Arsenal 2 Burnley 1

Arsenal maintained hopes of winning the FA Cup for a third season in a row as Alexis Sanchez’s goal carried them past Burnley and into round five. The Premier League side led when Calum Chambers superbly curled in from 18 yards with the outside of his foot. Championship side Burnley hit back as Sam Vokes headed in Tendayi Darikwa’s cross and an Alex Iwobi interception denied Andre Gray after the break. Sanchez – making his first start since November – finished coolly to win it. The Chile international – who has made just one substitute appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in November – was lively throughout and turned in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross after Darikwa was dispossessed in midfield.

There can be no doubt the holders deserved a place in Sunday’s draw as they enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and chances, though Burnley created a nervy finish. The impressive Gray caught sight of goal late on but could not get meaningful power in his shot and as the visitors threw bodies forward, substitute Theo Walcott missed a glorious chance to add a third on the break as he failed to round Tom Heaton. Arsenal’s match programme featured the FA Cup trophy on the front cover along with the words “To have and to hold”. They move a step closer to emulating the Blackburn Rovers side of 1886 by winning a third FA Cup in a row, though this was far from vintage. They made nine changes to the side beaten by Chelsea last weekend but still fired 23 shots at the Burnley goal as Arsene Wenger maintained his record of only losing to lower-league opposition once in 41 FA Cup ties. Solid appearances from the likes of Chambers and Iwobi show he has a squad capable of maintaining a challenge in this competition but the anxious moments – particularly with the ball in the air in their box – will continue prompt some concern.

Mohamed Elneny saw more of the ball than any other player – with 100 touches – on his first outing since joining for £5m from Basel earlier this month. His completion of 96% of his passes was impressive but as a deep midfielder, he often found himself with plenty of time on the ball, meaning there will be tougher tests to come. While Elneny was steady between the penalty areas, Sanchez was pivotal inside the box. He did not break stride to slam home his goal, created the opener for Chambers and looked lively throughout. His return could be crucial ahead of a key February when Arsenal play the likes of leaders Leicester, Barcelona and Manchester United. Though Arsenal looked impressive enough to create many chances, their finishing is a cause for concern.

The Eighth Sin

Remember the seven cardinal sins? You’re given the serious task of adding a new one to the list — another trait or behavior you find particularly unacceptable, for whatever reason. What’s sin #8 for you? Why?

I don’t believe in sin or sins. That’s a stupid fucking concept. Idiots who want to preach at you and frown at you made up these so called sins. Rubbish! What about rape? How about murder? Disloyalty? Subjugation? Slavery or owning slaves?

Lust is a sin. Fuck you, I will lust after life, sex and food/drink if I want to. I don’t care what you think. Lusting for something is good, means you want it and you will try and achieve it. Lust makes you achieve. And there is nothing wrong with it. Pride – why not have pride in your work, your achievements, the achievements of your loved ones? Screw sins! Wrath – yeah the actions of so many people is worthy of your and mine wrath! Shut up about wrath!

Sloth – what did that poor animal do? Envy, a sin? My foot, it’s ok to be envious, maybe you might try and gain the same for yourself. Ok gluttony and greed I can buy. Not sins though. It’s part of being human. And it’s ok. Rape is not. Racism is not. Oppressing women or any section of society is not. Shut up about so called sins.

Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com

Pump Up The Volume

So, I went out today for a bit of shopping and well for some good food. I was tired after staying in last weekend and the past week at work, so I needed a change of scenery. I woke up late and decided to just get a cup of coffee at home, shower and change and leave by almost noon. I rushed to McDonald’s and got me some food as I was starving what with not having eaten any breakfast. After a while there, and having had to suffer through the noisiest bunch of young teenage girls over there, I went to Bay Pride Mall and went shopping for some speakers.

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I ended up selecting the iBall i2 – 460 watts output, 230V AC. They look like dinosaur eggs in a cup! LOL, yeah they do. So that’s my blasting loud rock n roll for the rest of the evening until it’s football time.

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And I had a late lunch at Golden Dragon – well I ended up order some pork and some chicken satay. Was not interested in fried rice or noodles and drank a 7up there as it was a dry day in Kerala and so no beer! Damn!

Time To Switch Brands?

I am still paying of the EMI on my laptop and it’s going ok (it’s a 6 month EMI) but I can’t wait for it to be done as I want to take another EMI on my credit card. I want to upgrade and get a new smartphone. And for the first time since the last three it most probably will not be a BlackBerry.

