september

"You have lost, Light. Didnt i say right in the beginning, the one who will write your name down in the notebook will be me [...] well it was good while it lasted. we killed some boredom, didnt we? we did some various interesting things"

as september comes to an end, as i leave brussels, i suddenly remember ryuk's last words to Light in Death Note.

i think if you were to use one word to summarise everything, it has to be 'inevitability'
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what does a person who doesn't drink coffee or tea need so many mugs for?

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the current game is the most important, while the next game is the most difficult.

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handing over the initiative is not giving up control if you are able to read the next move correctly such that things will run according to your plan. this is the highest level of control.

respect

the theme for this season is respect for the laws of the game, respect for the refs.

i think people should first respect the game first.

i don't really know what is happening in the blue side of manchester. but usually when man c plays chelsea, i will be supporting man c. so when they played each other two weeks ago, i was totally at a loss.

i don't really know what they are trying to do over there when they start waving their money, and talk about how they want to bring the biggest players over, and how they want to be among the elite.

i admire the ambition, but i feel that what they are doing, what they intend to do, whether they are successful or not, is simply showing disrespect to the game, to what other people have done over the years.

to actually believe that they can get away with it is sheer impudence. it disgusts me totally.

anyway what platini said about arsene wenger is funny. first of all, there isnt any link between video refereeing and small teams beating big teams. and second of all, all of us don't mind small teams beating big teams, as long as that big team is not your team.

feeling

"two years ago, that strong feeling that was certainly there after the last fight. in just two years, the feeling was lost before he realised it. i think that strong feeling is back." - tifa on cloud in advent children

a feeling.

anticipation.

feel your heart pounding

excitement.

that rush of adrenaline.

like stepping onto the field again.

a feeling that you haven't felt in a while.

like playin again.

it's back.

Jesen U Zagrebu

It took me just 5 minutes to fall in love with Zagreb from the moment I stepped out of the Glavni Kolovdor. The 15-minute walk to Trg bana Jelacica took me past the inter-linked gardens/parks/squares.

I saw exactly Autumn: Fallen leaves, flowers, a slight evening chill, beautiful old buildings, smell of warm food wafting through the air, narrow alleys, the rooftops, the courtyards, a girl hurrying past and turning to steal a glance., people strolling down the streets, waiting at the square, sitting on the benches…

In my short stay in Zagreb, I feel as though I have been living there for a while. 'The city gets under your skin,' Ana-Marija, the girl at the souvenir shop told me. She herself had come from a small town north of Zagreb.

Coming to this part of Europe also made me understood better what Yugoslavia had meant for the people in Croatia and Slovenia, and the other Baltic states.

Now, you can feel the confidence, the energy, the hope, the belief, the desire.

At negative infinity, the only way is up.

Perhaps, they had reached their negative infinity. They have nothing to lose now.

You can't help but feel encouraged by them. You also remember and appreciate some of the things you have taken for granted.

Here are my tips for Zagreb:

1. Go to the Dolac, the market that's on 7 days a week. The open-air part is where you can get fruits and vegetables. For the meats and bakery stuff, you have to go under. The first time round, I missed the entrance, because the open –air stalls had distracted me.

2. Have burek for breakfast. It's this very big pastry that comes either with cheese or meat. Go for the meat one, and this is coming from someone who likes cheesy stuff.

3. Go to one of the many cafes for coffee and watch the world go by. I personally find Milcec on Jurisiceva and Café Flores on Petrica very cosy.

4. Go for a meal at Kerempuh, it's to a corner of the open-air part of the Dolac. The ingredients come direct from the market. If they have bakalar, the cod stew, you must unbedingt try it.

5. Go to the Kamenita, the stone gate with the chapel

6. the Kremsnita, a Croatian pastry, at Petrinjska 61 is very, very good. I tried it at two places, so I could make a comparison.

7. Ice cream from Vincek, at 18 Illica.

8. If you have a lot of money to burn, consider buying a tie at Croata. You surely won't be able to afford the limited edition collection (there are only 4 of each design), but maybe you can get the ones with traditional Croatian motifs. That's rather special, and that's why people are willing to pay for it. If you can't, just go there to take a look at the ties and the salesgirls. There's something about girls in shirts, pants and ties.

9. If you are getting a Licitarsko Srce, an inedible gingerbread heart, for someone special, get one with a mirror, because I think that's more Croatian. Moreover, the mirror is there so that when the receiver looks at it, he/she will be looking at the person in the heart of the giver.

10. if you go to Lake Jarun or the Mirogoj cemetery, expect to find yourself the only Asian there.

11. Don't think you can shop for cheap here. Prices for clothes, shoes are at least German standard. Food tends to be cheaper though.

12. Croatian beers like Tomislav and Ozusjko are very cheap but not very fantastic. They will likely have Leffe, Hoegarden and Erdinger, and the prices you pay for those are cheaper than in Germany. Anyway, there's always coffee.

