F.C Barcelona crowned European Champions

This is the third time that Barcelona is winning the champions league and the second in four season.  Wednesday 27th May 2009 was the date that Barcelona made history at the Eternal City. Barcelona won the champions title in 1991-92, 2005-06 and now 2008-09.

The first few minutes were crucial for the Red Devils where they could have changed the fate of history but unfortunately nothing has been achieved. FC Barcelona played a game of vibrant display of pass and move which is worth of victory. When opposed to Chelsea at home, FC Barcelona did not play such a great game and many claims of injustice where stated during the match. But this time, Manchester United could not stand the great game of Barcelona.

Josep Guardiola’s unbelievable first season as head coach has culminated in taking the Champions League away from Manchester United, until now widely considered the best team in the world. The English champions were looking to be the first side to win back-to-back Champions Leagues. But now there is a new champion. Barça.

In the very first minute of the game, Eto’s put the Spanish champions ahead and they never looked back. In the 70th minutes of the game, the head of Messi made FC Barcelona worthy of the winners. The 38-year-old Josep Guardiola becomes the sixth man to lift the European Champion Clubs’ Cup as player and coach; United are the sixth club to lose the final as holders. And what makes victory taste even sweeter is that Barça has risen to the top of European football playing the kind of football that has delighted fans everywhere. The whole of Europe recognizes the Barça style, the natural successor to Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team.

Guardiola has downplayed the significance of his contribution but there is no doubt that he has changed the face of the team in just one short year. His capacity for leadership, his ability to motivate the players and make them believe in themselves, combined with an extraordinary capacity for work and technical analysis of the game are factors, backed up by results, which have found him a place in the history of FC Barcelona and football in general.

Now, let’s wait for the next champions league where another history will be made…

Fantastic Champions League 2009 Final Promised

FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC are ready to play a fantastic match when they will meet in the UEFA Champions League final in Rome.

United have never lost a European Cup final while two of this competition’s three previous showpiece matches in Rome ended in an English victory.

According to Sir Alex, another success is essential to justify his club’s ever-growing stature. “I’ve repeated many times we should have done better in Europe. To be in the pantheon of great teams, the prerequisite is to win this cup. It’s an opportunity for us to go alongside a lot of the great teams. This team has that type of future – it’s a young squad with the right type of experience which can do well in the next few years. Hopefully we can endorse that.”

Hollywood star Antonio Banderas watched the Barça v Sevilla match from the Directors’ Box of the Camp Nou and was highly impressed by Andrés Iniesta in particular and the Barça team in general. He told us. “Barça is unstoppable”.

The Malaga born actor, who now lives in the United States, was present in the Camp Nou on Wednesday evening to watch the match against Sevilla. Before kick-off he had a brief meeting with Club president Joan Laporta, who presented him with a Barça shirt bearing the actor’s name.

Later, Antonio Banderas spoke to Barça TV and said that Barça had a good chance of winning all three competitions – League, Cup and Champions League: “I can see Barça as champion in all three competitions. They’re unstoppable and I will risk saying they will win the three titles”.

Tonight, all the talks will boil up to actions in Rome. The clash tonight has been a dream for many people as many has expected the two of the best supported teams to go in final.

Wednesday’s final at the Stadio Olimpico has all the ingredients to be a classic: the meeting of two great teams, the clash of great two managers, one vastly experienced, the other a relative novice, both men favouring an open attacking brand of football, and the small matter of the showdown between the two best players of their generation.

The clashof the two most gifted players, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,  on the biggest stage must not be missed tonight.

Going into the final the weight of history appears to be on the side of Manchester United. They are aiming to secure their fourth European crown and are spurred on by the chance to become the first side since AC Milan in 1990 to retain the famous trophy – plus United boast a proud record of never having lost a European Cup final, playing and winning in three.

While United are missing the calm assurance and disruptive qualities of the suspended Darren Fletcher and have doubts over the match fitness of defender Rio Ferdinand, Barca are in far worse health, missing three first choice defenders: the injured Rafael Marquez and the suspended Eric Abidal and Daniel Alves.