That is stunning – as stunning a declaration as you can get to hear from me when it comes to brands. I have been a staunch loyal supporter of BlackBerry but lately they have made it difficult for me to remain so. Forget the apps that I am missing out on (although the Uber one really stings) but I can’t afford to buy the latest 2 phones from BlackBerry because of the ridiculous price tags that they place in India. India has a large BlackBerry following but even we are finding it difficult to stay loyal.

The Passport and the Priv are priced way to expensively for my taste. Rs. 62k for a smartphone? What the fuck! I can’t believe it. This from a company that needs to move sales. I can buy 3 laptops for the price of a Priv. 2 for a Passport. But BlackBerry India does not care. They have decided that they only want the rich Indians to buy their latest phones. But I can’t complain. It’s their product and they have the right to choose their prices. I could try and get one from the US or Canada via eBay but…….

So in a couple of months I will be looking for prices online and if I do not get a good option I will be getting an Android phone. Let’s see how it goes.

Life Without Blogs Or Computers

Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

Heaven’s to murgatroyd, I don’t want to think of such a catastrophe. That would be a disaster of the massive scale for me. I have always have had a pc at home since September 2006. Before that there was a huge period of time when I didn’t have a pc at home. I bought my first computer, a desktop back in late 1996. It lasted till 2003 when one day, after quite a few changes to the parts, it stopped working altogether and it wasn’t worth getting it fixed. From that day, sometime in April of that year till September 2006 I was pcless but I have used the internet in various internet cafes.

Since I bought that new desktop in 2006 I have always had a computer and I get online everyday. Well I actually have had some time without a computer. Back in 2010 my then computer died on me and it wasn’t worth getting it fixed as well so I went for a laptop. But I had to wait 3 weeks for my pay rise to hit me and during those 3 weeks I didn’t have either a computer nor the internet at home. So that also meant that I had 3 weeks of boredom to face without being able to listen to my vast collection of songs (my old stereo died a couple of years ago and I survive on mp3s), my movies and series that I download and no internet. I went out with friends a couple of weekends. I read a lot of books that were engrossing. I spent a lot of time flipping through channels and watching stuff that I wouldn’t watch usually. Cooking shows for example. Saw a few movies and some tv series. Slept a lot. And I spent a lot of evenings after work in coffeeshops. I played Brickbreaker on my Blackberry so much that I seriously considered turning pro……if they did indeed have a Brickbreaker tour!

I guess if it happened again to me, I would go out more. I would watch movies and tv shows on the tv (might even get a new flat screen tv for myself) and spend more time reading.

Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com

A Staycation Coming Up

Well that’s me done for the night I guess. Another long day at the office – again. Yawn, there have been way too many of those in the past 2 months. Too many Uber drives back home after 8pm-8:30pm. So tired and feeling like I’ve spent way too much time at the office.

I will be on leave for a few days in February, second week most probably. I have applied for a few days leave and including my Saturday and Sunday offs, I could get atleast 9 days off from work. A staycation is coming up!

Blog It Babe

Give your newer sisters and brothers-in-WordPress one piece of advice based on your experiences blogging.

If you’re a new blogger, what’s one question you’d like to ask other bloggers?

The one bit of advise I would give a new blogger is be yourself. Write about what you wanna write and what your are passionate about. If you are faking it, it will show. Do not write about something or base your whole blog theme about a subject that you are not genuinely interested in. Unless ofcourse you are being paid to do so and that is ok. Everyone needs to pay the bills and have some money left over for luxuries.

I like personal blogs the most because it’s revealing a lot about what kind of a person you are, your family, your friends, your town, your city and your interests. I like those the most but sometimes I also do like specific theme blogs like one on movies or music or football or even specific clubs or genre of movies/tv or genre of music. For those who are into art and creating things there’s those kinda blogs too. It doesn’t really matter I like all kinds of blogs.

So find something you like and post it. Or write about anything and everything under the sun. I’ll probably read it.

Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com

Guest Post : Essential Tips For Beard Maintenance

Description: Want to learn secret tricks of professional beard maintenance? Follow these tips to provide your facial hair with the best care.

1. Take care of cleanness


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Beard maintenance starts with a regular washing routine. Just like any other type of hair you need to shampoo and condition your beard.

