Cheering Chelsea live at Stanford Bridge

I have been a huge football fan over the past 10 years especially following the premier leagues of top European nations and the Champions league on the little TV screen miles across in Goa. It was a dream come true to witness the live crowd and massive fan following at football matches. It has been 3 years in London and this is the second time I was cheering Chelsea at Stanford Bridge. Being a part of live audience at Stanford Bridge, I was telling Veda about my interest in Football and it feels magical to sit and witness Champions league 2008. 10 years ago, I had never foreseen this event in my life and it was happening in front of my naked eyes.

This time besides being an audience, I was a commentator as well, more so like a football guide, brushing Veda through the rules and introducing her to the players and the teams. Though she has never followed Football or hasn’t been able to distinguish between Chelsea and Cluj players apart from their Jersey colours, she was trying all her level best to cope up with the fast paced game and enjoy herself like everyone else at the stadium.

The match was as exciting as predicted knowing the fact that Chelsea had to win to advance to the next stage of the Champions league. Chelsea’s Kalou scored the first goal after a tedious struggle. Cluj equalised in the second half through a splendid goal by Kone. It was eventually Drogba who scored the winner for Chelsea. In the end, it was 90 minutes of fun and excitement for me and Veda.

We were on our way back home with a broad smile and cherishing every moment of the Chelsea victory. I really won’t comment on the extent of fun Veda had, whether she understood the technicalities or not, but I was smiling to myself all my way back home because the only thing what she was saying was

“Blue is the colour,

football is the game,

we are all together and winning is our aim,

so cheer us in through the sun and rain,

cause Chelsea Chelsea is our name”. 

-Satyam

A simple plan- SIMPLE PLAN

My first rock concert was scheduled on 29/11/08 and the tickets were booked months prior. Satyam had put his blood and soul to make me feel ‘J’ boasting all about the series of rock concerts he has attended; right from Metallica to Nickelback. By this time I was already fuming with jealousy. AND finally we were successful to book our tickets for this punk rock band- Simple Plan. 

It was simply Satyam’s suggestion to book the tickets. It was only one song I knew about this band and not that it was figuring anywhere among the top of ‘my favourite list’. But I didn’t want to say a ‘no’ and loose out on the opportunity. Anyways, what I know about myself is I don’t need a peg or a fag to be high. Just loud and great music makes me tipsy.

 

My pre-concert preparation involved listening to each and every Simple Plan song by heart and seeing each video………. don’t know how many times. I also made a point to read a little about the group and see the videos of their past concerts on youtube. I took my evening at my own pace to get dressed up and trust me it is difficult to look ‘punky’. I was trying all different sorts of things and it just made me feel disgusting. More than me, it was Satyam who was pissed off and fuming at me “Veda, you don’t need to look punky to go to a punk rock concert, you girls………grrrrrrrr’’.

Catching up with time, we reached the Forum venue. We were aghast looking at the never ending queue. We were almost a kilometre away from the arena. All around us in the queue were young teenagers. It appeared that they had sneaked away from home to attend this concert dragging their partners and buddies along. We managed to get in the arena after about thirty minutes of shivering in zero degree temperature. 

The arena was packed with people. The dance floor and the balcony were stuffed with young and energetic teenagers. The show took off with singing and music by some upcoming bands that were just not familiar to us.  They were trying their best to entertain us and keep us tossed up, but the entire crowd wanted was Simple Plan.

 

Finally Simple Plan made their appearance on stage. From then the atmosphere just accelerated and now there was no looking back. ‘Untitled’, ‘Shut up’, ‘lie’, ‘addicted’, ‘when I’m gone’ and all their other hits kept making the crowd jump up and down. It was the first time I was witnessing a crowd of around three thousand singing along with the band. The crowd was enjoying themselves singing or rather screaming the lyrics on top of their voice. On the other hand, the usual drama of pushing people and sneaking in through the crowd to get in front was a common thing. But overall, it was a different experience and not one second got boring. 

The last song that they sang was my favourite one, ‘Perfect’. Pierre started the song solo just with a guitar. I was feeling ‘oh! Why is he singing just with a guitar, so pale and dry while in the original song, it has such a great music’? Just before I could finish thinking about this David spurred water on the crowd and from there the song took a different turn – check this moment out in the video below in the video bar on this blog.  

 I didn’t realise how my time flew by. I returned home with a hoarse voice and blocked ears. This return was a return of a die-hard Simple Plan fan!

-Veda

Wedding – Exchange of vows of togetherness

28^th April 2008, a long waited day for Kamat and Dhond family. Kamat family was very eager to welcome their new bride and Dhond family even more excited to have the best son-in-law or whether it was to get the nuisance out of the house. Whatever be the reason, it was a day of celebration for both the families.

The wedding scene began 2 days prior to the day of wedding. Dhond family celebrated the Mehandi function with power pack performances from the singers and dancers within the family. The highlight of this day was the jam session where the young and the old moved their hips and danced on the latest beats. 

The next day, both families performed the ‘devkarya’ in a traditional Goan style with a wholesome and heavy veg meal which just calls for a perfect afternoon siesta. This day was a private family affair which involved rituals like applying ‘haldi’ and oil, receiving blessings and invoking God’s blessings for the days to come in the life of the couple. 

Finally the day of wedding had arrived, more popularly known as ‘the day it rained in summer’- for the reason the bride and her mother showered their tears and the villain being our good old priest (bhat) who had done his job well by explaining each and every ritual with a lot of drama and emotions. The family and friends enjoyed the wedding wholeheartedly and wished the couple for their new beginning. The couple exchanged vows.

 The celebration continued next day at the wedding reception.

At the end of the series of events, the couple complained about the immense pain in their jaws on account of the pasted smile which was glued on their faces for two continuous days.

Poem: A little Crush

A LITTLE CRUSH

 

 

I look at you, and my eyes demand a second glance

You look at me, and the butterflies in my stomach begin to dance

You turn your face around, and give me a funny stare

So much concern and love I try to show you

But you just don’t seem to care.

 

Knowing not how to impress, I turn up doing something wild

You laugh under your breath and murmur to yourself,  “she is such a child”

Child??? Me??? I am 18-year-old adult I announce

Then there is a flashback of my craziness. “Sorry”. I pronounce.

 

When you come in front of me, my heart beats faster

I fumble for words, make no sense..…my vocab??? A perfect disaster

I forget my way & what work was to be done??

I just turn cold, standing and baking in the hot sun

 

I wait and wait to hear from you. Your warm talks and your giggles

My heart questions me…does he too feel these tickles???

Why am I so good to him? What does he mean to me?

Why do I get so drawn towards him? What is so different that I see?

 

I talk and talk to you, yet there is so much I want to say

To hear some stuff from your side too I pray

Do I follow my instincts? Or am I practical?

Thinking of you in the mid-night, I feel its all a miracle.

 

Why am I being so silly? Is it all normal?

“Friendship” is such a casual relationship yet I be so formal

So different feels everything, “a full moon night”…. so romantic!!!

When the rain pours outdoor, I turn I little poetic.

 

Why is this all happening to me,

Can someone give me an answer as such???

Why do I think of you sooooo much??

Take it easy dear, its just a little crush!!!!!!!