Chp 383. Sons of Anarchy - Season 4

Another great season of another amazing TV show has come to an end. Sons of Anarchy, definitely one of my all time favorite shows, ended two weeks ago. That means I gotta wait till September 2012 for the next season!

First of all, let me put up this big warning sign for those of you who haven’t watched Season 4 yet….

--- SPOILER ALERT ---

Yeah, I may love to troll sometimes, but I know where to draw the lines. I don’t want to spoil an awesome show for you.

Now coming back to SoA, I’ve been in love with the show since it came out three years ago. I’ve always been fascinated by 1%er (one percenter) Motorcycle Clubs like Hell’s Angels, Pagans, Mongols etc. I still remember painting a patch of one of these MC clubs on my brand new leather jacket using fabric paint back in school. That was in the early 90s. Many of my classmates were still playing with GI Joes then…

There was no internet those days but I got all the info I needed from a series of foreign magazines called Passing Wind or Pissing Wind or something like that which was all about the 1%er MCs (and also had lots and lots of pics of babes & boobs *GRIN*).

SoA is based on the 1%er MCs, and even though the names of the clubs and rivals clubs in the TV show are fictitious (correct me if I’m wrong), they are all (partly) based on actual clubs and events.

SoA is very much the Anti-Hero TV show, where the main characters are actually the “bad guys”, running guns & drugs, dealing in the flesh trade, treating women like property and prone to violence and even murder. The show beautifully depicts what being a 1%er MC is all about and has a loyal fan following among many MC enthusiasts around the world. With “Hell Boy” Ron Perlman playing the role of “Clay”, the President of the MC, I knew right then that this was going to be an awesome show.






Sons of Anarchy season 3 had a good ending, as I already pointed out in my previous post: Chp 354. End of a Season. Stahl is finally killed. The Sons go to prison to serve minimum time. And Tara found the letters JT wrote to Maureen, where he mentioned how he feared Clay will kill him one day because he’s trying to stop the guns deal with the IRA.

So there was suspense throughout the season – Will she tell Jax or not? Will Clay or Gemma get to her first before she tells Jax? How will Jax react if he learns his step-dad and mom killed his old man? Will Piney really tell the club about Clay’s secret? Will Clay have the guts to stop Piney, who is not just JT’s best friend but also the co-founder of SAMCRO?

And then there was the new added spice – the MC finally getting into the drugs trade, something that they voted to stay away from throughout the previous seasons. I wonder what the Nords would say to this, had they still been around in season 4, lolzzz.

And with the drugs came the Galindo Cartel. The whole club, especially the senior members, didn’t want to get involved with any cartel shit, but Jax eventually had to support Clay because he wanted to leave the club and Clay was his only ticket out.

But there are certain incidents in season 4 that I need to point out…

 

1. The “Black” Race Card

First of all, we know that the Sons aren’t racists. Juice is half Puerto Rican, Prospect V-Lin is chinese, and Hap looks pretty much latino or black. They have done their businesses with the 19ers (Blacks), Mayans (Hispanics), the Nords (White supremacists) and the Lin Triad (Chinese organized crime syndicate) to mention a few.

They are in extreme good relationship with the Grim Bastards (an all-Black MC), and when the Sons were in prison, the Black Guerilla Family (an all-Black prison gang) was protecting them from the Aryan Brotherhood (a White supremacist prison gang).

Apart from that, Chib’s ex-wife is of Irish Black descent, and hence naturally his daughter too. I even remember Bobby hitting it off with a hot African American chick in season 1 or 2 when the Sons went to Nevada to patch-over with the Devil’s Tribe.

So when you consider all these, I think it was really lame of the Sheriff to use the fact that Juice’s dad is black in order to blackmail him. I mean, I really don’t think any of the Sons would have cared if Juice’s dad is black or not. When Juice confronted Chibs about this “dark secret” of his, Chibs too just laughed it off, telling him that what really matters is what his birth certificate says, and that’s “latino” (hence conveniently not admitting whether the rest of the Sons will accept him or not if they know his dad’s black). 

Of course I completely understand where Kurt Sutter, the creator of the show is coming from. He had spent a lot of time with different MCs doing research for this TV show. He wanted to showcase the fact that most of these real 1%er MCs are racially exclusive clubs.

What I really like about Kurt Sutter is that, apart from playing the role of Otto, the uber cool SoA member languishing in Jail, he also runs his own blog on blogspot.com and writes about certain events regarding the show. In his blog, he explains about this particular Juice incident. If you’re interested, click here: sutterink.blogspot.com: Black & White of MC’s to read. He was merely trying to bring out this exclusivity criterion that exists in many MCs.

Latoya’s article regarding this issue (How Sons of Anarchy got racism right) is beautifully written too. However, my beef with this incident is not on the actual racism per se (whether it is a part of the show or not, or whether it actually exists in real MC’s or not), but the fact that it’s really difficult for a loyal SoA fan like me who knows every character so well to think that the Club members would turn against Juice if they learn about his dad’s origin.

Characterization, my friends.

 

2. The 14th Episode Shocker

I was biting my nails and sitting at the edge of my seat for thirteen awesome episodes. And then came the final episode of season 4. Just when DA Potter was about to launch the RICO assault against the Sons, the Kings and the Galinda cartel, Romero and Luis appeared and revealed that they’re CIA!!!! Holy $hittt!

I mean, if the Galinda cartel had been working for the CIA all along, why did they not even try to stop Potter’s RICO operation before? Why wait until the last minute?

And yes, I can picture Benito Martinez to be a cop because of his “SHIELD” background, but Danny Trejo as a CIA agent? Seriously? That really puts Machete and Johnny-23 to shame.

And you know what? Apparently, THIS was what Kurt Sutter intended all along! In his interview with Inside TV, Kurt mentioned that the CIA is known to play war games and take sides when two big cartels are fighting with each other, so that they will have control over who controls the drugs & arms money. He was afraid people might catch that on, and this was when Inside TV asked Kurt, “Was that one of the advantages of casting Danny Trejo as Romeo? I don’t think anyone would think of him as being Government Issue.”

Yup, you had me fooled there too. Shocked me real good, Kurt. But somehow, it left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth…

 

3. Season 5: What lies ahead?

As the episode ends, we see Tara dethroning Gemma as the new queen of SAMCRO while Jax takes over the Presidency, the two of them becoming mirror image of a much younger JT and Gemma (or is it JT and Maureen?).

