Football and Monsters

It looks like Chelsea has wrapped up the title in emphatic fashion, hitting 3 past their nearest challengers. Their midfield prowess was almost unmatchable for long periods in the game, and from that performance it is hardly any wonder why they are champions. And their championship was not won without effort. It did seem like a 'Buy One, Get One Free Deal'. Big efforts in the transfer market with funds surpassing perhaps the fortunes of the entire Premier League, meticulous efforts from the staff and players, but pale pale supporters.

Besides, Chelsea is one of the most expensive clubs to support, with its ticket prices bordering on the outrageous. These tolls may limit the tenacity and ferocity of its supporters to push the team beyond the boundaries, perhaps instead resting on the laurels of the overwhelming team sheet and benches, which in some cases is worth more than another team's entire squad. The stadium lacks bite. Lacks a vicious atmosphere. Perhaps, at the time being, still sorely lacking in silverware too, though that may change in the next few years. But it was plain funny, amidst all the hype of securing their 2nd consecutive title, at the end of the game, they needed some "we are the champions" anthem over the P.A to stir the crowd into blissful choruses and echoes stretching from end to end. Before long, the song ebbed away into obscurity again, with only certain quarters singing, certain ones waving at the TV cameras, some chatting with loved ones, and the little London school kids who probably never seen Peter Osgood played in a Chelsea shirt in their lives, remembering only the last days of Zola donning the Blues.

I'm not complaining, nor am i fighting jealousy, but it seems as though some of the crowd lacks the passion of putting their voices, pockets and energy behind their beloved team. They have lost 2 vital semi finals to Liverpool now, the latter semi with a ticket against an underdog team in the final which would make them odds on favourites to win. The bitter part of the 2 ties is that on paper, in both games, Chelsea have a far superior side on the field, witnessed both in worth and form. Yet somehow the pride of the club were not worn on the shirt, for maybe they still lack the history to say that, "A club like Chelsea should be winning every damned silverware".

What i felt that tilt the tie in Liverpool's favour was some the great desire to win it for the amazing fans and some good fortune, while Chelsea's millionaire superstars are highly motivated to achieve the peak of every footballer's career with as many winner's medals as possible. Bear in mind, Istanbul was won with the fans in mind, the fact that they sang their hearts out at half time, down 3-0, still believing something could happen in the next 45 minutes. How in the world did we, from being railed off the park by an invincible Milan side, to come out and match them, and to beat them? It was the fans. They carried the team on against Olympiacos, Juventus, Chelsea and Milan.

A club with special people does not make a club special, for it is the individuals in the clubs who are special. Great clubs are about dynasties. Leeds were big at one point, so too were Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool and European Cup winning sides of Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. Liverpool, engineered a footballing dynasty with successive League titles and European Cups in the 70s and 80s. Man Utd did not achieve immortality in the public eye before 1999, 5 league titles in the last 6 seasons, and a European Cup to boast. That is a dynasty.

2 league titles do not make a club immortal, nevertheless there is a core of a great thing in Chelsea that could work in the future. Unless they win a hattrick of titles, a double, a European Cup, a treble, it remains to have no right to claim greatness. Not yet at least, especially when a club is so full of itself. Just remember to get poor ol' Mourinho a Chelsea scarf to show off next time.

Elephant and elegant

When a child draws a picture of an elephant, and shows it to an adult, they would appreciate it if they were told that it's beautiful.

If an adult draws a picture of an elephant, and shows it to another adult, they would appreciate it if they were told that they've just revolutionised art.

i wonder…

Ignorant or too subjective?

Take a look at this and you find that it's not so alarming at first sight. But all i'm wondering about by the time i finished the articles was why was our "Don't know" percentage at least about 3 times higher than the British public? Considering that their sample sizes would be much larger than the 2000 BEIM surveyed, which only enhances the stronger viewpoints associated with the British public.

Really beats me. What do you think? I'm thinking the list is fair enough, but really, what is the difference between a TV news reader and a journalist? I suppose one is an occupation, the latter being a profession, which in turn would comprise TV news readers would they not?

I wonder…..

Credibility, independence and bias

Auditing requires that independence be of utmost importance, in fact, it's the cornerstone behind auditing, its results and consequences. Since it is fundamentally human behaviour that we are considering, with the bright minded elitists coming to terms about putting this world right, but it is the interests of those who have resources that we serve.

It was interesting that my tutor pointed out the fact that 'we cannot question a successful business' policies'. In that regard, he pointed to Harvey Norman, where billionaire Gerry Harvey virtually runs the whole show, and claims, contrary to common Corporate Governance practices, that Harvey Norman has "the best type of corporate governance; we own half of it, it's our blood."

Well, yes he is successful, tough, a motormouth, and defiantly stubborn, all in all, a success. So now, does success makes someone impervious to rights and wrong? In our cocoon called 'the modern context', we find ourselves submerged within the glamorous declarations of how 'we could all be successful'.

