Sunday, April 23, 2006

Divagando sobre o grupo C

Recém-saído de um fim de semana na serra gaúcha completado com presença no Beira-Rio testemunhando Inter 1x0 Santa Cruz, gol de Rentería.

Divagando no fim de semana sobre inúmeros assuntos como o futuro de Sasha Meneghel, cheguei à conclusão que tenho um grande dilema nas minhas apostas à copa (assunto que tem ocupado muito da minha cabeça ultimamente): não sei o que fazer no grupo C. Pode dar qualquer coisa, literalmente.

Em comum, todos têm enorme vontade de dar a volta por cima, e para isso a mera passagem às oitavas servirá, já, para todos. Argentina quer se recuperar da eliminação em 2002; Holanda, da ausência na Ásia; Sérvia, quer mostrar força na primeira copa e sair da sombra da Croácia; e Costa do Marfim, provar que futebol africano pode, sim, ser eficiente.

Para atingir seus objetivos esses times vêm com remédios distintos. Argentina e Holanda deixam de lado jogadores experientes (como Verón, Ortega, Seedorf, Stam e Makaay) e trazem times muito jovens e muito ofensivos, com algumas das maiores revelações dos últimos anos (Messi, Robben, Tevez) e capitães carismáticos (Cocu e Sorín). Já Costa do Marfim e Sérvia têm elencos entrosados, defesas fortes (Dragutinovic e Vidic nos europeus, Touré e Eboué nos africanos) e atacantes que jogam muito mais pelo país que pelos clubes (Kezman e Drogba).

Fiquei pensando e acho que as combinações de resultados são uma colcha de retalhos. A Argentina pode ganhar da Holanda (que deve se abrir), mas acho que é segurada pela muralha da Sérvia e pode até perder pros contra-ataques letais dos marfinenses. A Costa do Marfim pode perder da Sérvia (que não vai sair pro jogo), mas contra Argentina e Holanda podem tanto ganhar no contra-ataque como perder por mero volume de jogo. A Holanda, no papel, pode ganhar de qualquer um, mas resta ver se a combinação jogadores jovens + esquema ofensivo + técnico inexperiente segura o tranco.

A minha previsão pra esse grupo muda literalmente toda semana, mas por hoje é mais ou menos assim:

10/06 em Hamburg - Argentina 1 x 1 Costa do Marfim
11/06 em Leipzig - Sérvia 0 x 1 Holanda
16/06 em Gelsenkirchen - Argentina 2 x 0 Sérvia
16/06 em Stuttgart - Holanda 0 x 1 Costa do Marfim
21/06 em Frankfurt - Holanda 1 x 1 Argentina
21/06 em Munich - Costa do Marfim 1 x 0 Sérvia

Com esses resultados teríamos Costa do Marfim em primeiro com 7 pontos, e Argentina em segundo com 5.

Mas a minha opinião anda muito volúvel esses dias. Especialmente em se tratando de copa.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Lost

This blogging hiatus is partially due to my acquisition of the box of DVDs from the first season of LOST.

One night I watched 8 episodes in a row.

(8 times 45 minutes each.)

The other night I watched 4 in a row, the last one at 3 am when I had to wake up at 5 to take a flight.

It is damn deeply addictive.

You know what I like in it?

1. it is a reality show fan's dream - random people put together in an odd and unfriendly environment, and being followed around at every corner, but with interesting flashbacks from people's past

I am not a big fan of reality shows - no, seriously, not really, I hate it (except American Idol) - but there is a Survivor-esque feel to LOST that glues you to the sofa and just makes you watch it more and more.

2. it shows stereotypes.

Quoting my (dearly missed) friend Vikas Khanna, from New Delhi/India: "One thing Insead taught me about stereotypes: they're all true."

Vikas was talking about natinalities of course. LOST is more about stereotypical book/film characters. It has the hero doc, confident in the outside but anguished in the inside; the good burglar; the bad guy; the rich girl, Paris-Hilton-lookalike; the creepy hunter; the fat joker dude; the black guy, the "most normal" ; the Asian guy and his work ethic; the Muslim soldier, committed to every task; and so forth.

3. it reminds me a lot of a personal situation.

I was thrown in a strange tropical island with a bunch of strangers from different places, different cultures and different expectations, and after a period of finding out how to survive, we were all struggling to gain trust and confidence, and we eventually had to learn how to live with each other in the best way possible.