Jax now knows that his step-dad killed his dad, and is also responsible for what happened to Piney, Gemma and Tara, but he cannot kill him because he needs Clay alive to keep the guns deal with the Irish going. No Clay means no guns deal. No guns deal means the Galindo cartel (aka CIA) will stop protecting SAMCRO from the Feds, who have enough evidence to close down their entire charter.

He also doesn’t know that his mother and Unser are also involved in the death of his father. Tara knows this. Gemma knows that Tara knows. Season 5 is going to be interesting!

And we don’t know if Opie is pledging his loyalty to Jax (but 100 bucks says he will be).

Also, the girlfriend of Laroy, head of the 19ers that Tig killed, happens to be the daughter of Damon pope, the most dangerous and powerful gangster in Oakland. So there is definitely going to be retaliation from Oakland in season 5. Oh how I wish Damon Pope is played by either Samuel L. Jackson or Michael Clarke Duncan. Please please please please!

Apart from this, season 5 will definitely show more of cartel retaliations from the Lobo Sonora Cartel too.

Oh yeahhhhhh, I can’t wait!!!!! SoA FTW!

Chp 382. Mumbai Mizo Association Sports Day

So, as mentioned in my previous post, here are some photos and video of our 2011 Mumbai Mizo Association Sports Day. Most of the pics are from Rossi and Beethugs Facebook album, so a big thanx to them. I’ve also edited a few photos *EVIL GRIN*

But first, here is the video I took that day. It’s around 12 minutes long, so why don’t you click on “Play” and let the video buffer while you go through the photos below?



First of all, I must say I was a lot more prepared than last year’s MMA Sports which also took place at the same venue. This time, I created a lot of personalized Google Map routes beforehand, and I could easily access the KML files from my phone’s GPS, like how to get to the venue via Western Express, via Eastern Express, from Mapuia’s house, from my house etc, and then how to go to Gokuls, Bandra, Vashi etc from the venue, making sure there are enough options so that we’ll never be lost again no matter where we decide to go.

[One of the route examples]

View Greenfields - Mumbai Port Trust Sports Ground in a larger map

As mentioned in my previous post, I participated in only volleyball and football, but I spent a good time capturing videos of other people. [voyeur artist in the making]

Below are some of the photos taken that day:

Our two groups – SAW PA Group and KHA PA Group, which for my non-Mizo visitors literally mean “That guy’s group” and “This guy’s group”. Lolz. But of course it can have a deeper meaning too… hehehe…



Here we are, assembling and starting the sports function with a short prayer.



Here is our traditional “Kawikah” game, where you have to hit the target using a special holding technique, a secret that has been passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, since the dawn of civilization, a technique similar to how a ninja would throw his deadly shiruken…







Though most of the members are young, a few of of us older folks really stand out… or should I say, jut out? I call this the Brotherhood of the Dulkiarzz.



Time for some volleyball now. Hehe, I’m loving it! :)














We won in volleyball. We also won the football match.



Later, we ended the sports event with prize distribution and group photo sessions.






Now, time for some fun… :D Here are a few photos I edited…











BONUS PIC (Showstopper, lolz)



Cheers :)

Chp 381. The Past vs The Present

Flashback 19 years ago. December 6th, 1992. I was in Calcutta, St. Thomas Boys’ School. We were playing basketball when our matrons hurriedly called everybody back to the hostel. Babri Masjid had just been demolished. We were told to hide inside.

Ok wait, that’s too much of a flashback.

Urmm… flashback 10 years ago. December 6th, 2001. Second Year Engineering College, PSG Tech, Coimbatore.

 
My diary, December 6th, 2001.

6:00AM: Waking up, to the sound of my neighbor softly playing a raga/bhajan from his room. I was up till 3AM this morning, completing an Electrical Lab assignment on Ohm’s Law. Being a computer science engineer student, I still don’t understand why we have all these other branches of engineering as a part of our course. Three hours of sleep is definitely not enough, but I have to go for our morning basketball practice…

6:30AM: Reach basketball court on time, just like any other morning. My teammates from various hostel blocks, including the day scholars, are slowly arriving at the court too. We groggily greet each other with a slight nod (and a yawn). Soon the team captain arrives, and he signals the start of our warming up session.

7:00AM: I’m panting and breathing heavily. We have just run 50 rounds around the two basketball courts, done a “shuttle-race” ten times and various other running exercises. By now I am truly warmed up. Now we will start other exercises involving a basketball, like layups from all sides and full court fast breaks.

7:30AM: Totally warmed up, I can now easily jump and hang from the basketball ring. A couple of teammates from 3rd and 4th year can do that too, but I am the only one from second year who is able to do that, which kinda makes me feel special. Now that we’ve done all our cardio exercises, it’s time for gameplay practice.

7:30AM to 8:15AM: We practice various gameplays, most of them involving our 7 feet tall centre Emmanuel from Rwanda. He, along with two other Rwandan exchange students Clement and Innocent form the basis of our starting five. I’m also in the main five. I play the shooting guard position, but if Clement, who is our point guard, gets substituted during a match, then I take over the PG realm. Hence, all our gameplays have to be practiced with Clement as the PG and then me as the PG, so that there is no confusion if either of us are playing or not playing.

8:15 to 8:45AM: We divide into two teams and start a match. As usual, Clement is in the opposite team. And again, when it comes to man-to-man, we take on each other. He is stronger, faster and a better ball controller than me, but I can jump higher than him. That is the only reason why I am selected in the University team too because having a ball controller who can jump almost as high as the forwards and pivots is not only rare but definitely gives an edge to a team when it comes to rebounds.

8:45AM: We are warming down now. That means 50-100 sit-ups, and stretching exercises.

10:00AM: Reach class, with a late pass from our sports director so that I don’t get marked absent. I try not to sleep during class, especially the boring ones.

12:30PM: Lunch break. Going out with my girlfriend to this new Punjabi restaurant near our campus.

1:30PM: Back to boring class schedules.

4:00PM: Done for the day. My friends Paolo, Johnny and Thomas are going for a new English movie that has just released. I can’t go with them because I have handball practice.

4:30PM: Reach the handball court. We practice for an hour. The captain is really impressed with my improved diving throws but at the same time cautiously tells me to be careful as it’s really easy to get injured if I play that way. But me, I’m riding high on the adrenalin and loving it.

5:30PM: Handball practice is over so I quickly run to the football ground. The football captain is a final year student from the North East, so as usual he allows me to play with the college team. I play the defense position (right back) and give our strikers a good challenge.

