Sunday, January 05, 2014

New year mumblings

So after months of sweating over the English Premier League table, finally comes the distraction of the FA Cup. Added to that, what could be better than a lusty North London derby to put an end to the year-end hangover.

The winter so far has been depressing. Gone are the days when I could sit in the balcony and treat myself to the weekly India Today's under the gentle sun. This year, the sun is nowhere to be seen, the chirping sparrows gone and the idea of sipping hot coffee in late evenings not appealing enough. It puts me in a state of depressive lull that sticks to the head and refuses to walk away.

The only saving grace that releases me from this numbness is the television. Not that I am addicted to commercial entertainment tactics, but the return of the unassailable Sherlock got me glued to the TV last night. Arrogant he might be, or too confident at times, but I like his methods. Wish I could take a long look at a person and deduce his background and what's going on in his mind!

It's my beloved Arsenal FC's FA Cup game against the vile Tottenham Hotspurs tonight. Both the teams' stadiums are located 400 metres apart in North London's Tottenham neighbourhood, but the proximity has made them the fiercest rivals in English football history. I've been an ardent fan of Arsenal since the 2003-04 league season, a season in which they didn't lose a single league game and had excellent players like Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Henry Ljunberg and Dennis Bergkamp. I'm still an ardent fan, even though they haven't won a trophy since 2005. The game starts at 11 tonight.

Life has not been kind so far this year. A long new year party with my cousins was followed by three days in subdued silence while being confined to my bed. A third of that period spent in exchanging new year greetings, I spent another third of my solitude in football sites and with Frau liebe. The remainder was occupied by a few hours of sleep and reverting to office mails, all of which are always urgent. Wish I could be at a far off island with Frau liebe, sipping on some guavas and looking out at the serene sea, murmuring poetry and burying my feet in the cold sand! Our modern lives come at a cost of keeping everyone happy and our pockets full. It's a tough ask, but there're not many choices either.

The weekend, like all weekends, will fly past in a flash. The games, the upcoming movies and the plans will quickly become past and we'll be totally different people with totally different thoughts on Monday. Nevertheless, life goes on, and since we've all got one, let's enjoy it to the fullest.