Gunning for Arsenal!

A quick update :)

This time it's an article from the Mumbai Mirror :D ...not sure about the quality of news on this paper...but reading this article made my day :)

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?Page=article&sectid=8&contentid=20071013200710130330521584e4bfe8

Cheers,

Wayne

September Update :)

I haven't been too regular on this blog...but i'll try to average atleast one post a month :)

Slowly starting to get used to work life. Now that the training period is over it's down to some real work now. First few days of work were a bit overwhelming with all the new terms and concepts and procedures...I am still trying to get to terms with everything but as the days pass i'm beginning to get more and more comfortable.

Have been watching a few movies as well...'Dhamaal' and 'Chak De' being the most recent one's.
My attention span when it comes to watching movies is very very limited and i'm surprised if i manage to get by 10-15 minutes of a movie without taking a break, but when it comes to the out and out comedy hindi movies..i'm rooted to screen just like as if i'm watching a absolute thriller :)

Coming to Football...Arsenal are topping the league and are doing great in all competitions that they are playing in..nothing more to ask for :). It's great to see all those critics becoming absolutely quiet :D . Long may this run continue.

Have managed to get my hands on a few DVD music concerts from stars like Daniel O'Donnell and Al Grant......have been listening to them a lot over the past few days. Also managed to transfer some of them to my Creative Zen....with them the long train journeys don't seem quite as long these days :)

Lastly...not reading anything new these days...have taken a break these days.....However, managed to find a library next door to my office today....so i might think about becoming a member there and getting my reading habit back on track

Looking forward to getting back to campus for the Alumni meet..if only for a day....will be good to be back....have a lot of great memories of the place :). The next update from me will probably contain a description of the events there.

Cheers,

WAyne

Game 1: Arsenal 2: Fulham 1

The football season is back after more than a 2 month break. Must say the weekends were just never going to be the same without the regular dose of the English Premier League and the umpteen discussions taking place with each match.

Thankfully..things are back to normal again with the season 07-08 getting underway this week.

Arsenal started out with a home match against Fulham and as matches go..the last 10 minutes of this match was as about exciting as things are going to get this season.

Fulham took a shock lead in the first minute of the game with Lehmann making one of the errors of the season. In front of 60,000 people this has got to be really embarassing.

As the match progressed it was back to the usual wasteful chances with Arsenal missing a number of golden opportunities to get back into the game. Finally in the last ten minutes of the game they finally go their act together with Toure and Hleb creating and finishing off the chances.

At the end of the game i was dancing around after having lost hope for the first 80 minutes. And this was the first game of the season :)....Hoping that Arsenal prove all their critics wrong this season. Good luck to the Gunners!!

Henry to Barcelona

Just read the shock news that Arsenal's biggest star ever Thierry Henry has agreed a deal with Barcelona for a transfer fee of 16 million pounds. Still to get over it :(

But time moves on i guess....Arsenal could well come out next season and give an effective reply to all the critics and the naysayers who are saying it's the end of the road for the Gunners. I for one believe so. Here's hoping for the best next season and a couple of new signings to add to Wenger's bunch of super talented kids.

And to Henry..Thanks for the eight years at Arsenal and for all the memories....especially the last minute goal to get the double over Man Utd this past season :)

Cheers

Football, Work, Music, Books....Updates :)

Here I am back again after nearly a month of no posts :)

For a change no post about Football considering the fact that the league is in the midst of a 2 month break. So no updates on football till we get started once again or unless Arsenal make a really big signing :). In any case i think the coming year Arsenal will finally regain the League Title and win the Champions League (No surprises rite? :D)

To matters other than football

(1) Work: Have been working for nearly a month now. Finished with the first week of induction and now in the midst of my 6 weeks of Branch training. Have been assigned to a branch just 5 minutes from my residence so enjoying the luxury of a 5 minute journey to work every day. Too bad it will last for just a month though :D.

It's still early days at work and mebbe I'm speaking too early but I can't help feeling that after all that agonizing and thinking about where I should finally join...and the final decision.. I ended up making the right decision :). Anywayz..let's see if matters change sometime down the line
..I hope not :)

(2) Gymming Sessions: This is my 3rd attempt at trying to get some regularity into my gymming routine and ensuring that I continue the sessions once i start. Hope I'm 3rd time lucky.

After my last attempt at Gymming a couple of months back...had to take a break due to my visits to Chennai and Mangalore...and when I came back to Mumbai was too lazy to join back..so the 10 day break...extended to 1 and a half months :D. Finally decided to stop procrastinating and join back..and yeah the first week was filled with the usual aches and pains which have thankfully subsided now.

(3) Books:Currently reading fantasy....The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud.....Have finished the first book and it's been a great read....If you like Harry Potter or the fantasy genre then I would recommend you give this series a read.