6:30PM: The football practice match is over and their coach calls everybody for feedback on their performance, which is a cue for me and a few non-team members to leave. I run to the basketball court. As usual, I get the evil eye from my basketball captain for being late but he doesn’t shout at me because he knows I’m the sports director’s favorite as I am a crucial member of our unbeatable handball team. Anyway, I didn’t miss much as all they did so far was cardio.

7:00PM: We start our evening practice match under the floodlights. It’s me versus Clement again. The match is more grueling than the morning practice session, and my girlfriend along with her classmates sometimes watch me play from the adjacent girl’s hostel, so I put in more effort (and style, lolz). Double team, double fake in the air, alley-oop, downtown jumper, fade-away shots, coast to coast and all that jazz.

8:00PM: Match over, we warm down as usual. Another 100 sit-ups, and then I run to the volleyball court where the college team is still practicing under the floodlights. They usually let me play too, unless they have a tournament coming up.

9:00PM: I have just taken a relaxing cold shower. I am now going out with Paolo, Johnny and Thomas for dinner, and we’ll probably be talking about Gopika, Priyanka and Indira. Hehehe…

11:00PM: We reach hostel just before the deadline. Now I will do a couple of assignments, read a few chapters, and then tomorrow, this same cycle of extreme fitness endurance repeats again.


-------------------------------------------------

 
My diary, December 6th, 2011.


I am sitting in office, every muscle, tissue and joint of my body aching. I still find it difficult to walk, sit, get up and lie down. I even took a leave from work yesterday (Monday) because of the immense pain. In fact, I was bedridden for the past two days (Sunday and Monday).

Why? Because on Saturday, I went for our MMA (Mumbai Mizo Association) Sports Day event, and participated in Volleyball and Football. I played just two games in Volleyball, and was the goalkeeper for Football. We won both the games of course, but my body took a big hit for merely playing that much.

Ten years, just ten years, and see the vast difference! Daymmmm!

Ten years from now, I dread to think where I’ll be (if I’m still alive by the Grace of God).


-------------------------------------------------


Will update next post with photos and videos of our MMA Sports Day… Cheers… and ouch*

Chp 380. Do you do these things too?

 
Just how different are you from others? I’m sure there used to be a point in time when you thought you were unique because you used to do things differently.

Then came the internet and it brought people from all over the world closer. Forget the famous “six degrees of separation” theory, Facebook now claims that everybody is just 3.74 degrees of separation away from each other!

Apart from social networking sites and a host of discussion forums and community sites, humor sites like 9gag.com are where people share their daily unique experiences… and suddenly, you realize you’re not so special and unique anymore because there are also many others just like you.


Below are a few things I do “in my own way”. Tell me if you do the same too…


Distance - I always measure the time and distance between two places I regularly go to, by the number of songs I have listened to on the way.



 

Alcohol -  I keep track of how much I’ve been drinking by the number of ice cubes left in my ice tray, or the duration of an ongoing live football match if I am watching one.



 

Security camera bomber - Whenever I see a surveillance camera when I’m at an ATM or Jewelry store or 5 star hotel or any other place, I always make a face at the camera. Not the stick-your-tongue-out kinda expression, but more of a cool, gangsta, one eyebrow raised “Yo, wassup” kinda nod. And then I try to imagine how the guard at the other end must be reacting had he been watching me.



 

Wrong direction - So you are going to some place and you suddenly realize you are walking in the wrong direction or the wrong street. Do you just turn around? Well, as for me, if there are people watching me (or I think they’re watching me, especially if those “people” are the pretty kind), then I just keep walking in the wrong direction, then act as if my phone is vibrating, pick it up, speak, and then turn around towards the right direction.



 

Porn - Yes, like any other normal hot blooded male out there, I too sometimes watch porn. But I always organize my Porn folder, neatly categorizing each video according to the genre it belongs to. Also, I hate going through a friend’s porn folder where all his videos are mixed and jumbled up.



 


Of roaches and lizards - I know many of you freak out when you see cockroaches and lizards inside your house. When I see a cockroach, my first instinct too is to smash its brains up. I’m no sadist, but those damn spawns of Satan will be bothering me sooner or later. But when it comes to lizards, I leave them in peace. Why? Because they mind their own freaking business, that’s why. In fact, sometimes I even name them.



 

The awkward disconnect - Yup there are times when I speak on the phone when I’m around people and the line suddenly gets disconnected or the reception is not clear, instead of shouting “Heellloooo, helloooo… can you hear me nowww?” like one of those people, I awkwardly (and politely) end the conversation even though I know the person on the other line cannot hear me.



 

The Naked Chef - Since I live in a cozy 1BHK apartment all by myself, sometimes when I’m at home alone during the weekends and not at a friend’s place or when I’m not having any company over, I love spending a quiet evening all alone, cooking, naked.



 


So… how many of you do these things the way I do too? :)

Chp 379. Comic Strip: Autroll-rickshaw!

Had an EXTREMELY hectic week. I have been camping in office since Wednesday morning till now (60 straight hours and still counting…) due to work. Hence, hope you’ll understand if I update my blog this week with just yet another comic strip…

Chp 378. Trolling misual.com :)

Another week, another comic strip update, this time using popular memes and rage faces. This is a true incident that took place on Friday. Funny as hell, well at least to me. Lolz. I hope you enjoy this strip as much as I enjoyed making it. :)

And of course you can see a video version of this entire comic strip here. Just wait for the player to finish buffering…

Cheers :)

Chp 377. Lonavala: Revisited.

Nothing like a relaxing weekend at quiet and peaceful Lonavala, though it was no longer quiet once we got there, if you know what I mean. Hehehe… anyway, I’m in the mood to do just a rage comic strip update for now, so here you go. :)




:) True story :) I’ll add our photos later.

Chp 376. GPS: How it changed our world

Remember those days not so long ago before the age of mobile phones when you’re supposed to meet your friends but they’re not there yet, and you didn’t know where they were? You would either wait for some more time or simply go somewhere else.

Remember a few years ago when mobile phones started becoming affordable and everybody started having one? When your friends were not there at the rendezvous point, you would simply call them up, and they would tell you that they’re almost there… and of course you had no idea whether they were lying or not.

Today, with most of my friends, it’s just a matter of switching on Google Maps on my Android device and checking on Google Latitude to see where all my friends currently are (or recently were).

And that had made life a lot simpler. There had been many times when this service had truly helped me out and made a lot of things easier for me.

