Tales from Britannia – The Unfinished Tales

Some of the stuff I wanted to do but couldn’t –

• Visit the Stonehenge
• Drive a Mercedes (which I could have done if I had gone to Mercedes-Benz World on a weekend instead of a weekday)
• Meet the Queen (I couldn’t have done that anyway but wtf)
• Watch the Champions League final in a Manchester pub (I was in my aunt’s house in Surrey with a bad cold an light fever)
• Go to Old Trafford (I already mentioned that before)
• Watch Eric Clapton live (which was going to happen on the day I landed in Mumbai)
• Stand in the famous overnight queues for daily Wimbledon tickets (I got the ticket without all the trouble … The story of how I got the tickets will come in a later post)
• Buy a guitar (No money)

All this probably next time.

Tales from Britannia – The Final Chapter

My 47 day stay in England has finally ended and indeed it has been an awesome experience. Fortunately enough, my last week there turned out to be the high point of the whole thing and I got to see Rafael Nadal play on Centre Court at Wimbledon. My seat was right behind and to the right of the referee 12 rows behind. On the downside, all the three matches were straightforward sfaairs with the victors not dropping a set. But then again you can’t get everything.

It was also to my tremendous bad luck that I did not get a chance to go to Old Trafford. I made up for it by say 80% when I went to the Enirates Stadium in North London. Why Emirates? Well, skillwise I would say that Arsenal are unmatched in the EPL (even better  than United) and hence they are quite an admirable side. Anyway, the stadium is quite well built. There is a beautiful museum chronicling the history of the Gunners.

The last two days were spent in trying to pack (and re-pack) the horrendous amount of stuff I had to take back with me. The flight back on Friday was very very uncomfortable leaving me stiff for the best part of Saturday. On landing, it felt amazing to finally smell the wet, sweaty and salty air of Mumbai, a moment which was surely the cherry on the icing …

And by the way …

… on Tuesday I am going to Wimbledon to see the day’s action on Centre Court!

Another “kick” into the wall …

… probably that’s what van Basten said after the shocking (and humiliating) loss to the Russians. Like the commentator on ITV (which by the way is big TV station and has got nothing to do with the ITV that airs silly Hindi remixes and pop songs in India) said, Guus Hiddink shot up to number one on the list of the biggest traitors of all time when Arshavin deposited the ball into the goal in the 117th minute.

Was it a rude (not ruud) shock seeing the Dutch being demolished? Definitely! But looking back at the tournament, it was quite clear that predictions were gonna be difficult to make. For instance, Klasnic’s goal in the quarters for Croatia should have been the nail in the Turkey’s coffin. But the Turks found late magic/luck and were able to beat Croatia against all odds.

In all, a fantastic tournament is at hand. Everything from the most brilliant to the most stupid is happening. Hiddink is still the ‘Midas’ of big tournaments. Anything can happen. I get to watch all the matches(except the final) in high definition on a 50″ TV. Spain are still in it. The Italians are out. What more can i ask for?

Tales from Britannia – V

Daily life here is a bit of an oddity. For one, what you do has nothing to do with what you want to do. I mean it is quite normal on weekdays when people have schools, colleges, jobs and the like. But on weekends when you have free time, you need blessings from the Almighty to achieve your goal. Why? The bloody English rain!

Normally a family guy here would come home after work Friday evening and check the BBC website for the weather forecast. If BBC predicts more rain than ‘light showers’, then he seriously considers spending time at home with his kids playing Cluedo. If any other prediction pops up, then he declares to his family,”Its gonna be a bright and sunny day tomorrow so better start preparing for a picnic.” Now there are so many parks in this country that land developers in India would go crazy deciding where to start building first. So, picnics are all too frequent.

But then again, the ‘weather’man is no ‘rain’man and is even more unreliable than the Indian cricket team. So ever so often you end up with a wet, soggy picnic or you end up spending a perfectly beautiful day inside your house watching stupid stuff on TV. Then you spend atleast 2 hours cursing the weather guy for ruining a hard earned weekend. 

Surprisingly, at night the same guy finds himself staring at his computer screen again reading what the skies have in store for him tomorrow. Now I know what its like to be under the weather … 

Heard what did the director of that porn flick said?

Lights, Camera … aaaannddd … Suction!

