Get ...Set...Checked in..

This is what I bumped into on Twitter and I have no reason to deny the fact that this is exactly what I do in 2012. The picture talks about food, but then my endeavors are not always limited only to food.

Over a period of time it has almost been a ritual for me to check in on 4sq whenever I visit any place. I have had to face the ire of quite a few friends due to the fact that instead of settling in my seat and looking over the menu, more often than not I am frantic to get that 4sq 'check in' done. I must confess that there are times when I do feel that it is a burden but then it 'has to be done'!!! I am not boasting to be a mayor of 100 places on 4sq or something but I guess my 4sq usage is pretty respectable. Now if those points which you earn on 4sq would somehow translate to money or even better discounts I would be more than happy :)

4sq does have some offers on select establishments but the money back offers are mostly on AMEX cards and I don't have any. I have redeemed only one offer till date using 4sq and that was the FREE SALSA and CHIPS at Chillis. I know its trivial but then I sure was excited :)

The most invaluable thing about checking in on 4sq which I have found are the tips which other users have left. So if you end up in an alien city visiting a restaurant which you picked randomly you at least have those tips to help you order what is the best thing available there. Let me tell you those tips have not really let me down.

So the sum total of the blog is that if you see my check in on 4sq in the future don't be getting hyper on my 'showing off' skills but try it yourself.

P.S: 'The Little Bird' (she blogs here: http://night-flier.blogspot.com/) is coming down to the US for a 'little' over a month and has voiced her desire to give me a run for my 'check ins' on 4sq. Well I have got my travel calendar sorted out girl and it says at least Kansas and Austin to begin with in the near future.

Name on the Back : Gooner Pride : Survey results

I absolutely adore percentages for the simple reason that they hide the actual sample size and effectively bring about a sense of purpose to whatever you are reporting :)

Now that I am coming out with the survey results my previous statement seems to be in a negative light and potrays that the sample size of the survey barely made the double digits. Both no and yes. No to the pessimism and yes to the sample size. The email to Arseblog didnt really get noticed, guess I have to do better than this to be the Rebecca Black of Gunner forums ;) I am taking heart from the facts that almost everybody whom I wanted to respond did respond. Guess I do have a small circle of Gooners around me..LOL that doesn't really bother me.

Cutting the crap and getting right to it:

1)  The Arsenal player from the current squad (2012-13) who's name you would want on the back of your Arsenal Jersey?

Wilshere---------50%

Cazorla----------12.5%

Vermaelen------12.5%

Podolski---------12.5%

Fabregas(??)----12.5%

Really not surprised to see Jacky boy right up there. Fans already see him playing all his club football at Arsenal elevating him to legend status alongside the other Arsenal greats. The fact that he was given the famed squad number 10 only underscores that. Looking forward to his comeback to club colors. He is sorely missed till then no doubt

Cazorla made it purely on what he did against Sunderland the other day, I think :)

Somebody actually mentioned Fab. Not sure if it was sarcastic or the individual really sees Fab as still the part of the squad. Well for the fan Fab is still as much a Gooner as a Barca player.

2) The Arsenal player from the all-time Arsenal player list (1886-2011) who's name you would want on the back of your Arsenal Jersey?

Henry---------75%

Bergkamp---12.5%

Viera---------12.5%

Looking at the responses, I felt 'duhh!!!'. I was thinking to myself, 'really you had to ask that question!!!??' I am not saying anymore on this :)

P.S:

I was goggling for an hour trying to find an Irish bar or any bar in the Des Moines area which airs EPL matches. The search results were not encouraging at all until I bumped into this : http://www.arsenalamerica.com/2009/09/04/hello-from-the-des-moines-area-gooners/. This was like a Mardi Gras for an exhibitionist ;) (hope that analogy worked). So I got onto it and sent out an email to their 'branch manager' only to be slapped back by Gmail for sending stuff to an invalid mail id much to my chagrin.

For a moment there I had my hopes really high about being in Des Moines. Damn!!!!

Anyways its the visit to Stoke this weekend. COYG!!!!

Name on the Back : Gooner Pride - A Survey

In victory or defeat we wear our jersey with pride!!! It is this very passion that we all Gooners share for Arsenal which has prompted me to come up with a survey (link at the end of the write-up) for all my fellow Gooners. 

We are the best judge of everything which goes on the football pitch for the simple reason that whatever happens out there in the middle affects us. We lose our sleep over that offside decision which might have changed the game for us. We get into endless arguments trying to fathom what the defender was thinking when he decided to make that ill fated back pass to the goal-keeper.