I once had to meet an old school friend. He was staying in Ghatkopar, in an extremely crowded and congested residential area that had a lot of bylanes and narrow, winding, diverging, converging, convoluting alleys. (If you are from Delhi, imagine it to be like the heart of Munirka). With the help of Google Latitude, he didn’t even have to come all the way out on the main road to pick me up. I could easily find my way right up to his building by simply following the directions on my phone between his current location and mine.

And this doesn’t even have to be only between two people who have GPS on their mobile. My friend Alejandro too stays in one such locality called Kalina here in Mumbai, which has a hell lot of bylanes and alleys. The first time I went over to his place, he picked me up from the main road. Once I reached his apartment, I simply “starred” my location, memorizing it on my Google Maps. After that, I could easily go to his place simply by following the direction to that starred area.

Or take for instance the time we went to Goa from Mumbai in a couple of vehicles. When you’re on a road trip in 3-4 vehicles, it is never possible to drive close to each other all the time, especially when the journey is around 700 km long! Amit simply forwarded us the Google Maps directions (KML files) to our phones and we were all in-sync with each other, making sure all of us were on the same (and correct) National Highway.

After that it was just a matter of checking our phones now and then to find out who was where and who was falling behind and who had stopped to puke. It’s even more useful when you have to stop after dark for dinner on a Highway/Expressway that you’re not familiar with at one of those many roadside dhabas, and you want to eat together with all your friends from the other vehicles.

Yes, (almost) gone now are the days of incessantly calling up your friends, “Where are youuuu now? And now? And now?” every 5 minutes or so.

I find this whole GPS based social networking service especially useful when it comes to work. Since I’ve known most of my colleagues for more than three years now, we’re pretty close to each other. So I have most of my colleagues on Google Latitude. And that’s a really good thing. If there is a project deadline coming up or need a team member to be present for a conference call with client and they haven’t reached office yet, all I have to do is look at my phone and I’ll know if they’ve almost reached office or not.

Sometimes, just one look at my map and I’ll know what’s going on in office – “Oh that guy had gone for a meeting at that client’s office. I hope the meeting is going on well”, “WTF, that girl said she’s sick today so she couldn’t come in. Then why the hell is she currently at a competitor’s office building? There are no hospitals there!”, “OMG, that girl and that guy are together at that bar at this time of the night! I didn’t even know they were seeing each other!” and so on…

But the best part is, it can save your ass too. You wake up late one day. You look at your phone frantically. Google Latitude. Boss is still at his place. Phew. You close your eyes for a few more minutes. Boss is on his way to office and almost there – you jump out of bed immediately and rush to work without even brushing your teeth.

Lolz.

By the way, do not just randomly add friends or accept invitations on Latitude if you don’t know the sender properly. It is NOT Facebook or Twitter, where people merely stalks your status updates and photos. On Latitude, people will know exactly where you are all the time (a function which you can switch off of course), and such information can be harmful to you if it falls in the wrong hands.

In the US and elsewhere, there are already many cases of houses being robbed after burglars got information that the owners were away, through the very owner’s twitter updates! Imagine what such people could do if they have your Latitude info? *sends a shiver down one’s spine*

But like I said earlier, latitude is really fun if you use it properly. There are advantages and disadvantages too. Like, if you are planning to give a friend a surprise birthday party at his house, you can easily know when he is approaching home using latitude. However, he too can check his latitude and wonder why the hell all his friends are at his house with his wife.

Like I said. It’s fun :)

There was even one time when I was shopping at Oberoi Mall, and I casually checked latitude to see which friends were nearby. One of my friends was in the very same mall! So I decided to surprise her, but the problem was, there were around 4 floors in the huge mall complex, so I didn’t know which floor she was on.

I got it wrong the first time. Fortunately, I guessed it right the second time. Snuck up behind her, placed my palm around her eyes and said, “Guess who?” Fortunately, she guessed it right the eighth time.

:P

Here is another such “Mother of God!” moment. One day, I dropped my niece who was staying over at my place for the weekend at the train station. I then went to meet another friend, and my niece and I ended up crossing each other at the exact freaking location! I will describe that in true 9gag style.



Yup, true story bro. It kinda freaked me out! All in all, GPS has really made my life more interesting than ever, and I wonder what the future holds for this feature…

Cheers, and have a great weekend. I’ll be in LONAVALA again for this weekend, having *le good time*, so GPS me there :D

Chp 375. The Malady that is Mizo Idol

2000+ years ago, gladiators lined up in an arena and vowed, Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant (We who are about to die, salute you!) And then as they fight each other to the death, the crowd would go crazy, shouting for more blood and gore.

Today, the battle axe had been replaced by a guitar, the trident replaced by a drum set, and the combat skills of a warrior replaced by the vocal cord of a singer. Yup, I am talking about the ongoing Mizo Idol in Mizoram. Different battleground, same audience.

Today, the winner of Mizo Idol 2011 will be announced. Will it be Biakmuana or Lalthuthaa? The winner of this “grand honor” depends on who gets the most number of sms votes. Yes the format is exactly similar to American Idol and its many spinoffs across the world.

And so, people are going crazy, not just voting for their favorite Idol but convincing (and harassing) their friends and relatives to vote for that person. There are many instances of people actually taking their friend’s mobile phone to vote without their acknowledgement! Others are buying new sim cards just to cast extra votes. There are even stories of some rich dudes here and there buying 3000 new sim cards or so just to vote for a particular contestant. And of course the rumors started spreading like wildfire… that guy is a drunkard, that girl is carrying an illegitimate son, that guy is secretly gay, and so on…

Before I carry on any further, I would like to state that I have no personal grudge against Zonet, the network that had been conducting this show for the past many years, or LPS that had conducted similar shows before (Mizo Youth Icon). If at all there are to be any reason for this “attack” on them, let me state that I have interviewed the host of Zonet Mizo Idol Zonuni and she's a very friendly and sweet person, and my only dissent with LPS would be the fact that we both bought the first batch of Wagon R in Mizoram, and we both happened to buy the same make, model and color, so every time I went home and drove around the city, people thought I was from LPS. That’s a very trifle issue indeed, and like I said, I would like to come clean first, since we Mizos are so fond of finding an excuse about why one person is criticizing about something.

Now, even though I am not interested in the ongoing Mizo Idol, I’ve been following it quite closely. Not that I intended to. But when most of your friends on Facebook are Mizos and you also happen to be the admin of a very popular Mizo community site, it’s really difficult not to know what’s going on. Of course I have more important things to do in life than let who becomes the next Mizo Idol dictate my life, you know… But nevertheless, I get all the newsfeeds and gossips.

And that’s what hurts me a lot.