However, nothing can be stated right now. We have to wait for the actions which hold much weight than words.

What Happens After Death ?

The word “Death” has remained the greatest mystery of life which has never been solved. Many religions offer diverse explanations to this term but all the explanations have never been a unanimous agreement. This makes death a confusing mystery.

We can notice that death often precede suffering, disease, injuries and it happens sometimes to be unexpected. Death has always had an image of fear and trauma in this world.

According to the Bible, the dead does not go to live forever in a place or condition of “heaven” or “hell”.  “For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other…All go to one place: all are from dust, and all return to dust” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20). The Holy Bible analogously refers to death as sleep. Solomon noted that the dead have no awareness, nor are they in some other state of consciousness: “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing…” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) In simpler words, the Bible sees human as mortal and life is temporary.  After death a person is unconscious, waiting for God to call him from the grave and restore him to life.  “…the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). From these gathered facts, the Bible means that there is no life after death but the dead will be called by God and will restore him to life.

Now, let’s consider this same mystery according to the Holy Bhagvad Gita.

For certain is death for the born

And certain is birth for the dead;

Therefore over the inevitable

Thou shouldst not grieve.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2

(250 BC – 250 AD)

The body has death, but not the soul. The body sleeps, the soul flies. “Even as man discards old clothes for the new ones, so the dweller in the body, the soul, leaving aside the worn-out bodies, enters into new bodies. The soul migrates from body to body. Weapons cannot cleave it, nor fire consume it, nor water drench it, nor wind dry it.” This is the soul and this is what is meant by the existence of the soul. Now we shall be well advised to observe the existence of death, if there is any, in the momentous words of Sri Aurobindo, the Founder of the integral Yoga. “Death, he exclaims, “has no separate existence by itself, it is only a result of the principle of decay in the body and that principle is there already” it is part of the physical nature. At the same time it is not inevitable; if one could have the necessary consciousness and force, decay and death is not inevitable.”

What we call death is nothing short of ignorance. We can solve the problem of death only when we know what life is. Life is eternal. It existed before birth and it will exist after death. Life also exists between birth and death. It is beyond birth and death. Life is infinite. Life is immortal. A seeker of the infinite Truth cannot subscribe to Schopenhauer’s statement: “To desire Immortality is to desire the eternal perpetuation of a great mistake.” There is no shadow of doubt that it is the ceaseless seeker in man who is Immortality’s Life, for his very existence indicates the Supreme’s Vision that illumines the universe, and the Supreme’s Reality that fulfils creation.

From the sacred words of the Bhagavad Gita, life is defined as immortal. It existed before birth, between birth and death, and will continue to exist after death.

Allah says in Holy Quran:

“Truly thou wilt die (one day), and truly they (too) will die (one day).”

Surah Al Zumar (39:30)

According to Islam, before a believer approaches the final moment of his/her life and death overtakes him, it is necessary that he wakes up from the state of negligence and prepares for the final everlasting place. This way he will be able to avoid bewilderment and the fear of the so-called untimely death.At the time of leaving this world, as attested to by the Holy Qur’an, a person will be in one of two states – either he will be of the Companions of the Right, or the Companions of the Left (Refer Holy Qur’an 56:7-56). If he is counted amongst the Companions of the Right, he will be in a good, final state, but if he is one of the Companions of the Left, he will be of those who have suffered a great loss. Surely all men die, and just surely Almighty God give them life with His ability, and judges them on their deeds and actions. We know Almighty God is the Creator and can recreate us, because if one can do something he has the ability to do it again.

The above mentioned text is that of Islamic perspective, which outlines that we are judged according to our deeds and actions.

From these different perspective, we can see how different religions have different perspective about death. What is death really? The testimonials of people who have experience death are challenging many perspectives. Death will always remain an unsolved mystery for many whereas for others they have a firm perspective of what death is actually.  Death may have different versions for different people, but the real fact about death is only one and God holds this reality.