It is this passion which in my opinion makes us the best judge of the footballer who wears the colors of our club. We don't keep our feelings whether positive or negative to ourselves, we broadcast them so that they are heard, so that the footballers know what the fan thinks about him. We do that at worst by booing a player on pitch or at best by wearing his name and number on our backs!!!

I think that wearing a player's name on our backs is one of best ways many of us find to adore the player. Unfortunately not all players retire playing for the same club. Some move on with grace while a few (whom I now hate) cash in on the opportunity and move to 'greener' pastures. While a few are just not good enough to stay. When any of this happens we take a hard look at that battle-worn jersey we bought long ago and either worship that name on the back or outright hate that name on the back. Seldom there is a middle ground for us. For we are the Gooners.

The survey has only 2 questions (my worst time on the survey was 5 seconds) which in my amateur opinion will bring out the two Arsenal players one from the current squad (2012-13) and the other from the all time Arsenal player list (1886-2011) who the Gooners adore, salute, idolize.

I don't doubt your wisdom. Come on you Gooners!

Link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8KL9J8Y

Game 1 - Arsenal V/s Sunderland 0 - 0 08/18

I woke up at 10:45am EST today. With the kick-off scheduled at 10:00am EST, I was already kicking myself for missing the very first 45 mins of the season considering how badly I was looking forward to the EPL. The thing to note is that it was not the alarm which woke me (that was long past anyways) but a simple notification tone of a Whatsapp msg from a friend ruing about how dull the first half was!!! Now atleast I know what wakes me up better.

This is what I saw in the second half:

One way traffic all the way till the final whistle except for a couple of times wherein both the substituted forwards for Sunderland - Saha and Elmohamady got a touch to the ball. Expect Saha who was ambling near the half line all 10 Sunderland players where at the back defending each and every second. At any given time there were 2-3 Sunderland shirts converging on the ball be it with Gervinho, Cazorla, Vermelean, Arshavin, Diaby, Jenkinson or who did I miss yes Walcott. The question of shutting out Poldi or later Giroud never arose as they just had to find the net which they missed with menacing regularity.

To tell you the truth I was not expecting the kind of defensive discipline which Sunderland exhibited today. But then you can say that the Arsenal offense was not upto the mark. Well, Cazorla had a good game. His trickery was at his best considering that Sunderland were gonna be happy with a point and the fact that he is just setting out in the EPL. He did create chances weaving through those ever present Sunderland bodies until Poldi or Giroud hit them wide.

Gervinho showed an amazing work rate. I saw that he was ready to back track a long way just to get the ball. Gervinho was everywhere? I have no doubt that more than once I saw him on the right side as well. Towards the end for that corner in the final seconds, I did see him in a bit of discomfort. Hope its not the hamstring and only a case of cramps with the work he put in today.

Walcott atleast in the second half didnt have much to show for. The kind of game Sunderland ran, didnt afford him much space anyways. He did win a free kick which Poldi sadly kicked over the net.

I have never been impressed with Diaby. He always seems to me as a wannabe (never give up) Viera. Neither does he have the talent nor the gumption to be that. Today with the Sunderland defence hell bent of just choking the Arsenal players, he looked hap hazard. More than once he was looking like a lost farmer at a village fair. Would have Song dont better? I dont really want to go down that path. He was substituted by Ramsey in the last 20 mins or so. Ramsey seemed to be a bit better prompting me to think that I would have been wise to start with him instead.

Jenkinson impressed me I must say. Part of it could be because I haven't seen much of him and that his defensive capabilities were not called upon in this game, but atleast he was ready to get up there and make a pass/cross or two. He did try a shot on goal as well. I guess apart from Szcz it was only Per Mer for Arsenal who didnt really cross the line into the opposing half.

Ashravin got a look in the last 15mins when Walcott was substituted. He did show his trademark turns for a bit but didn't quite seem to make the impact. Gibbs looked sharp what with his overlaps with Gervinho but then again couldn't get a telling pass. He did well with winning possession of the ball though but again was not tested that much defensively.

TV5 did make a few runs upfront but things didnt really pan out. He was contend to be on the half line trying to change the side of play from right to left. Didnt see much of Arteta but then that was the nature of the game what with Sunderland not letting up the relentless pressure even for a second.

Finally we come to the new boys up front. Poldi and Giroud could have had dream starts to their stints at Arsenal. Even in the heavy traffic, Cazorla and Gervinho were providing good service in the box but unfortunately they couldnt make it count. Poldi over-ran that deft Gervinho touch which was right in front of goal and Giroud missed a sitter at the end of the Cazorla assist at the fag end. I was half hoping for a Arteta long shot to make a difference but the way Sunderland were stacked up there was not much space anyways.