(4) Music: A big fan of the English Oldies.....and have made a lot of people fans of this genre as well......so beginning from this post..will list down some songs which are my personal favorites..and which I would recommend for a listen :D.

Right now Nat King Cole is one of my Favs..so here goes..

(1) LOVE was made for me and you- Nat King Cole .......Lovely lyrics...(L is for the way you look at me, O is for the only one I see, V is very, very extraordinary, E is even more than anyone that you adore can)

(2) Unforgettable- Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole...........Beautiful Duet..Lovely lyrics

(3) Paper Roses by Marie Osmond.............A super Oldie.....but never get tired of listening to it...beautiful lyrics again :)

Cheers

Finally some work :)

Approaching the end of the long vacation which began on March 3rd and ending this week on May 23rd.

Although it got a bit boring towards the end..definitely one of the most enjoyable vacations so far. Have experienced almost the whole range of weather conditions in India. From the biting cold of Himachal Pradesh to some of the most extreme heat in Chennai and Mangalore. But it's been a whole lot of travelling and really enjoyable at that :). Guess I won't be seeing such a long vacation anytime soon.

Get started with work on the 24th with a week long induction program and then followed up with 3 months of additional training. Hope to make the most of it :)

That's all for now. Football season has taken a break for 2-3 months. Been a largely forgettable season for Arsenal but plenty of hope for next season. Hope to see a couple of good signings in the summer and the team finally being able to prove that Wenger's decision in sticking by the kids through these 3-4 years turns out to be the right one. I for one think next year will be our year :)

Cheers

A quick update on the football scene :D

Arsenal are seeing somewhat of a resurgence after my last post.

A 2-1 win over our Bolton was very satisfying to watch :D.

And the Gunners immediately followed that up with a 3-1 win over a in form Manchester City :).

Nice to see the revival and Wenger's faith in the youngsters finally paying off.

Abou Diaby looks like are great find....see him being a immense player in the midfield next year :)

Cheers

Back Again :)

Back again after a long hiatus :)

Enjoying a break after college and looking forward to start work after about a month :D. Thought I'd be able to really enjoy this break but it's increasingly starting to get very boring.

Trying to pass time by

(1) Reading- Have taken to books with a vengeance. Have read some books by Stephen Frey, Fantasy (The Heart of Myrial, Dragonworld), Non Fiction (Only the Paranoid Survive) :D

(2) Music- Have recently chanced upon XM radio's online broadcast channel called 'The Blend' which like it's name plays a blend of music from the 70's right through today. It's Brilliant!. Have been listening to it non stop ever since I got back from College.

(3) Gymming- 2 weeks into gymming and after the initial aches and pains it's actually is a great exercise. Keeps me active and yeah have noticed a marked increase in stamina levels :P . Played football with friends on the beach for a continuous 60 minutes which involved a lot of running. A month back I wouldn't have lasted 10 minutes :D

(4) Football on TV- This is the most depressing part. Arsenal have been knocked out of all the competitions they have been playing in :( It's been really disappointing but as a true Arsenal supporter I believe it's just a matter of time before we see a turnaround :D

That's about it for this post. Will come up with some more shortly :)

Cheers

Football Update

Arsenal's form has been very patchy over the course of the last few matches. Patchy enough for even the most die hard of supporters to have their doubts.

The draw with Portsmouth which finished 2-2 was the latest in the series of points dropped at home. On the positive side the team came down from 2-0 down to pump in a couple of quick goals that saved the day.

Don't what to expect this season. We're well and truly out of the Premier League race. We have a chance in the Champions League and the FA Cup. Hoping for the best. I'm hoping that the team doesn't do an encore of the season final day photo finish to qualify for the Champions League for next year. If we are able to do it successfully it will still be a good season.

All the same it's great the see the young talent coming through. Adebayor whom people had slated even before he came to Arsenal is finally showing the naysayers what he is capable of. Still has to improve some aspects of his game but his progress ever since he's arrived at Arsenal has been amazing :) .... Possibly another feather in Arsene Wenger's Cap.

Carling Cup match against Liverpool scheduled for today....the youngsters like Denilson, Merida ,Traore should be getting a tryout...hope it is a good match :)

6th Term

Back in campus for the 6th and the final term of the MBA. With the amount of workload I've been under haven't been able to really sit back and relax. Have planned to do it this term :D

Will get to it as soon as I'm done with the Financial Engineering Exam scheduled for tomm, Fixed Income Project report, Society Business & Management project presentation, Financial Engineering individual and group assignments all scheduled to be submitted this week and of course not forgetting the Treasury Paper due on 30th. Once these are done then maybe i can think of a rest :D

Cheers

Arsenal 3 : Liverpool 0

Forgot to mention this in the last post.