The convenient paradox created to suit our lives sounds like this; amidst our bold independent judgement, past results should not bode into the future, only our mind allows it. If someone was right 10 years ago, would he/she still be right now? Quite possibly yes, but perhaps not because he was right before, but it should be assessed on the fundamental merits of his decision. Someone richer doesn't make him/her more right than his/her poorer counterparts. Successful business man would not be more right about life, how to be happy, but maybe at amassing a small fortune. Human truth is only temporary, not infinite. And success should/cannot be aggregated into a single pool, singular for billions of individuals.

I'm this far, arguing on too many contexts, that i probably dont make sense or maybe you'll find contradictions along the lines. Ultimately, my point insists that truth is defined in the mind of the beholder. Credibility is a reality we create in our minds. Whether it leads to reality in essence or a real-world context, can only be told in the future.

Seems like i'm lacking my usual sharpness and more tactful this time.

The Rolling Stones

Critics said, "This is one of the bands you have to see before you die." But, i was far less concerned about my own wellbeing compared to my concerns about their energy levels and anxiously waiting to find out how energetic their performance would be. By the night's end, i was convinced that i would be beaten by Sir Mick Jagger in a 1.5km jogathon held an hour after the concert.

That was it, they seemed to be able to absorb the youth of the audience and turn it into some form of elixir for them to stay young. I just can't fault their performance that night, and for me it was worth every penny. Forget their history, forget their bollocks off stage, forget what they stand for, but i can't forget their music. They are showpeople, and they know how to light up their audience.

Among the notes of their introduction, was that the Stones have amassed around 500+ songs to their credit. I wished there was less. That way the value derived from being there would be greater (typical kiasuness) but it was great just being there. There was genuine class being exerted, and genuine effort to stay young, remain in the business, set the standards and show the world that they are still at their fighting best.

Genres are elusive in this show, for they epitomised music itself. Masterful tracks. Brilliant coordination. Energetic. They are everything they are on the stage. Without the stage, they'd cease to exist. But enough with the superlatives, and get down to the tracks.

My faves that night in no particular order:

1. tumbling dice
2. honky tonk women
3. brown sugar
4. angie
5. satisfaction
6. you can't always get what you want

Tracks i wished they had played:

1. beast of burden
2. wild horses
3. gimme shelter
4. ruby tuesday
5. under my thumb
6. street fighting man

Nevertheless, fantastic stuff. You could go to each and every show of theirs, and still find something new to enjoy, that much i'm sure of.

Playing Brown Sugar and Honky Tonk Women while floating across to centre field

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Originally uploaded by s k i t z e l s.

Keith Richards on the immortal screen

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AUD99 view of The Rolling Stones

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… and $5 beer on my seat.

Sir Mick Jagger, Telstra Stadium, Sydney, 11th April.

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Originally uploaded by s k i t z e l s.

As the tall ozzies block my view of the stage, the big screen immortalises this man, magnifying him beyond surreal compounds.

Telstra Stadium, 7.10pm, 11th April.

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Originally uploaded by s k i t z e l s.

No bunny matter

I still sometimes despise the glorious industries of human capitalism, this bitter irony always makes its way into my head come the festive seasons. Like Christmas, Easter just has to have incentives to make good boys and girls, and only reminders that it is a somewhat solemn celebration deter us from giving away presents twice a year. Not that i'm denying that chocolates, eggs and bunnies aren't a subset of presents, but yes, you'd get the drift, the symbols of Christmas creates a euphoric sense for celebration for the gift of Life. It IS Jesus' birthday.

But our lives are truly granted on Easter, so here's to greeting life after Christ. Chocs. Bunnies. Eggs. We are such creatures of habit, as we learn through the course of our lives, or in a lecture in Accounting, a social science, and our habitual acts of exploiting incentive.

Essentially, death must occur prior to rebirth, and Jesus' crucifiction and subsequently, his resurrection paves the way that flawed humans can join him up in Heaven. His perfect life and exemplary conduct serves as the perfect sermon for us Christians. Remember rapture, and remember that prior to it, only Jesus has died and reborn to live eternally, and if he were to set a precedent for doing so, he'll be lonely in Heaven.

Darkly fortunate we are, that that is not the case, but still caution must be served for us in His example. Christian living has always been a challenge, but never have the masses had to deal with such rapid globalisation, blending culture, religion, thoughts, businesses, practices, communication and success so seamlessly, where the youth dream agelessly, the elders envisions far beyond their lifespan, and our children reap the rewards and replicate it.

What about us replicating the life of Jesus? Such habitual creatures we are, that it makes a mockery of our eating from the Tree of Knowledge, and our ability to discern good from evil, for how do we, rational humans, define 'good living'? Giving up fun is sacrifice, but not when fun creates problems, and denies you from living 'right'. And why do we need incentives for it? I'm robbing no one of their presents, chocs, bunnies and eggs nor am i calling for a boycott, but just how much do we need 'IT'?

The Little Prince

One of my favourite books has gotta be 'The Little Prince' which is a really profound account of life thru the eyes of a 'little prince' written by a grown up. All round it is very thoughtful and provide chances to reflect upon the 'once upon a time' when we were young and looked at life in such a way.