We all know what happened when Sinate was still in the competition. On Facebook, the whole issue became a case of Mizos versus Hmars, each side spitting heinous venom on each other that makes you wanna puke. Kinda reminds you of the Huti-Tutsi conflict in Rwanda. It was no longer about who had better talent on the microphone. Suddenly everything was about ethnicity and roots.

Death threats were freely given to different members like parking tickets and people started glorifying their “terrorist groups”. The ethnic slurs and abuses overflowed from either side like an absentmindedly neglected pan of boiling milk. Actual addresses and locations were disclosed openly, challenging those who made the threats to see if they had the guts to stick to their death threats. Facebook accounts and groups were hacked and counter-hacked.

From a silent observer’s point of view, it was a tad funny, but one couldn’t help but admit how seriously we took a mere singing competition to be!

Comon… seriously? We come from a land of musicians where almost every next person you see can sing or play the guitar, and we are allowing this mere contest to disrupt our integrity and harmony? The fact that we’re still not mentally matured and prepared for a multi-ethnic multi-regional competition of this proportion was suddenly obvious.

Everybody should know by now that this popularity contest method of voting an Idol had never been fair. Remember Adam Lambert [American Idol finalist 2009]? Everybody knew he got the best freaking voice then, and yet he didn’t win because a large majority of “conservative” Americans didn’t vote for him as he was gay. To me, he was the true idol then.

And now we have the Mizo Idol Finals today. One guy representing Northern Mizoram and another representing Southern Mizoram. And of course some people started campaigning for their respective regions. “Screw talent, stick to your regional loyalty!” seemed to be the mantra of the day.

This reminded me of what my dad used to tell me many years ago. I am a Hrahsel [Saza], but dad didn’t allow me to officially use Hrahsel in my name because he said being a Mizo was more than enough and he felt all these habits of using one’s clan/tribe’s name to identify themselves only caused further disunity in Mizoram.

True dat.

If you really look at this whole Mizo Idol phenomena and how people are taking it so seriously and personally, you too will laugh at it. Is it really worth fighting with your own brothers and sisters about who becomes the next damn Idol? A man-made designation? That too designed by a television network for its own profitable gain?

It is always natural for humans to try and be in an inclusive group. If a group of Punjabis migrate to London, they will most probably move to the Punjabi section of the city, where people speak the same language and eat the same food. Similarly, people from the northeast are known to stick together in mainland India. If a Mizo moves to a new city and there are no other Mizos nearby, he/she will most probably try to stay in an area where there are Nagas, Meiteis, Khasis etc. As more Mizos move in, he/she will then move to the Mizo area. At the end of the day, we just feel more secure and comfortable being with our own kind. There’s a thin line between that and racism or xenophobia.

Speaking of exclusivity, take a look at what is going on in the online world. During the times of Orkut, Mizos created a group called Maharashtra Mizos, which comprised of Mizos working or studying in Maharashtra. Then as more Mizos started moving in, the group got divided into Mumbai Mizos and Pune Mizos. After that, Navi Mumbai Mizos group was created. Even in the Mumbai Mizos group, it further broke up into Andheri Mizos, Santa Cruz Mizos etc. Being in a group that is as inclusive as possible is always in our human DNA, regardless of who we are. You can even take a look at the sports groups in Facebook. First there was the Mizo Basketball lovers group. Then that went city-wise and we had Bangalore Mizo Basketball lovers, Delhi Mizo Basketball lovers, and that can even be divided up further more.

Similarly, being an admin of misual.com, we are no stranger to exclusivity. And that is something we never permit in our site. We have seen it happened all too often based from our experiences – Mizo mIRC chat rooms rivalry, zoram.com vs izawl.com, etc. we have seen them all. And we don’t want to see it happen again.

Even if you take a look a different Facebook Mizo groups, be it about Mizoram news, IT helplines or medical assistances, there will always be people who vowed loyalty to one particular group and immense enmity towards the other group.

Admit it. We love to be inclusive. It is in our nature.

So taking all that into consideration, is it really a good idea for ZoNet or LPS to conduct  these types of events? Whatever be the outcome, most people are always going to stick to being as inclusive as possible, rather than recognize actual talent.

What is the point of it all then?

I am not demeaning the past winners of Mizo Idol or the new winner who will be crowned today. Trust me, that’s not my intention. In fact I would like to congratulate today’s winner and all the other contestants in advance for their talent and performance so far.

My main objection is rather with the system and process of voting. Yes, working in the advertisement industry in Mumbai for many years now, I know all too well how an audience participation event increases the ratings and viewership of a TV show. But if you consider everything I have mentioned so far, do you really think it is worth going through such an ordeal when the price we have to pay for that is so much higher?

Eventually, if you think about it, it is just a form of entertainment, designed to keep us preoccupied from our otherwise mundane life. An entertainment in an arena filled with abusive ethnic slur and regional slur uttering audience that does nothing but create more divisions among us. The question is, are you not entertained? Are you NOT entertained?

Chp 374. Five “Can’t” & “Don’t” Lies men say

Yeah people do say that guys lie by exaggerating a bit, so as to boost our ego or massage our pride. Apparently, we tend to show off or brag about our skills and conquests, while adding a few “extra” details here and there.

But what most people, especially women, don’t know is that, sometimes we tend to lie by demeaning ourselves too, and we have perfectly good reasons for doing that. Yup, we are not ashamed about falsely claiming to have shortcomings and lack of common sense or skills. We play the “loser” role all too often, all for a very good reason.

Here are a few such can’t and don’t lies most guys say, sometimes to women, and sometimes to other men too. This post by the way, is written in light humor, and should not be taken seriously or literally :P

 
Lie #1. I can’t cook.

When it comes to the cooking department, women think there are just two types of guys – those who can’t cook shit, and those who pride themselves with their cooking skills. The second one is the real foodie type, and boy do they love cooking. But there are also many guys who CAN cook, but act like they can’t. And this holds true especially among many Mizo guys.

Yup, many of us can indeed cook but we lie about it for one very simple reason – so that you can do it, honey.

Well… it’s not actually about chauvinism or sexism. It’s about romance! (well, if women can fantasize about their Prince charming to be tall, fair, handsome and rich, this isn’t that bad either)

So there you are thinking your guy can’t even cook and how you’re the only reason why he’s still alive, and that makes you love him even more… but the harsh reality is that he’s just sitting his fat ass in front of the TV on his favorite beanbag watching the Barclays Premier League while downing a pint of Carlsberg, relived that he didn’t have to miss the match because you’re the one in the kitchen.