2. Keep it shaped


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If you want to be an owner of neat and tidy beard, you have to maintain its shape. You can do it yourself with a trimmer or visit your barber.

3. Avoid dehydration


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Conditioner is a great source of moisture that will make your facial hair feel hydrated. Use it regularly to avoid nasty dryness.

4. Say “no” to stress


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Stress and negative emotions have a negative impact on hair growth and even cause hair loss. Keep stress to a minimum to avoid bald patches.

5. Eat like a gentleman


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You beard has to be fed but not with bread crumbs from your hamburger. Eat carefully and don’t forget to use napkins!

Visit us here http://sohonycbarbers.com

Guest post by Victoria Howell

Arsenal 0 Chelsea 1

Another game against Chelsea and another defender sent off for fouling that asshole Cost and another loss. Arsenal lost the game even before kickoff because even though Moaning Mourinho may have gone, the Gunners cannot get over their boogie team in Chelshit. Ten-man Arsenal missed the chance to go top of the Premier League as Diego Costa’s winner gave Chelsea victory at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners never fully recovered from defender Per Mertesacker’s 18th-minute red card, awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg after he hauled down Costa as the striker raced clear. The revitalised Costa scored the decisive goal five minutes later, turning in Branislav Ivanovic’s cross at the near post to make it nine Premier League games without defeat for Chelsea against Arsenal.

Arsenal’s potency suffered after manager Arsene Wenger decided to replace striker Olivier Giroud and introduce defender Gabriel to compensate for Mertesacker’s dismissal. Victory would have put Arsenal back on top but Chelsea survived in relative comfort to leave the Gunners in third place with Leicester City now holding a three-point lead over Manchester City at the Premier League summit. This was the day Arsenal were meant to lay the ghost of Chelsea, who went into this game unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against the Gunners. Even Wenger’s bogey man, Jose Mourinho, was out of the picture after his sacking. Wenger has lost five and drawn six of eleven league meetings with his old adversary. And yet it was the same old story for Arsenal as the frustration of their players and fans inside the Emirates reached boiling point long before the final whistle. There was no shortage of spirit and endeavour from Arsenal in the face of the numerical disadvantage inflicted on them after Mertesacker’s early red card.

If anything, it was inspiration and a little self-belief Arsenal lacked against a side that looked physically stronger in a game where Wenger’s side was missing a warrior who could get in and among the visitors in those exchanges. Their best effort of the match fell to Mathieu Flamini who attempted to convert Aaron Ramsey’s through-ball with a kung-fu kick, where a header might have been more appropriate. The result is hardly a terminal blow to Arsenal’s ambitions but a wound inflicted in familiar fashion. It now remains to be seen how much of an after-effect there is. Arsenal stays in 3rd place with 44 points after 23 games played.

Kick It #11

What’s the 11th item on your bucket list?

Hmmm, 11th item. I guess it would be to see the UK. England, Scotland and Wales. I would so love to visit the UK and live there. I don’t know much about Northern Ireland but I bet it’s a fine place too. It’s just that I know more about the other 3 having seen more of it on the screen and having relatives and friends who live or have lived there.

In particular I would want to visit Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, Swansea, Dublin, Cork and way too many places in England to say in one post. I wanna visit pubs, see some castles, take in a few live football matches at the stadiums, see some live musical acts from Britain, some comedy shows and variety shows, see the royalty, go on various city tours, eat fish n chips with the locals and a host of other things. Mostly I would like to live there and explore more of the places and see the wonders of the places.

I have actually been there – Newcastle in particular – when I was about two years old. I ofcourse do not remember anything. My mom’s younger sister and her family were living there at the time and my cousins are now spread out around the UK. I don’t count that as a visit.

Paul Blart : Mall Cop 2

Six years after the hit original comedy movie comes Paul Blart : Mall Cop 2. A 2015 film directed by Andy Fickman and written by Kevin James and Nick Bakay, we have James returning as the eponymous mall cop Paul Blart. The other cast includes Neal McDonough, Daniella Alonso, David Henrie, Raini Rodriguez, and Vic Dibitetto.

