The Cup Of Life

So, the greatest sporting spectacle of our times has arrived! It's time for the world's best football players to come out all guns blazing and Joga Bonita! I personally, have never been a big football fan. But yes, the world cup makes football fans out of all of us! So here I am, blogging on what everyone seems to be obsessed with right now! And what a start it has been to the world cup. Three goals in the first 16 minutes!! Neat stuff! This Miroslav Klose dude really seems to come to the party at the world cups! And who can forget Beckham's trademark free kick today! I think I might be officially baptised into the world of football by the time the world cup comes to a close!

As I read in a local daily today, according to a survey conducted, about 90% of the Indian youth chose football over cricket! And we thought cricket was a religion here! What is it that draws the attention of fans worldwide? I mean look around.. Every shop at every mall is going overboard with the merchandise! I walked into Garuda today, and woah! Normally, the cookie monsters would be the first to capture your attention with that surprisingly awful smell (How is that possible though? The cookies taste awesome!) . But today, I was greeted by some salespeople dressed in the Brazilian jersey (cheap imitation of it.. well, nonetheless). And the best part was, they were trying to sell laptops! Connection please???

Ah well, no point trying to comprehend this mass frenzy among the hoi polloi! I've decided to just sit back and enjoy the world cup. Only drawback is that I've lost all monopoly over the remote control at home. Try reasoning with the tag team of grandfather and father that the French Open finals is equally important! So, the way things are shaping up, Federer and Nadal will have to take a back seat tomorrow! And to add to the hopelessness of the situation, Sehwag just hit a hundred at a rate rarely seen in ODI's even. Tennis is the worst game to be passionate about right now! Ronaldinho and Rooney will be familiar faces on the TV for the next month or so. And did I forget to mention that my kid brother's obsession with Kenan and Kel is not helping!!

Coming back to the world cup, like I said, I'm gonna just give in and experience life in an eight inch diameter! I'll even pick favorites! I'm backing Brazil or England to win this. Though Ivory Coast seems like a funky team! Would be nice to see them do well! So there you have it.. The passions are shifting, albeit temporarily! If anyone has seen the Nike "Soccer versus Ninja's" ad, maybe that will explain it.. Here's how it starts. The coach shows the players the picture of a football which has been taken by the Ninja's, and the following is the dialogue that follows -

Coach - "We need this back."

Players - "It's just a ball."

Coach - "No! It's rounder."