But of course, that doesn’t mean he loves you any less… :)

 
Lie #2. I can’t drive.

There are two “I can’t drive” lies guys say. One is when you use it in front of a woman because you don’t want to drive her to the shopping mall or beauty salon. The other more frequently used one is when you use it in front of your guy friends.

Yes, being the designated driver sucks.

When you’re with a bunch of your homies out for a wild time in the night, it is always the driver who has the least amount of fun. Especially when there’s a girl in the back seat with your friends. So there you are, driving your drunken yodeling friends in the back seat while you’re concentrating hard on the road… sucks right? Initially, I used to feel good about myself because I felt I was the one who could rise to the occasion for my friends… but time and experience will only teach you that it’s not worth it at all, and that even if you don’t volunteer to drive, there will always be someone from your group who’ll drive. It’s not going to be the end of the world, you know…


Lie #3. I don’t know her.

If your girlfriend ever talks about a girl and asks you if you know her, the SAFEST reply is to just say no. It doesn’t matter if you know only her name or seen her photograph once at a friend’s Facebook album. Just say no. It doesn’t even matter if there’s no chance in hell your girlfriend’s going to be jealous. Just say no. No no no.

Trust me, you don’t want to start answering uncomfortable questions if you say yes, especially when you can’t even remember where or how you know her! (ah, hazy memories, if you know what I mean). And if your girl then realizes you DO know her and reminds you who she is and how you know her, just act all “ahhhh… ok ok, THAT girl… now I remember!!” and she will laugh at your short term memory and even call you a fool. But hey, at least a confrontation has been avoided! :)

 
Lie #4. I didn’t see her.

When you’re walking with your girl and a hot (usually skimpy clad) girl walks nearby and if your girl ever asks, “You see that?” ALWAYS reply, “Who? What? That old uncle over there?”

Of course you bloody saw her. You didn’t even need to see her, you already “sensed” her presence using your unique guy radar. There are a lot of jackasses out there who stare directly at a girl, but there are also many of us who have mastered the art of looking without looking. It’s like the highest form of Zen. One quick glace from the corner of our eyes and a graphical mental note had already been recorded.

So always look the other way when staring at such girls, and when you tell your girl you didn’t notice her, it is more believable that way too. Doesn’t matter if she thinks you’re not observant enough, and frankly in this case, she won’t actually mind too.


Lie #5. I don’t understand.

This is by far the best free “Get out of jail” card you can play. If your girl ever says something you don’t agree with, but arguing with her is only going to make your relationship worse and there’s nothing for you to gain by proving her wrong other than hurting her feelings… just say you don’t understand what is going on.

Yeah, maybe she’ll think you’re a moron for not understanding what is being discussed. But you’ve avoided friction, and that’s what matters in the end.


xxxxxxxxx

So all in all, it is sometimes best to act dumb for the greater good. Of course sometimes if you play those cards too often, she’ll really think you’re THAT incapable of doing anything and may even lose interest in you. Like I said before, this post is not to be taken that literally. Cheers and a happy weekend :)

Chp 373. Family bonding weekend

Sup, folks. Great Monday aye? (unless of couse you’re a Chelsea fan). Well, today’s the last day of October, which usually means playing “November Rain” from tomorrow onwards, but this time, I’m gonna play a song dedicated to October.


[The Rasmus feat. Anette Olzon – October & April]

Yeah it’s not a new song, but I still love it. This song says a lot about me and my relationship, if you know what I mean. Plus, this song was performed by The Rasmus (of “In the Shadows” fame) and Anette Olzon, the Nightwish vocalist who replaced Tarja. Perfect match for each other, if I may say so.

 xxxxxx

Now coming to this post, I invited my “little” niece over to my place for the weekend. She’s my cousin’s daughter, and she had just joined an MA course here in Mumbai two months ago. The last time I saw her was a few years ago at a family dinner at my place in Mizoram when I graduated from Engineering college. Dad invited our entire relatives for a grand feast because he was proud as hell to have a B.E. son.

This was her then, that night when we celebrated my B.E. graduation at my house. The one on the extreme right, sitting and smiling shyly.



I picked her up from Bandra last Friday. I was still expecting her to be the small bespectacled pony-tailed little girl, but wonders of wonders, NOOOO. I guess she underwent some strange mysterious paranormal phenomenon called “growing up” because this is her now:



And from the previous other pic above, the other two girls in the pic are nieces of mine too, the daughters of another cousin. You see the one in the middle? You see the innocence in her eyes? Well, apparently this is what she is today:



The third niece in the pic had also transformed into this now:



Holy mother of *beep*, how (and why) do they grow up so fast??? They just make me feel like I am stuck in some limbo while everything and everybody else is moving swiftly past me. Swish swish swish…

Well, I know from my dad’s side, a lot of my cousins are way older than me. Another niece of mine (daughter of yet another cousin) even married one of my closest friends, who I have treated like a brother since primary school days…



…and they already have two freaking kids.

These are just a few of my nieces I’m mentioning here. There are even many other nieces who are older than me! Comon, nieces! Stop it. Give your uncles a chance to grow up at their own slow and desired pace, ok? We’re in no rush, so why should you be?

Anyway, my niece Eunice (which rhymes, capisce?) and I had a great time bonding over family and stuff, and it was something I haven’t done in a really long time. For people like me who had stayed outside Mizoram since third standard, it’s not that easy staying connected with all my cousins and their children (and I come from a really huge family from both my mom and dad’s side).

We spent Saturday watching movies in the morning and Barclays Premier League matches in the evening. She’s a Manure fan (oh the horror!!!) and we watched her team barely win against a struggling out-of-form Everton side.

After that we watched my team AR53NAL play against CH3L5EA. And we all know the result of that match. That, my friend, is the true Arsenal team.

After watching Arsenal hump Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, my niece bowed her head in shame, and quietly uttered, “You know what, uncle? After watching your team and my team play tonight, I have now come to realize that when we beat your team 8-2 at Old Trafford, you guys had around NINE main players absent due to suspension, injury and transfer. Most of your players then were from the reserve team and it was not such a great glory after all to win by that much. In fact when we lost 6-1 to City at our OWN home, with a full strength squad, that was the ultimate disgrace and shame for us. At least when you guys lost 8-2, it was not a home match for you guys. But for us, it was indeed a home match, and we all know the vast difference when it comes to pressure while playing home and away matches. So any football fan will know how much more shameful 6-1 is than that 8-2. As of now, I am going to burn all my Manure posters and I am going to start supporting Arsenal. Will you guys accept me as a Gunner fan? Please, uncle, pretty please? If not for me, then at least for my great grandfather (and your grandfather), the late Pu Zabanga’s sake?”

