Futsal....

It has been such a long time since I last played futsal. I injured my back (ruptured 2 discs on my backbone) while playing sometime in 2007 and I have not been able to return to the game ever since. Well, honestly, I attempted to, but I actually aggravated the injury further. So, I had been undergoing physio, chiro sessions and I have been doing my own physio exercises at home.

By God's grace, I do feel a lot better after the continuous gym work-outs I have been doing. Oh yeah, I will be returning to the gym soon. Will be starting gym work from Monday onwards. I've been eating a lot and I can feel myself tightening up. So, it is time to lose all those unwanted baggage I'm carrying around.

I suggested to the guys to play futsal and everyone agreed unanimously. In fact, last week we played basketball. It is a good work out, especially now that we hardly exercise. My only exercise is walking with Caesar and Vasco, well, actually running with them. I had started the jog with the boys about 2 months back and I am still doing it, but it is nothing like futsal. So, we have managed to book the court and we will be playing tonight after work. Can't wait for it.

Hope we can keep this up. At least a good 2 hours cardio work out every Friday after work.

To My Dear Caesar & Vasco....

The poem below is specially dedicated to my lovely fur-kids. You both bring so much joy into my life.

I lie belly-up

In the sunshine, happier than

You ever will be

Today I sniffed

Many dog butts — I celebrate

By kissing your face

I sound the alarm! Paperboy — come to kill us all —

Look! Look! Look! Look! Look!

I sound the alarm! Garbage man — come to kill us all —

Look! Look! Look! Look! Look!

I lift my leg and....

Whiz on each bush. Hello, Spot —

Sniff this and weep

I hate my choke chain — Look, world, they strangle me!
AckAck Ack Ack Ack Ack!

Sleeping here, my chin on your foot — no greater bliss — well,

Maybe catching cats

Look in my eyes and deny it

No human could....

Love you as much I do

Woof Woof....

Red Devils 5 - Magpies 1

Good one eh!

From the time Rooney scored in the 25th, I had this gut feeling that it was going to be one of those nights. Being 0-2 up in the going into the 2nd half was comfortable enough - however, when 3 more came by the 90th minute, I couldn't ask for more. Superb play by Cristiano Ronaldo, again. If the players play the way they played on Sun morning, we have a good, or I must say a very good chance at winning the Premiership.

Having the Gunners draw against Birmingham City, we had a good chance of reducing their lead in the table. From a possible 8 point, we are currently down to 3 points. I hope we can continue our charge and keep winning all the matches. I have come to realise that it is not the big wins that enabled a team to win championships, but being consistent in every game. It is not easy to stay consistent - game after game. With all the injuries affecting every team as the season closes, it continually becomes tough on the managers to toggle between players and ensure they do not burn out.

It was sad to see how Eduardo da Silva was rushed into emergency surgery after a sickening tackle from Birmingham defender Martin Taylor in Saturday's Barclays Premier League match at St Andrews. According to the physio, Tim Allardyce, Eduardo was very lucky to have been immediately treated on the pitch as any delay in attending to such an injury would likely result in amputation. My deepest sympathies to the young star who had a very good season with the Gunners. I hope he recovers soon. We all know this is a serious injury and it takes approximately 9 months for full recovery. My sincere prayers goes out to you Eduardo.

Hope to see better games in the weeks to come and hopefully no more serious injuries like the above.

Amazing Things I Didn't Know About Animals....

Once again, I was on my favourite site - http://www.livescience.com/. While I was just browsing for some updates on dolphins, I came across this interesting article. The title reads, '10 Amazing Things You Didn't Know About Animals'. Well, I can bravely say that, these are 10 amazing things that even I did not know about these wonderful creatures. Check it out people!

No.10

Crocodiles Swallow Stones For Swimming

The stomach of a crocodile is a rocky place to be, for more than one reason. To begin with, a croc's digestive system encounters everything from turtles, fish and birds to giraffes, buffaloes, lions and even (when defending territory) other crocodiles. In addition to that bellyful-o'-ecosystem, rocks show up too. The reptiles swallow large stones that stay permanently in their bellies. It's been suggested these are used for ballast in diving.

No.9

Whale Milk Not On Low Fat Diet
Nursing a newborn is no "small" feat for the whale, whose calf emerges, after 10 to 12 months in the womb, about a third the mother's length (that's a 30-foot baby for the Blue whale). The mother squirts milk into the newborn's mouth using muscles around the mammary gland while the baby holds tight to a nipple (yes, whales have them). At nearly 50 percent fat, whale milk has around 10 times the fat content of human milk, which helps calves achieve some serious growth spurtseas much as 200 pounds per day.

