Am I afraid of ghost? Hell no, I’m more afraid of humans.

As we rewind back 2015, it has been a year to forget for us all in terms of casualties. Looks like many involved in these forgettable events are more interested to cause havoc rather than having sympathy for people and the places we live in. I’m not here to say who is wrong or right and definitely not going to be on anyone’s side here. Things happen due to something that has occurred which has led to the consequences that follow. Below are the incidents that have happened throughout the year in which that has left a sorrowful impact on those involved. I’ll be focusing on incidents that happened due to cause of a fellow human and not Mother Nature.

Jan 7 - Charlie Hebdo Attack

This tragic shooting in Paris occurred on the morning of January 7^th where the French satirical newspaper was attacked by Yemen’s Al Qaeda branch as a payback for the illustration of the term ‘Allah’ published in the newspaper many years ago. Eleven people were killed during the attack on the media outlet.

Feb 4- TransAsia Airways Flight 235 Crashes on Highway

 Just 37 seconds after taking off and reaching an altitude of 1,200 feet, the TransAsia Airways Flight 235 crashed on a highway in Taiwan. The right engine had failed before the pilot turned off the left one manually. The plane couldn’t glide and crashed on the highway, and continued its way into a nearby river. Of the 58 people on board, only 15 survived. Innocent lives were lost due to poor maintenance of the flight.

March 24 - Germanwings Flight 9525 Crashes into the French Alps

The Germanwings Flight 9525 departed from El Prat Airport in Spain and was on route to Düsseldorf Airport in Germany but it never reached its destination. The plane crashed into the French Alps. All 150 people on board were killed. The crash was executed by the co-pilot, who had been diagnosed as unfit for work because he was severely depressed and suicidal. He had kept the information for himself and never informed his employer. After the incident, many countries implemented a new regulation that two authorized people must be present in the cockpit at all times, in order to prevent such tragedies from ever happening again.

April until now - The Refugee Crisis

The refugee crisis is also known as the European Migrant Crisis which started back in April 2015 when five boats sank in the Mediterranean Sea, which killed around 1,200 refugees coming mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea. The refugees are fleeing their countries due to violent conflicts in North Africa and Middle East, seeking asylum into European countries. The number of forcibly displaced people worldwide reached 59.5 million at the end of 2014, the highest level since World War II. The most recent event that went viral in the media was the death of 3-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. Because his family was trying to reach Canada, his death immediately became an issue in the 2015 Canadian federal election, forcing the government to promise the welcoming of more refugees.

August 26- Reporter and Cameraman Killed Live On TV

Yes, you didn’t read that title wrongly. This is an absolutely shocking incident that happen in Virginia, US. A bitter ex-television reporter, carrying a handgun and a homicidal rage two years after his ugly firing, made himself the lead story complete with the shocking video. The tormented journalist emptied his gun into an ex-colleague and the cameraman from point-blank range Wednesday as a live audience watched the double homicide over morning coffee. The remorseless killer actually videotaped the slaughter, posting a 56-second clip on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter before killing himself as Virginia State Police closed in about five hours later.

                                       

November 13 – Paris Attacks

This tragedy in Paris was probably the most shocking of the lot. It was a series of coordinated attacks that involved three suicide bombers near the Stade de France followed by mass shootings near restaurants, cafes and concert halls. The attack killed 130 people including 89 at the Batalacan theatre where they were taken as hostages. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks stating that it was in retaliation for the French airstrikes targets in Syria and Iraq. Others claimed it to be an act of war or start of a potential World War 3.

These incidents above show that no matter our position, religion or country we live in, the world is not a safe place anymore. The implications show what a human is capable of doing to another human being either in the form of deliberately, indirectly, carelessness or outright head on vicious attacks. The thought of me writing this came when someone asked me ‘Are you afraid of ghosts?’ For now, as far as I’m concerned, I’m more afraid of fellow human beings and what they are capable of. It’s just a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It is worrying to see how we have made our earth to be in. You don’t open a random newspaper every day and see humans getting killed by any ghost or demons. It’s more and more of humans killing each other that are flooding the news almost every single day. No matter which faith you are in, there is believe that God will come again to the earth to end everything. From the rate we are going, there is no need for that, as humans ourselves will kill and destroy our beloved world. It looks like it’s just a matter of time now. Hoping that the year 2016 will be a more peaceful year compared to 2015.

Untold Stories (part 1)

Go school, do higher education, graduate, find job then work for a happy life. It’s that simple ain’t it? Really?  That simple? How to get that ‘happy life’ if our parents could not afford for us to go school? Are we doomed? In this country we just ignore the biasness and unfair treatment for students who deserve a place in the public university just because parents can afford to send us to private universities. How if they could have not? Is there any other way to achieve that ‘happy life’?

