C.
Portugal topped Group D comfortably with Mexico scraping in second over Angola and Iran.
Now onto Group E, this group provided the most excitement of them all. Italy and Ghana qualified to the next round inspite of the Czech Rep. (World Ranking:2) and the USA (World Ranking: 5).
Ghana was one of the surprise packages of the tournament. They lost to Italy in the first game but rallied back to beat both the Czech (2-0) and the Americans (2-1). The passion and commitment shown in their own innocence bought smiles to everyone who watched them play…
Group F saw Brazil advance as expected but also saw Australia make it to the next round, thanks mainly to their come-from-behind win over Japan in their opening game… Croatia and Japan were a shadow of their former selves…
Group G was another surprising group with the Swiss qualifying at the expense of Korea… while France managed to just scrape through to the next round with unimpressive performances.
Group H saw Spain and Ukraine qualify as expected with Spain thoroughly dominating the group with a young side…
A plethora of goals were scored in the first round…117 in all…
On to the second round:
Germany beat Sweden comfortably with early strikes within the first ten minutes… Argentina had to wait till extra time and a brilliant Maxi Rodriguez goal to put it past Mexico who actually played better.
A 10 man Italy had to wait till the 94th minute to score the winner… The winner was controversial. Grosso takes the ball into the Aussie penalty area… Defender slides in and misses the ball… Grosso opportunistically trips over the fallen defender and gets the penalty… Totti scores and Italy are thru…
Switzerland lost to Ukraine on penalties after the score was 0-0 after extra time and created a history of sorts… They were the first team to be eliminated from a world cup without conceding a single goal. They were also the first team to miss all the penalties of a shoot out… Lucky Ukraine…
England managed to beat Ecuador thru a David Beckham free kick. Then came the war… Portugal v Netherlands… Portugal won 1-0 but with 15+ yellow cards and 4 red cards, it ended up being one of the most carded games in history… It was just plain nasty…
Brazil beat Ghana due to lack of Ghana’s finishing capabilities while the resurgent French beat the young Spaniards quite comfortably to notch up another one of the upsets.
Quarter Finale:
Argentina and Germany played a brilliant match which saw Argentina take the lead in the second half and Germany equalizing 15 minutes later… Argentina were unwise to substitute their star players when they took the lead and that affected them… When they extra time, they were ultra defensive and 2 brilliant saves by Jens Lehmann ensured Germany’s progress via the shoot out…
Italy, who had the easiest Q/F on paper, duly dispatched Ukraine home with a comfortable 3-0 win.
England managed to hold off Portugal and take the game into penalties after Wayne Rooney was sent off… But then 2 saves by Ricardo ensured Portugal’s progress.
Then came the big shocker as France capitalized on a defensive lapse by Brazil to beat them 1-0 and go on to the semis…
The Semi-Finals
France beat Portugal as the Portuguese could not capitalize on the defensive lapses while Italy beat Germany in the dying minutes of extra time to get to the final…
3rd / 4th Playoff:
Germany totally dominated the Portuguese as Bastian Schweinsteiger’s brace was enough to see Germany clinch 3rd place in front of a vociferous home crowd.
THE GRAND FINALE: Salient features.
Very nice matchup… Italy dominating the first half…after Zidane scored an early goal… Italy equalizing soon…
French domination of the second half but nothing to deter the Azzuri defense…
Zidane’s crazy headbutt and sending off in extra time
And finally Italy winning on penalties… Something which they have never done before…
A fitting World cup and a fitting tribute to the Italian defense….
The event ends with Miroslav Klose (Ger) winning his second Golden Boot in a row, Gigi Buffon (ITA) winning the Lev Yashin Best Goalkeeper award, Lukas Podolski (Ger) with the best young player and Zinedine Zidane (Fra) with the Golden Ball...
Hopefully the next cup will be quite as intriguing as this one...
See you guys in 2010 @ South Africa…
Good night… and Good luck
May the Force be with you…
Well lets get on with the rewind::::
Group Stages:
Well, did the group stages see enough surprises? Of course they did… Here they are the main features of the first round,
Ecuador beat both Poland and Costa Rica to reach the second round in group A
Voracious home support puts Germany on top of Group A beating all the others and scoring 8 goals in 3 matches.
England huff and puff to qualify on top of Group B inspite of Sweden playing quite well…
Trinidad and Tobago get their first ever world cup point in Group B with a draw off Sweden.
Both Argentina and the Dutch are pushed to the limit by the Elephants from Ivory Coast who end up losing very marginally in both matches in Group C.
Argentina slam 6 past hapless Serbia & Montenegro to top the group with the Dutch in second from Group C.