No.8

Birds Use Landmarks To Navigate Long Journeys
Can you imagine a road trip vacation without missed exits, stubborn drivers or map-folding disasters? Of course noteyou're not a bird. Pigeons can fly thousands of miles to find the same roosting spot with no navigational difficulties. Some species of birds, like the Arctic tern, make a 25,000 mile round-trip journey every year. Many species use built-in ferromagnets to detect their orientation with respect to the Earth's magnetic field. A November 2006 study published in Animal Behaviour suggests that pigeons also use familiar landmarks on the ground below to help find their way home.

No.7

For Beavers, Day Gets Longer In Winter
Beavers become near shut-ins during winter, living off of previously stored food or the deposits of fat in their distinctive tails. They conserve energy by avoiding the cold outdoors, opting instead to remain in dark lodgings inside their pile of wood and mud. As a result these rodents, which normally emerge at sunset and turn in at sunrise, have no light cues to entrain their sleep cycle. The beaver's biological sense of time shifts, and she develops a "free running circadian rhythm" of 29-hour days.

No.6

Mole Rats Aren’t Blind
With their puny eyes and underground lifestyle, African mole-rats have long been considered the Mr. Magoos of rodents, detecting little light and, it has been suggested, using their eyes more for sensing changes in air currents than for actual vision. But findings of the past few years have shown that African mole-rats have a keen, if limited, sense of sight. And they don't like what they see, according to a report in the November 2006 Animal Behaviour. Light may suggest that a predator has broken into a tunnel, which could explain why subterranean diggers developed sight in the first place.

No.5

Baby Chicks And Brotherhood

It's a mistake to think of evolution as producing selfish animals concerned only with their own survival. Altruism abounds in cases where a helping hand will encourage the survival of genetic material similar to one's own. Baby chicks practice this "kin selection" by making a special chirp while feeding. This call announces the food find to nearby chicks, who are probably close relations and so share many of the chick's genes. The key to natural selection isn't survival of the fittest animal. It's survival of the fittest genetic material, and so brotherly behavior that favors close relations will thrive.

No.4

Many Fish, Swap Sex Organs

With so many land creatures to wonder at, it's easy to forget that some of the weirdest activities take place deep in the ocean. The strange practice of hermaphroditism is more common among species of fish than within any other group of vertebrates. Some fish change sex in response to hormonal cycle or environmental changes. Others simultaneously possess both male and female sex organs.

No.3

Giraffes Compensate For Height With Unique Blood Flow

The stately giraffe, whose head sits some 16 feet up atop an unlikely pedestal, adapted his long neck to compete for foliage with other grazers. While the advantage of reach is obvious, some difficulties arise at such a height. The heart must pump twice as hard as a cow's to get blood up to the brain, and a complex blood vessel system is needed to ensure that blood doesn't rush to the head when bent over. Six feet below the heart, the skin of the legs must then be extremely tight to prevent blood from pooling at the hooves.

No.2

Elephants Do Forget, But They’re Not Dumb
Elephants have the largest brain nearly 11 pounds on average of any mammal that ever walked the earth. Do they use that gray matter to the fullest? Intelligence is hard to quantify in humans or animals, but the encephalization quotient (EQ), a ratio of an animal's observed brain size to the expected brain size given the animal's mass, correlates well with an ability to navigate novel challenges and obstacles. The average elephant EQ is 1.88. (Humans range from 7.33 to 7.69, chimpanzees average 2.45, pigs 0.27.) Intelligence and memory are thought to go hand in hand, suggesting that elephant memories, while not infallible, are quite good.

NO.1

Parrots Talk More Than Just Squawking
Parrot speech is commonly regarded as the brainless squawking of a feathered voice recorder. But studies over the past 30 years continually show that parrots engage in much more than mere mimicry. Our avian friends can solve certain linguistic processing tasks as deftly as 4-6 year-old children. Parrots appear to grasp concepts like "same" and "different", "bigger" and "smaller", "none" and numbers. Perhaps most interestingly, they can combine labels and phrases in novel ways. A January 2007 study in Language Sciences suggests using patterns of parrot speech learning to develop artificial speech skills in robots.

Well Done, Man Utd....

Some say that it should have been an easy win for Man Utd at Lyon. But we were playing against the best side in France and we were playing at their turf. The initial opener by Benzema was a classic strike by the young yet quickly maturing and accomplished striker. A very good goal, I must say. Going into the 2nd half 0-1 was a tough one. But the Devils stuck to their game plan and played some really exciting football.