Oggy and the Cockroaches

This is my favourite cartoon which I can’t miss on my favourite channel. This cartoon differs from all other cartoons. The reason is not because I like it but because the way this has been created and the story exactly fit the funny characters. In many cartoons, we can see always a common win-lose situation, for example in Tom and Jerry – Jerry always win. Another example is for Woody Woodpecker – Woody always win. In Lucky Luke – Lucky Luke always win. But the amazing thind about this cartoon is that Oggy does not always win, sometimes the cockroaches also win. This make the cartoon more interesting.

Let me present you the characters:

Oggy

A content and lazy, fat blue cat who spend his days watching TV and cooking. Having lived with the cockroaches for a long time, Oggy has develop a love-hate relationship with them. In most episodes, the relationship is portrayed as hatred between the cockroaches and Oggy but in some episodes, Oggy and the cockroaches reconcile together under emotions. Oggy has come to realize that without the cockroaches, nothing fun or interesting ever happens in his life.

Here is Jack – He is the other cat in the show and the friend of Oggy. He is short-tempered, arrogant and

violent. He is a perfect target for the cockroaches to annoy. He can often bully Oggy as well at times. The amazing fact about him is that his telephone number is 2 in the episode. LOL.

Joey

He is pink in colour and a purple-headed roach with pink right eye and yellow left eye. He is the self-proclaimed leader of the roaches. Even though he’s the smallest roach in the gang, most of the time he’s the brains behind the operations, but is sometimes forced to go solo, because his companions think his plans are stupid.

Dee Dee

He is the ever-hungry cockroach. He sometimes goes insane with appetite resulting in the consumption of larger animals.

Marky – He is a suave heartbreaking, grey-bodied, green-headed roach with pink eyes, often not really caring about what the two others are doing. While he originally used to love causing mischief just like the other cockroaches, he has grown to be more laid-back in later episodes, though he still enjoys hanging out with Joey and Dee Dee and cause general mayhem like he has always done. His hobby is dating girls – even puppets – and reading books.

Monica – Oggy’s sister and Jack’s love-interest.  She is well known for being very active and likes to take on physical challenges such as sky diving and bungee jumping.  Out of all the main characters, she has the least amount of appearances; even fewer than Bob.

Bob – Oggy’s huge neighbor dog, – though he’s not mentioned in the opening credits – is one frequent star in the show. While Bob tries to live his life as quietly and calmly as possible, the next door racket usually results in destruction of his property, for which he usually responds with pummeling one of the cats. This mostly happens off-screen, usually because the image is changed to silly wallpaper-like backgrounds; the only hint the viewer gets is fighting sounds and cat-squealing.

This animated series is produced by Gaumont Film Company and Nelvana in 2004. Frankly, this is the best cartoon I have ever seen in my life. All those who has discovered this cartoon, please go for it – your stress will fade out into laughter.

The Eightfold Path To Enlightenment

The Eightfold Path to Enlightenment

The way out of our captivity is through the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment:

Right Understanding leads to Wisdom

Right Aspiration leads to Divine Inclination

Right Speech leads to Truth and Understanding

Right Behavior leads to Goodwill

Right Livelihood leads to Sharing

Right Effort leads to Highest Outcome

Right Mindfulness leads to Purposeful Living

Right Absorbtion leads to Unity

In these simple words Buddha teaches us to shine our light, and find peace.

Movies…Stop and Think!

Hello friends

“Movies” is the title I have chosen for this post. As a creative tertiary student, I have been pondering what are the use of movies. The first thing that came in my mind is entertainment. Probably, the majority of the world population love entertainment. But if we give it a deeper thought, what we lost through movies and what we gain? It is worth deciphering. We can see long movies consuming up to nearly 3hours.

If we are watching 3 movies of 3 hours per week, this accumulate up to 36 hours per month, in other words, nearly 432 hours per year.

Assume that someone is 60 years old, and if he started to watch movies since 12 years old. Assume also that he watched only 3 movies per week (minimum). This result to a loss of 20736 hours in a lifetime in watching movies.

This is only at the minimum assumption. Nowadays, people are spending much time infront of TV watching movies and serials. And if we stop to reflect, we will realise that this gifted life is being lost at many costs.