Portugal topped Group D comfortably with Mexico scraping in second over Angola and Iran.
Now onto Group E, this group provided the most excitement of them all. Italy and Ghana qualified to the next round inspite of the Czech Rep. (World Ranking:2) and the USA (World Ranking: 5).
Ghana was one of the surprise packages of the tournament. They lost to Italy in the first game but rallied back to beat both the Czech (2-0) and the Americans (2-1). The passion and commitment shown in their own innocence bought smiles to everyone who watched them play…
Group F saw Brazil advance as expected but also saw Australia make it to the next round, thanks mainly to their come-from-behind win over Japan in their opening game… Croatia and Japan were a shadow of their former selves…
Group G was another surprising group with the Swiss qualifying at the expense of Korea… while France managed to just scrape through to the next round with unimpressive performances.
Group H saw Spain and Ukraine qualify as expected with Spain thoroughly dominating the group with a young side…
A plethora of goals were scored in the first round…117 in all…
On to the second round:
Germany beat Sweden comfortably with early strikes within the first ten minutes… Argentina had to wait till extra time and a brilliant Maxi Rodriguez goal to put it past Mexico who actually played better.
A 10 man Italy had to wait till the 94th minute to score the winner… The winner was controversial. Grosso takes the ball into the Aussie penalty area… Defender slides in and misses the ball… Grosso opportunistically trips over the fallen defender and gets the penalty… Totti scores and Italy are thru…
Switzerland lost to Ukraine on penalties after the score was 0-0 after extra time and created a history of sorts… They were the first team to be eliminated from a world cup without conceding a single goal. They were also the first team to miss all the penalties of a shoot out… Lucky Ukraine…
England managed to beat Ecuador thru a David Beckham free kick. Then came the war… Portugal v Netherlands… Portugal won 1-0 but with 15+ yellow cards and 4 red cards, it ended up being one of the most carded games in history… It was just plain nasty…
Brazil beat Ghana due to lack of Ghana’s finishing capabilities while the resurgent French beat the young Spaniards quite comfortably to notch up another one of the upsets.
Quarter Finale:
Argentina and Germany played a brilliant match which saw Argentina take the lead in the second half and Germany equalizing 15 minutes later… Argentina were unwise to substitute their star players when they took the lead and that affected them… When they extra time, they were ultra defensive and 2 brilliant saves by Jens Lehmann ensured Germany’s progress via the shoot out…
Italy, who had the easiest Q/F on paper, duly dispatched Ukraine home with a comfortable 3-0 win.
England managed to hold off Portugal and take the game into penalties after Wayne Rooney was sent off… But then 2 saves by Ricardo ensured Portugal’s progress.
Then came the big shocker as France capitalized on a defensive lapse by Brazil to beat them 1-0 and go on to the semis…
The Semi-Finals
France beat Portugal as the Portuguese could not capitalize on the defensive lapses while Italy beat Germany in the dying minutes of extra time to get to the final…
3rd / 4th Playoff:
Germany totally dominated the Portuguese as Bastian Schweinsteiger’s brace was enough to see Germany clinch 3rd place in front of a vociferous home crowd.
THE GRAND FINALE: Salient features.
Very nice matchup… Italy dominating the first half…after Zidane scored an early goal… Italy equalizing soon…
French domination of the second half but nothing to deter the Azzuri defense…
Zidane’s crazy headbutt and sending off in extra time
And finally Italy winning on penalties… Something which they have never done before…
A fitting World cup and a fitting tribute to the Italian defense….
The event ends with Miroslav Klose (Ger) winning his second Golden Boot in a row, Gigi Buffon (ITA) winning the Lev Yashin Best Goalkeeper award, Lukas Podolski (Ger) with the best young player and Zinedine Zidane (Fra) with the Golden Ball...
Hopefully the next cup will be quite as intriguing as this one...
See you guys in 2010 @ South Africa…
Good night… and Good luck
May the Force be with you…
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Italy v Germany: FIFA World cup 2006 Semi-final…04th July 2006
Wow what a match!!! First of all, I managed to watch the match at the multiplex in office (BIG SCREEN) and that was awesome… Second of all, it was a rockin good match…
The Prelude: Italy had a relatively easier run to the semis and hadn’t been tested by anyone except Australia (who unfortunately lost due to a bad refereeing decision)… They had also beaten Germany in a friendly recently 4-1… So history was on Italy’s side you may think…
Wrong… think again…
Germany were playing in Dortmund where they hadn’t lost ever…that’s 35 years without a loss in Dortmund… on their way Germany had managed to eliminate powerhouses like Sweden and Argentina… Germany beat Argentina in a shootout which proved to everyone that Germany can never be beaten on the penalties… Germany hadn’t lost a shootout in the World cup ever… and the only time they ever lost one was in an EURO championships in the 70s.