From my internship experience that I underwent this year, it exposed me to people with a variety of backgrounds and struggles they had to adhere to be where they are. They say that internship gives us the outside exposure and the real difficulty of life, it surely did.  Here are some of the selected people whom stories amazed me that I’m going to share without revealing their personal details.

Untold #1

The first person was an operator is running the machines in the production line when I first joined for my internship.  Always on the go, working with such enthusiasm and constantly for some work to do despite having the part of his work done. His observation and hands on application was really good as I’ve seen him the first on the scene if there is a need of troubleshoot in a machine. I remember him saying that ‘I’ve been doing the same job for 5 years now, but I cannot continue this. I need a platform to show the knowledge I have in my work for a raise’. – quoted by untold #1.

Since then, he has been constantly working on an idea he has on how to improve the productivity of a machine. Without the knowledge of engineering, his experience was all he had to work on his idea. I’ve seen him asking many people for assistance including mine to help him out especially for his presentation skills. During the month of August, he presented his work to the technicians and engineers leaving them very impressed.  Earlier this month, as I went to work I noticed something odd.  Untold #1 was sitting in the technician’s room handling an issue. It was then I knew he has been promoted and all his work has paid off. There are many people doing the same operator job for 10-15 years but this person made his time worth it in just 5 years. He told me this when I congratulated him ‘This promotion may seem small for others but it means everything to me, I’m able to make my family happier now’.  – quoted by untold #1.

Untold #2

The second individual is someone who has faced terrible luck for the past two years. It came to my knowledge that his unfortunate person was involved in an accident last year. At the time when I joined for my internship, he was not there and I only met him after a month. I thought he was a new worker but it seems he faced another accident the week before I joined. Adding to that, in August, this unlucky person faced yet another accident and was admitted for 3 weeks. Despite having his back against the wall, he is one of the most optimistic characters that I’ve ever meet in my life let alone at my host company. He’s the one that will greet everyone ‘good morning’ and is always setting up plans for that week; either badminton or futsal. 

The accident has resulted in him being unable to move his body as agile as before and also difficulty in eating. He is almost reaching 50,not married and is an operator for the past 20 years also. I feel truly sorry for him every single time I see him and I have asked him how are you always joyous and making jokes with his reply being “Look, I’ve been involved in an accident 3 times the past 2 years, each time was me in a motor colliding with a car yet God has spared me my life even though I have been sinful all my life. I’m just trying my best to do the most with my life now and making people happy is something I like to do”. – quoted by untold #2

Untold #3 and Untold #4………..to be continued…..

The Gift of Life

We are all guilty of being caught up with our daily routines that we do not realize our purpose, who and where we are? Countless things that have taken by granted by us cannot be matched by the one elusive thing that sometimes forgets the true value of it. This thing is called life. Men have created many wonders on earth but life is something too delicate and too sophisticated for any men to recreate when it’s gone. After spending 9 months in the comfort of our mother’s womb we are given a chance and a taste of life in this one in a million planet called earth. What did we do to earn this life? Was there any price to pay for?  Is this life given through the good deeds of our previous life? These are questions that we neglect after realizing how our lives have penned out as the aura of guiltiness clouds over us.

Life: Our greatest gift

As beautiful as life may seem, our body is just a working tool blessed by a perfect working mechanism sheltering our soul from any possible harm. It is something that cannot be seen or touched but acts as the platform for our life. The soul within us the greatest gift we will ever receive in our life. No matter where and how this is an absolute honor as there are no reasons yet on why deserve this. The agony that mothers goes through to be the instrument that brought us to where we are now is an undefined value of sacrifice beyond boundaries.  A mother is a temple by her own and the closest we can ever get to heaven on earth.

Cherishing the soul is something that most of us fail to live up to. Our mind is often so vulnerable to the influence that our young blood desires to try which leads to the risk of being involved in dangerous activities. The roots of where we come from are victims of being left hanging because due to some reason, we tend to be ashamed of it and for the fear of not being accepted by the circle. The number of days, weeks and years of us being taken care and fed by our family when an infant and the panic station our parents go through whenever we get lost as a child. It’s an anxiety that will only be understood and appreciated when we have children of our own. Despite this, many enroll themselves to dangerous and unhealthy activities that may cause fatal to life in which by doing so succumbs parents to a permanent state of despair.

Appreciate the soul before it's taken away

                                 

Without our realisation, it is a big test of how much we do with our life given. The contribution by us that may seem small in our eyes might be something huge in the eyes of another. This is in fact the biggest test that we will ever go through where no written exams could even come close. Spending too much time dreaming and chasing to be someone we are not just for the sake of popularity when there are so many out there would give anything just to be in our shoes. The simple life given to us is a luxury for the less fortunate for example our parents, food, shelter, education, love etc. Taking the life of another for a reason besides self defense is never our right as well as dashing a young person especially a girls dreams and future through the influence of lust shows the nonchalant of another's soul. 

