THIRTY SEVEN

O well, you know how they distinguish personality types on silly internet quizes with whether you like sea side or mountain?  I am the one who picks sea side always. I have a particularly soft spot for the beaches.

And the moment I am near a sea beach …. I pretty much forget everything,  and all I wish to do is splash around, often to the amusement of my companions and much to the delight of The H.

I think itis one of the first things he liked about me, that hasn’t turned out to be momentary,  forgotten after a while.

My experience with sea and beaches are many and unvaried. I pretty much do the same things wherever I go.

Out of these is my habit of losing things in the sea or to the sea, if you believe in that sort of things. In the past 2 years I have lost a mobile phone , one slipper from a pair ( mind you the sea was nice enough to return it after some time… and this is after I threw away the other one in frustration.  Finally I got bck both pairs in a gap of 30 mins). Unfortunately the mobile phone didn’t come back.

The same sea beach that took away and returned my favorite slippers, has now taken my favorite blue colored lens sunglasses.  This sunglass was a gift from The H. & drew a lot of attention wherever I went.  The form being steel rimmed blue lens on aviator shape, it was cool, funky, edgy and classic all at the same time.

And now it’s gone. I toppled over under the attack of a huge wave and the sunglass slipped away from my face.  It was gone in a matter of split seconds, not to be seen again. I waited by the waters edge hoping it will come back but it didn’t.

I let it go. I had the feeling someone on that beach would be finding it in the sand, and I hope its in some shape to be worn. May be some kid will pick it up and enjoy playing with it.

I have picked up many such little sea trash so to speak, I kept a few, others I gave away to someone nearby on the beach. It was astonishing to find The H. Eagerly poking around the beach picking up shiny, weird , colorful objects. I have not told him how similar we are in our treasure hunting quest by the beach.

Of all d weird things we have found, 3 are worth mentioning,  I wrist watch in perfect working condition,  a children’s video game again working fine, a weird looking bone of some animal.

The sea beach is a treasure trove …

Hope someone finds my funky blue sunglass soon.

THIRTY SIX

I have to admit I am not a fan of Game of Thrones.  They say it’s the next Lord of the Rings. I am a FAN of The Lord of the Rings and that’s why I find it difficult to accept this new series as the ultimate in fantasy fiction.

A confession is due here, I went ahead and ordered the entire series before even reading an excerpt, basing my purchase decision on reviews and cheap discounted pricing.

So I started reading the books. I completed book 1. I proceeded to book 2. I faultered there. I picked it up again. Eventually, unlike myself, I abandoned the series. This happened long before the fabled Tv Series of Game of thrones.

The series of books sat pretty in the my drawing room display case, untouched, till last year my cousin  brother saw them and the tone of delight in his voice made me realize that here was a true fan of the series. I asked him whether he owned the books. Since he didn’t and was obviously more appreciative of the writing and the story,  I asked him to take the entire set with him.

I am glad I did that, because books are meant to be read and appreciated, and not just gather dust and grow mouldy.

I have 5 or 6 such books  either bought under insufficient information or received as gifts from folks who had gifted me a book just because they know I am a bibliophile (I mean bookworm). These books sit in my bookcase, in their original wrapping waiting to be read. I am yet to find someone who will love them as I love books.

THIRTY FIVE

It is FIFA World Cup season and the best time to talk about what got me into football, or should I say ‘who’ got me interested in football? Growing up in the pre internet era when google as an option was not available at finger tips, when news printed on paper was the only source of information that is when I became aware of Paolo Maldini. He is a legend, so I read now, but then when I was first introduced to him through newspapers and television I didn’t quite realize the significance of this man.

For the uninitiated, Paolo Cesare Maldini (born 26 June 1968) is a former Italian footballer who played as a left or central defender. Not that I was completely aware of his commitment to his club AC Milan but I hear, that he spent all 24 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club. During that period, he won the Champions League five times, as well as seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana, five European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups.

I knew him as the Olive skinned Italian footballer who was droolworthy to the 18 year old me. I can’t boast that I knew much about him till the year 2000. And the truth is by the time I truly came to understand his greatness as a sportsman, beyond the drop dead gorgeous looks he had already retired from him National side. In fact, he played for 14 years for the Italian national team, making his debut in 1988 before retiring in 2002 with 126 caps, three European Championship participations and four World Cup participations. Although he did not win a tournament with the Italian National team, he reached the finals of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000, and the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1988.

Many years after his retirement when my knowledge of football came to a level where I could appreciate the skills that were showcased in this game, I read and more and more about Maldini and how he is regarded to be one of the greatest defenders of all time. He played at a world class level for his entire career spanning two and a half decades, and won the Best Defender trophy at the UEFA Club Football Awards at the age of 39. He came second to George Weah for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1995, the closest a defender had ever come to winning the award until Fabio Cannavaro won the award in 2006. He was chosen as a defender on the FIFA World Cup Dream Team, and in 2004 was named as one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA’s 100th anniversary celebration.

What was a sad coincidence for me is that it is from 2002 FIFA World Cup that I began to take a personal interest in the game and of course I supported Italy. For those who cannot remember,  Italy was eliminated in the 2002 World Cup round of sixteen, by a golden goal, to co-hosts South Korea, Maldini retired from international football, as Italy’s most capped player. It was a heartbreak for him as well as for me.

