Lost....

So the World Cup reached its finish line in style, and splendor and in the very spirit of it has been since the start - a perfect all-nation party. I LOVED the closing ceremony...especially when the flags came up, with people walking along unveiling them...seeing them together makes me believe that unity can exist in this world, and it so strange that unity and brotherhood can only be associated with sports and nothing else. Frankly, I would never dream of watching so much of enthusiasm, and support in any other field. Kudos to the world of Sports for keeping the meaning of these words alive, despite the encroachment that Politics has made.
The final could not have been more different from the prior games. The tension and nerves were visible, as the game was more of trying to simply get a goal rather than making one. It wasn't the best game Spain has played, and definitely isn't too high on the list of great games for Holland either. Yet, I guess, Casillas' tears and the bright  smiles on the faces of the Spanish players made up for everything that the game was not. In the past two years, Spain has risen as a great sporting nation, with successes in Football, Tennis (I was so delighted to see Rafa's picture with Casillas and the Trophy...it made my day!!!), Cycling and Golf. It is uplifting to see the united celebrations amongst the people in every success.
The only thing I am disappointed about is that, this is the End. There isn't anything coming up in the world of sports for about a month, and I feel lost! I'd become so used to watching the French Open, then the World Cup and Wimbledon, interrupted by cricket here and there; I always had something to watch. Now, there isn't anything worth watching, and frankly, there's no use of turning the television on. So I'm totally LOST...
Happens a lot of times, but this year, with the World Cup, I didn't feel it would be that much...on the contrary it is much more, guess it is because the festival reached a high point and just ended...

The journey called the World Cup

The only reason I supported Spain during the Euro 2008 was because there were a lot of Liverpool players in the squad. And Bingo!! They won!
The World Cup is a different story. The team started off on the worst foot any one could have possibly imagined. 0-1 defeat to Switzerland wasn't a part of the script. But, they have bounced back, and today, on July 11th, 2010, they are on the brink of making History. Frankly, it isn't easy to watch a team win by margins like 1-0, in fact, games like that get boring. But, the game that Spain plays is simply weaving magic. one can just watch them pass the ball, keep the possession, and thread through the opposition's defence, almost effortlessly. It is so beautiful! Their game isn't about the goal-scoring or the physical aspect of football. It's about wearing the opposition down, moving through them, tapping the ball around. It feels like music; every game, a new tune, so pleasant to to the eyes, a treat to watch....the rhythm, the sync, everything, so different, so new. The margin of victory never tells it, but every game is a musical to look out for.
The Armada has grown in confidence. To beat teams like Germany, you have to have faith in your abilities to score, faith in your ability to nudge the Jabulani around.
I don't really understand the intricacies of the game. To me, football was always a rough, muddy and u-push-me-I-push-you game. Watching this team, I have witnessed something totally different. Something so new, it makes the game look as beautiful as a match of tennis.
On the other hand, there stand the Dutch. A very different technique, yet so similar. Their game is so much more physical, involving getting the ball, rather than keeping it....their techniques have flourished too....and they have grown more confident than ever. Beating in-form teams like Brazil, rather dismantling them in 45 mins of a game isn't an easy task. And since that momentous victory, the Dutch have only moved forward to the one place that they deserve- Soccer City Stadium.
I root for Spain, simply 'coz, they're my team this World Cup. I hope they win, because they have to play a better game than the Dutch. But, as a football fan, I only want this game to be as wonderful and exciting, as it expected to be, and finally, I want the best team to win. The World Cup needs a new and worthy winner, and the two teams today are the ONLY contenders for it!
GO SPAIN!!      

II/II Over!!

So exams are finally over. I sit here, pondering upon the last two weeks and thinking, I’ve done it!! Now, I only have to worry about studying after about two days. The past week and four days have been enlightening. Firstly, I know for sure that doing Pharmac just the one time, isn’t enough. My paper was no way better than last time, when  I hadn’t even completed my portion properly. And, today, the practical also sent across the same message. It isn’t just enough to have a chapter underlined and marked and coloured and full of charts. You need to know those charts by heart. My aim in the coming few months will be the same. We will, of course, have the entire portion now, for the prelims. If it has been tough the last two times, the prelims are going to be complete torture. ‘Coz there will also be two papers of each subject.

I have also learnt in the past week that my study method for Microbiology is pretty much what it should be. My paper was the best out of all my theory papers and the same can be said about the practical. This means I’m sure about a lot of stuff I have said and written. So, I love Microbiology and would love to make it my strong-point in the coming months.

Pathology still remains a kind of mystery. I loved it when we were doing General Pathology. And I hated it when we were doing Systemic Pathology. It is vast, and this time I haven’t read much of Robbin’s (a total change from last time, when most of the portion had been read from that thick little green book). I didn’t end up getting a lot of marks last time although my paper had been the best of all the three we wrote. I want to see whether reading Harsh Mohan makes a difference in the marks we get. I am going to finish reading up Robbin’s by the prelims, but I need to know whether it is going to be for the sake of reading it, or whether it is going to help me in getting the marks that I’m currently after.

PSM (Preventive and Social Medicine) has been labeled the disaster my third year, before the year even starts with the kind of crap it dished out to me in this term. According to the schedule of MUHS, students are tested on PSM in II/II. A 3-hr theory paper (with 3 compulsory 8 mark questions!!) and a 20 mark practical. That theory paper turned out to be the only paper I have EVER given without studying ANYTHING! The standard textbook is Park’s and it one hell of a boring book to read. I didn’t manage to do anything the whole evening before the exam. And then, the morning of the paper I came to know that there are notes available in PSM. I only managed to get the notes 2 hours before the paper, and I also had to have lunch. So, I went for the paper having read NOTHING. It turned out to be a disaster really. I haven’t written such crappy answers in such beautiful handwriting ever before! The practical was no better. The lecturer who took my viva, realized early into it that I did not know one small thing. I don‘t think I’m going to be passing in the subject this time.

FMT was pretty ok. The Department didn’t even know we had a paper! We started ah hour and a half late, because of all the confusion. They distributed éclairs as a penalty for forgetting that they had to conduct an examination J

Basically, I’m finally done with everything. Not everything, actually. My family-planning term-end is left, which will be held on Saturday. But I am free as such. I missed out on enjoying the Wimbledon and the Football World Cup, as much as I would have in another time span. But, luckily, Rafa and the Spanish Football team, have ensured that I have watched it all throughout. Congrats Rafa !! It was such a fulfilling moment to watch you lift that trophy! And I gotta say to Tomas Berdych ( I watched him beat Roger and Novak Djokovic), you are so totally all over the place!! It was great to see you play in the final, and I do want you to keep playing the brand and level of tennis that you are. Your serve…..simply sensational!

And that Football team! Switzerland seems in a different universe. I so want you to win the World Cup now!! You beat Germany! I am so proud of them all!! I hope to witness you guys raising that Cup as high as possible on Sunday :-)

I’ve actually had a great week. Guess, having exams did pay its dividends in some ways:-)