So get set for a rocker…
The Game: Italy started attacking right away… With the lion share of possession you might have expected them to take the lead, but they just couldn’t beat Jens Lehmann (the German Goalie) and the German defense… So now Germany get a few chances but they are thwarted brilliantly by the Italian defense and captain Cannavaro… He had one brilliant match…
So it goes back and forth… Italy generating chances through Pirlo and Totti, while Germany attacked through Ballack, Lahm and Schneider.
Half Time: Score 0-0
2nd half sees a rejuvenated German team who attack like crazy… Italy is pushed to the back foot… The solid Azzuri defense does not give way, suppressing wave after wave of German attack… Odonkor and Schweinsteiger arrive to take it up a notch for Germany.
Italy respond by getting in Gillardino and Iaquinta…
Full Time: Scores are still 0-0….
The extra time begins with a flurry of chances at the German goal by Gillardino and Iaquinta… Two shots by Italy hitting the post… Italy take control and continue attacking… Soon Del Piero and Neuville arrive for Italy and Germany respectively…
Lehmann continues to save everything thrown at him…
Podolski has his shot saved by Buffon… And soon everyone is expecting penalties…
Italy must avoid penalties coz they have never won a shootout…
118’ of the match…Pirlo passes the ball to Grosso within the box, Grosso turns and lets one go to the far post…. GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL…
Italy have taken the lead… The minority crowd erupts. The Germans are shell shocked… Only 2 minutes to go and Germany goes on the attack and they almost get another shot in when the ball is cleared by the Italian defense, only to lead into a counter attack… Gillardino passes to Del Piero who beats Lehmann one on one as Italy and their supporters erupt in a frenzy… the home side are distraught… 2 goals in 2 minutes sends
the hosts packing and Italy to the final…
The Germans are distraught but have to reassure themselves that their young squad will have more chances. The Italians, meanwhile, head to Berlin…
What a night!!! What an experience!!!
The Prelude: Italy had a relatively easier run to the semis and hadn’t been tested by anyone except Australia (who unfortunately lost due to a bad refereeing decision)… They had also beaten Germany in a friendly recently 4-1… So history was on Italy’s side you may think…
Wrong… think again…
Germany were playing in Dortmund where they hadn’t lost ever…that’s 35 years without a loss in Dortmund… on their way Germany had managed to eliminate powerhouses like Sweden and Argentina… Germany beat Argentina in a shootout which proved to everyone that Germany can never be beaten on the penalties… Germany hadn’t lost a shootout in the World cup ever… and the only time they ever lost one was in an EURO championships in the 70s.
So get set for a rocker…
The Game: Italy started attacking right away… With the lion share of possession you might have expected them to take the lead, but they just couldn’t beat Jens Lehmann (the German Goalie) and the German defense… So now Germany get a few chances but they are thwarted brilliantly by the Italian defense and captain Cannavaro… He had one brilliant match…
So it goes back and forth… Italy generating chances through Pirlo and Totti, while Germany attacked through Ballack, Lahm and Schneider.
Half Time: Score 0-0
2nd half sees a rejuvenated German team who attack like crazy… Italy is pushed to the back foot… The solid Azzuri defense does not give way, suppressing wave after wave of German attack… Odonkor and Schweinsteiger arrive to take it up a notch for Germany.
Italy respond by getting in Gillardino and Iaquinta…
Full Time: Scores are still 0-0….
The extra time begins with a flurry of chances at the German goal by Gillardino and Iaquinta… Two shots by Italy hitting the post… Italy take control and continue attacking… Soon Del Piero and Neuville arrive for Italy and Germany respectively…
Lehmann continues to save everything thrown at him…
Podolski has his shot saved by Buffon… And soon everyone is expecting penalties…
Italy must avoid penalties coz they have never won a shootout…
118’ of the match…Pirlo passes the ball to Grosso within the box, Grosso turns and lets one go to the far post…. GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL…
Italy have taken the lead… The minority crowd erupts. The Germans are shell shocked… Only 2 minutes to go and Germany goes on the attack and they almost get another shot in when the ball is cleared by the Italian defense, only to lead into a counter attack… Gillardino passes to Del Piero who beats Lehmann one on one as Italy and their supporters erupt in a frenzy… the home side are distraught… 2 goals in 2 minutes sends
the hosts packing and Italy to the final…
The Germans are distraught but have to reassure themselves that their young squad will have more chances. The Italians, meanwhile, head to Berlin…
What a night!!! What an experience!!!
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