Just like anyone else, I have too faced guiltiness upon me by not making the best of the life I'm given. We all have, as we are not angels to be perfect throughout our life. The most important thing is to change after going through the phase of realization and trying to make amends for it is what really matters. It may seem a small step but it'll definitely pay much dividends one day.

Dawn of a new age in Tamil Cinema: 5 reasons why Thani Oruvan is a kickass film!

                     

As a film fanatic, I love to observe and appreciate how films are made from their deliverance of message, tempo, screenplay, camera angles, acting etc. Not that I have anything against Tamil films, but recent Tamil films generally has always been very predictable with many unwanted scenes that has nothing to do with the overall plot and being guilty of focusing solely on the mass appeal of the actors involved. Some of my favorite Tamil films with real quality has been few and far between like 'Vettaiyadu Vilayadu ', 'Unnai Pol Oruvan', 'Neram', Soodhu Kovvum' and a few more the very least. Last weekend I had the opportunity to watch 'Thani Oruvan' and I kept my expectations really low because of the past few films that I've watched left me leaving the cinema really disappointed with 'Maari' being the last film I watched and it was pffftt! Let's not go into that as I was overwhelmed and really satisfied after watching 'Thani Oruvan' and this is why:

*Spoiler Alert*


1) The Protagonist realism influence on the film

How many times we've seen the lead role no matter he's a farmer, fisherman, gangster, police etc having limitless knowledge and superhuman strength to deal with anything that comes his way. It is as if he's totally invincible and often looks like he ain't from this planet. I understand that this is done in such way because of the mass appeal and demand of the fans especially in India and most probably that is never going to change. In 'Thanni Oruvan', the protagonist is a policeman acted by Jayam Ravi and unlike other police films his role in the film is based on realism like a real life policeman faces. There was a scene where the protagonist undergoes desperate measures until the brink of vulnerability trying to figure out how the antagonist knows his every plan and move. It is a powerful scene where a situation like that draws the audience attention to be on the side of the protagonist. The film also showed that the hero has spent days doing research on crimes and trying to figure a connection between them which he made notes off all in a secret room of his. Realism is the key here as there is also no scenes where the lead role takes on 20-30 people all on his own in a bare knuckle brawl. Thankfully.

2) Less distraction on the film plot

'Thanni Oruvan' has a very strong plot and screenplay with the Director Mohan Raja (hard to believe he is the same director for Velayudham), giving enough screen-time for each role to enhance their character development. This is something that often lacks in Tamil films where the supporting characters are not given attention or are just in the film for the mere humor side of it and not participating the film's plot. Hence, 'Thanni Oruvan' does not have any scenes where it diverts from the plot. Besides that, the lesser number of songs in this film kept the audience engaged to this film throughout. It's not wrong having songs in films but it is very important to have it at the right and proper moments. The background music was stunning though.

Director Mohan Raja showed his class

   

3) Proper background study of profession

The lead role and his friends are policemen in this film. Their training, development, dedication and posting were shown brilliantly in this film. It shows the writers took time and effort to study the life of a police from being a rookie to the actual deal. On the other hand, the underground world was nicely projected showing how dealings work, the plans, organisation, and that it all leads to one big mafia at the top of the tree. It exposes the dangers of falling into this path and all that matters is just about making business.

Realistic fight scenes

                             

4) The Antagonist's mind games approach

Unlike other Tamil films, this film was great due to the villain's part in the film. The introduction of the villain's was superb and the fact that he only appears somewhere near the halfway of the film made it intriguing. The villain played by carried himself brilliantly and he showed that there is no need of alcohol, drugs, or violence to show how bad-ass you can be. Credit goes once again to the director for this. It is a rarity to see a villain in Tamil films trying to outfox the hero by using his smartness. This gave a resemblance of the Joker's role in the Dark Knight film. NO JOKE ! ....and for once....for once... the punch dialogues were given for the antagonist to deliver which was absolutely amazing to watch! Plus there is no typical 10-15 minutes film ending fight scene between the hero and villain like other films has.

