luster

in my very limited view, i can only assume,( there are tons of versions penned by various columnists and writers), that there are two kinds of people in this world -- those who like to party and those who retreat into their shells and would rather read a book.  there's no prize for guessing my preferred category.  the third in line to the british throne is clearly in the other one -- playing strip billiards with strangers? i'm too useless with a pool stick to even attempt playing a normal game.  yeah, i'm such a sad case.
 this piece doesn't tell us anything we don't already know but why was the 400 IM Olympic champion mentioned as the party companion? the swimmer was with his own wingmen and guests celebrating his 28th birthday.  while as documented, the prince was hanged around with his public school chums.  they have the money and the cache to party in vegas, so let them party in vegas. they don't have to worry about where to get their next meal.
all the stories on neil armstrong is of course, heartwarming.  here was a person who achieved so much yet remained private.  in today's world of reality television, the first man on the moon is the epitome of human accomplishments.  his passing only reminds us of  those fantastic achievements.  discovering new frontiers, doing good, imparting knowledge, amongst other pragmatic endeavours should be the foundation of human existence.
meanwhile in the universe of biblical idioms, i shouldn't be reading too much between the lines.  but certain familiarity breeds contempt.

express rain

it should be raining today. i'm totally tired of the sun and acutely aware that my attitude was all about summer this, summer that, hate the cold, blah, blah, blah. but i got to inhale the season's air, observed my surroundings more profoundly and realised the crap about cultural nuances, fashion, the jockeying for position in public transport.

add to that the state of the world's economy, the eurozone crisis, the implosion of kindness and good manners, is it wild out there?

missed? (at the Olympic park 2)

there were 24 beeb channels during the Olympic fortnight and mostly accessible venues for the live events. it seemed each sport had a corresponding television coverage for every participating nation or the likes ( i mean, yeah, weightlifting). the ticketing process meanwhile, was complicated. if you get tickets, you get tickets, if not, witness the marathon, triathlon, the two-wheel time trial and the road race along the alleyways of London's picturesque locations, if you can manage to wake up earlier than the Olympians.





we didn't even have to watch the men's handball preliminary competition between Iceland and France. all i ever wanted was to get inside the Olympic park and marvel at the contour of the aquatic center. we were there during its busiest weekend hence not finding a bench for chow. i could capture the spirit of the games within the confines of the park. we skipped the second match between Hungary and Spain, it was late and i missed our tiny tot.

bench kindly enlightened me that it took her three months post childbirth before going out on a date with her hubby. it took me only less than three weeks to leave baby girl for a few hours with grandma. it's the Olympics and i was definitely aware of the significance. now i'm with her almost every minute of the hour. still trying to write and understand more than ever the spirit of patriotism and jingoism and with a confounding query, are gold medals worth more than silver and bronze combined?

the flying time

baby girl is now a month and two days old. i sorted out her ever shrinking clothes last night. she's growing and in a few days, we have to get rid of those pretty pink dresses. i like baby pink for baby girls. we're only babies for a few months, i say, enjoy the pink madness sweet daughter.

after 17 days

there are only a few highlights in our lifetime, London 2012 is one of them for me. the chance to be able to go to the games brings forth a unique sense of euphoria. i kept pinching myself, if all these were real. yes, the venues were merely a tube ride away. the television and interactive coverage were beyond expectations.
a few athletes provided moments of inspiration; this page recognizes david rudisha, the brownlee brothers, mo farrah (the one exceptional gooner), michael phelps, tom daley.
RP didn't medal, again. but mark anthony barriga has real talent. he lost by a point in his second match. maybe in Rio, when the officials would get their act together, the home country would be in the medals table. sports is about funding. money rules, specially in the Olympics.

let's go to the gymnastics, one of the blue ribbon events, particularly men's individual all-around. yes, there goes the exhausting adage, we were there, as we tell our future grandchildren, to bear witness to the brilliance of kohei uchimura right before our eyes (one of the greatest gymnast ever, how cool is that?) at the O2 Centre. the three-time world champion maintained his composure and captured the Olympic gold medal that eluded him in Beijing. the action was unfolding live, our attention was divided with two to three gymnasts performing at the same time. we were enlightened. so this is how gymnastics tournaments work? we were doing maths through the giant scoreboard.

the volunteers were all too helpful and nice, almost saint-like. the spectator was catered and served. the home crowd were maybe too eager and patriotic (hey, which country doesn't want to conquer the world?). but it's their Olympics, their taxes, the repercussions are for the greater good.
it's not over yet, there is still the Paralympics. the time to re-visit the Olympic Village (i'll talk about handball in between screams and wails).

all the cards

 it has been a great welcome for the baby girl, who's now four weeks old. we got cards from people i haven't even met. most of the cards really are from the hubby's side. i got three from my closest relations, loads of presents from my brother and my friend honey. i also truly cherish the hospital visits from colleagues, glens bringing me grapes and stuff. there were also a few Facebook greetings, not a lot but at least they took the time, through their typewriter keys and touch screens. all in all, thanks.

view from the setee

writing about sports has not only helped me out financially in the years gone by but it has also given me such tremendous joy since my childhood.  i could never be an athlete in terms of physique, drive or talent. nonetheless, i simply enjoy watching sports, live from the venues or merely on television, even on delayed telecast.

living in the city where the Olympics is currently held is great, the atmosphere is intoxicating, in addition to being able to relate with the nuances of the opening ceremonies. it was a mishmash of everything British. a few portions could have been deleted, to fast forward to the parade of participating countries and athletes which took forever. it will be all over by week's end but it has been a fabulous fortnight.

for 10+ months

my husband wanted to purchase an official Olympic stuffed toy for our baby girl, personally, the sweetest baby ever. i'm tired from the round the clock feeding sessions. but she's our baby girl, who stops crying by the time she hears mummy sing. and how i wish i can even carry a tune.

at the Olympic park 1

been having olympic fever since '84, i was 10. now 28 years later, i'm blogging at the Olympic Park in east London. a week and three days ago, i was able to catch the Torch relay at Wembley (pictured). it was a hot day, school's out, i had to fight my way around a hundred children in order to get a view.

the Torch guy was obscured but i got a tiny glimpse, the camera just didn't catch it.