Good win against liverpool with Flamini, Gallas and Toure getting the goals......looks like things are back on track after the hiccups against Everton and West Ham :)

Now for the UCL matches.... :)

Cheers

Ashwamedha 2006

IRIS 2006 ended yesterday with a great performance from Parikrama and Silk Route......I'm not a fan of Heavy Metal but the performance by Parikrama was really good.

Will remember this edition of IRIS for a long long time to come. Being a part of the organising team of Ashwamedha has been a really enjoyable experience......was hard work for the better part of 2-3 months ...but it all felt worth it when everything that was planned went off exactly as per schedule with absolutely no glitches.

Was great working with the Team Ashwamedha .....Thanks guys .....Unforgettable experience :)

Cheers,

PS: Detailed posts on how life has been at I soon :D

Campus Update

Almost halfway through the fifth term now and time is really flying by. The next two weeks promises to be exciting times on campus with preps for our B-School fest going on in right earnest. More details on www.iimi-iris.com

Fifth term will also be over soon and then it will be just one more term before we graduate to become MBA's and enter the corporate world.

When I first came here 2 years seemed a long long time and I wondered how I would manage. Moreso because it was my first time outside Mumbai and also hostel life.But as the 2 years come to a close I must say that these have been some of the best experiences i've ever had.
Had our fair share of hectic schedules, plethora of projects and submissions and exams. But apart from all that campus life has been one great experience and have made some great friends in the process.

Haven't blogged regularly...but probably will compensate for that with a detailed account of the MBA so far .......soon :)

Cheers,

Arsenal 4: Reading 0

After the disappointment of the midweek loss to CSKA Moscow Arsenal came back strongly to demolish Reading 4:0.

Henry (2), Helb and van persie all were on target as the Gunners made light work of Reading. This was a team which gave both Man Utd and Chelsea a tough time but with the kind of form the Gunners are in they did not stand a chance.

It's great to see Rosicky and Helb linking up ever so well. Fabregas has made the midfield his own and the defence looks rock steady. Things have never looked so good :). Hoping the run of wins continues

Football Update :)

Arsenal are on a roll after that horrific start to the season. 6 wins out of 6 in all competitions and the Gunners are steamrolling their way to the top of the premiership :)

Great to see the young talent coming through.....Walcott had a debut yesterday and he looks like the successor to Henry...All the others especially Rosicky, Hleb, Fabregas and Gallas are looking better and better with each passing game.

Here's hoping that the string of wins continues :)

Campus Update

This is very unusual from my side....2 posts back to back :D ....but there is always a first

We're in the thick of the fifth term here at Indore. Promises to be a very busy term what with all the Finance courses that I've taken. Going by the books that are being given out this term is not going to be easy at all atleast for the finance guys on campus. Besides academics we also have Iris our B-School fest this term and preparations for that are going on in full throttle.

Second year is not as easy as it is sometimes made out to be but then it's not all that bad either :D.

On the non academic front we have also started a social interest group called Pragat-I here in IIM I. Basically what we do is teach the youth in and around the villages around our campus. We've started with teaching them the basics of english and hope to move on to other things later. We've finished with the first few classes and things going great on that front.

Hoping this initiative continues at IIM I. I've always loved teaching young kids and these classes take me back to my time at NASEOH where we taught Physically challenged kids. Although Sunday was just about one free day in the week for most of us we enjoyed going to NASEOH and spending a couple of hours teaching and interacting with the kids. Their enthusiasm was really something we could learn from.

Lot of people do question our reasons for doing this.....Maybe it won't change them much but I still believe that whatever time we spend with them and interact with them makes a difference for them and they really appreciate it.

Guess the following email from one of the students at NASEOH sums it up for me......initially he barely could speak English or use computers.....The email below sent by him was one of his very first

" Hi wayne sir,

How are you, are you fine previous day you celebrity your birthday
but i dont no that last week was your birthday many - many happy return of the day god bless you. Next year i will first wish you
you tach very well really nice to met you and your friends. "


Cheers

Finally an update :)

The long dormant blog finally sees an update and no prizes for guessing why :D

The Big match happened on Sunday and Arsenal beat Man Utd 1-0 at the Man Utd fortress Old Trafford. Before the match everyone had written Arsenal off because of the large spate of injuries and the none too exciting form they were playing in. People were discussing the quantum of defeat that Arsenal would suffer without even giving them a chance. As one of the few Arsenal fans on campus (and in India i think :D) it was a tough time facing the comments on the poor performance.

And then the big match happened......Was a match full of ups and downs and a huge number of errors on both sides....Arsenal missed a penalty in the first half and that was not really a good sign....with the match coming to the 85th minute without any goal being scored most of us had resigned ourselves to a draw. And then Fabregas with a pure flash of inspiration made a run inside the box and gave a superb pass to Adbayor who made no mistake :D.