Best Villain of 2015 hands down: Arvind Swamy

5) The Acting

Every role was played well in this film. The supporting cast of the protagonist did their part as well as the heroin of the film, Nayanthara. She is proving herself more and more that she can really act. Jayam Ravi gave one of his best performances which I hope will resurrect his career to compete with the elite but we all have to agree that in this film Arvind Swamy stole the show with and absolute peach of an acting performance. Personally, I did not recognize him at first as the only other film of his that I saw was 'Thalapathi'. I never thought he could pull off such a performance in a villain's role. If there is an award for the best villain's role in the Tamil film industry in which I think there is, they can comfortable give it to Arvind Swamy already for the best villain of the year 2015!

p.s : The only downfall of this film is that Nayanthara was not sexy as she usually is in her other films. :P :P :P

If your're a fan of films in general do check this movie out, you'll not regret!


by Ivan Vincent

LGBT: The Good, Bad & Ugly side of it

The recent outburst of this Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) legalization in the United States  has sparked various views and opinions from people all around the world. There has even been countless of rallies to showcase their demonstration of protest. It is not fair to anyone to point a finger whether this issue is right or wrong as we all know that everyone is entitled to their opinion.  However every action has its pros and cons and it is no different in this case.  The United States of America definitely would have weighed and played all scenarios possible before making same sex marriage legal throughout the country. It was big decision made by them sending a huge message around the world that they mean business and don’t need the opinions of others to make a this sort of a huge statement.

As a citizen of Malaysia, I have witness many people saying not to get carried away and simply ignore this issue. Some have also cried out for others not to support this equality and stop acting like you’re from the States. My advice for those saying this is to wake up and stop living in your comfortable shell that you’ve built. People who are lesbians, gay and bisexual are everywhere around us and they are in desperate need of help. If we are not to help them, who will? Hence, here are my thoughts on this issue which I strongly believe there are good, bad and the ugly in it.

The Good

1)      The LGBT community generally hide their true identity because they feel they will let their parents and friends down by exposing the truth. In the end, they will be married to the opposite gender through an arrangement and will surely not satisfy the needs of their partner. Imagine what the partner goes through when they find out. To avoid this, lesbians and gays need to step out of their shadow and find a sense of belonging in the society. However, they will not be daring enough to do it and this is where making legal sex marriages comes into play. This helps them to find themselves and understand that it is fine to be the way they are.

                    

2)      The number of suicides will decrease drastically. Put yourself in their shoes and the struggles they go through each day trying to hide their true personality from the public. Often they take the route of taking away their own life to put the misery off them. By doing this, a soul, a life, a possible talent, is wasted just like that. 

                           

                                    

       For example, after watching the film 'The Imitation Game' I knew about this English mathematician called Alan Turing who successfully decoded the Nazi enigma which ended the war 2 years earlier and saved about millions of lives. Despite this, Turing was prosecuted for being a homosexual in 1952 when such acts was still illegal at that time in the UK. Since his service was kept highly confidential, they were not aware of his contribution towards the nation and Turing opted for oestrogen injections as an alternative to prison. In 1954, Alan Turing committed suicide to just end his misery.It is such a pity to end your life for such a reason. Something has to be done to eliminate this act. Those who don’t suicide however, generally lead themselves to drugs, prostitution and running away from home to earn a living.

Benedict Cumberbatch acted as Alan Turing in 'The Imitation Game'

3)      Another good thing of same sex marriage is the hope and life given to an orphan. Instead of living their lives in the orphan’s home unexposed to the world, being adopted gives them an opportunity to taste life in the right way. Adoption rate will definitely rise and at the same time miscarriages can be avoided. Who knows how talented the child may be and how well they might contribute for the nation. The same gender couples are more than capable enough to give the child they’re adopting the sufficient amount of love, shelter, food, education and other necessities.

The Bad

1)      The only negative I can see from my point of view is that if a child is adopted at a very young age or during infant understands the truth that their foster parents are the same gender. They will definitely be the guinea pig as the victim of tease among the circle of friends or at school. There is also a great concern if the child is raised by two men or women that they will lack the adequate Father’s love and Mother’s love. ‘Half bread is better than none’. This phrase has to be used to keep the adopted children going as they’ll need to realize what would’ve been if they were not given to key to escape from their orphan’s home.

2)      The other probable deleterious issue I can think of same gender marriage is the disappointment of their parents. Raising their child from birth, parents go through a lot to raise their child in the right way. When knowing their child is gay or lesbian, there will always be a guilty feeling amongst them that if they have not raise their child in the proper manner. This mindset however needs proper addressing. Parents at first most need to realize that it is not their fault in any way if their child ends up being a lesbian or gay. It is the fault of no one anyway. 

The Ugly

      It leaves me totally absurd when I see news of people totally against LGBT and coming to an extend of almost starting a riot. Don't get me wrong, it's their choice to feel disgruntled about this but where has simple human nature gone? Aren't we all thought to understand people's feelings and never judge them before stepping into their shoes? People tend to regard this act is against the faith and religion teachings. In my eyes, this has nothing got to do with lack of faith. The feelings of the person comes from withing and it's not the individual who asked to be in such way. In simple words, you cannot ask 10 boys to agree if a certain girl is attractive to them. Not everyone will have the same opinion. Like how genes and chromosomes have developed over the years by generating people of various talents and capabilities these days, the same can be said for feelings as well. Because of this, certain rules or laws that are placed all those years ago may not be applicable at this current time to handle such circumstances. Time has change, people has changed whether you like it or not. Hence, it is really sad to see the ill treatment given to the LGBT community. It is nothing short but just plain ugly human nature by not showing care and willingness to lend a helping hand. There is absolutely nothing ugly or to be ashamed of for the LGBT community in my opinion.