That pretty much sums up my year away doing an MBA.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Dusting off old albums

Random choices from my iTunes that made my day better:

Play by Moby

A Thousand Leaves by Sonic Youth

Both kinda old. Both I know by heart. Both fantastic and deserve to be praised.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

2014

Another quote from the Observer (Paul Wilson's column) on a prolific blogging day.

"Brazil has not hosted a World Cup since 1950 so it must be due a turn soon. The tournament is going to South America in 2014, which seems the only possibility of Brazil getting a look-in during my working lifetime, and if Pele wishes to start lobbying for his own country rather than someone else's for a change that'll be all right with me. These observations are prompted by a quote I came across from Frederico Chaves Guedes, better known as Fred, the Brazil forward who played for Lyon against Milan in midweek.

Here is what Fred said: 'I did not play well at the start of the season. I struggled with the food in France after moving here from Brazil. I lost four kilos, and it is not easy to perform then.'

So this guy moves to Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, no less, and finds the food so unpalatable he manages to lose over half a stone. Not only could he make millions from marketing that diet, his unhappy experience begs a burning question. Just how good must the food be in Brazil? I'm not sure I can wait until 2014 to find out. "

"Are they all what they're cracked up to be?"

I was gonna write on the Indian restaurant I ate at today in Porto Alegre but this is a bit more timely.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1750190,00.html

Best parts:

"[Parreira's] scouting trips to Europe this season have revealed a multitude of worries. From his expected starting line-up in Germany, there is only one player whose excellence is beyond debate - the peerless Ronaldinho. As for the rest, the form guide is littered with inconsistency, injury, complacency and some downright awful displays."

""[...] as Tostao, the 1970 World Cup striker pointed out: 'There isn't a convincing substitute for Roberto Carlos.' Serginho, who has been playing that position with more defensive acumen for Milan, is 34, and Parreira is conscious his squad is already old enough."

"Defence is obviously Brazil's problem area, so it was a blow for Parreira to see midfield shield Emerson made to look geriatric by Arsenal."

"The general view among Brazilians is that the players are saving themselves for the World Cup. But, just because it worked last time around - when Brazil were so listless in the build-up to World Cup 2002 they almost failed to qualify, and we all know what happened next - does not mean they can turn it on again when it matters. Parreira can content himself, though, that Cafu has played only 14 matches for Milan this season, Ronaldo 24 for Real Madrid."

"Parreira will not tinker with his favoured formula. Brazil's manager is a conservative sort, loyal to his favourites. How else to explain that Juninho's polished performances for Lyon are not convincing enough for a first-team run? Or that his outstanding team-mate at Lyon, Cris, has not nailed a spot in defence?"

Fight Test

Comprei o DVD do Flaming Lips e é muito legal.

"I don't know where the sunbeams end
and the starlights begin, it's all a mystery"....

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Excuses, excuses, excuses

I dodged the sushi dinner!

Well I did not go, eventually. Things happened and I gave a lame excuse. Anyway.

I don't wanna sound like my sister's blog, but this has been typical of me these days. Avoiding my problems. I guess I arrived back to Latin America with a lot of plans and did not expect some things not to work out as I had thought, and saw myself with less energy to overcome obstacles than I thought I had.

Vague, I know. But I took some resolutions as to things that are not smooth in my life, that I will from now on try to put into practice. For the time being, let the following specific information be disclosed: I will look for an apartment more actively and I will finally finish an overdue project at work.

Soundtrack: "Summer soft" by Stevie Wonder.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Pedro the sushiman

Yes, I once took a sushiman course.

No, I cannot cook sushi.

Well, I wouldn't rule it out completely, I mean, I guess I remember the theory, but having not put it into practice for the past year-and-a-half makes a difference, I would say.

Here and there, I admit I have bragged a little more than I should've about my fish-slicing and rice-rolling abilities. It is a great bar talk and it draws the attention (and interest) of girls. Now, however, the magic has turned against the wizard - one of the persons I entertained with this metrosexual man-cook tale has actually invited me to a dinner in which I'm supposed to cook my own sushi... Deeper than that, I'm supposed to go and buy my own fresh fish! Oh Lord help me....

I might be making a needless drama because it is actually really easy to cook sushi and sashimi. I mean, to do it an acceptable level, of course. Please, invitees, do not expect anything like the fish market in Tsukiji (Tokyo) - but that is actually the best sushi in the planet so I might be putting the expectations too high. Let's say it should be better than the sushi they serve at regular self-service all-you-can-eat restaurants in São Paulo........

More updates to follow after the dinner.