33 Days and Counting

Like an eager child at Christmas, I can barely contain my excitement at the fact that the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the 19th edition of the famous tournament, is a tantalizing thirty three days away.

Here in Malta, we can expect a dizzying combination of fierce international rivalries, euphoric celebrations, and a cosmopolitan atmopshere awash with colour and passion. And if that's not mouth watering enough, it will all pinned against the ideal backdrop of a glistening Maltese summer.

Words fall short at capturing the essence of what the World Cup truly means. At face value, it might simply be the gathering of 32 footballing nations to battle it out for a nice golden trophy.

Yet stare into the eyes of the millions worldwide, who live and breathe every kick, every foul, and every goal as if their very lives were at stake, and you realise that the World Cup is not just a football competition, it's an event of incalculable importance that means everything to so many. It dares you to dream, and brings hope and pride to people who may struggle to find it elsewhere.

I am a lifelong football addict, and am massively fortunate to be a supporter of Manchester United, who have consistently delivered success and drama by the bucket load throughout my life. Yet international domination has eluded the English public for well over 40 years, and it is my burning desire to see that sparkling golden cup back in an Englishman's grasp once again. Could 2010 be the year? Just the thought is enough to make me shiver.

I thought a suitable way to leap further into World Cup mode would be to gather a few pre-tournament predictions. Like a diligent journalist, I scoured the earth far and wide for the opinions of two scholarly football analysts. But I couldn't find any, so I had to settle for Lukas Galea and Dan Bianco.

I'll start by opening with my own pre-tournament prediction, before providing you with with the interesting and somewhat surprising ideas of Lukas and Dan. Here we go, the World Cup is back!!

Group A

France

South Africa

Uruguay

Mexico

Qualifiers: France, Mexico

Group B

Argentina

Greece

South Korea

Nigeria

Qualifiers: Argentina, South Korea

Group C

England

USA

Algeria

Slovenia

Qualifiers: England, USA

Group D

Germany

Ghana

Australia

Serbia

Qualifiers: Germany, Serbia

Group E

Holland

Cameroon

Japan

Denmark

Qualifiers: Holland, Denmark

Group F

Italy

New Zealand

Slovakia

Paraguay

Qualifiers: Italy, Paraguay

Group G

Brazil

North Korea

Ivory Coast

Portugal

Qualifiers: Brazil, Ivory Coast

Group H

Spain

Switzerland

Chile

Honduras

Qualifiers: Spain, Chile

First Knockout Round:

France v South Korea - France

England v Serbia - England

Germany v USA - Germany

Argentina v Mexico - Argentina

Holland v Paraguay - Holland

Brazil v Chile - Brazil

Italy v Denmark - Denmark

Spain v Ivory Coast - Spain

Quarter Finals - now it's getting juicy

Holland v Brazil - Brazil

France v England - England

Argentina v Germany - Argentina

Spain v Denmark - Spain

Semi Finals - I'm getting scared now

Brazil v England....Sod it, what fun is the world cup without a little bias? England !!

Argentina v Spain - Spain

World Cup Final

Spain v England - A bit more of that bias again - England to win it !!!

Silly, pissy, ridiculous third place match that nobody gives two shits about

Argentina v Brazil - Brazil

So there you have it. A completely objective and unbiased prediction as to what will transpire in South Africa this June. Well, almost completely. Portugal to be the competition's major flops, and England to eradicate the ghosts of the past with a heroic display of skill and passion. Here's to belief!

Across the Pond

I recently spent three months in the United States to work for an environmental conservation company. The desire behind the choice was a mixture of wanting to experience something new and different, but also hoping to do something worthwhile.

The three months elapsed in a flash. Like any trip, there were ups and downs, laughs and frowns; Times when I wanted to jump with joy, and times when I wanted to bash the nearest person in the face with a heavy object.

I was a million miles out of my comfort zone. No friends, no car, no bedroom or TV. No home comforts whatsoever. I was mercilessly chucked into the wilderness for 8 days at a time, and forced to battle against difficult work conditions, uncomfortably hot desert weather, and insane solitude. While at the time I frequently felt exhausted and downright rotten, I gradually started to realise that stretching yourself beyond your limits is good for you. It challenges you to develop strength of character, and it helps you contemplate what's important to you in life.