             

       In conclusion, I don't see LGBT community as a problem and it can never be said that my faith in religion is poor just by me supporting it. I just don't buy it as I don't see any relevance of this issue being related to my religion or any religion in that matter. Just remember that the LGBT community, like others only has one life the live to their fullest and they deserve the same level of happiness and peace that they can find. Once again, my sincere apologies if I have offended anyone in anyway, it is just my opinion. #lovewins

22nd Birthday: My talented buddy

On the first note, I am really grateful to be blessed with such wonderful friends in my life wherever I go. From primary school, high school, university and also at PLKN I’ve always had such a wonderful company of friends. If someone were to ask me, which of your friends is the most talented one? There will be one guy that will strike my mind. His name goes by Kugarubaan Sri Vetrivelan. Take a bow son. 

Happy 22nd Birthday Kugarubaan!

                               

 We were in the same tuition class for form 4 but never spoken to each other as we only became friends in university since joining as foundation students. Since then, he has become my soulmate. Today is his 22^nd birthday and I’m writing this to express how grateful I am to have him as my friend and how talented this guy is.

Personality

In the university, he has the outmost respect from every juniors and seniors alike. The way he speaks and brings himself is something that I’ve always admired and it’s a trait that is not easy to follow. He only speaks when it is necessary and chooses his words wisely. As far as I am concerned, he has never given trouble to his circle of friends and is always a class act. This persona of his always made him the first choice to host or be the emcee from a simple non formal party to a formal wedding reception.

The ladies man

                                

Spiritual

He did it! He has survived staying 5 years at UTP being a complete vegetarian. Knowing how difficult it is to be vegetarian at a campus just speaks volumes of his commitment level in the spiritual sense. He doesn’t mind hanging out with us for drinking sessions and never once did he fell in the temptation to try. How he does it? It is another attribute of his I truly respect.

Appearance

Kuga is the one guy in the team who really takes care of his dressing sense. He is always up for a new style and always up to date with the current trend. I don’t think I’ve known anyone that comfortable in a full set suit. Even if he just wears a simple shirt he can always portray the executive look that he has. It is a gift that he was probably born with.

What a man : Definition of class

Loyalty

We have left our high school for the best part of 4 years now but Kuga remains as someone very loyal from the high school he came from. You may tease him as much as you want but never tease his school, St. Paul’s Institution. You may regret it. Other than that, he shows strong loyalty in his friendship and to his family.

Natural leader of the squad

Singer

Kuga was the leader of the UTP Sangeeth society and rightly so. He has a great vocal and able to change his tempo according to the rhythm. He has performed in many shows, mostly singing duets and always gets a very good feedback from everyone.

Performing at ConvoFair 2012

Software & Programming skills

The endless and undefined number of times he has come to our rescue for designing posters, banners, video editing etc. We are all really grateful and I cannot imagine the number of coursework I would have failed if not for him. He is also a genius in creating programs for a project. His achievement in this field is just astonishing.

SEDEX Silver medal win : Would not have achieved this without him

ITEX Gold Medal win

Did his internship at this company like a boss

                                           

Blogging skills

For the past few years, I have written stories and not knowing how to transfer the ideas I have to the public. Once again, Kuga was there as he showed the door on how to do it and he is the reason why I’ve also started blogging. His topics and views on a subject is always top notch and at the highest level of thinking. He is always one that is open and loves to hear others view and at the same time very strong on his own take on that particular matter. He is and always be my blogging icon.

Friendship value

If there is one guy who cares for every single member of the team it is Kuga. He likes to analyse each person’s strength and weaknesses as he can understand and be a better friend to them. In short, every member of the team loves hanging out with him. He has always been there to accompany us for a meal, watch late night football shows and also there to give you a lending hand when you’re in desperate need for something. He helps without expecting a favour in return. Kuga is always the first to be arranging a plan either for a getaway or a birthday party for someone. He gives his advice when needed in order to help his friends and that shows how much he actually cares for us.

Message from the squad: We are all grateful to be your friend Kuga!!

To the single girls, it is definitely impossible to find the perfect guy but Kugarubaan is perhaps the closest you may get to. Hurry up as the race for him is heating up by the day.

To Kuga a.k.a. bear, cha you have been such a great pal to me. I hope it stays this way forever. Have a great birthday and I’m sorry for unable to attend your surprise party. God Bless you always cha. You have a really bright future ahead and advance congratulations upon your graduation. Long live! 