A very smart move by SFA who introduced Nani and Tevez mid way of the 2nd half. This proved to be highly tactical as crosses were coming in, chances were being created and what do you know, Tevez scored the equaliser.

The return leg at the Theatre of Dreams will be a mouth watering encounter. So, till then, adios!

Glory Glory Man Utd!

The Power Of Non-Violence....

A good friend of mine sent me this article. I call it Ghandism. Enjoy the read and kindly digest the very meaning of non-violence the author (Dr. Arun Ghandi) is trying to imply:

Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the M.K.Gandhi Institute for Non-violence, in his June 9 lecture at the University of Puerto Rico , shared the following story:

I was 16 years old and living with my parents at the institute my grandfather had founded 18 miles outside of Durban, South Africa, in the middle of the sugar plantations. We were deep in the country and had no neighbours, so my two sisters and I would always look forward to going to town to visit friends or go to the movies.

One day, my father asked me to drive him to town for an all-day conference, and I jumped at the chance. Since I was going to town, my mother gave me a list of groceries she needed and, since I had all day in town, my father asked me to take care of several pending chores, such as getting the car serviced.

When I dropped my father off that morning, he said, "I will meet you here at 5:00 pm, and we will go home together."

After hurriedly completing my chores, I went straight to the nearest movie theatre. I got so engrossed in a John Wayne double-feature that I forgot the time. It was 5:30 before I remembered. By the time I ran to the garage and got the car and hurried to where my father was waiting for me, it was almost 6:00.

He anxiously asked me, "Why were you late?" I was so ashamed of telling him I was watching a John Wayne western movie that I said, "The car wasn't ready, so I had to wait," not realizing that he had already called the garage.

When he caught me in the lie, he said: "There's something wrong in the way I brought you up that didn't give you the confidence to tell me the truth. In order to figure out where I went wrong with you, I'm going to walk home 18 miles and think about it."

So, dressed in his suit and dress shoes, he began to walk home in the dark on mostly unpaved, unlit roads.

I couldn't leave him, so for five-and-a-half hours I drove behind him, watching my father go through this agony for a stupid lie that I uttered. I decided then and there that I was never going to lie again.

I often think about that episode and wonder, if he had punished me the way we punish our children, whether I would have learned a lesson at all. I don't think so. I would have suffered the punishment and gone on doing the same thing. But this single non-violent action was so powerful that it is still as if it happened yesterday.

That is the power of non-violence.

Man Utd 4 - Arsenal 0

OMG! What a game it was over the weekend! I had not planned to go out on Sat as I wanted to just chill out at home, have my baked fish, a fruit punch (my all time favourite - Pineapple and ice-cream soda) and some chopped fruits. But, the boys wanted to go and chill, so I agreed. Since I am on abstinence (due to Lent) - well, to those who don't know, I am abstaining myself from red meat and any form of alcohol. I thought it would be difficult for me to get through it, but God has been very gracious. He has been guiding me to stay away from both of the above. Anyway, getting back to the game, we met at T-Club - watched the 2nd half of the Liverpool v Barnsley (1-2 loss, at Anfield) game and then on to the Man Utd v Arsenal game. I believe the star of the Liverpool v Barnsley game was the former Man Utd youngster - Luke Steele. The string of superb saves he made, kept the Championship outfit in the match. My deepest sympathies to the Pudlians, you deserve to at least qualify for the quarters. What a pity! I hope you guys will do well in the Champions League. Although I am an United die-hard, I have a special place in my heart for Liverpool - for its beautiful tradition in English football. It is sad the way the club is struggling at the moment. My very best to the Pudlians.

Among those present were: Paul Michael, Michelle, Peter Michael, Vikhram, Brenda, Remy and myself - oh yeah, I knew I missed out someone - there was another gentlemen, Michelle's friend.

It started off by the Red Devils attacking from all corners. My Men of the Match were Nani & Darren Fletcher. Although Portuguese got carried away with his snowboating skills, which were rather unnecessary, but he played exceptionally well. In fact, he was instrumental in the supplying of all the goals. It started off with Wayne Rooney, the one by Fletcher, a power strike by Nani just before half time and upon the commencement of the second half, another by Fletcher. I believe, the Gunners were thrashed to biscuits at the Theatre of Dream, or should I say 'The Gunners Were Gunned Down'. This is a very positive result for the Devils as we need to revive our spirits especially after the derby loss last weekend. This has inevidently revived the entire team.

