Partly Yours, Partly Lost

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Some places stay with you long after life has moved elsewhere. There is something strange about destiny. You just cannot overcome it, but at the same time, you cannot simply do nothing because something is destined to happen. In India, it is not uncommon to have your horoscope charted about a year after birth. Grandparents wait with bated breath to hear how well the stars were aligned, and what remedies might be needed to appease the Gods. So when I was a year old, my grandmother took my birth date and time to Dharmaraja Ghanapadigal, one of the most revered astrologers in Pudukkottai. He apparently told her that I would do reasonably well in studies, travel to multiple countries, and eventually live abroad. Here was an old lady asking about her grandson from a small town. My parents were then living in Gobichettipalayam. This was the eighties, long before economic reforms had changed the country. My grandmother thanked him politely, but quietly wondere...
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Twists and Turns

There are few games that can match the excitement of football. This world cup has certainly been fascinating and brilliant. The top teams qualified to the second stage, and the quarter-finals had some interesting contests and now the semi-finals awaits. It is also fun to make predictions at the start of the tournament and see how the saga unfolds. The quarter-finals lineup was lip smacking. Look at the play-offs

Germany v/s Argentina
England v/s Portugal
Italy v/s Ukraine
France v/s Brazil

The first and the last match had all the ingredients of being touted as the Final, but nevertheless each of them ended up much before the finals. It was interesting to predict who would win each of the battles. Atleast as far as I was concerned, I thought Germany, Portugal, Italy and Brazil would battle it out in the next stage. I was good for three matches, but Brazil gave me a disappointing result. Who would have expected Brazil to be so sloppy on the field? It was distressing and disturbing, with all the top guns being a pale shadow of their normal selves. Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were clearly marked by the French defense. France, to their credit played amazing attacking football. Zinedine Zidane proved why he is one of the best in the world, with his skillful dribbles and unimaginable passes to the forward. Even against Spain, he came up with perfect execution of flawless exhibition. Talking of the finals, I expected it to be a Brazil v/s Germany match, but with the ouster of the world champions, I would redefine my prediction to France v/s Germany. Who knows, next week may present with a totally different final, and what with Italy playing brilliantly and Portugal supported by a superb coach. Only time will tell about my yet another prediction. Till then let us drool over the dribbles!

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