Despite the difficulty of the job, there were numerous moments of pure comedy that I fondly recall whenever I feel like a laugh. By coincidence or not, the vast majority of these experiences took place on the public bus, where you are pretty much guaranteed a humorous encounter with a nutter at some point or another.

One aspect of the trip that falls under both the 'love' and 'hate' categories has to be American food. The choice of junk food available to you is so immense, that you're practically powerless to stop yourself from sampling as much as you can. The trouble is, it's not long before you're hooked on the stuff, and 'sampling' quickly turns into stuffing yourself sick. What baffled me was how Americans lived on this diet all their lives. After three short months, I was on the brink of exploding, and felt horrendously ashamed of myself for my lack of discipline. Had I stayed for an extra few months, they'd have had to cut through a wall to get me out of the house. I did eventually get a grip on my crap intake, but not until I had added an extra few kilograms to my weight. I don't even need to tell you how my bathroom habits changed...

If American food was a 'good side, bad side' thing, then American sport was an 'utter rubbish' thing. I suppose you could argue that, since I've been brought up on football (the real football, not that pads and helmet stuff), then nothing is ever truly going to compete. But the 'sport' in America is so tediously slow and mind-numbingly uneventful that you need drugs to stop yourself from falling asleep in your oversized hotdog.

Take American football, for instance. I went to watch the 'Superbowl', eager to witness huge athletes engage in some bone crushing action. What did we get? About 8 seconds of confusingly boring play for every 5 minutes of fast food adverts. That's what American sport seems to be about - the commercials in the middle. At times, I almost forgot that an important game was going on. Even basketball, a sport I thought I liked, proved to be hugely anticlimactic. I purchased tickets to a college game, but found myself looking up to the rafters more than I found myself actually following the action, which was anything but compelling.

If I'm giving off the impression that my time across the pond was dull and disappointing, then let me set things straight. It was an immeasurably positive experience, in which I learnt a great deal about nature, American culture, and myself. It presented me with the perfect opportunity to do exactly what I had wished - something productive and noble. And what's more, I had plenty of time to ponder about what my next steps in life should be.

There's something very fulfilling about going away on your own. It's like your first time out on the open road after you've got your licence. You might be a little anxious, and there might be dangers round a few corners, but ultimately, you're free, and you're actually doing it. I'd recommend it to anyone who's thinking of giving it a go!

Who'd have thought it? After practically a year of absence from the blogging scene, I'm back. The reason? A combination of having more free time than usual, and actually having the odd thing worth saying.

I must say that I'm quite surprised to find myself back here composing a second blog. A blog that I never thought would come into existence. A blog that floated aimlessly through the realms of the uncreated, waiting only for a breath of life to propel it into reality. HA! What a dramatic load of bollocks.

Anyway, if I had to sum up today in one word, it would be 'microwave'. Oh sorry, that was LAST Monday. Today, the descriptive word would be 'frustrating'. Work came and went smoothly enough, yet my last minute efforts to fight off a hamstring injury proved fruitless and I was forced to watch Swieqi United's first ever match from the stands. The team fought bravely and actually played some silky stuff at times, despite eventually sucummbing 4-2 to Ghaxaq FC. I'm hoping desperately that the damage to my leg is less serious than it feels.

What else? Well, very little. Actually, nothing at all. That's all from me folks!

'Allo

I've never been into this whole blogging business to be honest with you. I actually think it's quite snazzy to have your own blog - to be able to write about whatever tickles your fancy and have all your friends read it and comment. But since I am blessed with the imagination of a vegetable, don't expect anything too extravagant to emerge from these entries. Be prepared for installments of insanely dull, mundanely insipid tripe that you'll probably only read to be polite. Or because you're bored. Or a combination thereof.

What can I say? I teach English to foreign students. I'm into sports. I'm not particularly artistic. Loud and crap music bores me massively. I like the world and learning useless but startling facts about it. Did you know that Finland has more islands than anywhere else in the world? Neither did I until a few days ago. Cool stuff. I have a rather unusual sense of humour, which probably only a few people can truly grasp. And another thing - I don't usually describe myself so candidly, so why am I writing all this nonsense? Ha! Only a week to go till the community shield. Bring it on, my son. You probably can now appreciate my previous assertion that I have very little to write about.