13. Pretend to be waiting for someone by the clock at Trg Bana Jelacica

14. Stay at Fulir hostel. It's voted the best here. It's a small hostel above a small courtyard. You feel as though you are transported back into the 17^th century or something. Get the 4-person room.

15. if you like sweetcorn or chestnuts, you will find vendors selling them at every corner.

16. I said before that the best places to look at girls is at transport hubs and shopping places. In Zagreb, it's in the cafes.

17. people here really like to and do look at window displays.

18. Zagreb is up very early in the morning, even on weekends.

19. someone said that you can run into someone you know easily in Zagreb. I think that's true. But if you don't see your fellow travelers again, it's simply because they have moved on to Dubrovnik or Ljubljana.

Maybe I didn't make it to Dubrovnik. But I really liked my stay in Zagreb. Zagreb's like an old friend. I met a few people there and heard from them about their Zagreb and Croatia.

My meeting with Mrs Setlac was like a scene straight out from Murakami. I was looking at the menu at Mala Kavana( at Trg bana jelacica) when she asked me from her seat: can you understand it?

And so, we started talking. She moved to Canda when she was 20, and now comes annually to visit.

Talking to her, I realise you cannot underestimate the power of memories that binds someone to a place.

4-0 to the Arsenal

we didn't play well but won 4-0 away against a team which i have always regarded as tricky opposition.

the defending was horrible at times, especially in the first half. that second goal really killed blackburn. it came at the right time.

almunia was alert when needed. the danger we got ourselves in mostly came out from blunders by the back four. this time, even sagna is not faultless. clichy's loss of focus right at the start was ominous. i was surprised and relieved that santa cruz and emerton didnt punish us.

fabregas had a quiet game, playing in the background. denilson was more the one pulling the strings. it's a partnership that could work- two central midfielders who could both dictate the game and make runs from deep. but they need to score more goals and improve defensively. it could be a partnership much like xavi and iniesta, although such a partnership would be best augmented by a hardman like Senna. so at the end of the day, we should still be in the market for such a player. anyway, one more thing about the xavi-iniesta partnership is that iniesta is really brilliant in going forward, in penetration. you can say he is a central midfielder with the penetration of a winger. this is a quality both fabregas and denilson unfortunately lack. in this respect, i am looking at jack wilshere. he reminds me of rooney somehow, whom i think is better than ronaldo.

eboue actually managed a very good shot that was well saved by robinson. he was playing the role of Senna. he pulled it off, but i am not sure about his ability on the highest level. and his decision making always troubles me.

walcott played with some guts, as you would expect from someone who just got a hattrick against Croatia. he should have scored from that breakaway. i dont understand why he chose to take it first time when i am sure he could have controlled the ball and still not be caught by the defence.

van persie should have gotten a hattrick, but you have to give it to him that he managed to make those two chances look like sure-goals when in fact they arent.

adebayor had a very quiet game and got three goals. he didnt shine, seriously. but somehow he got three goals. anyway i realise why milan wanted to buy him- he reminds them of inzaghi. offside most of the game.

kiev in ukraine will not be easy. i think going to the far east is never easy. but a win will be a very big step, as always.

autumn

i am looking forward to the second half of September.

firstly, because while i might not be going Cagliari after all, i will end up in Zagreb. to be honest, in july, i was already considering Zagreb. then the Cagliari option came up, but closed. and i managed to find cheap tickets to Zagreb. so you can say all roads lead to Zagreb.

upon more research, i realised that i might have made a mistake in my planning, because Dubrovnik seems to be the place to go in Croatia. while i can change my plans, i have decided against it because the 11 hour journey to Dubrovnik from Zagreb is really arduous, and i want to see this trip as a relaxing one.

of course i would want to see the main sights in Zagreb and get myself to Ljubljana (Slovenian capital), but i also want to go to the markets, sit in cafes/pubs, people watch, relax, sun myself and maybe shop to take advantage of the lower standard of living in Croatia( or at least i hope so)

i will get myself to Dubrovnik somehow, but next time round.

but i believe this would be a good break- a much needed break. the last pit stop, you can say.

and hopefully the last time i travel alone.

but i will still stick to my stand:
if there is no suitable player, don't buy.
if there is no need to buy, don't buy.
if you have to go alone, you go alone.

another date i am looking forward to is the 22nd September. this is when Autumn supposedly begins. this will be my first ever Autumn.

Autumn is probably my favourite season, despite the fact that i have never really experienced Autumn myself.

Autumn immediately conjures up the following images:
-falling leaves
-a girl playing the violin
-a smile laced with tears

melancholy. the season of loneliness.

of course i will also be going back to Cologne on my way to Brussels. i have come to miss Cologne a little, because i after all lived there for 6 months. in the 3 hours i have there, i will go back to my old house, my old neighbourhood, see if the people are still around. take the photos i never took.

Going to Brussels also give me a second chance to do some things i never did the last time round. i won't let slip the opportunity.