That’s what she told me that night…

Actually I think she said something like, “What shall we have for dinner?” but that’s what I heard coming out of her mouth.

Anyhoo, I finally dropped her at the station on Sunday evening as she had to get back to her hostel. Strangely, as I watched her go, there I was, standing like a proud uncle.

After she disappeared into the sea of commuters, I went to Santa Cruz to meet my old school mate and really close friend Hminga, who had come down to Mumbai with his dad (Pu Rinsanga, IAS rtd) and dad-in-law (Pu Liansanga, Engg-in-Chief rtd). They were on a vacation.

They wanted to try seafood, so I took them to the best seafood joint I know – Soul Fry @ Bandra. From Bombil cutlet to Surmai fry to Pomfret masala to Crab & Prawn main courses, we tried them all, occasionally flushed down with a pitcher of Tuborg draft beer. And they absolutely loved it.

Both the dads knew my parents so well that it was just like sitting with my own family members. They told me stories about my mom’s school days, my dad’s bachelor days, how they met each other, when they got married etc etc. I really had a great time sitting with the two wonderful dads and listening to them talk. What was even more fascinating was that they both knew my girlfriend’s parents extremely well too, and they started telling me stories about them also, while teasing me now and then.

I still can’t stop marveling at how so many of our previous generation knew almost everybody, whereas when it comes to our generation, we hardly know each other.

We soon parted ways, and with that ended my awesome family bonding weekend. This was definitely one of those weekends worth cherishing for a long long time.

Chp 372. This week in the BPL + Fantasy Football

What a weekend huh? Manure got thrashed 6-1 at home, Chelsea lost 1-0 to QPR, Liverpool drew against Norwich, and Arsenal trashed the giant killer Stoke City (who drew against Manure, Chelsea & Spurs and even beat Liverpool & Bolton).

This was even bigger news for me at the fantasy football league I’m playing. Although I am still 8th rank in my league (the same as last week), I’ve come a long way. I started from 27th rank! Why? Simply because I hate Manure to the core and I vowed that I will reach top 10 without using a single Manure player. Now my aim is to reach top 5 without any manure players.

If you’re a fantasy league player, you’ll of course know that Manure players, especially Shrek, had been pouring in points after points every week. In spite of all that, I managed my team carefully every week, and I am in 8th position now. Most of the players above me are using manure players, so this week’s result brought me one more step closer to overtaking them.

This week I scored 46 points. I know, that’s not much, but due to many disappointing match results, others too didn’t score much either. Although I am still at the same place in my league, I moved up at the global leagues, India league, Gameweek 2 stats, and Overall.

My strategy:

This week, I took a big gamble and placed all my Man City players in the game. I mean, I could have played safe, but there was no point getting x points, and the people above me getting the same amount of points. We would all just be moving up by the same amount. My aim was to overtake them, so in order to do that, I needed to have players their players were paying against.

And yes, my gamble paid off. My biggest points this week came from my captain Aguero (12 points) and Silva (10 points) who both scored a goal each against Manure.

But I didn’t fare well with my other strikers. I got a disappointing 2 points from Suarez, and 5 points from Agbonlahor (who had an assist).

Newcastle versus Wigan, I knew who was going to win, so I placed my trusty Taylor duo in the game again. They both played their 90 minutes as expected, and I got 6 points each from both of them.

Bolton versus Sunderland, I placed my bets on Bolton, and put Cahill & Muamba in the game, while I made Larsson sit out. Bad choice. 1 point from Cahill (2 goals conceded) and 0 point from Muamba because he didn’t play (Ohhhh I am so transferring his fat ass this week), while Larrson could have at least given me 3 points had I played him.

My biggest dilemma this week was Swansea versus Wolves. Both teams are unpredictable and inconsistent. I had both Ward (Wolves) and Dyer (Swansea). It is always a bad idea to have two players from teams playing against each other (especially a defense + midfield combo) to play at the same time, but I didn’t have any other choice. Got 3 points from Dyer and 1 point from Ward.

Although my gamble with Manure paid off, my Chelsea players screwed me over. Ramires didn’t play, and Bosingwa gave me a freaking -3 due to his red card (but I couldn’t help chuckle at those players who must have used Drogba, especially if they have made him captain. His red card + captaincy would mean minus 6, bwahahaaa!)

Goalkeepers – I had a tough time deciding between Hart and SZCZ. In the end, I decided to stick to Arsenal loyalty and used SCZC. He gave me 2 points. I could have got 3 points had I used Hart, but that’s okay. Being an Arsenal fan, I am happy to have at least one Arsenal player in my team.

I used to have Vermaelen, Arteta, Mertesacker and Ramsey. I eventually had to transfer them due to injury and also because the others weren’t giving me any points. But I will definitely buy an Arsenal player/s again, once the team has settled down and the famous game dynamics and one-touch play of Arsenal is back in the game. (RVP is too bloody expensive so I can’t afford him anyway).

All in all, I think I am performing quite well so far, given the fact that this is the first time I am playing fantasy football in my life

My Team.



Cheers.

Chp 371. A True Story… of Love & Romance

“Bawihi…” He softly whispered to her, as he pulled her hair back gently beneath the pale moonlight. She looked at him with her soft innocent eyes and parted her trembling lips… She sighed, “I’ll forever be yours… Bawiha.”

.............

The young couple had been in love since time immemorial. They could be you and me, for they represent every young Mizo guy and girl in Mizoram.

In our Mizo culture, unlike most other Indian cultures, being in a relationship at an early age is not only accepted, but sometimes encouraged by our parents too. It is perfectly normal for young boys to visit a young girl at her house and woo her. This concept is called “Nula rim” (Nula means a woman who is single, and rim means to court).

Traditionally, during the process of “rimming”, it is the duty of the girl to welcome the guy (who is sometimes accompanied by his wingman) to her home. She makes tea for her suitor and sits with him in the living room. Then they talk about different things, trying to see if they have anything in common or whether he can make her laugh with his corny jokes.

Sometimes, she gets multiple suitors coming from different places (and such women are called “nula luck”). In such a scenario, the second suitor usually leaves on seeing that somebody’s already beaten him to the house, but there are also incidents in which guys from different places do sit together, each one trying to impress the girl and outdo the others (pretty much like a Group Discussion round of an MBA admission process).