Cheers! 

Love you cha! #togetheralone

The Cup that was~Part 2

The home nation, rich with their tradition of the beautiful game and proud of the only national side with the 5 stars emblem are ready to kick-off the 20^th edition of the FIFA World Cup. Below is the breakdown of the verdict for each group as the tournament unfolded, best player for each group and my personal choice for the best 11 of the tournament. 

Group A:

A shaky start which was saved by a dubious penalty decision rescued the home nation in the opening match to collect all 3 points against the unlucky Croatians. There was no way through the Mexicans though in the second match and a shocker moment for Cameroon midfielder Alex Song in which he collected a deserved red card for elbowing Mandzukic from the back. The Mexicans proved too strong for Croatia in the final match as the home nation, Brazil and Mexico qualify.

Player of the group: Neymar Jr (Brazil)

Neymar proves himself at the biggest stage

Group B:

The defending champions, Spain come into this tournament optimistic for another triumph. On paper, they were favourites to top the group with Netherlands and Chile to battle for the second spot and a possible meeting with Brazil was something to avoid. The rematch of the 2010 final began with Spain full in control of the tempo and passing the Dutch to death. Not many expected Van Gaal’s men to perform well at this finals but a possible goal of the tournament header from striker Robin Van Persie started a rout with Arjen Robben running riot to torment the Spanish. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Chile put the final nail in Spain’s coffin as the defending champions ended their defence of the title in the worst way possible.

Player of the group: Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

Dutch delight against Spain

Group C:

Colombia cruised to this group with ease and playing some of the best free flowing attacking football led by James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado.  Greece, who got trashed in their first match after trying to pay open football reverted back to their defensive tactics after going a man down in their second match and it paid dividends against Japan as they held on to a precious point.  Japan found it tough to match the physical side of the game as their brilliant technical play come to no vain. A shootout match between Ivory Coast and Greece ended with the Greeks getting some miracle from their ancient Greek Gods to help them qualify with a last minute penalty.

Player of the group: James Rodriguez (Colombia)

Colombia lighting up the tournament with dazzling football

Group D:

Before the tournament begin, the question for this group was always “Who is in England’s group?” and the answer will be “Italy, Uruguay and some other team” Who would have guessed? That the other team would emerged unbeaten and champions of the group. England on the other hand, after all the hype from the media finished winless and rock bottom. Many predicted England to be too fast and slick for the Italians in the heat of Manaus jungle but as usual Italy showed their class and experience with De Rossi, Verratti and the evergreen maestro Pirlo bossing the midfield. The opening goal came with an assist without even touching the ball as the Mozart Pirlo let the ball pass through his legs which left Sturridge flat footed making him look like a lost soul on a stranded island. Marchisio did the rest. ‘The other team’, Costa Rica showed England how it was done by limiting Pirlo’s options and claimed a famous victory. A Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde moment from Luis Suarez with his goals against England followed by the infamous bite on Giorgio Cheillini’s shoulder.  That did not stop Uruguay from progressing as Godin netted another vital goal with his trademark header following a corner after an unlucky red card was shown to Marchisio. Costa Rica showed the world that it is never wise to write off the underdogs and that anything is achievable with proper preparation and teamwork.

Player of the group: Marco Veratti (Italy)

Suarez sends England home early

Group E:

France came into this tournament as the dark horses with plenty to prove. With a good blend of experience and youth they stormed through this group including a big margin win against the Swiss to claim top spot. Switzerland has a lot to improve on if they want to stay in the competition after their demolition in the hands of the French especially in defence especially when a possible meeting against Argentina looms in the last 16 round. Ecuador and Honduras though, were only there to make up the numbers.

Player of the group: Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland)

Shaqiri scoring a hattrick against Honduras

Group F:

My choice as favourites to lift the cup, Argentina was not regarded as a threat by the media surprisingly. The conditions, time and surroundings made me convinced that they will win it as teams from Europe do not fare well in the South American region. A big plus for Argentina is that they have Lionel Messi, the best player in the world without a doubt. A last minute curler from outside the box broke the hearts of the Iranians who were so close to a goalless draw and their performance certainly made the Asian contingent proud. Bosnia was a big disappointment after their promising qualification form. Nigeria stole the second spot.

Player of the group: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Messi breaking the deadlock against Bosnia

Group G:

This was considered as the group of death and it certainly was.  Albeit their huge injury list, the efficient Germans stamped their mark in the World Cup with a hat trick from the ever so underrated Thomas Muller. It was a result the Portuguese could not recover from but a dying second’s equaliser against the impressive USA gave them a lifeline in their final match. It was not all walk in the park for the Germans though as Ghana gave them a run for their money in a pulsating draw. USA just needed to keep the score down against the Germans and they did. A solitary goal from Muller decided the match and both qualified from this nail biting group.