It is my hope and prayer that none of the top 16 players get injured. It should be a good ending of the season. Now, I believe the Premiership can go anywhere between the likes of Arsenal (although I am not too sure about that after yesterday's performance), the Devils (of course) and the Blues (Chelsea). United cannot afford to lose any more games. We have lost enough games for this entire season. Now, it is just time to win and keep winning big. We need big goal differences as it may come down to goal differences - the way I see it.

This is a good preparation as we near the Champion League knock-out game on Wed against Lyon. Come on my dear United, let us dream the 'Treble Dream'. I believe we were exactly at this phase in 1999 when Roy Keane said, "The treble is a realistic dream". Let us do it again and be the ONLY club in Europe to win a treble 2 times in less than a decade.

Glory Glory Man Utd!

Time For Trivia....

I have been a huge fan of trivia, especially when it comes to general knowledge. It is always a pleasure to learn and of course to challenge myself on how much I know. Well, I was browsing through a few sites and I came across some facts that one may not have even thought about. Well, here are a few questions. Challenge yourself people, to see how much you know. If you get all the questions right, then you're a level above everyone else. Try it:-

Question 1:

Which country, about the size of Switzerland, has the world's highest unclimbed peak, has normally only one airplane in the country at any given time, has a population living in large houses where people eat lots of peppers and some beef and pork - although the religion prohibits killing animals within the country, has thousands of dogs allowed to bark all night so they can scare off evil spirits, has millions of marijuana plants growing wild, has no civil unrest or international enemies, has a national religion, which is a highly sexual form of Buddhism, and is a place where by law, almost everyone wears a robe, the men often adding argyle socks and dress shoes, while many elderly people climb mountains barefoot?

Question 2:

What country has almost no native plant life?

Question 3:

Which is the only Asian country never to have been occupied by a foreign power?

Question 4:

Which country has the highest percentage of its population incarcerated (yeah, yeah, I know some of you'll will ask me what this means - it means jailed or put in jail) ?

Question 5:

Which two capital cities in Africa have similar to the names of their respective countries?

Question 6:

What is the hottest place on Earth?

Question 7:

What is the coldest place on Earth?

Question 8:

How much space dust falls to Earth each year?

So, what was your score out of 8? I scored a 4/8. Among the toughest questions are Q2 and Q8. Anyway, the answers are below:-

Question 1:

Bhutan. This remarkable country has been described as Shangri-La. Many who have been there feel that it has just about the most splendid natural environment and precious culture left on the planet

Question 2:

Qatar. This desolate peninsular country on the Persian Gulf has managed to "green" itself only slightly with its oil revenue.

Question 3:

Thailand. The rest of East Asia has a long history of changing occupations. The USSR was both occupied and occupier: they were invaded by both Napoleon's and Hitler's army, but later controlled much of central Asia. Much of China's coast has also been under foreign domination, but now Tibet is under its rule. Holland colonized Indonesia; France controlled Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam; Spain ran the Philippines; and Britain dominated a huge area, from the Middle East to the Indian subcontinent and beyond. Japan was one of the last of the occupiers, starting with Korea and China and making its way down to South East Asia before being pushed back at the end of WWII. It was then, in turn, under U.S. occupation following the war.

Question 4:

The United States of America. More than 4 people per every 1000 are in jail, South Africa is a close second.

Question 5:

Tunis – Tunisia & Algiers – Algeria

Question 6:

El Azizia in Libya recorded a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit (57.8 Celsius) on Sept. 13, 1922 - the hottest ever measured. In Death Valley, it got up to 134 Fahrenheit on July 10, 1913.

Question 7:

Far and away, the coldest temperature ever measured on Earth was -129 Fahrenheit (-89 Celsius) at Vostok , Antarctica, on July 21, 1983.

Question 8:

Estimates vary, but the USGS says at least 1,000 million grams, or roughly 1,000 tons of material enters the atmosphere every year and makes its way to Earth's surface. One group of scientists claims microbes rain down from space, too, and that extraterrestrial organisms are responsible for flu epidemics.

Derby Loss....

It was disheartening to watch the loss of Man Utd to Man City at Old Trafford yesterday. A very sad moment for me. Firstly, for the fact that it was the memorial game for the Busby Babes and secondly - we could have gone 1 point above Arsenal on the table.

City, who had not won at the ground since 1974, completed their first double over Manchester United since 1970 with a deserved 2-1 victory. Darius Vassell and new signing Benjani Mwaruwari scored first-half goals for City and United's only reply was in injury-time from Michael Carrick.