Children are often misunderstood and their intelligence are underestimated by grown ups. The logic and reasoning abilities of grown ups compounds the complexities of life that one must face. The theories and hypotheses that we develop tend to make things much much harder to comprehend. Though such a research as on human behaviours will always be an incomplete one thus, a moot point, i think that the simplicity of a child's mind can be key to understanding grown up problems too.

I've seen kids in Sunday school give a very swift and definitive answer, unlike their i decisive grown up counterparts. If you asked them Heaven or Hell, it's simple. They'll answer Heaven in unison. But for me to claim that this single-minded approach of heaven or hell applies to the real world would be creating a false premise. So how and where did we get lost, where was the transition from the innocence of boyhood to complicated adulthood? Adolescent is not a state of mind, just a number beyond our own comprehension. While we are thought many things in our adolescent years because grownups felt it was about time we learnt it, our feelings and instincts have far outgrown over knowledge.

Exploring from T.V.F Cuffe's introduction of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery, Cuffe states: "…children can bear a great deal of reality; the child is a conscience as well as a consciouness and no longer a state of innocence.". Children are not miniature adults. "These hermetically sealed adults are not only solitary but also needy and demanding, since company is what most adults, unlike children, inordinately desire," as Cuffe further elaborated.

Do we still remember any of our early childhood? And what do we make of it now, that we're such rational adults? And what bodes for us in the future stemming from who we were, when time has shaped us into who we are today?

If you haven't read the book, read it. If you have, leave me some comments.

Take a trip to nowhere this hols!

Imagine a tourist from Europe, looking to a travel agent to arrange a perfect holiday. Points to a part of the globe, and the agent responded, “No, you can’t go there, there are terrorist kidnappings there.” Optimistic and nevertheless undiscouraged, the traveler decides that let’s pick another destination. Again, the 2nd destination was met with an even swifter response from the agent saying, “Well, there’s a flu epidemic prevailing there. It’s a really killer flu.”

By now, the tourist was adamant that his next pick better be a good one and that the agent had better just say the 2 magic words; O.K. He spun the globe and looked carefully. Yesterday’s newspaper just reported a killer tsunami which claimed a staggering 27,000 lives across South Asia. That’s completely out of the question. The southern islands around Philippines and the coasts of Sabah boast beautiful beaches, but, ahh, terrorist kidnappings. Out.

Sigh. “Let’s go to the United States. Miami, Vegas!” the tourist said with a sight of clear frustration.

“Oh, what, did you not know that a madman got reelected as President? Terrorists are hell-bent on plotting an assassination of him.”

“But that attempt is just going to take place where he is at.”

“Yes, but perhaps not so. The last time they tried to take him out, they tried to crash a plane at his house, and 2 took down the World Trade Center. I guess, you never can tell where’s next, you know.”

Perhaps your passport says you can go anywhere. Or even your money allows you to go anywhere. But where exactly would you want to go? Maybe the agent above is the most pessimistic agent you’ll ever meet, but heck, he might be right on a few accounts.

Oh, bummer!

The bum market may be bigger than you can imagine. the entire world’s research are devoted to bums. for those who have difficulty picturing it may find light in food research. Food research have largely contributed to the bum culture. We have burgers and potato chips for the bums who wanna have big bums, instant noodles and canned food for the bums, and health supplements for bums who detest being a bum. We cannot escape our bum destiny.

Inheritance has placed paramount pressure on us to escape it. In more ways than one, i firmly assert that money is the key and passport to bumness. And if i may warn, that bumness is contagious. Your money will always be your money, and your fathers money will soon be your money. The more money your father has, the less likely you will work harder but increases the possibility you will spend more. Obviously, bumming does not discriminate between gender.

Your father has a son called You. You has a rich father. This entices You to pursue the better things in life. What better way to pursue it with girls and trying to have a sniff at nice round asses. And thus, based on the desires of You, courtship expenses may vary.

A girl named U on the other side, who also happens to be that daughter of an up and coming exec who profits from bum research, would be no different than You. To be noticed, and desired by You, U will have to be absolutely desirable. And thus, based on the taste of You, cosmetics, slimming programs, low fat food, lovely hairdos, pimple removers, bras, panties, nail polish, contact lenses, shoes, handbags and tonnes of magazines which gathers together the best of all the former’s expenses may vary.

Pursuing the finer things in life is never far from being a bum, if it doesn’t makes You and U even bummer. The thrifty makes the have-not bums look bad. They masquerade the authenticity of their actions by claiming ‘my parents bought me the rights to be a bum’. Nevertheless, the arrival of new bum equipment have brigde the gap between have-not bums and the thrifty bum. Television, internet and certain print medias play a pivotal role in informing the bums of the world to what the latest bum developments are. This has help increase the demographic possibilities and niches of the bum market. There’s now the wannabe bum, the i-want-knowledge-at-my-fingertips bum, the playstation bum, the scholarly bum who discusses ways he can save the world by sitting with other bums over coffee, the telebums, or you may encounter the i’m-too-lazy-for-courtship bum, who sneaks to watch porn after everyone is asleep.

As you grow weary reading, it is now possible to understand that the extent of the bum market and that the influence in the future is inevitable. The economics of bum is never-ending, decreasing the impossibility of achieving everything by doing nothing.