Player of the group: Thomas Muller (Germany)

Pepe letting his frustration off against Muller

Group H:

The other tournament dark horses, Belgium finished this final group as group champions as many predicted they will. The performance from them as a team need to step up a few notched if they want to progress further in this competition. Algeria won many hearts with their amazing display and gutsy defending but a second spot means that they will be meeting the mighty Germans. The Koreans could not draw inspiration from their 2002 heroics as they faced a rather premature exit yet again.

Player of the group: Islam Slimani (Algeria)

Fellaini scoring a vital goal against Algeria

Last 16:

The weaknesses of the home team were exposed to the limit with Chile giving an almighty scare and the tie being decided by the lottery of a penalty shootout. Another goal of the tournament contender from James Rodriguez against Uruguay while France was comfortable winners against Nigeria. Germany and Netherlands faced a daunting last 16 round with their respective matches ending with a 2-1 result. The luck of the Greeks finally deserted them as they lost to Costa Rica also with a shootout, Argentina scrapping through the Swiss and the USA vs Belgium was probably the match of the tournament as Belgians had the quality when it mattered.

Fairytale: Costa Rica shock the world by reaching the quarter finals

Quarter Final:

An ill-tempered clash saw Neymar’s tournament over due to injury but his side marched to the last 4 at the expense of Colombia. Germany looked much more assured at the back with Philip Lahm going back to his right back position and Mertesacker being relegated to the bench. Hummel’s bullet header settled an evenly contested match against France. Louis Van Gaal made a masterstroke decision by substituting Cilessen for Tim Krul before the shootout and it paid huge dividends. Argentina made sure that number of European and South Americans are even in the semis.

Unlikely source: David Luiz scoring from a freekick

Semi Final:

They way Brazil was playing the whole tournament was just like waiting for a disaster to happen. It did, and it hit the nation which ran football in their blood to experience an unforgettable mauling at the hands of the Germans. There was no more hiding that the current Brazilian side do not deserve to wear the famous yellow jersey. Miroslav Klose received a standing ovation from both set of fans as his goal made him the current all-time World Cup top scorer.

Record breaker: Klose becomes the all time top scorer

In the other semi-final, a bore goalless draw was played out as they cancelled out each other. The highlight of the match was when Javier Mascherano made a last ditch tackle to block Robben goal bound effort. It was the tackle that eventually brought them to the final with the Dutch once again claiming the nearly men title after shootout defeat. As a Dutch fan, it was hard for me take as they came so close yet again but definitely proud of what the team has achieved.

Million dollar tackle: Mascherano with the bock of the tournament

Final:

Can Germany finally claim the title since West Germany managed it in 1990 or will Argentina beat the odds and keep the cup away from European hands?  After a string of disappointments in previous Euro and World Cups for players like Lahm and Schweinsteiger, they were never going to let this go. Bastian Schweinsteiger produced a performance of a lifetime in the midfield especially after losing Khedira in the warmup that meant he had to cover every inch of grass and he did to almost perfection. It was a memorable battle between him and Mascherano in midfield as the Germans found a way to nullify Messi by defending as a team.

Hard as rock: Schweinsteiger gave his all for the final

 Howedes, a natural centre back who played left back for the whole tournament should be really proud of himself. Every Argentine will always rue and wonder what might have been if Higuain’s one on one chance fell to the injured Arguero. Without, Di Maria they lacked the cutting edge as the hero of the day came from the bench to settle the match in extra time and Germany are the 2014 World Cup champions.

Winning goal: Gotze netting in the goal of his life

The name ‘Mario Gotze’ will forever be remembered and he instantly becomes a German legend. In the end, the best team of the tournament were the worthy winners.

Worthy champions : Germany the winners of World Cup 2014

My best XI of the tournament:

Best goals:

1) Robin Van Persie (Netherlands) vs Spain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJJ4jByEpnY

2) Tim Cahill (Australia) vs Netherlands

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2tmftLN2lY

3) James Rodriguez (Colombia) vs Uruguay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFoiW_40MqM

No more hiding! : 8 events for our nation to reflect upon

This post serves as a reflection of what our beloved nation, Malaysia have faced this past week. As an honest citizen it has been tough to see and hear all the news that has been spreading through. Some of these events may not link to country directly but it affects our nation in a different way. From education, politics, economy, none of these can show how far how our country has fallen as compared with sports. There is no hiding in terms of sports as it exposes the vulnerability general weaknesses for the whole world to see. Hence, this post will be focusing more to sports which have showed how far our nation is off the mark in a space of a week.

1)      SEA Games 2015

To those who don’t know, Singapore has just hosted a successful SEA Games in where besides being outnumbered in terms of population to us managed to notch up to 80 plus gold medals. Not only that, they achieved this by organizing and implementing first class infrastructure and creative way of introducing the athletes which even the Olympics has not seen.