From what I saw, the Devils were not even in the Derby. City was running riot all over the pitch. The running saw Vassell and Benjani put 2 goals before the half-time whistle. I do hope the boys will pull up their socks and rise to the occasion when we play Arsenal in the 5th round of the FA Cup on Saturday. Beating Arsenal will cement a place in the quaterfinals of the oldest Cup competition in the world. Do I blame fatigue as an excuse for the loss? Well, not entirely. It could be one of the contributing factors (especially having all the players return from their international friendlies), but also the fact that Man City played awesome football. With the likes of Micah Richards (whom I salute as the future Central Defender of England), Darius Vassell, Benjani and Dunn.

A minute of silence to remember the Munich Air Disaster before the match

Lets pick it up my boys and let us keep pressuring the Gunners as we defend our title.

Glory Glory Man Utd!

PD Trip....

What a trip it was! Damn!

We had so much of fun. Among the guys who went are: Paul Michael (D'Organiser), Vicky Raja (Co-Organiser), Zack (Official Photographer), Vikhram & Lionel (Birthday Boys), Ramesh, Ram, Veke Rama, Viji, Harith & me'self.

We left KL at about 11.00am and we reached PD at about 1pm. Met up with Vicky who was already in PD, for lunch at this Curry Leaf Restaurant. Very good food I must say. Ate some and then headed straight to the Bayu Beach Resort to collect the keys. Upon doing so, we went to Vicky's house for a drink and then bought all our supplies. Then straight to Bayu Beach Resort.

We started off by getting all the food organised, drinks ready and ice chilled. While we were chilling in the apartment we had some home made mutton perattel prepared by Vikhram's mum. Awesome mutton you'all. Thank you Auntie Krishnan for the lovely mutton. Then, all of us headed to the beach for some exciting Beach Football. It has been a while since I played beach football, so it was fun. The 'Dream Team' of Paul Michael (Captain), Zack, Harith, Viji, Veke and myself soundly beat the 'Other Team' of Ram (Captain), Vikhram, Vicky, Lionel and Ramesh - victory of 3-0. What a game la! Some of the guys wanted to go up and chill, but the others had to go for a swim in the beach. So, we went for a dip. It was nice to cool down after such a long day. Oh yes, did I mention, I have not slept ever since I finished work on Fri as we had a long night out, then got back to prepare all the items and by then Lionel came and we left.

Anyway, after the swim, headed back for a bath, got ready and headed down to the beach for the BBQ. Paul's mum took the trouble to marinate all the lamb and chicken. Thank you very much Auntie Anthonysamy for the ever so lovely marination. While we were starting the fire for the pit, the rain came and went. When we started cooking, again the rain came and went. I was praying that the rain will stop. Well, when we were half way through the BBQ, the rain came again and this time it stopped for good - thank God.

We ate chicken, lamb, sausages and not forgetting drank the bottles and bottles of Chivas Regal that were at the site. At the beach, we finished 1 1/2 bottles, but upon returning to the apartment the other 2 1/2 were finished. While we were drinking at the apartment, I was really feeling too tired, so I retired for the night, while the other boys continued till the wee hours of the morning.

I was only up the next day by 12 noon, had a bath and actually went back to sleep. Very nice sleep I had - hmmmm, nice. The boys were not happy about it as I retired early the night before, well not really early la, I retired about 1am - but remember I have been drinking since 9.30pm. I am merely defending myself here against all the 'verbal assaults' I have been getting ever since Sunday. Anyway, we checked out of the apartment and then headed to Vicky's house for lunch. Uncle and Auntie Rajaswaran were so welcoming. Thank you very much Uncle and Auntie Rajaswaran. Auntie prepared some lovely lunch for us - rice, dhalcha (mutton), chicken perratel, mutton varuvel, cabbage and french beans. Very nice lunch.

After lunch, Auntie insisted that we stayed for tea, had some tit bits and then headed back to KL. It was a nice drive back. Left PD at about 5pm and reached KL at 7pm. It was slightly jammed along the North-South expressway, but it was just along Nilai, after that it was smooth.

All in all an excellent trip. I thank you Paul, Vicky, Vikhram (driving me back), Lionel (driving me to), Veke, Ramesh, Ram, Viji, Zack & Harith for inviting me to join all of you for this ever so memorable trip. It is truly one of the best things that has happened to me this year. Once again, thank you my dear brothers.

All the pics that were taken at PD:-