Kick Off

I have been following football since the turn of the millennium; so I have seen all the major competitions after AD 2000. Euro 2008 is by far the most exciting one I have seen. The first week has been a show of brilliant football. Now since no newspaper wants me to write for them, I’m gonna go ahead and be audacious enough on posting my opinions.

Group A : Portugal, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Turkey

Switzerland are already out after a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Turkey. But the Turks have a tough challenge up ahead as they face the Czechs. Portugal have by far been the best side in the group and their qualification is justified. Two years ago, the Czechs would have been formidable opponents with likes of Nedved, Smicer and Poborsky. But in the absence of a stable midfield, the opportunities for Koller and Baros up front are limited. Turkey on the other hand are a young side and have a good striker in Nihat. But their ability to cope up with the pressure is debatable.

Group B : Germany, Poland, Austria, Croatia

Germany look set to qualify from this low profile group. Austria were the lowest rated team but they showed some good form against Croatia although they ended up losing 1-0. Croatia and Poland will be favourites to become the second team to qualify after Germany, but Austria may have a surprise or two up their sleeves.

Group C : The Netherlands, Italy, France, Romania

The Dutch are back! Their confidence must be at an all-time high after routing the world champions 3-0. The French played lacklustre football in their opening game in which Romania made them look even worse than the English. Clearly, they need Thierry Henry to play if they are going to stand any chance of going through. The Italians are a fine squad but their famous defense is showing big leaks in the absence of captain Fabio Cannavaro. Personally, I want the underdogs Romania to go through.

Group D : Spain, Sweden, Russia, Greece

Perennial under-performers Spain started their campaign superbly. Their forwards form probably the most lethal combination in this tournament. The Russian side showed flashes here and there, but their inexperience was obvious. Sweden started off well with Ibrahimovic finally scoring in an international game. The Greeks proved why their Euro 2004 victory was a fluke. The defending champions look like they are going to be the first ones eliminated from that group. My money is on Spain and Sweden going through.

 

Tales from Britannia – IV

Over the last three weeks, I have had a chance to visit many attractions in and around London. Some highlights …

• The Museum of Natural History: A majestic chronicle of life on Earth. Right from huge lifesize skeletons of the early dinosaurs to modern day species that wander on this planet. A rich collection of rocks and mineral specimens. They actually have a Pune connection – two specimens, one from Wagholi and one from Khadakwasla.
• The Tower of London: I am not the kind of person who would enjoy a display of jewellery, but the Crown Jewels mesmerised me. I mean, I have never seen a bigger collection of diamonds and gold in my life. The crux was definitely the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Exquisitely crafted, it literally filled the room with its glory. The Crown Jewels stands testimony to the brilliant craftsmanship and metalwork in medieval Europe.
• St. Paul’s Cathedral : One of the many works of Sir Christopher Wren, St. Paul’s is a magnanimous showcase of the wealth of the British Royalty. The architecture and fine sculpture are eye catching. There are some 600 odd steps to reach the topmost gallery of the cathedral from where you get a breathtaking view of London.
• Lord’s : By far, the best moment of my stay here was the view of Lord’s Cricket Ground from the pavilion. I got a chance to be in that famous gallery in the away dressing room where Sourav Ganguly did a Salman Khan. I saw the brilliant view from inside the Media Centre. Definitely, Lord’s is a must visit for anyone who comes here.

Britain’s got Talent!

Check out this performance from the reality show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.

 

Equus

Of the many things I have been doing here, this has to be the weirdest. I saw Peter Shaffer’s play Equus at the Richmond Theatre here in London. The play has been a topic of many funny (and pun-ny) jokes among friends and it was nice to experience Alan Strang’s obsession with horses first hand.

“Did you get to see Daniel Radcliffe’s weeny?” was the first question Abhishek asked me when I told him I saw the play. I know many people will have the same query so let me clarify. No, I didn’t see his weeny. Instead I saw Alfie Allen’s weeny because it is he who now plays Alan Strang. Of course, it didn’t matter whose weeny it was because both prospects are equally repulsive from my point of view.

Coming to the actual play, it was in fact a very well made piece of art. The performances were brilliant and the script was both powerful and subtle at the same time. The use of lights and minimal props was a highlight. I felt the nudity could have been avoided, although it was done very artistically. All in all, I did not regret spending twenty four pounds to see it.

Link to plot details : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equus_%28play%29