Set 6 years after the end of the first movie, Paul’s marriage to his wife lasts just 6 days before she leaves him. To make matters worse his mother dies when she is hit by a milk truck. Paul continues to takes pride in patrolling his mall, the West Orange Pavilion Mall. In 2015 Paul receives an invitation to a security officers’ convention in Las Vegas and begins to believe his luck is about to change. Maya, his daughter, gets accepted to join UCLA on a scholarship but withholds her news for a while in light of Paul’s invitation. The two go to the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, the venue of the event, where they meet Divina – the general manager of the hotel – to whom Paul develops and instant attraction. Maya meets the hotel’s valet, Lane and they become become instantly attracted to each other, though Paul does not share their enthusiasm. A fellow security guard Donna thinks Paul might be the keynote speaker but it turns out to be another security guard, Nick Panero.

Meanwhile at the hotel a criminal named Vincent Sofel and his accomplices arrive at the hotel plotting to steal priceless works of art from the hotel and replace them with replicas, then sell the real ones at auction. They disguise themselves as hotel staff and setup base in Sofel’s suite. Maya is upset over her father’s overbearing protectiveness and decides to spend the evening with Lane at a party after declaring that she is going to UCLA despite Paul wanting her to stay closer to home. Paul goes with three other security guards, Saul Gundermutt, Khan Mubi and Gino Chizzeti check out the non-lethal security equipment on display. He also runs into Eduardo who dislikes the fact that Paul seems to be interested in Divina who also seems to be, despite her reservations, falling for Paul. Later Paul ends up having to give the keynote speech as Nick is drunk and passed out. After delivering a stirring and emotionally well received speech, Paul is looking for Maya. Maya and Lane fall into the path of the criminals and are taken hostage.

Following the speech, Paul learns about Maya and Lane’s situation and rushes to help but passes out due to his hypoglycemic condition that has plagued him for years. Once he recovers he uses some of the non-lethal weapons at the convention he takes out much of Sofel’s accomplices and takes the help of Donna, Saul, Khan, and Gino – Paul is able to clumsily dismantle Vincent’s operation and when Sofel aims a gun at Paul, after Eduardo’s brave intervention, Maya uses oatmeal infused sunscreen on Sofel’s face to make him burn due to his allergy. Afterward, Paul convinces Divina that her attraction for him is misplaced, and Eduardo is who she should really be with. Paul also accepts Maya going to UCLA, funding her tuition with the reward money he obtained for stopping Vincent. After dropping off Maya at UCLA, Paul falls in love with a passing Sheriff’s Deputy who reciprocates his advances.

Though it has several detractors and got mostly negative reviews, I found this movie funny and I like Kevin James and his clumsy portrayls of the average Joe with weight issues. I give it a 7.5 outta 10!

(YAWN)

What bores you?

For the most part, the norm bores me. But I can get comfortable with a routine and even like the familiarity and stability of it but the same thing everyday, day in day out does get to you. It’s nice to shake things up once in a while. I also do not like everyone to have the same interests and the fact that people – or a majority – expect you to like the same things that they do and get upset when you don’t.

I am bored by the staleness of politics and the same old lies, tactics and tricks. Religion bores me even more. Honestly there is nothing more boring than submitting to an overbearing asshole of a supreme being who watches everything that you do and controls everything that happens. Praying to this megalomaniac who demands your obedience and everlasting love and devotion. Sheesh, man get a life you desperate celestial being.

Basic stuff also bores me. Being told that this is popular and this is cool and everyone following fashion like sheep or cattle, prompted to accept stuff without question. Everyone watching or listening or wearing the same stuff, eating the same food and accepting it because that is what you are told. Boring! Bring on some spirit and some individuality and some creative customization. That’s more like it.

Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com

It’s Been A Hard Night’s Day

Another long day at work. Or another long night. I am already working an extra hour all 5 days for this week but yesterday I had to stretch for an additional two more! So instead of 4:30 pm to 1:30 am, I worked from 3:30 pm till 3:30 am and I reached home only by 4:30 am!! And oh yeah I left home by 2 pm and reached the office by 2:40 pm so that’s a lot of hours. I am so tired. I tried sleeping in late for a bit but managed perhaps 5 hours and woke up a little after 9:30 am – once it is sunny and bright outside, despite the curtains which aren’t shutting out the sunshine that much on a bright day like this, I can’t sleep much. Had it been a rainy or cloudy day, I might still be sleeping at 1 pm!

So here I sit like a zombie….waiting for Carol to come and finish me off while I go “arraahh arrhhhh” at her…. drinking two humongous cups of strong black coffee in quick succession just so I can prop my eyelids open. I will be going in to work only by 4 pm today and I just hope that I don’t sleep off by 10pm – I most likely will.