Of course, there has been a lot of debate over his decision to retire from the National side, but the sentimental part of me feels it came after his failure to bring home the Cup for Italy. In his International career, playing for Italy, Maldini appeared in four editions of the FIFA World Cup. In 1994 World Cup, he was the Vice – captain of the team, and lead the team in matches against Mexico, Nigeria, Spain and Bulgaria, in the absence of the injured Franco Baresi,  helping to lead Italy to the final, playing both as a centreback and as a fullback. Maldini helped Italy keep a clean sheet in the final against Brazil as the team eventually lost on penalties. In the next edition, in 1998 Italy went out in the quarter-finals to hosts and eventual champions France, on penalties. I have already reminded the readers of the fateful third edition in 2002 which saw Italy lose yet again.

Like a friend said on Maldini’s birthday this year, he ruined Men for so many of us. But as I read an article on FIFA’s official website I realize yet again, how little I appreciated the Man as a sportsman but I at least now through this post I can thank him for introducing me to the Game that he loves and generating interest in the technical aspects of this game.

Yet there is more, much more to the legend of Paolo Maldini than just trophies and caps. Immaculately behaved on and off the pitch, he has always been a role model. Such is his stature in the game that even the Inter tifosi paid tribute to him in the last Milan derby he played before his retirement. “It was a wonderful surprise,” he later said. “On a human level, I think it’s one of the most satisfying moments I’ve ever experienced.”

The ultimate professional and the most selfless of team-mates, Maldini has always remained loyal to his principles. Discreet to the last and reluctant to bow out with a big farewell, he opted to bring the curtain down on his career with a “low-key” party, as he himself put it. “A bit like me really.”

– Excerpt from FIFA.com, Paolo Maldini, an icon and a gentleman

I may be repeating myself when I say this, Maldini is considered to have been one of the greatest defenders of all time, and has been described as an icon and gentleman of the game. He has been known for his calm and correct behaviour on the pitch, preferring elegance and intelligence to physicality and aggression when defending. He was the first defender ever shortlisted for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, finishing second in 1995.He has won the UEFA Defender of the year, the Serie A defender of the year, the Bravo Award and the World Soccer Player of the Year Award.

In the wake of the recent Suarez controversy I can’t help mention a trivia that caught my attention, Maldini despite being a defender, expected to tackle a few opponents only picked up a single red card throughout his footballing career, in a friendly match.

Need I say more?

Paolo Maldini will always remain a special man to me.

THE END.

Reference Sources: Wikipedia, Fifa.com thegaurdian.com, espnfc.com

To The Girls Who Are “Emotionally High-Maintenance”

Reblogging is new to me. And although I have seen the symbol before, I haven’t reblogged anything before. It is very similar to Twitter’s re tweet. The concept is similar too. One can share a post by a fellow blogger and add one’s own thoughts and opinions. Although I wouldn’t consider this to be a part of my quest to write 100 posts on my blog, from time to time it is important that I share what I read and it is also important to do this exercise because I am not always capable of writing something on the same topic or expressing my thoughts precisely.

Reblog 1.0

Such a wonderfully written and high on emotional content writing… I couldn’t help but make this my first reblog.
I have always considered myself emotionally high maintenance and have been disappointed with partners unwilling to take that extra care when handling me. I remember posting on another blog why I was emotionally high maintenance. But that post was about defending myself and putting on an attitude of , ‘I couldn’t care less if you understand’, but this post I am re blogging has a tone that is closer to the real feeling of being misunderstood, and the desperate attempts to explain oneself. These feelings still plague me sometimes but thankfully The H. has been a calming influence on me mentally as well as emotionally.

Hope you enjoy reading this reblog. Do leve a comment on the original blogger’s site. All credit and copyright is of “Thought Catalog”.

THIRTY FOUR

Daphne du Maurier, 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an author and playwright, she wrote novels, short stories and plays. There are also some works of Non-fiction. In June 1969 Daphne du Maurier was named as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She is perhaps best known for many of her works that have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca (which won the Best Picture Oscar in 1941) and Jamaica Inn and the short stories The Birds and Don’t Look Now. The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the latter by Nicolas Roeg.

Since its publication in 1938, Rebecca, the book has never gone out of print. The novel was  one of the classic Gothic romances. The tale is about a woman Mrs. de Winter who marries a widower Maximilian “Maxim” de Winter and so begins a psychological and macabre plot. The looming shadow of the first Mrs. De Winter, Rebecca, casts a sinister shadow over the life of the newly wed at Manderley. In fact this reminds me of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre which had similar undertones but altogether a different plot.

It is one of my favorite stories of all time and I cannot count the number of times I have gone back to it. The story and the plot have been re used many times by many other authors, some have accused Daphne du Maurier of plagiarism  too but the truth is the plot may have been common, but the treatment by Daphne du Maurier is what makes this book special, it has been translated over the years in French, German, Spanish, Chinese and other languages.

The Oscar winning Film by Alfred Hitchcock aside there have been TV adaptation by BBC, plays, one adapted by Daphne du Maurier and later a musical and even an Opera. The popularity of this book has not dimmed over the decades.

While reading Ken Follet’s, The Key to Rebecca, a surprising detail popped up, that a particular edition of this book was used by the Germans in World War II as the key to a book code. Sentences would be made using single words in the book, referred to by page number, line and position in the line. One copy was kept at Rommel’s headquarters, and the other was carried by German agents. It is believed that code was never used as the Germans suspected that it had been compromised during a capture of a radio station.

Rebecca still intrigues its readers with its dark morbid scenes and the chill and dread of an impending doom clutches the reader every time they read it. The power of Daphne du Maurier’s words transports the reader and he follows Mrs. De Winters through the sinister rooms and grounds of Manderley.

This is the best book to read on a Rainy afternoon accompanied by a hot beverage because the chill that one feels down one’s spine is real and needs to be offset.

I will return to an e book version of the tale soon in this Monsoon.

 

 

THE END.

 

Reference Source: Wikipedia.