Meanwhile, her parents too do not get involved and while most parents move to the bedroom to give their daughter privacy with her suitor/s, there are also some who do stay within earshot of the conversation, spying and listening to make sure nothing hanky-panky is going on and that no lines are crossed.

The girl eventually ends up liking one of the boys, and they soon become a couple. He lovingly calls her “Bawihi”, and she returns that love by calling him “Bawiha”. The words bawiha and bawihi means “Loved one”. People in love show their affection to each other by uttering those words to each other.

However the concept of “bawihi” and “bawiha” is not something new in our Mizo society.

During the days of “Zawlbuk” (a dormitory right next to the Chieftain’s house, where all the young lads of a village would sleep together. Useful especially if warriors from different clans raided their village as all the young men could quickly assemble and fight back), there were times when the girlfriend of one of the young warriors would hide behind the bushes below the Zawlbuk and wait for everybody to sleep.

Then she would gently call out, “Bawiha…” in the middle of the night. Her lover would then secretly leave the Zawlbuk and whisper back, “Bawihi…” In the darkness of the night, they would keep signaling “bawiha, bawihi” to each other and move towards the sound until they had found each other.

Such was the sweetness and romance of bawiha and bawihi.


.............

At this point, my friend could not control himself anymore. He fell to the ground and laughed uncontrollably, tears gushing out from his eyes. And then taking a deep breath, he looked at me and asked, “You seriously wrote all that shit?”

I was as serious as hell. “Yeah… I mean that was just the gist of what I wrote. I ended up writing for around 7-8 pages, you know, so that I might get more marks.”

He laughed his ass out once again.

I was starting to get a bit irritated, and a bit worried too.

“What’s so funny? Did I not get my facts about our Mizo history right?” I asked him.

Finally, with a straight face, he said, “When they asked you to write an essay on the Bawih system in our Mizo society, they didn’t mean “bawiha”, “bawihi” and any of those romance crap. They meant “slave”. Hence you were supposed to write about the slavery system that prevailed in our Mizo society before it was finally abolished in 1914, how slavery worked, the two types of slaves, how slaves were treated etc…” 

Pin drop silence.

“Oh…” was all that could come out of my mouth…

That was the first AND last time I ever decided to write the MCS (Mizoram Civil Service) exams. A True Story indeed.

Chp 370. Dream interpretation, anyone?

Got this really crazy ass dream/nightmare last night. I for one, am not one of those bloggers who rant about their dreams… but this time, I just want to pour it out here because it was so realistic and… intriguing as hell.

The thing about dream is, no matter how realistic it feels then, by the time you sit in front of your computer, everything had become hazy and blurry. So when I woke up suddenly this morning at 4am, I immediately took my trusty Android and started writing down what I just experienced quickly in shorthand.

Now as I sit in office typing this, if you are the type of person who’s really into all this dream interpretation (and the paranormal), maybe you can explain the meaning of my dream…

In my dream, I was asked by Arsenal FC to play for the team since most of the players were injured . So there I was, playing my first match for Arsenal.

Ok, so far, I’m sure it doesn’t take a Jung or a Freud to deduce the meaning because after all, I am a hardcore fan of Arsenal.

Now the strange parts begin…

First of all, though I love Arsenal FC, when it comes to playing, I am more of a basketball player. I have indeed dreamt many times before about dunking over Yao Ming or Shaq, or scoring a buzzer-beater on game 7 of the Conference Finals. But last night was the first time I ever dreamt about playing football (as far as I can remember).

Secondly, yes, Arsenal is my favorite team, but any football fanatic knows Arsenal is performing extremely badly this season. We are close to the relegation zone due to the loss of important players, and the last minute players we bought don’t seem to be working out at all. So how come I’ve never dreamt about playing for Arsenal during our glory days. Why now?

Thirdly – this is the strange part – I scored four goals! We were playing against Newcastle United, and the full time score was 4-3. We won because of me! But what’s really strange was – all the four goals I scored were just very simple and ordinary. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and none of my finishings were awesome or outstanding… the ball slowly and meekly rolled into the goal, just inches beyond the goalkeeper’s reach.

Now this is my dream we’re talking about. How come I didn’t tackle through 4-5 defenders as Messi would or score a goal with an unbelievable back volley shot or even a long range goal from beyond the centerfield? Why such simplicity? Yes, when I dreamt of basketball, I was the superstar. We do the impossible in our dreams, right? …flying over people and having superhuman strength sometimes. But last night, everything seemed to be really humbled.

Fourthly – now comes the strangest part, the reason why I woke up sweating at 4 in the morning.

So there I was, with my Arsenal team mates, hugging and rejoicing. Arsene Wenger too shook my hand and said something to me in French. I nodded. After I took a shower, I quickly went online from my mobile phone, looking forward to what the press would be saying about me…

But… there was nothing! Goal.com and Arseblog.com hadn’t updated the match highlights yet. So I went to arsenal.com, and a short notice read: “Arsenal beat Newcastle 4-3!” But no details of the game were there.

So I went to misual.com, and even there, nobody was talking about the match or my four goals. I thought some of the people there would be talking about how an admin of the site scored 4 goals for Arsenal and that it was a proud day for every Mizos across the world. But NOTHING. Then I called up my friend Amos, another admin of misual.com and a hardcore Arsenal fan. I knew he would definitely be watching the match.

I asked him if he was watching the match and he said yes. So I excitedly asked him if he saw me, and he said his TV view had been zoomed out so he couldn’t make out who the players were or who scored the goals!

I screamed.

I hung up and went to google.com from my phone (damn, that visual is still SO clear in my head right now, as if it actually happened!). With trembling fingers, I typed, “Arsenal Kima”.

The only results I saw were of my blog posts where I have blogged about Arsenal.

Then I typed, “Arsenal Newcastle match Kima 4-3”

No result!

It was then that everything became more distorted and my whole world started spinning around, and I woke up sweating and breathing heavily (and a bit angry too). Even after I woke up, it took me quite some time to realize it was just a dream… but damn, it was so freaking real.

-----------------------------

Now comes the interpretation – what does the last part mean?

From my own deduction, it looks like I desperately want attention. Or is it that I merely want to be recognized for things I have done? Things that I deserve to be appreciated for, but sadly ignored and swept aside? Am I being suppressed? Or is it that I want something more out of a relationship or in my life or even in my job, but I’m not able to get more no matter how hard I keep squeezing? At the end of the day, yes, I know it was just a dream. But sometimes, it makes you wonder because some of the reasons I mentioned above may indeed be true.

Like I said before, I don’t blog about things like this… but this one… this one is different. Eerily speaking.