We are ignorant of the value of life and time. Entertainment is having much negative effects nowadays on mankind. Many short movies of very short duration are now available to convey a good message to people which can compensate for long movies. Long duration movies eat up time and are business-oriented.

Make your choice, choose the best what a TV can offer. Don’t lose time. Value your existence!

Mauritius – A Paradise In The Indian Ocean

Mauritius is a wonderful island amidst the Indian Ocean situated near the South of Africa and Madagascar. The history of Mauritius is very interesting. It was  being ruled by the Dutch and French in majority for considerable years leading to the battle for power. In the year 1968, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam became the father of the nation by setting Mauritius free from the rule of the British.Mauritius became free on the 12th of March 1968.

Some beautiful places in Mauritius which are worth-visiting:

1. The Pamplemousses Botanical Garden

This is a wonderful garden situated in the north of Mauritius, in the Pamplemousses village. The great thing is that I live in this village itself and I am yet not bored of visiting this garden. It is set on a very large scale and you will be tired of visiting. This garden cherishes the memories of the early years of colonisation in Mauritius.  Every part of the garden is related to the history of Mauritius. It includes huge trees dated over 100 years. And there are trees known as Tallipot which bloom once every 100 years.The Waterlily

Chateau de Mon Plaisir

The Pamplemousses Botanical Garden is a wonderful place in Mauritius and an ideal destination for tourists. People visiting the island cannot miss this place else it will be a useless visit.

2. Chamarel Waterfalls

There are many waterfalls in Mauritius but this one is superb. The view there is simply wonderful. There are natural beauties all around.

3. The Caudan Waterfront – Port Louis

You just can’t miss this place. It is the Caudan waterfront – an ideal place for entertainment, leisure, lunch and dinner and shopping. This is known as the Caudan Waterfront and is situated in the Capital of Mauritius – the most busiest place in Mauritius because the business in Mauritius is mostly concetrated in the capital. It is the smallest district but busiest. The harbour is next to this place, that is why it is also known as the Harbour Front. You can see so many huge ships coming and going from there. But watch your steps because the deep water is very dangerous in its boundaries. But don’t worry, it is well secured all over.

4. The seven-coloured Earth

Strange but true. There is a place of Mauritius where the Earth is naturally of seven colour and it is situated amidst the nature zone. It has become a wonderful attraction place for tourists and even Mauritians.

5. The Belle-Mare Water park

This is a place for leisure not to be missed.

6. The islands near Mauritius

There are many islands around Mauritius and officialy belonging to Mauritius. It is easy to go there through boats which are available every day. The islands are so peaceful with white beaches. It is worth visiting. I once went to Ile-Aux-Cerfs. It was just superb.  I went on outing with friends. The beaches and the pale blue sea water is worth enjoying.

7. Mountains in Mauritius

There are many mountains in Mauritius which can be climbed. The mountains hide many wonderful places in them like huge rivers, waterfalls, huge rocks, huge trees, etc.

8. A sunset in Mauritius

A sunset is one of the views which many people love to admire. As you can see, the picture below portrays a sunset in Mauritius. In the midst of this little and beautiful island, the sun also sets with its full grace.

9. Beaches of Mauritius

The beaches of Mauritius are simply beautiful with white sands and pale blue water. You can swim without any worries. Mauritius is well known for its beautiful beaches. Tourists often come to Mauritius only for its beaches which is just beautiful.

The more I will have to say, the more it will become vast to explain. To really know Mauritius, just give it a visit. It will be a fruitful, adventurous and enjoyable journey. Mauritius has all the wonders which are eyes are yearning to have a glimpse of.

10. The Dodo

Apart from the natural beauties of Mauritius, the history of this little island is as wonderful as its views. The Dodo was the national bird of Mauritius which dissapeared long ago and became extinct.  While visiting the island, you can find out many facts about the history of Mauritius in historical places like musuems, gardens and monuments. The history of Mauritius is still alive in the country.

The Dodo

11. Horse Racing in Mauritius

One of the most popular sport interest of people here is Horse Racing. This takes place at Champ de Mars where the challenge between horses is worth to be seen. The betting industry in Mauritius enjoys a good business due to horse racing.