First game without RVP and we end up scoreless. Caught wanting in the final third and in front of goal.  Already the commentators have started asking the question, "Is Arsenal missing RVP?" I would say not yet. Still the first game of the season. Heartening to see Cazorla getting into the groove right away. Guess we can cut Poldi and Giroud some slack atleast this week.

Next week we are away to Stoke. Delap long throw ins will be back. Hoping that Bould's zonal marking holds up against the set pieces and both Poldi and Giroud find the back of the net!!!

COYG!!!

P.S: Elsewhere Swansea got 5 past QPR.Remember Man Utd off loaded Ji Sung Park to QPR in the off season. Fulham also got 5 past Norwich. They did that without Dempsey who, litsen to this, 'refused' to play because he wants to move to a bigger club.
I think the upset of the first week of games (though we still have games to be played tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday) is Liverpool who went down 3-0 to West Brom with Agger ending up with a red card as well. A twitter user had this to say about Saurez who missed two chances in the first half when the scores were even - 'Saurez has the game of Messi but the finishing of Heskey!!!'

Choose your future. Choose LIFE!!!

RVP: He's gone. We'll get over it

So its done!!! Arsenal have accepted terms with Man. United for RVP. The deal is worth $24million. Ofcourse I am not aware how much United will be paying RVP but I am sure it will be close to the highest salaries being currently paid in the league.

Curious as it may seem, I dont feel hard done by RVP at all (http://adducelebrity.blogspot.com/2012/07/van-persie-situat.html) . Maybe it is because being a Gooner I have now been used to this phenomenon, what with the experiences of Nasir and Adebayor. RVP displayed some calm when he said that the his contract talks and any gossip related to that will have to wait till the Euros were done, but post the Euros and ofcourse the horror show of his team it was all downhill. The immaturity of his comments then made it clear in my mind that Arsenal will be better offloading him. Coming off perhaps the best season he had with the Gunners and with a year's contract left now was the time to make money off him. Arsene Wegner made the right call in my honest opinion.

I have not really understood the rationale behind keeping the transfer window open for two weeks after the season begins. Each time any player transfer saga unfolds and enter the last week before the start of the season I cannot forget the Lescott move to Man City. Moyes was in no mood to let go Lescott and rejects offers worth $15mil and $18mil from City. Ofcourse there was a lot of love lose between the player and club on that. All that culminated in a poor show on the opening day of the season when Arsenal drubbed Everton 6-1 with Moyes blaming Lescott's 'poor attitude' and consequently dropping him until he was sold off to City. To that effect when Arsene said that he would want to  get done with RVP before the season starts one way or the other was very reassuring. You dont want that 'poor attitude' on the pitch especially in Gunner jersey. I am not saying it would have come to that but then there was a possibility.

What Arsenal achieved last season was in major part RVP's doing. He could have very well stayed on finished his career here which is at best 2-3 years. But the fact remains that the RVP has always been an injury-risk. Infact the last season was his only season with the Gunners where he played 25 or more games. So considering all this I still think Arsene did good.

With RVP gone we have 2 new strikers for the season. Podolski is proven I would say at the international stage, whereas Giroud is just getting to know the ropes. Not a bad deal really. There were folks who wanted to hold onto RVP for this season so that he could be something of a guide for the new signings, but then its not worth $24million.

Lets see how fit RVP can remain this season with Man.United. Here's another opinion on the deal http://sports.yahoo.com/news/manchester-united-deal-arsenal-robin-van-persie-could-214800560.html

For now as Arseblog puts it: He's gone. We'll get over it.

Playing catch up..

I just got off a call with a school friend with whom I spoke after a gap of 8 years or so. It is his birthday today. Of course it was Facebook which pointed that out to me but the fact remains that I did end up calling him and wishing him. He was off to work so the call was brief, 5mins and 45 secs to be precise, but the rapture I felt within that small time was inexplicable. I could understand that the feeling was mutual and I could sense that.

After the call I was simply sitting, drawing breath and wondering. Wondering what exactly happened to my life in this timespan that I pretty much got disconnected with probably the very first set of friends I ever made in my life. I dont have a definite answer to that.

Do people slowly fall off until one fine day it just strikes you, "Hey where is this guy? I dont see him around, wonder what he is up to these days??".  Or is it just about your priorities at any given point in time?

You are not entirely wrong to think that I have too much time to kill. In fact I am thankful that I got this time to sit back and let this run through me!

I think I will label it 'Playing catch up'. Nostalgia is too cliched an emotion/term to ride on anyways!!!

I have already shot off FB messages to a few school friends. I am sure gonna use those minutes on my India calling card and guess what, that image up there is the most appropriate for this post :)