2)      Closing ceremony of SEA Games 2015

As Malaysia being the next host for the games in 2017, we were given the stage for about 20 minutes to show a glimpse of what our nation’s culture is all about. To my utter shock, the whole 20 minutes was just a performance of traditional Malay dance and the Silat art. Chinese and Indian culture was nowhere to be seen and it was disappointing as this nation’s propaganda is ‘Satu Malaysia’. Can somebody explain this?

Where was the 'One Malaysia' concept?

3)      Provoking our very own gold medal winning athlete.

There were a few days of rage almost everywhere in social media as locals were constantly tormenting our very own national gold medallist Farah Ann. The reason of it was more bizarre as they were provoking her for her costume. There is a reason why gymnast women wear that costume as it custom designed for them to be more flexible for them to perform. Instead of being lauded for her dedication and hard work to achieve her feat, the incense she faced was nothing but injustice. More and more talents will be stunted in this country as they will feel that athletics has no future in this country if they are about to face this sort of treatment. Probably it will be better for athletes to represent another nation where their achievement will be more appreciated?

Unlikely victim: The Gold medal was not enough for Farah Ann to defend herself

4)      SEA Games final medal tally.

The final standings stood with our neighbouring country Thailand emerging with the most gold medals with 95 and host Singapore second with astonishing 84 despite the size of their nation. We were also behind Vietnam and drastic changes have to occur as we are the next host in 2 years’ time. The perception on Thailand has changed in the views of many Malaysians including me. Singapore has showed how much they have developed as a nation. Can we match these benchmarks in 2017?

5)      World Cup 2018 Asian qualifying (men football)

The structure and format of Asian qualifying has changed to give a more equal opportunity for all Asian teams to qualify for the most prestigious tournament that comes only once every four years. Drawn together with minnows Timor Leste and Palestine, many favoured Malaysia to finish at least third behind the much stronger opponents United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Regardless of the nation just gaining independence in 2007, Timor Leste were able to come here and snatch a draw against us in the first fixture. If that is not bad enough, a heavy 6 nil drubbing at the hands of Palestine followed also at home. This is a nation that is literally torn apart by the war they are facing. This circumstance was not a problem for them to field a team that were able to come here and give us a merciless beating. Has the immature sacking of K.Rajagopal backfired the Football Association Malaysia? Can current manager Dollah Salleh prove his worth with upcoming fixtures against UAE and Saudi Arabia? He is definitely walking on tightrope now after a string of poor results.

Amri Yahyah apologizing to fans after the loss

6)      FIFA World Cup 2018 Asian qualifying (men football) – Singapore’s success.

In this same qualifying phase, Singapore was drawn in the same group as Asian giants Japan. Nevertheless, they went to Saitama, Japan and achieved an honourable draw. This is a Japan team consisting of players playing their trade and club football in the European leagues. Shinji Okazaki, Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Captain Makoto Hasebe were all not able to penetrate the resolute and organized Singaporean team.

Dejected looking Japanese players after the final whistle

 The question here is how is there so much difference in quality between us and them? Changes have to be made all the way to the roots with actual proper academy and polish young talents from a young age. All the corruption and biasness within the association has to leave the door immediately. Singapore might not eventually qualify for the big thing but they have shown us that achieving something is possible with the proper frame of mind and preparation.

Proud moment: Singapore players celebrating their result in the changing room

7)      FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015

Generally known for their prostitution activities as a main source of income for their nation, has not held them back from being able to have a women football team that were able to compete the World Cup against the best female footballers in the world. They also managed to beat Ivory Coast before being eliminated in the group stages. They are showing great signs of development despite their early exit. Can Malaysian women follow in their footsteps?

Thailand women in the World Cup

8)      FIFA Under 20 World Cup (men football)

To put icing on the cake or relatively for us a final nail in our coffin, Serbia has won the under 20 world cup beating the mighty Brazil in the final. That being said, African countries like Mali and Senegal were able to reach the semi finals. It is incredible of what a small nation can achieve to beat all the odds. We are a nation of 27 million and Serbia has only 7 million. Enough said.

Day of the underdogs: Serbian under 20 team won the world cup today

There is no hiding on how our nation is off the pace and sports just illustrated it so much within this week. How and why can this happen? Is it realistically possible for us to change to this? Without a doubt, there are talents in this country. I fear that it is simply being tarnished by our education system in our country as there are no proper medium and academies here for people to show what they really like to do as students here are only pressured to study for grades and enter higher institutes blindly before realising what their true passion is. If it is to follow the methods of other countries for us to develop, so be it. There is no room for us to ignore and take for granted anymore as it is only for the betterment of the nation we love.