12. Resorts in Mauritius

The resorts and hotels here are just beautiful.  Below are some resorts in Mauritius. You don’t have to peek inside to decide about your accommodation. A simple glimpse will confirm the beauty of these resorts.

The Sugar Beach Resorts

The Preskil Beach Resort

I will let you discover the rest of the adventurous and wonderful places in Mauritius. All these places presented here are just a little part of the whole picture of wonders. Mauritius Island is always waiting for you all. Invest your time and money to enjoy the profit of adventure, excitement and discovery.

Shattered Dreams: Chelsea 1 – 1 Barcelona

The first half portrayed a ball possession higher for Barcelona than Chelsea and this repeated in the second half also. The shift for Barcelona was from about 69% to 71% whereas for Chelsea it was around 29% to 30%. Essien scored at the 9th minute of the game to give Chelsea the lead over Barcelona. Though the possession was not much for Chelsea but when they had the ball, they did it.

This match was quite stunning. What happened to the referee? Chelsea deserved two penalties which is clearly visible in the match but no decision was taken by the referee about this. Barcelona was finding it hard to pass through the defense of Chelsea.  At the 66th minute of the match, Abidal was red-carded but this was also an unexplained red-card. The upside-down happened in this match. Why was Abidal red-carded? Nice question which might never find its answer and if the answer is found, can a simple touch be justified for a red-card! After the red-card for Barcelona, the players changed the formation of the game. They focused more on attacked rather than defense and this lead them to serious difficulties when Chelsea jumped into their half with full-speed. Maybe this explains a total number of 7 yellow-cards in this game from both side.

At the 93th minute of the match, the added time, Iniesta snatched the dream of Chelsea from Stamford Bridge. Barcelona qualified for the final against Manchester United. The dream of Chelsea shattered.

Chelsea made a total of 6 shots on target whereas Barcelona made only 1. Chelsea deserved this match but this is football, goals matter. If goals really matter, then Barcelona is the winner of this second leg of the semi-final. One thing is for sure, the final outcome of this match turned to a score of 1-1. And one man will have to answer many questions on this match- the referee -Tom Henning Ovrebo.

Drogba’s reaction was very disgraceful towards the referee after the match. He was trying to get at the referee by pushing the security guards. We have to accept things as they are. Chelsea deserved it but Barcelona got it. Let’s wait for the final to hear the final decision which will be played between Manchester United and Barcelona.

Freedom : Are we really free ?

This post is a summary of papers pertaining to philosophers Michel Foucault, Marx,  Hayek and others. After having developed a broader outlook of this subject, I feel the need to summarized this paper (Powers of freedom) in my own words. This is not a criticism nor any adjustment. It is simply the simplication relating to my understanding. Apart from the original ideas from the paper, I am going to approach this subject in a simplified and interesting way. The question which I have formulated is as the title indicates: Are we really free?

Just stop for some moments- some moments which will never come back again – lose it now itself to reflect upon something which you will never lose again. When you search, you know. Try to search for the answer of this question: Are you really free?

Stop Thinking! Let’s tackle this question with regard to the paper: Powers of Freedom. Our world has been termed as ‘free’ time ago. This free world has won over its totalitarian adversary where absolute power was exercised by the government. The free market has also triumphed over the command of economy. By 21st Century, we have been able to understand the ethics of freedom, that is how we should be ruled, how our practices of everyday life should be organized, how we should understand ourselves and our predicament. So, we understand that freedom helps us to discover ourselves.

Human beings are, in their nature, actually, potentially, ideally, subjects of freedom and hence they must be governed and must govern themselves.

Freedom is stated to be an artefact of government. Surprised ! But it is indeed true, government governs us through our freedom. You are wondering how? We are free in some ways but not free in many ways. For us, it is normal to go to school, to respect the law, to respect norms of a society and others. But is it really normal? It has been made an obligation which reflects normality. And normality regulates our behaviour. We are thus being controlled without being fully aware that our freedom is being used to govern ourselves. But this government and control is something positive which government of a country uses to make a peaceful world. Thus, are we really free?