Normally am a person who does speak much but take some liberties when it comes to football :D ..... I think my reaction to the goal being scored was something worth watching and most people in the common room were surprised :D. But then I'm a die-hard supporter of the Arsenal and this win really meant something. Had a great time after that talking to all the Man Utd fans who had written the team off before the match.

So finally hope to get the season underway albeit a bit late in the day :)

Update on campus life in my next post which will be posted shortly :)


Cheers

Life in PGP 2

First post after coming back to campus for the Second year (and yes also because someone reminded me that I had a blog yesterday).

It's been one month after coming back....With the pace of activities here time just flies by before you even realise it.

When I first arrived at campus for the start of PGP 2...was expecting a fairly easy life....and the first 3-4 days on campus did nothing to dispel that belief. But now that most of the 4th term electives have started....things don't look too easy. In fact if i look at it PGP1 is actually having an easier time compared to what we are going through right now.

The Junior batch as come in as well...this time the batch strenght has increased to 180 as compared to 120 earlier. Suddenly the campus looks a lot more crowded :D. We had the PGP 1 having their Talent Night yesterday.....most if not all the performances were excellent to say the least...all the more commendable given the fact that they had a most just 2 days to prepare amidst classes/assignments etc :D

The Rainy season has set in on campus....and the campus is looking lush green and the view from the hilltop is just great :) ..... a relief from the hot summers in Mumbai.

Coming to my favourite topic..Football

Eagerly looking forward to the start of next season of EPL. One of the main reasons being Arsenal will be moving to their new stadium at Ashburton Grove. From what i've seen of the initial pics of the stadium....the atmosphere there would be just fantastic.

Arsenal have made one major signing in the form of Tomas Rosicky who can take over as a replacement for Robert Pires. Team looks quite balanced for now..but we do need a couple of defensive signings.

Reading has taken a backseat right now......I do hope to get started with 'Snapshots from Hell' which is a book about Life in the first year at a B-School....Going by what i've read of the foreword I'm going to identify with most of the things that have been written in that book....will try and post a review of it once I'm finished with it.

That's all for now

May 17th..D-Day in Paris

Ok folks long time since i updated my blog.....and since i've been getting repeated requests to update...here goes


Firstly Football :D

It's been a good time to be a Gunner fan this past one month....although the form in the EPL has been like a rollercoaster ride .... the form in the Champions League has been been terrific to say the least.

And it all culminated in the final week of the EPL .....Things were simple for Arsenal....win 3 out of the 3 matches to have any chances of qualifying for UCL next season and also hope that Spurs slip up along the way and also there was the small matter of qualifying for the UCL final.

The final day was something I will never forget.....switching between the TV and the comp trying to keep both the games Arsenal V/s Wigan and Spurs V/s West Ham. As things turned out.....both the matches went exactly the way Arsenal wanted.... the celebrations at Highbury were something to be remembered for a long long time.

Won't dwell on the Spurs controversy...but suffice to say that their claims were found to be unfounded by the premier league :D :D

Now...We're on our way to Paris..... Hoping for a great match against Barcelona.....Even though I'm a Die hard supporter of Arsenal ....winning the final seems a wee bit difficult...but as they say...Que Sera Sera....:D :D

Now Summers

Been enjoying the 2 months here at Mumbai....even though the weather is baking hot and the daily travel in the crowded locals don't do too much to help :D .. Spend my travelling time catching up on a lot of reading...in this month have finished with the exploits of Psmith from PGW, Maximum City b Suketu Mehta which in my opinion gives you a view on Mumbai which is vastly different from the one's we are used to seeing .... Suketu's accounts of the Gangsters personal lives are chilling to say the least......all in all it makes for a good read.

Now back to reading Jefferey Archer "As the Crow flies" which seems to be a pretty good book.....Interesperse this with "The UnderCover Economist" which is a great book to learn 'Practical' Economics and should be a good read for anyone remotely intersted in teh subject :D



Hmm..coming to music...spending my time listening to cover versions of songs by the group which calls it self "Gregorian" ....Have a listen for some really different take on contemporary music.

Their versions of "Brothers in Arms" originally by Dire Straits and "Losing my religion" by REM are great to listen to.


Ok,..that concludes this post.....one of my longer ones...hope to keep updating this blog more regularly from now on :D

May17th ..D-Day :D ....Here's to a Gunners Victory!!

:D

Gunners down The Galacticos

In footballing terms....the past week has been a really good one.

First........Arsenal have an away win at last with a 4-0 thumping of Fulham

Second......Arsenal's 1 million defence keeps out the famed Superstars of Madrid

Third.......Chelsea defeat Spurs with a last minute goal


Hoping for the good form to continue tomorrow when Arsenal take on the European Champions Liverpool....Will be a good match :)