World Cup Pneumonia

So concluded the World Cup Germany 2006 last night (early this morning, Singapore time) as Italy won the competition for the 4th time, once more amidst an issue of corruption back home. I shan't comment on Corruption in Italy lest his Excellency the Italian Ambassador posts a comment like he did in "Today" newspaper regarding a commentary about corruption in his country. I'd agree that its unfair to judge a nation by its football players.. but there's no absolving the players involved in their elaborate attempts to soil the nature of the game.

And so concludes probably a World Cup that really i could have won a LOT of money - there was a certain pattern; every team i wanted to win either played horrendously (England) or lost. Quite sad, really.. Except for a handful of matches such as Czech Republic v. USA. And public enemy no.1 (for ousting Aussieland) eventually claimed the trophy. So i could hv won a lot of money..

In any case i believe that the most interesting talking point of the game was inevitably Zinedine Zidane's 3rd extraordinary header in 2 World Cup Finals. For those who are blur, the first two won the Jules Rimet trophy for France in 1998 v. Brasil. The third, this time well placed to the chest of an Italian player, got him sent off.. For those of you who missed the action..

Followed by the Italian's (obviously) must-make-the-ref-notice reaction..

We have it all on camera film - the whole sequence - but i'm lazy to upload it. Anw, Zidane got sent off in extra time, and France went on to deservedly lose. For if Italy did knock out the valiant Aussies and the Deutschlanders, it was evident that they wanted the Jules Rimet trophy much more than the Frenchies. Perhaps bcos half the Frenchie team HAVE already lifted it before, in 1998.

And full applause to the Italian defense, and clinical though sporadic attack.

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Anw, i watched the final on Pawai, and hence was knocked out clean the rest of today. and it was a good first shift, where i definitely had to do more than my fair share, which of course did piss me off abit.. but apart from that, its okay la. its fun to change generators and do ops checks with the Radio. That's why i'm a signaller.

And 90% of the conversation and 80% of the TV shows and 50% of the radio shows were in Chinese. which, especially the conversation bit, really got on my nerves. technically it feels that i was excluded in all sense of the word for a lot of the time, and i'd have bonded with the sea better. and it was a disappointing day this morning - being poured down by the clouds' tears. and the sky's breath. The wind was blistering cold, and the weather.. still can't recover.

But apart from that.. the nice long nap, the end of world cup, the return home from pawai, the changing into dry clothes, the nice long chat with keira, and especially keira knighley on TV two days in a row.. Enough things to be thankful of. and enough space to still wonder about one of the great mysteries of the FIFA World Cup.

Out.