Now, you have understood how freedom is an artefact of the government. Let’s define the term “liberalism”. Liberalism is defined as the political philosophies that considers individual liberty and equality to be the most important political goals. It tries to maximize individual liberty and with the defense of that liberty against the state. According to Hayek, liberal thought is the basic to political order of a free society and the demand for freedom is a potent weapon in saying no to power.

Marx criticized that what individuals are required to give, they may also refuse (quid pro quo). He argued that there was invention of certain ways of trying to govern persons in accordance with freedom. In simpler words, we have been governed through our freedom itself. Our behaviors have been regulated by constitutional doctrines and our conduct has been structured.

Freedom is often referred to as a discipline. Freedom regulated codes of civility, reason and orderliness. Michel Foucault argues that liberalism denotes a certain ethos of governing, one which seeks to avoid the twin dangers of governing too much or governing too little. Governing too much will certainly distort and destroy the operation of the natural laws of those zones upon which good government depends including family, market and society.  On the contrary, governing too little will fail to establish the conditions of civility, productivity and national well-being.

Marx further argues that freedom must be provided in the form below:

1. Freedom from land: Removing long-standing rights which enabled a limited existence

2. Freedom from exploitation: through legitimate means of survival

3. Freedom from collective bonds: through laws against combination and collective action

Buildings, streets, public spaces were all reconstructed through town planning in order to produce health, happiness and civility. These are means to enforce freedom. Grid of norms of conducts are also placed over urban space and thus, regulating behavior.

The government of freedom is also done through deployment of technologies of responsibilisation. That is home is transformed into a purified, cleansed, ,moralised and domestic space. Moral training is also provided to children. Duty of responsibility is imposed to each other. We are thus responsible of our actions and the totality of this responsible contributes to make a better place to live. Schooling is a technology of rationality where children are individualized and normalized through design of classroom, in the structuring of lessons, in the emphasis of punctuality and obedience to authority, the conduct of each child could be ordered, observed, judged and assessed.

Till here, we have understood that we are structured individuals. We are free and at the same time, we are not free. This is essential to understand that freedom is not really free. We are being regulated as we have always been and this regulation is for a good cause – to create a better world. This is not the end of this paper and I will soon come with other aspects of freedom after much analysis of the paper.

Yoga – Unlock your potentials

This is an interesting topic which is actually occupying the mind of many people worldwide and is becoming the headlines of many press releases.  The vastness of this discipline renders this word ‘yoga’ cumbersome to define but approaching it is the best way to define it. From Wikipedia, Yoga is defined as the traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India.

I am writting this post, not to define yoga, but to approach yoga. We can notice a major shifts of this discipline in our actual world. The number of people practising yoga has increased considerably. What are the reasons for people indulging in this practice? Have you ever wonder? Yes, the first word that will come to our mind is ‘health’. But is there a deeper word rather than health which structures the purpose of Yoga? These questions have well been defined in the theories of this discipline.

Yoga helps to discover ourselves through meditation.  It has been practiced for more than 5000 years. It combines physical exercises, breathing exercises and meditation. Yoga evolved as a spiritual practice in Hinduism and it is now practiced worldwide.

Through yoga, we start to discover ourselves and our consciousness level is raised when concentrating on our breathes. We start to control our mind. This is a very fruitful practice.

When people are desperate by hearing negative answers from doctors: “There’s nothing we can do more about this. Sorry!“

Do you really think there is nothing more that can be done. NO! They can’t do anything more but Yoga can do everything else for you. Health is Wealth goes the adage. But I would rather say that health is more precious than wealth and they cannot be compared. If you have health, you have everything. Don’t wait to hear answers from doctors or simply eliminate the need to go to doctors. Yoga is the best doctor in this world and its prescription is much wonderful than medicines- it is self-discovery and consciousness.

Life is giving us this precious gift, seize it before it’s too late. There is no limitations – everyone can do it. Find your yoga-master now itself or simply research the various yoga techniques on the internet.